“It’s all a part of nature,” they say…It still hurts…More Kruger photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Check out those long eyelashes.
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
A vulture is on the lookout for a meal.

We often see videos on YouTube, at Marloth Park’s and Kruger National Park’s websites and Facebook pages and other locations that depict horrific photos of wildlife being captured and subsequently eaten by apex predators.

Their graceful beauty is breathtaking.
Often comments are made by viewers after such postings stating, “It’s all a part of nature.” Recently on the Marloth Park Sighting page on Facebook, there was a photo of a still-living young bushbuck being strangled by a massive python preparing to consume it. 

The little bushbuck’s legs were kicking at its last moments of life. Sure, the person who’d found this sighting surely was pleased to have witnessed such a scenario first hand, right here in Marloth Park.
She noticed us watching her from the dirt road.

There’s no doubt had we encountered such a sighting, we’d also have taken photos and posted them. And, yes, it is a part of life worthy of sharing with others who appreciate and love nature including the good and bad it has to offer.  

Giraffe mom and baby.

Most assuredly, some who see such a photo would find it “cool” with no emotion attached to their response. It all depends on one’s attachment and love of nature that precipitates a human response.

 Oftentimes, I’ve shed tears watching the brutal slaughter of animals for human consumption. My life-saving diet requires I consume meat, fish, chicken, and other animals (I refuse to eat any of the animals we see in Marloth Park or on safari). Otherwise, I’d only be able to eat eggs and non-starchy vegetables, not providing sufficient nutrition for survival.

Generally, giraffes don’t bend much to eat although they must in order to drink. On occasion, they find certain bushes appealing requiring them to bend to graze.

The reality for those with religious or scientific beliefs is the fact that animals, by our higher power or other beliefs, were placed on this earth to provide sustenance for other carnivorous creatures including humans.  Otherwise, why would ours and their bodies have been designed to consume food as a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore?

For example, cows have four stomachs as described here: “The cow has four stomachs and undergoes a special digestive process to break down the tough and coarse food it eats. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen, and the reticulum, where it is stored until later.”

Another bird of prey on a search for a meal.
Cows are herbivores only meant to consume plants and grasses.  In this world today, for pure greed, cows are often fed animal by-products as described here:
“The advent of “mad cow” disease (also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE) raised international concern about the safety of feeding rendered cattle to cattle. Feed for any food animal can contain cattle manure, swine waste, and poultry litter.” This goes against nature.
 
I’m not on a “political soapbox” on this topic. I’m simply stating that yes, animals and humans may be intended to eat according to their status as a herbivore, omnivore or carnivore.  
Wildebeest grazing in the bush.
Although the sighting of the python and the bushbuck shook us to the core, this is the reality of being a part of this magical wildlife environment. With it comes the fact that we’ll be witnessing, from time to time, a sad scene such as this. How we respond to it is entirely up to the individual, their level of compassion, and their core beliefs.  
 
For us, we don’t simply brush it off as “nature at its finest.”  In essence, we humans could say when an elder passes away, “It’s the way nature intended it to be.” But this doesn’t diminish nor negate the fact that we loved that person and our hearts are broken over losing them.  
 
If all of us could embrace life, whether human or animal, with compassion and love we wouldn’t be facing the extinction of many animals in the wild or the inhumane treatment of those that are a part of the food chain, the harsh reality of the sustenance of life itself.
A vulture spreading its wings in the treetop.
Now that I have this off my chest, on to other topics of discussion. Please feel free to write in our comments section your views. We’ll happily respond and share them with our worldwide readers.
 
Last night’s dinner with friend Don and his kindly brother Kieth, proved to be a stupendous evening. Having prepared much of the meal in advance, we had considerable time to spend with our guests and it was purely delightful.
Tonight, we’ll be dining on great leftovers, and on the veranda for another fine evening in the bush. By the way, I just got an email from our friend Don that one of the two lionesses we spotted at “Two Trees” today, (coincidentally running into Don and Keith there) killed an impala and are dining in the sand. Hmmm…
 
Have a beautiful day!


Photo from one year ago today, September 10, 2017:

From Part 2 of Toledo Coffee tour in Costa Rica: These dark beans were as a result of the end of the roasting cycle, created the darkest roast which much to our surprise contained the least caffeine. The light roast, produced at the beginning of the roasting cycle contains the highest levels of caffeine. (See our above video) Who knew?  For more details, please click here.

Kruger was on fire…Charred bush on both sides of the tar road …What’s going on?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Upon entering Kruger National Park from the Crocodile Bridge, we encounter the devastation from fires on both sides of the tar road for many kilometers. Many downed trees were still smoking, as shown in this photo.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Vervet monkey drinking water off the roadway.

To provide our readers with new photos in each day’s post, we often have to consider our inventory of new images. Posting each day usually leaves us short of new and different photos. When this happens every so often, we make a special effort, rain or shine, to get out in search of more shots.

Yesterday was such a day. We were recently preoccupied with immigration issues and hadn’t taken the time to go into Kruger since we returned from Zambia and Botswana on August 23rd.  

We hadn’t been to Kruger since August 1st, based on crowds during the holiday season. Plus, we were away, and when we returned, we were preoccupied with the visa situation. Finally, we went to the park to find this burnt bush along both sides of the road during a one-hour drive along the tar road.

We hadn’t been to Kruger since August 1st due to the crowds during the holiday season, which continues, although less at the moment. It will begin to ramp up again by September 21st, the first spring day in this part of the world.  Also, school holidays start on September 24th and will continue well into October.

The peace we’re enjoying now will change entirely during the above period. We must remain patient while we focus on enjoying the wild animals that visit during this time and the exquisite scenes that will continue on the Crocodile River, which we can see from the Marloth Park side of the fence between the two parks. The crowds have no bearing on wildlife visiting the river.

The terrain was now hostile for wildlife, and there had been reports from tourists seeing dead animals burned to death in the fires. Heartbreaking.

Our expectations weren’t high when we crossed the Crocodile Bridge into the park, where there was no wait at the entrance gate. We showed our passports, the completed entry form, and our WildCard (yearlong) pass to gain entrance.

It was raining when we entered. In essence, we were happy it was raining when it’s so good for the wildlife to have better water sources and the greening of the vegetation providing abundant food sources.  

Baboons are drinking and playing in the rainwater on the tar road in Kruger.

As dry as it has been these past months, rain is undoubtedly welcomed as a valuable regeneration resource for the bushveld and its wildlife. We’ve never heard any locals complaining about any rainy weather, nor do we. And soon, the rainy season will begin in full force, the closer we get to spring.

As we began the drive along the tar road, our preferred route in the little cars, knowing full well wildlife can be anywhere whether it’s on the tar road or the many dirt roads since they are always on the move regardless of the road surface, we couldn’t help but notice the bush looking more and more charred as we continued on.

Bird of prey in a tree.

Within about 10 minutes, we were surrounded by smoldering trees with smoke wafting through the air on both sides of the road. It even smelled of smoke in the car with the windows closed, and I found myself choking from time to time. Tom, a former smoker, and fireman didn’t seem to notice it as much as I did. For more information on fires in Kruger National Park, please click here.

After the sad drive along the tar road and choking from the smoke, we decided to take the dirt road loop back to the Crocodile Bridge, another hour-long drive.  

The further we drove, the worse it became. We spotted a few animals drinking rainwater out of the puddles and ruts in the road and none in the bush. 

After driving for over an hour, shocked by what we were seeing and anxious to see at least a little wildlife, we took the loop turnoff back to the Crocodile Bridge.  There was no way we were interested in seeing more of the burnt bush.

Once we took the turnoff onto the dirt road, we no longer were driving through the burnt area of the bush and were able to spot a few animals.

After some online research and asking friends, we discovered most likely it was a controlled burn meant to ultimately replenish the vegetation for the benefit of the park and its wildlife.

We couldn’t help but wonder how many animals may have died during the controlled fires. Most animals would flee to safer areas during a fire regardless of its source or intention. From time to time, there are fires during the dry season from human carelessness and lightning.

We were thrilled to see a few giraffes wandering through the bush.

The Rangers set this recent vast fire on both sides of Gomondwane Road (the paved road) and burned for many, many days and kilometers. Since we hadn’t been to Kruger in over a month, we had no idea.

Once on the dirt road, we encountered wildlife but in the rain, very little.  For the first time, we didn’t see a single elephant, a rarity. Next time we go to Kruger, we won’t bother to travel along the tar road once the holidaymakers are reduced in numbers. Instead, we’ll follow other routes, of which there are many in the enormous national park.

Generally, when it’s raining, the animals take cover in dense bush and under trees. As a result, we only spotted a few animals even after we left the burnt area.

Over the next few days, we will share more photos. Today, we’re busy getting ready for tonight’s small dinner party with friend Don (of Kathy and Don…she’s in California right now) and his visiting brother Keith. No doubt, as always, it will be an enjoyable evening.

Last night we had a fabulous evening at Jabula Lodge & Restaurant.  The food was superb, the ambiance ideal, and we had an opportunity to meet new people, two of whom joined us at our table for four during dinner. The place is lively and often filled with friendly South Africans who never fail to engage in great conversation.

Male impala drinking rainwater from the road during the downpour.

The same theme reverberates through the restaurant each time we visit.  Whether tourists or locals, everyone in attendance is enthralled to be among the divine abundance of nature and wildlife in the bush.

Enjoy the day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 9, 2017:

Gabriel, the owner of El Toledo Coffee Factory in Costa Rica, explained the different roasts attributed to the varying degrees of flavor and caffeine.  Again, we were shocked to discover that dark roast, although possessing a more pungent taste, has the least caffeine, contrary to what most believe. For more on the coffee factory, please click here.

Not knowing the immediate future…A little unsettling…Off to Kruger today for a special reason…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This baby elephant appeared to be no more than a month old.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Frank and the Mrs. eating seeds we placed on the ground for them. They often wait in this spot until we see them hoping we’ll drop some seeds. We always comply. Frank chirps with happiness when he eats the seeds.  

After almost six years of world travel as a result of plenty of advance planning, it’s an oddity for us to live in a state of uncertainty. It’s possible that on November 21st, we may have to leave the country.

We decided to stop looking for a place to stay. Why? When we can’t commit to a booking, paying a deposit, and booking airline tickets, there’s little reason to continue researching.
Elephants as seen through the fence between Marloth and Kruger parks.

In the worst-case scenario, we can find a few hotels where we can stay if necessary, although it’s not the most ideal scenario. The longest we’ve stayed in a hotel was in Minnesota for six weeks in 2017 when we visited the family.

Again, when we return to Minnesota in April, we’ll stay at the same conveniently located hotel where we received an excellent “corporate” rate to offset (to some degree) the high cost of living in expensive Minnesota and dining out for most meals.  

A male impala by the Crocodile River.

Breakfast was included and since we don’t care to eat lunch, this keeps our dining out costs subject to the evening meal only. Thus, if we are forced to leave South Africa in November, losing the non-refundable airline tickets we had to purchase in order to apply for the visa extension, we’ll have to tighten our belts and find hotels that at least include breakfast, free wi-fi, and access to self-serve laundry.

Three months would be a long time to spend in a hotel. Finding a holiday home with less than one week’s notice is unlikely unless there had been a last-minute cancellation. Otherwise, all the good properties, albeit affordable, would be long gone.

It’s a rare occasion that we don’t see elephants when we drive along the river.

Are we losing sleep over this? Surprisingly, no. Nor are we “down in the dumps” worrying day after day. One thing we do know for sure, whatever transpires, we’ll figure it out.

Instead, we’ve decided to continue to embrace this paradise-like environment filled with wildlife, unusual adventures, and of course, our many fine friends. Speaking of fine friends, last night Louise and Danie stopped by for sundowners around 5.  

As spring arrives and temperatures climb, more and more wildlife make their way to the river to cool off and drink

We served a few low carb snacky-type things (they do low carb also, called the Banting diet here in South Africa) such as raw zucchini strips, yellow peppers, and celery sticks with a mayonnaise-based dipping sauce and fresh cheddar cheese sticks. As always, the conversation was lively and animated.  

After they left, we had a light dinner as we welcomed more wildlife into the garden, mostly warthogs, as many as a dozen and three bushbucks, one male duiker, and Loud Mouth the frog. After another very hot day, the evening cool-down was a pleasant relief.

Today, it’s cool and cloudy but we’ve decided to head to Kruger as soon as we upload this post. Next week beginning on Monday and ending Friday entrance into Kruger is free to South African citizens with proper government-issued IDs.

Soon, when the rains come, all of the bush will be green once again.

Surely, the park will be jammed next week so today, although Saturday, it shouldn’t be too crowded. As soon as we upload this post, we’ll be on our way, and tomorrow, we’ll share what we’ve discovered on yet another anticipatory journey through the park.

We’re hoping that tomorrow when we return, we’ll do so with lots of exciting photos. A sunny day would have been preferred but sometimes, regardless of the situation, we have to “go with the flow.”

Have a fantastic day.  

Photo from one year ago today, September 8, 2017:

During this rainy season in Costa Rica, every blue sky was a treat. For more photos, please click here.

Lions biting tires in Kruger National Park…Spotting lions near the Crocodile River…A day in the life…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The lions were very far from us and thus, these photos aren’t as clear as we’d have liked.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This wildebeest wanted in on whatever was is this bowl.  But, when he smelled the eggs, he left the mongoose alone to enjoy their treat. Wildebeests are herbivores dining on vegetation whereas mongoose are carnivores, especially thriving on snakes, rodents, insects and eggs.

This morning Tom forwarded this news story to my email thinking it was definitely of interest to us and hopefully many of our readers. The article in its entirety may be found at this link.

Here is a quote from the article for those of you who prefer not to click links:

“Visitors to the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) are urged to be on the lookout for a pride of ‘tyre-biting’ lions on the prowl.
“KNP management said it has received reports of a large pride of lions north of Satara, which are showing abnormal behaviour* around vehicles such as the biting of tyres.* 
Although we’re always excited to see lions from Marloth Park into Kruger, we’re always reminded of the limitations of our lightweight cameras.

Visitors who come across this pride are urged to keep their windows closed. Those traveling in open safari vehicles have been told to remain silent and keep all limbs within the structure of the vehicle

“We would like to appeal to the open safari vehicle operators specifically to be on the lookout as the behaviour of the pride is of concern and might pose danger to occupants,” KNP Managing Executive Glenn Phillips said in a statement.

Tom walking down the steps with the eggs for the mongoose, in a different spot than usual since he didn’t want to disturb the wildebeest in the garden.
Veterinary Wildlife Services will be collaring one of the lions to monitor its movements and will also mark all members of the pride to allow for identification.
According to park management, if this unlikely scenario should happen to you, don’t try and change the tyre yourself. Instead call the park administration to send a breakdown service. If you aren’t within cellphone range, get a passing vehicle to do so once it is in cellphone range.  
(*Many English words are spelled differently in South Africa and other parts of the world).
That could be interesting and certainly an opportunity for quite a story to tell, especially if the people in the vehicles were able to take videos of the occurrence. The above link does include a video for your viewing (not ours).
Coincidentally, yesterday, we saw lions under a little unusual circumstance. Here’s how it transpired: In the morning while on our way to shop in Komatipoort and Lebombo, we decided to stop at friend’s Kathy and Don’s bush house. Don and his brother Keith are there for a week while Kathy has gone to California and then Hawaii where Don will meet her soon.
We were certain this wasn’t Wildebeest Willie, although they all look alike.
We knew Don would be returning for a week and we thought is would be nice to invite him and his brother for dinner.  Kathy had explained that Don isn’t always easy to reach on his cellphone (like us) and stopping by was a better option.
His brother Keith greeted us at the door, inviting us in, explaining that Don was out for a run/walk along the river. Fortunately, Don had his phone with him and answered when Keith called and handed the phone over to us. We chatted momentarily, deciding Sunday night would be ideal for their visit to our bush house and a meal on the braai.
No more than a minute after we hung up, he called right back to let us know there were lions on the banks of the Crocodile River and if we’d drive down the road, we’d see him and he’d drive with us to the location where he spotted them. We were thrilled about this opportunity!
When we tossed pellets a few landed on the edge of the veranda.  This guy didn’t waste any time gobbling them up.
Driving on Seekoei as Don directed, we found him on the side of the road waiting for us. He jumped into the backseat of the little car and we were off further down the road, a kilometer or two.
We parked the car and walked down a narrow dirt wildlife path to the fence separating Marloth Park and Kruger National Park. The lions were far away, hard to see with the naked eye and difficult to pick up through the camera’s viewfinder.
I did my best to to get these few photos we’ve posted today of the lions. There were actually four of them but I couldn’t get the other two in my sight. We hung around the fence for awhile with others equally interested and drove Don home when we were done.
This morning’s visit of four zebras, all males and of course, there’s always a few helmeted guinea fowl.
With our dinner plans set for Sunday at 1730 hours (5:30 pm) we said our goodbyes and headed to Komatipoort to shop. As always Tom dropped me off at the shopping center while he doubled back to Obaro to buy more pellets and then headed to Lebombo for carrots and apples for the wildlife.
A few hours later we were back at the house, unloaded the groceries and supplies. We were hot and thirsty. It had been another brutally hot day with an equally hot dusty breeze. We’re living in the bush.  
Everyday is dusty and each new day brings more dust-covered tabletops, counters, and floors. Each day, Martha, Zef, or Vusi washes the floors. The bottom of our feet are always dirty and we wash them before going to bed.  
The zebras don’t hesitate to stare at us, in hopes we’ll provide some food.  We always do.
If just a dribble of water hits the tile floors and we walk through it, we’ll track muddy footprints across the floor.  Each day we have to clean our laptop screen that end up covered in dust since we spend most of each day and night outdoors.
Soon, as this heat continues and the rains begin, the insects will be rampant. I’m not as freaked out by insects as I was in our old lives. After all, at this point between our visit in 2013/2014 and now, we’ve lived in Africa for almost a year and a half. Mostly, its the upcoming mosquito season that’s most worrisome since we don’t take malaria pills anymore.  
Two to three times a day, we cover ourselves with repellent. DEET is the only repellent that works. We’ve tried all the holistic and “healthy” repellents and none, and I mean none, will keep them from biting me. We use a local brand with less than 35% DEET, the maximum one should use. Its the way it is. Malaria is scarier than DEET.
This friendly fellow hung around for quite some time.
Currently, I’m outside on the veranda. Tom is inside taking a short nap. He didn’t sleep well last night nor did I.  The wind is blowing so hard, I may have to go inside soon. My eyes are burning from the sand billowing around my head.
This is Africa and I wouldn’t change it for anything. All of our friends here are strong and sturdy, resilient and adaptive. They make it work. We have as well. When we’re all together we don’t discuss the sand in our eyes, the dust in our houses, the things we wish we could buy here, the insects, or even the often unbearable heat.
Instead we share the unbelievable sightings, the endless stream of visitors, the gorgeous sunsets and our hopes and dreams for today and into the future. It’s a good life. We’re grateful.
May your life bring you gratefulness.

Photo from one year ago today, September 7, 2017:
Due to a power outage in Atenas, Costa Rica one year ago, there was no post on this date.

Immigration “wild goose chase”…Frustrating experience…Fun zebra video…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Zebras often stop by to visit but usually with three, four of five. This dazzle 
of 12 zebras was quite exciting.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Two Ms. Bushbucks and the baby, waiting for the pellet delivery.

Nothing could have been more frustrating than yesterday’s trip to Nelspruit for our two appointments at the VFS Immigration office in an effort to extend our visas to February 20, 2019.

All of the required paperwork was in order and collated exactly as dictated by their website. We had our required black pen with us and our two separate batches of papers, one for each of us, were in a plastic bag as stipulated.

Zebra visitors with babies.

We ran into a number of obstacles in getting to the appointments in a timely fashion, although we’d left 2½ in advance of the 11:00 and 11:15 am appointments for the less than a 90-minute drive. Good thing, we left extra early.

 The long drive on the N4 Highway was cluttered with semis and other trucks requiring a tremendous amount of passing on the mostly two-lane highway. In South Africa, from what we’ve seen thus far, there is usually a shoulder on the road.  

This zebra tried coming up the steps but the tiles were too slippery for her hooves. Speaking of coming up the steps, this morning there was a mongoose under the table on the veranda looking for eggs.

Most drivers, let’s say 90%, will move onto the shoulder to make way for those desiring to pass, something we haven’t experienced to this degree in other countries. Nice people. Friendly drivers. Also, often we’ll encounter passing lanes every so often providing drivers to pass long rows of vehicles during busy times. This helps.

 Since we have no wi-fi on my phone (only calling) we used a printed map of the location from google maps. Well, wouldn’t you know, the directions were all wrong. The road where we needed to exit the highway wasn’t marked and we ended up well past Nelspruit, running into road construction that slowed us down by no less than 20-minutes.

Dad, baby, and mom drinking from the cement pond.  

Once we realized we’d gone too far, we turned around and headed to the area where we saw tall buildings. Surely, the immigration office would be in the center of town near the tall buildings. Plus, we called Louise and she walked us through it while looking at maps on her computer until we recognized where we should be.

You may ask, why don’t we have data on our phones? Simple answer. It disappears every 30 days and we were paying and paying for nothing. We didn’t use it enough to justify the expense when we have great wi-fi in the house.  Yesterday, we wished we had it. But, how often are we driving far from Marloth Park?  When in Kruger National Park, the signal is poor and it wouldn’t do us much good.

Baby zebra seeking shelter from the hot sun on a 40C (104F) very hot day.

Rather than designating a specific street name and number on the immigration website, it stated the location was at the corner of Brown St. and Paul Kruger St.  That should have been easy. We parked in a ramp and searched for it on foot.  That was nearly impossible.

 The immigration office is located in a convoluted mix of banks, offices, and shops with many ending up down long narrow passageways. An address would have been of no help whatsoever.

The zebras and other wildlife like cold moist, celery tops, and lettuce on hot days.

Finally, with the help of a security guard in one of the bank buildings (there were a few), he pointed us to elevators to go to the fifth floor. The only elevator of four that was working was the freight elevator. We took it.

 We arrived at the front door five minutes before our first appointment at 11:00 am. We were wanded by a guard, who checked our papers and used a card to swipe the door look to let us enter. We were told to sit in specific chairs based on our appointment times and told to keep moving to the “next” chair as people were called.

The zebras often fight when having to share pellets but these two were in perfect harmony.

No food, no beverages, no cell phones were allowed. For two full hours, we sat there staring into space, often wondering why people went ahead of us and others, while we all waited.

 I won’t go into details about the processing system. In essence, the three-tiered process made sense. The waiting did not. After the two hours, we finally made it to system #1 and sat down to wait again in another grouping of chairs. Thirty minutes later we made it to system #2.  

Big Daddy stopped by for pellets and a drink from the pond.

It was at system #2 that were told, they could not, would not accept our application for processing since we’d arrived weeks too early for an extension all the way to February 20th. We’d have to return and start over. Nothing we’d done that day would count.  

They sent us on our way after writing down a walk-in date and time of 8:00 am on October 24th. There was nothing else we could do. We left frustrated and disappointed with little to say to one another. We’d been given the wrong information. But, then again, as we always say, this is Africa. Perfection is not on the menu.

He likes eating off the edge of the veranda when he doesn’t have to bend down to the ground with that big heavy rack.

Fortunately, the return drive was uneventful. We stopped on at Melalane to shop for a few grocery items and also to shop at the local Click Pharmacy so I could pick up a few cosmetic items which took about 40 minutes. But, we dodged a bullet!  

 Once we were on the highway, I asked Tom if we needed fuel. He looked at the gauge and the “empty” light was flashing. When we found the first petrol station, the little car took 30 liters. Good thing we caught it or we’d have had an entirely new “situation!” Whew!

 The items I needed in Melalane (or similar thereof) are in the missing box, shipped from the US on May 28th, and had yet to arrive due to a postal strike since resolved but leaving a mess in its wake. Management claims the box is on a shipping container yet to be unloaded. More on that later.

Mom and Baby stopped by as they often do.

We pulled up in the driveway around 1600 hours (4:00 pm), almost eight hours later. We were hot (it was 39C, 102F), dehydrated, and utterly exhausted. We stopped to see Louise and Danie for a bit to explain what had transpired and headed home to eat dinner outdoors, feed a few animals and eventually go to bed early.  

 I think I slept for eight hours, although not continuously. Tom was up at 5:30 am feeding wildlife as usual. We’re better today after having accepted the fact we’ll be returning on October 24th and then after that, one more time to find out if we’re approved.  

 If not approved, we won’t know until we arrive the third time, when they open a sealed envelope in front of us with our results. Tom said, “It’s like the Academy Awards.”

Mom and Baby happily munching pellets by the steps, where they prefer to dine!

Today, we headed to Komatipoort and Lebombo to shop for food and pellets. All went smoothly. It’s even hotter today at 40C (104F). Currently, I’m finishing today’s post indoors with a fan blowing. It gets sunny on the veranda this time of day and it’s hard to see the laptop screen.  

 By 1700 hours (5:00 pm) we’ll set up the veranda for the evening, as usual, pour ourselves a cold beverage, and enjoy yet another night in the bush. How many such nights are remaining, we don’t know at this point. But, we’ll continue to cherish each and every moment.

 Have a lovely evening wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, September 6, 2017:

The scenery was pretty while driving in the mountains of Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Mongoose mania…Wild and crazy visitors…A frog thing…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

It’s not easy lying down and getting comfortable when you have big tusks.

By the time you see today’s post, we’ll already be in Nelspruit at the immigration office for our 11:00 am appointment to which we’re bringing a pile of printed documents inside a plastic bag as required. I don’t quite get the plastic bag thing but who cares?  We have plenty of plastic bags.

This won’t be the first time in our travels that we’ve had immigration issues. It was most challenging in Australia as described in this post in March 2017. Earlier in Bali, Indonesia we had to visit the immigration office every 30 days with a new pile of documents as shown here in this post.

We’d just fed the eggs to the mongoose and the green bowl remained on the ground. The warthog on the left was digging a hole, most likely in search of roots.

During our stay in Belize for 2½ months in 2013, we had to take a small rickety boat, called the Hokie Pokie to get to the immigration office on the other side of the bay, a 30-minute excursion. Here’s the link to that post.

Needless to say, we’ve had our fair share of immigration challenges. Now, as we’ve matured in our travel experience, we’ve begun to avoid long stays where it may be an issue, the exception, of course, has been our desire to stay in Marloth Park for one year, a rare occurrence.  

Last night, Bid Daddy stopped by in the dark.

It’s unlikely we’ll ever stay anywhere longer than 90 days in the future regardless of how much we love the location. This doesn’t mean we’ll avoid countries with 30-day visas.  

We’ll only stay 30 days or less in those locations. We’ve learned our lesson although we don’t regret the valuable time we spent in those countries, leaving us with exceptional memories with stories and photos to share.

As for today’s appointment, as mentioned, we’ll share the details as they unfold over the next many weeks.  

He stayed in this spot for quite a while deciding on his next move.

As for today’s video and photo, we continue to reel with excitement over the number of visitors coming our way. We particularly get a kick out of the mongoose who seem to hover nearby most days. We can hear their little squeaky little sounds, at times high pitched when they have a mission in mind.

Today’s video clearly illustrates how funny they are. They’ve come to know us quite well, Tom when he delivers the green bowl filled with raw scrambled eggs and my voice when I call them to announce eggs are on their way.  

This is our new favorite male pair, “Siegfried and Roy.”  They adore each other and are always close to one another.  

Once we spot them in the garden I keep them around by talking to them while Tom mixes up the eggs in the bowl.  No, we don’t give them pricier free-range eggs. Instead, when Tom goes to Lebombo for apples and carrots, he’ll purchase a five-dozen pack of their cheapest eggs.  

The mongooses go absolutely wild when he places the bowl of eggs on the ground as shown in the above video.  Each time, we can’t help but laugh with sheer delight over this unusual event.  

Although we posted a similar photo a few days ago, last night this frog returned to be near the thermometer.

It’s important to keep the mongooses happy when they are experts at killing snakes. Oddly, they’re immune to the toxic venom and can easily survive being bitten.  For an interesting post on mongoose facts, please click here.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back tomorrow with more photos and the story of our appointment at the immigration office in Nelspruit.

A few hours later he’d moved to the light fixture above the thermometer and was facing the wall supporting the fixture. When we stayed at the African Reunion house in Marloth Park in 2014, we had a similar situation where a frog visited every night hanging out in the same area of the veranda. 

Have a pleasant and fulfilling day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 5, 2017:

A hen and her chicks in the gated community in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

The simple things to make life easier…Lots of visitors have returned…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Now that the weekend has ended and many holidaymakers have left, 
the animals have returned to our garden.
 
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
A pretty female kudu face.

Now that the bulk of the tourists have left after the long weekend, we were thrilled to welcome many visitors back to our garden after a sparse weekend.  Yes, we had visits from bushbucks, warthogs, mongoose and even an appearance by Wildebeest Willie over the weekend but hours would pass before we’d see a “soul.”

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw this tiny baby bushbuck in the garden.  

On Monday morning the live-action began once again. They literally came to call in droves, and we could hardly sit still for a few minutes when we’d jump up to welcome them proffering pellets, apples, carrots, and other vegetable scraps they seem to like such as lettuce tops and celery scraps.  

It was the tiniest bushbuck we’ve seen in almost seven months.

I must have spent two hours in the kitchen chopping up the vegetables in small enough bite-sized pieces suitable for the tiny tots who love to munch along with the adults.  

Once, we saw a baby bushbuck struggle with a piece of carrot and we panicked it was going to choke. Somehow it managed to spit it out and try for a smaller piece. Since that incident, we’ve been cutting the piece small enough for even the tiniest of wildlife.  

We’d gone indoors to do a few things and I heard loud squawking by these two hornbills that just wouldn’t stop.  Upon further inspection, we discovered monkeys had eaten all the seeds in the feeder while we weren’t watching. The hornbills were letting us know they wanted the seeder filled with seeds. Tom took it down and re-filled it.  As soon as he set it back up, within seconds they were back, happily eating the new stock of seeds.

Sure, it takes more effort to cut the pieces so small, but now, it’s the only way we do it. Louise had brought us a new food processor for this purpose but unfortunately, it doesn’t cut the items into the right sized pieces, and hand cutting them is the only way.  

Yesterday in the late afternoon, we had so many visitors, we lost count.  

Instead, we’ve used the food processor for prepping our meals, and it’s been quite a time saver. Yesterday, I made Tom his favorite meal, low carb, grain-free pizza. After reading horrible things about pre-grated cheeses, I made a commitment, I’ll never purchase that type of cheese again.

Although not as many as last week’s 25 kudus, we counted 18 in this group.

Instead, we buy the big chunks of imported cheeses to use in making his pizza and other cheesy recipes. Before we had the food processor, we were grating the cheese using one of those tricky metal graters which required a lot of time and effort.  

Now, we grate the quality cheeses in the processor which we’d done in our old lives. But, over these past several years of world travel, I resigned myself to using the disgusting pre-shredded cheese instead of hand grating.  

We couldn’t keep the pellets coming fast enough with such a wide array of visitors in the garden.

A few months ago, I read an article about how that pre-grated cheese is processed and I decided, no more! Hand grating, here we come. But, when Louise and Danie had gone to Nelspruit they found this food processor for us.  We couldn’t have been more appreciative and grateful. It’s come to great use.

The kudus and the warthogs seem to get along well when feeding.

It’s often the simple things that we appreciate the most. Recently, I washed my white tennis shoes and water shoes in the washing machine. They came out perfectly after drying in the hot sun and now they both appear new.  

I’ve washed my makeup brushes in the washer in a cloth bag and they come out clean and new. In my old life, I’d have replaced these items instead of resorting to simple yet efficient processes to extend the life of products not easily found here in South Africa.

As often is the case, there were many who’d stopped by.

Yes, today, I’m wearing a pair of jeans with a few holes. Instead of tossing them, I wear them anyway. Torn and ratty jeans seem to be a trend in some parts of the world.  

For some odd reason, they like to hang out near the little car.

The white tee shirt I’m wearing has a stain near the neckline that I couldn’t get out with bleach. My hair hides the stain. I still wear the shirt although not necessarily when we going out to dinner or to socialize.  

Somehow we make do with what we have although a few times a year we need to replenish some of our supplies that we cannot replace locally. On May 28th we had a shipment sent from our mailing service in Nevada. The tracking information showed it was received in customs on June 6th and processed without issue. Now, three months later, it’s yet to arrive. More on this in tomorrow’s post.

After we decided to hold back on the pellets, since we were going through them so quickly, they wandered off to the bush. As soon as they heard my voice, welcoming other visitors, they quickly returned to ensure they were in on the action.  So clever.

Tomorrow, we’re leaving the house around 9:00 am to drive to Nelspruit for our 11:00 am appointment at the immigration office. Subsequently, we’ll schedule the new post to upload automatically while we’re away for the day. We won’t miss a beat.  

We won’t know anything after tomorrow’s meeting but will review the experience in Thursday’s post.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 4, 2017:

In Costa Rica, this iguana posed nicely for us, seemingly unperturbed by our close proximity. For more photos, please click here.

The immigration story continues…Nighttime visitors…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Last night, Tom took this photo when he checked the thermometer to find a frog doing the same. It was 25C, 77F at 2200 hours, 10 pm.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Hippo and cattle egret on the river’s edge.

I almost don’t know where to begin regarding the South Africa immigration story. With a definitive response, when our passports were stamped when we re-entered at the airport in Nelspruit after a trip to Zambia, that we won’t be allowed to stay beyond November 21, 2018.

As mentioned in a few prior posts, our only solution was to find a holiday home where we could stay for three months while we await our big upcoming tour in Kenya beginning on February 22, 2019. This was no easy task.  
In the dark, Tom also spotted a re-visit of giraffes in our garden.  I was already asleep so he took the photos.

Between us, we each spent no less than 40 hours in research trying to locate a holiday home for this extended period, for these specific dates, in any country we were interested in staying for three months. On short notice, 95% of most properties were already booked.

Even if we stayed part of the time in a hotel and the remainder in a holiday home, we couldn’t match up the dates and locations that would work for us.  Also, we had to consider airfare, rental cars (or other means of transportation), distance, and expenses during this period.

Two giraffes munching on treetops near the little car.

Frustration kicked in after a few days of research but diligently we continued to consider many alternatives that would have been less desirable such as staying in apartments or hotels during the entire period. Living in a hotel for three months was certainly not an appealing prospect.

Considering there are a number of countries in Africa we’d prefer not to visit, our options were limited.  Louise and Danie were well aware of our frustration and in their usual thoughtful manner, connected us with a highly experienced and competent immigration specialist who walked us through, over the phone, how to complete the myriad documents in order to get an extension until February 20th.

A giraffe visiting in the dark.

I’m not exaggerating slightly when I say, it took the entirety of two days to get the paperwork completed, collated, and stacked all of which Louise handled with her printer at her home office. On both ends, we were at it for two days. I don’t know how we can ever thank her and the kindly immigration specialist who supported us through this process.

I must add here, that no special consideration is given to us. We are simply following the “letter of the law” in compliance with gathering the endless number of documents required to possibly receive an extension.  

She’s awfully close to the little car.  One swift “necking” and it could be totaled.

This included bank statements, financial documents, passport and visa documents, and many peripheral forms to be completed, dated, and signed at the time of the meeting. Also, we paid a fee of ZAR 3550 (US $240.42) but weren’t allowed to use any of our credit cards. The fee had to be paid using a South Africa credit or debit card.  

Once again, Louise came to the rescue. We used her card and gave her the cash we’d received from an ATM. This added exponentially to the amount of paperwork in order to be able to confirm Louise authorized this transaction

Moms and babies at the Crocodile River.

During this process, using the complicated South Africa Immigration website, we were assigned an appointment date and time for a face-to-face meeting upcoming this Wednesday morning in Nelspruit to which we must bring all of the printed documents. Complicated, to say the least. 

Part of the process required we include airline tickets showing we’re flying out of South Africa on February 20th (coincidentally, the date of my birthday). The only tickets available were over ZAR 16243 (US $1000) and are non-refundable. In other words, if we don’t get approved to stay until February 20th, we lose the money we paid for the tickets. Oh, goodness.

A noisy hadeda bird flies overhead almost every night at dusk.

We decided we had to take the risk. We understand the necessity of this complicated process for visa extensions when so many countries struggle with those overstaying their visas or entering illegally.  

So here we are, two days from taking the 90-minute drive back to Nelspruit, from which we returned only a few weeks ago after our flight, to enter our documents in person to see if we’ll eventually be approved. It can take two to four weeks for a response. Hopefully, we’ll know by the end of September or early October.

Bushbaby tongue sticking out and the others head in the yogurt cup!

After Wednesday’s in-person meeting, we’ll include an update and will continue to update the news here as it becomes available.

Enjoy today’s photos, some of which Tom took last night in the dark while I was sleeping.  

For those in the US, today is Labor Day. Have a safe and meaningful day whatever you may do!

Photo from one year ago today, September 3, 2017:
This Giant Tortoise is located at the Zoo Ave location, although not indigenous to Costa Rica. We suspect the facility imported some of its wildlife to attract more visitors to its rehab facility. For more details, please click here.

Everyday is a new day with new discoveries and wonders…It’s a “birdie” day!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Hornbill sitting near the bench at the overlook at Two Trees, where we always spot wildlife.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Blue starling on the fence between Marloth and Kruger Parks.

This is one of the most gorgeous mornings we’ve experienced at Marloth Park since we arrived almost seven months ago. No, we haven’t had a lot of visitors so far today with another holiday weekend winding down from lots of tourists resulting in less wildlife stopping by.

The balmy breezes, clear skies and ideal temperatures hovering around 28C (82.4F), couldn’t be more perfect. Of course, we’re bracing ourselves for the African summer and its outrageous heat increasing over the next few months.

A pair of laughing doves, commonly seen in the parks and in our garden.

We easily recall the heat when we arrived here in December 2013 which carried through the three months we spent in Marloth Park. Going forward, based on where we’ll be living on the continent, we can expect high humid weather in months to come.

A pair of hornbills in our birdfeeder which we have to watch closely when nuisance monkeys try to eat the seeds.

The birds are singing and we appreciate the sounds of the wind whipping through the sekelbos (sickle bush) trees in the bush and the myriad plants on the veranda which include a few varieties of palms and lemongrass.

A few of our favorite bushbucks, warthogs, and mongoose have stopped by this morning along with several appearances of Frank and The Mrs. who let us know they’re looking for seeds. They don’t fly up to the birdfeeder so we drop seeds onto the ground for them, hoping they get a few nibbles before the several dozen helmeted guinea fowl take over.

Mr. Ostrich and his fluffy feathers.  They all look bow-legged.

Yesterday, we embarked on our usual drive through the park, discovering some of the photos ops we’re sharing here today and tomorrow. Since access to Kruger is challenging again with the holidaymakers, we’ve decided to wait to go until the crowds thin out. Hopefully, there will be a good time to go in the upcoming week or two.

Moms and babies.

Last night, again with the exceptionally pleasant weather, we lounged once again on the veranda enjoying a cocktail while waiting to see who’d arrived. For dinner, we had one of our favorite meals, taco salad (minus the floury shell). They don’t sell the packets of seasoning here so I make my own flavorings in order to keep the carb count low. We used wonderful ground tenderloin for the meat.

For the first time in a long time, I added avocado to my salad, a very special treat. They’re commonly found in markets in South Africa but finding them at the correct stage of ripeness is always a challenge. This time it worked out. We purchased three large dark-skinned avos for a total of ZAR 15.90 (US $1.08)

This tiny baby managed to make it down this steep embankment.

I recall paying ZAR 44 (US $3) for a single avocado in the US over six years ago before we left. Many food items are expensive here but not produce, beef, pork or chicken. Fish is on the high end along with many packaged good but not all.  

Trunks are so “handy.”

Tonight, we’ll enjoy our leftovers from last night, making today a very easy day for us.  I already chopped the tomatoes, purple onion, olives, and celery and grated the fresh cheddar cheese for Tom. Tonight, I cut up more avocado for my salad. (No cheese for me).

As I’ve continued to avoid all dairy products my gastrointestinal issues are all but gone. How I suffered for 2½ years to now feeling well continues to baffle me.  Why didn’t I figure this out sooner?  

Little blue and grey bird, a blue waxbill, near us while we sat on the bench at the overlook.

I’d read that getting helicobacter pylori which was diagnosed in January 2016 in the Huon Valley in Tasmania, can cause lactose intolerance, why didn’t it ever occur to any of the three doctors I saw for the condition? And most disappointingly to me, why didn’t I figure this out when I’d spent endless hours researching possible solutions?

Well, in any case, I’m thrilled to have finally figured it out and now can live a relatively normal life although I still can’t eat starch, grains, fruit, sugar, and now dairy. What does that leave me?  

A hornbill checking us out, “Got any seeds?”

I can have any type of animal protein, eggs, butter (no problem with that dairy item in moderation), and non-starchy vegetables. I still can use almond and coconut flours but do so in moderation while I’m attempting to continue to lose a few more kilos (pounds). It’s going well although slowly.

As for lack of calcium, I’m consuming mackerel, sardines, tuna, or salmon daily which are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D. See this link for details:  “Fish with soft bones, such as canned salmon and sardines, are good sources of calcium and vitamin D. Three ounces of sardines, for example, nets you 325mg of calcium and 200 IU of vitamin D. Cooked ocean Atlantic perch and rainbow trout are also calcium-rich. And tuna is also a great vitamin D choice. Recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU for most people. Ask your doctor for recommendations.”

Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing an update on our immigration situation which may be surprising to some.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2017:

All of these young rabbits appeared to be part of a herd, living in a “warren” in the well-designed spacious habitat of Zoo Ave, a rescue facility in Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Money, Money, Money…A song and also real life!….

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Every evening around dusk, before Frank and the Mrs. (to his left) go off into the bush to “make their noise,” announcing the beginning of the night, they stop by the veranda steps for birdseed which we happily provide for them.  Whatever is left is eaten by either the helmeted guinea fowl or, believe it or not, the warthogs.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Every night the bushbabies find their way to their little stand and gobble up the fruity yogurt we place there.  They often tip the cup, occasionally dropping it to the ground. Tom always picks it up and places it back on the stand for them.

Last night we paid the second big chunk of an installment for the upcoming Kenya tour in February. It’s an expensive tour, and we cringed over the price considering our budget constraints, especially when last night we paid well over ZAR 73,437 (US $5,000) for the second of three installments as required by the tour contract.

Elephants on the Crocodile River enjoying their day.

Last week after we returned from Zambia and Botswana, we paid rent for three upcoming months in Marloth Park, typical when living in rental holiday/vacation homes. Generally, with popular properties, long-term renters pay large sums at a time rather than paying monthly.

Most wildlife gravitates to the river for water, cooling off, and rich sources of nourishment.

When having a permanent home, one often doesn’t pay three, four, or five months in advance. Plus, when booking tours, vacations/holidays, it may be for only one or two trips a year.

For us, we have to pay so much in advance to secure plans for the future that it’s not surprising we cringe when having to lay out large sums of money well in advance of plans far down the road.

A hornbill and “Frank and the Mrs.” our resident francolins.

We use credit cards to pay for all of our expenses when we can’t use banking’s “bill pay” or send checks (which we consider an antiquated means of paying anyway in these high-tech times). We prefer not to use “bank transfers” for security reasons.  

Keeping track of all of these transactions requires a tremendous amount of diligence and record-keeping to maintain one’s sanity and sense of where we are financially at any given moment.

Two wildebeests, neither of them Wildebeest Willie, stopped by for treats with Tusker in the background and numerous helmeted guinea fowl who were hoping for a few pellets for themselves.

Every few months, we reviewed every upcoming dollar to be spent for current and future travels, referring to our comprehensive Excel spreadsheets of many pages. On top of that, we must keep diligent records for tax purposes.

In our old lives, once a month, we entered all our bills into our bank’s bill pay feature, never giving it much of a thought until the next month. In this life, we must constantly stay on top of our current and future expenses, deposits paid, balances due, and projected expenses for the future based on historical experience.

A mating pair of ostriches. The female is brown, while the males are predominantly black.

Need I say, this is a daunting task that those considering long-term world travel may not consider. When booking for the future, it’s imperative to consider the budget, above all other interests and desires.  


We don’t mean to sound like “tightwads,” but the future success of traveling the world is entirely predicated by careful financial planning and maintaining good health.  Both of these vital areas could easily “get away from us” if we weren’t a cautious as we’ve chosen to be.

Mom, Auntie, and Tiny Baby, who only months ago was the tiniest warthog we’d ever seen.

When living on a fixed income, one can easily imagine how disastrous it could be to find oneself living beyond their means and running money difficulties.  It would take away all of the joy and adventure of living this peculiar life on the move.

Wildebeest Willie stops by to check out the pellet action.

Instead, we carefully monitor all of our spending to ensure we stay within the confines of our budget.  Special purchases we may have once enjoyed are a thing of the past. 


Every financial move is calculated even to the point that we can’t dine out two or three times a week, nor can we flippantly select preferred rental cars or holiday rental homes.  Our most recent tiny, little car was ZAR 14,687 (US $1000) for three months (as mentioned in an earlier post).

Here again, Tusker is in the background awaiting an opportunity to get in on the pellet frenzy.  He visits several times a day while these or other zebras may stop by a few times a week.

And yes, we bounce around on these bumpy dirt roads more than ever in this recent car, but it doesn’t keep us from getting out to explore as we have all along.  


After we spent most of the morning updating and working on the “money, money, money” (click here for the Abba song), we’re excited to take off soon for another of those bumpy rides, always providing us with such pleasure to be a part of the magical world surrounding us here in the park.

This is our favorite warthog, Tusker.  He knows his name and turns around in one quick pivot when I call him.  It’s hysterical!  He’s charming to all of the other animals, politely waiting his turn.

For all of our readers/friends in the US, please have a safe and meaningful Labor Day weekend as you wind down the summer months.  Here in South Africa, we’re ramping us for spring to begin soon, on September 21st.


We’re worlds apart in the distance but close at hand in our hearts.  Happy day!

__________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, September 1, 2017:

One year ago, we reviewed September firsts throughout the years of our travels, including the above photo and caption here:  The day we arrived in Kenya on September 2, 2013, we were shocked to discover that there was no living room, no salon, no sofa, no chair nor a dining table and chairs on the interior of the house.  In other words, we spent three months living outdoors on this veranda with no screens, venomous insects on the floors, furniture, and walls, and excessive heat and humidity (no AC, no TV).  We adapted spending from 7 am to 11 pm outdoors every day for three months, less when we went on safari in the Masai Mara.  What a good learning experience this was!  By the time we reached South Africa after leaving Kenya, we had no interest in being indoors in the two air-conditioned living rooms in the Marloth Park house.  Again, we spent every day and night outdoors!  How quickly we humans can adapt! For the one-year-ago post, please click here.