Immigration “wild goose chase”…Frustrating experience…Fun zebra video…

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Zebras often stop by to visit but usually with three, four of five. This dazzle 
of 12 zebras was quite exciting.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Two Ms. Bushbucks and the baby, waiting for the pellet delivery.

Nothing could have been more frustrating than yesterday’s trip to Nelspruit for our two appointments at the VFS Immigration office in an effort to extend our visas to February 20, 2019.

All of the required paperwork was in order and collated exactly as dictated by their website. We had our required black pen with us and our two separate batches of papers, one for each of us, were in a plastic bag as stipulated.

Zebra visitors with babies.

We ran into a number of obstacles in getting to the appointments in a timely fashion, although we’d left 2½ in advance of the 11:00 and 11:15 am appointments for the less than a 90-minute drive. Good thing, we left extra early.

 The long drive on the N4 Highway was cluttered with semis and other trucks requiring a tremendous amount of passing on the mostly two-lane highway. In South Africa, from what we’ve seen thus far, there is usually a shoulder on the road.  

This zebra tried coming up the steps but the tiles were too slippery for her hooves. Speaking of coming up the steps, this morning there was a mongoose under the table on the veranda looking for eggs.

Most drivers, let’s say 90%, will move onto the shoulder to make way for those desiring to pass, something we haven’t experienced to this degree in other countries. Nice people. Friendly drivers. Also, often we’ll encounter passing lanes every so often providing drivers to pass long rows of vehicles during busy times. This helps.

 Since we have no wi-fi on my phone (only calling) we used a printed map of the location from google maps. Well, wouldn’t you know, the directions were all wrong. The road where we needed to exit the highway wasn’t marked and we ended up well past Nelspruit, running into road construction that slowed us down by no less than 20-minutes.

Dad, baby, and mom drinking from the cement pond.  

Once we realized we’d gone too far, we turned around and headed to the area where we saw tall buildings. Surely, the immigration office would be in the center of town near the tall buildings. Plus, we called Louise and she walked us through it while looking at maps on her computer until we recognized where we should be.

You may ask, why don’t we have data on our phones? Simple answer. It disappears every 30 days and we were paying and paying for nothing. We didn’t use it enough to justify the expense when we have great wi-fi in the house.  Yesterday, we wished we had it. But, how often are we driving far from Marloth Park?  When in Kruger National Park, the signal is poor and it wouldn’t do us much good.

Baby zebra seeking shelter from the hot sun on a 40C (104F) very hot day.

Rather than designating a specific street name and number on the immigration website, it stated the location was at the corner of Brown St. and Paul Kruger St.  That should have been easy. We parked in a ramp and searched for it on foot.  That was nearly impossible.

 The immigration office is located in a convoluted mix of banks, offices, and shops with many ending up down long narrow passageways. An address would have been of no help whatsoever.

The zebras and other wildlife like cold moist, celery tops, and lettuce on hot days.

Finally, with the help of a security guard in one of the bank buildings (there were a few), he pointed us to elevators to go to the fifth floor. The only elevator of four that was working was the freight elevator. We took it.

 We arrived at the front door five minutes before our first appointment at 11:00 am. We were wanded by a guard, who checked our papers and used a card to swipe the door look to let us enter. We were told to sit in specific chairs based on our appointment times and told to keep moving to the “next” chair as people were called.

The zebras often fight when having to share pellets but these two were in perfect harmony.

No food, no beverages, no cell phones were allowed. For two full hours, we sat there staring into space, often wondering why people went ahead of us and others, while we all waited.

 I won’t go into details about the processing system. In essence, the three-tiered process made sense. The waiting did not. After the two hours, we finally made it to system #1 and sat down to wait again in another grouping of chairs. Thirty minutes later we made it to system #2.  

Big Daddy stopped by for pellets and a drink from the pond.

It was at system #2 that were told, they could not, would not accept our application for processing since we’d arrived weeks too early for an extension all the way to February 20th. We’d have to return and start over. Nothing we’d done that day would count.  

They sent us on our way after writing down a walk-in date and time of 8:00 am on October 24th. There was nothing else we could do. We left frustrated and disappointed with little to say to one another. We’d been given the wrong information. But, then again, as we always say, this is Africa. Perfection is not on the menu.

He likes eating off the edge of the veranda when he doesn’t have to bend down to the ground with that big heavy rack.

Fortunately, the return drive was uneventful. We stopped on at Melalane to shop for a few grocery items and also to shop at the local Click Pharmacy so I could pick up a few cosmetic items which took about 40 minutes. But, we dodged a bullet!  

 Once we were on the highway, I asked Tom if we needed fuel. He looked at the gauge and the “empty” light was flashing. When we found the first petrol station, the little car took 30 liters. Good thing we caught it or we’d have had an entirely new “situation!” Whew!

 The items I needed in Melalane (or similar thereof) are in the missing box, shipped from the US on May 28th, and had yet to arrive due to a postal strike since resolved but leaving a mess in its wake. Management claims the box is on a shipping container yet to be unloaded. More on that later.

Mom and Baby stopped by as they often do.

We pulled up in the driveway around 1600 hours (4:00 pm), almost eight hours later. We were hot (it was 39C, 102F), dehydrated, and utterly exhausted. We stopped to see Louise and Danie for a bit to explain what had transpired and headed home to eat dinner outdoors, feed a few animals and eventually go to bed early.  

 I think I slept for eight hours, although not continuously. Tom was up at 5:30 am feeding wildlife as usual. We’re better today after having accepted the fact we’ll be returning on October 24th and then after that, one more time to find out if we’re approved.  

 If not approved, we won’t know until we arrive the third time, when they open a sealed envelope in front of us with our results. Tom said, “It’s like the Academy Awards.”

Mom and Baby happily munching pellets by the steps, where they prefer to dine!

Today, we headed to Komatipoort and Lebombo to shop for food and pellets. All went smoothly. It’s even hotter today at 40C (104F). Currently, I’m finishing today’s post indoors with a fan blowing. It gets sunny on the veranda this time of day and it’s hard to see the laptop screen.  

 By 1700 hours (5:00 pm) we’ll set up the veranda for the evening, as usual, pour ourselves a cold beverage, and enjoy yet another night in the bush. How many such nights are remaining, we don’t know at this point. But, we’ll continue to cherish each and every moment.

 Have a lovely evening wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, September 6, 2017:

The scenery was pretty while driving in the mountains of Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Mongoose mania…Wild and crazy visitors…A frog thing…

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“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

It’s not easy lying down and getting comfortable when you have big tusks.

By the time you see today’s post, we’ll already be in Nelspruit at the immigration office for our 11:00 am appointment to which we’re bringing a pile of printed documents inside a plastic bag as required. I don’t quite get the plastic bag thing but who cares?  We have plenty of plastic bags.

This won’t be the first time in our travels that we’ve had immigration issues. It was most challenging in Australia as described in this post in March 2017. Earlier in Bali, Indonesia we had to visit the immigration office every 30 days with a new pile of documents as shown here in this post.

We’d just fed the eggs to the mongoose and the green bowl remained on the ground. The warthog on the left was digging a hole, most likely in search of roots.

During our stay in Belize for 2½ months in 2013, we had to take a small rickety boat, called the Hokie Pokie to get to the immigration office on the other side of the bay, a 30-minute excursion. Here’s the link to that post.

Needless to say, we’ve had our fair share of immigration challenges. Now, as we’ve matured in our travel experience, we’ve begun to avoid long stays where it may be an issue, the exception, of course, has been our desire to stay in Marloth Park for one year, a rare occurrence.  

Last night, Bid Daddy stopped by in the dark.

It’s unlikely we’ll ever stay anywhere longer than 90 days in the future regardless of how much we love the location. This doesn’t mean we’ll avoid countries with 30-day visas.  

We’ll only stay 30 days or less in those locations. We’ve learned our lesson although we don’t regret the valuable time we spent in those countries, leaving us with exceptional memories with stories and photos to share.

As for today’s appointment, as mentioned, we’ll share the details as they unfold over the next many weeks.  

He stayed in this spot for quite a while deciding on his next move.

As for today’s video and photo, we continue to reel with excitement over the number of visitors coming our way. We particularly get a kick out of the mongoose who seem to hover nearby most days. We can hear their little squeaky little sounds, at times high pitched when they have a mission in mind.

Today’s video clearly illustrates how funny they are. They’ve come to know us quite well, Tom when he delivers the green bowl filled with raw scrambled eggs and my voice when I call them to announce eggs are on their way.  

This is our new favorite male pair, “Siegfried and Roy.”  They adore each other and are always close to one another.  

Once we spot them in the garden I keep them around by talking to them while Tom mixes up the eggs in the bowl.  No, we don’t give them pricier free-range eggs. Instead, when Tom goes to Lebombo for apples and carrots, he’ll purchase a five-dozen pack of their cheapest eggs.  

The mongooses go absolutely wild when he places the bowl of eggs on the ground as shown in the above video.  Each time, we can’t help but laugh with sheer delight over this unusual event.  

Although we posted a similar photo a few days ago, last night this frog returned to be near the thermometer.

It’s important to keep the mongooses happy when they are experts at killing snakes. Oddly, they’re immune to the toxic venom and can easily survive being bitten.  For an interesting post on mongoose facts, please click here.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back tomorrow with more photos and the story of our appointment at the immigration office in Nelspruit.

A few hours later he’d moved to the light fixture above the thermometer and was facing the wall supporting the fixture. When we stayed at the African Reunion house in Marloth Park in 2014, we had a similar situation where a frog visited every night hanging out in the same area of the veranda. 

Have a pleasant and fulfilling day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 5, 2017:

A hen and her chicks in the gated community in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

The simple things to make life easier…Lots of visitors have returned…

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Now that the weekend has ended and many holidaymakers have left, 
the animals have returned to our garden.
 
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
A pretty female kudu face.

Now that the bulk of the tourists have left after the long weekend, we were thrilled to welcome many visitors back to our garden after a sparse weekend.  Yes, we had visits from bushbucks, warthogs, mongoose and even an appearance by Wildebeest Willie over the weekend but hours would pass before we’d see a “soul.”

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw this tiny baby bushbuck in the garden.  

On Monday morning the live-action began once again. They literally came to call in droves, and we could hardly sit still for a few minutes when we’d jump up to welcome them proffering pellets, apples, carrots, and other vegetable scraps they seem to like such as lettuce tops and celery scraps.  

It was the tiniest bushbuck we’ve seen in almost seven months.

I must have spent two hours in the kitchen chopping up the vegetables in small enough bite-sized pieces suitable for the tiny tots who love to munch along with the adults.  

Once, we saw a baby bushbuck struggle with a piece of carrot and we panicked it was going to choke. Somehow it managed to spit it out and try for a smaller piece. Since that incident, we’ve been cutting the piece small enough for even the tiniest of wildlife.  

We’d gone indoors to do a few things and I heard loud squawking by these two hornbills that just wouldn’t stop.  Upon further inspection, we discovered monkeys had eaten all the seeds in the feeder while we weren’t watching. The hornbills were letting us know they wanted the seeder filled with seeds. Tom took it down and re-filled it.  As soon as he set it back up, within seconds they were back, happily eating the new stock of seeds.

Sure, it takes more effort to cut the pieces so small, but now, it’s the only way we do it. Louise had brought us a new food processor for this purpose but unfortunately, it doesn’t cut the items into the right sized pieces, and hand cutting them is the only way.  

Yesterday in the late afternoon, we had so many visitors, we lost count.  

Instead, we’ve used the food processor for prepping our meals, and it’s been quite a time saver. Yesterday, I made Tom his favorite meal, low carb, grain-free pizza. After reading horrible things about pre-grated cheeses, I made a commitment, I’ll never purchase that type of cheese again.

Although not as many as last week’s 25 kudus, we counted 18 in this group.

Instead, we buy the big chunks of imported cheeses to use in making his pizza and other cheesy recipes. Before we had the food processor, we were grating the cheese using one of those tricky metal graters which required a lot of time and effort.  

Now, we grate the quality cheeses in the processor which we’d done in our old lives. But, over these past several years of world travel, I resigned myself to using the disgusting pre-shredded cheese instead of hand grating.  

We couldn’t keep the pellets coming fast enough with such a wide array of visitors in the garden.

A few months ago, I read an article about how that pre-grated cheese is processed and I decided, no more! Hand grating, here we come. But, when Louise and Danie had gone to Nelspruit they found this food processor for us.  We couldn’t have been more appreciative and grateful. It’s come to great use.

The kudus and the warthogs seem to get along well when feeding.

It’s often the simple things that we appreciate the most. Recently, I washed my white tennis shoes and water shoes in the washing machine. They came out perfectly after drying in the hot sun and now they both appear new.  

I’ve washed my makeup brushes in the washer in a cloth bag and they come out clean and new. In my old life, I’d have replaced these items instead of resorting to simple yet efficient processes to extend the life of products not easily found here in South Africa.

As often is the case, there were many who’d stopped by.

Yes, today, I’m wearing a pair of jeans with a few holes. Instead of tossing them, I wear them anyway. Torn and ratty jeans seem to be a trend in some parts of the world.  

For some odd reason, they like to hang out near the little car.

The white tee shirt I’m wearing has a stain near the neckline that I couldn’t get out with bleach. My hair hides the stain. I still wear the shirt although not necessarily when we going out to dinner or to socialize.  

Somehow we make do with what we have although a few times a year we need to replenish some of our supplies that we cannot replace locally. On May 28th we had a shipment sent from our mailing service in Nevada. The tracking information showed it was received in customs on June 6th and processed without issue. Now, three months later, it’s yet to arrive. More on this in tomorrow’s post.

After we decided to hold back on the pellets, since we were going through them so quickly, they wandered off to the bush. As soon as they heard my voice, welcoming other visitors, they quickly returned to ensure they were in on the action.  So clever.

Tomorrow, we’re leaving the house around 9:00 am to drive to Nelspruit for our 11:00 am appointment at the immigration office. Subsequently, we’ll schedule the new post to upload automatically while we’re away for the day. We won’t miss a beat.  

We won’t know anything after tomorrow’s meeting but will review the experience in Thursday’s post.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 4, 2017:

In Costa Rica, this iguana posed nicely for us, seemingly unperturbed by our close proximity. For more photos, please click here.

The immigration story continues…Nighttime visitors…

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Last night, Tom took this photo when he checked the thermometer to find a frog doing the same. It was 25C, 77F at 2200 hours, 10 pm.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Hippo and cattle egret on the river’s edge.

I almost don’t know where to begin regarding the South Africa immigration story. With a definitive response, when our passports were stamped when we re-entered at the airport in Nelspruit after a trip to Zambia, that we won’t be allowed to stay beyond November 21, 2018.

As mentioned in a few prior posts, our only solution was to find a holiday home where we could stay for three months while we await our big upcoming tour in Kenya beginning on February 22, 2019. This was no easy task.  
In the dark, Tom also spotted a re-visit of giraffes in our garden.  I was already asleep so he took the photos.

Between us, we each spent no less than 40 hours in research trying to locate a holiday home for this extended period, for these specific dates, in any country we were interested in staying for three months. On short notice, 95% of most properties were already booked.

Even if we stayed part of the time in a hotel and the remainder in a holiday home, we couldn’t match up the dates and locations that would work for us.  Also, we had to consider airfare, rental cars (or other means of transportation), distance, and expenses during this period.

Two giraffes munching on treetops near the little car.

Frustration kicked in after a few days of research but diligently we continued to consider many alternatives that would have been less desirable such as staying in apartments or hotels during the entire period. Living in a hotel for three months was certainly not an appealing prospect.

Considering there are a number of countries in Africa we’d prefer not to visit, our options were limited.  Louise and Danie were well aware of our frustration and in their usual thoughtful manner, connected us with a highly experienced and competent immigration specialist who walked us through, over the phone, how to complete the myriad documents in order to get an extension until February 20th.

A giraffe visiting in the dark.

I’m not exaggerating slightly when I say, it took the entirety of two days to get the paperwork completed, collated, and stacked all of which Louise handled with her printer at her home office. On both ends, we were at it for two days. I don’t know how we can ever thank her and the kindly immigration specialist who supported us through this process.

I must add here, that no special consideration is given to us. We are simply following the “letter of the law” in compliance with gathering the endless number of documents required to possibly receive an extension.  

She’s awfully close to the little car.  One swift “necking” and it could be totaled.

This included bank statements, financial documents, passport and visa documents, and many peripheral forms to be completed, dated, and signed at the time of the meeting. Also, we paid a fee of ZAR 3550 (US $240.42) but weren’t allowed to use any of our credit cards. The fee had to be paid using a South Africa credit or debit card.  

Once again, Louise came to the rescue. We used her card and gave her the cash we’d received from an ATM. This added exponentially to the amount of paperwork in order to be able to confirm Louise authorized this transaction

Moms and babies at the Crocodile River.

During this process, using the complicated South Africa Immigration website, we were assigned an appointment date and time for a face-to-face meeting upcoming this Wednesday morning in Nelspruit to which we must bring all of the printed documents. Complicated, to say the least. 

Part of the process required we include airline tickets showing we’re flying out of South Africa on February 20th (coincidentally, the date of my birthday). The only tickets available were over ZAR 16243 (US $1000) and are non-refundable. In other words, if we don’t get approved to stay until February 20th, we lose the money we paid for the tickets. Oh, goodness.

A noisy hadeda bird flies overhead almost every night at dusk.

We decided we had to take the risk. We understand the necessity of this complicated process for visa extensions when so many countries struggle with those overstaying their visas or entering illegally.  

So here we are, two days from taking the 90-minute drive back to Nelspruit, from which we returned only a few weeks ago after our flight, to enter our documents in person to see if we’ll eventually be approved. It can take two to four weeks for a response. Hopefully, we’ll know by the end of September or early October.

Bushbaby tongue sticking out and the others head in the yogurt cup!

After Wednesday’s in-person meeting, we’ll include an update and will continue to update the news here as it becomes available.

Enjoy today’s photos, some of which Tom took last night in the dark while I was sleeping.  

For those in the US, today is Labor Day. Have a safe and meaningful day whatever you may do!

Photo from one year ago today, September 3, 2017:
This Giant Tortoise is located at the Zoo Ave location, although not indigenous to Costa Rica. We suspect the facility imported some of its wildlife to attract more visitors to its rehab facility. For more details, please click here.

Everyday is a new day with new discoveries and wonders…It’s a “birdie” day!…

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Hornbill sitting near the bench at the overlook at Two Trees, where we always spot wildlife.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Blue starling on the fence between Marloth and Kruger Parks.

This is one of the most gorgeous mornings we’ve experienced at Marloth Park since we arrived almost seven months ago. No, we haven’t had a lot of visitors so far today with another holiday weekend winding down from lots of tourists resulting in less wildlife stopping by.

The balmy breezes, clear skies and ideal temperatures hovering around 28C (82.4F), couldn’t be more perfect. Of course, we’re bracing ourselves for the African summer and its outrageous heat increasing over the next few months.

A pair of laughing doves, commonly seen in the parks and in our garden.

We easily recall the heat when we arrived here in December 2013 which carried through the three months we spent in Marloth Park. Going forward, based on where we’ll be living on the continent, we can expect high humid weather in months to come.

A pair of hornbills in our birdfeeder which we have to watch closely when nuisance monkeys try to eat the seeds.

The birds are singing and we appreciate the sounds of the wind whipping through the sekelbos (sickle bush) trees in the bush and the myriad plants on the veranda which include a few varieties of palms and lemongrass.

A few of our favorite bushbucks, warthogs, and mongoose have stopped by this morning along with several appearances of Frank and The Mrs. who let us know they’re looking for seeds. They don’t fly up to the birdfeeder so we drop seeds onto the ground for them, hoping they get a few nibbles before the several dozen helmeted guinea fowl take over.

Mr. Ostrich and his fluffy feathers.  They all look bow-legged.

Yesterday, we embarked on our usual drive through the park, discovering some of the photos ops we’re sharing here today and tomorrow. Since access to Kruger is challenging again with the holidaymakers, we’ve decided to wait to go until the crowds thin out. Hopefully, there will be a good time to go in the upcoming week or two.

Moms and babies.

Last night, again with the exceptionally pleasant weather, we lounged once again on the veranda enjoying a cocktail while waiting to see who’d arrived. For dinner, we had one of our favorite meals, taco salad (minus the floury shell). They don’t sell the packets of seasoning here so I make my own flavorings in order to keep the carb count low. We used wonderful ground tenderloin for the meat.

For the first time in a long time, I added avocado to my salad, a very special treat. They’re commonly found in markets in South Africa but finding them at the correct stage of ripeness is always a challenge. This time it worked out. We purchased three large dark-skinned avos for a total of ZAR 15.90 (US $1.08)

This tiny baby managed to make it down this steep embankment.

I recall paying ZAR 44 (US $3) for a single avocado in the US over six years ago before we left. Many food items are expensive here but not produce, beef, pork or chicken. Fish is on the high end along with many packaged good but not all.  

Trunks are so “handy.”

Tonight, we’ll enjoy our leftovers from last night, making today a very easy day for us.  I already chopped the tomatoes, purple onion, olives, and celery and grated the fresh cheddar cheese for Tom. Tonight, I cut up more avocado for my salad. (No cheese for me).

As I’ve continued to avoid all dairy products my gastrointestinal issues are all but gone. How I suffered for 2½ years to now feeling well continues to baffle me.  Why didn’t I figure this out sooner?  

Little blue and grey bird, a blue waxbill, near us while we sat on the bench at the overlook.

I’d read that getting helicobacter pylori which was diagnosed in January 2016 in the Huon Valley in Tasmania, can cause lactose intolerance, why didn’t it ever occur to any of the three doctors I saw for the condition? And most disappointingly to me, why didn’t I figure this out when I’d spent endless hours researching possible solutions?

Well, in any case, I’m thrilled to have finally figured it out and now can live a relatively normal life although I still can’t eat starch, grains, fruit, sugar, and now dairy. What does that leave me?  

A hornbill checking us out, “Got any seeds?”

I can have any type of animal protein, eggs, butter (no problem with that dairy item in moderation), and non-starchy vegetables. I still can use almond and coconut flours but do so in moderation while I’m attempting to continue to lose a few more kilos (pounds). It’s going well although slowly.

As for lack of calcium, I’m consuming mackerel, sardines, tuna, or salmon daily which are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D. See this link for details:  “Fish with soft bones, such as canned salmon and sardines, are good sources of calcium and vitamin D. Three ounces of sardines, for example, nets you 325mg of calcium and 200 IU of vitamin D. Cooked ocean Atlantic perch and rainbow trout are also calcium-rich. And tuna is also a great vitamin D choice. Recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU for most people. Ask your doctor for recommendations.”

Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing an update on our immigration situation which may be surprising to some.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2017:

All of these young rabbits appeared to be part of a herd, living in a “warren” in the well-designed spacious habitat of Zoo Ave, a rescue facility in Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Money, Money, Money…A song and also real life!….

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Every evening around dusk, before Frank and the Mrs. (to his left) go off into the bush to “make their noise,” announcing the beginning of the night, they stop by the veranda steps for birdseed which we happily provide for them.  Whatever is left is eaten by either the helmeted guinea fowl or, believe it or not, the warthogs.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Every night the bushbabies find their way to their little stand and gobble up the fruity yogurt we place there.  They often tip the cup, occasionally dropping it to the ground. Tom always picks it up and places it back on the stand for them.

Last night we paid the second big chunk of an installment for the upcoming Kenya tour in February. It’s an expensive tour, and we cringed over the price considering our budget constraints, especially when last night we paid well over ZAR 73,437 (US $5,000) for the second of three installments as required by the tour contract.

Elephants on the Crocodile River enjoying their day.

Last week after we returned from Zambia and Botswana, we paid rent for three upcoming months in Marloth Park, typical when living in rental holiday/vacation homes. Generally, with popular properties, long-term renters pay large sums at a time rather than paying monthly.

Most wildlife gravitates to the river for water, cooling off, and rich sources of nourishment.

When having a permanent home, one often doesn’t pay three, four, or five months in advance. Plus, when booking tours, vacations/holidays, it may be for only one or two trips a year.

For us, we have to pay so much in advance to secure plans for the future that it’s not surprising we cringe when having to lay out large sums of money well in advance of plans far down the road.

A hornbill and “Frank and the Mrs.” our resident francolins.

We use credit cards to pay for all of our expenses when we can’t use banking’s “bill pay” or send checks (which we consider an antiquated means of paying anyway in these high-tech times). We prefer not to use “bank transfers” for security reasons.  

Keeping track of all of these transactions requires a tremendous amount of diligence and record-keeping to maintain one’s sanity and sense of where we are financially at any given moment.

Two wildebeests, neither of them Wildebeest Willie, stopped by for treats with Tusker in the background and numerous helmeted guinea fowl who were hoping for a few pellets for themselves.

Every few months, we reviewed every upcoming dollar to be spent for current and future travels, referring to our comprehensive Excel spreadsheets of many pages. On top of that, we must keep diligent records for tax purposes.

In our old lives, once a month, we entered all our bills into our bank’s bill pay feature, never giving it much of a thought until the next month. In this life, we must constantly stay on top of our current and future expenses, deposits paid, balances due, and projected expenses for the future based on historical experience.

A mating pair of ostriches. The female is brown, while the males are predominantly black.

Need I say, this is a daunting task that those considering long-term world travel may not consider. When booking for the future, it’s imperative to consider the budget, above all other interests and desires.  


We don’t mean to sound like “tightwads,” but the future success of traveling the world is entirely predicated by careful financial planning and maintaining good health.  Both of these vital areas could easily “get away from us” if we weren’t a cautious as we’ve chosen to be.

Mom, Auntie, and Tiny Baby, who only months ago was the tiniest warthog we’d ever seen.

When living on a fixed income, one can easily imagine how disastrous it could be to find oneself living beyond their means and running money difficulties.  It would take away all of the joy and adventure of living this peculiar life on the move.

Wildebeest Willie stops by to check out the pellet action.

Instead, we carefully monitor all of our spending to ensure we stay within the confines of our budget.  Special purchases we may have once enjoyed are a thing of the past. 


Every financial move is calculated even to the point that we can’t dine out two or three times a week, nor can we flippantly select preferred rental cars or holiday rental homes.  Our most recent tiny, little car was ZAR 14,687 (US $1000) for three months (as mentioned in an earlier post).

Here again, Tusker is in the background awaiting an opportunity to get in on the pellet frenzy.  He visits several times a day while these or other zebras may stop by a few times a week.

And yes, we bounce around on these bumpy dirt roads more than ever in this recent car, but it doesn’t keep us from getting out to explore as we have all along.  


After we spent most of the morning updating and working on the “money, money, money” (click here for the Abba song), we’re excited to take off soon for another of those bumpy rides, always providing us with such pleasure to be a part of the magical world surrounding us here in the park.

This is our favorite warthog, Tusker.  He knows his name and turns around in one quick pivot when I call him.  It’s hysterical!  He’s charming to all of the other animals, politely waiting his turn.

For all of our readers/friends in the US, please have a safe and meaningful Labor Day weekend as you wind down the summer months.  Here in South Africa, we’re ramping us for spring to begin soon, on September 21st.


We’re worlds apart in the distance but close at hand in our hearts.  Happy day!

__________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, September 1, 2017:

One year ago, we reviewed September firsts throughout the years of our travels, including the above photo and caption here:  The day we arrived in Kenya on September 2, 2013, we were shocked to discover that there was no living room, no salon, no sofa, no chair nor a dining table and chairs on the interior of the house.  In other words, we spent three months living outdoors on this veranda with no screens, venomous insects on the floors, furniture, and walls, and excessive heat and humidity (no AC, no TV).  We adapted spending from 7 am to 11 pm outdoors every day for three months, less when we went on safari in the Masai Mara.  What a good learning experience this was!  By the time we reached South Africa after leaving Kenya, we had no interest in being indoors in the two air-conditioned living rooms in the Marloth Park house.  Again, we spent every day and night outdoors!  How quickly we humans can adapt! For the one-year-ago post, please click here.

What a morning!…Many species came to call within a two-hour time frame…Is this real?

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This was our first daytime giraffe visit at this house.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Zebras, helmeted guinea fowl, and of course our boy Tusker, whose quite a regular.

This morning we heard helicopters flying overhead heading to Kruger National Park in search of poachers. A considerable effort is being made to preserve the integrity of our endangered species who are being slaughtered for their horns, tusks, and even the scales of the quickly becoming extinct pangolin (an animal we’ve yet to see and would love to).

Within minutes a second giraffe arrived, and we excitedly photographed them both.

The sun is shining. The temperature is a comfortable 20C (68F) with a mild breeze. Endless varieties of birds are singing, and we even can hear the gurgling sounds of hippos a short distance away on the Crocodile River. .TIt couldn’t be a perfect morning…so we thought.

Giraffes have little competition for food in the treetops other than other giraffes.

Awakening earlier than usual after a good night’s sleep, while Tom was watching the Minnesota Vikings final pre-season game, I interrupted him to ask if he’d like to go to Kruger once I completed the post and he finished watching the game.

We couldn’t have been more thrilled to see them in our garden at long last.

In most cases, he enthusiastically agrees, but this time, he hesitated to state the weekend was here, and the crowds would be overwhelming in the national park during this busy holiday season.  

This more miniature giraffe may have been the offspring of the visiting female.

I was slightly disappointed but shrugged and went about my day, doing some laundry, chopping and dicing for tonight’s dinner, and reviewing the photos we had on hand for today’s post. Next week, we’ll surely head to Kruger, having been away for at least three weeks with our recent time out of the country.

Zebras are pretty rowdy with one another when competing for pellets. They don’t hesitate to kick and bite one another.

Little did I know that within a matter of minutes, magic would happen, and visitors came, one species after another, including the very first visit to our grounds by giraffes, who we’d longed to see since our arrival over six months ago.

And then, a band of mongoose suddenly appeared, hoping for raw eggs.  Tom mixed up a bowl full and placed it on the ground.

We’d seen a few giraffes in neighboring properties and taken a few photos, mainly at night and once, several weeks ago, saw one giraffe lingering in our driveway late at night. But, never had any giraffes come to call during the day.

I couldn’t grab the camera quickly enough, especially when all at once we had the following:  giraffes, zebras, warthogs, mongoose, and helmeted guinea fowl.  We had visits from bushbucks, hornbills, duikers, and a wide array of bird species throughout the morning.

They are used to Tom bringing out the bowl of raw scrambled eggs and wouldn’t back off while he placed it on the ground.

Tom didn’t hesitate to pause the football game to come outside to revel in the menagerie gracing us with their presence, each on their mission for some treats. Whether pellets, carrots, apples, eggs, or bird seeds, we joyfully shared our recently purchased inventory of things they love.

Unfortunately, giraffes don’t eat any foods we may offer when their goal and physical abilities only allow them to eat from the treetops or vegetation slightly below.  They only bend to the ground when drinking.

They pile atop one another to get a lick out of the bowl of eggs.  It’s hysterical to watch the action.

The morning continued magically, reminding us of how grateful and humbled we are to be in this amazing place, unlike anywhere else in the world, for whatever time we have left to be in South Africa.

Tom finished watching the game; Minnesota won, he was happy. I stayed busy with my various projects, online research, and managing the morning’s photos.  It’s been a great day so far.  Let’s see what rolls out for the remainder of the day.

Be well.  Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2017:

Tom captured this unusual cloud formation in Costa Rica. For more, please click here.

A trip to Komatipoort first thing today…Out of pellets, carrots and apples!!!…A familiar drive reaps rewards…

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That littlest one could not have been more than a week or two old.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This male ostrich appeared comfortably seated in the middle of a driveway of a bush home.

Busy since we returned from Zambia and Botswana one week ago, neither had any interest in grocery shopping. We hurriedly purchased enough to last several days. We stopped for some meat and vegetables in Melalane on the return drive from the airport.

Spotting elephants and lions are the most exciting when we make our usual drive in Marloth Park. Yesterday, we didn’t see lions but were thrilled to see elephants again on our first drive in Marloth in over two weeks, after our time away in Zambia and Botswana.
After dining out on Saturday night with Kathy and Don and eating light on Sunday after the braai at Frikkees Dam with Louise and Danie and friends, we made it with the few items we had on hand.
 
But, when we ran out of apples and carrots on Wednesday, and the pellet supply dwindled to only enough for this morning, we knew it was time to head to Komatipoort to shop for pellets and groceries. 
It was a perfect sunny day, and the elephants graced us on our side of the Crocodile River.
This would include Tom’s usual trip to Lebombo for the carrots and apples for the wildlife, along with eggs for the mongoose who’ve also been stopping by each day.  It’s been rather busy here.
It’s always special to see the babies and how lovingly they are cared for by the entire parade.
We’ve been preoccupied with the immigration thing hanging over our heads, which is yet to be resolved, with only 83 days remaining until our current visas expire.  
 
We wanted to move it along a little further before we started posting details. We’re almost at that point. We’ll share some other options we’ve been working on in the next few days that may or may not provide a solution.
We spotted around 20 elephants in this sighting.
Restocking food for the wildlife and ourselves made us both feel a little more settled. Lately, everything feels a little “up in the air,” with so little time remaining until we have to leave.
As summer nears in the next few months, everything will be lush and green, providing excellent food sources for the wildlife.
I must admit I’ve struggled to do the posts for the first time since we began posting in March 2012 while so entrenched in the current situation. Usually, we take things in our stride and are easily able to maintain an upbeat attitude.  
 
If anything, we work on solutions and resolutions that generally only take a day or two at most. But, here we are a week later, without a sense of assuredness as to what will transpire next.
We stayed watching them for quite a while.  It’s not easy to walk away.
Rather than sitting around mopping and worrying, we decided to allocate so much time a day to finding a solution, spending the remainder of our days and evenings doing exactly what has made our past six-plus months in Marloth Park so extraordinary…time with the wildlife and our friends. It helps.
At a distance, we spotted a dazzle of zebras climbing back up the steep embankment by the Crocodile River.
We took off in the newest “little car,” and I mean “little.” It’s a Datsun Go if you know what that is. No offense to any Datsun Go owners out there. It’s an economical and fuel-efficient small car that we have no doubt owners appreciate.  
There are often a few cattle egrets near elephants.
For the entire three-month rental of the little car, it was only slightly over ZAR 14,614 (US $1000), the lowest price we’ve paid anywhere in the world.  The tradeoff is that we bounce around like crazy on these rough dirt roads in Marloth and Kruger Parks.
 
With the upcoming uncertainty and the expensive Kenya tour in February, for which we’ll be paying the second of three installments tomorrow at ZAR 78,431 (US $5360), we’ve had to tighten our belts over something we could control, the cost of the rental car.
They often stay close to one another for safety reasons, especially when youngsters are in the herd.
Thus, when we took off in search of even more wildlife, we knew it was going to be one bumpy ride, and, indeed, it was.  Thank goodness my back doesn’t hurt anymore.  These rides would be unbearable for anyone suffering from any painful condition.
 
With much anticipation and enthusiasm, we bounced around Marloth Park, never to be disappointed, as shown in today’s photos.  No, it wasn’t as exciting as a game drive in Chobe or Kruger National Parks, but it certainly was memorable and worthwhile.
A solitary male impala by the river.  Most often, impalas are found in herds.
Now back at the house with everything put away, a new 40 kg bag of pellets filling the big trash bin we keep in the corner of the living room, using the little yellow Tupperware container to scoop out and toss the pellets to the visitors, we feel somewhat back to our enjoyable routine.
 
Soon, I’ll start cutting apples and carrots for the visitors and begin preparing our dinner for tonight, roast beef on the braai, roasted vegetables, and a green salad with homemade dressing.  Simple. Predictable.  And delicious.
 
Life is still good.  It’s just a little complicated right now.  We’ll make it right soon.
 
Happy day!

 

Photo from one year ago today, August 30, 2017:

A winking barn owl at a rescue center in Costa Rica.  For more photos, please click here.

Dealing with “stuff.”…Can’t escape certain issues while traveling…More astounding visitor numbers!…

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After our recent record-breaking 20 kudus in the garden, we were flabbergasted when 25 showed up all at once a few days later!

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

I believe this is a hadeda bird who makes exquisite sounds flying overhead at dusk.

There’s the issue with our package. It was sent by US Postal Service on May 28th and has yet to arrive. The cost for insurance for the contents was over ZAR 5754 (US $400). We didn’t want to pay this added amount and decided to take the risk. Never again. Not doing so was a big mistake on our part.

We must have gone through 10 kg (22lbs) of pellets while they visited.

In the future, all packages we ship from the US will have to be sent via UPS, FED EX, and DHL while we succumb to paying the outrageous costs for expediency.  In the interim, we continue to track the package which last arrived in Johannesburg where it’s been stuck since June 6th.

After waiting a while for more pellets which we wanted to save until Thursday when we shop, they began to wander off.

Louise, who’s an absolute miracle worker in all areas, hasn’t been able to pin it down to get it here. I called Louise’s contact again this morning pleading for help and offering to pay a fee to have the package brought to us. This may work. We shall see.

“No more food?  We’re off to the next bush house!”

Apparently, there was a post office strike months ago and they still aren’t caught up at the processing center. The box could easily be in a shipping container, yet to be unpacked. Oh, good grief.  

When wildlife, such as these wildebeests lie down in the garden like this, it may indicate they feel comfortable and safe enough to rest for a bit.

Life on the move is often a mishmash of extraordinary experiences interspersed with problematic situations and challenges, some of which can be resolved with persistence, coupled with a degree of patience.  

These could be a mating pair.

This sounds like an oxymoron but it’s not. Kindly persistence is crucial. There’s no room for angry outbursts or threatening tones in one’s voice. As for being patient, once we’ve done all we can do, we must wait.  

A young wildebeest made himself at home in the garden resting after a pellet frenzy.

We remind ourselves, this is Africa, not the US where even there one can encounter endless cases of incompetence and lack of desire to get the job done proficiently. Not every worker is like many of us in our fields of endeavor as we strived to “get the job done” as seamlessly and quickly as possible.

 But, expecting such degrees of competence and motivation is not always easy to find and when we do, it’s more glaring than those who aren’t competent. The competent become the anomaly.

Wildebeest Willie hung around for several hours, resting and eating a few pellets from time to time. He makes good eye contact, letting us know exactly what he wants.  Do I detect a morsel of love in those looks? Could be.

Now, as we struggle with our immigration issues we can only hope and pray that as we finalize future plans we can count on the people at the other end who will ultimately be responsible for our comfort and convenience. That’s a big bill to fill.

We often comment to one another how fortunate we’ve been during this past almost six years (upcoming anniversary of travels in 63 days) when each time we’ve paid for and arrived to rent a holiday home, it’s been mostly as described.  

The kudus and the wildebeests get along well.

The only exception to this was the very first house we rented in Belize which turned out to be a fiasco. There was only running water a few hours each day and many more issues. We left in seven days and lost our money. To this day, we don’t know how we didn’t turn back and say we didn’t want to do this after all.

 However, without complaining to one another, we carried on as we do now, with the postal service issue, immigration issues, and whatever transpires from here.  Whoever may think that traveling the world full-time is easy is kidding themselves. Like everyday life, wherever you may live in the world, life isn’t easy.

 We can choose to embrace it all, figuring out solutions along the way, always striving for resolutions, and also preparing for disappointments.

May your day be filled with happy solutions!

Photo from one year ago today, August 29, 2017:

From this website: “The owl butterflies, the genus Caligo, are known for their huge eyespots, which resemble owls‘ eyes. They are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few meters at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly at dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods; caligo means darkness.” For more photos, please click here.

The Railway Museum in Livingstone, Zambia…Challenges of tours throughout the world…

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This is a train, a deluxe coach from the 1901 era

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Although his tusks were small, this was the largest elephant we spotted in Chobe National Park.

We’ve been so busy figuring out what our next move will be since we returned from Zambia last Thursday evening, we’ve had little time to return to some of our photos from our tours in Livingstone.

At the entrance to the Livingston Railway Museum in Zambia.

One of the tours of particular interest to Tom, as a retired railroad worker for 42½ years, was visiting the Railway Museum in Livingstone, Zambia, on the day we toured the city of Livingstone.  

The interior walkway of the above coach where the sleepers were located.

Admittedly, Livingstone is a small city, formerly the capital, with few points of interest to most travelers. Most travel to the area to see one or both sides of Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe and safari in Chobe National Park, on game drives and river tours on the Chobe and Zambezi River.

Steam locomotive firebox.

To reach all of the above venues, including visa/immigration processing along the way, within 2½ hours. The tours can run from two to six hours depending on the tourists’ packages based on their budget and available time.

Passenger coach from the 1930 era.

A mention for those who may have a disability. If one has a severe medical condition, the bouncing on the game drives could be prohibitive. If you’ve never been on a game drive, this is a serious consideration.  

This is a crane/”hook” used in derailments, Cowans Sheldon crane #109.

Also, visiting Victoria Falls has some terrain that could be challenging, whether from the Zambia or Zimbabwe sides, each of which is different. We found the Zimbabwe side slightly easier to hike. 

Miniature steam engine (boiler).

We also saw some visitors in wheelchairs managed by strong individuals who could navigate the varying elevations in the walking paths. There are no rough hills to climb other than the gradations in the reasonably level paths.  

This is the balance of the above photo, the tender, and the cab.

As for today’s railway museum was easy to maneuver with level walking areas along the tracks where the trains are located. However, getting up and onto some of those that allowed visitors to board could be highly risky for those with mobility and strength issues.

A steam engine, reminding us of “Thomas” trains, appropriately named, built-in 1919.

Those railroad guys, like Tom, think nothing of the steep climb necessary to board a train after years of doing so. Also, getting into a safari vehicle can be challenging with a steep climb up into the tall vehicle. There are numerous occasions where a tourist will be getting on and off the truck.

This is a 15th class, 4-6-4 + 4-6-4 Garratt, circa the 1950s.

I mention these for those who may be considering traveling to this part of the world for some of the most exciting venues in the world, such as Victoria Falls, as a World Heritage location and one of the Seven Wonders of the World as described here.

This is a 12th class, 4-8-2 #189, circa 1926.

Of course, seniors may hesitate to visit a few tourist attractions worldwide due to health, age, and disability.  Even a few give us pause (particularly with my lousy spine), such as Machu Picchu and the mountain trek to see the gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda.  

This is a 16A class, 2-8-2 + 2-8-2 Garratt #623, from 1952.

But, these two are still on our list of desired spots to visit as we continue in our world travels. After feeling well for the first time a few years after resolving my gastrointestinal issues in June, we consider such plans gingerly. We’ll see how it goes.

A steam engine and tender, formerly part of the Rhodesian Railways (now Zambia).

Even driving through Marloth Park several times a week presents its challenges, which I handle easily, the excessive bouncing on the uneven dirt roads with many potholes and often getting out of the little car to walk through the dense bush to get a better look and to take photos of sightings along the way.

A steam engine and tender.

We had been so busy since our return last Thursday; we’ve yet to take the time to make those beautiful drives through Marloth Park and return to Kruger National Park.

Perhaps, in the next few days, we’ll put aside our immigration issues and search for solutions to continue to enjoy the time we do have left in the bush. In the interim, the beautiful animals have been coming to see us! What a treat that has been, as always!

Steam engine boiler exposed to show interior, #91, built in 1912.

Enjoy today’s train photos with comments from Tom explaining a few details below each image. 

Have a  fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 28, 2017:

When this sweet and friendly butcher spotted me with the camera at the Farmers Market, he willingly posed! The people of Costa Rica were approachable and warm. For more photos, please click here.