Here We Go Again

In November 2012, an opportunity presented itself to us and we took it. That opportunity was a chance to move to Paris for six months and it was one of the best decisions we've ever made. Six months turned into a year and then it became permanent. Our lives are richer and we are happier because of that opportunity.

When Lori took the full-time position with the Legal Department of Total, the type of contract she signed meant we would be spending a few years in Paris, but we would be moving somewhere else eventually. It would be another country somewhere in the world where Total has operations. We figured that we would be in Paris until 2016 or 2017 and then off to a new location.

Well, another opportunity has presented itself to us and once again we took it. This is a lot sooner than we thought it would happen, but the current economic climate has caused some re-shuffling and re-organizing within the company and a new position was created and they specifically asked Lori to fill it. This means we will be leaving Paris for good on July 1, 2015. While there are many things we are going to miss about Paris, we are ready to move on. It's a wonderful city but we are ready for somewhere new.

Where is this somewhere new you ask? Why it's a tropical paradise. Well it's not a paradise, but it is tropical. We are moving to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. If you're like Lori's dad you're probably wondering "Where the hell is that?" It's an island in the South Pacific Ocean close to Australia. Now you're thinking "Sounds lovely", well not so fast. Port Moresby is ranked as the 3rd Least Livable City in the world. It only ranks ahead of Damascus and Dhaka. "What is so terrible about it" you ask. Crime. Lots of crime. We will be living in a secure building and we will have security driving us everywhere. Let me guess, now you're asking "Why would anybody willingly leave one of the greatest cities in the world and move to a place like that?" I wish I had a better answer for you other than "Because we can."

It's a great opportunity for Lori. She'll be the head of the legal department in the new office that is just opening there. It's a new part of the world for us to explore. Australia, New Zealand and Fiji will be in our backyard. It's a warm, tropical island. We can start sailing and diving again. The main reason we want to go is because it's new and different and we are ready for a new adventure. We tend to get itchy feet when we are in one place too long.

We have spoken to many people who have been there and done tons of research online and it seems like the reputation of the city is worse than it really is. If we do what we are supposed to and stay away from the bad areas of the city, we will have no problems. There is another downside to this position though, we couldn't be farther away from Newfoundland if we tried. The travel time between Port Moresby and St. John's varies between 36 and 48 hours depending on the route. Just think, I used to complain about the 7 hour flight between Paris and Montreal.

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Cruise - The Ship

More than a few people have questioned why Lori and I enjoy going on cruises. Despite the cruise industry trying to attract younger customers, most people still have the stereotypical image of cruise ships filled with Senior Citizens attacking the dinner buffet. I'm not going to lie, that stereotype exists for a reason. If you're pushing 50 like me, a cruise is a good way to feel young again, but the real reason we like to cruise is that we love the ocean. Our very first cruise was a Trans-Atlantic from Miami to Barcelona with 7 sea days in a row. Most people would find that boring, but we loved it.

The ship we were on this time was the Celebrity Equinox and it was beautiful.

We had a cabin on the stern. I love watching the wake disappear into the distance while listening to the white noise from the props. It must go back to my Navy days when I used to stand Lifebuoy Sentry and I would spend hours on end staring into the abyss. This is a much better way to do it.

This ship had a cool feature, there was an actual grass lawn on Deck 15. You could play mini-golf or bocce ball or just lay out and catch some rays.

Lori and her dad playing bean-bag toss.

There were a ton of bars to choose from. Like I said, the cruise industry is trying to attract younger customers so they are trying new things. This ship had a Molecular Bar that made drinks using molecular gastronomy.

My favourite was the Gastro Pub that served over 40 different beers.

We spent a lot of time by the pool where our favourite waiter worked. Bobby was fantastic. He had our drinks to us before we even knew that we needed another one. Bobby and Wayne were best friends in no time.

We had a few hiccups getting there and getting home, but it was a great trip.

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Cruise - Port Visits

Our journey to the "New World" is complete and we have returned to our life in the "Old World". The cruise itself was fantastic but the journey to and from was unpleasant. The travel gods must have heard me complain about airports and airplanes and decided to punish all of us. None of that matters though because we really enjoyed our cruise.

The main reason we chose this particular cruise was the port visits. The ship sailed from Fort Lauderdale and stopped in Grand Cayman, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize and Cozumel. We thought it would be the perfect way to introduce ourselves to South and Central America. Our favourite port was Peurto Limon, Costa Rica where we Zip-lined through the rainforest. Our least favourite port was Colon, Panama. It was just a working port where ships gathered before entering the Panama Canal. The hottest place we visited was Cartegena, Columbia. Even our Jamaican waiter complained about the heat. Here are a few of the highlights of the trip.

Beautiful Sunsets and Sunrises. The clouds make the sun look like it's smiling as it goes to sleep.

Lori dancing with her new friend Sally. The dolphin was so cute but I just love the look of utter joy on Lori's face.

Lorraine found a new friend too. She's holding a 60lb stingray.

Here are Lori and I zip-lining through the rainforest in Costa Rica. This is my new favourite thing in the world. Although you can tell by the pitch of my voice at the end of the video that the harness was a little tight in my nether regions.

It wasn't all about the adventure though. In Cozumel we learned how to make Margaritas and Salsa.

Tomorrow I'll talk about life aboard the ship.



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Fort Lauderdale

So we have all arrived in Fort Lauderdale, in advance of our cruise. Lori and I are traveling with her parents and there were some hiccups along the way. Wayne, Lorraine and I ended up spending a night in Toronto because we missed our connecting flight due to mechanical problems. Air Canada put us up for the night, but we weren't able to fly out on the same flight the next day. I left bright and early on a 6:30am flight, that really left at 7:45am, while Wayne and Lorraine flew out on a 10:45am flight that left around Noon. Lori's flight from Paris was rather uneventful, but long. The four of us arrived in the Fort Lauderdale area on three different planes, landing in two different airports, but we all made it.

Our first night in Florida was going great. We met Lori at the hotel and then we all went out for supper together. On our way home, we hit a bump in the road. Actually, we hit a bump in the sidewalk. Poor Lorraine tripped over the bump in the sidewalk and went down hard. This is the result.

Her glasses were the first thing to hit the ground and took the brunt of the sidewalk.

Lorraine is a little sore, and a little embarrassed at the shiner she has, but she's a trooper and is powering on. We were able to get her some new glasses today so at least she will be able to see. This isn't the start of the trip that any of us were planning on, but hopefully all the drama is over and now we can enjoy our time together.


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New Camera

I've been back in Canada for just over a week now and I've been busy. Every time I come back, I have a long list of tasks to complete. There are tasks that I add to the list, but most are added by Lori. Now, her mom always has a list for me as well.

One of the things on my list was to buy a new camera. I had been using my Canon A80 point and shoot model for about 11 years, until it finally stopped working a few months ago. Then I had to use my phone as a camera. It's handy because it's always in my pocket, but it doesn't do justice to the beautiful places we travel to.

I did some research and asked friends for advice and ending up getting a Canon EOS 70D which is a major step up from my last camera. I've been fooling around with it for a few days now, trying different things out. Our friend Hilda helped me pick it out and gave me some valuable tips. She's a professional photographer and if anyone is looking for a photographer in the St. John's area, I highly recommend her.

http://www.cousinsphotography.ca/

Here's a few shots that I've taken this week.

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Quiet Month

It's been awhile since I've posted anything and that's because it's been a quiet month for us. Things have pretty much returned to normal in Paris. We do see security around the city, but that is not unusual. Anyone who has visited Paris has no doubt seen the gendarme walking around tourist attractions and in the metro stations. The metro line near us has been shut down occasionally due to a scare of some sort. It could be something as simple as a backpack that someone has left behind. This is just life in a big city though.

We haven't traveled anywhere since before Christmas. I think we were both suffering from travel fatigue. We still love going to new places and exploring new things, it's just the getting to and from that has us worn out. I've come to dread airports and train stations. We have been spending our time watching movies and catching up on our reading. Thumbs up to Skeleton Twins and thumbs down to Boyhood. We've also formed a core group of friends made up of other Canadians, Americans, Brits and Australians. We usually meet at least once a week for drinks. It's nice to have a social life again.

Even though I said I dread airports, I'm getting on a plane next week and flying across the Atlantic. I'll spend a few weeks in St. John's and then Lori's parents and I will meet Lori in Fort Lauderdale. We'll spend a couple of days there before we get on our cruise ship. We will stop in Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize and Mexico. We are really looking forward to it, although I seem to be making a habit of flying into Newfoundland in February and I should probably change that.

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Paris

I have struggled with what to write today. There is nothing new that I can add to the discussion other than the sound of police sirens is almost constant outside our window. Of course, I have my own opinion about what happened and I'm sure all of you have an opinion as well, but this isn't the place for that. This is the place to talk about food and travel and happy times. Just know that Lori and I are safe and we are still very happy to be living in Paris.

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