Part 3…2018, “Year in Review” with favorite photos…They’re back!!!…Six years ago today…Itinerary re-post from one year ago.

We were so excited to see the kudus and other wildlife returning to our garden as the holiday crowds dissipated.  

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

One of our two favorite frogs took up residence in this cute little decorative basket near the pool on the veranda.

This morning, two bushbucks, one duiker, five zebras, and three warthogs stopped by simultaneously.Last night before the pelting rain began, 12 kudus and three warthogs stopped by for a snack. We couldn’t toss the pellets quickly enough.  

Notice the pellet crumbs on her nose.  Often, there are lots of crumbs in the enormous bags of pellets. Most wildlife is happy to lap up the crumbs if we place them on the tile steps. See more here at this link.

We’re so excited the animals have begun to return to our garden. After all, that’s why we’re here, the wildlife and the people. They’re all wonderful and have made this past year fly by in a flurry of activity.

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we spotted this elephant digging a hole to access water in the ground below. Please take a moment to watch our video at the top of the page. See this link here for more.

The now working aircon in our main floor bedroom provided us with a good night’s sleep along with the fact the power stayed on for the past 36 hours. Add the fact that today, for the first time in days, the temperature is cool and comfortable at 21C (70F) and surprisingly doesn’t feel as humid as it had over the past several days. What a welcomed relief!

Louise and Danie joined us for dinner that night at Kambaku, the popular restaurant at the golf course in Komatipoort, as we celebrated their belated birthdays. We couldn’t be more grateful for all they’ve done for us.  See this link here for more.

Today, we’ll complete this three-part series of 2018, “Year in Review,” and return tomorrow with our regular posts and all new photos as we see more and more wildlife each day as the holidaymakers have begun to drift away.

Our photo of the blood moon was taken on July 27, 2018.  See this link here for more.

Holiday times are different in South Africa than in many other countries. In the US, kids return to school the first day after New Year’s Day. But here, the return to school varies from public to private schools but maybe as late as the middle of January. This fact determines when many of the holidaymakers leave Marloth Park.

Not a night passes without an opportunity to watch these adorable bushbabies enjoy the yogurt we place on their little stand. See this link here for more.

However, as we’ve seen from the gradual return of the wildlife to our garden, many may have left right after New Year’s Day. At this point, we’ll see how it transpires over the next week or two.

What an animal!  We feel fortunate to have been able to get lion photos. See this link for more.

This morning when Tom was reviewing past posts, he mentioned it was precisely six years ago today that we boarded our first cruise. See here for the link. (At that time, we didn’t post many photos and didn’t post daily). In 80 days, we’ll be boarding our 24th cruise in Santiago, Chile, ending in San Diego, California.  

Mom and baby love.  See this link here for more.

It’s even hard for us to believe how many cruises we’ve experienced in this short period, and other than a four-day back-to-back cruise in 2013 in the Mediterranean, we’ve loved every one of them.  

Every piece of art at WayiWayi Art Studio & Gallery was representative of Zambian culture. See this link here for more.

The four-day cruise was during spring break and was crowded with highly inebriated, loud, demanding, and pushing and shoving passengers. It couldn’t have ended quickly enough for us.  

We were excited to get a view of the leopard’s face after waiting for a considerable period while Samson, our guide in Chobe National Paek in Botswana, kept moving the vehicle for better shots. Upon careful inspection of this photo, you can see the pads of the feet of her kill in the tree near her head. See this link here for more.

Below included in our “one year ago today” feature, we posted the itinerary we’d included on today’s date in 2018. Certain aspects of our itinerary have changed, including the first year that has since passed. As we add more bookings in the next few months, we’ll be updating the itinerary and posting it here.  

Based on our position in the line-up of vehicles in Kruger, our photo-taking advantage was limited. See this link here for more.

As the years have passed, we don’t feel the sense of urgency to fill in the blanks and extend the itinerary beyond two years. It’s less about being lazy and more about feeling comfortable that all of it will work out as we go along.

Stunning female lion – as a part of the Ridiculous Nine, we spotted in a game drive in Marloth Park with friends Lois and Tom, who visited for three weeks. See this link here for more.

Tonight, we’ll be visiting Rita and Gerhard at their second condo at Ngwenya where they’re staying until tomorrow. Then, much to their delight, they’re moving back to the Hornbill house where they lived the first month they were here and will stay until sometime in March when they’ll be leaving Marloth Park.

After a highly successful game drive in Kruger, Tom, Lois, Kerry (our guide), me, and Tom. See this link here for more.

We’re hoping to see them in the New Year when they’ll come to visit us in Ireland during our three-month stay beginning in May. We’re also looking forward to Kathy and Don visiting us in Ireland as well.  How fortunate we are to have made such fine friends.

We encountered this stunning scene of zebras and wildebeest from the fence at Marloth Park. One reason zebras and wildebeests hang out is that they love to eat the taller grass and wildebeest the shorter grass – it’s a type of symbiosis. There is no competition regarding food. Also, wildebeests have a better sense of hearing, while zebras can see very well. It’s always great to have an ally to warn of any impending danger.  Another reason is zebras and wildebeest prefer to be in the open savannahs…the concept of safety in numbers comes into play.  See this link here for more.

Then upcoming on January 14, friends Linda and Ken will stay here with us for a week. They arrive from Johannesburg on the day that we’re having a birthday dinner party for Rita. We are grateful to have such good friends.

We’ve so enjoyed spending time with new friends Rita and Gerhard who came to Marloth Park after reading our posts years ago. They found the holiday home they’ve rented through our site and found Louise to help them get situated. They’ll be here in Marloth until March.
We look forward to many more exciting times together.  See this link here for more.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more tomorrow. 

May you find your day to be fulfilling and meaningful!

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2018:

One year ago today, we posted the upcoming itinerary that included a total of 852 days, which is now down to 486 days since the first year of this itinerary has passed. Since that date, we’ve had a few modifications which we’ll include next time we update and post the itinerary. For details, please click here.

 Location 
Days
 Dates 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
20
 1/2/2018 -1/23/2018 
 Ushuaia, AR – Ushuaia, AR – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Bush home selected
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas and the “Cradle of Mankind.” 
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 8/23/2018 -11/20/2018 
 Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chile – Rent vacation home or hotel
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego, CA – Fly to Minneapolis, MN – Family visit
13
 4/8/2019 – 4/21/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL- Dublin, Ire (1-day hotel stay) 
15
 4/21/2019 – 5/6/2019 
 Ireland – Rent country house – Research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/6/2019 – 8/1/2019 
 Amsterdam, NLD – Hotel stay 
11
 8/1/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam, NLD – Amsterdam, NLD 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – Rent country home
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton, UK – Fort Lauderdale, FL
15
  10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Henderson/Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA -Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation homes on islands
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/1/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent vacation homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises)
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

Part 2…2018, “Year in Review” with favorite photos…An important decision has been made…

Two female rhinos on the trail of a nearby male.  See this link here for more.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

On Monday, we were hopeful when we had 13 kudus in the garden, thinking perhaps the traffic in Marloth Park was thinning out. Today, we’ve had several kudus, bushbucks, and the warthog mom and four babies.

Yesterday was another hot and humid day, leaving us soaked in sweat throughout the day. Today, it continues. Luckily, the power didn’t go out, and we slept in one of the upstairs bedrooms with a working aircon.

Linda, me and Kathy.  It was these two thoughtful friends that took me to lunch on my birthday four years ago. Now, we’ll all be together again to celebrate my 70th. Wow! See this link here for more.

We’re hopeful the repair guy will come today and repair the aircon in our main floor bedroom, where we have a dust-mite-free mattress, pillows, and covers. The bed upstairs is double, and although we’ve slept in double beds throughout the world, a queen-sized bed is much more comfortable, especially when we both tend to hog the center of the mattress.

Ken, Tom and Don making big faces for the camera!  See this link here for more.

We’re looking forward to aircon comfort in our main floor bedroom, hopefully, available by this evening. From there, we hope the power stays on as it has for the past 24 hours.

We’ll always remember this birthday as a special event for both of us; celebrated life, health, our experiences, and the fine friends we’ve made along the way. See this link here for more.

This morning, it rained. A nice soaking rain was needed in the bush at this point. We were discussing the frustration many holidaymakers felt after coming to the bush with lots of expectations, only to be sorely disappointed by some events that transpired.

While in Kruger, we spotted a rhino mom and her baby, born this season and still closely attached to the mother. See this link here for more.

It’s been boiling, humid and there have been more power outages than we can count.  Kruger National Park has been difficult to enter, with the crowds going as far as making reservations for a fee to enter. Once inside, they’ve had to deal with all the vehicles blocking the roads during a sighting.

This was a “tower” or “journey” of the eight giraffes who made their way to the only paved road in Marloth. Note the eighth giraffe is to the far right in this photo. See this link here for more.

On top of that, there has been less wildlife visiting the properties over the past several weeks due to the added number of people and vehicles in Marloth Park, certainly adding to the frustrations.

When “capturing” the Black Mamba, it is imperative to immobilize the head close to the ground and raise the tail. Tom managed to do this while desperately attempting to escape during his snake-handling experience at Snake School. The Black Mamba is the fastest snake on the planet. See this link here for more.

As we often drive around Marloth Park for two-hour periods, almost every day, we see few animals in the gardens of holiday homes, other than an occasional kudu or warthog.  

At a distance, they saw Dad coming their way.  The chick’s pace picked up the moment she spotted him. Look at the far end of the dirt road to see him coming!  His feathers are dark. See this link here for more.

We can only imagine the frustration of the holidaymakers dealing with these issues and property owners and managers dealing with the renter’s demands as a result of their frustrations.  It hasn’t been an easy situation. Some tourists have left earlier than they’d planned.

 I awoke Tom when this thing was walking on me.  With the light from my phone, I saw it and must admit, a little scream escaped my lips as I shooed it off my shoulder. Yucky! Look at those spiky legs! Tom captured it in this plastic container and released it outside.  See this link here for more.

Today, we continue on with Part 2…2018, “Year in Review.” In yesterday’s post, found here, we covered our cruise to Antarctica and the many stunning photos we captured along the way. It was exciting for us, once again, to review each post for favorite photos to share in the post.

This was a common sight in Marloth Park a holiday weekend in April. It’s packed with tourists sitting in the back of a “bakkie” which is Afrikaans for “pickup truck.” Very dangerous. See this link here for more.

Today, we’re including photos and links from the first half of the year up to and including June 2018. Tomorrow, we’ll add Part 3 which, with so many photos, we found to be necessary.

Adorable baby Danie with his loving and attentive mom, Okey Dokey, our friend and driver from 2013 when she and her husband and baby came to visit.  He never stopped smiling and laughing the entire time they were staying.  See this link here for more.

Of course, we want to “save” some favorite photos to share on the last few days of our one-year stay in Marloth Park, including all the year’s expenses which we’ll include on the previous day, February 14, 2019. On that date, we’ll depart the park to spend the night in a hotel in Nelspruit, close to the airport for our early morning flight to Kenya.

This gorgeous feta, onion, and lettuce salad served by dear friends Louise and Danie when they invited us for dinner were enhanced with edible flowers, indicative of the attention to detail and creativity these two fine hosts possess. See this link here for more.

We made a critical decision in the past few days. We will return to Capetown, South Africa, via a cruise on December 2, 2020. However, we’ll fly to Namibia from there to spend three months and then return to Marloth Park.  

Alas, we arrived in Zambia to see the magical splendor of Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Later that day we also went to Zimbabwe to see the falls from that country. See this link here for more.

By then, the holiday season in Marloth will have passed, and we can avoid or at least diminish some of our frustrations during the holiday season. No doubt, Namibia will have some challenges, but we’ll have an entirely different set of expectations of our own.

None of the six of us or our guide Alfred could believe our eyes as we watched this male elephant build his mud pool in Chobe National Park. We’ve seen a lot of elephants in Africa, but this was a rare sighting for us. See this link here for more.

As for yesterday and today’s photos, many of our long-term readers certainly have seen them in past posts. However, we always have a new influx of readers and encourage them to click on the links we’ve provided along the way.

Crocs can replace each of their 80 teeth up to 50 times in their 35 to 75-year lifespan. Check out those teeth on a croc we spotted while on the Zambezi River cruise. See this link here for more.

It’s been a fantastic year, as we mentioned in yesterday’s post, and we continued to smile when we reviewed the year’s posts and saw all that we’ve accomplished and experienced along the way.

The harsh realities of the bush; here is a Bovine Tuberculosis infected kudu we spotted only the day after we were educated on this dreadful disease impacting mainly kudus in Marloth Park. See this link here for more.

And, there’s so much more yet to come in the New Year. Please stay with us as we continue on our exciting world journey.

This video will remain as one of our favorites in years to come, clearly illustrating the intelligence of elephants during a human intervention in “their world.”  Watch and you’ll see why.  See this link here for more.


Have a spectacular second day of the New Year!

Photo from one year ago today, January 2, 2018:

We set up the tripod to take this photo of us in Costa Rica on October 31, 2017, the fifth anniversary of our world travels, which was posted in Part 2, our 2017 “Year in Review.” For more, please click here.

Part 1…2018, “Year in Review” with favorite photos…

It was fun to hold up our US flag on the ice floe in Antarctica. See the link here for more.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Perhaps the holidaymakers are beginning to leave the park when yesterday we had no less than 20 kudus stop by throughout the day, including this adorable young male.

This has been one of the best years of my life. The adventures were many, the challenges endless, and the opportunity to see parts of the world we only dreamt of.

A one or two-year-old Rock Hopper Penguin on New Island in the Falkland Islands has yet to grow his full plumage. See this link for more.

Tom always says, “The best year of my life is yet to come.” OK, I’ll go along with that premise as well.  

  Closer view of King Penguin with a chick.  See this link here for more.

But, how in the world can we possibly top this past year visiting Argentina, Antarctica, spending a year in Marloth Park, and twice traveling to Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe…Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls, and cruising on the Zambezi River?  (More photos will follow in Part 2 tomorrow).

Tom certainly got it right when he captured this Black Browed Albatross chick with what appears to be a smile. See this link here for more.

Today, our photos focus on our Antarctica cruise, surely one of the highlights of both of our lives.  We left Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 23, 2018, to head to Ushuaia, Argentina, the most southerly city in the world, to board the ship, the Ponant Le Soleal.

It was stunning to see all these Albatross atop these pods in their massive nesting grounds.

When the cruise ended on February 8, 2019, we returned to Palermo for two more days before we flew to Marloth Park on February 11, 2018, to begin this year-long stay, ending on February 14, 2019, in a mere 44 days.

This elephant seal on Steeple Jason Island didn’t care for our photo-taking antics. See the link here for more.

Going from the cold and ice of Antarctica to the heat and dust of Africa was quite an experience in itself. But, in no time at all, we adapted to our new life for the year to come. And, it’s been a great year we’ll always treasure.

This is unreal…the Black Browed Albatross on Steeple Jason Island remove tall grass from these massive “pod-like” structures, adding mud and vegetation to make it a free-standing pod on which they can nest. Here’s a young chick making a little noise while atop their elevated nest.  That’s amazing!  See the link here for more.

By far, that cruise was the most expensive cruise or venue we’ve experienced in our six-plus years of world travel. It proved to be well worth the expense, and we have no regrets. We doubt we’ll embark on such a costly expedition in years to come.,

Standing among the King Penguins was an experience we’ll always remember. See this link here for more.

Last night we brought in the New Year at Royal Kruger Lodge, a four-star safari resort and spa here in Marloth Park. Our host, Flo, and JJ did an exceptional job at making us feel welcomed. We have been to several social events with Flo and JJ over the past year and found them a great couple, with three children, a teenage daughter, a son, and a college-age daughter, all of whom attended the party.

This has got to be one of our favorite Antarctic photos, a Chinstrap Penguin lying on the rocks for a short rest with what looks like a winsome smile on his face. See this link here for more.

Louise and Danie, longtime close friends of theirs, ensured we had an invitation, along with Rita and Gerhard. We couldn’t have had a more enjoyable New Year’s Eve.

We had to keep our distance from this delicate structure which would be a disaster for us in the small boat, where it to collapse near us. See this link here for more.

Also, we knew several other guests in attendance of the party of 30 to 40 guests, staged poolside, at their stunning property, surely one of the most beautiful resorts/game lodges in Marloth Park.

There we were, sitting on a Zodiac boat in Pleneau Bay sipping on French champagne. Was that ever fun!  See this link here for more.

We returned to the house at 1:00 am but didn’t fall asleep until after 2:00 am.  Fortunately, we both managed to get some sleep even without working the aircon, which hopefully will be repaired in days to come. Also, we were thrilled to find we had power and could at least use the portable fan.

Both of us are raising a glass in celebration of this special occasion. The ship’s staff created an ice bar on a small ice floe.  We used the Zodiac boat to arrive at the floe, all set for French champagne. See the link here for more.

Today, we’ll lay low and have a nice dinner on the veranda, hoping we’ll see as many visitors as we did yesterday before we left for the party close to 1900 hours (7:00 pm).  

Both of us are holding the “I crossed the Polar Circle” sign.  See this link here for more.

We had no less than 20 kudus stop by; Little and his best friend; warthog friends Mike and Joe;  numerous bushbucks, and female and male duikers. Even Frank and the Mrs. made an appearance. We hadn’t seen either of them in over a week. I suppose holiday traffic has an impact on francolins (birds).

A face only a mother could love. See this link here for more of our favorite photos from the  Antarctica cruise.

We’re wishing every one of our worldwide readers has an exceptional New Year, filled with the riches of life that even money can’t buy, the joys of nature and our surroundings, free for the taking, fulfilling in many ways.

Happy New Year to each of YOU!

Photo from one year ago today, January 1, 2018:

Us, one year ago, at the boutique hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, where we awaited the Antarctica cruise was beginning on January 23, 2018. For more details, please click here.

 

Immigration realities…Chobe saga continues…More exciting photos…Guest photos…

Holiday home on stilts on the bank of the Chobe River, suitable for the rainy season when the water level rises.

“Sighting of the Day in Chobe National Park”

An old massive elephant resting his trunk on his tusk. We saw this only one other time in the Maasiai Mara in 2013. Here’s the link to that post where there are some shocking photos we’d taken at that time including lions! 

Much to our sadness and dismay, we have to leave South Africa in 88 days on November 21, 2018, unable to complete the remaining time we’d hoped we could stay until February 21, 2019. We’re so disappointed.

Skilled birders, Lynne and Mick, identified this bird as an emerald spotted dove.Thanks, you two, for once again assisting us!

Here’s how it rolled out when we arrived at the airport two days ago and went through the immigration line:

It’s unusual to see a giraffe grazing on the ground.  Also, in this photo are two white cattle egret and a few Egyptian geese.

The immigration officer flipped through our passports and kept saying, “No, no, no. You cannot do this.”  Technically a traveler can only stay one 90-day period in 12 months, not for a full 12 months, as we’d hoped.

Another stunning croc on the Chobe River.

The laws were vague and confusing when we read them. We knew this risk existed but we decided to take the risk anyway. Having made that decision to “wing it” when we first arrived in February, we’re grateful we’ll have had the nine months we managed to stay when all is said and done.  

We’re unable to identify this type of antelope in Chobe.  Any ideas what this may be?

We talked her into giving us one more 90-day period which ends on November 21, 2018. She noted our status on the computer. There is nothing we can do. If we tried one more time, we could immediately be sent out of the country without an opportunity to pack up our stuff and find a place to go. That’s way too risky for us.

A parade of elephants staying cool under the shade of a tree.

Instead, we’ve accepted this reality and last night when Louise and Danie stopped by for sundowners and to say hello, we told them the bad news. They were sad along with us, trying to think of solutions. We appreciate their love and concern. There are no alternatives. We must go.

This monstrous male came out of the bush to check us out.

We have to be in Nairobi, Kenya on February 22, 2019, for our upcoming photo safari adventure which won’t begin until 92 days after we exit South Africa in November. Where are we going to go for 92 days? 

This elephant was not happy this boat was blocking her way to get onto the shore of an island.

Of course, we can always go to Kenya a few days earlier to leave us to spend 90 days in some other African country which we’ll have to do. Most countries we’re considering have 30, 60, or 90 visa limitations. We’d prefer to stay in one country for the entire 90 days.  

Hazy morning view of the Chobe River.

Hopping around in Africa is difficult due to flight hubs requiring many extra hours of travel time, often as long as 24 to 30 hours. There are many countries we won’t consider for this extended period due to political unrest, Ebola, and other risks for travelers, one can only imagine.

Enormous bird nest.

We’ve already visited eight African countries out of 54. You’d think we’d have lots of options. But with our desire to stay 90 days, and find suitable housing to actually enjoy the 90-day time period, it’s not as easy as one might think. 

Hippos napping in shallow water to keep their sensitive skin cool and protected from sunburn.
Hippos grazing close to the shore of the Chobe River.

Thus, fast and furiously we’re researching, narrowing down our options to those that will fulfill our goals while providing us with a great experience to boot. It’s not easy.

Guest photo #1 from Beth Schroeder, a US citizen, working in Dubai who, like us had visited Chobe in May and then again in August.
Guest photo #2 from Beth Schroeder. Thanks for sharing Beth. It was great spending time with you during our game drive in Chobe National Park and on the Chobe River safari.  Great shots of elephants!

Yes, we’re disappointed. We had looked forward to spending Christmas and New Year in the bush with our human and animal friends. We looked forward to seeing the newborns scurrying around the park with their doting mothers (and sometimes dads) on the perpetual search for food, safety, and shelter during the hot days of summer.

To travel from Zambia to Botswana we had to go across the Zambezi River in a small boat. Four countries meet at this exact location: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The bridge is still under construction and isn’t expected to be completed for 18 months or more.

But, in the realm of things we’ve had our fair share…more than we could have ever dreamed possible. And for that, we are humbled and grateful, leaving here in 88 days with our hearts filled with love and our minds drenched in memories.

Be well. Be happy. Be fulfilled.

Photo from one year ago today, August 25, 2017:

We were in awe of this view from the veranda in Atenas, Costa Rica, when the afternoon clouds roll in each day.For more photos, please click here.

We’re back!! And they’re back, too!…Final expenses for Zambia and Botswana…Playful Chobe kudu video…

Our most recent bag of pellets contained a lot of dust. As Tom began to sweep the dust from the pellets off the veranda’s edge, these four kudus took a spot to begin licking off the dust.

“Sighting of the Day on the Veranda”

This young male’s horns have started to sprout. How right he is! He was mature and experienced enough to know that looking into our eyes would reap some rewards.

We’d intended to post more Zambia and Chobe National Park (Botswana) photos today but have decided to do so over several days instead. We wanted to focus on the expenses today but something magical occurred this morning. We had a record-breaking 19 kudus come to call including moms and their offspring of varying ages.

There were more out of view of the camera for a total of 19 in our garden this morning, more than our prior record of 17.

There aren’t words in the English language that can describe the joy we felt as one by one they approached the veranda, making direct eye contact with us. Our hearts were pounding with sheer delight. We couldn’t toss the pellets quickly enough.

Sixteen kudus in this photo, with more on the sidelines.

It was great to be back at the bush house in Marloth Park. Louise had arranged a deep “spring” cleaning as she’d done last time we were gone, and the house was dust-free and spotless. They’d even rearranged and tidied the kitchen drawers I tend to make messy from time to time. We couldn’t have appreciated it more.

Kudus are smart.  They sure know how to grab our heartstrings.

Bushbuck and Ms. Bushbuck, Baby Bushbuck and Friend, who must have been waiting for our return. Imagine their curiosity as to where we were for seven days and nights. The three bushbucks are here, content to see we’re still here as I write this now.

 No more than seconds after we pulled into the driveway, we had visitors waiting for us. Shortly after their visit, Josiah thoroughly washed the veranda floor, preventing the spread of disease among the kudus.

We’d planned to go out for dinner after our arrival, but neither of us felt like eating out again. Instead, we stopped at the Spar Supermarket in Melalane while Tom stayed in the car with our luggage while I shopped, buying enough to last until well into next week. This way, we wouldn’t have to leave right away.

They each picked a spot, licking to their heart’s content.

By 1900 hours, 7:00 pm, we were pulling the steaks off the braai, the salad and vegetables were prepared and we were both completely unpacked, sorting piles of laundry to get done today. (As it’s turned out, it’s a cloudy drizzly day and we’ve had to hang all the wet clothes on hangers throughout the house, after we had to bring them inside when it started raining).

Last night, as always, we set up the veranda for the evening and set the table for dinner. We weren’t disappointed when several warthogs, a few kudus, our usual male duiker, and the typical bushbuck family hung around while we dined.  (We never feed them any of the animals our leftover food. They get pellets, fresh raw vegetables, and apples at this location), all fit for their consumption.

A few determined kudus, anxious for some greenery, began chewing on the “house” plants of the veranda.

As for the immigration situation, we’ll share the details in tomorrow’s post after we’d had an opportunity to do some research today. The news is both good and not-so-good. Somehow, we’ll figure it all out.

I’m back to feeling like myself again since the side effects of the malaria pills have finally worn off after stopping them two days ago. After reading about the possibility of long-term side effects after stopping the drugs, I’m relieved to feel great again.

This kudu particularly liked the lemongrass plant.

I was a little queasy and dizzy on the return flight, especially when it became turbulent for a while, but oI felt better once we landed. South African Airways is a good airline, and we feel safe and comfortable flying with them overall.  

They offered a complimentary lunch, but we both declined. We’d have our last (included) breakfast at the hotel and had no problem waiting to eat again until dinner.

A determined oxpecker held on tight while this kudu participated in dining on the pellets.

We’re looking forward to seeing Louise and Danie later today when they mentioned they’ll be stopping by to say hello. Tomorrow night, we’re meeting up with Kathy and Don and friends for dinner at Jabula. As usual, it will be another social weekend with both humans and animals.

We couldn’t be happier, nor could we be more grateful for this beautiful life we live. Sure, it has its ups and downs as you’ve read as they occur and, in tomorrow’s post we’ll share a realistic down we must face going forward.  

This happened so quickly we barely had time to set the camera to video. It was fun to see this Big Daddy having a good time.
 

But, there’s always the joy of living in the moment, remembering the thrills of what transpired in the past and the excitement of the treasures the future holds.

Here are the expenses we incurred for the seven-night trip to Zambia and Botswana as we continue to strive to extend our time in South Africa:

 Expense   US Dollar   South African Rand (ZAR) 
 Hotel & Flights (rt) 7 nights   $                  2,730.22  $                 39,073.66      
 Tours   $                     968.35  $                13,858,58        
 Taxi   $                       78.90  $                   1,129.18       
 Dining Out   $                     235.07  $                   3,364.21     
 Tip  $                       69.04  $                       988.07
 Visa (Zambia Immigration)   $                     160.00  $                    2,289.85
 Pharmacy & Misc.   $                       41.90  $                        599.65
 Total   $                 4,283.48  $                   61,303.20
 Avg Daily Cost    $                    611.93  $                      8,757.66

Please click here if you’d like to review our expenses for our last seven-night stay in Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. These visa extension trips are pricey, as shown.

May your day bring you joy!

Photo from one year ago today, August 24, 2017:

We had the opportunity for numerous iguana sightings at the rescue center in Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

The Chobe saga continues…Angry elephant and scary looking others…Issues with malaria pills…

This short video clearly illustrates how dangerous an annoyed elephant can be 
when their territory is not respected.

“Sighting of the Day in Chobe National Park”

We’ve rarely been this close to a waterbuck since they remain close to the river, impossible for us to access. What a handsome animal!

Those who have been following us for some time know that we hesitate to mention every little ache and pain or discomfort we encounter in our lives of world travel. We all have some degree of a medical issue on occasion, some noteworthy required medical intervention, and others we can manage on our own.

This elephant was not happy to see ours and another safari vehicle on the road. He started flapping his ears and swinging his trunk, tossing sand. See the above video for details.

Today, I share this with our readers as informational only and do not, under any circumstances, suggest our experience is common, nor are we suggesting any medical treatment or advice. This is an FYI only.

The other safari vehicle was much closer to him than ours. 

Upon the recommendation of a local doctor in Komatipoort with whom we recently updated our vaccinations, we began taking malaria prophylaxis medication one day before departure to Zambia on both this trip and the past three months ago.

And then, it happened.  He approached the safari vehicle, ready to charge. See the above video for more.

We were prescribed to take one tablet daily of the generic equivalent of Malarone (Atovaquone Proguanil), known in South Africa, purchased over the counter at any local pharmacy at the cost of about ZAR 14.35 (US $1) per tablet.

Three giraffes along the bank of the Chobe River.

We started taking the pills last Wednesday, with food, one day before we departed Marloth Park continuing daily during the week in Zambia and Botswana, never giving it another thought with a plan to take them seven days after our return.

We’ve never seen so many impalas on any other safaris in the world.

While in Africa for almost a year in 2013/2014, we took the pills continuously, never experiencing any major issues. While in Zambia for a week in May 2018, we followed the same regimen, never giving it much thought.

Our guide Sampson explained that the only animal that can cause a self-induced abortion by eating a certain poisonous plant does so when conditions are poor, and her calf wouldn’t survive.

(We continued to use insect repellent while taking the pills, which is always a must-do while in Africa and certain other parts of the world).  

Hippo with oxpecker, cape buffalo, and impala all in one photo.

The last time I took the first pill, a few hours later, I had a headache.  I never get headaches. I brushed it off and continued with the pills. While on our first safari in Chobe a few days later, I noticed I had a weird headache-like sensation in my jaw for most of the day. I’d taken the pill on an empty stomach and attributed it to that.

Yellow-billed stork.

After lunch, the headache went away. Thus, it obviously made sense to take the pills with food which we’ve done since. But then again, on Monday morning, while in Chobe National Park on a game drive once again, after taking the pill with food, I noticed that same jaw pain. I reached into the backpack and pulled out a Tylenol, and chugged it down.  

Lilac-breasted roller.

An hour later, the pain was considerably less but not totally gone. At that point, I’d never mentioned it to Tom, not wanting to worry him. We continued and had a great few days in Chobe.

Such a sweet face. Check out those eyelashes!

The second day in Chobe, I noticed my balance was off. I kept bumping into things, not outrageously so but enough to make me notice. On Wednesday night, when we returned to the Livingstone Protea Hotel, I could hardly walk straight. I felt nauseous and horribly dizzy.  

Each day before commencing the game drives, tea, coffee, and muffins were served in the bush.

I didn’t feel like having dinner, but to “tough it out,” I didn’t complain, and we ate in the hotel’s restaurant. I ordered a bit of fish and steamed vegetables, hot tea and drank lots of water.  

The beautiful fish eagle.

By yesterday morning, I struggled to do the post, more than I’ve ever struggled in the past when not feeling well. How I got through it, I’ll never know. By noon with the post uploaded, I was in bed, under the covers with the room spinning, and I couldn’t walk across the room. A few hours later, diarrhea hit hard.

Crocs don’t have sweat glands. If a Crocodile gets too warm, it can only reduce its temperature in three ways: get in the shade, get in the water, or sit quietly with its mouth wide open. This one opted for the latter.

I’d stop taking the pills 24 hours earlier. I knew the pills were making me sick and didn’t think it was something else when I’d read that these two symptoms were common side effects of Malarone and its equivalent.  

A face only a mother could love.

By 1600 hours (4:00 pm), I knew there was no way I could go to the restaurant for dinner, and I knew I had to drink lots of water and should have some easy-to-digest dinner although I wasn’t hungry. Not eating would only make me feel weaker and dizzier.

We watched the sunset from the veranda at the Chobe Safari Lodge.

By 1900 hours (7:00 pm), Tom delivered my plate of grilled chicken breast and a few steamed vegetables. I encouraged Tom to relax and enjoy dinner in the restaurant while I ate half-sitting up in bed.  

Neither of us slept well as typical on the night before we fly away. Fortunately, this morning I’m much better although, still feeling a little dizzy. I’ll be OK to travel today. 

African sunsets are memorable.

After searching online, I found this article from the USFDA on the potential side effects of taking malaria pills. Please click here for details on that report. After reading this and other such articles, I’ve decided not to take malaria pills in our remaining seven months in Africa.  

Here’s an excerpt from that report:
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising the public about strengthened and updated warnings regarding neurologic and psychiatric side effects associated with the antimalarial drug mefloquine hydrochloride. A boxed warning, the most serious kind of warning about these potential problems, has been added to the drug label.  FDA has revised the patient Medication Guide dispensed with each prescription and wallet card to include this information and the possibility that the neurologic side effects may persist or become permanent. The neurologic side effects can include dizziness, loss of balance, or ringing in the ears. The psychiatric side effects can include feeling anxious, mistrustful, depressed, or having hallucinations. (For a complete list of potential side effects, see Additional Information for Patients).”

I’ll continue as I have all along, using copious amounts of insect repellent every six to eight hours and keep my arms and legs covered as much as possible. Most often, I get bit by mosquitos on exposed skin, not under my shirt and pants.  

Moments later, the sun disappeared, and we walked to the restaurant across the road for a gourmet meal, as shown in yesterday’s post here.

If I wear my insect repellent clothing all summer long in Marloth Park, I will see when we’re in Kenya at the end of February and early March. This time while staying in Marloth Park, neither of us have taken malaria pills. The stay was just too long to continue taking these drugs safely.

Do we worry about getting malaria? We hardly ever give it a thought when taking sensible precautions, but this is up to you, and your doctor should you visit a malaria-prone zone anywhere in the world. This was the last time we’ll take them.  

Tom’s had no issues and will complete his regime for the seven days once we’re back in Marloth Park, but he too says they present too many risks to our liking. We wouldn’t have taken them to Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe had the doctor not insisted it was imperative for these regions.

On the first safari, when we went through the border between Zambia and Botswana, we had to drive through a chemical that cleans the tires to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease.

Today, we share more of our photos from this week’s four safari adventures: two game drives and two boat rides in Chobe National Park and on the Chobe River.  As you can see, we were hardly disappointed. Many more photos will follow.

Tomorrow, we’ll post our final expenses for this one week in Zambia and Botswana. I wasn’t up to putting them together these past few days, but once we’re back in Marloth Park, I’ll tackle the numbers and share them with all of you.

Soon, we’re off for the airport, and by 1730 hours (5:30 pm), we’ll be back in our own little paradise. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for an easy immigration transition in Kruger/Nelspruit/Mpumalanga!

We’ll be back with you soon. Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 23, 2017:

Statue in a roundabout on our way toward San Jose, Costa Rica, known as Rotondo de las Garantias Sociales Zapote. For more photos, please click here.

The Chobe saga begins…Good food for the carnivores…

We were excited to get a view of the leopard’s face after waiting for a considerable period while Samson, our guide kept moving the vehicle for better shots.  Upon careful inspection of this photo, you can see the pads of the feet of her kill in the tree near her head.

“Sighting of the Day in Chobe National Park”

Cape Buffalo have a symbiotic relationship with cattle egrets who eat the ticks and other insects off their bodies preventing illness and infections.  Cape buffalo are well aware of this benefit and do not object to their presence. 

With literally hundreds of photos from four safaris in Chobe National Park, two each on land and the river, we almost don’t know where to begin.  Do we share our favorites first and wind down over a number of days to those of wildlife our readers have seen over and over again?  

When our guide maneuvered the safari vehicle for our photos, it was tricky getting into a good position.  There were nine of us in the vehicle and several other nearby vehicles with equal numbers of tourists, we were all jockeying for positions.

Or, do we spill “the best of the best” first and dwindle down to those animals and scenes which may have become familiar to all of you over the years of our wildlife adventures throughout the world?

The leopard was well aware of our presence and kept turning her back to us.

For expediency and perhaps a bit of laziness on my part, we’d decided to attempt to balance it out over this next week (or more, if necessary) with some of our favorites and others we look forward to posting which may not be as spectacular.

Of course, we would have preferred full-on face shots but it just wasn’t going to happen.

Dealing with hundreds of photos to pick and choose is a monumental task in itself.  Writing the text is easy comparatively.  Editing the post with a less than ideal Wi-Fi signal is challenging as well.  So bear with us.  

From time to time, she’d allow us a glimpse of her profile.

We’ll do our best to share our experience with all of you, our loyal reader, our new readers “getting their feet wet” in beginning to read our over 2200 posts and our occasional readers who may attempt to pick up where they left off or not.

But then, she’d put her head back down to nap after her tasty breakfast.

A person asked me, “If you go on safari over and over again, seeing the same animals, don’t you get bored?”

I answered, “If you watch football over and over again, seeing the same players, do you get bored?”

There are many islands in the Chobe River during this dry season.  The elephants swim back and forth from the land to the islands to partake of its rich vegetation.  Elephants are excellent swimmers.

Every time is different.  At this point, we couldn’t count how many times we’ve been on a game drive, either driving ourselves or being driven in a safari vehicle.  It doesn’t matter.  The fact remains, we aren’t bored.

In no time at all, she made her way to the island in the deep water.

No sooner than we climbed up into the safari vehicle or boat over these past days, the adrenaline rush flushed our minds and bodies with feel-good hormones as the sense of anticipation washed over us.

Once on the island, she joined the other members of her family.

A few times over these past few days, I described it to Tom like fishing…the anticipation is 75% of the excitement.  We get that same feeling when searching for wildlife scenes.  

There is varying speculation on how many elephants there are in Chobe National Park.  It ranges from 50,000 to 65,000.  During our four safaris, we saw no less than a thousand elephants.

For us, after many such experiences, the sighting of an impala or kudu may not be earth shattering but an impala attempting to mate or a kudu playfully dancing about is all new and elicits great feelings of pure joy and elation.

This was one of many crocs we spotted on the banks and in the water of the Chobe River.

In essence, that’s what we’re searching for, the unusual and less often sightings but all the while thoroughly enjoying the parade of elephants on an island in the crocodile-infested river or a dazzle of galloping zebras on the savanna.  It’s all quite exciting for us.

Tom’s fantastic dinner at the gourmet restaurant at Chobe Safari Lodge, located in a separate building we walked to in the dark with the sounds of wildlife around us.  There are no fences around Chobe National Park as there are in Kruger National Park.  One could easily encounter wildlife while out at night.

Of course, if you aren’t interested in wildlife, one way or another, none of our recent or upcoming posts over these next seven months will hold must interest for you.  Sorry about that.  As our longtime readers know, our posts aren’t always about wildlife and nature.  A year from now we’ll be at the end of our Baltic cruise…hardly a wildlife-rich experience.

This was the best-roasted leg of lamb in au jus that I’d ever had, moist, tender and delicious.

For now, we’re chomping at the bit to share nature’s bounty over these past several days.  And yes, once we’ve shared all we can, we’ll be back to posting our ongoing day to day adventures in Marloth Park. 

We made new friends while on safari, including Jean-Pierre and Patricia a wonderful couple from Nice, France.  

No words can describe how excited we are to return tomorrow to see all of our friends, both human and animal and to settle back into our lovely holiday bush home, “Orange…More than Just a Colour.”

Yumm…life is good.

________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, August 22, 2017:

Tom, walking toward the dental clinic in Costa Rica.  It didn’t seem to be in a great neighborhood with bars on windows and doors but we felt comfortable.  For more photos, please click here.

We’re in Chobe…What an adventure!…Fun facts about Chobe!…

“What the muck have I gotten myself into?” says Mr. Cape Buffalo (one of the Big Five).

“Sighting of the Day in Botswana”

“Why are all these humans staring at me?” says Ms. Baboon.

While we’re in Chobe (Botswana), we didn’t have ample free time to upload our hundreds of photos to get to work on them. Yesterday morning Steve, our driver with Chris Tours, picked us up at 7:00 am, and we didn’t get to our hotel room at the Chobe Safari Lodge until after 4:00 pm after a full day of game viewing.

The entrance gate to Chobe National Park. Our guide enters the building to be given a route for our game drive.  Luckily, Samson negotiated a route close to the river where wildlife congregates during the dry season.

With a dinner reservation for 1830 hrs (6:30 pm), with both of us desperately needing to shower before dinner, we knew we’d have little time to prepare the type of post we’d like to best represent our entire day’s experiences on a game drive in Chobe National Park and an afternoon cruise on the Chobe River.

Cape buffalo are safe around this young crocodile. But, according to our guide Samson, once this croc is fully grown and a buffalo is floating in the water with hooves not touching the river bottom, they would be in grave danger.

Undoubtedly, my expectations were high after the experiences we had three months ago engaged in these same activities. Tom, on the other hand, kept his expectations in check. But, like visiting Kruger National Park once a week, one needs to temper expectations and go with the flow.  

Elephants have their own built-in snorkel.

There were a few stunning moments we’ll share in photos over the next week. Still, for today, we’ll only be adding a few of the less exciting photos to save time, including the gems from yesterday and today with the accompanying stories to go with them.

Luckily, as you see this post today, we have another full day of the same activities. Hopefully, we’ll be back with some severe adventures in tomorrow’s post when we are back in Livingstone, Zambia.

This elephant crossed the Chobe River with ease.  Elephants are great swimmers.

We stayed with the same group of six other people on the first day during the land game drive, the buffet lunch at the resort, and the boat safari in the afternoon.  

Today, we’ll meet an entirely new group of people. The people we met yesterday were fantastic, and we all shared wonderful stories of our world travels and love of wildlife. 

Man and boy canoeing in a channel of the Chobe River.

One couple from Switzerland and Germany had just come from staying in a lodge in Marloth Park. What a coincidence! We chatted with a pair of traveling friends working together in Dubai with one from Minnesota. Another coincidence.  

Tom is right at home while on safari.  We’ve learned so much over these years. It’s all the more exciting.

The third couple is from Nice, France, and although there was somewhat of a language barrier, we managed to engage in lively conversation. Meeting these friendly people was an exciting and enjoyable experience.  

Of course, we handed out business cards and looked forward to seeing them online, hopefully visiting us here on our site and saying hello on Messenger from time to time.

Warthogs, outside Chobe National Park, running from dogs chasing them as shown in the photo below.

The room at the Chobe Safari Lodge was excellent, with views of the Chobe River. Of course, early in the morning, we heard the magical sounds of hippos gurgling in the river…music to our ears…reminiscent of our time in the Maasai Mara in 2013 when we slept in a luxury tent on the Mara River, awakening to the sounds of the hippos before sunrise. See that link here.

Dogs were chasing warthogs outside the perimeter of the park.

After checking a few online resources, we found these fun facts about Chobe we’re sharing today. Please check below for details.

From this site:
1. Chobe National Park is divided into four different areas, each with distinctly unique geographical landscapes. They are as follows; the Savuti Channel, Linyanti wetlands, Serondella, and Nogatsaa.
2. In 1888, the Savuti channel dried up entirely and only flowed again in 1957, 70 years later. It is changeable and sporadic but exceptionally diverse and beautiful.
3. The roads in Savuti are notoriously difficult to drive through due to the wet black cotton soil in the area.
4. Savute and Linyanti have no internet and no mobile network coverage
All the more reason to take a digital detox and enjoy the simple pleasures of a Botswana safari
5. Before it was a national park, this area was used as trophy-hunting grounds and as a source of teak wood for the blooming timbre industry (both of which have been outlawed).
6. In the 1940s, Chobe National Park fell under a major tsetse fly infestation. This has a significant impact on the decision to declare the area a national park.
7. Gobabis Hill in Savuti has ancient San rock paintings estimated to be about 4000 years old.
8. Chobe National Park has the most elephants in all of Africa, and you can feel the ground shake as a large herd moves by.
9. To celebrate their second wedding, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married in secret at the Chobe National Park in 1975.
10. Victoria Falls is only a short drive away from the park. Don’t miss the chance to visit this magnificent feat of nature on your Botswana safari.
11. Rhino is the only Big Five animal that is not found easily in the park. (At current speculation, there are only 13 rhinos in this massive national park).

Tonight, we’ll be back at our hotel in Livingstone, Zambia, by dinnertime. For ease, we’ll dine at the hotel, which will be Tuesday evening, and then we’ll dine out once again on Wednesday.  

Our lovely room at the Chobe Safari Lodge in Chobe National Park in Botswana.

On Thursday morning, we’ll head to the airport in Livingstone to return to the Kruger/Nelspruit/Mpumalanga Airport, which is a seven-hour turnaround. At some point during the day on Thursday, we’ll upload a new post. Most assuredly, we won’t be missing any day’s posts during this trip, but the times we upload them may vary.

Hopefully, all goes well with immigration when we re-enter South Africa on Thursday afternoon. Either way, we’ll be sharing the details here.

Have a fantastic day and evening!

Photo from one year ago today, August 20, 2017:

This plant in the garden in Costa Rica had an exciting leaf pattern.  For more photos, please click here.

We made it to Zambia…Settling in for another week…

The matriarch blasts a sound, “Come on kids, back up the hill. Playtime is over.”

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Mom and baby making their way back up the hill, as they follow the matriarch who’d signaled it was time to go.

Around 4:30 am I awoke with a start. Something was off. It took a few minutes for me to realize the power was out. I checked my new phone to see we didn’t have wi-fi which goes down when the power is out.

Driving down a dirt road, we spotted this male ostrich fluffing his feathers in this pile of bush debris. At one point, he spread his wings and did some mating ritual-type dancing.
Oh, no, I thought, we’re getting up at 6:00 am and there won’t be hot water for showers or lights to put ourselves together for today’s trip to Zambia for our second visa-stamp exit from South Africa in the past six months.
When he noticed us at a distance, he stood up to watch what we were going to do.

As many of our readers are well aware, South Africa only allows US citizens a visa for 90 days in their country. The laws dictate that we cannot exit and re-enter from any of the many countries bordering South Africa. Plus, if we fly in and out of Johannesburg, the hub, we may not be able to get back in.

The cape buffalos don’t seem to mind the presence of the elephants.

Subsequently, our safest bet has been to fly from the tiny airport in Nelspruit (an over one hour drive from Marloth Park), fly to the only country to which that particular airport flies non-stop without stopping in Johannesburg, where immigration laws are considerably more stringent.  

Our fingers are crossed this will work out again (and one more time in November) when we return from Zambia on August 23rd through the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger airport.  

A massive matriarch elephant with a herd of cape buffalos.

Now that I’ve explained this necessity one more time (sorry to our readers who’ve heard this many times), our immediate concern this morning was getting ready to leave with no power. The house was dark when we got out of bed.  

More cape buffalos and an elephant, two of the Big Five in one scene.

Determined to shower even if it was in cold water, I was shocked to discover some hot water remained in the pipes, long enough for me to take a quick shower and for Tom to do the same.

Tossing mud and water to stay cool on a very hot day.

Somehow, using a flashlight and a small hand mirror, I was able to get myself looking presentable enough to tackle the day. About 30 minutes before we left to begin the drive, the power came back on, giving us time to recharge our digital equipment, pack it up and be on our way.

The drive to the airport during which we encounter road construction took 90 minutes this time but we arrived in plenty of time for our 11:35 am flight. From there, everything went smoothly.

Lessons in rough play.

Our driver from Chris Tours, Steve was waiting for us at the curb with a sign with my name and he whisked us off to the Protea Hotel Livingstone with a stop at an ATM for cash, Zambian kwacha, and a quick trip to a pharmacy.  

A mom and a maturing offspring.

Tom felt like a cold or hayfever was coming on and he needed a nasal spray and antihistamine, just in case. Once we checked into the hotel and got situated in our lovely hotel room, he seems to be doing better. We have no time for colds and being sick!

The last time we stayed at this same hotel, we had a second-floor room with no elevator in the complex. This time, upon our request, we’re located on the main floor close to everything. Perfect.

This one-tusk elephant was sitting down in the vegetation.

Tonight, we’ll head to our favorite restaurant in Livingstone, Cafe Zambezi, as we’re both contemplating the fabulous food we enjoyed last time we were here, a mere three months ago.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore the town of Livingstone which we hadn’t done much last time we were here. We were too busy with the tours we’d arranged at the time.  

More elephants on the bank of the Crocodile River in Marloth Park.

Now with only two days and one overnight booked to go to Chobe National Park and stay at the Chobe Safari Lodge, we’ll have more free time to check out the historic town, known for its gateway to Victoria Falls. Last time we visited the falls from both the Zambia and Zimbabwe sides which resulted in a full day.

Thanks to Louise and Danie for stopping by for a “sundowner” last night and the treasured handmade gift of a jar of 90% dark chocolate-covered coffee beans.  What a treat when the sweet tooth hits after dinner! Such good friends!

Truly a large parade of elephants on the river.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with new photos of Zambia we’ll be sharing along the way. Today, we’re finishing posting a few Marloth Park photos we’d taken earlier in the week.  Our posts over this next week will be uploading at varying times of the day based on the tours we’re planning. But, there will be a new post daily.

May your day be filled with new adventures, big and small, regardless of where you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, August 16, 2017:

We’d been anxious to get photos of unusual frogs in Costa Rica, especially the colorful species. That will have to wait until we get out soon. We’d yet to see a colorful frog at the villa. But, this plain frog attached to Henry’s left rear bumper satisfied me for now. Check out those toes!  For more, please click here.

Curious giraffe behavior on a side road…One day and counting…

What could they possibly be waiting for?

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Over the past few days, we’ve observed this pair of hornbills taking seeds from our birdfeeder and placing them inside this unoccupied bushbaby house.  Could they be preparing a nest?

Please note for visitors and residents of Marloth Park: 

TODAY AT 2 PM
The Tin Shack Restaurant, Marlothi Shopping Centre

 
On Monday, when we embarked on our typical two-hour drive through Marloth Park in search of interesting and unusual sightings of wildlife, we stumbled across a very busy road, as mentioned in yesterday’s post

here.

 The young giraffe had no interest in the activities of the others.

Not only did we see a dozen or more zebras on a mission we also spotted no less than a dozen giraffes, also seeming to have a task in mind as they stared down the road for quite some time.

The youngster scratching an itch.

After watching the giraffes for 10 or 15 minutes, we decided to drive further down the dirt road to see if we could determine what they were looking for. As we drove several hundred meters toward the direction they were watching, we noticed another tower of giraffes heading their way.

The young giraffe didn’t seem to be interested in what the others were waiting for and busily munched on the leaves of a tree. 

From this long-distance, they were well aware of the approaching giraffe. Was this to be a happy meeting or some type of mating conflict we’d heard so much about. Giraffes, when fighting for dominance will engage in necking can cause serious injury or death to one another.

Watch this NatGeo video to see what we’re describing here. After watching this video, we weren’t disappointed to discover these two towers of giraffes were meeting for some other unknown reason, perhaps as a family reuniting after a period of separation.

The giraffes were intently staring down the road with some objective in mind.  

This was not unlike photos and a video we posted a few months of a mom and chick ostrich reunited with the dad who we spotted at a distance, walking proudly down the road toward his family. Once reunited, the baby and dad hung out in the bush together while the mom stood watch on the road. For that post, please click here.

When the two towers all came together, they didn’t congregate into one tight area. Instead, they seemed to acknowledge each other’s presence by entering each other’s space to begin grazing on what leaves were left on the trees in the area.

On occasion, he’d stop to see what was going on, including checking us out.  

Giraffes have no competition when grazing other than other giraffes. No other animals eat the leaves on the treetops than these magnificent tall creatures. But even for them, in the dry winter months with little rain, their food sources become sparse as it is for other wildlife.

Those to the right in this photo didn’t move a limb for a considerable period of time.

Unfortunately, those of us in Marloth Park during the dry season can’t feed the giraffes. They don’t bend to eat, only to drink and they certainly don’t eat pellets or vegetables from being hand-fed by humans. They are totally on their own.

We weren’t able to get photos of them altogether since they were scattered throughout the feeding source. We watched for quite a while and then we were on our way satisfied over the two great sightings.

Suddenly, they were on the move.

From there, we continued on to the river with more photos we’ll share in tomorrow’s post which is a travel day. Although the flight from Nelspruit to Livingston, Zambia is less than two hours, it takes about seven hours from the time we leave the house until we arrive at the hotel in Livingstone. (The drive from Marloth Park to the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga airport is a little over one hour).

As for tomorrow’s post, we hope to get it uploaded before our 11:35 am flight. If it doesn’t work out, we complete the post once we arrive at the hotel, making posting time approximately six or seven hours later than usual.

We turned off the little car’s engine to wait patiently while watching the two merged towers enjoy time together in the bush.

We look forward to sharing many exciting photos during the upcoming week from both Zambia and Botswana.

Enjoy the day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2017:

Check out those ears.  They certainly were flicking back and forth when we stopped to say “hola!” while in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.