Oh, what a night!…

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When we walked into Jabula last night, we were thrilled to see friend Lee, whom we met through Rita and Gerhard. It was great to see him. We invited him to dinner on Wednesday night.

Gerhard and Rita, dear friends whom we met years ago through our site, have visited Marloth Park many times. We became fast friends and have stayed in close touch regularly. They visited us a few times while we were in Lake Las Vegas, including surprising me on my birthday a few years ago.

We have it on our itinerary to see them when our fourth cruise ends in Seattle in May 2026. They live nearby in Vancouver, Washington, USA.

Soot from the sugarcane burning often flies through the air and lands on all outdoor surfaces in Marloth Park. Sugarcane burning is a common pre-harvest practice, particularly in regions like South Africa and parts of the US, where it’s done to remove excess leaves and trash, making manual or mechanical harvesting easier. While this practice improves harvest efficiency, it also has drawbacks, including environmental and health concerns.

We met Lee several years ago when he visited Marloth Park to see Rita and Gerhard and experience the bush with us. He has returned several times since. We’ve spent several social events with Lee over the years, and we were thrilled last night when we walked into Jabula and he was waiting for us. He’s here for one month.

While the conversation was lively and animated, Lee explained that he’d gone to Bali and stayed at the same holiday house we stayed in for four months in 2016. He chose that house after Rita and Gerhard stayed there, following our example. We are always thrilled when our readers follow our lead and share the great experiences we’ve had and shared online in our posts.

But the best part is making dear friends from our readership, many of whom we’ve stayed in close touch with. Without a doubt, we’ve continued to see Rita and Gerhard more than any others, and our mutual bond is close and meaningful.

There was a little more water in the Crocodile River after a few hours of light rain.

When Lee told us he bought the house next door to the house we rented (and Rita and Gerhard also rented), and invited us to come stay at any time. We’ve often talked about returning to Bali, and this may be the perfect opportunity.

While we were giddy from the exciting conversation, I had a great idea. What if Rita and Gerhard could join us in 2026, and we all could stay at Lee’s house, which has three bedrooms and a guest cottage, plenty of room for all of us!

A few years ago, during dinner at friends Kathy and Don’s house in Marloth Park, Rita and Gerhard shared their experiences of attending Oktoberfest in Germany in considerable detail. At that time, I told Tom I’d love to have that experience someday, attending the event with Rita and Gerhard, who are from Germany but are now both US citizens. The prospect of going to Ocktobefest has been on my mind since then.

A Big Daddy kudu was standing on a hill in Kruger. We don’t see many kudus when we drive through Kruger National Park. But we see plenty in our garden.

AS it turned out, Lee explained he purchased a “table for ten” for Oktoberfest, and we can join him anytime. We all agreed how fun it would be to attend this exciting event together in October 2026, and also visit Bali. Within minutes, we had Rita and Gerhard on the phone on WhatsApp while we simultaneously agreed that these are “must-dos” for the five of us.

Then, the surprise of all surprises, Rita and Gerhard, known for their surprises, confessed they are coming to Marloth Park on September 3, bringing Rita’s mom from Germany, putting aside their desire to surprise us this time. We are so excited. They rented a house from Louise and made her promise to keep the secret, which she did!

Gosh, these upcoming three weeks in Marloth Park will be exciting! Lee wil join us on Tuesday night for Quiz Night, as well as coming to dinner on Wednesday, and we’ll see Rita and Gerhard soon. On top of that, another of our readers, Christine, and her partner will be joining us at Jabula on September 12, which will likely bring the total number of attendees to more than just the four of us. We leave Marloth Park for Spain on September 14.

Wow! What an exciting night!

Today at 2:00 pm, we are heading to Daphne and Neville’s home for a braai and the South African Springboks rugby game, another fun event in the bush.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 23, 2015:

Not the most flattering photo of us. But, we couldn’t resist including a photo of us while in Australia, tasting the Mimolette cheese we’ve written about today, known for its “mites’ that live on the outside of the cheese as it ferments. The US has concerns over “bugs” on cheese. See the post here.

Researching the future…We’re behind schedule…

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Taking this photo without zoom on this date in 2013 gives a perspective of the small size of this island, somehow appealing to her for its varied vegetation. For more photos from that date, please click here.

Since we arrived in the US on November 8th, we’ve been preoccupied with visiting family and planning for our upcoming two months in India. We’ve yet to begin booking where we’ll stay after our 29-night cruise from Mumbai to London, which ends on May 2, 2020.

It may seem to be a long time away, but in our world, four or five months fly by in a flash, especially when we are having a great time. As much as we’d like to postpone the time it takes to conduct an in-depth search, the time has come for us to get to work.

The hardest part of booking the six months we have to fill between the end of the cruise until the next cruise in November is where exactly we’d like to travel.

With the Schengen visa requirement that we can only stay in Europe for 90 days out of 180 days, it makes sense for us to spend more time in the UK that doesn’t fall into the Schengen requirements. 

There appear to be several available options for the summer months. Undoubtedly, it makes sense to stay in Scotland (a part of the UK) for a period that neither of us has visited. But, certainly, we’d better get something booked soon.

It’s still hanging up in the air concerning our return to South Africa at the end of the November cruise. But one thing we have decided is we won’t stay in South Africa over the holidays due to increased seasonal rental costs and excessive power outages, especially when there are so many people in Marloth Park. They are experiencing such issues now, as we’ve mentioned many times on Facebook.

Instead, we’re contemplating getting off the ship a few days before the end of the cruise when the ship docks in a port of call in Luderitz or Walvis Bay, Namibia, and stay there for a few months while awaiting the end of the holiday season in South Africa. This makes a lot of sense to us.

After the first of January, we’ll be contacting an immigration attorney in South Africa to assist us in getting the waiver we applied for, which has yet to be approved.  

It’s been almost eight months since we applied and yet had no response. Without the waiver, we won’t be able to return to South Africa until May 2024. That’s too far out for any planning at this point.

This morning, we visited Mary, Eugene, Colleen, and Gene (Margie returned to Minnesota for a few weeks to attend her granddaughter’s wedding on New Year’s Eve). No one seems interested in doing anything out and about on New Year’s Eve, but a few activities transpire in the next few days.

Tomorrow, before noon, we’ll get together for the Minnesota Vikings Game at Colleen and Gene’s home, where we’ll hook up Tom’s laptop via the HDMI cord to their large TV. I am making an egg, mushroom, onions, and sausage casserole to bring for brunch.

On Monday, it’s Colleen’s birthday, and the six of us will go out for a happy hour and a bite to eat at a local pub, “What’s the Hell.” It will be fun to celebrate with her as we did over Tom’s birthday on Monday.

Now, I’m off to the market once more for a few items. We’ll spend a quiet day and evening at our place, having dinner and perhaps watching a movie in the evening. We’ve already completed our walk now that the rain has stopped.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 28, 2018:

It’s easier for male kudus to eat this way instead of bending down with those giant horns. Wildebeest Willie waits in the background for his turn. For more details, please click here.