Part 1…Extraordinary Kruger National Park experience…Safari luck prevails…

What a glorious sighting! If this were all we sighted, we’d have been happy. But, as you’ll see in days to come, there was much more!!!

Yesterday morning, when we went to apply for the renewal of the annual Wild Card providing us with access to any of the country’s national parks, we were thrilled that we were in and out of the office at the Crocodile Bridge entrance in less than 15 minutes, new Wild Card in hand. The total cost was ZAR 3245, US $313.87 for one year for both of us.

With an extra battery for the camera, on a cloudy day, we didn’t expect to see much. When most of the wildlife anticipate rain, they take cover. There were a few raindrops here and there, but never enough to keep them from foraging in the depths of the bush and, at times, much to our liking, on or close to the main tarred road in the park.

After entering the gate with Wild Card documents in hand, we began our usual route toward Lower Sabie with a plan to stop at the Mugg & Bean Restaurant for breakfast. It’s a fun stop and rest area with a pleasant restaurant, clean restrooms, and a delightful gift and souvenir shop where I’ve been known to make a few purchases now and then.

What a gorgeous animal!

Since I rarely, if ever, shop in a store other than a grocery or pharmacy, while in Africa (or any country for that matter), I enjoy spending a few minutes in the gift shop while Tom waits at a picnic table outdoors. It was busy yesterday, mainly with South Africans and some foreigners.

As mentioned above, we didn’t expect to see much and prepared ourselves for this eventuality; I suggested to Tom to stop for the most common wildlife, much of which we already see in our garden in Marloth Park, to ensure we wouldn’t leave the park without any photos to share here.

That proved unnecessary. We were gifted with some of the finest sightings we’ve seen on one day in Kruger National Park. Since we had various experiences, we’ve decided to break them up into posts over several days. We will be including some new information about the specific species we’re representing that day.

I was holding my breath while taking these distant photos. I asked Tom to turn off the car and not move to keep the vehicle totally still.

Of course, we couldn’t resist starting with the magnificent leopard, our first sighting on the long drive to Lower Sabie. One of the most elusive of the Big Five (except for rhinos who are becoming extinct due to poaching), we couldn’t have been more excited to take the photos we’re posting today of the wonderous sighting, a leopard in a tree. Please excuse how much alike each image is. We waited a long time for her/him to move but no luck.

Here are some facts about leopards from this site:

“LEOPARD
Latin Name: Panthera pardus
Afrikaans: Luiperd
Distribution in South Africa:
Found throughout South Africa with concentrations in most National Parks, provincial reserves, and protected and inaccessible areas. Also found in some private nature and game reserves. Common outside conservation areas and generally the only large predator often found close to human habitation. Leopards occur from high mountains to coastal regions – semi desert to water-rich riverine areas.
Habitat:
Mountainous areas, thick bush, along streams and rivers in riverine bush. Leopards are very adaptable and they even occur in dry and semi-desert areas like the Kalahari.
Habits:
Leopards are shy, secretive and cunning animals. They are solitary except when mating or females with cubs. They are mainly nocturnal and probably the most adaptable predator. Their food varies from small rodents to large antelope like Kudu and Waterbuck. In areas with predators they will hoist their prey into a tree to feed on it, while hiding it from other predators. Leopards are perfectly camouflaged and hunt by stalking, ambushing and then pouncing on their prey. In areas where there are many other large predators, Leopards usually take their prey up into trees to prevent it from being stolen by the other predators. They are very agile in trees and can also swim well. Leopards are known to be very powerful and when cornered or harassed can be extremely dangerous to humans.
Difference between Male and female:
Males are much larger and stockier.
Mass:
Male – In certain areas male leopards can weigh up to 100 kilograms.
Female – In certain areas female leopards can weigh up to 65 kilograms
Lifespan:
About 18 years
Breeding:
Gestation period about 3 months. Usually 2 to 3 are cubs born throughout the year.
Food and Water:
Leopards are very opportunistic hunters and will feed on a wide variety of prey. Apart from insects, small rodents and large antelope, they will also hunt birds. Baboons, Warthog and Impala are their favourites. Depending on the area and availability of food, Leopards will also prey on dogs and domestic livestock. They are not water dependent in the sense that they do not have to drink water daily, but will drink daily when water is available.
Enemies:
Humans, Lion, Spotted Hyena, Wild dog, Nile Crocodile”
An exquisite animal.
Tomorrow, we’ll be back with more exciting photos and some videos we’ll be uploading to our YouTube page today. Please check back for more.
Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 22, 2021:

A gorgeous rhododendron on the tour of the Princeville, Hawaii Botanical Garden in 2015. For more, please click here.

Tips for saving money on booked cruises…More Kruger National Park photos…

Two giraffes at the Vurhami Dam.

We are shocked and surprised by how many of our readers continue to read our daily posts, especially when they’ve been so mundane and often dull over the past few years. First off, thank you for staying with us, and secondly, the photos and excitement should ramp up soon.

Yesterday, it was one month until we board the transatlantic cruise, sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. Today, it is two weeks until we fly away from Nelspruit to Tampa, arriving on March 24th. It’s hard to believe we are leaving here when we enjoy it so much.

Impalas were sheltering under a bush to stay out of the hot sun.

A comfortable, easy routine can also become a vise grip preventing adventure and challenges which we both feel are vital to good health and longevity. But, we don’t want to become complacent, letting these precious remaining years of our lives fade away into a routine from which we’d have trouble extricating ourselves. I don’t want to risk becoming complacent with my dangerous cardiovascular disease. Time slips away too quickly.

Two nights ago, we were on hold with Costco Travel once again for almost an hour and then on the phone with a representative for nearly 45 minutes, many of which we spent on hold. Since we’re not using our phones for calling right now, due to the suspension Google Fi imposed on us due to excessive roaming outside the US, we had to use Skype to make the call.

Rapids near the bridge at the Sabie River.

If both parties have Skype, the call is free. But the cost for calls outside the US is under three cents a minute. (When using Skype, we must have “credit” in our Skype account since the call recipient isn’t using Skype. It was not a significant expense).

Why were we calling Costco Travel about our upcoming cruise again? Since the pandemic and cruise lines’ desire to keep passengers, they have lifted restrictions. Before the pandemic, once passengers made the final payment, no further credits or promotions would be applicable. Now everything has changed. Most, not all, new promotions offered that impact your particular cruise will benefit the passenger. But, it’s entirely up to the passenger to know about this and have their cruise representative arrange the credits.

A hippo at the Sunset Dam.

Here’s how to do this in these easy steps:

  1.  Log on to your cruise line’s website and check for promotions for your cruise, even those you’ve already paid in full, making a concise note of what is included in the promo and your cruise confirmation number. (You may have to check this daily since some promotions time out in a few days).
  2. Contact your cruise booking representative. If you call the cruise line, they will tell you to go through your booking agent. If you booked directly through the cruise line, they will assist you with crediting the promotion to your cruise(s).
A croc in search of an opportunity.

The trick is to check daily, which Tom does for our upcoming cruises.

An alternate means of becoming informed as to promotions is as follows;

  1. Sign up free to become a member of Cruise Critic here. Click on the login and select, “Not a member yet.” Following the few simple steps to create a free account.
  2. Once logged in, at the top right of the homepage, click on “Boards.”
  3. Then, click on “Find Your Roll-call.”
  4. A list of all cruise lines and ships will pop up alphabetically. Select your cruise and see what other users have commented on discounts they’ve received recently to confirm the discounts applied to your cruise. Most regular users will share their savings here.
  5. Then, proceed to contact your cruise representative as indicated to set up the discounts for you.

    A giraffe and an elephant at the Sabie River.

This works well for us. Tom handles all of these steps. So far, since February 2022, we have saved a total of US $5969, ZAR 90463, as mentioned in our post on February 1, 2022, which can be found at this link here. Sure on Monday night, we were on the phone close to midnight (due to the time difference between South Africa and Costco Travel in the US), but it was well worth it.

We saved the additional US $409, ZAR 6198. Still, this time the promo was applied to our cabin credit, giving us additional funds to use for purchases, shore excursions, WiFi, drinks, specialty restaurants, or whatever we choose to purchase while aboard the ship. We already had a US $300, ZAR 4547 cabin credit but now have a cabin credit of $709, ZAR 1074.

Elephants seeking shelter from the hot sun under a sparse tree.

If you have any questions regarding this topic, please feel free to post them in the comments section or email either of us.

We are experiencing a lot of load shedding right now, which is particularly annoying at night when it’s hot. However, we have an inverter provided by Danie and Louise, enabling us to have WiFi and use one fan and one lamp in our bedroom. Daytime is less of an issue.

Have a healthy and happy day and evening!

Photo from one year ago today, March 9, 2021:

Last night’s sunset from the deck at the Amazing Kruger View Restaurant, we dined with Linda and Ken, who left today to return to Johannesburg. For more photos, please click here.

Fantastic anniversary day and evening…Kruger National Park photos…

The Vurhami Dam had a lot of debris from heavy rains, earlier in the spring.

Spending several hours in Kruger National Park necessarily wasn’t filled with “safari luck” this time. It was hot and humid, and we didn’t expect to see many wildlife attempting to stay cool in the dense bush. But, we had such a good time, chatting, laughing, and reminiscing that we didn’t even mind.

We were content to be in the air-conditioned car as we searched for sightings amid our lively chatter. The greenery in the park easily obstructs viewing. We’re happy to see the animals with abundant food supplies, but they stay undercover in the dense bush on hot days.

These elephants had their backs to us, but we were happy to see them anyway.

We were both hungry and looking forward to a nice meal. We both opted for breakfast, ordering delicious omelets with both cheddar and mozzarella cheese, topped with back bacon, avocado, and grilled grape tomatoes. By noon, we made it to Lower Sabie, a complex of offices, the fabulous massive gift shop, and of course, the Mugg & Bean restaurant.

Buttered toast was included, which I gave to Tom, and he piled his avocado slices on my omelet. It was a lovely breakfast. We spotted a few crocs and hippos on the Sabie River, but overall, the photo ops were limited. Tom splurged and ordered a strawberry milkshake with his breakfast, and I couldn’t resist taking this photo.

It’s a rare occasion that Tom has a milkshake but yesterday’s anniversary was the perfect day to indulge.

After our meal, I wandered through the fun stop, purchasing a few items for our friends who are hosting us for 15 days, and headed back to the little car. We then headed to Sunset Dam but saw very little there either. At that point, we decided to head back toward Crocodile Gate and eventually back home by 3:15 pm.

A giraffe was munching on treetops.

I had a lot of catching up with the walking and immediately got back to work to upload the short post I’d started before we left in the morning and commenced escalating my walking pace to get caught up. By the end of the day, I managed to do well over my goal of 8000 steps.

Moments before we headed outdoors to begin our evening on the veranda, my phone beeped. Rita and Gerhard wanted to know if we wanted to meet them and their visiting friends, Karyn and Dan, at Amazing Kruger View for sundowners. They are all leaving on a road trip on Wednesday, and we’d have one more opportunity to say goodbye.

Wildebeests were hanging out under a tree.

Rita and Gerhard are moving out of the Ratel house, which we’ll occupy when we return in December.  After they drop Karyn and Dan in Joburg to fly back to the US, they will continue on a road trip through rough terrain in their newer Toyota Helix, going to Namibia and heading back to Joburg, returning to their home in the US for several months.

We will miss them after all the great times we’ve had since they surprised us by showing up at the New Year’s Eve party a few months ago. Fortunately, we have other friends in Marloth Park, and our delightful social life will continue. Tomorrow evening we’re having dinner at Janet and Steve’s home, and Friday evening we’ll be back at Jabula where we always see many of our friends.

Yellow-billed storks at the Sunset Dam in Kruger.

With only 15 days until we fly to Florida, we have plenty to keep us busy. Tomorrow morning, one final dental appointment for me in Malalane, and on Friday, one last visit with Dr. Theo to get my three prescriptions to get me through until we return in December. I can purchase six months of meds here, and with my current stock on hand, we’ll return just in time to get more. Prices are very low on most prescription meds here in South Africa.

So there it is, folks, our 27th wedding anniversary came and went. March 15 is a special day for us too. I will share details on why one week from today.

Enjoy your day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 8, 2021:

What an adorable face! For more photos, please click here.

Today is our wedding anniversary…We’re celebrating with the animals…Off to Kruger National Park…

Bossy makes sure we see she is here for a visit.

Today is our 27th wedding anniversary, and we’re off to Kruger for a self-drive safari. When we arrive in Lower Sabie, we’ll have lunch at the Mugg & Bean Restaurant overlooking the Sabie River, hoping to see Cape buffalos, hippos, crocs, and more.

Sometimes a trip to Kruger proves to be uneventful. We hope to spot elephants on the long drive, and if we experience “safari luck,” we might encounter big cats and other exciting species. If we see a lot, we are grateful and excited beyond words. We are always prepared for that eventuality and take it with a grain of salt.

Yesterday, we grocery shopped for what may be the last time before we leave South Africa in a mere 16 days. If we run low on groceries, we can always dine out or make a run to the local meat market and the little shop for a night’s meal. At this point, we are trying to use up as much as we have on hand as possible as the days wind down.

I am working hard to get in as much of my walking as possible before leaving. I hope to have half of my usual goal accomplished before heading out the door soon. If we return by 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs, I’ll be able to finish the other half before dinner. I already prepped everything for tonight’s dinner except the salad I’ll make when we return.

We’d dined out twice in the past five days, and after lunch at Mugg & Bean, we thought dinner at home would be fine. We’re having bacon-wrapped filet mignon, fresh green beans, and salad, with rice for Tom. It will be a perfect way to celebrate our special day.

Off we go! We will be back tomorrow with photos from Kruger National Park.

Have a happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 7, 2021:

We waited quite a while to pick up their heads for a photo, but they were preoccupied. For more photos, please click here.

More photos from Kruger National Park…Another fun night at Jabula!…Great seasoning recipe…

This is a side-striped jackal, another less frequent sighting we were delighted to encounter. The side-striped jackal is a canine native to central and southern Africa. Unlike the smaller and related black-backed jackal, which dwells in open plains, the side-striped jackal primarily dwells in woodland and scrub areas.

One year ago today, the third day since our arrival in the bush in South Africa, we had no power for 19 hours and no WiFi. We are enjoying today without any outages, a strong WiFi signal, and a slightly cooler yet humid day. Often, this time of year, the temperature may only be in the 80Fs, 27Cs, but the humidity can be outrageously high, making us sweat until the sun goes down.

The kori bustard is a ground-dweller, hence the name bustard, meaning birds that walk. They have a majestic walk with measured strides. They prefer to walk away from danger and fly only when necessary because of their weight. They take off with hefty wing beats, but they fly quickly and strongly once airborne.

Nonetheless, it’s a good day. I’ve already prepped all the vegetables and ingredients for tonight’s taco salad dinner and only have to prepare the lettuce and cook the mince (hamburger meat) as soon as it defrosts enough to fit in the pan. I made the taco seasoning from scratch early this morning, using the ingredients listed below.

Those little packets of taco seasoning contain many chemicals and wheat, none of which we care to eat. Here is a simple recipe that takes only a few minutes to put together.

Marabou storks I first encountered at the old dump in Marloth Park in 2014. The marabou stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats in Africa south of the Sahara, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites.
Low Carb Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoon cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon dried onion or onion powder
2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Add all the spices to a mason jar or large zip-seal bag. Close and shake or stir until fully combined. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
Notes
Use 2 tablespoons for every packet of taco seasoning called for in a recipe or for every pound of meat with no additional salt added. Use 1/2 tablespoon to season 1/4 pound of meat if making individual servings. The individual serving size is about 1/2 tablespoon.

Nutrition
Serving: 8serving (1/2 tbsp) | Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 849IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Table setting at the boma in Kruger National Park. There we just the eight of us as guests, with several staff members serving and assisting.

This is so easy to make. This morning,  I added sliced olives, diced onions, grape tomatoes cut in half, and chopped lettuce in individual containers. I’ll soon cook the meat until no blood remains, draining it in a strainer, placing it back into the pan, adding seasonings as stated above, based on how much meat I am cooking.

Our plates of meat were delicious.

Then, I add about one cup of water for about 4 pounds, 2.2 kg of meat. Let the meat simmer until most of the water is absorbed, usually about 20 minutes. While the meat is simmering, I cut up one small avocado to serve atop my salad. Serve right away, layering your salad as you’d like. I add a dollop of sour cream to my salad, but Tom doesn’t add any dressing. Some may prefer to add salsa. Cool the meat slightly before refrigerating. It will keep in the fridge for four days or freeze in Ziplock individual servings.

There were several vegetable options, some without sauces which I selected.

OK, enough about food for you non-foodies. Oh, oh, one more thing about food. Last night, Rita, Gerhard, Petra, Fritz and Tom, and I went to Jabula for another enjoyable time together. We lounged at the bar for a while, ordered our dinner while at the bar, and then sat at the usual table for six that Dawn always saves for us and any group of six we may have to join us.

The food is consistently delicious, and the hosts divine, which brings us back over and over again. We never tire of dining and spending time at that great restaurant, unlike any other we tried throughout the world. The bar reminds us of the TV series Cheers, where “everyone knows your name.” And the food never disappoints.

This is the beautiful European roller. The European roller is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Morocco. The European roller is found in various habitats, avoiding only treeless plains. They migrate to South Africa from Europe each summer season. That’s a long flight!

When we returned home, we settled in for the night, watched an episode of a series on my laptop, and drifted off to sleep by midnight.

Today will be a quiet day. I continue faithfully with my new walking regime and haven’t missed a day since I started on January 1st. I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year was different. I needed to start walking more for my health.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, January 16, 2021:

These two piglets were Barbara and Lori, who are now almost full-grown and visit each day. This mom is now Tail-less Mom who recently lost her tail to an injury. For more photos, please click here.

Fantastic evening in Kruger National Park with friends…Rhino, hyena, lions and more…

Safari luck prevailed! It will take several days to post the many photos we took while in Kruger National Park on last night’s guided game drive with Rita (her birthday celebration), Gerhard, Petra, Fritz, Louise, Danie, and the two of us. We had the safari vehicle exclusively for our group only and dinner in the bush later on.

Our guide took this group photo of the eight of us.

I took the above video in error while I fast and furiously tried to take photos in the near dark without using any flash since using a camera’s flash is not allowed at night in the park. The flash can blind particular creatures, if not frighten them. We were in their space, not ours.

OK, I get it; a photo of a lion pooping is not necessarily worthy of posting. But, in the dark, in the moving vehicle, this was the best photo I could get of this lion.

As a result, the above video is all over the place. But I couldn’t help but share it with all of you when it included the dehorned rhino, hyena, and one of two lions we spotted in the dark. Also, some of our photos are not as clear as we’d like since many of the photos were taken in the dark, often in the moving vehicle. I’m not a good enough photographer to combat these issues. I did the best I could.

Hyenas are not always seen on a game drive. This one walked past us without giving it much of a thought.

With the eight of us in the safari vehicle with our highly competent guide and his significant other in the front seat, the conversation among us was fun and exciting as we saw more and more stunning wildlife. Our excellent guide, Xander van der Merwe, went over the top to provide us with an excellent experience, and he did. He’s highly skilled and knowledgeable, and the more experienced animal enthusiasts in our group learned a few things from him.

The two male lions were on the road at night in the dark.

If you are coming to or in this area, please don’t hesitate to give Xander a call for an experience such as ours. He will happily arrange an evening to be your guide and enjoy the dinner in the bush. He can be reached at +27 079 061 9995 or by email at xandervdmerwe14@gmail.com.

We waited for the rhino to turn around.

As it turned out, we saw four of the Big Five, but we weren’t disappointed to accomplish this common goal, as we mentioned many times. Sure, it would have been nice to see a leopard, but we saw many exciting and rarely seen wildlife. We couldn’t have been more content.

Finally, he turned, and I was able to get a shot of him, revealing he had been dehorned.

After stopping many times for various sightings on the evening drive, we didn’t arrive at the dining boma until around 8:00 pm, 2000 hrs, instead of the intended hour earlier. The fire was roaring, the tables were nicely set, and the buffet was set up with various options.

Quickly, he wandered off.

We gathered near the bonfire for exciting conversations over our special game drive. Firstly, wine and beer were served, and although all of us were hungry, we didn’t cut ourselves short on “sundowner time.” I drank regular red wine instead of my usual low alcohol wine but monitored myself carefully to avoid drinking too much. Tom drank beer.

Rita and I were standing under the sign.

Before dinner, the servers announced they were serving “champagne,” actually sparkling wine, to celebrate Rita’s birthday. We all raised a glass to her in tribute to her 60th birthday. After drinks and more photo-taking, we were seated at the table with our plate filled with good food. There were plenty of meats and vegetables available for me, while I avoided the starchy sides and dessert.

A beautiful sky at sunset.

Finally, we were on our way back to Louise’s and Danie’s Info Centre parking lot. We all hugged goodbye, delighted over extraordinary memories we’ll all treasure in years to come.

Enjoy our photos, and know there will be many more in the days to come.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, January 15, 2021:

We posted this photo one year ago. Mom, now called Tail-less Mom, with Barbara and Lori when they were piglets. Now full-grown, they visit us every day with Tail-less Mom and her two new piglets. For more photos, please click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The newborn wastes no time in beginning to suckle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great day!

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

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

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

Mom and baby hippo on the Sabie River.

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

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

Wildebeest family resting near what they think is a tree.

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

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

The first elephant we spotted on our self-drive.

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

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

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

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

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

Several elephants in the Sabie River.

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

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

Be well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A giraffe was crossing the paved road in Kruger.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We’ll never tire of spotting giraffes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay cool. Stay warm wherever you may be.

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

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

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

Two elephants flappped their ears as we passed.

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

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

A colossal elephant from a distance.

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

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

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

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

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

We love the low gurgling sounds of the hippos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a pleasant evening!

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

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