The medical saga continues…One year ago photos today…

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Icebergs are so exciting and unusual.  This was massive, many stories high,

Today’s post will not include photos other than the “one year ago” photo at the bottom of today’s post and a few other photos from the “one year ago” link. See here for that post.  

We’re sitting in the hospital lobby with a prolonged WiFi connection, awaiting the results of the cardiac CAT scan I had a short time ago. This test will determine if I need angioplasty or more.  
Yesterday, we’d been told to call the doctor on Wednesday for the results. But today, the radiology department staff said they’ll send the results to the doctor within two hours, after which we’ll see the cardiologist, Dr. Fanie Fourie, once again for the final diagnosis.

 In 2007, I had a cardiac ablation in the “cath lab” at Park Nicollet Hospital in Minnesota. I was diagnosed with an extra “electrical” valve in my heart that was causing an extremely high pulse. Once I had the procedure, I was told my heart was now perfectly normal with no plague or other issues.

 However, after having a cardiac ablation, regardless of the reason, an EKG can show as abnormal when the heart and arteries are delicate. I’ve been hoping for this outcome, but the recent jaw pain and the few abnormal ultrasound scans yesterday have dampened my hope.
A Crabcatcher Seal was taking the plunge in Antarctica.

After the ablation, I was back at the health club within a week, pounding it out and feeling quite OK. Since that period, there’s been no incident until this recent jaw pain was diagnosed as possible angina, lack of blood flow to my jaw, possibly due to one or more clogged arteries.  So here we are today at Nelspruit Hospital Mediclinic, awaiting my fate.

 Rather than drive the 90 minutes back to Marloth Park, by waiting for the results today, we’ll avoid a return trip if I need to have some invasive procedure or surgery, providing they can schedule it within the next 24 hours. Otherwise, we’ll drive back to Marloth Park to return sometime in the next several days.

 At this point, our visas run out on February 15th, and we’ve planned to spend the night here in Nelspruit on February 14th in preparation for our early morning flight to Kenya the following morning. Oh, so much is up in the air!

 Thus, most likely today, we’ll know what course we must take within the next few hours. If we weren’t leaving in 10 days, this would be less complicated. But, with our visa status, prepaid flight, and expensive prepaid photography tour in Kenya, none of which is refundable, it certainly is cause for concern, right along with the health issues.

 In our usual way, we’ll forge ahead, attempting to stay as optimistic as possible while in each of our minds, we roll around the worst and best-case scenarios. It’s impossible not to do so and also impractical not to have a backup plan in place.

The champagne and flute carriers were loaded onto all of the 10 passenger Zodiac boats.

At this point, we’ve only discussed the angioplasty possibility. This recovery is only a few days, along with a week or two of taking it easy. We could make it…the visa expiration date and the photography tour in Kenya, which doesn’t officially begin until one week after we arrive in Nairobi, giving me plenty of time to take it easy at the lovely hotel in Nairobi.

 We don’t, at this point, want to project any more severe treatment than angioplasty.  Why put ourselves into a further tither of worry and concern? Besides, all of this could be a moot point if the test results came out good enough for a “watch and see” and possible medication route, which may alleviate the issues discovered. Oh boy! I’d be jumping for joy at that possibility!

 We’ll know soon enough. We’ll report back when we do. We both want to express our gratitude to all of our readers who’ve commented and written to us by email. Also, we know undoubtedly, that those who didn’t write are rooting for us as well. Thanks to all of you!

 We’ll be back at you soon!

Footnote:  As of the time of posting today’s story, it’s 1400 hours (2:00 pm), and we’re now back in Marloth Park. After waiting for almost two hours, we were told the report won’t be available until tomorrow morning after all, at which time we were scheduled to speak to the cardiologist at 9:00 am. Thus we decided to drive back to Marloth. Tomorrow’s post will include the decision we’ve made based on the collective test results.

Photo from one year ago today, February 5, 2018:

There we were, sitting on a Zodiac boat in Pleneau Bay, Antarctica, sipping on French champagne. Was that ever fun! For more photos, please click here.

We’re still in Nelspruit…More medical tests required…Time is rapidly ticking by for our required departure…

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A rickety old bridge no longer used near the Municipal campground, bird hide, and the hippo pool.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A hippo and a cattle egret have symbiosis in their relationship.

It’s 1430 hours (2:30 PM), and we’re still in Nelspruit. The first round of the medical tests is completed.  Unfortunately, I didn’t fall into the 25% margin of error I was hoping for, and tomorrow morning’s test will tell more.

We stayed at the beautiful Leaves Lodge and Spa at the edge of town three minutes from the Nelspruit hospital and adjoining Mediclinic. We checked out of the hotel this morning, optimistic for a good result. 

But alas, we had to check back into the hotel a short time ago when the doctor explained more tests were necessary before a determination could be made. The CAT scan will be performed tomorrow morning, but we won’t have results until Wednesday afternoon.

Subsequently, we’ll drive back to Marloth Park to await the results. I can only imagine our readers out there who’ve been through this same process ultimately ending up with angioplasty or heart surgery of one form or another. Surely, you can relate to the worry and concern coupled with the angst of the unknown.

After a lifetime of taking care of my health, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and staying cognizant of stressful situations, I’m disappointed to discover my efforts were no guaranty of avoiding cardiovascular issues in my senior years.

However, the doctor explained had I not been so astute about my health, I could have had a massive coronary and not be here to tell this story. Of course, I’m grateful! It goes to show that genetics play a massive role in our health. My mother’s side of the family suffered from heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. As a young girl, I observed all this ill health and decided I’d take care of myself in an attempt to avoid obesity and diabetes by exercising and a healthy diet. In that area, I’ve succeeded.

A giraffe we spotted in the bush before the rains.

But the powerful genetics of heart disease isn’t easy to repel, so here I am now trying to figure it all out, only two weeks from my 71st birthday. Of course, I’m worried and so is Tom. On top of that, we’re supposed to leave for Kenya in 11 days, when our South Africa visas expire. If we don’t hightail out of South Africa by February 15th, we’d be considered “undesirables.” Oh, good grief.

We’d be foolhardy and flippant to dismiss this as a mere inconvenience in the realm of our world travels. Without proper care, we could conceivably have little time left to continue our journey.  

Remember? We’ve always said the only thing that would cause us to stop traveling was terrible health. Now, we’re determined to do whatever is necessary to ensure we can continue.

Before closing, I must say thank you to each and every one of our readers, family, and friends who’ve sent the kindest and most “heartfelt” prayers and good wishes for a positive outcome.  

During this quiet time in the hotel in the past 24 hours, I’ve spent most of my time returning email messages from kind and thoughtful readers/friends. At the moment, Tom is watching a replay of yesterday’s SuperBowl game and voraciously munching of a bag of salted peanuts, a great stress reducer.

I’m sipping a hot cup of Rooibos tea and thinking about how nice it will be when all of this is resolved, one way or another, and we can go back to being excited about the future.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, February 4, 2018:

Many icebergs form spectacular shapes, portals, and openings. For more photos, please click here.

We’re off to Nelspruit, hotel tonight…Hospital tomorrow….Remembering….

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A few months ago, we shot this photo of two Big Daddies sharing pellets.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A  pair of male lions, possibly brothers, checking out their options for lunch.

It was February 4, 2014, that I dropped my then laptop and destroyed the touch monitor. It was impossible to replace the monitor if parts were available since the cost to do so would be prohibitive, more than the cost of a new computer.

To see the post on the day, I dropped it, and please click here. To see the post from the following day, please click here, when our dear friend and driver Okey Dokey drove me to Nelspruit to a computer store to purchase a replacement.

I wasn’t thrilled with the HP laptop I’d purchased, but it managed to get me through until we arrived in Hawaii in December 2014. I ultimately purchased a new Acer model in January 2015, the one I’m still using that I bought at a Costco store in Kona.

While in the US in June 2017, we purchased a new laptop for me, knowing that our extensive travel resulted in tremendous wear and tore on laptops, and we didn’t expect it to last more than a few years.  

Handsome male lion lounging under a tree on a hot day.

As it turned out, Tom needed to start using the new laptop we were holding for me when his laptop died about six months ago. Finally, we were down to two laptops, no longer needing to haul a third as a backup.

The question remained…would my laptop hold out until we arrive in the US in April 2019 at over four years old? It has a few issues for which I figured out workarounds. Now, with only 64 days until we arrive in the US (staying for 17 days), I feel pretty confident, if I don’t drop it, it will last until we purchase a replacement. 

Replacing digital equipment is a challenge when traveling the world for as long as we have been on the move. For us, with all of our accounting and financials, blog postings, photos, and storage of TV shows and movies, no tablet can fulfill our requirements.  

Ms, Bushbuck, and Baby stop by every day. They love lettuce.

Plus, I find I need the bigger monitor and easy touchscreen available on these Acer products along with a lighted keyboard. As a lousy typist (still, after all these years), I need a lighted keyboard for nighttime typing.

Many have suggested we switch to Apple products, but we’ve been PC users since the beginning and have no desire to change. Also, with the higher cost of Apple products and the added wear and tear from constant travel, this makes no financial sense to us.  

At most, in the US, we can purchase exactly what I need for under ZAR 9321 (US $700), whereby Apple products are priced three times (or more) higher. Our philosophy is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” or, “Love the one you’re with!”

A pair of giraffes at the Crocodile River.

Yes, we do try new things, obviously, right?  But, when it comes to areas of our lives of world travel, we find systems we have in place came about from years of experience, trial and error. And yes, we’re open to new technology, making every effort to research new modalities that may serve us well now or in the future.

So today, as we make our way to Nelspruit for my upcoming hospital stay (hopefully, short-term), I’m reminded of that time five years ago when Okey Dokey and I drove to Nelspruit laughing at funny stories we told along the way.

A short time later, at the mall, we realized that South Africa wasn’t necessarily the best place to purchase new digital equipment with limited options available to suit my requirements.

Giraffes were wandering down a dirt road in the park.

Tomorrow, we’re hoping to be back later in the day, after the first round of tests is completed and we know more. Thanks to good wishes from many of our readers. You mean the world to us!


To our friends and family in the US, have a fantastic SuperBowl Sunday!

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

The whaling equipment in Deception Island, Antarctica, and its housing were destroyed by a volcano eruption in 1969, and operations ceased.  For more photos, please click here.

Just couldn’t take the itching anymore…Off to see the doc…

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A kudu drinking out of the birdbath in the garden.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Bushy-tailed bushbabies are huge compared to bushbabies in our garden. We took this photo at Jabula a few weeks ago.

After over a month of itching unbearably especially during the night and rarely getting enough sleep, I was becoming frustrated with these awful pepper tick bites, mostly on my arms and neck where my skin was exposed when we wandered through the bush toward the river. 

In every case, I had on tons of repellent but apparently, it doesn’t work for ticks. There are much harsher and toxic chemicals required to keep ticks at bay, including the tiny pepper ticks. They’re called pepper ticks since they are as tiny as a single fleck of finely ground pepper, not visible to the human eye.

Each time we see flowers and plants we now wonder if they are invasive alien plants that are awful for the local ecosystem and wildlife.

Yesterday, when we returned to the eye doctor for Tom to select his new glasses (first replacement lenses in over six years) and for me to pick up my new contact lenses, we first decided to stop at the local pharmacy to see if the pharmacist had any suggestions for the itching.

I’d already tried several creams to no avail and even took sleep-inducing Benedryl during the day, after trying two other antihistamines, in a desperate attempt at some relief for a few hours. Nothing, I mean nothing gave me any relief for more than an hour at most.

It appears pretty but does it belong here?

On a few occasions, I was hopeful the creams would help but they were so greasy and messy I was unable to wear repellent on top of them. I didn’t want to take the risk of getting more bites from mosquitos which have begun increasingly populating the bush with the recent rains and warmer weather.

A few days this week I hid away in the bedroom, wearing my long-john type pajamas with the air-con on, in an attempt to avoid the necessity of wearing any repellent. I still got a few more bites only adding to my discomfort.  

We call this pair of wildebeest, Dad & Son.  They aren’t frequent visitors like Wildebeest Willie but always welcome as are the zebras and warthogs.

Also, I didn’t want to have to spend our last three precious months in Marloth Park hiding in the bedroom. I needed some relief and a long-term solution. At the pharmacy when I showed the pharmacist my arms, she said I must go to the doctor immediately.

She explained I was at risk for tick-bite fever, a dreadful condition, and it appeared many of the bites were inflamed and on the verge of becoming infected. That freaked me out enough to send us to the doctor’s office down the road to ask for their next available appointment. As it turned out, she was right.

Lion lying under a tree, as seen from the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

Dr. Theo scolded me a little for suffering for a month. Why hadn’t I come in sooner? I wish I knew the answer. Perhaps I was trying to “tough it out” and no be a whiney tourist running to the doctor with every little complaint. Hadn’t our six years of world travel toughened me up a bit?

In many ways, it has toughened me up but practicality must supersede pride and at 1630 hrs (4:30 pm) we returned to Komatipoort for the appointment with Dr. Theo.

Two male lions checking for possible dinner subjects.

In the interim, we’d planned dinner at Ngwenya with Rita and Gerhard which we had to cancel when we had no idea how long the appointment would take, and the trip to the pharmacy to collect my three prescriptions. Besides, I wasn’t feeling much like going out.

We haven’t seen them since they returned from Germany a few days ago and were disappointed to have to cancel. But, we have plans for dinner reservations at Jabula tomorrow night with Kathy and Don as well for the six of us. They’ve never met. It’s quite wonderful to introduce old friends to new friends.

Two Big Daddies, horns entangled in a little scuffle over pellets.

This morning, after eating as required, I started the big dose of Prednisone to be tapered over a period of 12 days. Hopefully, this will begin to reduce the severe itching which is by far the worst itching I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’m feeling confident this will work.

Since Prednisone can cause insomnia (yikes) the doctor suggested I take it in the morning. This morning, I took six pills as prescribed. If lucky I may experience improvement by tonight since I’m literally exhausted from lack of sleep for over a month due to the worsening of the itching at night.

No harm was done…back to being friendly.

Today is a low-key day. It’s cloudy and cooler and we’ve had tons of amazing visitors we’ll be sharing in tomorrow’s post.

We hope all of our USA friends and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. Be well. Be happy.

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

We stopped to take this photo on the way to the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica.  This is a Northern Crested Caracara: “The northern crested caracara, also called the northern caracara and crested caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae.”  For more, please click here.

Itching impossible…Searching for relief!…After all, it’s Africa!…

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Our resident monitor lizard makes an appearance from time to time.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Big Daddy in the bush.

It started a few weeks after we arrived in Marloth Park, the itching on my forearms. At first, based on the fact I suffer from hay fever and asthma on occasion and am highly allergic to grasses, we assumed it was due to my arms frequently reaching into the pellet bin which is made from grass and vegetation.

An evening view of the Crocodile River from the veranda at Ngwenya Lodge and Restaurant.
For a week or so, Tom did all the reaching into the container to see if my situation improved. When it didn’t I continued to reach into the bin for pellets, not observing any difference whatsoever in doing so.
From there, the itching and red spots were easy to attribute to mosquito bites. I reloaded the Tabard repellent cream several times a day, aware that I was using DEET, the only product I found to work here in the bush. I’d already tried several non-DEET products with no success.
A waterbuck and Egyptian geese.

Imagine my dismay when after three good applications a day, I was still covered in bites, itching out of my mind, especially at night. I tried wearing long sleeve shirts even in the hot weather which didn’t provide much added protection. But as summer approaches the idea of wearing long sleeve shirts in 40C (102F) weather doesn’t hold much appeal.

In the past few months, I noticed that my neck and chest started itching like crazy whenever I went to bed within minutes. This reminded me of the same scenario I experienced when we stayed at the hotel in Minneapolis in June 2017 while visiting family for six weeks, assuming it was due to the harsh laundry soap.  They started doing our bedding in Dreft gentle laundry soap to no avail.
Kudus in the garden.
Then, at the hotel in Buenos Aires last December, I suffered the same lot, this time thinking it was due to the mattress, not the laundry soap. After considerable research, I came to the conclusion that I’m allergic to bed dust mites, common among allergy sufferers.  
 
The hotel changed the old mattress to a new mattress, which made all the difference in the world. At that point, I was convinced it was bed dust mites. All beds have dust mites.  Information on this may be found here.  
Elephants and storks.
Allergy-prone individuals and the elderly (yuck, I dislike being in this category) tend to react to the dust mites while others may not. I hesitated to mention this to Louise after they’ve already done so much for us. So I started with requesting the bed and bedding be sprayed weekly with a safe non-toxic product intended for dust mites.
 
I so much wanted this to work. Alas, weeks later, the itching continued to get worse. I was at a loss. We needed a new mattress. After thoroughly spraying the bedroom after48 hours of mentioning this to Louise, the boys installed the new mattress with all new bedding and pillows. 
An elephant and hippos.
Since dust mite bites can itch for weeks, I didn’t expect total relief for some time. But immediately, I noticed the redness and itching on my chest stopped entirely which was a huge relief.
 
However, I continued to notice more and more bites on my body even under my clothing. Every moment of every day, I have been itching like crazy. When we were preparing the big Thanksgiving meal in the horrible heat, the itching was even more intense.  
This mom appears very lean after giving birth to this young calf.
My arms have been covered in red inflamed spots. So, in part, it was the bed dust mites but something else has been going on. Saturday evening during our Thanksgiving meal, Honorary Rangers and experts in invasive alien plants, insects, and animal species, Ushie and Evan sat to my right.  
 
On a whim, I asked if they knew what these red pus-like welts on my arms may be. They both replied simultaneously…pepper ticks. They were certain in their assessment.
Hippos basking in the sun at dusk at the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park.
Yesterday, Sunday, I spent hours researching pepper ticks for which there is very little information on these tiny, unseen to the naked eye, ticks that live in the bush, beds, furniture, clothing and will literally crawl up a pant leg to gain access to meaty flesh where they’ll attach themselves, leaving toxic larvae behind. This is what has been itching so badly.
 
The thought of larvae feeding off of my flesh makes me cringe. There were only a few articles on pepper ticks but this one caught my eye.  This morning as soon as we were up we headed to Daisy’s Den here in Marloth Park to make two purchases; one a tiny tin of Zambuk, a natural translucent paste, and a spray bottle of No-Tick Body Spray, safe for body and clothing (doesn’t contain DEET which doesn’t work against ticks).
A female lion we spotted from Marloth Park’s fence.
We’ll see how it goes. Tonight will be the big test when last night I was awake itching most of the night. At 3:00 am I was in the living room using an ice pack to get some relief.
 
This is Africa. We’re living in the bush. And with it comes some challenges and inconveniences, some of which are physically uncomfortable. Tom is not affected by any of this, nor does he get many mosquito bites. He uses repellent only at dusk which keeps him bite-free.
We were thrilled to see the huge herd of cape buffalos.
I’ll layer the mosquito repellent, the Zambuk salve, the anti-tick body, and clothing spray in the future. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted.
 

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 19, 2017:

Tom captured this Sierra Birdbum in Costa Rica after being stunned from hitting the window, dropping to the top landing of the steps leading to the ground level. He called out to me to come to see her which I did, but he stayed in place, taking photos of her eventual recovery. For more photos, please click here.

Visit to a dentist in South Africa…More excitement at “home”…Remembering a friend in the “Photo from one yea ago”…

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From left to right, at the reception desk are Dr. Luzaan, assistants Daleen, and Melanie. They can be reached at 061 608 9323 for appointments.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Male impalas who rarely visit our yard stopped by last night for a few pellets. They’re timid, and any sudden movement will make them dash off in a hurry. During the mating season, they bark when claiming their territory among other males. It’s a sound like no different sound we’ve heard in the bush.

As we drove through Kruger National Park two days ago, I felt a sharp pain in my right bottom molar several times over three or fours hours. It was over three months ago, while we were on the Antarctica cruise, that a temporary filling I’d had in Costa Rica finally fell out.

When we’d gone to the dentist in Costa Rica (click here for details), for some reason, I didn’t feel right having the dentist entirely replace the chipped filling. Instead, I asked for a temporary filling, knowing that something else would have to be done in time.  

The spotless waiting room in Dr. Luzaan Du Preez’s dental office is located two doors from Wimpy’s in the Spar Shopping Centre in Komatipoort.

Once the temporary filling was in place, I didn’t give it another thought until it fell out during dinner while on the cruise. Since there was no pain or discomfort, just a gaping hole in the tooth, I’d figured that in time I’d get it repaired. 

The well-equipped modern treatment room was the most sophisticated we’d seen in years with the latest and most professional equipment.

Oh, good grief. I don’t like medical stuff. But, if we still lived in the US, from time to time, we’d go to a dentist, a doctor, an ophthalmologist, or others for a wide variety of aches, pains, and illnesses that occur to us at any age. No one is exempt from these issues.

Many zebras were hanging around the yard when we returned from the dentist appointment and grocery shopping in Komatipoort. Of course, we gave them pellets, apples, and carrots.

Unfortunately, living outside our home country and unsure of the quality of medical care in many countries, taking care of medical issues is fraught with a certain degree of fear and apprehension. 

Warthogs are always lurking in the bush, waiting for other animals to stop by so they can partake in the pellet offerings. No wonder they are called wart “hogs.” Five zebras were munching.

Are things sterile?  Will we “catch” something in the doctor’s office? Is the doctor educated sufficiently to handle our concerns, or do they do “cookie-cutter” treatment for all their patients? One never knows. 

As we’ve worked with Dr. Theo Stronkhorst in Komatipoort for our vaccination boosters and my gastro issues, we’ve felt confident in his care. His knowledge and attention to detail are impeccable.

Then, there were seven zebras.

Yesterday’s appointment with Dr. Luzaan made us both feel the same way, resulting in our booking appointments to have our teeth cleaned on May 3rd. What an exceptional dentist! Plus, the entire bill, including x-rays, was only ZAR 625 (US $50.28)!

She took x-rays of my tooth to discover it has a crack, most likely from grinding my teeth at night, which I’ve done all of my life. She explained that the filling she replaced might not last forever, mainly if I eat anything hard to chew on that side. In essence, the tooth may eventually need a root canal and crown. I was in no mood for that right now or at any time soon.

Zebras tend to stay close to one another due to their distinctive stripes acting as a point of confusion to predators. However, in Marloth Park, generally, there are no predators. Although, recently, lions have been sighted.

She gently repaired the filling without anesthetic (to which I jumped only a few times), and we were off to the grocery store, meat market, and biltong store for the foodstuffs we need over the next week.

Another holiday is on the horizon, and once again, Marloth Park will be packed with tourists. We won’t be returning to Kruger until the holiday is over after the weekend. We hear it’s the “May Day” holiday which wasn’t mainly celebrated in the US in our old lives.  Instead, we celebrated “Labor Day” on the first Monday in September.

They stayed around for quite a while, occasionally tossing a kick toward a warthog who honed in on their treats.

By 3:00 pm, we were back home, put away all the groceries, and settled in on the veranda to a busy night in the bush. We used the gas grill to make pork chops for Tom and lamb for me, along with bacony green beans and homemade low-carb almond flour muffins, a real treat when warmed and topped with butter. 

Several times during dinner, we had to jump up to accommodate visitors. But, we don’t mind. A cold plate of food is just fine as long as we can spend time with the animals who stop by day and night, always making us smile.

Enjoy your day and evening! 

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

One year ago today, we posted a story and this photo (not ours) about our friend and loyal reader Glenn, who passed away a few days earlier. It’s with love, respect, and reverence that we recall his memory and post this photo once again as we think of Glenn and his lovely wife Staci, with whom we’ve stayed in close touch. For the full story, please click here.

Health updates…Doctor appointment in Komatipoort, South Africa…

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A giraffe against a blue sky in Kruger National Park.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A goose looking up at the sky while sitting on a tree stump in the Crocodile River.

Some mornings, when I sit down at the big table on the veranda to begin to prepare the day’s post, I’m at a loss for a few minutes. What can I say and show today that will retain the interest of our readers all over the world?

Many of our readers are from countries where life is very different from our lives and from what they know. That fact in itself is sufficient to hold their attention for a while but, over the long haul? We hope so!

The marshes along the shore of the Crocodile River.

We never want our readers to grow tired of our stories and photos, especially while we’re here during this extended period in Africa. At the very least, every 90 days, we’ll be off to other African countries to ensure we can return to South Africa, which we’re using as a base. 

In only 24 days, we’ll be leaving South Africa for Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe as we begin to round out our African experiences while complying with immigration laws.

Rapids on the Crocodile River.  No boats are allowed on this dangerous river, a habitat for crocs.

There’s no guaranty we’ll be allowed to leave and re-enter so many times in these remaining 10 months, but we’re hoping to accomplish this lofty plan we set out from the get-go.

In the interim, these 90-day stints in between our travels are filled with such purpose and pleasure that we’re beside ourselves with sheer joy. This morning as I write this at 8:15 am, we’ve already had two zebras, four bushbucks, four kudus, and dozens of Helmeted Guinea Fowl hanging out in the dirt yard in our clear view from the veranda.

Had this branch not been obstructing this elephant, she may have charged us when we suddenly came upon her while driving on the paved road in Kruger.

What a spectacular way to start the day! The first thing I see after heading outdoors after showering and dressing for the day is the wide grin on Tom’s face as he looks back at me from his steady stance at the edge of the veranda with the yellow pellet container in his hand, happy, fulfilled and excited to share what he’s seen so far. 

He gets outdoors well before me each morning. I tend to lounge in bed until 7:00 am or so, reading the world news on my phone. Once I’m up, I can get ready for the day in no time at all, highly motivated to see what’s going on.

Every night, we attempt to take photos of the bushbabies eating from the cup of yogurt we place on their little stand in a tree.

As you long-time readers so well know, we incorporate snippets of a more personal nature in our posts.  Some have asked, “Why post such personal matters?”

The answer to this is simple. There are literally millions of travel-related sites on the web, most extolling the virtues and downfalls of various tourist sites to visit throughout the world often while providing valuable information for travelers.

Tom took this photo that makes me laugh…Mutton Chops on the left and Scar-Face on the right, already on his knees in prime position for eating pellets. Of course, we complied. We love it when these two stop by, often twice a day.

We’re a little different. We include information about places we’ve seen and our experiences, good and bad.  However, we include the realities of who we are, good and bad, what we think and feel, and how we relate to each other and the world around us. 

At times, that information is highly personal; information people don’t necessarily share even when in a group of close friends.  And, here we are, sharing it with the world.

This bushbuck seems a little large to be nursing.  No doubt, mom will send her on her way to fend for herself.

For example, yesterday, we both had doctor appointments with Dr. Theo in Komatipoort, as mentioned in yesterday’s post here. We intended to review our immunization records, which we had with us, and begin updating some vaccinations sooner rather than later.

Also, I wanted to discuss my gastrointestinal issues with Dr. Theo further since the problems had recently returned after a short-term reprieve. I was so hopeful during the two-week period where the discomfort was minimal, thinking that perhaps, now that I was off the PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), which have many side effects, things would improve.

These two male zebras are now regulars, visiting every few days.

Alas, they did not. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in terrible discomfort, dreading the prospect of having to go to Nelspruit for invasive medical tests. I’m one of those people who totally freak out having to have invasive tests. I suppose most people feel the same way but are braver than I am.

Dr. Theo examined me again and felt confident that I didn’t need invasive tests when he suggested I try another H2 blocker (i.e., Pepcid, Tagamet), which has considerably fewer side effects and may be beneficial for me what he considers to be gastritis. My blood tests results were perfect, much to our relief.

Zebra drinking from the pond after eating pellets.

He also suggested some dietary restrictions, including high in acid, such as coffee, tea, chocolate (don’t eat these anyway), and anything carbonated (there go my sparkling water and diet tonic). I’m busy checking online for highly acidic foods to ensure I avoid them, along with all the other foods and drinks I avoid anyway.

After reviewing our records, he insisted we follow through on several vaccines but only had one available in his office, the rabies vaccine, which he injected in both of us. He wanted us to wait three weeks and return for those that need to be updated, such as typhoid, hepatitis, and a few others he’s going to research for us. I love a doctor who does research rather than sticks to the “old ways’ he already knows!

This morning in the bright sunlight, two females and two babies, regular visitors stopped by for pellets.  In the background is Wart Face, who can be very bossy around the pellets.  Even the aggressive and territorial guinea fowl are scared of him.

Dr. Theo is expecting improvement for my condition within four to five days. Once again, I’m hopeful. I took the first pill last night at bedtime and actually had a great night’s sleep. Whether I can attribute this to the medication or not is questionable at this point.

Today, we’re heading out to lunch with our new neighbors Rina and Cees from The Netherlands to the same restaurant Louise and Danie had taken us to at the Border Country Inn on Easter Sunday. No doubt, we’ll have a pleasant afternoon with our next-door neighbors.

May you have a pleasing day with those near you!

Photo from one year ago today, April 17, 2017:

With the sun shining in Fairlight, Australia, we opened the sliding glass door only to have a visitor come to see what I was cooking. Carnivorous scavengers Magpies are always on the hunt for a tidbit of meat. Three Magpies visit every day to see what morsels we have for the day. Please click here for more.

The saga continues…Doctor visit…Rules for feeding wildlife…

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This flower is blooming from this greyish pod on a tree in the yard.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A Vervet monkey-eating something rousted up in the trash in the neighborhood. Due to the monkeys, there are caged bins in front of each property to enclose the garbage until the garbage truck arrives.

Soon, we’re heading to the doctor to update some of the vaccinations we’d had in Minnesota six years ago. With several boosters needed, an excellent medical clinic was recommended to us by local friends.

These two zebras stop by occasionally along with Big Daddy Kudu.

We’ve been putting this off for some after failing to follow through with a plan we made to do this in January. We’d changed our minds about going to a local clinic in Buenos Aires, feeling it would make more sense to have these done in Africa, based on potential diseases one may acquire while here.

Yesterday, after the rain, we drove toward the river to find this scene. Adorable baby hippo with mom.

Today, we both have appointments with Dr. Theo, who’s located at the following phone and address: 

Telephone +27 13 793 7306
Address Rissik Medical Centre,
71 Rissik Street,
Komatipoort, 1340

A few weeks ago, I had an appointment to see Dr. Theo when it was time to have some blood tests. Today, I’ll receive the results of those tests and will schedule my vaccinations as needed. Tom will begin his vaccinations today.

As we drove along the Crocodile River, we spotted three more hippos grazing along the shore.

After the noon appointment, we’ll head to the Spar supermarket for more groceries, the Butchery for a few items, and the Obaro hardware store to purchase a few more big bags of pellets. 

Typically, males wander the bush together while females and the young stay together.

It’s been so busy with visitors in our yard that we can barely keep up. Never more than an hour passes that we don’t see any of the dozen or so species that frequently stop by.

Even the evenings are action-packed. As it’s turned out, we have more visitors now than we did four years ago at the Hornbill property, which we loved for that very reason. The house wasn’t ideal, but the flow of visitors was exceptional.

Many local women are adept at carrying heavy loads atop their heads.

Now, we love this house and the steady stream of wildlife, many often returning several times a day, topping our numbers at Hornbill. When they look into our eyes, we feel an affinity with everyone. Sure, they come for the food, not due to their “liking us,” but we can dream, can’t we?

Even the silly mongoose sit in the yard and stare right at us, wondering when we’re getting the big green pie plate ready for them with the raw scrambled eggs. Tom always makes the concoction and lays it in the dirt for them to devour, quickly running back up the veranda as they gather around the dish in the dozens. These funny-looking little creatures have come to know he’s the food source.

In Kruger, male impalas don’t seem concerned about staying close to elephants.

As soon as they see him, they begin watching his every move in anticipation of when the egg platter will be delivered. It’s hilarious. And, the same goes for various groups of animals each of us has come to know more readily.

Some homeowners and renters in Marloth Park don’t feed the wildlife. They feel it domesticates them too much. We understand this philosophy and appreciate their position. We also struggle with this concept.

Bushbabies gently share the cup of strawberry yogurt we place on the stand for them each night. They arrive every night when darkness falls.

But, knowing many of them desperately need nourishment and based on the quality of the vegetables, fruit, and pellets we provide, we feel we’re only supplementing their grazing in the bush.

As the leaves become more sparse as winter approaches, we’re particularly mindful of this dilemma. Also, there’s the concern about who will continue to feed them when we’re off to Zambia for a week next month.

It was almost dark, and these five bushbucks arrive to enjoy some pellets together. The only two we’ve seen together are the mom and baby, who visit frequently.

These animals are intelligent. If they don’t find food here, they’ll wander off to other homes where it’s available or rely upon the bush for whatever they can find. There’s no easy answer for “to feed or not to feed.”

Here is an excellent article from the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers that reviews the feeding of various grazers in the park. It clearly defines our theory of how and what to feed the wildlife. Please click here for the article.

Scar Face and Mutton Chops now stop by several times a day, most often together.

We’ve heard stories of homeowners feeding the animals their human “leftovers.” In most cases, these are not good for them, mainly when it contains foods they don’t typically consume. Kudus (and others) have died after eating corn and other human products. 

Also, it’s important to note that it’s unacceptable to feed wildlife old or rotting food. Their bodies cannot safely process the bacteria and pathogens found in rotting food. 

A warthog mom and her relatively young piglet, a kudu, and a Vervet monkey are all on the road beyond our driveway.

We will continue to feed the wildlife pellets and fresh cut-up veggies and fruit. We’ll always pay special attention to how long it’s been since we cut up apples, carrots, and vegetables to ensure freshness and safety for our visitors.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back tomorrow with more, including details of our visit to Dr. Theo in Komatipoort.

May you have a healthy and enriching day!  

           Photo from one year ago today, April 16, 2017:
Not as clear as we’d like, we took this photo from quite a distance to avoid scaring this rabbit off—happy Easter to all who celebrate. For more photos, please click here.

Health update…Figuring out solutions…

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A kudu was nursing her baby in our yard.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A White Helmetstrike perching near an unknown species of a blackbird.

Since we settled in South Africa, we’ve had many of our readers inquiring as to how I’ve been feeling after the awful knee injury in Buenos Aires and my continuing gastrointestinal issues. We both appreciate the inquiries and concern, constantly feeling our readers are so kind and in touch with what’s going on with us.

First off, I don’t particularly appreciate sounding like a medical mess. Who does? We all prefer to present a degree of health and wellness when we’ve made a concerted effort to be healthy, taking a certain amount of pride in good results.

One of many in the area, this termite mound s over 2 meters (6 feet) tall.  A variety of animals eat the termites from the mound.

In a perfect world, we can waft into “old age” with a modicum of good health. However, due to heredity, history and past injuries, many of us are plagued with certain conditions that, regardless of how hard we may try, continue to be a presence in our lives. Most of these “conditions” so to speak, only worsen as we age.

Since we began our travels almost 5½ years ago, I’ve been subject to three health situations, that regardless of how hard I tried, had to be dealt with the best way I could:  one, the problem with my gastrointestinal health from eating octopus in Fiji on Christmas Day, 2015; two, the injury to my spine in the pool in Bali which took five months to fully heal (no recurring problems); and three, the injury and subsequent infection in my knee from a fall in Buenos Aires in January, 2018, (since fully healed).

Ms. Warthog rolling around in the hay pile.

The only remaining issue has been gastrointestinal which initially became a case of H. Pylori (Helicobacter Pylori), gastritis and eventually ulcers which have plagued me consistently for over two years.   

The H. Pylori resolved after having had a blood test in Tasmania and being prescribed the usual “triple therapy” of significant doses of two types of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).  In many cases, even after this extensive treatment, one can end up with ulcers, which may require the continuation of a PPI indefinitely.

A  single mongoose gets an egg.  We purchased a container of 60 eggs for this purpose.

As a result, when I stopped taking the PPIs (omeprazole) while we were in Costa Rica I still was experiencing ulcer pain and knew I had to continue them for an extended period which is now over six months ago. 

After reading about serious side effects of taking PPIs long term, I’ve been determined to stop taking them when I wasn’t explicitly feeling any ulcer pain although I still had bouts of bloating, discomfort and other symptoms you can well imagine which can be a result of side effects of the pills. 

These tall cone-shaped structures act as scarecrows to keep birds away from banana trees.

Recently, I decided to stop the PPIs and see what happens. Now, that we’re settled here in South Africa and not traveling until May, this was a good time as any. 

As it turns out, stopping long-term (or short-term) treatment with PPIs causes a “rebound effect.”  The gastrointestinal tract has been signaled by the drugs to stop producing stomach acid. Without adequate stomach acid (hydrochloric acid, HCl) food is difficult to digest, causing bloating, pain and diarrhea,  constipation or both. It’s a catch 22.

With the grounds of our rental consisting mainly of low-lying bush, we don’t expect giraffes to come into the yard unless they wander down the dirt driveway. Giraffes prefer to graze where they don’t have to be continually ducking trees and branches. Subsequently, we drive around Marloth Park to find them.

Two weeks ago yesterday, on March 4th I abruptly stopped the pills. A week passed, no pain, no issues. During the second week, the burning started which I must admit has been almost unbearable. The reason for this is, without the drug, the stomach begins pumping excessive amounts of HCL to compensate for the lack of the drug. With the way the pills are made, there’s no way to taper the dose.  

Eventually, the amazing body will generally correct itself and a normal and adequate amount of acid will be produced, sufficient enough to handle the assimilation and digestion of food. Via comments on many medical sites, this process can take from two to six months to fully resolve.  I’m two weeks in.

Francolins often visit us.  They are shy, run very fast, fly very little and make lots of noise during the day and early evening.

It hasn’t been easy but I have to stick with this. After seeing three doctors for these issues in Tasmania, all with varying opinions and treatment options, I felt getting off this drug is of utmost importance, especially since I no longer feel any specific ulcer pain. 

The burning sensation of the excess acid my body is pumping to compensate for no longer shutting down acid production from the medication, comes and goes throughout the day and night. In the past week, I haven’t slept more than five hours at night and often find myself pacing in an attempt to stop the discomfort.

We may not see them each time we take a drive but we’re always thrilled when we do.

Nothing I eat or drink makes any difference although I am trying a low acid, bland diet within the framework of my usual way of eating. Last night, I had mildly seasoned sauteed liver, onions, mushrooms and steamed vegetables for dinner while Tom enjoyed homemade low carb pizza.  We’ll have leftovers tonight.

Hopefully each day it will become a little easier. I’m hoping it won’t require the two or more months to work itself out. In the interim, we’re staying upbeat and busy with many social events and activities, all of which are a good distraction. 

We’ve only had one wildebeest visitor to date but have seen others in Marloth and Kruger.

No words can describe how much I’m looking forward to being free of this. But there’s no better place to be during this time…loving life in Marloth Park, among our animal and human friends, all of whom provide a plethora of “feel good” hormones that certainly aid in the recovery.

So, there it is dear readers, the answer to the thoughtful inquiries many of you have kindly sent our way, the answers in one fell swoop. Tom, as usual, is lovingly supportive and has the uncanny ability to keep me laughing, living in the moment and looking optimistically to the future.

Vervet monkey are prolific in Marloth Park and are considerably less destructive than baboons.

May each of you enjoy good health and a sense of well-being. As we all know, above all else, nothing is more important than making every effort to maintain good health.

Photo from one year ago today, March 19, 2017:

Cloudy night at the Sydney Opera House when we attended an opera we’d booked well in advance for excellent seats. For more photos, please click here.

Final expenses for 31-nights in a hotel in Buenos Aires…We’re off to Ushuaia!…

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Due to the poor signal in this crowded Wi-Fi cafe in Ushuaia, we cannot upload any photos.  As mentioned in earlier posts, we’ll continue to make every effort to maintain our usual style of posts.  Would you please excuse any typos and formatting issues?
Yesterday was quite a busy day, and today won’t be much different. By the time you see this post, we’ll be at the airport getting ready to leave Buenos Aires to fly on a chartered plane to Ushuaia, Argentina, where we’ll board Ponant’s Le Soleal to begin our expedition to Antarctica.
We’ve been excited about this for a very long time. The situation with my knee put a bit of a damper on our enthusiasm. Still, now that I am on meds to hopefully alleviate the discomfort, we’ll be able to settle in on the cruise and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Getting out the door in the middle of the night wouldn’t be my preference. For Tom, after 42.5 years on the railroad, he was used to getting up and out the door at all hours of the day and night. But, now after retirement, even he cringed at the early hour.
Today, we wanted to share two important aspects of the 31-nights we spent in Palermo Soho Buenos Aires, Argentina; one, the reasonable expenses we incurred staying in the Prodeo Hotel, a fine boutique hotel two, a short review of the hotel itself.

First, let’s start with the expenses we incurred in total for the 31-night stay in the Prodeo as shown below: (Due to a poor Wi-Fi signal, we’re experiencing formatting issues):
 Expense   US Dollar   Argentine Pesos 
 Hotel – 31 nights $                  2,480.00 47,076.69
Flight – Round trip- inc
in cruise 		                  –               –
 Taxi   $                       65.31 1,239.75
 Groceries & Dining
out- inc tips 		  $                     987.87                     18.752.28
 Laundry  $                        56.00 1,063.02
 Tips for hotel staff   $                     158.05 3,000.19
 Pharmacy & Misc.   $                     477.52 7,157.48
 Total   $                  4,224.75 59,537.13
 Avg Daily Cost    $                     136.28 1,920.55

We’re thrilled to have spent this amount while staying in a hotel and dining out every night, the exception when we purchased groceries for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day when most restaurants were closed or only offered outrageous prices on fixed price meals, not suitable for our budget or, my dietary restrictions.

This was surely a bargain compared to the cost for groceries, rental cars, and vacation/holiday homes. And we imagine that a traveler desiring a month in this fascinating country could even do better with proper planning and careful spending.

Would we return to Buenos Aires in the future? Possibly, with our plans to return to South America in the distant future for some specific sites we’d like to visit such as Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, and the Pantanal. 

A contributing factor to our enjoyment in the area has been the quaint and charming Prodeo Hotel, a contemporary boutique hotel, architecturally interesting in a fantastic location, staffed by some of the most OK people in the land. We generously tipped all of the staff members who made this stay memorable.

During this less-than-busy summer season in Buenos Aires, there were many days we were the only hotel guests. However, whether it was a whole house or the only guests, we were always treated with the utmost kindness, generosity, and attention.

As shown in the above expenses, we booked the hotel through a corporate rate at US $80 (ARS 1,532) a night, a reasonable rate for this busy city with many other hotels twice as much or more. No doubt, our extended stay helped us with pricing, but the competitive nature of boutique hotels does allow for some special pricing from time to time. It never hurts to ask.

Any issues while we were here? The power went out four times when the city was having problems.  Our bathroom sink wouldn’t drain, but after a few hours of bringing it to staff’s attention, it was repaired. 

Housekeeping was inconsistent at times, but our room was always clean and well-kept. The complimentary breakfast was repetitive, most of which we don’t eat (fruit, granola, cakes, bread, etc.). We appreciated the daily sliced ham, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. Tom enjoyed the coffee while I sipped on my turmeric tea concoction each morning. 

The atmosphere is pleasing, comfortable, and inviting.  The bar has many types of beverages from fine wines to eclectic beer and serves some traditional Argentine empanada and other types of local food (none of which I could eat).  We never dined in the bar/dining room but enjoyed drinks from time to time.

The intimate hospitality by far surpasses what one may find in a large hotel, and we’ve discovered we mainly have found smaller hotels tend to suit our needs. We highly recommend Prodeo Hotel for your next visit to Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Small did OK getting up at 2:30 am and getting out the door in time for our 3:15 taxi to the airport. Check-in was a bit challenging and time-consuming, but Aerolineas, an Argentine airline, was seamless. Moving right along, we’re currently sitting at a tiny table at a tiny little bar with Wi-Fo in Ushuaia.

We both watched a free movie, Hacksaw Ridge, a stunning film on our individual monitors during the flight while the 3.5 hours passed quickly. Once we collected our bags, we were off to the bus with our Ponant group of passengers.

After a ride through the gorgeous town of Ushuaia, recognized as the most southerly city in the world or “the bottom of the world,” we headed to a local Accor Hotel for a magnificent buffet lunch with many foods I could have.

At our assigned table of English-speaking passengers, we met two fun couples and had a taste of the lively conversation yet to come with our cruise mates, most of whom are serious world travelers.  Not necessarily like us, but world-traveled, nonetheless.

We’ll be back with more as Wi-Fi allows, hoping to be able to stay in touch with all of you!

Take care until then!

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

Andrew and Ian Smith, father and son and innovative owners/managers of Willie Smith Organic Apple Cider and Apple Shed, including restaurant, cider shop, and museum. (Not our photo). For more photos of this popular landmark in Tasmania, please click here.