Life and Travels in Retirement

Meeting Betsy’s sister and husband after six weeks of looking solely at each other was a treat!  We met for two weeks starting in Old San Juan. Very quaint city if one just avoids the cruise ship landing dock. We had a great place on a narrow street looking out at the ramparts and ocean. Anthony Carmelo, one of PRs super NBA stars Never seen so many Puerto Rican flags displayed in any other country I have been to. Glad we weren't driving in Old San Juan! Drove to the southwestern side of the island. It is the dry Caribbean side with beaches and great walks. This mountain walk was so remote, we couldn't even drive our car to the beginning of the hike! As if hurricane Maria wasn't enough in 2017, this part of PR had two big earthquakes January 6 and 7th this past January. There was lots of damage. Took a trip to the picturesque town of San German with preserved Criollo (Creole) architecture. Below...

Peter has had an interest to visit the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean for decades. His dream came true this year. Spanning 115 islands, we visited three and wallowed in the beauty, creole/french culture and very friendly people. Seybeer anyone? Known for its vanilla plantations (see below) we saw the pole bean like vanilla though green this time of year. It is so expensive if the real stuff not watered down. Lots of fresh fish and veggies. See fisherman below with his unique cage. He found the Takamaka run distillery. Surprised??? We happened to be in the capital city of Mahe on an Indian holiday. The temple in town is one of the unique features. Carrying offerings to the temple At a rescue center they were raising a 2 month old fruit bat with a clever bottle arrangement that it could access when thirsty! Seychelles are known for their turtles. People have them in their backyards as pets. They are 100s of years old but frien...