Still, few visitors due to lions…Two kills found in Marloth Park…Seventeen hours without power…Heat, humidity, dust mites in the bed again…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Note: Due to WiFi issues today, I am unable to post the caption for the photo below, which  should read:

This is Stringy. He often has dirt and vegetation on his horns, as was the case this morning. Please zoom in to see a string stretching across his two horns. Very funny!

We have been shocked to see so few visitors to the garden over the past several days. Last night, when we were getting ready to go to Jabula for dinner for the second night in a row, Little appeared, waiting on the edge of the veranda closest to where I sit. I was busy inside getting ready to go out.  He’ll wait there patiently for me until I come out to say hello. Not only does he love the pellets, but he also enjoys it when I talk to him, moving his head responsively and animatedly.

Last night while at Jabula for yet another pleasant time chatting at the bar with Dawn and Leon and some of their guests, we heard that two kills had been found in Marloth Park, obviously due to the four lions sighted days ago. They are still roaming the park for readily available food. Two Impalas were sighted, including a rare sighting as told by Jabula hostess Lyn,…vultures circling above the carcasses.

This is Stringy. He often has dirt and vegetation on his horns, as was the case this morning. Please zoom in to see a string stretching across his two horns. Very funny!

The wildlife in Marloth Park is subject to kills by leopards often seen at night. But, lions hunting is more unusual when they usually prefer to stay on the other side of the fence in Kruger National Park. The only way we’ll know for sure that the lions have left is when the animals return to our garden, as they’d done so before this event.

In the past few minutes, ten impalas appeared in our garden. Is this a good sign the lions may have moved on? Maybe, maybe not.

Stringy was sharing with the ten impalas that stopped by while I was preparing this post.

Some residents take the presence of lions very seriously, refusing to go outdoors, while others conduct their usual walks on the uneven dirt roads throughout the park. But, there is always a dusk-to-dawn walking curfew.  As we’ve done several times this week, one must consider their safety when leaving restaurants and gatherings when returning to their vehicles and bush houses after an evening out.

We always bring a rechargeable lantern with us whenever we are out after dark. Last night, with the power outage starting about while we were at Jabula, the light came in handy when walking from the carport to the house, turning off the alarm, and opening the front door.

The Big Daddy of the herd of impalas seemed to get along well with Stringy.

Lately, we’ve been seeing insects everywhere, including mozzies, ants, cockroaches (prevalent in the bush), scorpions, spiders, and many more. Now, during the spring season and summer looming, we need to start paying extra attention to avoid letting insects into the house when we open the door and watch for snakes coming out of winter hiding as the weather warms. Snakes will be next.

It was evident that many of the females were pregnant with bulging bellies, as shown in the center of this photo. Soon, we’ll see plenty of calves from this herd.

As for the dust mites, they are back, infesting our bed. Vusi and Zef will change the linen tomorrow, and when doing so, they will spray every inch of the mattress with the dust mite killer and repellent. At the moment, I have no less than ten areas of my body covered in hive-like welts from the dust mites, which are very itchy. I am using cortisone cream, which seems to work well.

As for the power outage, as of this writing, it has been 17 hours. We can still use our inverter for charging laptops and phones and running one fan in the bedroom. But with only two bars remaining as a charge on the inverter, that may stop working later today, at which point we won’t have WiFi, the fan, or a means of charging our digital equipment.

Impalas, who can grunt and bark, seemed to be harmoniously sharing pellets with Stringy. As shown, the bush is getting green after all the rains that have knocked out our power.

Hopefully, the power will be restored sometime today, and all will be well. Our biggest concern is always about saving our food.

Otherwise, all is well with us. We’re staying upbeat and looking forward to being done at the dentist in Malalane tomorrow. Tom is getting his implant bases set, and I’m having a bone spur removed from the space where the tooth was pulled six weeks ago. Oh, dear.

Have a great day!

                Photo from one year ago today, November 14, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #236. The various colorful displays were set up in the hotel to commemorate Dawali, the Hindu holiday. We asked the staff if we could come downstairs to take photos. For more, please click here.

A long ago memory with relevance today….Four lions spotted in Marloth Park…Are the animals hiding?..

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
On a walk in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2012, shortly before we left the US to travel the world, we stumbled across this saying on a large slab of stone.

Around this date in 2012, Tom and I went for a walk in the Old Towne area in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were staying there in a lovely condo for a few months while we wrapped up all the seemingly endless details of preparing to leave the US for our anticipated years-long journey.

We chose Scottsdale in an attempt to determine if and when, in the future, we may decide to settle somewhere. Would Scottsdale be an option? After spending two months there, we found it wasn’t quite for us. But during those two months there, we enjoyed ourselves as our first foray away from Minnesota, where Tom grew up, and I’d lived for over 40 years.

A male waterbuck at sunset on the bank of the Crocodile River.

During that time, we set up all of our new digital equipment, continued making bookings into the future, and handled insurance and other business matters that required attention before we left the US on January 3, 2013, from San Diego, California, on our first cruise. Oddly, the memories of that time are as fresh in our minds today as if it was yesterday.

Today’s main photo popped up from one of the clouds we use as a “memory.” It made us laugh when we remembered encountering this message on a stone slab during the walk that day in Scottsdale. At the time and even now, we perceived it as an omen that we would enjoy our travels together in the upcoming years, knowing the depth and quality of our relationship. We’ve never been disappointed.

Sunset from Kathy and Don’s third-floor veranda.

At that time, nine years ago, we had no idea how long we’d travel, if we’d enjoy it for the long term, after facing many of the challenges we’ve encountered along the way. We knew our desire and commitment were firmly in place along with our established criteria which we’d fined tuned during the ten prior months that we’d spent conducting research.

If you find the sign difficult to read, the quote from Mark Twain reads: “I have found that there is no surer way to find out if you like people or you hate them, than to travel with them.”

How true that’s been for us and surely is for other couples who travel, whether they are partners or friends. Never once in the past nine years have either of us questioned we are with the “right traveler,” the “right companion,” or the right “love partner.”

A crocodile on the move on the river.

After hearing about our ten months in lockdown in India, many have commented that they’d be at each other’s throats being stuck in one room for so long. We comforted each other and provided support and encouragement to one another during the challenging time. In the end, it only made us stronger individually and as a couple. Go figure. Who knew we’d spend 10% of our travels stuck in a hotel room? We are very grateful we didn’t get Covid-19 and that we came out in good spirits.

As for the lions in Marloth Park, four have been sighted over the past several nights by rangers and others. Two males and two females are obviously on the move and hunting for food, which is plentiful in Marloth Mark, perhaps even easier to find than in massive Kruger National Park.

A male impala grazing on vegetation on the bank of the river.

A weird phenomenon we’ve observed these past three days since the sighting has been the lack of wildlife visiting our garden, less daily than we’ve seen since we arrived last January. While in the national parks in India searching for tiger sightings, the rangers explained that the various antelopes, particularly the Sambar deer, give off bark as a warning sign for all animals when a tiger is in the area.

Is it possible our antelopes here in Marloth Park have given off such notice to all wildlife that their lives are in danger with the nearby lions roaming through the park? We feel confident this is the case. Not even Little, other warthogs, or our usual 10 to 12 bushbucks are stopping by. We’ve only seen bushbuck Gordon Ramsay each of the past three days, but he is very skittish and nervous, constantly looking around.

Frank and The Misses don’t seem concerned about the lions in the park. They aren’t much of a meal for a lion.

Word is out not to feed the animals since it will cause them to gather in groups making easy prey for the lions.  With no animals in the garden except for the mongooses, that’s not a problem for us. We haven’t tossed pellets in days while we wait for this scary time for the animals to come to an end.

Hopefully, the lions who’ve arrived from Kruger, from the other side of the fence between the two parks, will return from whence they’ve come. But, if they find the pickings are good here, they may not leave for quite a while. In the interim, we all must be diligent about being outdoors at night and during the day. Lions may prefer to hunt in the dark, but we’ve seen them with “kills” during daylight hours.  Of course, we are being cautious when outdoors, day and night.

Well, folks, that’s our news for today.  Please stop by again tomorrow for more.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 13, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #235. This photo from Maui, Hawaii, almost looked like a scene from New England by the sea. For more photos, please click here.

First time sighting since arriving last January!!!…Too cute for words!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Three little pigs are less than two days old. The Mom was here with her big belly 48 hours earlier by herself. Then she appeared yesterday with the three little pigs in tow. She is the mom of Barbara and Lori, whom she “kicked to the curb” a few weeks ago.

Although we’ve been here since last January, we’d yet to see newly born piglets. Now that our favorite mom, the mother of Barbara and Lori (Shark Tank), sent those two youngsters on their own to fend for themselves, she was getting ready to give birth to more piglets, this time three.

It was such fun to see them and how active and alert they are after only being born a few days earlier. We were happy to toss pellets to mom, knowing she must feed these three little ones. Surprisingly, the piglets seemed interested in the pellets and ate some. It was very cute and funny to watch.

She is a good mom, paying lots of attention to what the piglets are doing. She snorts when she calls them to be at her side.

Watching the antics of these newborns is hysterical. We couldn’t get enough until finally, mom had her fill, and the four of them wandered off to their following location, enticing other residents to toss pellets her way. It was as cute as it could be. We have no doubt, they will be back many times in our remaining time in Marloth Park, and we can fawn over them again.

It will require constraint not to publish more and more photos of them as they grow. But, our goal is always to include a variety of photos, not the same over and over again.  But, as all of you have seen, that’s not easy to do, especially when the same animals stop by over and over again with few new visitors.

The piglets weren’t concerned about being so close to Broken Horn, nor did Broken Horn mind sharing pellets with them.

We always strive to keep it as varied and exciting as possible. In a few months, when we’re in Apollo Beach, Florida, with our friends Karen and Rich, awaiting their upcoming wedding, the scenery and subsequent photos will change dramatically. Except, after a few months in a country, the photos can easily become repetitious and it’s also the case when we’re in the US.

However, right now, as mentioned repeatedly, we are thoroughly enjoying our time in Marloth Park. Last night was no exception when we attended yet another fantastic braai for eight of us at Kathy and Don’s riverfront home.

Mom, with the perfect curly tusks, has been a regular here. Now, we expect to see them all often.

At many braais in South Africa, guests bring their preference of drinks and the meat they’d like to cook on the prepared fire the hosts have prepared. The hosts prepare all the side dishes such as potatoes, vegetables, and salad. Kathy goes over the top in making each of the sides delicious and unique each time.  Plus, she always ensures there are sides that I can eat. What a fantastic host!

Don is an equally fabulous host when he often plans fun games for all of us to play after dinner. Last night we had a blast playing “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with questions he designed suitable for the guests. It was such fun!

The piglets were unfazed by the impalas, and they were unfazed by the three of them. So sweet! The piglets ran about the garden exploring every thing in sight.

As for the food, as picky as Tom and I are about only eating steaks without a lot of fat. We brought two good-sized fillet mignons, which Tom cooked rare for me. When we make fillets at our house, I usually butterfly Tom’s steak so we can put them both on the braai at the same time. Mine will be rare, and his will be his preferred medium-rare.

Yesterday, when I cut our steaks from the huge piece of tenderloin, I asked Tom if he’d like me to butterfly his portion. He said it wasn’t necessary. Thus I cut them both the same size, which was very thick. Three minutes on each side would result in “blue” rare servings.

Kathy, Louise (another Louise), and me. Lesley was busy chatting with the four guys at the fire. I wish we’d included her in this photo and that I would have smiled.

As it turned out, mine was perfect as usual, but then Tom’s was too rare for him. He ate it anyway, not wanting to leave the table to return his to the now waning fire. Now I know why he kept cutting off chunks of meat and putting it on my plate while he sat across from me. Later, he mentioned that it was too rare for him. Next time, we’ll do better and butterfly his or start his on the braai earlier.

Tom, Kathy, Lesley, Manie, Louise and Andrew.
Don and Tom.

We had a fantastic evening once again and were back home after 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, for a good night’s sleep, waking joyfully this morning, ready to tackle another day. )Today’s high will be 95F, 35C with relatively high humidity. Tonight, Kathy and Don will join us for our usual Friday night dinner at Jabula for the last time before they depart Marloth Park for Hawaii next Wednesday, when we’ll take them to the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Airport. We will miss them.

May you have a lovely and fulfilling weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, November 12, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #234. It’s a challenge with these unusual fruits in Hawaii, which we could not identify after searching hundreds of photos. For more photos, please click here.

Another fabulous evening on the river with friends…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
    Two hippos lounging in the Crocodile River.

Note; Please excuse our lack of clarity in today’s photos, taken at dusk and from quite a distance.

With one delightful social event after another, we are reeling from the flurry of activity over these past many weeks. Tonight will be one more enjoyable event with dinner at dear friends Kathy and Don’s home, overlooking the Crocodile River. Soon, they will be leaving to return to their other home in Hawaii. We will miss them.

Many of our friends leave the bush for the holiday season, partly due to other commitments and partly due to avoidance of the heat of the upcoming summer. For some, they leave due to a plan they’ve made to spend many months here and then spend the remainder of the year in their other homes, often located in equally enticing areas.

On average, hippo males weigh 3,500 to 9,920 pounds, 1588 kg to 4500 kg,0, and females weigh 3,000 pounds, 1361 kg.

We’re content we don’t have multiple houses in various locations, leaving us free of concern over upkeep and expenses necessary to maintain another home elsewhere. We love the fact that we don’t have the expense and maintenance of one home anywhere.

Renting holiday homes that include maintenance, utilities, and WiFi costs is a must for us. With nary a thought about how much our utility bills, property taxes, and upkeep costs will be, make our lives all the easier. Oddly, we don’t miss the feeling of being rooted in one location. We never give it a thought.

We realize this life is not for everyone. The only couple we’ve met in years that live like us is Carrie and Jim, who joined us at our house for sundowners over a week ago. After they return from a surprise event for Carrie’s birthday, we’ll be getting together again, meeting at Two Trees on the Crocodile River. The four of us have so many stories to share.

A hippo group is called “bloat.” Often they wander off on their own.

Last evening, we joined Louise and Danie and eight of their family members at the chalet they rented at resort Ngwenya for a week. We were honored to be included for a “family night” and have the opportunity to meet two more of Danie’s grown kids. They were all wonderful. I’d baked two low-carb cheese pies to bring, and they served a wide array of delicious foods and treats.

Not only was it fantastic to commiserate with all of them, all of whom live in South Africa, most from Cape Town. They were all curious about our way of eating, our time spent in lockdown in India, and our overall world travels. They flattered us when saying they hope to travel someday, like us, and of course, we encouraged them to do so if they could.

Another lone hippo, but other members of the bloat are nearby.

When we left, Louise loaded our chill box with a loaf of homemade bread and a popular South African dessert, Brandy Tart, both of which Tom loves and will savor over the next several days.

This morning Tom had the Brandy Tart with his coffee. South African’s love these types of desserts, anything with doughy tarts covered in a caramel-type custard sauce. It’s quite the go-to dessert in South Africa. Of course, I’ve never tasted it, but Tom said it was fantastic this morning with his coffee.

We were fortunate to take some good hippo photos last night from the veranda on their place in Ngwenya. The views from the veranda were outrageous!

This afternoon is easy peasy. It is hot again today but only with a high of 90F, 32C. We can easily handle that without even noticing. It’s funny how we’ve adapted to the hot weather as it’s gradually heated up. Next month and January will be another story.

Have a pleasant day wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, November 11, 2020:

Tom’s beautiful bird photo, a small Green Parrot in Costa Rica in 2017. This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day # 233. For more photos, please click here.

It’s over!!!…Done! Done! Done!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Waterbucks are pretty animals that live at the edge of a body of water.

The freedom I feel today is almost more exciting than the day I decided to retire. Ending the tedious task of spending eight hours a day or more working on my computer for my then business wasn’t nearly as gratifying as now. I am officially done with the corrections after spending the better part of every afternoon for the past year.

The idea of being free in the afternoons after I finish the new day’s post leaves me wondering how I will spend the newly acquired precious time. We can now go to Kruger National Park with an easy mind, knowing I am not tacking on another day to the end of this daunting task.

Waterbucks, at dusk, on the far side of the Crocodile River.

If I feel like taking a nap in the afternoon, I will be able to do so. If I felt like a nap in the past year, I ignored the need, knowing it would throw me off my regular schedule.  If I want to watch a show that Tom doesn’t like, I can watch it while doing my exercises or folding laundry. I will be able to do so.

No, the posts aren’t perfect. I could probably spend the next year going through them again, finding more errors. But I am letting it go. When new readers visit, they’ll find mistakes. So be it. I don’t have a staff of editors working with me each day, as do big sites, like Amazon, where I seldom find an error. It’s just me.

It was getting dark, impacting the quality of our photos. But, it was delightful to see these lovely animals.

Even with Tom proofreading each day with his laptop’s editing app picking up some errors along with those he finds by reading each word, it still won’t be 100% correct. As I worked my way through them, many posts would require me to re-write them due to WiFi issues when they were posted. That would have extended my work time to two or three more years. I prefer to live my life.

Today, I’m making two low-carb cheese pies (cheesecake, to some) to bring to Louise and Danie’s, where we’re going late this afternoon for sundowners with their visiting family members. We’ve already met most of the eight that are visiting. It will surely be fun! Most likely, I’ll end up doing something productive with this extra time rather than getting caught up in mindless drivel.

A male waterbuck with good-sized horns, taking a drink.

Speaking of good times, we met with Cees and Rina at Amazing Kruger View for sundowners and dinner last evening. We had an excellent evening chatting with them while we watched a bit of activity on the Crocodile River, photos of which are included here today. The food was fine, although not of the caliber of Jabula, where we’ll return on Friday.

It was a busy social week. We’ve had plans every evening except Sunday and Monday. As it turned out, the event at Frikkee’s Dam was canceled on Sunday due to heavy rains over the weekend, The roads in Lionspririt are rougher than here in Marloth Park, and the gates were locked. Instead, we stayed home and have been enjoying the egg casserole we’d make for the event and eating it for breakfast each morning since freezing each day’s portion.

A male impala grazing on vegetation in the bush.

Now, with more time on my hands, I may become motivated to cook unique low-carb dishes. With so many of our friends gone or leaving soon, we’ll probably spend more time on our own than socializing. However, social beings that we are may inspire us to reach out to get involved in more social events.

In either case, I am so content now that this year-long project has ended, and soon I will get to work on the four lengthy SEO (search engine optimization) posts I need to accomplish in the next month. One thing at a time. For the next few weeks, I’m coasting in my freedom!

Happy day!

Photos from one year ago today, November 10, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #232. That morning’s view of Savusavu Bay when the clouds had cleared for a short period. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, a cooler day!…Load shedding continues…We’re losing water…Off to see old friends for dinner…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Gordon Ramsay, our newest bushbuck visitor, visits daily after discovering the goodies we offer.

Marloth Park is practically a disaster area right now. Some residents have been without power for four or five days. Many others have no phone service, TV service, and WiFi, especially if they have Vodacom (we do not). Tom, who usually takes a shower at 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs, each day, is taking one now at 10:00 am before our water runs out, as it has for many others in the park.

The electricity that services the pumps that run the water system is out, impacting everyone in the park. We can only imagine the frustration for those residents who’ve been without power for four or five days. Indeed, they’ve lost all their perishable food in the fridges and freezers by now.

Another view of Gorden Ramsay.

For those of us who still have electricity, load shedding is at Stage 4, which translates to 7½ hours per day without power, spread over three 2½ hour sessions. That’s nothing compared to those who haven’t had power since last Wednesday. Plus, being unable to be online or make a phone call is a terrible hardship for those residents.

Sure, an unsympathetic type could say, “If this was the mid-1800s and earlier, people had none of these services for the majority of their lives. They managed,” But, that isn’t comforting at all. Our lives are adapted to modern technology, and we shouldn’t have to be without that which has become an integral part of our lives in this day and age.

Here is Sylvia, named after my mother. She’s a loner, as are most bushbucks.

Imagine the frustration for those who continue to pay for the services and yet have none whatsoever. They’ll play hell trying to get credits for the periods they’ve been without the services. After all, TIA, “This is Africa,” and such infrastructure failures are expected as the norm.

And yet, for now, we choose to be here. No, we’ll never buy a house here, nor would we live here full-time if we decided to stop traveling and settle somewhere. Both of us agree to this without hesitation.

Sylvia loves cabbage.

Our holiday house uses a different WiFi company, Tech Connect, and we’ve had no issues recently. We have Google Fi on our phones and can easily make calls if necessary and access data. But, Google Fi shares towers with many of those that aren’t operational at times, and we may not have services.WiFi is out mainly because of the ongoing theft of the batteries at the stations that run services from the towers. Thieves come to the park in the middle of the night and steal the batteries.

Vodacom is sick and tired of replacing stolen batteries for its towers. They need to come up with another plan for those who are impacted. How about an impenetrable storage system for the batteries? It’s not rocket science. But again, TIA and things don’t get resolved like they do in many other parts of the world.

Our entire garden is now muddy due to the much-needed rain over the past week.

One might say, “Move away if you don’t like it.” But, in this and many other African countries, people can’t afford to leave when the cost of living is lower here than in many other parts of the world. Permanent residents, including retirees in Marloth Park, have no chance of moving away. With load shedding issues throughout the country, they’d have to move to another country that is not affordable or sensible for most.

For tourists, such as our friends, Rina and Cee, meeting today for sundowners and dinner at Amazing Kruger View. It is challenging. One spends money to come here for a holiday, enjoy the wildlife and end up without water, power, WiFi, and phone service. Such occurrences can easily impact tourists’ future decisions to come to Marloth Park. A lack of tourists affects property owners who need holiday rental income to cover their living costs. It’s a vicious cycle.

The cement pond, which we’ve kept free of water due to breeding mosquitoes, is now filled with water.

We accept the reality of the situation and must continue to do so for the next 74 days until we depart for Florida, US, where we’ll be spending 75 days, until our cruise sails across the Atlantic Ocean from Fort Lauderdale Southampton, England. No, we don’t wish time to fly by quickly. We are savoring every moment.

While we’re sitting on the veranda on a cooler, cloudy day, Froggie, who lives in the rafters above our heads, is entertaining us with his frequent croaks. Lori and Barbara (from Shark Tank) are sitting in the bush with an eye on us, waiting for the next visitor to our garden to whom we’ll toss some pellets. They’ll move in, scare them away with their bossy personalities and take over the eating of the pellets.

Our power just went out due to load shedding, but we’ll be fine during the 2½ hours. We’ll still have WiFi due to our inverter. Thanks to Louise and Danie for providing the valuable device for us during our year-long stay. Gordon Ramsey (bushbuck) just showed up for some pellets and cabbage. I’d better run and get his lunch!

Have a good day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 9, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #231. Tom checked in at the reception desk at the dental office in Savusavu, Fiji, while we waited outside with no indoor seating areas. The dental office was located on the hospital grounds. For more, please click here.

Nowhere is exempt from risk…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Hal was taking a big gulp from the birdbath. Yes, as stated in today’s headings, “Nowhere is exempt from risk.” But isn’t this true in the most wonderful places to live in the world in the realm of things?

As it turns out, India is the country with the highest risks of natural disasters, more than anywhere else in the world. Whether it’s outrageous traffic and the possibility of earthquakes in California, the risk of hurricanes in Florida, or flash floods in India, nowhere in the world is free from danger. In 2020, 2021, we spent over a year in India but only saw a few of the existing risks.

Hal was taking a big gulp from the birdbath.

Covid-19 was disaster enough for India while we were in lockdown for ten months in a hotel room. But, on a few occasions, while stuck in that room, we were concerned over hurricane risks when a few washed over the area in which we were confined, Mumbai, which is close to the ocean.

Here’s an interesting article about the most dangerous places to visit with the most natural disasters. This article includes how difficult it is in the United States based on varying climates and terrain, often contributing to catastrophe. China is listed in the top three countries with the most natural disasters.

Giraffe on a drive to the river.

The above article is followed by another story about some of the safest and most dangerous countries in Africa.

Also, this article has a comprehensive list of the most dangerous countries in the world. Notice on this list that the USA is #36, and South Africa follows at #37. Our families are always worried that South Africa is too dangerous for us when our USA is even more dangerous

Let’s face it, in these days and times, nowhere in the world is exempt from natural disasters and the ravages of war, crime, and terrorism. Now faced with Covid-19 impacting every country in the world, the risks have increased exponentially. Will there ever be a time in the future that we can return to “ordinary life” with a carefree attitude as we go about our business of taking care of our lives, loved ones, and our usual responsibilities?

A hippo at quite a distance from the Marloth Park side of the fence.

Perhaps not. Perhaps this pandemic will be the fate of the world for many years to come. I dislike the statement, “a new normal,” but there may be a lot of truth in it. This morning, I was listening to a podcast I’ve listened to every week since the onset of the pandemic hosted by Dr. Michael Osterholm, one of the top epidemiologists in the world from the University of Minnesota.

Today’s podcast was #45, which can be found here: https://youtu.be/l37-pFDhzq8. I started listening when I began walking the corridors in India in March 2020. He’s not about doomsday, but his vast knowledge of the virus has been helpful to keep me informed.

Big Daddy was contemplating his next move.

As an “information junkie,” there is nothing more vital for me to do online than to stay informed and educated about what is happening in the world, which impacts our world travels and our personal lives. Information is empowering, and I never shy away from reality.

The state of the economy of the US and the world is Tom’s passion, and he keeps me well informed. The state of the US and the world’s health and well-being is my passion, and I share with him what I learn. No, many of us don’t want to hear about these things, preferring to stay in our little bubble. I get that. Don’t they say, “Ignorance is bliss?”

Ostriches encountered on a drive along the river.

But, avoidance is not a panacea for maintaining a false sense of optimism. Optimism comes from being informed and doing something about it, striving even in the smallest ways for a better chance of getting out of this alive and well, coupled with genuine hope for the future.

I don’t mean to sound down, morbid or pessimistic. I am none of those. But, I know we each can play a role in improving our world, our state of being, and our future, not only for ourselves but also for future generations.

Thank you for an arena to share these thoughts. Some may say, “Stay in your lane about world travel.” That’s precisely what I am doing, learning, researching, and preparing for continuing our world journey, hopefully for years to come.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 8, 2020:

 This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #230. It’s odd at times to find lush vegetation, as in this photo from Maui, in what appears to be arid and desolate areas. For more photos, please click here.

Heat and power outages continue…Exciting new sighting in our garden!!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Spikey has been playing in the mud!

It was quite a night. After an early dinner at 5:30 pm, 1730 hrs, we came inside to stream a few shows on my laptop with the aircon and the fan turned on. Even after showering, we couldn’t seem to cool off from the hot 103F, 39.9C day with outrageously high humidity.

I had a hard time taking the clothes stuck to me to shower and get into one of Tom’s cool cotton tee shirts. My summer night dress was too hot to wear to bed with its silky fabric sticking to me. We got comfortable on the bed in the then-cooled room and watched an episode of shark tank, Billions, and America’s Got Talent.

During this period, yet another thunder and lightning storm shook the house. A few times, the power went off, which we feared would happen. Miraculously, moments later, the power returned much to our relief and amazement. With the delicate and inconsistent power grid in South Africa, outages from storms are more the norm than not.

New tiny bushbuck was eating pellets with mom watching in the background.

By 11:00 pm, 2300hrs, we were ready to doze off, but for some odd reason, neither of us could fall asleep. We both tossed and turned for hours. Fortunately, the bed doesn’t seem to move when one of us is moving every few minutes. It wasn’t until around 1:00 am that I finally drifted off into oblivion, and Tom did the same.

At 1:30 pm, we both bolted out of bed when the alarm went off, for no reason at all from what we could ascertain. Tom promptly shut it off, and we called the alarm company to inform them it was a false alarm, most likely due to the lightning. They weren’t answering the number we always called to tell them it was a false alarm. We kept trying to reach them to no avail.

A short time later, Tom noticed some light through the bedroom shade. It surely must have been the alarm company that was investigating our alarm during the storm. Either their phones were down, or they were too busy to answer. There’s a fee if they have to come out. I will explain what happened to Louise, and she will straighten it out for us.

Last night while sitting at the table on the veranda, I looked up to see a bushbaby sticking her head out of the hole in the bushbaby house.

Speaking of Louise, last night, she texted asking us if we’d like to join them for a braai at Frikkee’s Dam in Lionspruit this morning around 11:00 am. They have eight family members visiting for an early holiday celebration. All ten of them are attending along with a few other “regulars” that always join in on these brunch braais, Flo and JJ and their young adult kids, and Estelle and James, at times with their adult kids.

Everyone brings food to share. We are making our usual brunch egg with cheese, bacon, mushroom, and onions. As I write here, Tom is cooking the large pan on the braai. It’s too hot to turn on the oven in the house. I am back in the bedroom preparing this post in air-conditioned comfort, knowing we’ll be spending the rest of the day outdoors in the heat, expected to rise to 100F, 38C mid-day.

We’ll be bringing the camera, hoping to see some wildlife in the wide-open area where lions, Fluffy, and Dezi reside. We hear their roars night after night when they are on the hunt for their next meal. There is plenty of wildlife to sustain them in Lionspruit, especially after the recent culling and moving many antelope into Lionspruit from Marloth Park. The back border of our holiday home borders Lionspruit so we can hear some action from time to time.

Since bushbabies are nocturnal, she wasn’t quite awake yet.

More old friends have arrived in Marloth Park, Cees, and Rina, who we met and thoroughly enjoyed when they were our neighbors at the Orange house in 2018.  It’s hard to believe that was three years ago. We have already planned to get together for dinner on Tuesday evening at Amazing Kruger View, overlooking the Crocodile River. It will be great to see them again, and we’ll undoubtedly plan other get-togethers while they are here.

Dear friends Kathy and Don are leaving Marloth Park to return to Hawaii for the holidays. There will be a final braai and get-together at their house on Thursday night for a few other friends and us. It will be sad to see them go since they have been close friends since we arrived in December 2013 when they invited us for dinner on Christmas Eve when they’d never even met us.

This was the first time we’d seen a bushbaby in the house since we arrived last January.

Friends Lynne and Mick, whom we hope to see in Jersey, UK, in spring 2022, met us at Jabula a few days before Christmas that year, introduced to us by owners/friends Dawn and Leon. When we all chatted for a bit, they later spoke to Kathy and Don, saying they should meet us. Just like that, Kathy and Don invited us for Christmas Eve dinner along with family and other friends.

We were thrilled and flattered to be included and so warmly welcomed. Now, eight years later, we’ve been included in their circle of friends as we’ve included them in ours. That’s how it is in Marloth Park, one of the main reasons we love it here so much, along with our love of our animal friends.

Soon, she tucked her head back inside, perhaps to sleep a bit longer. Later today, when we get home from the braai at Frikkee’s Dam, we’ll put some sour cream mixed with jelly (leftover from having guests) in a bit of cup for her.

When we reviewed last night’s trail cam, there wasn’t a single photo on the card. We weren’t surprised. We doubted any of the animals would have been out and about during the storm.  When the lightning flashed every few minutes during the night, I often wondered if they were scared. Undoubtedly, the young ones would have been terrified, staying close to their moms for shelter and comfort.

This morning, they were all back: Spikey, as shown in the main photo, Broken Horn, Frank, The Misses, Lonely Girl, Sigfried and Roy, Thick Neck, Gordon Ramsey, Sylvia, Mom, and Baby Bushbuck. It was a lovely start to yet another hot day.

Be well. Be happy. Be safe.

Photo from one year ago today, November 7, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in a hotel in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #229. The end of the elephant’s tail has hairs that act as a small brush, suitable for swatting flies, bees, and other insects. For more photos, please click here.

12 hour power outage due to a big storm…Hot today…103F, 39.3C…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This is a new friend, named Father Brown, a praying mantis.

Last night, while dining on the veranda at Jabula with Kathy and Don, we were wrapped up in lively conversation when a storm rolled in. Dawn and her staff immediately went into action to bring everyone inside, including tables and chairs, to ensure there was room inside for everyone who’d been dining outdoors.

Lightning and thunder followed during the pouring rain. They were already operating on generator power since load shedding was happening, which began at 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs. By the time we got home, the power was out. The house and bedroom were probably around 90F, 32C, too hot to sleep with the hot temperatures.

Broken Horn is trying to stay in the shade while we get the pellets. It’s awfully hot for them as well.

Somehow we knew it was more than load shedding, especially when the power never returned after the usual 2½ hour outage. Luckily, we have the inverter, which can run one fan in the bedroom, charge our phones and laptops, and maintain a WiFi signal.

It’s a rarity to see the bushbucks lying down, but it’s so hot today. They are seeking comfort in the bit of shade in our garden. This is Stringy.

But, we were mainly concerned about the US $214, ZAR 3219, we’d spent on groceries yesterday. How long would everything keep fresh in the refrigerator? When it didn’t come back on by 10:00 pm, 2200 hrs, we filled the big metal bowl with ice and set it inside the fridge, which was packed with dairy products, tons of fresh vegetables, and a massive package of ground beef I’d planned to use today to make meatloaf, enough to last for a few days.

We moved the ground beef to the freezer atop a few rows of ice cube trays and hoped for the best. I struggled to stay asleep in the heat during the night when thinking about the food in the fridge, hoping we wouldn’t lose much. This morning, after  12 hours, the power returned, much to our delight.

Medium Spikey, trying to rest in the shade.

We checked the fridge and the freezer, and most of the food was still cold. The meat in the freezer hadn’t defrosted, nor had the hamburger frozen overnight. But it was cold to the touch, and I feel confident using it today. Early this morning, I put together all the ingredients for the meatloaf I’m making for tonight, to be cooked on the braai, to avoid heating the house any more than it already is. Also, I made low carb, no sugar ketchup to go along with the meatloaf.

Two bushbucks were lying in the shade in the garden.

The meat is in the fridge, ready to be cooked at 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs,  along with a big salad, fresh steamed green beans, broccoli, and white rice we’ll prepare for Tom 30 minutes before everything else is done.

With the food prep out of the way, I can relax the remainder of the day, except for doing laundry and exercises. When I say relax, I mean, I’ll hide away in the bedroom with the fan on high while I get back to work on the corrections. At the rate I am going now, I should finish this tedious task in four to five days!

Meet Gordon Ramsey. He likes to dig in the dirt with his horns, looking to dig up roots to eat.

Many animals are stopping by, even in this excessive heat. Most are drinking the fresh water in the birdbath. We’ve been chilling cabbage and carrots to serve to them. At the moment, the mongooses are here, enjoying Tom’s rib bones and Kathy’s prawn shells from last night’s dinner. Broken Horn is munching on pellets and carrots. He doesn’t care for cabbage, nor do the warthogs, which enable everyone to have a little something they like without sharing too much.

These prawns with heads which Kathy doesn’t care to eat, make an excellent treat for the mongoose. This pile will soon be gone.

Right now, it’s hot and sunny, but rain is expected in a few hours. Clouds must be rolling in. The temperature is expected to drop considerably, hopefully cooling us and the wildlife a little on this hot, humid day in the bush. But, in any case, we’re good. There are always workarounds during power outages, and over the years we’ve spent in Marloth Park, we have learned to make the best of the situation, especially when we’re blissfully distracted by our wildlife and human friends.

Happy day to all.

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #228. The grocery store in Savusavu, Fiji, where we shop for a few items each week. There was only one aisle with food. The other two aisles consisted of cleaning supplies, Christmas decorations, and Diwali fireworks. For more photos, please click here.

Meeting new people…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Impalas rarely get this close to humans, but they’re hungry and put their fear aside for pellets.

Today, Tom was supposed to have the first step of his dental implants. Yesterday, we received a message that his appointment had to be moved to next Thursday when the product came in and wasn’t made to meet Tom’s criteria. We’d planned a low-key weekend since we anticipated he might be feeling some discomfort after the procedure.

Our only plans for the weekend are for dinner tonight at Jabula with Kathy and Don when Tom insisted he didn’t want to miss our usual Friday night dinner out. Without the appointment today, we’ll be able to relax and enjoy another evening out.

One Tusk has become a daily visitor. He’s aggressive with other warthogs when they try to eat pellets in his presence.

Last night, we met a new couple from the US that Louise had referred to us, Dorthy and Arthur, a lovely couple with considerable world travel experience who now live in Curacoa, an island in the Caribbean that we’ve visited a few times during the past cruises. They’ve been to Marloth Park many times over the years and, like others, like us, can’t seem to stay away for too long.

The conversation flowed easily while we sat at a table in the Giraffe Cafe, now a part of Phumula Lodge and Restaurant. We each ordered some food. Tom had chicken schnitzel on a bed of cooked spinach with chips (fries) on the side he enjoyed. I had a grilled chicken salad, but the chicken was overcooked and dry. When we got home, I was still hungry and had a can of tuna, topped with mustard and homemade ketchup, befitting my eating method.

Sigfried and Roy, originally from the Orange house, have found us here.

Dorthy (spelled correctly) and Arthur shared a starter (appetizer) basket that was so huge; they didn’t order an entree.

It’s always delightful to meet new people. Some new relationships stick to eventually becoming lifelong friends, while others are pleasant encounters along the way in life. Defining the characteristics that inspire lifelong relationships with other couples is challenging to analyze.

Young Daddy and his mom, sharing pellets with an impala in the background.

Many relationships develop out of convenience, while others stem from a strong foundation of common interests and personality traits. This also seems to be true when making friends one-on-one or developing love relationships between a couple.

Tom and I often laugh about how different we are and how ridiculous it was that we have managed to have this extraordinary relationship. Over the years, we’ve adapted and even embraced each other’s differences, and now they are less glaring and obvious. But, what was it that initially set us on a path to learn more about one another? Surely, it was the attraction.

Notches, also from the Orange house, has found her way here. Her name is a result of the notches in her right ear.

With couples meeting other couples, there seems to be an attraction of another sort that makes us feel comfortable, laughing easily and sharing some degree of similar lifestyles. And yet, with all of those components in place, some encounters don’t grow into lifelong friendships.

We are fortunate. Over our 30 plus years together, we have made relationships with other couples and individuals that we know will always be with us in spirit, if not in person. Many of those relationships that we each cultivated before Tom and I met still hold today.

Kudu mom, baby in the middle, and growing boy on the right. Once the males get a little older, they no longer travel with their mom. Instead, they may wander with their dad or other males, including siblings.

Now, as we continue in our world travels, we seem to connect the most with couples we know we may see again sometime in the future. When meeting people on a typical holiday (vacation) with an unlikeliness of ever meeting up again, we tend to shy away from making an effort to build those types of relationships during such short periods.

We’ve made wonderful friends on cruises whom we know; eventually, we’ll see each other again in the future. For us, traveling the world has been an excellent means of making new friends, some for right now and others forever.

Be social. It enriches life in indescribable ways.

Photo from one year ago today, November 5, 2020:

No photos were posted one year ago. But, here is the link from the post we uploaded on day #227 while in lockdown in Mumbai, India.