This morning, I received a message from Kady. They made it to London, and now the seven-plus-hour layover begins. We appreciate the difficulty of these long layovers and how taxing they can be, especially after getting little to no sleep on the previous flight. Kady will stay in touch along the rest of the way.
Yesterday, the N4 highway was backed up due to road construction, and they had to leave earlier than the planned 2:30 pm. The driver, Shaun, arrived at 1:30, and moments later, they were gone. It was sad to see them go, but with the wonderful life we enjoy here in the bush, it took us no time at all to get back to just the two of us.
By 4:30, we headed to the little market to buy fruits and vegetables for Norman, and by 5:00, we entered Giraffe for dinner and Quiz Night. Hugging many friends we encountered as we entered Giraffe made us smile as usual. South Africans hug and kiss their friends when they see them arrive and leave. It’s a cultural thing and we easily fell into this custom.
Our new friend Noelene, who was joining our team, sat with us at the bar while we sipped our drinks: a Lion beer for Tom and an extra-light wine for me. I stick to two glasses of this light wine when out, which is usually available at most restaurants. However, at Jabula, Dawn orders my favorite, Four Cousins Skinny wine, to keep on hand for me, either red or rosé, both of which I enjoy.
On Friday nights, I order a bottle of Skinny wine and drink half of it. The following night, I drink the other half, which they store for me overnight in the fridge. At Zar 220, US$12.27 per bottle, I can enjoy my two glasses at Zar 110, US $6.13 per evening. While we were in the US, a single glass of wine, typically a small pour of 4 to 5 ounces, cost $12.00 to $15.00.
At Giraffe on Quiz night, my two glasses of extra light wine are Zar 30, US $1.67 each for a total expenditure of ZAR 60, US $3.34. For example, our total bill at Giraffe last night, which included Tom’s beer, my wine, two dinners, and tax and tip, was Zar 637.53, or US $35.56. It will be challenging to pay higher prices when we arrive in Spain in two months.
Last night at Quiz Night, we were missing Daphne, our usual team member who was busy serving as the quiz mistress, and her husband, Neville, who also usually plays on our team, had to work at his job as manager of Giraffe. As a result, Noelene joined us along with our usual team member, Marolize, leaving us with a team of four.
The questions were 100% South African. We contributed a few answers when it came to the Nelson Mandela questions, but were at a loss for the balance of the questions, with answers only South Africans would know, including the music session. We’d never heard any of the songs, and we offered no help at all. Our team ended up last among the eight teams playing. It was disappointing for us. Hopefully, next week will be about more general knowledge when we’ll have something to contribute.
This morning, we washed a load of placemats and towels and began cooking a pot of mince (ground beef) for tonight’s dinner of taco salads. In a few hours, Tom will head to Nelspruit to swap out the rental car for another 30-day rental. Unfortunately, he has to make the three-hour round trip, but our credit cards only insure us for the first 30 days of a car rental contract.
Since we don’t have a car of our own with insurance, our only coverage is through the credit card’s 30-day plan. It’s a byproduct of being nomads who travel the world; in essence, a small price to pay. Otherwise, we’d have to pay a considerable amount through the rental company.
He’ll return by dinner, and we’ll enjoy a quiet evening, dining at the table on the veranda and watching the wildlife. Hopefully, we’ll see Norman again.
The school holidays end this coming Sunday, and the tourists will return to their homes in other locations. Once again, the bush will be calm and peaceful with more and more wildlife stopping by to see us, exactly how we like it.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, July 16, 2015:
