Baking Tom’s favorites for his birthday and the holidays…

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The humidity made it difficult for the Rice Crispy bars to harden, so I trimmed the edges, placing them in the red bowl as shown. Tom can snack on the edges today after they firm up in the refrigerator as well.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This croc was half the size as the one shown below.

Each year around Tom’s birthday on December 23rd, I ask him what special desserts or meals he’d enjoy for the occasion. This year, we’ll be dining at Rita and Gerhard’s temporary condo at Ngwenya since the Hornbill house wasn’t available for the few weeks at Christmas time when they’d come to Marloth Park without reservations…brave folks…lucky folks…Louise worked it all out for them.

I offered to bring a dessert Tom loves – gluten-free apple crisp made with “real” sugar using both white sugar and brown sugar in the interim. Whatever she’s making is a total surprise to us, and as good guests, we won’t ask.  We do not doubt that whatever it will be, we will love and appreciate it.  

We’re bringing vanilla ice cream and aerosol whipped cream, none of which Rita nor I will eat now that she’s joined me in this way of eating. We’ll stay true to our healthful commitment.

An Egyptian goose standing in shallow water.
For today, I started baking the “sugar frenzy,” which Tom will surely enjoy over the holidays and will abruptly come to an end on January 1st. Most likely, he’ll gain a few kilos (pounds) in the process. 

Let me explain, white marshmallows don’t exist in this area. The only option is pink and white. So, pink and white it was! As for the Rice Crispies themselves (the dry cereal in a box), Tom scoured a few warehouse-type stores on the way to Lebombo while I shopped at Spar in Komatipoort. Miraculously, he was able to purchase two giant boxes.

The first thing I did this morning was getting to work on making the bars. Today it’s hot, and it’s humid after last night’s glorious rainfall, not the ideal conditions for expecting the bars to firm up. In any case, I made three batches of Rice Crispy bars using the two giant boxes of the cereal, 500 grams of real butter, and four big bags of pink and white marshmallows.
A few elephants in the Crocodile River from quite a distance.
When they didn’t fully firm up sitting on the kitchen counter, I stacked them (uncut) atop one another, each batch separated with parchment paper, and placed them in the refrigerator, hoping they’ll firm up enough to make the cutting easier and the eating less messy and enjoyable. The photo above was taken before I placed them in the refrigerator.

Tomorrow night, we’re going to a party and Kathy and Don’s, and she insisted I don’t make a thing. Instead, when we go to their home again on Christmas Day, I’ll be baking Don’s favorite…cherry pie with a handmade lattice crust. We’ll see how that goes in the heat and humidity on Christmas morning.  

On Sunday, Tom’s birthday, I’ll make the apple crisp. I’m making an extra batch to have for Christmas Eve when Tom and Gerhard can dig in once more. That’s a hard one for me to resist. I love it warmed with vanilla ice cream and topped with a hefty dollop of whipped cream. But, that was then, and this is now, and I remind myself that I’m traveling the world due to renewed health from drastically changing my diet. 

As we perused the river for wildlife sightings, finding few, we took a few distant photos on a cloudy evening.
I didn’t eat many sweet desserts in my old life, but on special occasions, I did partake. Now, traveling the world makes every day is a special occasion, and I avoid starches, grains, and sugars as if they are poison. It’s a small price to pay to live this “wonderful life.” (No pun intended. It’s a great Christmas movie).

I’d hope to make a low-carb dessert for Rita and me, but I couldn’t find the ingredients needed to do so. Today I’ll go through my recipes and see if I can roust up a decent dessert item for us girls.

Last night, we headed to Ngwenya for dinner on our own since Rita and Gerhard were busy packing to move there today. Tonight, Tom and I will go to Jabula on our own since they’ll be busy getting unpacked.  

Mom and youngster heading back up the hill after a swim.
We’d promised Leon (of Dawn and Leon, owners of Jabula Lodge and Restaurant) that we’d bring him some Rice Crispy bars, a favorite childhood memory which we’re excited to do.
 
We’re staying put for the rest of the day until around 1700 hours (5:00 pm). We’ll be off for another fun evening at our favorite restaurant.  
 
We’ve had one Ms. Bushbuck and “Little” stop by this morning for some pellets, which of course, we provided, happy to see them both. As for the others? They are off and about visiting holidaymakers offering them all kinds of foods, some good for them, some not so much.  
Last night we saw a few crocs at the Crocodile River from the veranda at Ngwenya.
If you had a choice to go where the sweet treats are being offered instead of the dry pellets, carrots, and apples, where would you go?
 
Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 21, 2017:

Christmas display aboard the ship as we’re nearing the end of the cruise. For more details, please click here.

Marloth Park, five years ago today…The wonders never cease, then and now…It rained and cooled down!…”Little”…what a cool guy!..

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It was hot at 42C, 108F, and “Little” needed to cool off yesterday. The water in the cement pond was most likely hot as well but cooler than the air temperature.  It was only after it had cooled down that he lumbered out of the pool and then, only then, was he looking for a good meal. We complied with pellets, ice-cold diced carrots, and diced apples. He took one last dunk before he left for the evening.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Closeup of “Little” cooling off in the cement pond. During the worst part of yesterday’s unrelenting heat, he stopped by, not for food but to sleep in the cement pond for over three hours!!!

As mentioned in an earlier post, with it now nearly impossible for us to do our daily drives in Marloth Park with the roads blocked with holidaymaker’s vehicles, considerably less wildlife in the garden and our unwillingness to deal with the crowds and long waits to get inside Kruger National Park, we’ll be reiterating a number of our past posts from five years ago.

There will continue to be new relevant content, and we’re not “copying and pasting” entire posts, only photos and a small amount of content. We’ll be sharing new photos from several of our planned social activities through the busy holiday season, as outlined in yesterday’s post here.
Treefrog nest made overnight over the pool by a female frog.  

Five years ago is a long time. We lived in Marloth Park from December 2, 2013, to February 28, 2014, for a total of 88 days. Many of our more recent readers may have not read the past posts nor have they seen the photos included therein.

Subsequently, over the almost three weeks until things get back to normal in Marloth Park, as mentioned earlier, we’ll be incorporating some of the stunning experiences we had five years ago.
I’d taken this photo while sitting at the outdoor table of the Hornbill property where Gerhard and Rita have been living recently. The white foamy ball can be seen on the left of this tree, opposite the bush baby house on the right. from this vantage point, we kept a watchful eye as the life cycle of the tree frog eventually unrolled before our eyes.

By the time we left here on February 15, 2019, we’ll have spent a total of 15 months of our entire 76 months of our world travels right here in Marloth Park. (The exception is the total two weeks we spent in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana).  As a result, we’ll have spent almost 20% of our entire travel time in South Africa.

At this point, we have no desire or intention of spending so much time in one location. But, this time here was special and we don’t regret one moment of it.  It’s been a memorable and extraordinary experience, one we’ll always treasure.

For the sake of our many worldwide readers who may follow us off and on or consistently, few will recall what we shared five years ago. Thus, we hope that which we include over these next three weeks (not every day) will be fresh and new information. 
Many male treefrogs mounted the nest to fertilize it.  What a sight to behold!

We apologize for any redundancy if you’ve followed us from the beginning and possess a keen sense of recall, But also keep in mind, we’ll be sharing considerable new information as well, and you may want to check each day to see “what’s new.”

As for the balance of today’s post, which information and photos we gathered from the posts of December 20, 2013, and December 29, 2013, we excitedly share these photos, the video, and the statement below directly from those posts.  Please click the above-dated links if you like to read those posts in their entirety.

Male treefrogs fertilizing the foam nest. Here’s the video we’d taken in December 2013.
 

It was the sudden overnight appearance, of a foam treefrog nest, hanging over the swimming pool in the Hornbill house, where we lived on December 20, 2013 (the same house where friends Rita and Gerhard have been living), that precipitated the story, the photos and the included video. Nine days later the tiny tadpoles began to drop from the nest into the pool below.

From that post:

“Fascinated by this anomaly, (to us anyway), we both immediately began searching online for more information such as:
1.  How many eggs are in that white foamy ball?  500-1200
2.  How will they hatch? They’ll drop from the foam ball within a week falling into the pool as Tadpoles.
3.  Did the female make this foamy nest overnight since we hadn’t seen this on Wednesday? Yes, it takes seven hours to make the foamy nest at night.
4.  Will the Tadpoles swim in the pool before the metamorphosis begins and they become treefrogs? Yes! 
5.  How long does this process take? It could be as quickly as 24 hours. 
6.  Will we have the opportunity to watch and photograph this process? Hopefully! We’ll certainly try.”

As it turned out, we had an opportunity to see the treefrog nest process unfold before our eyes, shared in the two dated posts above. What a fantastic experience!

An hour later, they started climbing off the foam nest which appeared to have been well fertilized!
When we first arrived in Marloth Park in February 2018, we had the opportunity to see a treefrog nest suddenly appear overnight. However, the story wasn’t quite as significant as it had been five years ago. On February 26, 2018, we posted the story of the recent nest.
 
Many people who’ve lived in Marloth Park for years have yet to see a treefrog nest. Now, with both a tiny male and a huge female treefrog occupying the light fixture on the veranda, we anticipate we may actually get to see this one more time. More “safari luck” we assume.
 
In any case, we don’t anticipate a lot of “safari luck” over the next few weeks but look forward to January 9th, when the extended holiday season comes to an end and Marloth Park will return to its place of wonder, peacefulness and quiet with wildlife visiting and freely wandering this magical place.
 
Last night it rained throughout the night and today, although quite humid, it is considerably cooler. What a welcome relief for the wildlife and for us to finally cool off a bit!
Enjoy this day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 20, 2017:

One year ago today, we participated in a tour of the ship’s bridge. There were dozens of pieces of equipment for the staff to monitor 24-hours a day. For more details, please click here.

Busy social calendar over the holiday season…Link to two favorite holiday recipes from our “old lives”…

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It’s a sad time right now without enough rain to sustain the wildlife.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This is one of our favorite pairs of warthogs, Mike and Joe, named after two US vice presidents, non-partisan of course, Mike Pence (current) and Joe Biden (last presidency). Tom always says, “The VPs are here.”

We had a busy social calendar in our old lives, most often with us doing the bulk of the entertaining. Scattered among our events were several parties and get-togethers, some work-related, some family events, and some with long-time friends/neighbors.

It was a festive time we always enjoyed, although, at times, it proved to be exhausting when I made too much work for myself while Tom continued to work long hours, day after day.  

Handsome male zebra.

As a business owner for most of my career, I’d take time off work during the holiday season when possible to plan and orchestrate holiday events, including decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, baking, and always sending hundreds of Christmas cards, each handwritten inside the card.

Each year we made over one hundred bottles (wine bottle sized) of Tom’s Homemade Irish cream with hand-designed and printed labels and delivered these in person as gifts to special people on our list. It was a daunting task, but we both participated in the process and loved sharing the holiday treat with family, co-workers, and friends.

Sustenance is low in the bush right now.  Zebras often graze on the dry bush.

When we left Minnesota to begin our world journey, those days were over. There are no more Christmas cards to be sent, no more decorations, no more baking, no more handmade dog biscuits for our animal lover friends and family, and no more Tom’s Homemade Irish Cream. This part of our lives was over.

If you’re interested in Tom’s Homemade Irish Cream recipe and my 
Polish Poppy Seed Bread (Strudel) recipe, please click here.

Only hunger will bring a shy impala to our garden.  

The only shopping we do now is for gifts for our six grandchildren. We agreed with our adult children that we’d no longer exchange gifts or cards. It was too difficult to do so from afar.

Thus, when we “left,” we also left behind all of the festivities, social gatherings, camaraderie, and events we so much. This will be our seventh Christmas since we left Minnesota. Of course, we’ve missed the activities with family and friends, but oddly we don’t miss all the commotion and work.

Impalas are very resourceful in finding food. Plus, they are one species we see out and about on the hottest of days, whereby others find shelter from the sun and the heat.

Overall, we’ve spent the bulk of the past Christmases on our own except for the first in 2012, when we rented a holiday home in Henderson, Nevada, and spent Christmas with some of Tom’s siblings and spouses, my son Richard, my sister Julie, cousin Phyllis and daughters Robin and Wendy and a few friends.  

And then, in 2014, three of our adult children, spouses, and six grandchildren joined us on the Big Island in Hawaii for the Christmas season. During that time, all of us saw lava for the first time, flowing from Mt. Kilauea, and the festivities were many.

The symmetry of the bodies of impalas is a beautiful sight to behold.

The remaining Christmas eves (we spent 2013 Christmas Eve with friends Kathy and Don at their lovely bush home here in Marloth Park) and Christmas days, we were on our own, although we spent all of those in restaurants and hotels. In each case, we had a good time.

Last Christmas, we were in Buenos Aires, Argentina, awaiting the Antarctica cruise departing on January 23rd. Everything was closed, so we ended up eating cold cuts we found at a local minimart. We were the only guests in the hotel. Here’s the link and a photo of our Christmas Day meal. We had to laugh!

Our Christmas Eve dinner last year in a boutique hotel in Buenos Aires, which we repeated on Christmas Day.  We were the only guests in the hotel.

This year, everything is different. Here are our plans over the upcoming holiday season:

Thursday, December 20, 2018: Dinner-buffet at Ngwenya Lodge and Restuarant (we have a standing reservation)
Friday, December 21, 2018:  Dinner at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant (we moved our standing Saturday reservation to Friday)
Saturday, December 22, 2018:  Holiday sundowners and starters at Kathy and Don’s river-view bush home
Sunday, December 23, 2018:  Tom’s birthday dinner at Rita and Gerhard’s temporary home at Ngwenya is a fully equipped luxury on-site holiday home
Monday, December 24, 2018:  Christmas Eve at our house with Rita and Gerhard joining us 
Tuesday, December 25, 2018: Christmas Day dinner at Kathy and Don’s
Thursday, December 27, 2018: Back to Ngwenya with Rita and Gerhard for the Thursday night buffet dinner
Saturday, December 29, 2018:  Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for our standing Saturday night reservation with Rita and Gerhard
Monday, December 31, 2018:  New Year’s Eve party at a popular local resort, details to follow.

Usually, males stop by together while females also visit separately.  

As for New Year’s day, we’ve yet to make a plan, but surely something will be on the agenda. Whew! This busy schedule makes us smile and, of course, feel grateful for our beautiful friends who have included us in their inner circle.

Whatever you do (for those who celebrate), we hope you’ll have a festive and meaningful holiday season.

Photo from one year ago today, December 19, 2017:

Shipwreck in Puerto Madryn in Patagonia, Argentina, a town we toured as a port of call on the South America cruise.  For more photos, please click here.

Hot, hot, hot…And, the beat goes on…WiFi out all afternoon…

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Even the minuscule amount of rain brings greenery to life.

“Sighting of the day in the Bush.”

Baby impalas, sheltered from the heat of the midday sun, guarded by one of the attentive moms.

What can I say to avoid sounding as if we’re complaining? We’re not. Instead,
we consider today’s comments as an observation. It’s hot, hot, hot. Today’s high temperature was 42C (108F) which it has reached now at 1700 hours (5:00 pm).

Most often, the peak temperature for the day occurs around 1500 hours (3:00 pm) and begins to taper off an hour or two later. The evenings aren’t nearly as
bad but it’s impossible to stay indoors in the living area of this house. The
massively high ceilings contribute to a level of heat indoors that is hard to
take.
An awkward sitting position for a female ostrich. Could she be on her nest?
It’s like an oven with no way to cool it off, even late into the evening. We run a
fan in the living room, but all it does is blow hot air around. Thank
goodness we have an aircon in the bedroom, but even that chugs along in this intense heat.
How much hotter can it get? We heard from locals that in 2016, December highs were in the 50C range (122F). Over the next few days, even higher temperatures are predicted. 
Cape buffalos on a hill on the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park.
We recall it being hot here five years ago but not quite this hot day after day. It
has a tendency to make one feel exhausted and listless although we both make
every effort to go about our days as we would during cooler periods.
Now, we’re having wi-fi issues due to all the “extra” people in Marloth Park
during the holiday season. The system can only handle so much. Fortunately, the load shedding power outages are on hold at the moment. 

We’ll see how that goes over the next few weeks during the holiday season. As I write on an offline app, I realize I may never have an opportunity to upload this post before the day’s end.
Two male cape buffalos, who most likely were ostracized from the remainder of their “obstinacy” when a more significant or stronger other male won the favor of the females. These males form groups for life since they’ll never be allowed to return to the herd.
In South Africa, the school holiday ends on January 9th, when most holidaymakers will leave Marloth Park, their holiday having ended when their kids return to
school. That’s almost three weeks from today.
We understand and respect the importance of tourists coming to the park to
generate revenue for shops and homeowners of holiday properties but even they,
fully grasp how everything changes when the tourists are here.
Baboons and monkeys are our least favorite animals. Due to their intellect, they are crafty and dangerous and can destroy a house or garden in minutes, searching for food or merely being destructive for entertainment.
We won’t be able to go to Kruger for the next three weeks either. We’ve already
heard about the delays at the Crocodile Bridge, and soon, guests will have to
pay a fee to enter at a specific time of day on top of the regular entrance
fees.  

Our annual “Wild Card” doesn’t afford us any extra privileges. We’d
also have to pay additional for a “reservation.” Only 600 cars are allowed into the park at a time at any of the many entrance gates.

An elephant family drinking from the river.  The drought continues relentlessly.
Over the past few days, to cool off, we’ve driven through Marloth Park looking for wildlife photo ops but more so to stay cool for a few hours during the day.  

This morning at 7:30 am, we headed to Komatipoort for my dentist appointment at 8:00 am. After the appointment, we walked the short distance to Stoep Cafe for breakfast, grabbing our favorite table on the veranda. 
Eating a hot breakfast in the heat proved to have been a bad idea. We were both
“sweating up a storm” while we ate, and foolish me had ordered hot tea. By the time we finished our meal and headed back to the air-conditioned comfort of the car, we were drenched in sweat. I don’t usually sweat much, but the humidity, coupled with the high temps, has changed everything.
Two males impalas stop by for food and a rare visit.
We remind ourselves, over and over again. This is Africa, and we chose to be here. Most of the time, it’s been a glorious experience. And we face the reality, that along with amazing adventures of our lives, there is a price to pay, beyond money, beyond mere inconvenience. It’s all part of the experience.

So today, as we wait for the temperature to drop and the WiFi to come back on, we look forward to our evening on the veranda tonight, as always, hoping a few, if only a few of our wildlife friends will stop by.  

Last night we had 10 warthogs come to call. Let’s see if they return tonight. We have pellets, a fresh batch of lucerne, ice-cold carrots, apples, celery tops, and lettuce, and we’ll be waiting for them.


Have a great holiday season evening.

Photo from one year ago today, December 18, 2018:

Stunning view of Ushuaia from the veranda while on the cruise in South America. For more photos, please click here.

Fun photos of “small things” from five years ago…

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This was our first photo, five years ago, of a dung beetle in action. The female often sits atop the ball of dung while the male moves it along using his back feet while his front feet grasp the ground for stability. The female lays eggs in the ball, so she tags along as he rolls, and they search for an adequate hole to bury the ball. The ball is used as sustenance for both of them as well as the larvae. See this post here.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This pretty female bushbuck effortlessly balances on three legs to attend to an itch. Many animals are adept at contorting their bodies to scratch an itch.

If you’ve been reading our posts for the past five years or more, you’ll have seen all of these photos we’ve posted today. At that time, we did a recurring series entitled “Small Things.”

 Over the past 10 plus months, we’ve done a daily “Sighting of the Day in the Bush” feature, which may consist of small or more significant sightings. In reviewing these old posts, we thought it might be interesting for some of our newer readers to see some of the photos from the posts five years ago when we were in Marloth Park, especially those “small things” we haven’t seen again since arriving last February.

Five years ago, Zef, one of our two housemen yet today, took this beetle out of the pool to show us.  See this post here.

Looking back at the photos, we easily recall the sightings of each of these little treasures and how much we enjoyed them at that time and still do now. How fortunate we are to review old posts so easily and continue to enjoy all that we’ve seen and done.

 Today’s post is #2333. Yep, that’s correct. We’ve done two thousand three hundred thirty-three posts, including today’s post on December 17, 2018. It’s hard for us to believe how many there have been and how, day after day, we’ve mustered up the fodder and the desire to continue.

Five years ago, I’d taken this shot of the underside of a gecko as it crawled on the outside of the sliding glass door in one of the living rooms. See this post here.

On Saturday night, our friend Don (of Kathy and Don) asked me how I managed to keep doing this. The answer is easy…it’s become as integral a part of our lives as traveling the world has become.  

We can’t imagine life without it, and we’re ultimately grateful to all of our worldwide readers who motivate us and spur us on by continuing to read it and share it with others who may enjoy reading it. Thank you for this. YOU mean the world to us.

 Subsequently, having the ability to reflect on past stories and their photos, such as we’re doing today, and may well do in the future, extends the story of our experiences in Africa.  
Another dung beetle couple was aiming for the hole where they’ll keep their fertilized ball of dung.  See this post here.

No, we won’t be reposting past stories themselves unless it is on a special occasion and provides a relevant and distinct purpose in doing so. If so, we’ll describe that purpose. 

Photos are timeless, and sharing what this magical place has to offer has no time constraints or restrictions. And we’re assuming many of our current readers started reading our posts long after we started in March 2012. Who in this busy world has time to read from the beginning?
After Zef gently placed this monstrous insect on a limb of a tree, it grabbed hold of the branch, hanging on for nearly a full day.  See this post here.

Surprisingly, we’ve received countless email messages over the years where new readers coming in partway, have told us they started reading from “Day 1” on March 14, 2012, by use of the archives on the right side of our page, found by clicking on the little arrow, like this ► which when clicked next to a month, opens up all the stories and days of the month in chronological order.

If you haven’t had time to read from the beginning and if you’re interested in doing so, some have mentioned they read the current post and add two or three old posts in chronological order to eventually “catch up.”
These mushrooms are growing in our yard. Of course, we didn’t pick them without knowing if they were safe for consumption. See this post here.

This is a continuing story. Hmmm…kind of like a soap opera without the “soap” and definitely without the drama of an “opera.” But, it’s our story told in a vulnerable and revealing manner, sharing the finite details of our lives while entirely excluding our views on these topics:  politics, religion, and sex.  Good. Who cares to hear about those topics anyway?  

And so, dear readers, from the past, of late, and in the middle, we’re a little redundant with photos here today and perhaps will be so in a few upcoming posts. Feel free to post your opinion or comments on this fact at the bottom of any post or write to us via email.  

 We hope all of our readers enjoy whatever holiday preparations they may be making (or not) at this time or in the future. Have a fantastic day!

      Photo from one year ago today, December 17, 2017:

We were bundled up in Ushuaia in the cold air, knowing we’d be back in a few weeks to sail away on the Antarctica cruise. What a beautiful city! for more photos, please click here.
The sign reads, “fin del mundo,” the end of the world. For more photos, please click here.

The holiday season has begun in Marloth Park….Warnings for holidaymakers with children…

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Island life for this cape buffalo with a friend on the river’s edge.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Our resident frog, which we mistakenly assumed was a male is a female. The frog male is much smaller than the female. The male took up residence with her overnight last night. We’ll continue to observe to see what transpires for this mating pair. She’s been sitting there for months, although she took off during the rain last week, returning three nights later. When we turn on this light fixture at night, the insects are prolific, and she sits there darting out her tongue for tasty treats. We’ll see how it goes tonight, with two of them sharing the nighttime opportunities.

We were both up at the crack of dawn, hoping to reach grandson Vincent to wish him a happy birthday. The time difference is 12 hours. He and his family are in Maui, Hawaii, for the holiday season, snorkeling, boogie boarding, and scuba diving.

As holidaymakers and activities have ramped up this weekend in Marloth Park, we are seeing a distinct reduction in the number of wildlife visitors and more and more vehicles on the roads.  
The only elephant we spotted on the river this morning with a cattle egret in flight near its trunk.

So far today, we’ve fed a few bushbuck moms and babies. Perhaps by early evening, when the garden is usually filled with a wide array of wildlife, we’ll have more visitors. But, for now, we’re on our own.

We took off in the red car around 8:00 am to drive around the park. We encountered many vehicles but few animals other than those we’ve shown here today, with fewer sightings on the Crocodile River than usual.

A pair of male ostriches wandering through the bush this morning.

On Facebook this morning and we noticed this warning about children in the park written by a conscientious and dedicated ranger:

Good morning everyone.
Please warn all your guests not to leave small children to explore the bush without an adult. We do have a lot of snakes out and about at the moment. 

There was also an incident this morning with 2 small children going right up to Kudu bulls to feed them without an adult nearby, we luckily had an owner stop them. (Kudu bulls have massive horns and, although not necessarily aggressive animals, could easily and unintentionally impale a child or adult).

All animals are wild; before we have serious injuries, please educate those who think we are a petting zoo. Thank you.
CPF/SECTORS/RANGERS AND SECURITY.” 

For the first time, we noticed ostrich’s ears which may usually be hidden under layers of plumage. Unlike humans, birds’ ears are holes on either side of their heads, with no cartilage. Contrary to what most humans believe, ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand.

We see this type of behavior all the time, especially during holidays when the park is filled with tourists. Once again, we’re driving past cars with children, young children, sitting on the parent’s lap driving the vehicle, often a large SUV or truck.

Recently, we encounter two girls alone in the front seat of an SUV, with one driving, neither of whom could have been over 12 years old. Who are these parents that allow this dangerous activity?  

During the mating season (June- November), the male ostrich’s beak and legs turn red/pink to attract the female for mating.

Sure, there are many periods of time where there are no police in Marloth Park for long stretches although, in the past few days, we have seen a few police vehicles. We hope they stay through the holiday season.

Does this fact give people the right to ignore laws, endangering not only their own children’s lives but the lives of others including the wildlife? Last holiday season, spring break, 12 animals were killed from speeding and careless driving in the park. This was devastating news to all of us who love this place and its wildlife occupants.

A peculiar-looking bird, isn’t it?  Ostriches are remnants of the prehistoric era.

Besides the risk to humans, wildlife and property there is also a lack of consideration by some holidaymakers over noise (and trash) restrictions as part of the regulations in Marloth Park.  

This is supposed to be a peaceful and quiet place where wildlife and humans can co-exist in a stress-free environment. Sadly, that’s not always the case during holiday periods and, at other times as well.

From this angle, it’s difficult to determine the species other than due to the long neck.

We’re hoping after posting this on several Marloth Park pages in Facebook some holidaymakers may have an opportunity to realize the value of a chance to experience this magical place.

The rules and regulations for Marloth Park may be found here at this link.  Although many of these rules apply to construction and building, in reading through the list, toward the end, each regulation has a deep and genuine purpose of maintaining the integrity and value of this particular community and safety for all blessed to be here.

A saddle-billed stork on the Crocodile River this morning.

Sure, we are only visitors ourselves here (for almost one year, leaving in February and who are we to tell others how to behave?  But, our motives are not entirely altruistic.  

We plan to return to Marloth Park 21 months after we leave and we can only hope we’ll find it to be as meaningful and magical as it’s been for us for this entire year we’ve spent living here.  

Perhaps this is selfish but if everyone shared a similar selfishness to keep Marloth Park as wonderful as it is, we’d each commit to a personal role in appreciating our time here and dedicating our efforts for the benefits of the wildlife and the surroundings.  

Ultimately in doing so, humans will continue to relish in the beauty and wonder of one of the most unique places on earth.

Be well.  Be happy during this holiday season and always.
                       Photo from one year ago today, December 16, 2017:

Views of Cape Horn, known as the bottom of the world, from the ship’s bow.  For more photos, please click here.

Filling in the gaps…It was about time to start booking for the future…

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Louise and her adventurous son Jandre (who recently returned from an exciting two months in Thailand) stopped by for a visit and sundowners last night.  There was a bowl of nuts for the humans and a bigger bowl of carrots and apples for the wildlife.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

After Louise had seen our photos of Little coming up the steps to the veranda, we all laughed out loud when he did it again while they were here.  

In years past, six to be exact, we always stayed on top of filling in gaps in our itinerary. As a matter of fact, during the first few years, we were always completely booked for two years in advance.

As time has marched on we’ve found it isn’t necessary to have every gap, every hotel, every vacation rental, every car rental, and every flight booked so far in advance. 

However, we’ve found it necessary to know where we’d prefer to be in the upcoming two years, enabling us to research. Also, we never show up in a country without reservations for a hotel or holiday home. We have no interest in “winging it.”
We’re always thrilled to see giraffes in Marloth Park.

Traveling the world has been a learning process. When we started in 2012, there wasn’t a training manual on how to do this. Over the years many travelers have asked us for advice and we’ve been delighted to share our best tips for those considering embarking on this lifestyle.

 Recently, we read that over 1,000,000 Americans are traveling full-time. There were so few when we started six years ago. At this point, we often wonder how many have been traveling, without a home or apartment or, motorhome without storage, or without a car, who’ve been traveling for six years or more.

 If you’ve been “out there” for longer than five or six years, we’d love to hear from you and compare notes.  We’ve met many who’ve traveled in a motorhome for decades. To us, that’s a home of sorts and generally, those who’ve made this choice, generally stay on one continent, most often their home country to avoid immigration issues.

They often stop eating to check us out.  Once realizing we’re aren’t a threat, they return to eating the leaves on the tree tops.

Many years ago, long before we ever decided to travel the world, we discussed the idea of owning a motorhome and traveling the US, but dismissed it entirely when the discussion came up in January 2012, of traveling the world.  

 We didn’t want the responsibility of owning “stuff” packed into a “moving home” nor did we care for the idea of the upkeep, maintenance, and daily management a motorhome requires. For many, they do this with ease and enthusiasm.  t just wasn’t right for us.

Oddly, as world travelers, we aren’t that big on long road trips.  We never have been. This fact has inspired us to find countries, towns, villages we’d like to visit and stay put for a month or more as we make every effort to learn the culture, adapt and blend in.

At quite a distance, a hippo we spotted yesterday on our usual drive.

From this perspective, we’ve gleaned the best experiences we could ever expect and we look forward to the future as much now as we did in the beginning. Plus, in the process, we’ve learned to “live in the moment” wherever that may be.

 This one year stint in Marloth Park will be our last long-term stay (beyond three months). It was only this magical place that inspired us to stay for such an extended period. When we return in December 2020, we’ll only stay in South Africa for 90 days, avoiding any potential immigration hassles.

 It wasn’t that we haven’t loved every moment in Marloth Park. We’ve had a fantastic experience that ends in a mere 61 days.  It will be hard to leave our human and animal friends.  

But, it will be time to move on and resume our continuing travels throughout the world, not staying too long in any one location. There’s still so much world left to experience. Health provided, we’ll continue for as long as we can.

 Recently, we’d considered going to Rwanda to see the gorillas. But after careful review of our budget and upcoming expenses (many flights, two cruises and the balance on the amazing Kenya tour in February), we decided we needed to hold off on that adventure until we return to Africa in 2020.

A pair of cape buffalos grazing at the river’s edge.

These decisions aren’t always easy but practicality must prevail in our lifestyle if we intend to be able to continue on indefinitely at this point. We are not wealthy people, as some world travelers, we’ve encountered along the way.  We must remain frugal and sensible at all times.

But, in the process, we’ve learned how to find great holiday rentals, at prices affordable for our budget. Of course, pricing is often subject to how long one stays and of course, the good exposure the landlords acquire from our online promotion of their rental properties. These two facts alone have played a big role in making this work for us without sacrificing living in nice properties.

 With the Kenya tour beginning on February 22, 2019, and the South Africa visa requirement that we depart on February 15, 2019, suddenly we were looking at a week we had to fill between these two dates.

 The question became, how expensive could we make this week and still stay within the budget. Hotels and resorts in Kenya are expensive considering the quality we prefer.  

A four elephant family spending time together at the river.

Since we’ll be embarking on the extensive and expensive Greg Harvey safari photographic tour (click here for details) for 15 nights beginning on February 22nd and after all the safari and wildlife experiences we’ve had in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana over the past year, we decided to keep costs down and spend a quiet week in Nairobi, Kenya.

We won’t be sitting around the hotel day and night. There are several sightseeing venues we’ll explore while there which we’ll share with photos along the way.

 Last night, we booked the hotel, close to the airport where we’ll leave the bulk of our luggage when we take off on the 22nd and return on the last day, according to the itinerary of the tour. This way, we won’t have to move all of our stuff leaving us more time to do what we’d like during the one-week stay.

 We booked the Four Points by Sheraton near the airport at a cost for seven nights of ZAR 22764 (US $1582) which includes breakfast, wi-fi, and a king deluxe room. Our additional expenses will be tours, transportation, tips, and the evening meal. (Neither of us eats lunch or snacks during the day based on our way of eating that totally eliminates daytime hunger).

A mom and youngster at the Crocodile River.

We also booked a hotel in Nelspruit, fairly close to the airport, for one night on February 14th since our flight to Kenya departs early in the morning. With the over an hour drive from Marloth Park to the airport with potential road delays we’ve experienced in the past, we decided to take no risks and stay overnight in Nelspruit.  

 Next, we’ll be getting to work on booking our flight from Nairobi, Kenya to Santiago, Chile on March 7th or 8th.  The Kenya tour ends on March 7th, (which is the date of our wedding anniversary) and we haven’t decided if we’ll stay one more night in Kenya or head directly to South America the same day. We’ll know once we check out flights in the next few days.

 So there it is folks. The beginnings of filling in the gaps in our itinerary over the two years, all of which we’ll continue to post here as we go along.

 Tonight, we’re dining at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant with Rita and Gerhard and Kathy and Don, who are returning to Marloth Park for the holidays. We have lots of exciting plans with our friends over the holiday season and for Tom’s birthday as well on December 23rd.

 Have a fabulous day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 15, 2017:

Note the snow-covered pointed peaks in the Chilean Fiords. For more photos, please click here.

High cost of living in the US compared to South Africa…”You’ve Got a Friend”…That is, “Little” certainly does…Pig paradise in the park…

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Little told his friend that the “pickins” were good at this house so they both climbed the six steps up to the veranda to the front door.  I was in the shower and missed the fun event. Tom tossed pellets to the ground that motivated them to climb down.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

The Big Daddies didn’t seem as interested in the lucerne as the female kudus but this one managed a few mouthsful.

Yesterday’s trip to Komatipoort went well. The visit with the dentist, Dr. Luzann, went better than expected and once my dental work is completed over the next month, I’ll share details here.

“Pigs on the porch,”  Pigs in the pond,” and Pigs in a pile,”  It’s “Pig Paradise in the Park.”
Coincidentally Gerhard also had a dentist appointment with Dr. Luzann yesterday, a few hours after mine ended. He was thrilled with his cleaning and of course, the reasonable cost of ZAR 388 (US $27) compared to the typical ZAR 2876 ($200) cost for the same service in the US.  
“Little” was checking out what the kudus were eating.

After his appointment ended, he and Rita headed to Ngwenya where we met up with them for drinks on the veranda followed by the buffet dinner in the dining room. As always the conversation was superb, the drinks refreshing, and the food, although the same items each Thursday, was consistently good.

We’re always surprised by the reasonable cost for such a meal with drinks, tax, and tips. Mine and Tom’s total was only ZAR 325 (US $22.60).  At Jabula Lodge and Restaurant, which we consider a much better restaurant, it’s usually twice the amount but well worth the added expense.

At this point, we’ve been dining out twice a week, once at Ngwenya and once at Jabula. When we considered the combined weekly total it runs about ZAR 935 (US $65) averaging at ZAR 467 (US $32.50). This is at least half as much as similar meals at a restaurant in the US, if not more.

Tom didn’t feed him on the veranda but I surely would have.  Little is my favorite warthog.

Once again, when we arrive in the US in 115 days, dining out for each meal, we’ll be shocked by the high prices, not only for restaurants, accommodations, and rental cars but for all other incidental costs. It’s the nature of the beast.

And, speaking of “the beast”…Tom had me in stitches this morning when he showed me the above photo he’d taken only moments earlier when I was in the shower. Seeing the photo reminded me of James Taylor’s popular song from 1971, “You’ve Got a Friend.” Click here to listen!

Piglets in a pile.

Apparently, Little, our favorite warthog had “told” a friend our house was a good place to visit. But, not only the garden of our bush house but also, the veranda which requires only a few gingerly executed steps on slippery tiles to reach.  

They both embarked on the adventure and arrived without incident, shocking Tom in the process when he spotted the two pigs on the porch  We couldn’t help but laugh over the irony of the situation.

A male ostrich’s flattened feathers during the downpour several days ago.

What’s particularly funny is that animals are just like us, or shall I say, we’re just like them? They’re nothing like a good friend (s) and we, like Little, have been blessed to have many friends in Marloth Park and other parts of the world as our years-long journey continues.

Tonight, we’ll dine in, spending most of the evening on the veranda, at least until the insects bombard us.  Every moment we spend whether it’s “Just the Two of Us” (click here for that song) or with wildlife or human friends, we feel fortunate during this very special time in our lives.

May you feel fortunate as well. Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 14, 2017:

Punta Arenas, Chile would have been a great port of call to visit but bad weather prevented the necessary use of the tenders. We sailed away. For more details, please click here.

“Buggie” nights…A reality of living in the bush in Africa during the summer months…

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Mom with four piglets napping on the edge of the lucerne. They visit at least once a day. The piglets have begun to show some interest in pellets.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A second visit from the thick-tailed bushbaby.

Last night around 2000 hours (8:00 pm), for the first time since we arrived in Marloth Park in February, there were so many insects buzzing us, flying in our faces and landing on, and in our clothing, we had no choice but to go inside.

It went from almost no insects to this buzzing frenzy in a mere 24 hours. The only thing we can attribute this to is a result of the rains of several days ago. Even after we’d gone inside with the door closed, more insects buzzed us.  
We had no choice but to go into the bedroom (where we keep the door closed at all times), turn on the air-con and watch an episode of a TV series we’re wrapping up after watching a few episodes each week, The Brave (disappointingly, this show wasn’t renewed for a second season).
Wounded is beginning to look a little better but we doubt he can see from his left eye. He looks thin and weary but we’re feeding him all he’ll eat and we’re sure other residents are doing the same.
This morning as I was getting showered and dressed for the day, I spotted a slew of those pesky flying things in the bathroom. How did they get in?  What are these long-winged beige-colored flying things?  
I researched online but couldn’t find them. If any of our readers know what these are, please let us know. We experienced these same pesky things in Kenya over five years ago. I suppose we’ll see them again when we return to Kenya in 64 days.
This morning, back on the veranda, no insects are flying about our heads other than an occasional fly, bee, or hornet. With both of us allergic to bees and hornets, we get up and move when they pester us. I have so much repellent on, I can’t imagine why any insect would approach me, but they do.
Six bushbucks came to call around the same time. Generally, they don’t stay in groups but these two moms, two babies, and two other females showed up simultaneously.
For the past week, I’ve been using the DEET free repellent friends Uschi and Evan recommended as non-toxic.  I’m still getting some bites but they don’t appear to be mosquito bites.  
They look and react more like chigger bites. I’m not getting bit at night since the mattress was replaced but can’t figure out where these are coming from. Each day I have three or four more bites that itch for weeks, especially during the night.  
Last night I was awakened no less than five times due to the severe itching of about six of the bites. I put cortisone cream on them for a little bit of relief but only lasts for an hour or two. I don’t scratch much at all, knowing this makes it worse.
This is Africa. There are insects and there are bites. I guess I’ll just have to live with it for the remaining time we’re on the continent, using the safer DEET free repellent. The bites weren’t occurring any less frequently when using the repellents with DEET so I suppose the DEET free product is ultimately better.
This morning we found thousands of dead insects on the veranda.  We have no idea why they died or why so many at one time.
Soon, we’re heading to Komatipoort so I’m rushing through today’s posts. I have a dentist’s appointment and we have to do our usual grocery shopping. When dining out a few nights a week and time marching on until our departure, we’re purchasing fewer groceries than we had a few months ago.

We have plenty of meat (beef, chicken, pork, and fish) left in the big freezer which we’re attempting to go through now until we purchase any more. With many social plans over the holidays, we’ll be dining out often and won’t be cooking any big meals for now.

Tonight, we’re meeting Rita and Gerhard at Ngwenya for early evening river viewing and the buffet dinner indoors. We’ll see how the insect situation is on the veranda as the evening wears on. We may be going inside to dine earlier than usual if we’re bombarded with these insects again.

That’s it for today folks. We had some interesting wildlife events in the past few days which we’ll share in tomorrow’s post when we have a little more time. Right now, as more and more holidaymakers arrive in the bush, we’ve yet to see a single visitor this morning.  This could be our fate over the next three to four weeks as more and more tourists filter in.
 
Have a pleasant day and night wherever you maybe, hopefully, free of pests buzzing about your head!



 Photo from one year ago today, December 13, 2017:

As we approached Cape Horn in South America on the cruise, one year ago today. For more, please click here.

Yet another shocking first!…What’s going on?…

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We knew we had to be very cautious not only for our safety but for his as well. If we startled him or told him to get down, he could have broken a leg on the slippery tiles.  Instead, we tossed pellets on the ground near the bottom of the steps.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Zebras are full of expression and seem to pose for the camera.

So far, we’ve had two bales of lucerne delivered, and today we arranged for more over the next month. Each was gone in a matter of hours. At a cost of ZAR 145 ($10.13), it’s not as if we plan to order one each day. The cost would be prohibitive because we’re already buying many bags of pellets each week and giant bags of carrots and apples.

We were busy working on our laptops and didn’t realize what was happening until we saw this zebra climbing up the veranda steps.

I must admit I have developed calluses on my right hand from the way I hold the big kitchen knife when I cut many carrots and apples into small bite-sized pieces each day.

 When I started cutting the produce, and we were visited by many small bushbucks and duikers, and now many youngsters, I realized the pieces had to be small enough for the smaller animals to avoid choking. They are so hungry, and they devour what’s in front of them, not considering if a piece of fruit or veg is too big to handle.  

We didn’t have any food, pellets, or lucerne on the veranda.  What inspired him to climb up the slippery tile steps baffles us. We did nothing to encourage this.

Everyone can enjoy small pieces, although animals such as zebras are known to eat an entire whole carrot.  However, we don’t offer them that way. We try to spread what we have among all visitors considering their safety, health, and well-being.

We didn’t think it was a familiarity situation since we don’t see zebras more than a few times a week.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post (please check it out to see some cute photos) regarding our decision to provide some lucerne along with the pellets and produce, we can’t possibly give enough food for any one of the animal’s daily needs during this dry season as they struggle to find nourishment.

Just like that, he was on the veranda.  The only reason we think this happened is that many residents feed the zebras on their verandas.  This one doing so may have been a normal course of action.

Today, when I stopped at Daisy’s Den while Tom was getting a haircut, owner Mark explained the lucerne was selling like crazy. Many other residents, like us, are very concerned about the welfare of Marloth Park’s wildlife.

 And although it’s rained a few times in the past week, it’s nowhere near enough to make a difference at this point. So much more is needed and the prospects over the next week don’t look too good based on the weather report.

We gave him time to fulfill his curiosity, talking softly and with confidence.

Keeping in mind these stressful and trying times for the wildlife, it’s not surprising that both “Little” (warthog) and the zebra have climbed the steps to the veranda. They see us tossing food out to them, and when we took a break, they came looking. Smart animals.

 Fortunately, we know better than to overreact during these situations. Staying back, giving them space, and talking in soft, gentle tones, appears to keep them feeling calm and unthreatened. A single nudge from a warthog or kick from a zebra could be life-threatening, and we don’t take that risk lightly.

It was a shock to see him on the veranda, but we appreciated the photo op!

And regardless of how familiar we may have become with many of the magnificent animals, we always remember these are wild animals, not pets. Never once have either of us attempted to “pet” or touch them, nor will we.

He looked around for food.  When he didn’t find any and heard the pellets being tossed to the ground beyond the steps, he gingerly lumbered down the steps.

Even Frank and The Mrs., our resident francolin (bird) couple, can be feisty when we’ve seen them go after warthogs and kudus when they feel the birdseed we toss is threatened. We take nothing for granted.

He let out a loud whinny and took off for the pellets we tendered at the bottom of the steps.  It was quite a pleasant visit, one we’ll never forget.

We’re cautious around the horned antelopes, including Big Daddies (kudus with massive horns) and Willie, our resident wildebeest. We’ve never fed them by hand! We quickly see how they use those horns to make their presence known. The male kudus often tap the ground with their massive horns to let whoever is in their way know they are fierce and dangerous.

The baby wasn’t interested in eating solid food quite yet, avoiding the lucerne and the pellets.

The only animals we feel safe getting real close to are the female bushbucks (no horns), who get scared away each time they try to eat when other animals are around. The girls and the duikers (who are very skittish) are often left behind.

She stood off to the side while the adults devoured the lucerne.

As a result, we often stand next to the female bushbucks protecting them while they eat. Many are nursing moms, and they too need lots of nourishment along with all the others.

Mark, the owner of Daisy’s Den, explained, “Once the zebras show up, they’ll eat until the lucerne is gone.”  That’s exactly what they did.

Last night we had an enjoyable evening when Rita and Gerhard came for dinner. We made entirely low carb, high fat, moderate protein meal which they both seemed to enjoy. We all cleaned our plates, leaving nothing behind, while the conversation, as always, was lively and entertaining.

Mom stopped eating so the baby could suckle.

We’re staying in tonight. The weather is warming up again after a few days of reprieve. Our aircon in the bedroom has been repaired, and we’re set to take it on. Summer in Africa is hot, hot, hot!

 Be safe. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, December 12, 2017:

The giant Sentados Frente del Mar statue in Puerto Montt, Chile, is often criticized for its unattractiveness. We found it to be humorous and charming. Note the size of the figure by comparing me standing at her feet. For more photos, please click here.