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| “Got any treats?” he asks. Sorry, we no longer carry pellets in our pockets. With little wildlife on the island we were excited to spot these geese hanging out at a wildlife area we stumbled upon while on a drive. |
We both thought that we were done with booking cruises and vacation homes for awhile. We were both satisfied with the point that we could sit back content with our choices.
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| This unusual palm tree was worth a photo. |
Alas, the wanderlust bug, rampant for the past month as we researched like crazy, hit us once again as both of us started rethinking the house in Bali, the Negara Villa.
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| The geese seemed to enjoy hanging out by this tree. |
With strict immigration laws allowing a maximum of 60 days in Indonesia at a time which we’ll apply for in advance when one receives a 30 days visa in the country at the airport, our short time at the gorgeous property was making us think we wished we’d had more time in Bali.
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| These two came running toward us as soon as we arrived. Although cautious, they were looking for food other than picking at the grass. |
After considerable conversation and online research, we decided that if we left the country during the owner’s more expensive high season and returned when the low season began again, perhaps the kindly owner would provide us with the same excellent price.
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| Curious about us as we watched them, some moved close in. |
This would mean that we had to find a place to park ourselves outside of Indonesia for 67 days to return to the house in Bali for another 59 days. This accomplishes three things, as shown below:
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| We had no idea as to the type of birds we saw in the wildlife area. |
1. We have the opportunity to return to the Bali house which we know we are certain that we’ll love.
2. While still in the South Pacific we’ll have an opportunity to visit yet another nearby country.
3. We’ll save money traveling when the round trip airfare from Bali to Malaysia, for example, is only US $331, EU $243.24 round trip per person. Plus living in Malaysia for 67 days will be very affordable.
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| This goose refused to stand still for a photo. |
The tricky part, so we thought, was asking the owner if we could return for the same price we agreed upon for the first 59 days. As it turns out, last night we’d paid the second 10% deposit and have a new rental agreement in hand for September 1, 2016, to October 30, 2016. We couldn’t be more thrilled.
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| This goose is pigeon-toed. Oops, wrong bird. |
At some point, we’ll need to fill the above-mentioned gap in our itinerary from June 26, 2016, to September 1, 2016. Based on our research so far, Malaysia does in fact look like our best option. We’ve noted our calendar for this upcoming September, to make a proposal on a particular house we found.
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| The local children must have decorated these tree trunks in Ribeira Brava. |
Once we get that wrapped up or another, if that doesn’t work, we then can sit back and relax that our upcoming bookings are in order and we can breeze through the next year enjoying ourselves. A year from now, when we’ll be in Trinity Beach, Australia we’ll begin the process again.
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| Several tree trunks were decorated for a special occasion. |
Tom and I both agree that we’d rather work for a year at a time, over a short period as opposed to always looking to add on one at a time. It frees up our time and our thoughts to relax and enjoy the moment.
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| Tom insisted I stand in front of this tree for a photo. Always camera shy, I don’t enjoy posing for photos. |
Plus, we lock in prices that could easily increase if we waited too long due to inflation. Also, waiting could result in a lack of availability. The rationale that one gets a better deal by waiting until the last minute is foolhardy. There are no “deals” to be had on vacation homes or cruises that are already sold out.
Photo from one year ago today, July 13, 2013:
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| Not our photo. There were no photos posted on this date a year ago. This photo is from the next day, the 14th, illustrating types of insects found in Tuscany during the summer. For details of our story and rental car issues, without photos. on July 13, 2013, please click here. |