A reader inquires…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 11, 2022 with 0 Comment

Last night, while reviewing my email, I noticed a message from a reader asking the following:

“I want to be just like you! LOL, I want to travel the world and stay long enough to learn about a place and culture and get a true experience. But we are still working, so I want to take a 2-week trip to Africa. Where shall I go????? If you could only have 2 weeks, where would you visit?”

Noah and his mm Nina, outside the fence. But, most days, they don’t hesitate to jump the fence.

The answer to this question could easily result in a comprehensive response that could take quite a while to prepare. But, for the sake of this one reader and others who may have similar questions, we will do our best today to reply in a condensed manner. Hopefully, this won’t be boring for our other readers who may not be so inclined.

I’ll start with the first part of the question about coming to Africa for a two-week holiday/vacation. The answer to this part is entirely predicated on the fact that depending on where the reader is coming from; it can take two days to travel to Africa on either end. Plus, it typically takes about two days to recover from the long journey if the travelers aren’t seasoned.

Jetlag is a reality for many travelers. Some travelers never feel up-to-par while they are here for short trips until weeks after they return to their home country and get back into their usual routine. We learned a long time ago to immediately roll into the local time zone, sleeping, eating, and engaging in activities based on local time, not their “old” time.

As a result of following this criterion, we have yet to suffer from jetlag. That’s not to say we haven’t been exhausted for a day or two from missing so much sleep on the travel day. But, one or two good night’s sleep (without long naps) served us well once we arrived at the new location.

With this in mind, is two weeks enough, which may only be nine to 11 days after traveling and catching up? Yes, this short period can be sufficient to see a lot of wildlife and experience a little of the culture of the country(s) you choose to visit.

Now, the big question…where to go? There’s no easy answer to this question. There are 54 countries in Africa, but many of them aren’t possible or advisable to visit based on political unrest, crime, and cultural differences. This eliminates about 25%.

I won’t list these countries and suggest you do your own research to determine if the conditions are suitable for travel at any given time and…suitable for you to travel, based on your acceptance of certain conditions and your willingness to adapt to those conditions in order to feel safe.

We have visited nine African countries; thus, it is only on this basis from which we speak. We felt safe in all those countries but with many precautions to ensure our safety and sense of well-being. However, we’d suggest, for the first time in Africa, to either plan to stay at a highly rated resort after reading many reviews and doing added research or, as biased as we are, come to Marloth Park, South Africa, rent a holiday home in the bush and head to Kruger National Park for a few guided safaris and also self-driving.

A male impala was checking out what we were doing. Were there more pellets being tossed? Generally, we don’t feed the impalas since so many of them exist. But they do appear when we feed others. Female impalas don’t have horns.

This way, you’ll have a well-rounded experience. But we also love the Maasai Mara in Kenya, but it’s costly at most resorts, and you cannot self-drive in the Mara. Of course, we love Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, where you can see the majestic Victoria Falls from two different countries and visit Chobe National Park, the Chobe River, and the Zambezi River. All of this can be arranged through tour guides we can recommend.

Our friends Rita and Gerhard particularly love Namibia, but it suggested one drive themselves through the country, and a few weeks may be too short a time. Plus, a new traveler to Africa may not feel comfortable driving themselves on long road trips with poor conditions and encountering potentially dangerous situations.. We’d love to go to Namibia, but it is a country that borders South Africa, thus eliminating the possibility of us getting a new visa stamp.

If we’re going to use South Africa as a “base,” we need to get a new 90-day visa stamp, but it can’t be from visiting bordering countries, an entirely different scenario if you came to visit for only two weeks.

Tulip is in the center of this photo. Behind her, is her daughter, Lilac and in the forefront is Marigold. They are so cute!

Also, you will need to rent a car and carefully follow Covid-19 restrictions and each country’s visa/entry requirements. Plus, it’s wise to visit your health care travel clinic to determine what vaccines and medications you may need for travel to the country (s) you’ve chosen to visit. Here again, it varies from country to country.

I could go on and on with “what to do” to visit Africa. We’ve spent approximately 30% of our ten years of world travel on the continent, and we still have a lot to learn. But, almost daily, a situation occurs that is new to us for which we spend hours studying and learning everything we can. None of this would be possible without the internet, for which we are very grateful.

Reader(s), please feel free to ask us any questions you may have to facilitate your decision-making process further. We are always happy to be of assistance.

Have a fantastic Monday, wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, July 11, 2021:

Photo from the Big Island in Hawaii in December 2014 as the sun came up. For more, please click here.

A Sunday just like yours…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 10, 2022 with 0 Comment

It was a long time ago that we experienced a Sunday while living in the US. We always made a big breakfast. Our kids and grandchildren would sometimes come for breakfast, and I’d make eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, toast or homemade cinnamon rolls, and fresh fruit.

In 2011, when I began eating low carb, I’d make coconut flour pancakes; everyone seemed to like those as well as the usual white flour-based version. It was fun with everyone sitting at the big bar in the kitchen, chatting and laughing with the little ones running around screaming and laughing. But, those days are no more.

After the kids left, we’d watched the recorded version of the show Sunday Morning while Tom kept his head stuck in the newspaper. I always joked that Tom read every word in the paper, including the page numbers. He was very thorough. With my short attention span, I always liked to stay busy, doing laundry and preparing the next meal.

A few boys stop by to see what they’re missing.

The remainder of our day was often determined by the time of year. If it were winter and bitter cold, most often, we’d stay home. If it was the other seasons and good weather, most likely, we’d be outdoors, like many others, working in the yard, lounging on lawn chairs, or fishing off the end of the dock. It was a pleasant but simple life. At other times, we had social events with friends, family, and grandkids.

We didn’t recognize this mature male bushbuck. Maybe he will return and we’ll name him.

Of course, we miss everyone and always will. But, life is very different now. And we love the way it is. We’ve never turned on the TV in this house. We don’t get a Sunday paper. Today, another Sunday in the bush, we spent the morning hanging out with the wildlife. They often visit the most in the mornings and late afternoons. We had a little breakfast. We did some laundry, including washing the big fuzzy blanket we love having on the bed on these cooler nights.

Bad Ear and Crooked Face have been hanging out together lately.

Tom hung it outdoors on the clothesline. I only hang clothes on the portable rack. Since I had that surgery, I have had a hard time raising my arms over my head for any length of time.

The mongoose came to call, and I chopped up paloney for them. Tom tossed it out into the garden, and they wildly devoured it in no time at all. Their funny cackling noises make us laugh. They didn’t hang around this time. The holidaymakers are still here, so they have more options for meat treats elsewhere. The school holidays end next weekend. It will be quiet again in the bush.

After that, I began chopping and dicing vegetables for tonight’s dinner. We are making two stir fry dishes, one with beef tenderloin and the other with prawns. I was excited to finally find some Asian sauces and spices at Spar, enabling me to make these dishes we haven’t had in a long time. Tom will have fried rice with his meal, and I’ll have the prawn dish with lots more vegetables.

After dinner, when load shedding begins again, we’ll head into the bedroom to cozy up with the dried fuzzy blanket and stream a few shows on my laptop.

Crooked Face has followed Bad Ear’s lead and also appears at the side yard.

Tom just tossed out a bowl of fresh vegetable scraps and pellets to duiker Derek, who, along with his sometimes mate, Delilah, are here many times each day. It’s another great Sunday in the bush, similar in some ways to many of your Sundays, but with a different spin. Life is good.

Photo from one year ago today, July 10, 2021:

Billy's Bar & Grill, Anoka, MN | Scary places, Haunted places, Places — Here’s a photo of the famous Billy’s Bar and Grill in Anoka, Minnesota, where Tom’s relatives get together every Friday at 3:30 pm, when “Happy Hour” begins. For more, please click here.

What a morning!…How much do we spend on pellets?…What???…No water???…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 9, 2022 with 0 Comment

Could this be a mom and baby impala fawning over one another?

It’s Saturday morning. The power is out due to load shedding. Still, we are quite content sitting at the table on the veranda and entertained every so often by another visit by wildlife, whether several members of a species or single holidays. Whether it’s a lone Big Daddy, a male bushbuck we call Spikey, or a female we call Marigold, the visitors wasted no time visiting us throughout the day and evening.

This morning there were over two dozen impalas in the garden.

As I type this now, warthog Mom and Babies arrived. I stopped to get them some pellets they devoured and now are on their way to the next bush house to see if they can find even more pellets than we’re willing to toss. After all, pigs are pigs, and they’d eat all of our pellets in no time if we let them.

Big Daddy shared pellets with some of the impalas.

Yesterday, we ordered three more 40 kg, 88-pound bags. A guy with a truck stops at Louise and Danie’s office, the Marloth Park Info Centre, selling pellets every Friday. The cost for each bag is ZAR 260, US $15.46. We go through about two bags per week, costing us about ZAR 2237, US $133 per month. We don’t flinch. Paying this when feeding the animals brings us so much joy and hopefully provides them with an added bit of sustenance.

It was fun to see so many antelopes in the garden simultaneously.

Oops, I had to stop again. Wildebeests Bad Ear and Crooked Face just stopped by but only stayed long enough to eat the first batch of pellets we tossed and then were on their way. A herd of about 30 impalas has been hanging out in our garden since early this morning.

After the impalas took off, the four zebras arrived while Big Daddy watched.

Of course, Lollie is our permanent fixture. She went out on a stroll for about an hour this morning, but we can always count on her return a short time later. She’s back here now searching for any residual pellets some other visitors may have missed. She’s often successful in locating a few. Plus, we don’t hesitate to toss her some from the four-cup plastic measuring cup we use to scoop them up.

We are always thrilled to see zebras in the garden.

Yesterday afternoon, when I went to wash my hands, there was no water. At 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs. each day, Tom showers, while I prefer to shower when I get up in the morning. We were due to leave for Jabula for our usual Friday night outing at 4;45 pm, 1645 hrs. Tom wasn’t able to shower before we left. He cleaned up the best he could with bottled water, filled a bucket with water from the pool for the toilet, and we went about our plans.

Zebras don’t hesitate to kick one another when vying for pellets.

Some repairs were being done, and the pipes to Marloth Park were empty. Once the repairs were complete, they’d turn the water back on, and the lines would refill in a few hours. We had water once again when we returned home from dinner at Jabula.

Big Daddy jumped the fence when the zebras were here. He wanted to show us how majestic and powerful he is.

The water pressure isn’t good here. But TIA, “This is Africa,” and that’s how it is. No power? No water? It’s the “nature of the beast” (no pun intended). We’ve become used to these issues, but we always like to know if the information is available and when the services will be restored. That way, we can plan accordingly. Louise provides the most up-to-date information, allowing us to plan as necessary.

The zebra we named Mr. Dot has a perfectly shaped polka dot on his left shoulder with a few more on his back.

We had a fantastic time at Jabula, enjoying the lively bar chatter, the excellent food, and drinks. Dawn carries my favorite wine, Four Cousins Skinny Red, I usually drink a few glasses from the new bottle we purchase, and they save the rest for me for the next week. Surprisingly, it stays fresh in their fridge until I finish the bottle the following week. I don’t care for chilled red wine, but this way seems to work best. Once the bottle sits out for 30 minutes, it returns to room temperature.

Today, we’ll cook dinner on the braai while continuing to enjoy time on the veranda as the stream of visitors never fails to entertain us and warm our hearts.

Have a lovely Saturday.

Photo from one year ago today, July 9, 2021:

The mongoose went into a frenzy, taking the whole eggs out of the pan, cracking them on rocks, and eating the contents. This is so fun to watch! For more, please click here.

Funny sighting in the garden…and new visitor…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 8, 2022 with 2 Comments

Big Daddy’s eye glazed over while the oxpeckers cleaned his ears. He didn’t seem to mind a bit.

In yesterday’s post here, in case you missed it, we are faced with yet another change in our plans for the near future. Please click the link to read all about it. Thanks to our many readers/friends who wrote to us expressing heartfelt concern over yet another change in our itinerary, ultimately resulting from the after-effects of the pandemic.

There continues to be a considerable disappointment for many travelers worldwide with flight cancelations, cruise cancelations, changes, and uncertainty regarding entering many countries with new and confusing entrance requirements. Masks may no longer be required in public places, but the pandemic’s ravages remain in many ways.

But, we are not melancholy. We remain hopeful that, in time, it will change; as “they” say, life will be, with the overused phrase, “a new normal.” Thank goodness we aren’t stuck in a hotel room or a place that doesn’t bring us so much joy and contentment. Thank goodness we have our health back and feel like our old selves again. Old, indeed.

Big Daddy had three oxpeckers working on his ticks and bugs.

Right now, there are other pressing concerns facing South Africa. Protests are occurring all over the country because of rising petrol prices, but in reality, many other issues contribute to these protests countrywide. Those protests can even impact tourists when protests have blocked the only highway directly to Nelspruit, where the airport is located, for the past few weeks.

Many of these protests consist of rock-throwing, shootings, and other violent crimes perpetrated on drivers trying to navigate their way along the N4 highway, as indicated in this and hundreds more news articles. In another article, entrance points to Kruger National Park have been blocked in many areas. Imagine travelers who spent their hard-earned money for a weekend respite in Marloth Park, unable to enter Kruger National Park as an integral part of their weekend holiday.

Will we be able to get to the airport in 43 days when we fly to Zambia for yet another 90-day visa stamp? If the road is unpassable, we’ll automatically become “undesirables” with no option but to leave the country immediately. How would we do that if the highway to the airport is closed? The only other route is through Kruger National Park, but those roads could be closed again. Oh, I can worry about that now.

A camouflage gecko that looks like tree bark has been resting on the wood of an exterior door.

For a few days, we saw many vehicles on the roads, packed with people searching for wildlife in Marloth Park instead of heading to Kruger. On top of that, the constant load shedding is taking its toll on citizens and businesses. Again, we thank goodness that we aren’t impacted by any significant degree of load shedding.

The inverter that allows us to have WiFi, charge our equipment, and have one light on in the bedroom makes load shedding relatively painless. We are grateful to Louise and Danie for providing this for us. Plus, the outdoor heater makes chilly evenings on the veranda much easier.

A person could get all worked up about these issues, but we will not allow ourselves to wallow in fear and apprehension. Instead, we’ll continue to focus on each day as it comes and the treasures in front of us; each other, the love of family and friends, and our exquisite surroundings.

And, of course, the particular joys we experience every day from our worldwide readers who write to us with the kindest words and wishes make every moment it takes to prepare a new daily post worthwhile. Thank you with all our hearts.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 8, 2021:

Roomy seats in Business Class that entirely lay down. I have no idea what he was looking at. For more photos, please click here.

Harsh reality…Big disappointment…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 7, 2022 with 0 Comment

A hornbill was sitting on the barbwire fence overlooking the Crocodile River.

I don’t know how to begin today’s post other than getting right to the point. We are sorely disappointed to have had no choice but to cancel our triple back-to-back cruises for 42 nights, beginning on November 8 and ending in Cape Town on December 20, 2022.

Azamara Cruise Line was vague about how we were supposed to get visas for the cruise. After numerous calls and email messages, we were directed to Visa Central, which handles acquiring visas for cruise passengers. But, for us, we ran into a huge obstacle.

Passengers can use Visa Central, living in the US and other countries. Still, to acquire the several visas needed for this long journey, they must send in their actual passports, which will be snail-mailed back to them when the visas are issued, with the passports stamped by the various embassies.

After considerable research, we found the facts and how they would apply to us. We cannot mail our passports to the US while living in a foreign country, leaving us without passports in our possession. This is foolhardy and impossible for us, especially during these trying times. One never knows what could happen, and we’d be left without our passports for over a month. No way.

On top of that, the snail mail process from South Africa is cumbersome and unpredictable. Sure, we could use FedEx or DHL, but that wouldn’t solve the problem of being without passports in our possession while here. The only alternative is to return to the US and stay there while the visas are processed and the passports are returned to us.

We aren’t interested in returning to the US right now, especially when the average cost for us to stay there is about US $10,000, ZAR 167992, per month with airfare, hotels, car rentals, and dining out. Plus, with our recent bad experiences, we just aren’t ready to return at this time for this purpose.

Two giraffes on the opposite side of the Crocodile River.

Thus, we had no choice but to cancel all three cruises. Last night we spent over three hours on the phone with Costco Travel, who called Azamara, and there was no solution for us other than to cancel. We’ll lose the US $300 for admin fees for the two cruises and nothing on the third, most recent upcoming cruise, which we already paid in full.

Getting the cash back for the cruise we paid in full is impossible. We have to apply it to a separate upcoming cruise in August 2023, which they’ll do without penalty. Even though Azamara’s website claims, “Cruise with Confidence,” it isn’t as confidence-inspiring as one might think when there are admin fees we have to pay.

We had inquired about getting the visas a long time ago when we first booked the three back-to-back cruises. But, Covid-19 repercussions were still prevailing, and answers were vague and unsatisfactory. We figured we’d wait it out but never figured we’d ultimately have to cancel.

We are very disappointed. This was going to be one of the most exciting cruises out of the 27 cruises on which we’ve sailed over the years. Plus, we loved the idea of keeping this house for the six weeks we’d be gone and returning to Marloth Park on December 20, 2022, only three days before Tom’s 70th birthday.

Now, we’ll have to come up with a new plan to be able to get yet another visa stamp for that period. We’ve started researching other places in Africa we can visit when we need a new stamp in November. Also, we may decide to file for another extension using the law firm. We’ll see how things roll out. With so many flight cancellations right now, we have to give this some serious thought.

All of this can be directly attributed to Covid-19. Several countries we were scheduled to visit on the cruises previously had e-visa options for travelers. Now with all the issues due to the pandemic, many countries are reverting to more stringent requirements for tourists to acquire visas to visit their countries. Once again, we are caught up in the mess, costing us money and plans.

Two Cape buffalos were lounging on the bank of the river.

Looking on the bright side, we couldn’t be in a better place to figure this all out. We love our house, our friends and the amazing animals visiting us daily. We’ll continue to look to the future to see where and when we can travel. The challenges? Well, they just “go with the territory.”

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 7, 2021:

Tom’s new Samsonite leather computer backpack that he purchased a year ago while we were in the US. For more photos, please click here.

Car rental challenges…Fun visit with friends at the Crocodile River with stunning sighting!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 6, 2022 with 0 Comment

We were seated on our camp chairs behind the railing at Two Trees, and this giraffe walked past us. A short time later, he walked back again. What a thrill!

We have planned the trip to Zambia and then Botswana for one week, leaving on August 20 and returning on August 27, to get a new 90-day visa stamp. We wanted this trip to be more than hanging around Livingstone for a week since we’ve already seen the most important tourist attractions on past trips for the same purpose.

Another giraffe across the river with impalas and other wildlife in the background.

This time, we booked arrangements to get us to Botswana to stay at the fantastic Chobe Safari Lodge for several days while we safari in Chobe National Park and on the Chobe River. The resort is on the river bank with hippo and elephant sightings from our hotel room veranda or the outdoor bar.

A short time later, he walked in front of us again. We were within two meters of this majestic animal.

Everything for this trip has been booked for a while. All we had left was to book a rental car for our return to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger airport upon our arrival at 4:00 pm on Saturday, August 27. It should not have been a big deal to book a car, and we didn’t give it much thought until yesterday when Tom began the research. Oh, my goodness. We were in big trouble!

After hours online with both of us working on it, we couldn’t find a car at that time of day or date at any car rental agencies located at the airport. We spent hours researching. Each time we’d find a possibility, we got a notice stating that no cars were available on that date and time when we tried to book it.

We zoomed in across the river for this giraffe face shot.

We came to realize that arriving on Saturday afternoon was the problem. If the incoming 4:00 pm flight doesn’t have enough passengers renting cars upon arrival, the car rental agencies close their facilities at the airport. Let’s face it, that little airport doesn’t see a massive influx of passengers at any given time.

A few cars were available at outrageous prices we refused to pay. Perhaps, the agencies figured if they could get enough money, they’d stay open for the new arrivals. We refused to get caught up in that trap, so we kept trying. By bedtime last night, we gave up, figuring we’d try again this morning.

A Cape buffalo and a cattle egret on the far shore of the Crocodile River.

First thing this morning, we both began the online research once again. What if more passengers on our incoming flight were paying some of the higher prices for short-term rental to safari in Kruger National Park? Perhaps, some opportunities could open up for us. Whoever thinks of these scenarios?

Finally, after over an hour, we managed to book a car at a reasonable price for 30 days at 4:00 pm, on Saturday, the 27th, our flight arrival time, with Budget at the airport. Whew! We couldn’t enter our information quickly enough! If we hadn’t been able to book the car, we’d have no choice but to stay in Nelspruit at a hotel until Monday when cars were available again. The cost of the hotel for two nights plus meals was less than the higher prices we would have had to pay for the vehicle.

Two Trees was busy with many tourists also looking for wildlife sightings on the river.

With that out of the way, we sighed with relief and learned yet another new lesson: book a car at Nelspruit before booking the flight. Now, we could return to enjoying yet another warm, sunny day with various wildlife stopping for visits. We are thrilled to have this task out of the way.

As for yesterday’s get-together with reader/friends Carrie and Jim at Two Trees, overlooking the Crocodile River, we couldn’t have had a better time. We hadn’t seen them in over six months, and it was fun to catch up. With the purchase of their beautiful house in Marloth Park and a four-year residency so far, they will be permanent residents enjoying this blissful environment. They couldn’t be happier, and we are happy for them.

Finally, the Cape buffalo stood up with six cattle egrets in attendance.

While at Two Trees, we were fortunate to take several outstanding photos that we’re sharing today and tomorrow. What a treat it was to have a giraffe walk right in front of us (twice) as we all sat in our camp chairs sipping on beverages. Back at the house just before dark, we settled into a nice dinner at the dining room table and a remaining evening of rest, streaming a few shows.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

Photo from one year ago today, July 6, 2021:

Warthogs and kudus generally get along well while eating pellets. For more, please click here.

Now, we’re having problems with the washing machine!…Load shedding damages appliances!!!..

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 5, 2022 with 0 Comment

A couple of female kudus are checking us out.

In the past few weeks, since load shedding escalated to Stage 4 and Stage 6, resulting in added hours without power and increased events per day, we noticed problems with the kitchen refrigerator, as described in yesterday’s post here, and the washing machine.

We didn’t connect the issues between the two major appliances until I tried again to get the washer to run a complete cycle. I’d often run back and forth to the laundry area outside five or six times to reset it, taking several hours for one load to wash, rinse and spin.

This is Bossy from our old bush house, 2 km from here.

This morning it dawned on me that the process we’re going through with the refrigerator of shutting off the power for 24 hours may be the same process we need to do with the washer. Once we somehow complete the must-do two loads, we’ll unplug the washer and wait a few days to plug it back in. Maybe it will also reset.

Here is an interesting article about how load shedding damaged appliances. It makes all the sense in the world. From this website:

“THE IMPACT OF LOAD SHEDDING ON ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

13TH MAR 2020 ERIKA VAN ZYL

ECA(SA) Associate Member, Major Tech, says South Africans are adapting to continual rolling blackouts, more politely known as load shedding. But, says Major Tech’s Rhodam Evans, while everyone is cursing Eskom for being left in the dark or stuck in traffic for hours at a time, the damage caused by load shedding is far more than lost time and the macro impact on the economy.

The financial problems caused by load shedding will also impact individuals in their homes and businesses as they are faced with electrical products that seemingly stop working for no reason. This will naturally also affect suppliers and installers of electrical equipment, who will be accused of either selling poor quality products or doing an inferior installation job.

*Burnt LED driver due to voltage spikes.*

The reality is that, while poor quality products and bad installations can cause problems, load shedding will damage even the best electronic products on the market, eventually leaving them broken beyond repair. The reason for this is not the loss of power, but the surge of current and voltage spikes when the electricity is switched on again, says Evans.

While many think switching the power on or off is a simple task, the way load shedding works means that every time the power comes back, some technician has flipped the switch at a substation, suddenly sending a stream of around 11 000 Volts back into the circuit.

Single-phase power in the average home runs on 230 V. Therefore, when the lights come on again, all the appliances in that particular suburb suddenly get a surge and voltage spike much more potent than 230 V. This only lasts for a microsecond. Still, it is enough to damage electrical equipment, from your television to your lights.

Electronics can’t last against voltage spikes.

“Even the most well-designed equipment of the highest quality can not handle these surges. Many electrical devices are built with some form of protection against voltage spikes, but these are designed to handle surges that happen occasionally, not daily, or even multiple times daily. For example, many circuits have metal oxide varistors (MOV) to protect against occasional surges. Still, even these wear out and can’t protect the circuits after the constant spikes due to load shedding.

“Major Tech has seen lights which have actually exploded after one spike too many,” adds Evans, “as well as USB ports that are black shells of what they once were. Thankfully, these results are not common, but damage to electrical equipment is.”

Surges and voltage spikes cause damage every time, although most often, the equipment carries on working. Eventually, the equipment will fail, and it may seem illogical when considering which particular device or LED light fails or what path the current takes (it looks for the shortest path to the earth), but the damage is a given

What can be done to protect yourself?

Since electricity users in South Africa are at the mercy of Eskom and can do nothing to resolve the problem, the only solution is to take precautions and protect your electronics. These precautions cost money, but they will save money in the long term because few suppliers are willing to constantly replace devices that electrical surges have damaged. A warranty does not cover malicious damage to the system, and it does not cover surges and voltage spikes.

“Surge protectors have therefore become vital necessities in a world with load shedding,” explains Evans.

Level 3 surge protection happens at the wall sockets. These surge protectors plug into the wall socket and your equipment is then plugged into the protectors. This will protect your equipment from all surges. Level 2 protection is the ideal as this is added to the circuit board by a qualified professional to protect the whole premises.

Evans warns that surge protectors don’t last forever either and while they will protect the electronic equipment you use every day, they will also eventually need to be replaced. He also advises that there is an “enormous difference” between a surge protector and lightning protection. “A lightning strike in your vicinity can release far more power than Eskom, and a surge protector will not stand up to the pressure.”

Best remedy

“Dealing with load shedding is a challenge, and we should all take responsibility for the equipment in our houses and businesses,” concludes Evans. “Suppliers will not simply continue to replace equipment damaged by load shedding as this practice will devastate their businesses.

The best remedy is to unplug as many electrical devices as possible during load shedding and install surge protection on those that are not or cannot be unplugged.”

For more information on how to handle surges and voltage spikes, please view Dan Moyane’s interview with SAIA Insurance Technical Adviser Susan Walls about how load-shedding can cause damage to electronic devices and appliances, which has led to more frequent insurance claims https://www.enca.com/news/impact-load-shedding-appliances”

The kudus certainly enjoy jumping over the fence.

If unplugging the washer for a day doesn’t work, we may have to go back to having Zef and Vusi do our laundry. The problem with that is the fact that it takes about three days for them to be able to return the items to us. With our limited supply of clothing, three days is a long time. We are hoping we don’t have to go that route. It’s extra work for Zef and Vusi, and they are busy enough as it is.

This morning we had more wildlife visitors than we imagined possible during this school holiday period when visits are usually less frequent. But, our wildlife friends are enjoying it here, especially Lollie, our resident warthog, and now the nyala family of three who visits several times a day; Norman, Nina, and Noah.

The nyalas aren’t big eaters; they nibble a little. But we think since nyala is so rare in Marloth Park (they are the only family), everyone feeds them. By the time they get to us, they’re full. They all jump over the little fence quite easily and seem to like the fussing we do them over. Here and there, I toss them a little cabbage and carrots. They certainly love those, as do all the antelopes.

At 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., today, we are meeting up with reader/friends Carrie and Jim at Two Trees, overlooking the Crocodile River, whom we met here about six months ago. They found Marloth Park from our site and bought a fantastic house here! It will be fun to see them again and hear about their home-buying experience. Hopefully, we’ll also see some wildlife along the river.

Nyala Norman and his son, Noah, visit twice a day. Check out Norman’s tongue.

Have a fantastic day, and be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 5, 2021:

What a beautiful view and landscape in my son Greg’s back garden where we spent the 4th of July last year. For more photos, please click here.

Happy 4th of July to all of our US family, friends and readers….Oops!…Did load shedding cause our refrigerator to die?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 4, 2022 with 0 Comment

Three different breeds of antelope in the garden today…nyala (dad) Norman, kudu Big Daddy Thick Neck, and bushbuck Lilly. What a joy to see them all together!

We send our warmest wishes to all our family and friends in the USA on this special day of celebration of Independence Day. Use extra care when handling fireworks, cooking on the grill, and building bonfires. Also, be safe driving to visit family and friends on the highways and lakes when boating. We’ll never forget this special day with those we love and all the festivities we enjoyed together.

Life is different now and today is like any other day. Well, except for a few things. This morning, when we were digging through the kitchen’s freezer section of the big side-by-side refrigerator, we noticed blueberry juice spilling from the drawer where we keep Tom’s blueberry muffins frozen. He takes out two each evening with his coffee in the morning.

Nyala Nina and her son Noah jumped the fence to visit us today.

Why were the muffins defrosting in the freezer? Also, for the past few weeks, we noticed water on the floor in front of the refrigerator each morning. We attributed it to load shedding…on and off…on and off…power to the fridge three or four times a day.

I contacted Louise, and she suggested we empty everything in the refrigerator and the freezer and put it all in the extra refrigerator on the veranda. She told us we could ask Vusi to move it all when he arrived. Of course, it was packed. She then said to turn it off and back on in 24 hours to see if it would work properly. From experience with load shedding, Louise stated, it might reset and be OK. The load shedding could quickly be causing the “fault.”

Nyala’s dad Norman was drinking from the pool after eating pellets. Note his fluffed-up hair, due to the presence of a Big Daddy nearby. See more below.

Realizing that if the refrigerator didn’t come back on after the 24-hour pause, it could require repair, we felt it made more sense if we moved the food, placing everything where we wanted it to go into the smaller fridge on the veranda. Plus, we also have a chest freezer to store frozen items.

Most frozen food in the freezer was frozen, including mince (ground beef), steaks, and chops. But on the bottom shelf, two packages of chicken breasts were very cold; they still had ice on them but were not frozen. We needed to cook them right away. The ice cubes in bags were still totally frozen.

Norman fluffed up his hair all the more, knowing a Big Daddy was nearby.

Immediately, I lined two large baking pans with tin foil, seasoned the chicken, and immediately got it into the oven. In the next few hours, I boiled eggs, chopped celery, and onions, diced the chicken when it was done and cooled, and seasoned the entire batch using a homemade sour cream dressing I made while the chicken was cooking.

Also, I made a fresh batch of coleslaw to go with the chicken salad. We filled two good-sized containers with the chicken salad, which we’ll have for dinner for the next few nights with the coleslaw, rice, and veggies. It’s nice to know we have dinner made for a few nights after all that work.

We both got busy in the kitchen, moving all the food, utilizing the outdoor refrigerator and freezer, and cleaning. We must have run back and forth a hundred times between the two of us. We were very organized, consolidating, and organizing. As usual, neither of us complained and stayed cheerful during the entire process, which took a few hours.

Norman really fluffed himself up including his tail to let the Big Daddy know he was well aware of his presence,

We figured if we moved everything, we’d ask Vusi to clean the walls of the problematic fridge while Tom washed all the shelves and drawers. By the time Vusi arrived, we were ready for him to do his part. Tom stayed busy in the kitchen washing all the pots, pans, and containers.

It’s still school holidays in South Africa, and the park is filled with tourists. However, there’s still plenty of wildlife stopping by to see us. The nyala family, consisting of Norman (dad), Nina (mom), and teenager Noah (their son), have started visiting us two or three times a day. It’s delightful to see how this family stays together with both parents, which is not always the case with the antelopes or other wildlife.

It’s another gorgeous day today with perfect sunny weather, no wind, and minimal humidity. Gosh, I love winter in the bush! After our busy morning and the number of tourists in the park, we’ll stay put and enjoy another blissful day with our wildlife friends who come and go throughout the day and evening.

Have a fantastic 4th, people in the US, and may everyone else enjoy their Monday, wherever they may be.

Photo from one year ago today, July 4, 2021:

Little, please be there when we return at the end of the month! He was. But he’s yet to find us at the new house, which is two km from the old house. For more photos, please click here.

Big Daddy haven in the bush…What do they think of us?

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 3, 2022 with 0 Comment

We couldn’t believe how many male kudus of varying ages and sizes appeared in the garden simultaneously.

Last night there were 129 photos on the trail cam of a Big Daddy over several hours, all while we were sleeping. We wonder what’s in the minds of the wildlife. No one knows, not even the most knowledgeable scientists and researchers. Do the animals think like us, not in words but pictures, as we do, our minds always active, thinking, planning, imagining, and remembering?

Tom and I spend the better part of each day watching them, curious about their behavior, fascinated by their reaction to one another and their perception of us. What do they think of “these two-legged human creatures who always seem so happy to see us and oddly toss pellets our way?”

We’d like to believe they “feel” some connection to us, to our attention, to our snippets of generosity. Many casual observers believe they only respond to us by route, instinct, and hunger.

But, after years of observing them, we can’t help but believe it’s so much more. Who are we to think we are superior to them in such a manner that they can’t feel like us to some degree? There’s controversy regarding this topic. Will science ever know the truth?

No, we don’t possess expertise or education in etiology, as described below:

“Ethology is the study of animal behavior. It is a discipline with long traditions and one of few non-medicine biological disciplines that have generated Nobel prizes.”

Also, from this site:

Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, usually focusing on behavior under natural conditions and viewing behavior as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviorism as a term also describes the scientific and objective study of animal behavior, usually referring to measured responses to stimuli or trained behavioral responses in a laboratory context, without a particular emphasis on evolutionary adaptivity. Throughout history, different naturalists have studied aspects of animal behavior. Ethology has its scientific roots in the work of Charles Darwin and of American and German ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th century,^{[citation needed]} including Charles O. Whitman, Oskar Heinroth, and Wallace Craig. The modern discipline of ethology is generally considered to have begun during the 1930s with the work of Dutch biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen and Austrian biologists Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch, the three recipients of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Ethology combines laboratory and field science with a strong relation to some other disciplines, such as neuroanatomy, ecology, and evolutionary biology. Ethologists typically show interest in a behavioral process rather than a particular animal group, and often study one type of behavior, such as aggression, in several unrelated species.

They waited and watched to see if we’d toss more pellets. We did.

Ethology is a rapidly growing field. Since the dawn of the 21st century, researchers have re-examined and reached new conclusions about animal communication, emotions, culture, learning, and sexuality that the scientific community long thought understood. New fields, such as neuroethology, have developed.

Understanding ethology or animal behavior can be crucial in animal training. Considering the natural behaviors of different species or breeds enables trainers to select the individuals best suited to perform the required task. It also allows trainers to encourage the performance of naturally occurring behaviors and discontinue undesirable behaviors.”

It’s all fascinating to us. But, with our lack of expertise in this area, we are left as laypeople purely observing and reveling in their behavior, wondering how they feel and what they think. In the interim, we believe that they think, feel, and respond to us, which only adds to the wonder of our everyday experiences, living in the bush in this magical place.

Today is yet another perfect day with comfortable, warm weather. It was cold this morning but has since warmed up to a high of 82F, 28C, with a low of 50F, 10C, with humidity at a low of 33%. Sitting outdoors on the veranda is exceptionally comfortable today, and indeed we’ll stay here to savor the arrival of our animal friends, whoever they may be, whatever they may “think.”

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2021:

We can always count on Mr. Hornbill making a noisy appearance. For more, please click here.

Happy 4th of July weekend to all of our readers and friends in the USA!!!…Food photos…A kudu anomaly…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 2, 2022 with 0 Comment

When we first noticed this bump on this Big Daddy kudu’s face, we thought it might be a clump of vegetation. Check out his tongue in anticipation of pellets.

Almost ten years later, we still haven’t forgotten how much fun the 4th of July celebrations were when we lived in the US. We always had plans, whether it was a party at our house or a party at the home of friends or family members. It was always a festive celebration.

But, upon further inspection, we realized it wasn’t something he picked up in the bush. It was some type of growth between his eyes.

Now, living this life on the move, except for being in Minnesota visiting family on a few occasions over the past years, we’ve spent the fourth in many different parts of the world, as shown below:

Boveglio, Italy (2013)
Madeira, Portugal (2014)
Trinity Beach, Australia (2015)
Singapore (2016)
Minnesota, USA (2017)
Marloth Park, South Africa (2018)
Connemara, Ireland (2019)
Mumbai, India (2020)
Minnesota, USA (2021)
Marloth Park, South Africa (2022)

In 2012, on the 4th of July, we were still in Minnesota preparing to leave on our years-long journey, departing on October 31. The only times we celebrated were in the US in 2017 and again last year, 2021, when we returned to the US to get vaccinated and stayed for one month. On both occasions, we spent the holiday at my son Greg’s home with his wife Camille and our three grandchildren, Maisie, Miles, and Madighan.

Was this a future unicorn, we asked, “tongue in cheek?”

This week on the 4th of July, on Monday, we’ll be enjoying our daily lives in the bush without fireworks, US flags, a flag cake, and a wide array of delicious barbecued meat and side dishes. Instead, we’ll cook some meat on the braai, a big salad, rice for Tom, and green vegetables. We’ll remember the occasion but won’t make a fuss celebrating it.

Tom reminded me that in 2018, we celebrated the 4th of July at dear friends Kathy and Don’s lovely home overlooking the Crocodile River. We had a fantastic time, as shown in these photos from that post, found here. Tom and I were the least dressed up for the occasion, unaware that the other guests, none of whom were Americans, enjoyed dressing up.

Should we be fortunate enough to share such a particular date with them again, we’ll dress accordingly next time. We do hope that time will come again for all of us. So much has changed these past few years that it’s hard to predict if time and circumstances will allow for repeated memorable occasions.

Last night, we went to Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for dinner as we always do on Fridays and once again had a fantastic time, along with great drinks and consistently excellent food, as shown in the photos below:

Tom’s Chicken Schnitzel, mushroom gravy, chips (fries), and creamed spinach. As always, it was delicious.

My Grilled Garlic Chicken Breast, three eggs fried in butter and pumpkin mash. It couldn’t have been better.

Today, we’re busy around the house, doing laundry, prepping food for the next few days, and organizing cupboards and closets. Storage space is at a minimum on the main floor of this house so being organized is a must. We have plenty of room for our clothes and personal supplies, but the kitchen, although a pleasing design, is short on cabinet space.

There are no above-counter cabinets. But, the windows overlooking the garden are well worth it. Non-perishable food storage is at a premium, so I’ve been organizing and consolidating to take advantage of every space.

We’ll never know for sure, but we’ll keep an eye out for him and see what develops.

But, there’s nothing like standing in the kitchen, chopping and dicing, and watching our wildlife friends putter about the garden in search of tasty morsels. When I’m chopping vegetables, we can toss out treats they love. This morning bushbuck Lilly and her daughter Lilac were waiting for the scraps from carrots, cabbage, and celery. We couldn’t toss the scraps out there quickly enough.

Today, we’ll enjoy time on the veranda. It’s warmed up a bit today and we can be outdoors without sweatshirts. Right now, at 12:30 pm, it is 75F, 24C, a perfect day. Tonight it will be as low as 49F, 9 C. As we discussed last night at Jabula, we have never turned the heating element in the aircon units to warm the bedroom. We’d rather bundle up in warm clothes and use lots of blankets to stay warm at night.

No, we don’t pay for electricity. It’s included in our rent. But, our goal is always to use as few available services as possible to save our property owners/managers added costs and consider our desire to leave as little of a footprint wherever we may be. It’s a small sacrifice, but we are so grateful to live this life; it’s the least we can do. The WiFi service in the house is unlimited.

For our family, friends, and reader/friends in the US, have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend, and everyone else…have a blissful weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, July 2, 2021:

Month: July 2022