 |
| We’ve had such a fantastic weekend celebrating Don’s birthday while staying at their gorgeous home in Pretoria. |
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
 |
| Kudus came to call on Friday morning before we left for Pretoria. |
As soon as we upload today’s post around 10:00 am, we’re on our way back to Marloth Park, planning to arrive around 1500 hours (3:00 pm). We’ll unpack, start a load of laundry and decide what to do for dinner.
 |
| How sweet! Tom and Don were sharing a sip of a Margarita! |
Most likely, we’ll dine at home if our food in the freezer survived the 17-hour power outage. The food in the chest freezer will be fine, but we’ll see how the items in the refrigerator survived. Luckily, we didn’t leave much in the fridge or its side-by-side freezer.
 |
| Don’s weekend birthday celebration continued through Sunday at Salsa Mexican Grill. |
We considered dining out tonight, but Jabula is closed for three days, and, not surprisingly, I’d like to stay home to see our animal friends, should they be returning to see us.
 |
| Our party of 10 consisted of (from left to right) Kathy, Linda, Tom, Don, Keith, Ken, Cynthia, Robin and Karen with me taking the photo. |
The holiday season isn’t officially over until a few more weeks, but many will have already left with school starting again today. Colleges don’t reconvene for the new school year (after summer holidays) until around February 1st here in South Africa, and some college students may still be vacationing here in Marloth Park. We’ll see how it goes.
 |
| Kathy had a chicken burrito. My mouth was watering when I saw this (former) favorite. |
We’ve had a wonderful three days at Kathy and Don’s gorgeous home with the two of them and their friends and family. It was a pleasure to see Linda and Ken, who’ll come to Marloth Park following Monday to spend a week with us. There again, more good times are on the horizon.
 |
| Linda and Ken shared this tasty-looking plate of nachos with cheese and guacamole. |
Plus, following Monday is Rita’s birthday party at our house. On the return drive to Marloth Park, I’ll be planning the menu and grocery list for the items we’ll purchase this upcoming week for the special day.
 |
| Tom, who doesn’t like beans and spicy sauces, opted for these three mini burritos with cheese, chicken, beef, and pork. Don shared a piece of his quesadilla with him. |
As for yesterday, we had another great day when 10 of us dined at an authentic Mexican Restaurant, Salsa Mexican Grill, located in Kyalami Corner Mall. There are 11 locations of this superb restaurant with information on their website.
 |
| Keith’s seafood tostadas with a side of stuffed avocado. |
Not only was the food hot, fresh and thoughtfully prepared, and delicious, the presentations, service, and ambiance were as authentic as any Mexican restaurant we’ve experienced anywhere in the world. The food was “designed” with the California “flavor” so well known in the USA.
 |
| Don’s giant quesadilla looked delicious. |
This was especially appealing for us, having always enjoyed dining on Mexican dishes. Tom’s taste buds are picky, but he could find something great that fit his desires. Everyone else at our table thoroughly enjoyed their chosen meals.
 |
| My over-the-top chicken salad was with roasted fajita vegetables, cucumbers, grilled onions, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and seasoned chicken. I’m going to try to duplicate this salad one day soon. |
The menu is exceptional. We’re handed pens to tick off the boxes of the items and ingredients we’d preferred and place our names at the top of the page. The food arrived perfectly prepared for our choices, and even the bill came with a breakdown of the names showing who ordered which dishes and the cost.
 |
| Tom was having a great time with “the boys” at one end of the table. |
The service was exceptional, including the servers’ fuss over Don’s birthday, which only added to the festivities. Once again, this lovely group of people engaged in uproarious laughter and exciting conversation.
 |
| We all were served shooters, hosted by owner Tony. Tom drank mine. I’ve never done a “shot” in my life. |
The drinks flowed as the participants savored the attractive drink menu options. I stuck with plain sugar-free tonic water since I prefer not to drink wine during the day.
We didn’t get back to Kathy and Don’s home until around 1630 (4:30 pm), and at that point, none of us could imagine eating dinner. But, around 1900 hours (7:00 pm), we all pitched in and made an excellent dinner of pork chops on the braai, potato salad, green beans, cooked spinach, and salad with avocado and dined at their formal dining room.
 |
| Dining at this fantastic restaurant is well worth a drive if you’re anywhere near the Johannesburg’/Pretoria area or passing through on the highway. We chatted with the owner Tony, who ensured we had an extraordinary time. Here’s their link. |
We’re grateful to Kathy and Don for hosting us so graciously. It was straightforward for the four of us to be together, and the addition of friends and family only added to our excellent weekend.
Next time you’ll hear from us, we’ll be back in Marloth Park with only 38 days remaining until we leave Marloth Park. We’ll treasure every remaining moment we spend in the park, savoring the beauty of the bush, our wildlife friends, and of course, our human friends as well.
Be well. Be happy.
Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2018:
 |
| A decorative pond with a statue at a botanical garden, Jardin Botanico. in Buenos Aires. For more photos, please click here. |