Shockingly cool today at 66F, 19C, a welcomed relief…Smart pigs…Wildebeest newborn photos…

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Please zoom in to see newborn wildebeests with umbilical cords still hanging, indicating they were born most recently.

What a refreshing break after weeks of sweltering temperatures! Even Frank and The Misses feathers were all fluffed up when they arrived at the screen door, wondering when they’d get some seeds. I jumped up from the sofa in the lounge room and immediately placed the little container filled with seeds onto the veranda floor.

We can’t leave the seeds out since warthogs, bushbucks and kudus will come onto the veranda and wipe out the container. Each day, we bring them indoors when Frank is done, returning them to the usual spot when Frank and The Misses stand at the door, looking inside for us.

Wildebeest is nursing her newborn. Female wildebeests have horns, as do the males.

They are less afraid of me than they are of Tom. When I go out with the seeds, they barely move until I set them down. They step back or even off the veranda when Tom does this until he sets them down. It’s incredible how the wildlife can determine our gender by looking at us. Most animals will stay in place while I offer pellets, while many step back when Tom does so.

The exception to that is the bushbucks. They feel safe around Tom much more than me. This may be because he arises earlier than me and may spend two additional hours each early morning greeting them before I come outdoors. Then, of course, there are the warthogs, and they are more welcoming to me than Tom. Even Little steps back when he sees Tom but not when he sees me.

The newborn wastes no time in beginning to suckle.

Undoubtedly, Little’s reaction to Tom may be warranted when he doesn’t talk to them in a high-pitched loving voice as I do. He isn’t a big fan of warthogs when they chase away the various species of antelope when pellets are around. Animals have a keen sense of who likes them and who doesn’t.

Although we have about a dozen helmeted guinea fowl that live in and around our garden, we don’t have any relationship with them. They don’t seem too bright, never make eye contact, and don’t respond to our voices. However, they come out of the bush when they’re nearby when they hear me calling warthogs. They’ve learned that my animated voice means pellets which they swallow whole. I guess a certain degree of intellect is required to make that association.

There were two moms with newborns, both with umbilical cords still attached.

Of course, my love of warthogs is entirely based on their intellect and responsiveness. Considered the fifth most intelligent land animal on the planet, smarter than dogs, it’s no wonder I am frequently talking and interacting with them. They do respond, no less so and perhaps more, than your dog would when you interact with them.

Besides the usual “sit, stay, and heel.” When they came indoors on a rainy, muddy, or snowy day, they even learned to “wipe their feet, get a treat!” It was hard to believe unless you saw them do this and dozens of other behaviors they learned.

For a moment, based on this photo, we wondered if this mom did, in fact, have twins, which is quite unusual for blu wildebeests.

Of course, in today’s world with YouTube and social media, we see videos of dogs performing various actions that leave us in awe with our mouths agape. Is it any wonder that as a dog lover I’d be immensely attracted to pigs (thus, warthogs) while we revel in the joys of bush living?

No, I don’t try to teach warthogs “tricks.” But, I find it easy to impact their behavior simply by tossing pellets and talking to them while looking into their beady little eyes. The connection with them is palpable.

Mom was quite protective of her newborn, preventing us from clear shots. Finally, we hurried off to see what else we could find.

There are thousands of websites that provide detailed information on the intellect of pigs, including warthogs. I won’t bore you with those links. But, perhaps these observations may make it clearer to our readers why I am so attached to the warthogs in Marloth Park.

We’re off to Komatipoort to the Spar Market to grocery shop. Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is bare, but we won’t be buying much with all of the power outages. As it turns out, we won’t go to Jabula until tomorrow evening. They have a group of 18 who will be hanging around the bar before they’re eventually seated for dinner. Dawn knew we wouldn’t want to be in such proximity to other people, so she let us know. We changed our reservation for Saturday evening.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 17, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #269. Most of the town is centered around seaport enterprises. For more photos, please click here.

We’re back!…Power and water restored…Nice day in Kruger National Park…

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Mom and baby hippo on the Sabie River.

The electric power has been restored as of yesterday afternoon and the water. This morning I was able to take a shower with water pressure. Also, it’s cooler today, although the dew point is tropical after it rained again during the night. The animal’s feet are covered in mud, and the garden is muddy. But, we don’t mind.

We’re grateful it continues to rain at night to increase the available vegetation for the wildlife. None of our visitors look undernourished after being well-fed over the winter months by enthusiasts like us and can now eat their natural diet of leaves, roots, and grasses.

Wildebeest family resting near what they think is a tree.

We’re keeping a watchful eye for snakes and venomous insects that flourish this year. I may jinx ourselves in saying so, but the mozzies aren’t as awful as they could be. But it’s still early yet. Actual summer doesn’t begin until December 21st. When the weather is tolerable, we remain outdoors and will continue to do so during the summer months.

Yesterday’s trip to Kruger National Park was rewarding, although we didn’t see any cats. We haven’t been lucky with cat sightings in the park during this past year. Although, we still enjoy every animal we see. We don’t spend much time on the dirt roads; instead, spending the majority of our drive on the main paved road.

The first elephant we spotted on our self-drive.

Why don’t we venture out to the more remote dirt roads is a reality we’ve had to accept. We don’t rent expensive four-wheel-drive vehicles based on our extended stays in the country. The prices of rental cars have increased over the years, resulting in our renting smaller, less expensive vehicles. Subsequently, these smaller cars don’t do well on the bumpy roads in Kruger or Marloth Park.

It’s not as if we haven’t experienced countless game drives during our years of world travel. As a result, we’ve accepted the reality that the cars we’ve rented have some limitations. Living life on a perpetual vacation/holiday requires budgetary diligence. We’d rather live in a lovely property, eat great food and be able to dine out as often as we choose than pay two or three times more for a rental car.

We spotted this lone Cape buffalo, close to the Sabie River.

We decided it was essential to go yesterday, knowing we wouldn’t tackle entering the park during the holiday season. During this upcoming period, reservations will be required to enter the park. We have no interest in making a reservation, which would result in many cars on the paved road stacked up when a sighting is found. This doesn’t appeal to us.

After the holiday season ends, well after New Year’s, we will happily return when the numbers of visitors are minimal and no reservations will be necessary.

Several elephants in the Sabie River.

As for yesterday, we spotted more elephants than we’d seen in a long while resulting in many photos we’ll share over the next few days. For the first time in a while, we spotted a Cape buffalo on the bank of the Sabie River, many wildebeests, including some newborns with their umbilical cords still attached, several zebras, a few crocs, and others as seen in our photos.

Today, we’ll stay put. Everything is prepped for tonight’s dinner; the laundry is washed and hung on the rack. It could be another lazy day when I do not feel motivated to tackle any projects after a poor night’s sleep.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 15, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #267. t was only a short walk from our holiday home in Pacific Harbour, Fiji, to the river. For more photos, please click here.

A frog symphony…Grateful, even with the heat…Mozzie time…

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Holey Miley visits each day.

As we are situated on the veranda with me sipping a delicious mug of iced coffee, we’re listening to the symphony from two frogs, one in the rafters of the veranda roof and the other on the edge of the birdbath. They go back and forth with their melodious chirps and then chirp simultaneously from time to time. It’s music to our ears.

Today’s a bit cooler with an expected midday high of only 93F, 34C. What a relief! We can handle that easily, compared to the fierce heat of the past many days, even weeks. Summer won’t officially begin until eight days from today. We’d better brace ourselves.

We are grateful to be here in South Africa rather than any other place in the world, even with the heat, the insects, and mozzies. As much as it’s rained in the past month, we’re surprised the mozzies aren’t any worse than they are. But, it’s early days. They will come.

Barbara and Lori (Shark Tank) frequently stop for a visit.

Three times a day, I reapply Tabard roll-on insect repellent. Without it, I’d be covered in bites. Although this product has DEET, the risks of which I am well aware, it is the only repellent that works for me. Over the years we’ve spent in South Africa, I have tried many “natural” repellents only to discover they don’t work for me. It’s a toss-up…risks of DEET or chances of contracting malaria. I chose to take the risk of DEET.

When applying, I don’t put it all over my body, only on the exposed skin such as my legs and feet when wearing short pants, hands and arms up to my sleeves, and the neck area. I wear closed shoes until bedtime, which prevents getting bit on my feet, after carefully applying the repellant to my ankles, where mozzies particularly love to bite. On a rare occasion, I get a bite under my clothes.

Kudus stop by almost every day.

Due to allergies, occasionally, I get red itchy patches on my skin, usually on my arms or legs.  Calamine lotion seems to be the only product that helps with that type of itching.

The inconveniences from the awful heat, humidity, insects, and snakes are incidental compared to last Christmas when we were stuck in a hotel room in Mumbai—living in a hotel room for ten months, never knowing when the international airport would open. Each day, we thought, maybe tomorrow? Each day, we were disappointed.

But now, we are content to be here, enjoying our animal and human friends, making great meals, having sundowners on the veranda regardless of the heat, while having little responsibility other than to cook, do dishes, wash laundry, grocery shop, and manage financial matters.

Little Daddy and two female kudus.

It’s reported on the news today that President Cyril Ramaphosa has Covid-19, most likely the Omicron variant, which is currently raging like a wildfire in all of South Africa. It is also reported that 27% of all Covid-19 tests are positive here. According to some reports, all people in South Africa and many other countries will test positive for Omicron in the next several months.

We are hoping Cyril will extend visas once again, which will prevent us from having to fly anywhere in the next few months. Only time will tell.

Mom, with lovely curved tusks and her three piglets.

After being in South Africa for almost a year (as of January 13th), we realize that our posts are redundant and relatively dull. We apologize for that. Of course, we’d love to have exciting adventures and stories to share each day. But, right now, like most of you, we’re living one day at a time. We are waiting to see when travel makes sense for us and the status of our upcoming booked cruises.

Have a pleasant week as we roll into the holiday season.

Photo from one year ago today, December 13, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #265. The locals performed their Bollywood routine on Saturday nights in Fiji in 2015. For more photos, please click here.

Hot! Hot! Hot!…Omicron on the rise in South Africa, and worldwide…

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A dung beetle and his mate atop the ball of dung while he pushes with his back legs to move the ball along. What a fantastic sighting!

I am in the bedroom at almost noon with the air con and the fan on, trying to cool down. I spent over an hour in the kitchen preparing tonight’s dinner while it was 97F, 36C with outrageous high humidity. It will top 100F, 38C, or more on a bright sunny day in an hour or so.

With no air-con anywhere in the house except for the two bedrooms, it is the only place to hide away to cool off. I’d never tackle such a cooking challenge in this heat without air-con in my old life. It would have warranted a dinner out, for sure. But, in Marloth Park, many of the restaurants don’t have suitable cooling with doors always wide open, so there’s little relief to be found there.

Mongoose hanging around the edge of the veranda..

The dinner I’m preparing today requires a trip to the little local market to purchase mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. We’ll have a low-carb dish called Low Carb Mushroom Burger Scramble, a favorite, although it presents as one-pan winter comfort food. But, this morning, I made two pans, one for each of us, enough to last for three dinners.

Thus, regardless of continuing heat, I won’t have to cook for the next few days, only making a salad and rice for Tom. That’s a good plan, especially since we’d like to go to Kruger in the next few days, once the temperature drops, which is expected by Tuesday or Wednesday before all the holidaymakers arrive for the Christmas holiday when Kruger will be packed.

We drove past a few giraffes while out exploring.

It is hard to spot much wildlife during ultra-hot days. Even our usual wildlife visitors to our garden are sparse on the hot days. This morning, several bushbucks, two sets of Mom and Piglets, and Broken Horn stopped by. But now, as the day wears on and the temperature rises, the only visitor we’re seeing is Frank and The Misses, who stop by once every three or four hours. They, like us, tend to stay undercover when it’s so hot.

After returning from the little market, they stood at the screen door to the veranda, looking inside the house, wondering where we’d gone. We always laugh when we see them there, walking back and forth impatiently from time to time. We love those birds! Who would think we’d adore these chicken-like creatures as much as we do?

Broken Horn is always welcomed in our garden.

A few minutes ago, Tom called out to me. The mongooses were here! Lately, they have been stopping by each day. We had bones left from Tom’s ribs from last night’s dinner at Jabula, which they always love and also paloney. Tom cut up the paloney into bite-sized pieces and tossed them into the garden, far enough apart to prevent them from fighting over the food.

Based on numerous reliable sources online, the variant Omicron is rising in South Africa, doubling every 2½ days. This is also occurring in many other parts of the world. It’s possible that soon, all cases of Covid-19 in South Africa will be Omicron. If that is factual, with lesser illness from this variant, this could be a good sign. We are hopeful but remain diligent in our efforts to stay healthy.

Giraffe’s legs and hooves are fascinating.

Today will be a quiet day for us. Most likely, we’ll spend the next few hours cooling off in the bedroom. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, when the temperature begins to drop, we’ll head outdoors and enjoy a few hours on the veranda, although according to the weather report, it won’t get below 90F, 32C, until after 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs.

Tonight, we’ll hunker down in the cool of the bedroom, streaming a few shows such as Dexter, New Blood, and Yellowstone. We hope you have a pleasant Sunday during the holiday season and always.

Photo from one year ago today, December 12, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while we were in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #264. Just like that, the zebra was on the veranda at the Orange house in 2018. For more photos, please click here.

Lions still in Marloth Park…Flights, canceling to and from South Africa…What shall we do?

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When Melissa Grobler of Dubai, currently staying in  Marloth Park with her mom, a resident, captured these lion photos, this morning we were enthralled. Melissa managed to witness this fantastic sighting of one of the female lions known to roam the streets of Marloth Park.

Finally, this morning, photos were taken of one of the lions that have been spotted in Marloth Park over the past few months and subsequently, posted on Facebook. These are the first photos we’ve seen of the lions. I contacted the photographer, Melissa Grobler, who is currently staying in the park for a few months, visiting her mom, a resident, asking if we could use her photos. She was thrilled to share.

After all the comments we’ve read about numerous sightings since the lions were originally spotted, with no supporting photos, we began to wonder if these elusive carnivore beasts were actually staying here. Often, at night, humans perceive certain animals to be roaming the bush, other than those we see regularly, At times, at night, we’ve often thought we’ve seen something when perhaps the light and the night tricked our eyes.

Melissa did this drawing to outline the shape of the lion she spotted in the bush.

In this day and age, with the advent of rampant cellphone and camera use, we longed to see an actual photo of a lion in the park. It’s not that we doubted their existence here, especially when, in this day and age, rangers and many locals have spotted them, over and over again. But, as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and Melissa hit the jackpot this morning.

So, for all the naysayers, here are some good photos of the lions, keeping in mind they don’t care to be around humans and may be extremely poor subjects when hiding in the bush, and mostly making appearances at night in the dark when they are on the hunt for their next meal. Obviously, the pickings are good in Marloth Park with so many animals a part of this unusual wildlife conservancy,

You may have to squint your eyes to see the lion in this photo.

On to other matters…This morning at 6:00 am, I received an email from Expedia, that our flight from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger to Tampa, Florida had been canceled by Delta Airlines. Apparently, Delta isn’t interested in flying to and from South Africa, in light of Omicron, the newest Covid-19 variant.

Although, so far, reports are showing this variant is no more lethal than other variants, a worldwide panic ensued and many countries locked their borders to South Africa as well as airlines suspending flights. In this prior post, we commented how we’ve canceled our plans to attend our dear friends, Karen and Rich’s wedding in Florida on February 11th.

We were sad and disappointed to be missing this event, which after the wedding, we’d planned to stay in Florida for an upcoming cruise sailing out of Fort Lauderdale on April 8, 2022. After a month-long stay with Karen and Rich at their oceanfront home, we’d also planned to spend time driving through Florida, visiting friends that have relocated to various oceanside areas in the warm weather state.

It’s been a thrill to see these photos. We can only thank Melissa for capturing these photos.

With everyone’s justified concerns about Omicron, we won’t be seeing our friends after all. If the trans-Atlantic cruise actually sails, we’ll come to Florida two weeks earlier and self-quarantine, not seeing any of our friends during this period. From there, we’ll board the cruise. But, by the end of March, new rules may be in place about mandatory quarantine for anyone arriving from South Africa, whether US citizens or not. Only time will tell.

When we decided to cancel our trip to the wedding, we left our flight, departing on January 22, 2022, in place. With Delta, we had until the end of December to move the flight to a different ending point and date without penalty. A few days ago, when I’d made a to-do list on this post, it included moving this flight. Now, this has been taken care of by Delta canceling the flight and offering us a full refund.

This morning after receiving the email, I requested a refund for the flight and we’ll book our exit out of here when we know more. Is the cruise going to sail in April? Will there be flights out of South Africa by then? What will we do about our visas expiring on January 24th? This all remains to be seen.

In the interim, we’ll be contacting all of our friends in Florida, telling them not to worry about being near us since we won’t be seeing them after all. Our biggest concern beyond that is what we’ll do about our expiring visas in January? We may have no choice but to return to Zambia for another short stay and another visa stamp. Will immigration allow us to make this trip once again? Or, will President Cyril Ramaphosa issue another visa extension for foreign nationals based on this Omicron situation?

Only time will tell. In the interim, we will stay positive and aren’t as worried as one may think. We’ll continue to enjoy our time in the bush and see how it all rolls out.

Today, we’re reveling in the lion photos and the excitement each day of wildlife visiting our garden.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 8, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #260. We were with friends Lisa and Barry, enjoying one last night together on the ship in a private sitting in the wine room. For more photos, please click here.

Moving right along…Happy December 1st, everyone!…More Kruger National Park photos…

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A yellow-billed stork with a refection in the water at the Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie in Kruger National Park.

Here it is, almost noon, and I am just now getting started on today’s post. Louise and Danie are visiting for sundowners at 4:30 pm, 1630 hrs, today, and I’ve been busy in the kitchen prepping food to serve for our get-together. Often, starters served with sundowners (appetizers) consist of potato chips, nuts, crackers, and cheese.

However, in our usual way, we have a tendency to serve starters that easily could be construed as a complete meal. Louise and Danie eat keto like us, so preparing foods, we’ll all be able to eat a little more fun for me than when I’m preparing several items I cannot enjoy with our guests. However, in either case, it’s undoubtedly fun and much easier to prepare starters than a regular full meal, which is usually accompanied by starters for the cocktail hour.

A giraffe was crossing the paved road in Kruger.

We already have a low-carb sweet treat after the starters since we’ve been keeping a regular supply of our homemade keto white and chocolate fudge. I put aside a little container for them to take home, knowing how much they, like us, savor an occasional low-carb sweet after dinner.

Keto enthusiasts generally espouse ridding oneself of a sweet tooth, but neither Tom nor I have been committed to forgoing savoring something sweet on occasion. There are a few recipes I make now and then that satisfy that urge after dinner. Generally, we don’t eat anything sweet during the day when it can send us into a tailspin of craving more and more.

Several elephants were eating the green vegetation along the Sabie River.

After dinner, a small portion of something sweet is manageable when we’re already partially full from a nice dinner. Last night we had bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, creamed spinach, salad, and rice (for Tom only), a substantial meal, but an hour later, the fudge was calling me.

I jumped up while watching an episode of the popular TV series Yellowstone and placed a few small pieces of each fudge (that we keep in the freezer) on little plates for each of us. It seems as if using a plate instead of a paper towel makes it seem more like a special dessert. I suppose craving such a treat is psychological. One certainly doesn’t need to ever consume a sweet treat for nutritional purposes.

A tower of giraffes dining on the treetops near the Sabie River.

Based on the way I eat, with so many items I forgo, something special now and then feels relatively guilt-free, especially when it’s only made with ingredients befitting my way of eating. Today, I tried a new recipe for almond flour hamburger buns which we’ll serve this evening with beef and pork, to make the equivalent of sliders.

If they prove to be good, I’ll post the recipe tomorrow for those who eat like us or who are gluten-free. We’ll certainly report back.

Otherwise, today is a quiet day. The weather is still very humid. Today’s dew point is slightly higher than yesterday’s at 70 degrees. When mentioning the dew point yesterday, I looked up how the dew point is determined when most often, I would check just the temperature and the percentage of humidity.

We’ll never tire of spotting giraffes.

From the US National Weather Service website here, the dew point is described as follows:

“Dew Point vs. Humidity
The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) to achieve a relative humidity (RH) of 100%. At this point, the air cannot hold more water in the gas form. If the air were to be cooled, even more, water vapor would have to come out of the atmosphere in the liquid form, usually as fog or precipitation.

The higher the dew point rises, the greater the amount of moisture in the air. This directly affects how “comfortable” it will feel outside. Many times, relative humidity can be misleading. For example, a temperature of 30 and a dew point of 30 will give you a relative humidity of 100%. Still, a temperature of 80 and a dew point of 60 produces a relative humidity of 50%. It would feel much more “humid” on the 80-degree day with 50% relative humidity than on the 30-degree day with 100% relative humidity. This is because of the higher dew point.

So if you want a real judge of just how “dry” or “humid” it will feel outside, look at the dew point instead of the RH. The higher the dew point, the muggier it will feel.

Giraffes were cautious and curious and looked our way when we pulled up to the side of the road for this shot.

General comfort levels USING DEW POINT that can be expected during the summer months:

  • less than or equal to 55: dry and comfortable
  • between 55 and 65: becoming “sticky” with muggy evenings
  • greater than or equal to 65: lots of moisture in the air, becoming oppressive.”

Based on this information, today’s dew point of 70 is truly oppressive. But after a few days of this, we’re starting to get used to it. We’d better get used to it! Summer is officially starting this month on December 21st, the opposite of summer beginning in the northern hemisphere.

Stay cool. Stay warm wherever you may be.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #253.The shoreline from our condo in Maui in 2014. For more photos, please click here.

Kruger National Park visit this morning…Many new photos…Back and busy…

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Two elephants flappped their ears as we passed.

This morning upon awakening, we decided to head to Kruger National Park and take advantage of our Wild Card entrance pass, which ends about the time we’re scheduled to leave South Africa in January (at this point, anyway). We’re always looking for a sunny day, not too hot, that will bring the wildlife out from hiding in the bush.

If the weather is terrible, rainy, and possibly stormy, they hide. If the weather is too hot, they hide. This morning was perfectly sunny and clear with moderate temperatures not expected to be too hot until afternoon in the 90Fs, 30Cs. We were excited to be on our way.

A colossal elephant from a distance.

But, once on the way, I realized we needed to stop at Spar in Komatipoort on the way home for a few items (which isn’t too far from the Crocodile Bridge entrance gate), get back in time to work on today’s post, and meet new American friends, Carrie and Jim at 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs, to see the property they’re purchasing here in Marloth Park.

Can you imagine, they found Marloth Park from our website, made their way here, and fell in love with it so much, they are now buying a fabulous property here, where they’ll live part of the year and continue to travel for the remainder of the year?

We saw dozens of hippos but few coming up for great shots.

We just returned from seeing their new house for which they’ve already made an offer which has been accepted. The house was fantastic, only four years old, and of a beautiful design and functionality. The house would easily have cost four or five times more in the US. They are so excited, and we share their joy.

When we first came to Marloth Park, we considered the prospect of owning a house here for a second, but, after a short period, we realized that our vision of freedom and mobility wouldn’t make homeownership desirable for us. We’ve never regretted that decision.

We love the low gurgling sounds of the hippos.

This lovely couple is 30 years younger than me (not quite Tom, who’s five years younger than me), and they have a full life ahead of them. They have time to make such decisions and later change their plans again if they so choose. But, we couldn’t be happier for them making what seems to be a logical decision for them at this early point in their retirement. They’ll still be able to travel the world and have this fabulous home to return to at any time, in the bush, they love so much.

Today’s visit to Kruger went well, but we didn’t see as much as we usually do. We didn’t see any cats, rhinos, or Cape buffalos. Nonetheless, we had an excellent time driving through the park, visiting our favorite turnoffs along the way, spotting a few more wildlife here and there. But, we weren’t disappointed. Our goal isn’t always seeing The Big Five.

I was on the lookout for a “sausage tree” which grows these massive blooms in the springtime.

On several occasions, we spotted wildlife we often see here in Marloth Park. We didn’t mind that at all. A giraffe can easily turn our heads with enthusiasm, as do zebras, wildebeest, and kudus. Of course, we always love seeing elephants which we only see along the Crocodile River close to the fence between Kruger and Marloth Park. We saw several elephants today.

Over the next several days, we’ll share our photos from today, along with any exciting opportunities that present themselves in the next few days. As the day wears on, I still have some prep left to do for tonight’s dinner when soon, we’ll be on the veranda visiting with our animal friends during sundowner time.

A clo0ser view of a “sausage” growing in a tree.

Last night, we had a surprise visitor for dinner; our friend Lyn, the hostess at Jabula, stopped by to drop off some blood sausage for me, which a friend from Scotland had brought her. Tonight, I’ll cook a piece to go with our roasted chicken dinner. I have had any of this favorite of mine since we were in Ireland in 2019. What a treat that will be!

Wow, Marloth Park is such a fabulous place to socialize. It couldn’t be more rewarding! When Lyn arrived, we invited her to stay for dinner, and the three of us had a great dinner and evening on the veranda.

Have a pleasant evening!

Photo from one year ago today, November 29, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while we were in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #251. The Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal, which we’ve been through twice on two separate cruises. For more photos, please click here.

Differences between ordinary travel and world travel…Photos from the Crocodile River…

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We spotted these two elephants on the far bank of the Crocodile River as we drove to Two Trees.   

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Yesterday afternoon, on our way to the Two Trees overlooking the Crocodile River, we spotted a pair of elephants playing on the river bank. Tom repositioned the car to ensure I’d have a good angle for taking photos. Unfortunately, as we waited, we couldn’t take photos of their faces other than in today’s main photo as shown. They were either playing or engaged in some confrontation. It was difficult to determine from such a distance.

We arrived at Two Trees shortly before 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, and Carrie and Jim arrived shortly after that. We set up our camp chairs, poured ourselves a drink, and settled in for what we hoped would be great sightings on the river and, as always, lively conversation with this couple who, like us, is traveling the world without a home.

While the four of us sat in our chairs talking and watching for activity on the river, we spotted these elephants less than 10 meters from us.

Soon, they’ll be leaving for their next adventure, but it’s been delightful sharing stories and travel tips between the four of us. It’s so interesting to learn that many of our mutual travel processes and procedures are similar, almost to the point of being oddly coincidental.

As we mentioned in a prior post, we met Carrie and Jim from their long history of reading our posts. Our enthusiastic description of Marloth Park brought them here and the next opportunity to meet. Well, of course, we hit it off with them, as we had with Rita and Gerhard, who also came to Marloth Park from reading our posts, as have many others over the years.

It was exciting to watch the three elephants crossing in front of us beyond the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

It means so much to us knowing that somehow, even in a small way, we’ve had the opportunity to provide information for our readers that may impact their travel decisions. This has been a huge motivator for us in continuing to post consistently. No, not all of our suggestions may appeal to all travelers. Nor do all of our suggestions prove to be beneficial for everyone.  It’s highly subjective.

Due to time constraints, we can’t really assist those embarking on traditional one or two-week vacations/holidays. We are not a travel agency, nor do we have any interest in becoming so. But, we encourage our readers to contact us if we can be of assistance should you decide to embark on a journey such as ours, without a home base, without storage, and with an intent to travel for extended periods, as we have done.,

No doubt, it was quite a thrill to be so close to the elephants.

If you have specific questions for traditional short-term travel, you may find suggestions by using our search box at the top right of our home page.  However, traveling the world full-time is very different from taking a vacation/holiday. Based on the fact we often stay in locations for extended periods, our perspective may be very different about a  specific location for many reasons, including:

  • Cooking our own meals, shopping in local markets
  • Renting cars for extended periods
  • Renting holiday homes for extended periods
  • Using cruises as transportation
  • Visa extension issues and concerns
  • Access to quality medical care if necessary
  • Negotiating with property owners for extended stays
  • Ensuring WiFi, aircon, and essential utilities are included in the rent
  • Safe drinking water
  • Proximity from the airport to the holiday home, to shopping and touring
  • Clothing needed for seasonal weather changes during extended stays

    One by one, they wandered away.

The differences between short and long-term travel are many and become evident once a world travel journey begins. We’ve encountered many challenges along the way, and we’re always happy to share our experiences and insights with other world travelers.

Have a fantastic weekend wherever you may be!

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

No photo was posted on this date one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India

A stunning sighting in the garden…Thanksgiving in the US tomorrow…Thankful in the bush every day…

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This was the total size of the foam tree frog nest before it rained. After it rained hard for hours, it was half the size as shown below. We aren’t sure if the rain destroyed it or if the male tree frogs will fertilize it.

Yesterday afternoon, while situated on the veranda on a rainy day, we happened to look toward the right to the rainwater-filled cement pond. Hanging in the tree was something extraordinary we’d first seen in December 2013 during our first foray to Marloth Park…a tree frog foam nest.

For the details of that sighting, check out our link here, which includes a fascinating video that we’d made when a dozen male tree frogs arrived at the foam nest to fertilize it after the female tree frog made the nest, laying thousands of eggs inside it overnight. How unusual is that?

The foam tree frog nest after the rain.

We were enthralled by this event eight years ago, and we’re equally enthralled now. If we’re fortunate to capture the males fertilizing the foam nest again, we’ll make another video and share it here. We keep checking every half hour or so. But, we could easily miss it if it occurs overnight.

The female makes the nest over a body of water. In 2013, she made it over the splash pool. The tadpoles didn’t survive when they landed in the pool due to the chlorine in the water, although we spotted one that survived. This time, the nest is over the cement pond, filled with rainwater. The tadpoles could very well survive when they drop out of the nest to swim in the water as they mature.

The mating sounds, particularly after dark, over the past few weeks, have been earsplitting, continuing well into the night. For some odd reason, although the female frog, the tree, and the pond are outside our bedroom window, they haven’t kept either of us awake. Somehow the sounds of nature, however loud, don’t seem to disturb our sleep.

It was hard to get this photo while sitting at the table on the veranda. Each time I grabbed the camera, it flew away. Finally, I got this blurry photo of what we think is a lilac-crested bee-eater.

Late yesterday afternoon, we took off for Two Trees on the Crocodile River to meet with Carrie and Jim, our new US travel friends. By the time we arrived at the meeting point, it was pouring rain, preventing us from getting out of the car. When they came a few minutes after us, we all decided to get together at this same site on Thursday (tomorrow) as a quasi celebration for the US holiday, Thanksgiving, which will be observed tomorrow.

Some of our readers have kindly written to us, asking what we’re doing for Thanksgiving, if we’re making pies, and the traditional turkey dinner. First off, we can’t buy canned or fresh pumpkins here in the bush. The few pumpkin pies I’ve made here have been using canned pumpkin Kathy brought here from the US in her luggage. There will be no pumpkin pies this year.

As for a turkey, they may be found in Nelspruit at one or two of the big markets, but we saw no sense in driving for three hours to buy a small turkey, no larger than a good-sized chicken. Then, the ingredients for side dishes aren’t available here either; no fresh cranberries, no marshmallows for the sweet potato casserole, no canned onions for the green bean casserole, no Cool Whip for the fruit whippy, and it goes on and on.

Another cute little bird we spotted last night.

In 2018, we did a Thanksgiving meal for friends, using chickens, as detailed in this post, and side dishes for which Kathy had brought other ingredients from the US, making it all possible. Please click here to see our menu and food photos from that Thanksgiving for 12 guests at the Orange house.

It was so hot during those days, while I prepared many pumpkin pies, rolling the dough in the heat, an impossible task. I’ll never forget my “pie day from hell,” found at this link. Heat and rolling dough for pies don’t go together. It was an experience I’ll never forget, but I got through it.

Much to my surprise, as I sweated up a storm in the heat, I did so with three of my coronary arteries 100% blocked. Less than three months later, I had open-heart surgery, being told it was a miracle I could function at all with only one artery pumping blood to my heart. Lucky, I guess. Grateful, I know for sure.

Frank and The Misses still stopped by during the rainstorms of the past few days. She waits patiently for him to finish.

Sure, the traditional foods and festivities were always fun and rewarding, spending time with family and friends. But, now Thanksgiving has a very different meaning for us. It’s not about the food, the wine, and the festivities. It’s all about being thankful. And that is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Without a doubt, we are thankful for so much; our loved ones and friends, our good fortune to be able to continue to travel the world, our health, and of course, each other to revel in the treasures Mother Nature has to offer every day in the bush or wherever we may be at any given time, together, living this extraordinary and exciting life.

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving in the US, have a blessed holiday and long weekend. For everyone else, may your days be filled with joy and wonder.

Photo from one year ago today, November 24, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago today while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #246. My dinner at Sails  Restaurant in Diani Beach, Kenya, in 2013 was too heavy with oil, very different from the first time I’d ordered this entrée. For more photos, please click here.

Rainy Sunday in the bush…New Crocodile River photos!…Food photos…

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It was wonderful to see this elephant from the veranda at Amazing Kruger View Restaurant last night while dining with Dorthy and Arthur.

It was a good night. We met Dorthy and Arthur at Amazing Kruger View at 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, for sundowners and dinner. The menu has a few items that work for my way of eating, and I managed to order two items befitting my special diet; a small starter plate of grilled squid tentacles and a grilled chicken salad. Both were the perfect amounts and rather good, but not necessarily great. Both are shown in the two photos below.

We spotted this hippo at quite a distance.

Tom ordered chicken schnitzel with chips, as shown in the photo below. Dorthy ordered the prawns (with the heads preferred by South African and creamed spinach and butternut squash) and two popular South Africa side dishes (often served at Jabula). Dorthy enjoyed her meal.

Arthur had the Chicken Curry Penne pasta, which he said was good, and the portion was large enough for him to take a “doggie bag” to enjoy for today’s lunch. We laughed when we saw he’d order Chicken Penne Pasta. That was what Tom ate for dinner (minus the curry sauce) every night for the first eight of ten months we spent in lockdown in the hotel in Mumbai, India, until he was so sick of it, he quit eating dinner altogether.

Moments later, I spotted a second hippo and a waterbuck. It was getting dark, and the distance prevented clear photos.

Tom gained 10 kg, 22 pounds, from eating that pasta those eight months, along with breakfast and four bananas each day. No wonder he gained all that weight, most of which he’s lost since we’ve been here. Speaking of weight, he gained about 2 kg, 4.4 pounds, from eating the lemon poppyseed muffins I made for him as comfort food after having his dental surgery.

Storks on the river.

Now that the muffins are gone, he’s determined to eat only low-carb foods when we dine in, not necessarily when dining out. But Tom isn’t insulin resistant and by no means pre-diabetic, so treats for him when we dine out aren’t an issue like they are for me. My blood sugar and blood pressure will go through the roof if I eat bread, potatoes, starchy foods, or desserts which impacts my heart health. It’s not worth it to me.

Arthur’s dinner of Curry Chicken Penne Pasta.

So this morning, to add a little comfort food to our daily menu, I made a few treats, each very low-carb and to be eaten in moderation; Low Carb Chocolate Fudge and Low Carb Cream Cheese Clouds, both delicious and in the freezer now firming up to be cut into bite-sized pieces.  Each evening after dinner, I’ll make up a little plate for each of us to be savored in small portions.

Dorthy’s prawn dinner with heads, creamed spinach, and butternut squash, both popular South African side dishes.

While in the kitchen this morning, I worked on tonight’s dinner, and all of that is under control. With dishes piled up all over the kitchen, I made breakfast of “butt” bacon and scrambled eggs with cheese. After breakfast, Tom licked the beaters and the bowl from the Cream Cheese clouds and then proceeded to all the dishes. I don’t mind cooking and making special treats when I know he’ll do all the dishes.

My starter, a small plate of tiny squid tentacles.

Back to last night’s dinner with Dorthy and Arthur…while we sat at the big picnic-type table on the veranda, completely covered over with a tent-like roof as it drizzled off and on, the conversation was lively and animated. We have many common interests as retirees, and they can be more adventurous, although a bit older than us. It was delightful chatting with them.

As we enjoyed our drinks and food, we noticed several other customers standing at the railing overlooking the Crocodile River. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a table closest to the railing without a reservation, so each time we spotted something, I had to get up with the camera and scan the river for any possible sightings.

My grilled chicken salad. The chicken looked fried, but it wasn’t. Spices made it look like it was battered.

On one occasion, there was a snake in a tree that was hard to spot. I took a photo but found the result to be obscure and hard to visualize. But, as the sky darkened, the sightings of the photos we’re sharing today were satisfying and exciting.

Imagine being out to dinner and watching the activity in one of the most wildlife-rich national parks in the world. Imagine our delight when we have to stop on the road to let two giraffes pass on the way out to dinner. Imagine waking up in the morning, drawing open the shade covering the window to see a 227 kg, 500 pounds, wild animal, a kudu, looking in the window with an expression of anticipation on their face.

Tom’s Chicken Schnitzel topped with cheese sauce with chips on the side.

This is Marloth Park, the most unusual place we’ve found in the world that fills our hearts with joy and fulfillment, not only due to the exquisite abundance of nature but also the fine people we meet along the way.

We are grateful and never take it for granted. No, not for a moment.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #243. Proud mom showing her youngster the ways of the bush. For more photos, please click here.