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Mark, Simmi, and Ronny at dinner.
Funafuti, Tuvalu
17 June 2023
We were walking back to our hotel after a swim in the ocean when we happened upon a busy pool hall. Mark asked one of the men there what was going on. Ronny explained it was a tournament for boys with one younger and one older boy per team. The winners had just been crowned, and won two tubs of breakfast crackers! Ronny and Mark got to chatting. Ronny, who is originally from Vanuatu but now a dual-citizen, invited us to share a bowl of kava with him. Unfortunately we couldn’t that night. Our hotel only turned the water on for one hour in the morning and one hour at night. We were desperate for showers after swimming and quickly running out of time! So instead Ronny invited us over for dinner the next night.
Ronny shuttled us to the house on the back of his motorbike, since we didn’t know where he lived. In Tuvalu only two people are allowed on a motorbike at a time so we took turns. It was a wonderful experience and quite the dinner! Linda cooked, and Simmi also joined. There was spaghetti with vegetables, dal, rice, and eggs in taro leaves. They even surprised us with ice cream cones for dessert! We had a great conversation and watched some rugby with the group.
A couple days later Ronny also hooked us up with the kava. We joined him and a group of his friends from Fiji. It was my first time trying kava. They showed us the traditional way to do it.
Thanks Ronny and friends for really enhancing our visit to Tuvalu! Hope to see you again.
17 June 2023
We were walking back to our hotel after a swim in the ocean when we happened upon a busy pool hall. Mark asked one of the men there what was going on. Ronny explained it was a tournament for boys with one younger and one older boy per team. The winners had just been crowned, and won two tubs of breakfast crackers! Ronny and Mark got to chatting. Ronny, who is originally from Vanuatu but now a dual-citizen, invited us to share a bowl of kava with him. Unfortunately we couldn’t that night. Our hotel only turned the water on for one hour in the morning and one hour at night. We were desperate for showers after swimming and quickly running out of time! So instead Ronny invited us over for dinner the next night.
Ronny shuttled us to the house on the back of his motorbike, since we didn’t know where he lived. In Tuvalu only two people are allowed on a motorbike at a time so we took turns. It was a wonderful experience and quite the dinner! Linda cooked, and Simmi also joined. There was spaghetti with vegetables, dal, rice, and eggs in taro leaves. They even surprised us with ice cream cones for dessert! We had a great conversation and watched some rugby with the group.
A couple days later Ronny also hooked us up with the kava. We joined him and a group of his friends from Fiji. It was my first time trying kava. They showed us the traditional way to do it.
Thanks Ronny and friends for really enhancing our visit to Tuvalu! Hope to see you again.
Carlos and Ashly with the couple in Bali. Photo courtesy of @happynomadcouple.
Bali, Indonesia
December 2017
We were nearing the end of our 9 month long Round the World trip, and heading from Cambodia to Indonesia to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas in Bali. We fortuitously got upgraded to an exit row that we shared with a nice Canadian ex-pat who now lived with her English husband in Bali. We chatted a bit on the flight and once we deplaned and headed to baggage claim, she handed me a note with her name and email on it. She told us that we were welcome to stay in their villa for a few days if we would like. We thanked her profusely but were also unsure about it. We were still technically strangers and she lived in an area we weren't planning on visiting. After some thought, we figured it was worth a try, so I emailed her and told her we would love to come stay with her and her husband if the invitation was still open. She sent a driver to come pick us up the next day. We ended up staying with them for 4 amazing days where they taught us about Balinese culture, went out for dinner and drinks, swam in their pool, washed our clothes, and were able to spend part of the Christmas season feeling like we were surrounded by family. We're so glad we ultimately decided to go.
-Ashly and Carlos
happynomadcouple.com
spliceclothing.com
December 2017
We were nearing the end of our 9 month long Round the World trip, and heading from Cambodia to Indonesia to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas in Bali. We fortuitously got upgraded to an exit row that we shared with a nice Canadian ex-pat who now lived with her English husband in Bali. We chatted a bit on the flight and once we deplaned and headed to baggage claim, she handed me a note with her name and email on it. She told us that we were welcome to stay in their villa for a few days if we would like. We thanked her profusely but were also unsure about it. We were still technically strangers and she lived in an area we weren't planning on visiting. After some thought, we figured it was worth a try, so I emailed her and told her we would love to come stay with her and her husband if the invitation was still open. She sent a driver to come pick us up the next day. We ended up staying with them for 4 amazing days where they taught us about Balinese culture, went out for dinner and drinks, swam in their pool, washed our clothes, and were able to spend part of the Christmas season feeling like we were surrounded by family. We're so glad we ultimately decided to go.
-Ashly and Carlos
happynomadcouple.com
spliceclothing.com
The Overseas Highway. Not the place I want the car to break down!
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Where we stopped to eat and got help, too.
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Big Pine Key, Florida, USA
5 April 2022
We started experiencing car trouble on a drive from Key West to Miami. This would not be a fun place to break down, because there are long stretches of highway over the ocean. It is the Overseas Highway, after all. We called around to various repair shops, but most were booked out for weeks. We stopped for lunch at a place called Good Food Conspiracy, and tried to figure out what to do. We asked the owner if she had any recommendations for mechanics. She ended up texting a friend who owned a garage, explained our situation, and asked him to call us. He called right away and talked us through some options. If what he suggested didn’t work, he would find time to take a look at our car. Luckily, after doing what he suggested we were able to make it to Miami. We found a place there to get the car fixed the next day. Thanks to both of them!
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