The photos from Kruger weren’t as clear as they may have been if the wildlife had been so far away. It was a tough day in the heat when the wildlife tends to stay undercover to stay cool. Surely, we’ll return to Kruger each week as the weather cools and hopefully take better photos.
On another note, we grocery shopped last Sunday at Spar in Komatipoort and spent a total of ZAR 4867.67, US $264.90 plus another ZAR 1162.94, US $63.29 at The Butchery, the meat market in Marloth Park at the Bush Centre.
The total for the next two weeks, considering we dine out two nights a week, is ZAR 6030.61, US $328.19, averages ZAR 3015.10, US $164.10 per week, assuming we selected the finest meats, vegetables, and dairy products we consume regularly.
Plus, with dining out at Jabula every Friday and Saturday, our bill is typically ZAR 918.78, US $50 each night. Thus, we spend another US $100 weekly, making our weekly food bill, including dining out twice weekly, ZAR 3934.07, $262.10. When we dined out in Minneapolis or Lake Las Vegas, typically we spent at least twice as much for dining out.
When we compared our weekly grocery bills in the US, we paid at least twice as much as we do here. It’s incredible how much less costly it is to live here.
Of course, from time to time, we will go to the local SaveMor market in Marloth Park for fresh veggies for our salads and side dishes. We purchased these when we first arrived for US $12.90.
Yesterday, we had a fantastic time seeing Kathy and Don at their home on the Crocodile River. We arrived at 11:00 and left around 1:30 to allow them to get back to unpacking. It was wonderful to see them when it had been over three years since we dropped them off at the airport in Nelspruit to return to Hawaii for Don’s US medical care. They are thrilled to be back in the bush.
Surely, we’ll see them regularly during the remaining nine weeks until they return to the US. We have lots of plans to see friends while we’re here and then, the arrival of our friend Lisa in the beginning of April. We won’t be short on social activities, much of which transpires when we are at Jabula.
Last night, we booked our flights, hotel, and car in a good package deal with Expedia on our site. We’ll be leaving South Africa for Minnesota on May 24, arriving on May 25 (considering the seven-hour time difference), and fly back to Marloth Park on June 17, arriving on June 19.
We booked the same hotel we stayed in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a rental car, and our round-trip flights. Fortunately, Maisie’s graduation isn’t until May 29, and the graduation party is on May 31. We’ll have four days to recover from the long flights before the festivities begin.
With the weekend approaching, we’ll see fewer animals when a new influx of tourists arrives, often feeding them foods they love but are unfit for their health and well-being. This is sad.
That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, March 13, 2015:
