Waking this morning with a smile on my face made me realize how important it was to have those medical tests done and receive such good results for both of us. Then, I thought of the new immigration ruling that allows us to stay in South Africa until we leave for the cruise at the end of July, almost four months from now.
Of course, we’ll confirm this with the lawyer tomorrow, but based on the wording in the new document, it appears to be accurate information. Knowing these two unique aspects of our lives, we’re able to sit back and relax for the remainder of the time we’ll be here.
Sure, we could leave early and go to Scotland a few months before sailing out of Edinburgh. Still, after considerable research, we were dismayed over the high cost of spending the summer months in Scotland, a country with a short summer season of warm weather.
It would have been fun to spend time there, but we always like to live in a lovely house, and we’d have had to sacrifice too much to do so. Since the onset of our travels, and after a few holiday decisions we later regretted, we’ve come to a place where the property we rent must fulfill our objectives.
As a result, we have to consider the cost of holiday homes before we start booking flights and other events. It was the same reason we decided against staying in England in the past few years…the UK, in general, is pricey these days, much more than when we visited in the past.
This has been the case with many holiday rentals worldwide since the pandemic. Yes, if a tourist takes a one- or two-week trip to anywhere in the world, they can typically find suitable holiday homes via companies such as VRBO and AirBnB or even affordable hotels.
At this point, after our extended stay in Mumbai in lockdown for ten months, we have little interest in long-term hotel stays. Although, we’ll always stay in hotels in the US when we visit family in Nevada and Minnesota and during short stays in specific countries as part of our ongoing itinerary.
When we arrive in Scotland at the end of July, we’ll be staying in a hotel for a few nights, preferably close to the cruise terminal. After checking hotel prices in Edinburgh during that time frame, it appears that hotel prices close to the terminal average of around US $300 per night, not a price we’d be willing to pay for longer than one or two nights.
We’d love to share new adventures from our original departure date of June 8, leaving us about seven weeks until embarking on the cruise. But, based on the cruises we’ve booked for the future and those increased costs, it makes a lot of financial sense for us to stay in Marloth Park during those additional weeks.
Last night was another fun night at Jabula. This morning, I am focused on making a special Sunday dinner; roasted lamb neck for me and short ribs for Tom with whole carrots, whole mushrooms, and onions, all well seasoned. We have everything roasting in the oven until no later than 3:00 pm,1500 hrs. We are unable to use the oven during load-shedding.
Before load-shedding begins, everything will be done, and I’ll take the pans out of the oven to eat later on. Most likely, as hot as it is today, the pans will retain the heat, and we won’t have to reheat our plates to eat our meal, with rice for Tom and salad for both of us.
Have a great Sunday, and be well.
Photo from one year ago today, April 2, 2022:
