Welcome new readers!…Great to see you here!..

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Several female kudus stopped by this morning, including Bad Eye, whose eye is now completely healed but looks a bit off-center.

We are always thrilled to see that new readers visit our site, many of whom continue to read our daily posts once they get into it. We encourage all of our readers, including new readers, to post comments or write to us with anything you’d like to share.

Due to excessive spam in our comments section, logging on to post a comment is now two-step. If you’d prefer, an email is acceptable. But please, bear in mind we get countless email messages each day, and it may take a few days for us to respond.

No doubt, at times, our posts are more interesting than others. But, yesterday, when we wrote about Covid-19, we certainly didn’t expect new readers to stop by. For now, we’ll keep quiet about Covid after having said “our piece” yesterday.

This is Barbara of Barbara and Lori from Shark Tank.

It seems every few months. I can’t help but discuss the pandemic. It has dramatically impacted our lives of world travel in more ways than we can count. This morning, we had many messages from new readers discussing how the current state of the world has also impacted their desires to travel, especially for those interested in cruises.

We realize we are taking the risk of having seven cruises booked for the future when any of them may be canceled before they ever sail. Some cruises have even canceled “after” sailing when there’s an influx of cases during the sailing. This would not be very good for the other passengers when the cruise line makes such a decision. Changing flights, adding hotel nights, and ultimately incurring additional costs and inconvenience would be frustrating.

This is Lori of Barbara and Lori from Shark Tank.

Several podcasts discuss what’s happening in the world of cruising across the globe. If you go to YouTube and search for “cruise news,” hundreds of videos will pop up with the most recent information on cruises, cancelations, starting at the top of the list. We often listen to these podcasts to hear about experiences travelers are having on various cruises.

Then, of course, Tom is a frequent user of cruisecritic.com, which anyone can join. We suggest you be patient when signing up and write down your username and password. I don’t visit the site often since I have other tasks on my daily schedule and prefer to get offline on my laptop after completing our site-related tasks for the day.

The kudus finished off the balance of the cabbage.

Today, I’ll be working on page 10 (of 20 posts each) on the corrections, working my way down the list, which will be fully completed in the next week. Lately, I’ve been able to do two pages a day. The thought of my afternoons becoming free after a year of this tedious task is exciting.

No, the edited posts won’t be perfect. Some had issues that I couldn’t correct, and others had photos I’d copied and pasted from Facebook, which are now gone and can’t be replaced without a time-consuming ordeal. On top of that, I am certain I missed many corrections in the process, although I thought it was error-free after completing each post. Going back to review old posts, I now find spacing errors I’d already corrected, along with other new issues.

The girls are very bossy, including Bossy herself, when it comes to getting treats.

It’s the nature of the beast. With WiFi issues and the massive size of our site, such errors can happen on their own. But, I take full responsibility for any corrections I may have missed in this year-long process. At this point, I have accepted being imperfect in this laborious correction process.

In the future, with new posts, I will make every effort to ensure everything is accurate, free of misspelling, spacing, and grammar errors. In the past, when I’ve read other people’s blogs and posts, I was quick to notice their mistakes. After so much personal experience, I am less critical and pass by such errors, knowing full-well how easy they are to make.

They are all adorable and, although pushy to an extent, very sweet.

Today, it’s warm, but not outrageously so. Lots of animals have been stopping by since early this morning. As for today’s events, today at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, we’re meeting a new couple at Phumula/Giraffe Cafe that Louise sent our way. As stated previously, it will be fun to meet more fellow Americans, but we love meeting people from wherever they may come.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 4, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #226. Tom took this photo in the early morning while in India. For more photos, please click here.

Booster or not to booster?…

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Big Daddies often hang around together and easily share pellets, as shown here.

There’s no way we can avoid bringing up Covid-19, but we have chosen, based on our reader’s preferences, not to get into politically charged issues. We’ll let all of you pursue those aspects of the pandemic on your own if you so choose. For us, we’ve had enough news about it.

But, now we’re faced with the prospect of getting a booster, and we prefer to base our preference to get a booster based on our health issues and potential risks. With my medical history, mainly cardiovascular-related, I’ve decided to have a booster. Tom has decided not to, which is entirely up to him. I impose no pressure on him whatsoever. It’s his choice.

This could easily be a dad and son.

On Friday, we’re heading to Malalane for Tom’s dental appointment to implant the two teeth he had pulled months ago. After the dentist, surely, he’ll require a few prescriptions, so we’ll head to Click’s Pharmacy to have them filled. While there, I will be able to get the vaccine booster.

After considerable research, I’ve decided on the “mix and match” concept. From the CDC website:

IF YOU RECEIVED
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen

You are eligible for a booster if you are:
18 years or older

When to get a booster:
At least two months after your shot

Which booster should you get?
Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States

Check out the gorgeous face of this male kudu.

Based on the lower efficacy of the J & J vaccine, I decided a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday would round out my protection. Of course, I ran this by Dr. Theo last time I saw him, several weeks ago, and suggest that you do the same with your doctor, should you or any family members decide on getting a booster.

I considered waiting until we get to the US, but the vaccines used here are the same as those used in the US. There’s no point in waiting. Besides, according to Worldometer, Florida is #3 on the list of states with the most cases, including 2000 new cases as of yesterday. It makes sense to be better protected before we go.

They are always on the lookout for the next morsel of food. Times are tough right now with a severe lack of vegetation.

Even in our former state, Minnesota, there were 6879 new cases yesterday.  There were only 950 new cases yesterday in Nevada, our state of residency. Why cases continue to rise in some states is not clearly defined by the CDC. There is still limited information available as to why there is an increase in cases in many areas worldwide.

No, the vaccine does not provide 100% safety or efficacy, but it seems to reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths. Deaths are down, but cases continue to rise in many countries throughout the world. That in itself is motive enough for me to get the booster.

Often, other animals clear out when a Big Daddy arrives.

Only each of us can decide what is best for us, our state of health, along with recommendations by our medical professionals. Medicine is not a finite science. It is changing daily. But it’s easy to get caught up in old dictates and directives from the powers that be. Staying on top of the latest developments is our only way of being our own best advocates.

It is up to each of us to do our research, from reliable sources, not from Facebook and other social media, to help us make sensible decisions with the support of our doctors, especially in cases where there are comorbidities that may impact receiving a vaccine and a booster.

That’s our comments for today, folks. Have a safe and healthy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 3, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #225. Tom, chipper, as usual, during breakfast while we were on a 33-night cruise circumnavigating the Australian continent. For more, please click here.

An evening on the Crocodile River….Visitors are back after voting day ended…

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Tom took this zebra photo early this morning.

This morning I didn’t awaken until 7:30, after a somewhat fitful night. I woke no less than six times, tossing and turning, and when sleep wouldn’t come, I eventually played a game of mindless drivel on my phone. I’m well aware that looking at one’s phone in the middle of the night may exacerbate periods of insomnia. But, for me laying there, unable to sleep only seems to make matters worse.

With a silly matching game on my phone, eventually, I get bored enough to drift off again, often with my phone in my hand and my reading glasses on. Hours later, I may awake in the same position. Overall, on nights like these, I end up getting enough sleep overall and feel fine the next day. Anxiety about not going back to sleep is more frustrating than playing with my phone.

Busy morning in the bush.

Today, at 11:00, Dawn and I will get pedicures at a local spa, where I’ve gone several times in the past, often bringing a friend. Two nail techs work on us simultaneously, and we get done 90-minutes later. It’s an excellent opportunity for “girl talk,” which I always enjoy. Tom will drop me off and pick me up later because the road to our house is too bumpy to ask friends to transport me.

Last night, seven of us arrived at Buckler’s Africa resort at 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs, for river watching and sundowners while overlooking the Crocodile River. We didn’t see much wildlife, but the conversation was lively and entertaining, the food was good (but late in arriving), and by 8:30 pm, we were back at the house.

From left to right, Trevor, Erika, Shakara, and Dawn while we were at Buckler’s Africa on the Crocodile River last night for sundowners and dinner.

This morning, our garden was packed with wildlife, including all of the regulars. As I write this, we have Bad Eye and her three kudu sisters, Broken Horn. Holey Moley, Thick Neck, Spikey, Stringy, and a newly named Sylvia (my mother’s name). When I was pulling up the shade in the bedroom, Thick Neck was standing at the window looking at me. “Good morning, Thick Neck!” I spewed, happy to see him once again.

Each morning before I start the post, I view the photos from the trail cam. It always makes us laugh when we see one photo after another of Thick Neck, hanging around most of the night. We wonder if he ever sleeps. Here are exciting morsels about male bushbuck behavior from this site:

Farmers burn sugarcane crops before harvest to remove the leaves and tops of the sugarcane plant leaving only the sugar-bearing stalk to be harvested.

“Usually most active during the early morning and part of the night, Bushbucks become almost entirely nocturnal in areas where they are apt to be disturbed frequently during the day. When alarmed, individuals react in a variety of ways. When surprised in the open, they sometimes stand still or slowly walk to the nearest cover. Sometimes they will sink to the ground and lie flat or bound away, making a series of hoarse barks.

The Bushbuck is primarily nocturnal, but it is also reasonably active during the day. Half of a Bushbuck’s day is spent standing and grazing. Around dusk, the Bushbuck move toward their night range to feed. The Bushbuck is also the only non-territorial and solitary African antelope, with neither males nor females defending any part of their home range.

Though Bushbuck have small home ranges which may overlap with those of other bushbuck, they are solitary animals, with even females preferring to keep social interactions with their young to not more than a few hours a day. Mature males usually go out of their way to avoid contact with each other.”

Trevor was observing the burning sugar cane from the veranda at Buckler’s Africa.

After three nights of socializing, tonight we’re staying in and will surely enjoy time on the veranda with our wildlife friends, reveling in Mother Nature’s wonders.

Be well.

                                      Photo from one year ago today, November 2, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #224. In Kenya, we were both at ease handling this harmless reptile, fascinated with its pre-historic appeal. For more, please click here.

Excellent weekend with friends…Fantastic ninth anniversary…Memories of one year ago…

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This is an injury of Thick Neck’s side. We used to call him Thick Neck/Bad Leg, but the leg healed. Should we now call him hick Neck/Bad Side? It seems to be healing nicely, though, over the past few days.

It was an excellent weekend. Busy cooking for guests for two nights was easy when it wasn’t too hot, and I felt so good after several nights of good sleep. Tom helped quite a bit, keeping the endless stream of dishes, pots, and pans under control. He’s happy to help with anything I need, but when I am busy cooking, his help with some of the chopping and dicing and the dishes is more helpful than anything.

Both evenings were fun and lively, with great conversation, laughter, and banter back and forth. Last night, when only Alan and Fiona could come to dinner, we ended up having a fantastic anniversary dinner. We had our favorite song mix playing on our portable JBL speaker, not too loud, and we had an excellent time. We won’t see them again until we return in 2022 or early 2023, when they return from being away for many months.

Big Daddy was chewing on the core of a massive head of cabbage. He loved it!

Today at 3:00 pm, 1500 hours, we’re meeting Dawn and Leon and another couple at Buckler’s Africa for Crocodile River watching and later for dinner., which undoubtedly will prove to be yet another fun event.

After that, we don’t have any social plans until Thursday at 4:00 pm, when we’re meeting up with a new couple, Louise recommended, who are also from the US. It’s not that we prefer meeting Americans over people from other countries. It makes no difference to us. We love making friends with people from all over the world.

Two Big Daddies stopped by for some goodies.

It helps when they speak English, but over our past nine years of world travel, we’ve developed friendships with some who don’t speak English (or very little English), with whom we found a magical way to communicate. Of course, sharing a language makes it lots easier to build closer connections.

On another note, as I make my way through the corrections, I am now down to 14 more pages (of 20 posts each). Since I started from the oldest posts, working toward the most recent ones, I am working on those we posted in lockdown for those darned long ten months in India.

They were both enjoying the cabbage, even going as far as sharing. The bigger horned of the two may have been dad and the younger son.

At the rate I am going now, I plan to be done by the middle of November, one page per day. But, more interesting to me than getting it done soon, I am fascinated reading the old posts from one year ago as I work my way through typos, grammar, and line spacing issues. Did we really do that? Ten months in a hotel room? Oh, good grief! How did we ever get through it?

But, yesterday as we reminisced on our ninth travel anniversary, we patted ourselves on the back for the depth and quality of our relationship, that, without it, we would never have made it to the end of those many months still sane, still in love, and still enjoying time spent together.

Such a handsome beast.

Nothing was lost by us as a couple during those ten months. If anything, we grew more attached and attracted to each other (if that was even possible) in admiration for each other’s patience and resiliency. Did either of us ever think we could get through such a scenario, or yet, did either of us ever think such a scenario could occur in our lifetime?

This morning I did three loads of laundry, did my nails, paid all the bills for the month, fed lots of pellets, carrots, and cabbage to the animals. At the same time, Tom busied himself with his usual tasks and, of course, Monday morning’s viewing of yesterday’s Minnesota Vikings game.

Stingy came right onto the veranda, looking for treats.

Once our daily tasks are done, we have little to do on less socially active days, and yet, we are content and grateful.  We are thankful to be able to stay here until January 23rd. We are grateful to each other for the love, companionship, and friendship we share. We are thankful for our friends who have stood beside us through thick and thin. We are thankful to our family members for putting up with our crazy lifestyle.

And most of all, each new day of good health is an indescribable blessing. We wish this for all of our friends, our family, those we encounter along the way, and of course, all of you. Thank you, dear readers.

Photo from one year ago today, November 1, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #223. We found this bloom in Hawaii, known as Kimi Pink Ginger. For more photos, please click here.

Our 9-year travel anniversary!!! Our new itinerary!!!…

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Selfie of us in India in February 2020, before lockdown, excited to be on our way to the palace and Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India.

Here it is, October 31, 2021, a date celebrating Halloween in some countries but not here in South Africa. There won’t be any trick or treaters at our door tonight. Instead, we’ll celebrate. Differently, the ninth anniversary of the day we began our journey.

Last night, we had guests for sundowners, Carrie and Jim, who are much younger than us, in their 40s, who’ve been living a lifestyle almost exactly like ours. Their journey began in 2019. They arrived at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, and didn’t leave until 10:30, 2230 hrs, undoubtedly indicative of the similar stories we had to share.

We’ve met a lot of world travelers over the years, but Carrie and Jim’s story was oddly most similar. We’d been to a number of the same places, experienced the same challenges, and like us, they’ve come away, hungry for more. The tremendous benefit they have is youth. With their resiliency and determination, they may continue for decades. One never knows, which we all agreed, how long we’ll choose to continue on this path or if our health in some manner prevents it.

The two of us, nine years ago, at Tom’s retirement party, about one week before we began our travels.

Last night, we were shocked when it rained in buckets, eventually turning into hail. We’d never seen hail in Marloth Park. Such an oddity for the bush. We were relieved our rental car was parked under the carport roof, free of any potential damage. The hail lasted about five minutes, but the pounding rain continued for about an hour.

At one point, we had to go inside the house when the wind was blowing, and we were all getting wet. The delightful conversation continued as we shared story after story of our travels and similarities. Surely, we’ll see them again before they leave Marloth Park on December 1st.

But, now today, as we celebrate our ninth anniversary with dinner guests coming again at 4:00 pm, we’re excited to share this special day/evening with friends Alan, Fiona, Nick, and Joan.

Today, I spent the entire morning in the kitchen, and now at almost noon, I have only a few items to fuss over once they arrive. The starters, the salad, the entree, and the vegetables are prepared except for last-minute cooking, leaving me free to spend time with our guests on the veranda while sipping our wine and drinks and enjoying the wildlife.

Without a doubt, we anticipate another enriching day in the bush. As I write here now, two Big Daddies came to call. The larger of the two ate an entire half of a massive head of cabbage before our eyes. His adeptness at breaking up the huge chunk into bite-sized pieces was a delight to see.

So, folks, here it is, our new itinerary, as promised, posted on our anniversary. Yes, there are several holes we have to fill in time, most of which will be dictated by how Covid-19 rolls out over the next few years. However, if the situation improves, even a little, we’ll be excited to fill in the gaps with fantastic adventures and visits to some new (to us) and different countries we’ve yet to explore.

The future looks bright for all of us world travelers, as long as we stay the course, maintain a positive attitude, manage our health and well-being and continue to strive to see those unique places on this planet that calls to us.

Marloth Park, South Africa Holiday rental 85 10/31/2021 1/23/2022
Flight – Nelspruit, South Africa to Tampa, Florida Travel Day 1 1/23/2022 1/24/2022
Florida -visiting friends, traveling thru state Travel 74 1/24/2022 4/8/2022
Cruise – Fort Lauderdale to South Hampton – Trans Atlantic Celebrity Silhouette 13 4/8/22 4/21/22
 UK – TBD Holiday rentals 68 4/21/22 6/28/22
Flight – UK to Istanbul, Turkey Hotel 1 6/28/22 6/29/22
Cruise – Istanbul to Istanbul – Black Sea Azamara Onward 11 6/29/22 7/10/22
Cruise – Istanbul to Athens – Greek Islands Azamara Onward 10 7/10/22 7/20/22
Europe – Non-Schengen countries Holiday rentals 111 7/20/22 11/7/22
Flight to Athens Hotel 1 11/7/22 11/8/22
Cruise – Athen to Athens – Middle East, Israel, Egypt Azamara Journey 11 11/8/2022 11/19/2022
Cruise – Athens to Lisbon – Mediterranean Azamara Journey 10 11/19/22 11/29/22
Cruise – Lisbon to Cape Town – West coast of Africa Azamara Journey 21 11/29/22 12/20/22
Flight – Cape Town to Nelspruit, South Africa Travel Day 1 12/20/22 12/20/22
Marloth Park, South Africa Holiday rentals 90 12/20/22 3/19/23
Africa travel – TBD Holiday rentals 132 3/19/23 7/29/23
Flight – Africa to Edinburough/Leith, UK Travel Day + Hotel 3 7/29/23 8/31/23
Cruise – Leith to Amsterdam – Norway, west coast Azamara Journey 17 8/1/23 8/18/23
Total Days 660

Yes, 660 possible days into the future, some planned, some not planned. But, only time will tell and guide us into the following number of years, God willing.

Be well. Be happy. Step outside the box!

Photo from one year ago today, October 31, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #222. With no photos of us on our travel anniversary in the past few years, we posted this photo from October 31, 2017, our fifth anniversary of traveling the world, taken on the veranda at the villa in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos from one year ago, please click here.

Human visitors tonight and tomorrow night…New Itinerary tomorrow!!!..

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Once the rains come, the bush will be greener, providing more food for the wildlife. In the interim, many of us are feeding them.

Note: Tomorrow, on our ninth travel anniversary, we will be posting our new itinerary!!! Please check back!!!

Last night’s dinner at Jabula was enjoyable as always. Kathy and Don joined us for our usual Friday night dinner of fabulous food and service at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant. The conversation flowed with ease as we each shared the stories of our adventures over the past few weeks. They had spent time in Kruger at a few remote lodges and us, our time in Zambia, and eventual return without issues from immigration.

We have been so blessed to have such good friends in Marloth Park, and as time goes by, we continue to make more and more friends. Today, as mentioned in a prior post, at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, our long-time readers, Carrie and Jim, will be joining us for the first time for sundowners. They found us and also Marloth Park due to our posts and are also world travelers. It will be fun to visit with them.

Since our return on Tuesday, this is the first male kudu who stopped by, whom we call “Medium Daddy” instead of “Big Daddy” with much larger horns.

For today’s appetizers during sundowners, we’re making sliced bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, served chilled with a cucumber dip, with roasted vegetable slices, and our usual and popular apricot almond brie puffed pastry with crackers, olives, and nuts on the side.

At the moment, I am cooking the chicken for tomorrow’s dinner, a low-carb chicken and sausage cassoulet baked in a single large pan, which we’ll serve with chunky roasted vegetables, coleslaw salad, with a variety of light starters served during the cocktail hour.

We now have three young “Spikeys” who hang around most of the day. This morning we finished off the first of the three heads of cabbage.

Today, I am doing as much prep for both evenings. We don’t usually plan two social events in a row. But tonight’s food will be comparable to making an easy dinner for us, which we would have done anyway, even if we didn’t have guests coming. As of this moment, I have a good handle on both nights’ prep.

It’s hot today, so I thought I’d get as much prep as possible out of the way before the temps rise to over 90F, 32C. It will be cooling off for tomorrow with a high of 79F, 26C, making the final prep for tomorrow’s anniversary dinner easier on a cool day.

Impalas, who seldom care to be near humans, have been stopping by lately. They are hungry too.

Yep, tomorrow, October 31, 2020, is our ninth anniversary of traveling the world. With six of us, Alan, Fiona, Nick, and Joan,  for dinner on the veranda for whom we’re delightfully reciprocating for hosting us recently and me busy prepping the meal, we won’t be posting a recap of our prior year. However, we will post photos of our evening celebration.

After posting so many historical photos during our ten-month lockdown in Mumbai, India, we’ve already posted an endless stream of old photos. Next year, we’ll prepare a special tenth-anniversary post, providing our health is good, and we can continue for another year. At this point, it seems it’s entirely possible.

First, two males stopped by, who were later joined by a female.

A few moments ago, Louise sent us a message stating she’s renting a property to an American couple who will be here until December, asking us if we were interested in meeting them. Of course, we said “yes” and will contact them later today to set up a get-together in Marloth Park.

Next week, on Friday, Tom has his first appointment with Dr. Singh’s wife. Also, a dental surgeon, to have his two implants started from the teeth he had extracted over three months ago, leaving a gaping hole in his mouth; obvious when he smiles. We have no idea how uncomfortable he’ll be after the appointment, so we’ll play it by ear for any possible social events next weekend. But, for now, we’re thrilled to have plans for tonight, tomorrow, and Monday.

This morning we had 12 antelopes in the garden, sharing pellets.

This weekend, there’s no load shedding since Monday is a national holiday in South Africa, voting day! It’s nice we’ll have a reprieve when we’re cooking for guests, and it will be great to have the outdoor lights at dinnertime.

Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 30, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #221. A sunny view from our veranda at the Kenyan resort where we stayed on our first travel anniversary. For more photos, please click here.

Yesterday, no water, plus load shedding…TIS, This is Africa…Live with it!…

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We purchased these giant cabbages for the kudus, bushbucks, and duikers, which love cabbage, for about US $0.70, ZAR 10.69 each. We tear off the leaves, break them in half and toss them their way.

There’s no doubt, living in Africa has its share of problems; outrageous weather, mozzies, crime, corruption, conservation issues, and ongoing issues due to a poor infrastructure resulting in power, water, fuel, and WiFi outages. Also, wild animals can harm humans and property, including attacks by snakes and venomous creatures. More people are killed by hippos than any other animals in the wild.

What do visitors expect? Locals often say “TIF,” which means “This is Africa,” when visitors complain about the inconveniences caused by any of the above. These conveniences may be found in many of their home countries. In reviewing many of the issues mentioned above, our own USA is not exempt from any of these problems and is based on locations and circumstances.

Many of the animals like carrots. Due to the warm, humid weather and lack of room in the fridge, we leave them out, and they spoil quickly. This large bag sells for US $0.98, ZAR 14.90.

Complaining doesn’t help. Proactive responses and behavior when these situations occur are the best and most logical solutions during tricky times. As I write here now, the power is out. Yesterday, Tom hauled buckets of pool water into both bathrooms for flushing the toilet.

Sure, I asked Louise when the water would return, and last night, it did, exactly as she stated. As for the power, I have an app on my phone to alert me to upcoming outages. Tomorrow, at sundowner time, we have guests coming, as mentioned in our prior post, who came to Marloth Park after reading our posts. The power will be out when they arrive at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs.

Holey Moley was munching on a cabbage leaf.

Any cooking using the electric stove must be completed before the power goes out at 5:00 pm, 1700hrs. One of the appetizers we’re making requires 30 minutes in the oven. This will be done before the power outage. With a bit of planning, working around load shedding isn’t too tricky.

Another example regarding our awareness of rampant crime in South Africa was when we returned from the airport on Tuesday, after our trip to Zambia to make the 90-minute drive to Marloth Park on the two-lane N4 highway, known for carjackings, especially after dark. Thus, we planned accordingly, totally prepared to stay overnight if we couldn’t make it back to our holiday home before darkness fell.

A thick Neck was involved in some scuffle, which resulted in a new injury. It doesn’t look too deep and should heal soon.

Shortly after we entered the house, load shedding began. Fortunately, we made it in plenty of time. We had the portable lights ready to be used if necessary. It all worked out fine.

Do we appreciate less of these issues while in the US or other countries? I suppose for a moment. But, it’s not unlike being in sweltering weather and going inside to air conditioning…immediately, we forget about how hot we were only minutes earlier.

As I sit here now, using the WiFi to prepare and post today’s story, Tom is watching US  football on his laptop, which lately has kept him busy for several hours each day. WiFi is a must for us. For us, a WiFi outage is harder to adapt to than power or water outages. When it’s out, we are at a loss about how to perform our usual daily tasks, conduct research, and escape into a bit of entertainment, especially in the evening after dark, when the wildlife hunkers down for the night.

Thick Neck also has a scratch on his nose. He was enjoying the cold, crisp cabbage leaves along with the other bushbucks.

When we have an endless stream of wildlife during busy times in the garden, we are easily entertained and preoccupied. It’s our favorite pastime! Plus, I can stay busy preparing meals, doing laundry, and tidying projects around the house. Next week, during a load shedding session, we plan to go to Kruger National Park, which keeps us thoroughly entertained and enlightened for an entire day spent driving through the park while searching for wildlife.

In many old posts, we discuss “adaptation” and how vital it is to enjoy where we’re living at any given time. Even during the lockdown in the hotel in India for ten months, we found ways to enjoy ourselves and make the most of the situation.

Traveling the world without a home is not necessarily easy. It requires an abundance of patience and resiliency, along with the ability to adapt to unfamiliar circumstances at every turn. We both have been and will continue to be committed to this lifestyle for as long as our health holds out.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, October 29, 2020;

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #220. When we arrived at The Sands at Nomad Resort in Kenya, we were welcomed with flower leis and orange mango juice for our anniversary weekend. (I politely declined, but Tom enjoyed his). For more photos, please click here.

They’ve all found us again!…Little, Thick Neck, Benny, Henny and Lenny, multiple Franks, and more…Meet Barbara and Lori from Shark Tank…

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One Tusk is becoming quite popular around here. Perhaps, a replacement for Tiny, who never returned after we visited the US in July 2021.

We didn’t assume they’d all return to our garden within 36 hours of our return. We thought after being gone for six days that it could take several days until they’d return, having looked for us for the entire time we were gone. But, beginning yesterday morning, our regulars started arriving, leaving nary a single “familiar face” behind.

Little was thrilled we’d returned when he stopped by at his usual 4:00 pm. Immediately, he positioned himself on the right side of the veranda, near where I sit, waiting for his treats and words of affection (from me only).

Yesterday, at the little local market, I purchased the last head of cabbage for the bushbucks and kudus, and it’s already gone. Tom has refilled the big bucket of pellets at least three times already. Soon, we’ll be heading to Komatipoort to buy groceries, and we’ll undoubtedly purchase several more, plus a 10 kg bag of carrots to round out the pellets.

It was fun to see Benny, Henny, and Lenny this morning. We’ve seen Penny on her own but no longer with these three. She could be pregnant and no longer interested in hanging around with them.

Need I say, we’re having a fantastic time. The weather is relatively cool but cloudy. And, although load shedding is currently occurring three times a day for 7.5 hours per day, we are managing fine. Fortunately, as mentioned, we aren’t losing the WiiFi signal during these most recent outages.

With WiFi, the outages don’t bother us at all. With 2.5 hour outages, our food in the refrigerator and freezer stay safe, and with the WiFi working, we can still stream our shows at night when we hunker down for the night. Sleep comes easily for us both, now that our minds are free from worry about where we’d have to go if we hadn’t been allowed to stay in South Africa.

Frank and The Misses, back eating their seeds and drinking from their little container of water. They were so happy. They chirped the entire time they were pecking at the seeds.

Our friends and readers have been writing to us with the warmest of wishes that we’re able to stay, and we look forward to lots more socialization over the following months in Marloth Park.

Our long-time readers, Carrie and Jim, have arrived in Marloth Park for six weeks, and they’re coming over on Saturday for sundowners to meet us in person for the first time. What a joy this always is for us when readers like a location we’ve visited and end up meeting face-to-face! They came to Marloth Park based on our posts.

For a while, Little hung out with Barbara and Lori and their mom. Now, he seems less interested in the two girls. Could he be the dad of mom’s future piglets? There could be several little Little’s on the horizon. We’ll keep you updated.

Sunday is our ninth travel anniversary, and our friends Alan and Fiona and Nick and Joan will join us for dinner to celebrate with us. What a great way to celebrate the special day! We’re making one of our favorite dishes, and hopefully, they’ll be able to enjoy it, along with us.

Last night we made bacon-wrapped fillet mignon on the braai, along with red wine infused sauteed portabella mushrooms, salad, and rice for Tom. We both enjoyed the satisfying meal and are making a repeat for tonight since we had plenty of uncooked tenderloin and mushroom left for a second round.

Are these two young girls Barbara and Lori? See the photo below.

Of course, as usual, as we sat on the veranda at sunset, Little appeared for the first time since we returned. He, like Broken Horn, let us know he was happy to see us. Whoever said animals aren’t emotional hasn’t lived in Marloth Park. Many of them appear animated and enthusiastic when they see us each day, let alone after we’ve been gone for a while.

The mom with the perfect curly tusks has kicked her two daughters to the curb now that she’s pregnant again. Now, the two girls with big white whiskers hang around here nearly all day. We’ve named them Barbara and Lori after the two female leads on Shark Tank, a show we often watch in the evenings. We’ve gone back and re-watched every episode from the beginning. We’re now on season 8 of 13 seasons. We only watch one episode per evening, so we have plenty more to go with as many as 25 episodes per season.

This is Barbara and Lori, now ‘kicked loose” from their mom, arriving on their own with their big white whiskers and bossy attitude, just like their mom. She arrived yesterday with a big pregnant belly without these two in tow.
The power just went out. In an hour, we’ll head to Komati, so hopefully, by the time we return, it will be back on, and we can put away our groceries without much worry over the door to the fridge being open as we load it up once again. Before we left for Zambia, we finished off most of our food, and now it’s time to restock.

Starting tomorrow, Friday, we have social plans for four nights in a row. We love being busy with human friends, as well!

Enjoy the day and weekend to come. Stay healthy and content!

Photo from one year ago today, October 28, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #219. Cows are always curious, and we laughed when this grazing cow picked up her head to check us out while we were in Fiji. For more, please click here.

The immigration issues unfolded…Hearts pounding, holding our breath!…

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There’s our boy, Broken Horn. He was so happy to see us he was shaking his head and moving his feet up and down. Funny, boy!

The flight from Livingstone was delayed. We later discovered it was due to a mechanical issue before it took off for Zambia. As we sat in the cafe at the airport, we were only concerned about the delay in the event we wouldn’t get to Nelspruit in time to hit the road, the dangerous N4, before dark.

It’s never wise to travel on this two-lane highway at night due to heavy truck traffic and carjacking risks. If our flight didn’t arrive at the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport by 5:30 pm, 1730 hrs, we’d have no choice but to book a hotel room for the night. Sunset was at 6:05 pm, 1805 hrs, and with the usual 90 minutes required to make the drive to Marloth Park, at no point during such a drive would being on the road in the dark be worth the risk.

Broken Horn and Bad Eye. Her eye has healed nicely.

Finally, after an hour-long wait, the plane arrived and prepped for our flight. By 2:30 pm, 1430 hrs, we were on the runway with only six passengers, including the two of us. It took off with the lowest number of passengers we’d experienced on this particular small jet with Airlink.

The flight was smooth and uneventful, and we arrived in Nelspruit by 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs. All we had to do at that point was get through immigration without a hitch, collect our two duffle bags, pick up the rental car and hopefully be on our way. We approached the immigration desk with passports, documents, PCR tests, and proof of rental in hand, hearts pounding, hoping for the best.

Four female kudus are regular visitors. They wasted no time visiting us today.

The immigration officer was immediately well aware we’d done a “visa run” often frowned upon. With the thought that we’ve been classified as “undesirables” twice in these past nine years of travel, we were prepared for the worst. The first time was in Australia in 2017 when we made the mistake of “assuming” going on a cruise out of Sydney, visiting other countries, with the cruise ending in Sydney, only to discover we’d “overstayed.”

After days of stress, documents and worry, we finally were able to work it out with the Australian immigration department to stay until our next cruise a month later that had us officially leaving Australia.

One Tusk and Lonely Girl were happy to see us too, especially when we tossed pellets.

The next time we were “undesirable” was after we had no choice but to overstay after I’d had open-heart surgery in February 2019. We were banned from South Africa for five years, requiring us to hire a lawyer to lift the ban, successful many months later.

Had we not had these two scary experiences,  yesterday we may not have been so apprehensive when we tried to re-enter South Africa. After all, we’ve been here since January 2021 and hoped to stay until January 23, 2022. When the immigration officer carefully examined our passports, checked our records on his computer, he asked one question:

“When are you returning to the US?”

As usual, Lonely Girl arrived alone. She appears to be pregnant.

Without hesitation, Tom held up a copy of our return ticket to Tampa, Florida, USA, dated January 23, 2022. He read it carefully, pulled out his stamp, and proceeded to stamp each of our passports, writing that date as our final day without saying another word.

With only six passengers on the plane, the bags came up quickly. We struggled to keep from cheering instead of walking away briskly to collect our bags which were already waiting for us on the carousel in the next room. Tom grabbed a trolley, the bags, and we were on our way to the rental car area. By 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs, we were on the road.

Female kudus (including Bad Eye), along with Broken Horn, harmoniously shared pellets.

How did we get away with staying in South Africa for so long after receiving our original 90 days upon entry?

  1. President Ramaphosa issued a visa waiver for those who’d arrived around the time we had – 90 days.
  2. We went to the US for a month and received another new visa – 90 days
  3. Yesterday’s new visa was issued for traveling to Zambia, luckily accepted – 90 days

Until darkness fell, Tom drove fast and aggressively, never forsaking the law or safety with only a short time. We pulled into the Gate 2 entrance to Marloth Park 70 minutes after we left the airport. Safari luck? Perhaps. In any case, we are grateful.

Once back at the house, which smelled clean after the spring cleaning Zef and Vusi did in our absence, we quickly unpacked, plugged in our equipment, freshened up a bit, and made our way to Jabula, where Dawn and Leon greeted us with the warmest of hugs. It was great to see them again, and we all sat at the bar, listening to great music while Dawn ran back and forth serving customers. We didn’t head out the door until 9:30, 2230 hrs.

A good night’s sleep was had by both of us. I awoke at 5:00 am, chomping at the bit to get outside to welcome our furry friends back into our lives. But, I stayed in bed to avoid awakening Tom. Throughout the day, they’ve returned, one after another making us laugh over their apparent enthusiasm at seeing us back here. We’ve yet to see Frank and Little but give it a few more hours, and I imagine we’ll see them too.

We couldn’t be happier to be back among our human and animal friends. Life is good.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 27, 2020:

This screenshot was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #218. I received this message from Fitbit that I’ve earned my India walking badge. For more, please click here.

Final expenses for our five night Zambia trip…On our way back to the bush!!!…

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Sunset over the Zambezi River, the longest river in Africa. Notice the spray from Victoria Falls in the left rear of the photo.

Note to our readers: This is the last day we’ll be posting this notice. Based on receiving hundreds of spam comments each week, adding significantly to the time necessary to do each day’s post, it is now required to log in to post a comment. We apologize for this added step. We were tired of seeing pornographic and illegal drugs sales posted as comments on our site. I had to go through each one to remove it. If you have an urgent comment for us, please feel free to use the comment section at the end of each post or send either of us an email message to which we’ll respond within 24 hours or sooner. Thank you so much for being so understanding. We will post this notice for one week.

At the moment, we’re sitting on the bed in our hotel room in Zambia, after a lovely breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, packed and ready to go. At 11:45 am, Chris, from Chris Tours (see his link here), a highly reputable tour and transport company in Livingstone, Zambia, will pick us up for the short drive to the Livingstone Airport.

We’re scheduled to arrive in Nelspruit at 3:35 pm when we’ll pick up our rental car and commence the 90-minute drive back to Marloth Park. If all goes well with immigration (fingers crossed), we should be at our holiday home in the bush by about 5:30. Before unpacking, we’ll freshen up a bit and head to Jabula for dinner.

We’re looking forward to seeing Dawn and Leon, our friends and the owners of our favorite restaurant (and lodge) in Marloth Park. They’d been on holiday for a few weeks before we left for Zambia, and it will be fun to see them again, to catch up, and dine on their fabulous food. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating our return for another 90 days, providing all goes well at immigration in Nelspruit.

Load shedding has resumed in the park, so the power will be out while we’re out to dinner, hopefully back on when we get back to the house. Supposedly, it will be off and on until Saturday, after which they’ll be suspending load shedding for a few weeks, or so they say. It can change on a dime. Then again, TIA, “this is Africa,” and that’s what happens. We love it anyway.

We’ve had a great time in Zambia. We accomplished a lot of research, and I am down to page #18 (with 20 posts per page). At this rate, I will have completed this year-long project by the middle of November. I can hardly wait to be done and have my afternoons back to further enjoy life instead of working on my laptop.

Now, for the expenses, we incurred for this trip to Livingstone, Zambia:

Flight  (round trip) from Nelspruit to Livingstone:  US $1288.00,   ZAR 18938

Taxi: US $46.81, ZAR 690.68

Hotel (using some rewards): US $425.09, ZAR 6258.06

Food: US $339.00, ZAR 4992.29

Visa Fee (entry to Zambia):  US $100.00, ZAR 1472.65

Tips: US $125.0, ZAR 1470,80

Total:  US $2323.90, ZAR 32204.32

We were pleased with this total. The high cost of the airfare was over half of the total expenses. Flights through Airlink have increased during times of Covid, but the convenience of avoiding the five-hour drive to Joburg is worth it to us. Plus, we could get a direct flight from Nelspruit to Livingstone, saving another half day of travel time.

If we have no issues with re-entry, the expense will have been well worth the time and cost. We have documents with our negative Covid-19 PCR test results, our flight information out of South Africa in January, a rental letter from Louise stating we have a place to live, and all should be in order. The question is: “Will they (immigration) accept the fact we only left SA for six days?” If so, all will be good. The laws are vague on this topic, so we hold our breath when we check-in.

That’s it for now, folks. In a few minutes, we’ll zip up our duffle bags, call for help with our bags, pay the balance of our hotel bill at reception and wait for Chris to arrive to take us to the airport.

Hopefully, tomorrow, we’ll be writing from Marloth Park with the good news that all went well. Thanks for “traveling” with us!

Photo from one year ago today, October 26, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #217. Rasnesh, our driver, took this photo of us in front of the Vuadomo Waterfall in Fiji. We were hot and sweaty, but the long trek was worth it!  For more photos, please click here.