Happy New Year’s Eve…Party in the bush tonight…More power outages…No aircon…

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May the New Year bring us all together regardless of our spots or stripes…

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Baby and Mom.  What a sight!

Tomorrow, we’ll be posting our “Year in Review” with photos and stories of special times we’ve experienced in this past fantastic year of our world travels. This past year may prove to be our most memorable ever if there is such a thing. Every year has been over the top!

Tonight we’ll be celebrating as we bring in the New Year at Royal Kruger Lodge here in Marloth Park owned by JJ and Flo, a lovely couple we met through Louise and Danie at one of several Frikkee’s Dam braai parties over this past year.  

Adorable giraffe at rest.

Louise and Danie arranged our and Rita and Gerhard’s invitation, and we won’t be surprised to see that we already know many of the attendees from other social events in the park.

As is the tradition in South Africa, we bring our beverages, ice, and at times, a dish to share. I made a low-carb chicken, sausage, mushroom, and cauliflower casserole, which I’ll bake ahead of time and cut into bite-sized squares. It may be served warm or at room temperature.

There were dozens of zebras playfully carrying on in the parkland.

Speaking of temperature, it was another hot night when the power went out for five hours during the night; no aircon, no fan. Somehow, we managed to get some sleep, although we often awoke from sweating profusely.

When the power came back on early this morning, the aircon wouldn’t come back on. Thus, once again, we have no AC. We do not doubt that Louise will arrange for the aircon guy to fix it after the New Year. It’s just impossible to get service over a holiday, and we understand that service people want time off for holidays.

Although at quite a distance, it was delightful to see so many giraffes and zebras together in the open field.

Today’s expected high is 37C (99F) which, although is hot, is not nearly as bad as it was days ago. We can manage this for the next few nights until we get service, hopefully on Wednesday.

With a limited inventory of good photos, we took a chance yesterday and went out for a drive through the park. Our expectations were low. We figured we would see much with fewer animals visiting us over the past two weeks due to holidaymakers infiltrating the park.

At times, it appeared the two species were interacting.

On a few occasions, we embarked on our usual drive, only spotting impalas who are easy to find at any time. Their prolific numbers and sturdiness keep them readily available for viewing on the hottest days and active regardless of tourist traffic.

We took the shorter route, starting at Volstruis Road, where we often find ostriches. As mentioned in earlier posts, Volstruis means “ostrich” in Afrikaans. Ironically, that’s where most of the ostriches in the park seem to hang out.  Go figure.  

Playfully interacting with one another.

At that point, if all we could get were ostrich photos, we wouldn’t complain.  Ostriches are other animals that don’t seem to care if there are tourists in the park or not. They proudly walk about as if they own the place…maybe they do.

Once we approached the intersection of Volstruis Road and Hornbill Street, yep, we saw ostriches as shown in today’s photo. From there, we drove a few a little further to behold a scene unlike any other we’ve ever seen in Marloth Park.  

Zebras and giraffes were sharing the same space in the parklands.

In an open field, part of the parklands, we spotted no less than 17 giraffes with youngsters and at least two dozen zebras, including their recently born offspring.  

It truly was a sight to behold, a menagerie of animals co-mingling in the same space with no concern whatsoever as to one another’s presence. They occupied an area equivalent to a long city block, and we held our breath in the total wonder of what lay before our eyes.

Zebras and giraffes at a distance.

Sure, I wish we’d been able to get better shots, but we were on the road, and they were in the center of a large open field. But that fact didn’t keep us from trying to get a few good shots to show here today and more to share after the New Year, most likely on Wednesday.

As mentioned above, tomorrow, we’ll be back with a “Year in Review” post with some of our favorite photos, including some from Antarctica and Buenos Aires, both of which occurred in 2018.

Ostriches don’t seem to mind what’s going on in the park. They are easily found near Volstruis Road.

May your New Year’s festivities be joyful, festive, and safe, and may the New Year bring you all the riches you so well deserve. Happy New Year to all!

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

Tom’s monstrous meal from a great barbecue place in Palermo, Buenos Aries. I ordered the guacamole for my salad and ate all of his sugar-free coleslaw. For more photos, please click here.

Stunning wildlife from five years ago today…Another entertaining dinner in the bush..

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Five years ago today, a Big Daddy came to call at the Hornbill house.  

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

The family of nine warthogs stopped by almost every day.  The other mom and one more baby were off to the side when taking this photo.  The babies love looking at us almost as much as the moms.  Each time they arrived, we take a head count ensuring all nine are still there.

Five years ago on December 30, 2013, we posted all of the photos included here today.  The story we wrote, which may be found here, revolved around some of the hardships one may experience living in the bush while reveling in the extraordinary experience of living among wild animals.


In reviewing this old post we realized how much we’ve changed over the years and how much more tolerant we’ve become, not only in Marloth Park but throughout the world as we continue in our travels.
I took this up close male kudu photo while standing behind the railing of the veranda at Hornbill.

We never give gecko poop a single thought; we now love the rain (for the sake of the wildlife’s source of nutrition); we don’t mind cloudy days based on the prospect of rain; the insects don’t bother us so much anymore; we pay no attention to the bumpy roads other than to navigate them without damaging the rental car; and, we’ve learned enough about the wildlife and precautions we must take to ensure ours and their safety.

 However, we still experience frustration over power outages especially during periods of extreme heat.  That situation results in losing sleep and feeling awful during the heat wave.

This is the mineral lick we’d purchased at the time for visitors that was recommended by the Rangers as an excellent adjunct to the visitor’s natural diet of greenery.  The kudus were the only visitors that seemed to like it.  The others sniffed and walked away.  We’d hoped this would attract wildebeests, which at that time had yet to come to the garden, only running through on one occasion.

Today, the third comfortable day in a row, the temps are staying well below the previous 40C, (104F) and higher and the cooling breeze provides a considerable amount of comfort.  The expected high for today is 35C, (95F) which we can handle easily without using aircon until bedtime.

 Speaking of aircon, Louise texted me this morning to ask if it was working.  She’d contacted the aircon repair guy, Louis, but wasn’t certain if he’d been here or not.  Much to our surprise, it worked when we tried it.  Whether it reset on its own or Louis fixed it, we don’t know at the moment.  At least it’s working as long as we have power.  We’ll see how that goes as it heats up again.

This same warthog from five years ago may still be in the park.  Warthogs have a lifespan of up to 15 years.

So far today, we’ve had a few more visitors than we’ve seen in the past 10 days, making us think that perhaps some of the holidaymaker crowd may be thinning out.  So far, we’ve had two bushbucks, nine kudus and two warthogs, one of which was “Little” of course, all of whom we fed with enthusiasm.


Last night, while driving on Oliphant, the paved road, while returning from another excellent dinner for nine of us at Jabula Lodge & Restaurant, Rita and Gerhard turned on their flashers to alert us to something on the road, a magnificent highly venomous puff adder snake, as shown in our photo below from when we attended “snake school.”
Puff adders are commonly seen in Marloth Park. This photo was taken while we were at snake school in March.  Click here for the link.

We’d love to have been able to take a photo but it moved so quickly there was no time to turn on the camera and get the shot from the car.  None the less, we were quite excited as we’re sure Rita and Gerhard were as well.


As for the evening at Jabula Lodge & Restaurant, it couldn’t have been more enjoyable.  Three of Don’s cousins; Lorraine, Mike, and Hugh, joined the six of us (Kathy, Don, Rita, Gerhard and Tom and I) and the conversation was outstanding.  


The nine of us were seated at a long table on the veranda, the same table where we’d had my 70th birthday party last February 20th.  It’s hard to believe that was so long ago; 313 days or 10 months and 10 days ago.

Hanging out upstairs in the loft with aircon from a much-needed break from the awful heat, we took kudu photos from the second-floor veranda as he looked up at us. “How about some pellets?” he asked. Kudus can weigh as much as 317.5 kg, (700 pounds) or more.

Now as we look to the future, we’re equally surprised by the fact that we’ll be leaving Marloth Park in a mere 46 days.  How the time has flown!  And now, with only about one week until the park crowds thin out, we’re looking forward to the immediate future and the return of our wildlife friends.


May your day be filled with sunshine!

__________________________________________

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

Tom’s burger with ham, eggs, cheese and beef with fried potatoes on this date, one year ago.  For more photos of Palermo, Buenos Aires, please click here.

Hot, hot, hot…And, the beat goes on…WiFi out all afternoon…

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Even the minuscule amount of rain brings greenery to life.

“Sighting of the day in the Bush.”

Baby impalas, sheltered from the heat of the midday sun, guarded by one of the attentive moms.

What can I say to avoid sounding as if we’re complaining? We’re not. Instead,
we consider today’s comments as an observation. It’s hot, hot, hot. Today’s high temperature was 42C (108F) which it has reached now at 1700 hours (5:00 pm).

Most often, the peak temperature for the day occurs around 1500 hours (3:00 pm) and begins to taper off an hour or two later. The evenings aren’t nearly as
bad but it’s impossible to stay indoors in the living area of this house. The
massively high ceilings contribute to a level of heat indoors that is hard to
take.
An awkward sitting position for a female ostrich. Could she be on her nest?
It’s like an oven with no way to cool it off, even late into the evening. We run a
fan in the living room, but all it does is blow hot air around. Thank
goodness we have an aircon in the bedroom, but even that chugs along in this intense heat.
How much hotter can it get? We heard from locals that in 2016, December highs were in the 50C range (122F). Over the next few days, even higher temperatures are predicted. 
Cape buffalos on a hill on the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park.
We recall it being hot here five years ago but not quite this hot day after day. It
has a tendency to make one feel exhausted and listless although we both make
every effort to go about our days as we would during cooler periods.
Now, we’re having wi-fi issues due to all the “extra” people in Marloth Park
during the holiday season. The system can only handle so much. Fortunately, the load shedding power outages are on hold at the moment. 

We’ll see how that goes over the next few weeks during the holiday season. As I write on an offline app, I realize I may never have an opportunity to upload this post before the day’s end.
Two male cape buffalos, who most likely were ostracized from the remainder of their “obstinacy” when a more significant or stronger other male won the favor of the females. These males form groups for life since they’ll never be allowed to return to the herd.
In South Africa, the school holiday ends on January 9th, when most holidaymakers will leave Marloth Park, their holiday having ended when their kids return to
school. That’s almost three weeks from today.
We understand and respect the importance of tourists coming to the park to
generate revenue for shops and homeowners of holiday properties but even they,
fully grasp how everything changes when the tourists are here.
Baboons and monkeys are our least favorite animals. Due to their intellect, they are crafty and dangerous and can destroy a house or garden in minutes, searching for food or merely being destructive for entertainment.
We won’t be able to go to Kruger for the next three weeks either. We’ve already
heard about the delays at the Crocodile Bridge, and soon, guests will have to
pay a fee to enter at a specific time of day on top of the regular entrance
fees.  

Our annual “Wild Card” doesn’t afford us any extra privileges. We’d
also have to pay additional for a “reservation.” Only 600 cars are allowed into the park at a time at any of the many entrance gates.

An elephant family drinking from the river.  The drought continues relentlessly.
Over the past few days, to cool off, we’ve driven through Marloth Park looking for wildlife photo ops but more so to stay cool for a few hours during the day.  

This morning at 7:30 am, we headed to Komatipoort for my dentist appointment at 8:00 am. After the appointment, we walked the short distance to Stoep Cafe for breakfast, grabbing our favorite table on the veranda. 
Eating a hot breakfast in the heat proved to have been a bad idea. We were both
“sweating up a storm” while we ate, and foolish me had ordered hot tea. By the time we finished our meal and headed back to the air-conditioned comfort of the car, we were drenched in sweat. I don’t usually sweat much, but the humidity, coupled with the high temps, has changed everything.
Two males impalas stop by for food and a rare visit.
We remind ourselves, over and over again. This is Africa, and we chose to be here. Most of the time, it’s been a glorious experience. And we face the reality, that along with amazing adventures of our lives, there is a price to pay, beyond money, beyond mere inconvenience. It’s all part of the experience.

So today, as we wait for the temperature to drop and the WiFi to come back on, we look forward to our evening on the veranda tonight, as always, hoping a few, if only a few of our wildlife friends will stop by.  

Last night we had 10 warthogs come to call. Let’s see if they return tonight. We have pellets, a fresh batch of lucerne, ice-cold carrots, apples, celery tops, and lettuce, and we’ll be waiting for them.


Have a great holiday season evening.

Photo from one year ago today, December 18, 2018:

Stunning view of Ushuaia from the veranda while on the cruise in South America. For more photos, please click here.

Not knowing the immediate future…A little unsettling…Off to Kruger today for a special reason…

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This baby elephant appeared to be no more than a month old.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Frank and the Mrs. eating seeds we placed on the ground for them. They often wait in this spot until we see them hoping we’ll drop some seeds. We always comply. Frank chirps with happiness when he eats the seeds.  

After almost six years of world travel as a result of plenty of advance planning, it’s an oddity for us to live in a state of uncertainty. It’s possible that on November 21st, we may have to leave the country.

We decided to stop looking for a place to stay. Why? When we can’t commit to a booking, paying a deposit, and booking airline tickets, there’s little reason to continue researching.
Elephants as seen through the fence between Marloth and Kruger parks.

In the worst-case scenario, we can find a few hotels where we can stay if necessary, although it’s not the most ideal scenario. The longest we’ve stayed in a hotel was in Minnesota for six weeks in 2017 when we visited the family.

Again, when we return to Minnesota in April, we’ll stay at the same conveniently located hotel where we received an excellent “corporate” rate to offset (to some degree) the high cost of living in expensive Minnesota and dining out for most meals.  

A male impala by the Crocodile River.

Breakfast was included and since we don’t care to eat lunch, this keeps our dining out costs subject to the evening meal only. Thus, if we are forced to leave South Africa in November, losing the non-refundable airline tickets we had to purchase in order to apply for the visa extension, we’ll have to tighten our belts and find hotels that at least include breakfast, free wi-fi, and access to self-serve laundry.

Three months would be a long time to spend in a hotel. Finding a holiday home with less than one week’s notice is unlikely unless there had been a last-minute cancellation. Otherwise, all the good properties, albeit affordable, would be long gone.

It’s a rare occasion that we don’t see elephants when we drive along the river.

Are we losing sleep over this? Surprisingly, no. Nor are we “down in the dumps” worrying day after day. One thing we do know for sure, whatever transpires, we’ll figure it out.

Instead, we’ve decided to continue to embrace this paradise-like environment filled with wildlife, unusual adventures, and of course, our many fine friends. Speaking of fine friends, last night Louise and Danie stopped by for sundowners around 5.  

As spring arrives and temperatures climb, more and more wildlife make their way to the river to cool off and drink

We served a few low carb snacky-type things (they do low carb also, called the Banting diet here in South Africa) such as raw zucchini strips, yellow peppers, and celery sticks with a mayonnaise-based dipping sauce and fresh cheddar cheese sticks. As always, the conversation was lively and animated.  

After they left, we had a light dinner as we welcomed more wildlife into the garden, mostly warthogs, as many as a dozen and three bushbucks, one male duiker, and Loud Mouth the frog. After another very hot day, the evening cool-down was a pleasant relief.

Today, it’s cool and cloudy but we’ve decided to head to Kruger as soon as we upload this post. Next week beginning on Monday and ending Friday entrance into Kruger is free to South African citizens with proper government-issued IDs.

Soon, when the rains come, all of the bush will be green once again.

Surely, the park will be jammed next week so today, although Saturday, it shouldn’t be too crowded. As soon as we upload this post, we’ll be on our way, and tomorrow, we’ll share what we’ve discovered on yet another anticipatory journey through the park.

We’re hoping that tomorrow when we return, we’ll do so with lots of exciting photos. A sunny day would have been preferred but sometimes, regardless of the situation, we have to “go with the flow.”

Have a fantastic day.  

Photo from one year ago today, September 8, 2017:

During this rainy season in Costa Rica, every blue sky was a treat. 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.

An outstanding drive in the park…They’re baaaack!!!!…Two days and counting…

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Mom and baby love.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We continue to take nighttime photos of the bushbabies on the stand eating the little cups of yogurt to see how many we can capture. We counted seven here but not all of them is easily shown in the photo.

With few animals visiting since last Wednesday when the holidaymakers started arriving for the long weekend, yesterday we were determined to be able to take plenty of photos to share over the next few days until we get to Zambia and Botswana.

 We had few expectations even commenting to one another that with all the commotion in Marloth Park we’d see few animals within the park but might have safari luck looking across the fence to the Crocodile River in Kruger.  How wrong we were!

There were no less than 12 zebras in the dazzle, many of which included youngsters.

Sure, we saw plenty of wildlife on the river but that’s always from such a distance that the photos don’t always come out as good as we’d like. We’ll share those photos over the next few days until we depart on Thursday for Zambia, after which we’ll have plenty of new photos to share on our activities in both Zambia and Botswana.

 After driving for about 15 minutes and taking a series of ostrich photos, yes on Volstruis Road (which means ostrich in Afrikaans) and a few surrounding roads, Tom spotted some giraffes and zebras on a side street.

Baby zebras always seem a little dazed and confused, sticking close to their moms.

Today, we’re sharing the zebra photos, and tomorrow we’ll post the giraffe photos that include a story that was quite entertaining. Please check back for those photos.

 As for the dazzle of zebras, we couldn’t have been more dazzled. In researching the definition of the word “dazzle” from Merriam Webster dictionary, we noted the following: 
a. To shine brightly;
b. To arouse admiration by an impressive display.  

They were on a mission.  We couldn’t tell what motivated them to stay on the move.

Hum…it’s no wonder a group of zebras is called a “dazzle.” They certainly arouse admiration by an impressive display! And that they did yesterday as we slowly drove up and down the road observing them on their apparent mission to an unknown destination.

 We’ve noticed that when zebras come to call, they don’t stay long like many others. They eat their pellets, jockeying for position with one another for the closest advantage to the food, kick up their hooves a few times when being pushed out and then, are on their way.

The babies were able to keep up the pace.

Often warthogs, kudus, bushbucks, and others will lounge about the garden, some even laying down for a rest or a nap as we’ve shown in prior photos. But zebras? Nope, they move along. Perhaps with their larger weight than some others, they require more food.

 From this site:“Males are slightly larger than the females, and they have a narrow black stripe running vertically between their hind legs. In females, this stripe is wider. Males grow to between 1.35 meters (53 inches) and 1.37 meters (54 inches) at the shoulder and their weight is between 290 kg (629 pounds) and 340 kg (750 pounds), while females weigh about 260 kg (573 pounds).”

They traveled in a long row making it impossible to take photos of the entire dazzle.

In any case, the sightings for the day were much more than we’d expected, and by the time we returned to the house, we were fulfilled and satisfied with the excellent day in the bush.

They stopped to drink from a cement pond.

However, once we set up the veranda for the evening, we didn’t expect many visitors. The holidaymakers were still leaving the park and sightings were sparse. We had a number of warthogs, one bushbuck, and one duiker stop by for a visit.

Stopping in the shade to cool off for a moment.

This morning, now that a day had passed, as usual, they started returning to see us.  At 6:30 am, we had several sounders of warthogs including “mom and five babies,” three bushbucks, “mom, baby, and friend,” no less than a dozen kudus including “Big Daddy and Little Daddy,” lots of guinea fowls, and unfortunately, way too many monkeys.  

 Tom spent most of the morning chasing off the monkeys while I stayed busy preparing tonight’s dinner, doing laundry, packing a few more items, and sorting through zillions of photos for today’s post.

When it’s so much hotter in the summer months, we can only imagine how hot it is for wildlife especially when water is sparse.

At the moment we’re sitting indoors on the sofa while Josiah cleans the veranda (a daily necessity with all the blowing sand and leaves) while Martha is sweeping and washing the floors on the inside of the house (almost daily). We’re anxious to get back outside to see who may visit us today and tonight.  

They made their way through trees and vegetation in the gardens of homes along the way.

The pounding next door has stopped and for these next two days, we can relax and enjoy that which we’ve come to know and love…paradise in the bush.

 Be well. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, August 14, 2017:

This is a variety of Bromeliad growing on the grounds of the villa in Costa Rica. For more photos of the exquisite landscaping, please click here.

In an attempt to avoid “tooting one’s horn”…Kindness means so much…

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A lone giraffe in the bush.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A croc was making an appearance in the river.  From this site: “Crocodiles can submerge and remain underwater for a variety of reasons. In most voluntary dives, crocodiles stay underwater for between 10 to 15 minutes. If the crocodile tries to hide from a threat, dive length may be longer, up to 30 minutes or more. Most crocodiles can remain underwater for up to 2 hours if pressed.”

Our world travels aren’t always about “us.” As we meet and engage with the locals, we often find opportunities to “do good works” for those in need. It isn’t always about handing over money, although when circumstances are correct, we do.  

At times, it’s about doing something special for an individual and their family. At other times, it’s about generosity and kindness in varying forms and degrees. We choose not to write about these occasions. Doing so would merely be in an attempt to gain recognition or accolades for “doing good works.”

What a lovely scene on the Crocodile River, as seen from Marloth Park.

When wealthy celebrities donate money to various situations and causes, there are many forms of media covering the exchange to make the donor “look good” and enhance their public image.  

 No doubt, it’s done with good intentions to provide funds and foundations for many causes, disaster relief, and poverty. But, strip away the ability to do it anonymously, and one wonders among them would still contribute.

This elephant climbed the big rocks for a better view.

But, for the “small folks” like us with limited resources and a fixed income, we don’t have the luxury of donating the more significant share of our income. We give as we can when circumstances are right.

 Long ago, when we encountered such situations that felt right for us, we decided we had no need or desire to write about them here in an attempt to “toot our own horn” or “make us look good.”  

Crossing the shallow river…

In our hearts and minds, we are at peace with the fact that our travels are not entirely about our pleasure and enrichment. It’s about somehow, in some way, giving back something of ourselves that matters to someone we meet along the way. That’s all we need.

 Gee, I don’t want to sound like we’re looking for accolades for our philosophy.  We’re not. We’re mentioning this as a preface to a bit of story we’re sharing today that didn’t include generosity on our part but was merely a matter of circumstance, perhaps somewhat serendipitously, more than anything.

The Crocodile River views vary depending on the banks from which we’re shooting photos. The amount of water varies from day today.

When the screen on my still-working cellphone cracked, which wasn’t noticeable when used in a darkened room, and I’d run out of storage space with too many apps, we decided I’d get a new phone that we shared yesterday’s post here.

 We decided we’d drop off the old phone at an electronics recycle facility once we reset the phone to delete all of my content. This is what we usually do with obsolete digital equipment in most countries. But, it was a shame to get rid of an otherwise well-operating smartphone.

This elephant appears almost black after being in the water.

We decided we’d ask Martha, our housekeeper, if she could use the phone after I wiped out all my data. Keeping in mind she doesn’t speak English very well, when we showed her the phone asking if she likes it, her response was priceless. She enthusiastically hugged us both. What a coincidence! Her old phone had stopped working for calling.

 Martha has a large family, and being unable to stay in touch was hard for her, as one would imagine. She lives in a tiny house on the grounds of this house and visits family on her days off. She doesn’t do Facebook, email, or any other forms of social media. She likes to make calls and play games. This we could accomplish for her.

These orange blooms on aloe bushes are commonly seen during the winter months in the bush.

We all giggled over the irony of me buying a new phone and needing to dispose of an old phone, which ultimately meant so much to her.  We didn’t do anything special other than avoiding a trip to a recycling store. It only took moments of our time to set it up for her, certainly less than we’d have spent driving to a recycling facility.

 The quality of our lives is often about the little kindnesses we receive, ultimately striving to pay it forward. Kindnesses include dining at Uschi and Evan’s fabulous home in the bush last night with Evan’s mom Ester joining us,  a delicious meal perfect for my way of eating with some of the best conversations in the land.

Recently on a scorching day, we spotted dozens of elephants by the river.

Kindness means Louise and Danie were bringing us knives, a cutting board, and a food processor, and many more endless generosities they provide day after day. Kindness means the workers who came to our house to help when Martha was away, graciously greeted us each day, and did a fine job fulfilling our expectations. 

A Big Daddy (kudu) crossing the road in Marloth Park.

Kindness means our beautiful friends in Marloth Park, including Kathy and Don (and many more) who introduced us to their friends who have included us in their lives, inviting us to their homes and social events, always making us feel welcomed and special.

It goes on and on, and we are grateful for every gesture, big and small, that we are gifted with day after day and for the opportunity to bestow kindness in return.

One of our favorites, Mom and Baby Bushbuck. We place their pellets on the bottom step to keep guinea fowls away.

As for kindness, we want to thank all of our readers for their thoughtful email messages, for continuing to “travel” on this journey with us, making every day more precious and meaningful.

May kindness come your way today and always!

Photo from one year ago today, August 11, 2017:

In the villa in Atenas, Costa Rica, the end of the kitchen island with the sinks had a stepped-down countertop with a shorter barstool. This spot was ideal for sitting and chopping, and dicing. For more photos, please click here.

The kindness and generosity of special people…

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Louise and Danie dropped off this beautiful knife set this morning which fits perfectly into a space in the kitchen drawer where the flatware is stored.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This is a black-eared seedeater was awaiting her turn at the bird feeder.  This morning I used the bird book Louise dropped off to identify this bird.

Today’s late start was as a direct result of many distractions this morning.  I was anxious to use my new knives, a gift from Louise and Danie as shown in the above main photo, along with beautiful Africa shaped hand-carved cutting board, South Africa bird book, and delicious little dark chocolate coffee bean nibs.

How did we get so lucky to become friends with our kind and generous property managers, a friendship that started four and a half years ago?  Over the years, we stayed in touch and there was no doubt in our minds that we’d rent one of their properties when we arrived in February.

This beautiful hand-carved cutting board is made into the shape of Africa indicating
“my heart belongs to Africa.”  So true.

We’ll certainly rent from them again when we return to Marloth Park in 2020 for a 90-day visit, knowing we’ll never get these fine people and this extraordinary experience out of our minds.

But, it’s not about “gifts” for us since these items and others, we’ll have no choice but to leave behind when we leave in February 2019, a mere seven months from now.  We’ll be delighted to return them all to Louise and Danie along with numerous other items they’ve provided for us since we arrived.

This bird book from Louise and Danie will help so much when trying to identify birds for our posts.  This way we won’t have to pester our birding friends quite so often.

When it comes to these two fine people, they have an uncanny way of getting cues from conversations that often result in a gift.  Going forward I must be careful to avoid mentioning anything we may need or want since these two dear attentive people never miss a beat. 

Last night I asked where we could buy some knives or a sharpener since the knives here in the property have become dull with all the cutting I do as shown in the photo below. 

This stainless steel bowl is larger in diameter than the average dinner plate and quite deep.  Each day I cut up no less than two of these bowls with apples and carrots.  Having sharp knives really speeds up the process.

Each day I cut up no less than two, sometimes three of these big bowls of carrots and apples.  Also, with our low carb home-cooked meals often requiring lots of fresh vegetables, side dishes and salads, I spend a lot of time each day chopping and dicing.

 In our old lives, I had a variety of kitchen gadgets that aided in the cutting process including a food processor and various “As Seen on TV” handy choppers and dicer all of which I used regularly.  Over the past few months, I struggled to cut up the carrots, apples and other vegetables for meals using the dull knives.

Danie made these little coffee bean treats made with 90% chocolate and brought me a package last night. Now, I am totally hooked on these tasty little morsels for a special sweet morsel.  Check out the pretty packaging.

In this life, there’s no space in our luggage for knives (not good to pack anyway) or any other items of any weight but having these special items to use over these next months means the world to us. 

We were particularly interested in this young male kudu who’s horns have begun to sprout.  See photo below for detail.

Once we leave here in February and then Kenya in March, we won’t be cooking again until we arrive in Ireland in May 2019 where we’ll stay for 90 days where we’ll see what’s available in that holiday home.  


We usually make-do with what’s on hand at holiday rentals but Louise and Danie have made this stay extra special for us with their thoughtfulness and consideration of our needs.
Male kudus have horns, females do not.  At about 15 months the horns begin to take on the shape of the first spiral.  See adult male below.

As for last night’s evening, the weather was so warm we didn’t need to bundle up or turn on the outdoor gas heater (another item they presented to us for our comfort).  The food was good, the ambiance perfect, the conversation lively and animated…along with a handful of visitors that stopped by from time to time.

All of our wonderful friends in Marloth Park are considerate, thoughtful and generous, as were all of our friends back in the US.  We feel so blessed to have been able to experience such kindness from all of our friends over the years.

Big Daddy, one of many adult male kudus in Marloth Park.

But, we must admit these two special people go over-the-top in ensuring we have an exceptional experience each and every day in this property and in sharing this exceptional friendship.

Thank you, Louise and Danie.  Wherever we may be, you’ll always be in our hearts and minds for being the special people that you are.  If any of our readers ever decide to come to Marloth Park for a holiday rental or to build your dream home in the bush, these are the people to contact.  Their kindness, creativity, and thoughtfulness carry over into everything they do.

Yesterday morning Mom and Five Babies stopped by for the first time in a few months.  My, how they’ve grown!

Quote from this site:
“The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when. Simon Sinek”

May you life be rich with friendship!

_________________________________________________

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

Opuntia pinkavae, common name Bulrush Canyon Prickly-pear is a species of cactus which originated in northern Arizona and southern Utah which we found in Nevada for this photo.  For more, please click here.

Blood moon..Full view of total eclipse of the moon…We had a full moon party!…

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“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Even the bushbabies were curious as to what was transpiring last night.

Most of today’s blood moon photos don’t include any captions.  The moon speaks for itself. 

From this site:

“JOHANNESBURG – South Africans are in for a treat on Friday with the longest total lunar eclipse of the century taking place. According to the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, at around 19h13 pm, the moon will start moving into the penumbral (partial) shadow of the Earth. Less direct sunlight will reach the eastern (lower) side of Moon, and you may notice the Moon dimming slightly from that side.”

We knew we’d be in for quite a treat with the announcement over the past month regarding the rare appearance of the ‘blood moon” and a total eclipse of the moon clearly (weather providing) visible in South Africa.

With the weather forecast predicting a cloudy night, we were thrilled when the sky was apparent by nightfall. We set up our usual routine, including the light to see the wildlife arriving for a visit, the burning repellent candle on the big wood table, the coil repellent at our feet.

The vegetable container for the animals was freshly chopped with carrots and apples. The container for pellets was ready to go, and the birdseed bin was ready for Frank and the Mrs., who never disappoint. The cup of yogurt for the bushbabies was filled to the brim with the fruity treat and placed on their little stand.

At 1730  hours (5:30 pm), Frank and the Mrs. sounded their nightly alarm as they headed into the bush to make their usual announcement that darkness is imminent. They never fail to sound the alarm at night and again as the sun rises in the morning.

Within minutes, the bushbabies appeared on the little stand, ready to share the tasty yogurt, flying through the trees for taste after taste. It’s a stunning ritual to observe night after night.

Our dinner was ready to go into the oven. The salad was made and tossed. Tom made a brandy and Sprite Zero cocktail, and I poured myself a glass of my new favorite low-alcohol red wine. The table was set with flatware, plates, and napkins. The two-person full-moon-blood moon-total-eclipse party was ready to begin.

Both cameras had fresh batteries and were set identically for nighttime photos. Of course, our lack of expertise didn’t necessarily result in the most professional-looking photos. Still, in our laid-back manner, we did our best and decided against editing the photos. We share them here as they were taken, except for cropping as mentioned above.

The evening was so whole and busy we were on our feet most of the time. We started at 1700 hours (5:00 pm) as we always do and never went inside for the night until 2230 hours (10:30 pm) when the moon had done most of its magic.

It couldn’t have been a perfect evening. We sat down to dinner, but we jumped up time and again to toss pellets and veggies when visitors came. There was no way we’d ignore our usual visitors when they have faithfully provided us with so much entertainment night after night.

Between taking photos of the ever-changing views of the moon, trying to finish dinner, and feeding our friends, it was quite an active event. By the time we headed indoors, we were ready to call it a night. Tom did the dishes while I cleaned the kitchen; neither of us could wipe the smiles off of our faces.

Speaking of “feeding our friends,” this time humankind, Louise, and Danie are coming for dinner tonight. I did most of the prep yesterday, so today will be easy with only a few side dishes left to prepare. We love spending time with this beautiful couple.

Ah, it’s a good life. We don’t have a complaint in the world, other than the pesky monkeys who won’t leave us or our birdfeeder alone. Several times a day, Tom has to chase them away. Monkeys generally don’t respond to women doing the chasing as if to mock us. Go figure.

Have a great day! 

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

These two birds were too busy preening to look up as we passed their habitat at the wildlife center in Henderson. For more details as we wound down the time in Nevada, please click here.

Power outage today…

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A Great White Heron was standing in the water at Sunset Dam in Kruger National Park.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This is our friend Tusker.  He is the sweetest guy who comes to visit several times each day, particularly after 1600 hours (4:00 pm).  He’s so comfortable here he often lies down for a short nap.

While midway through making one of our favorite low-carb meals, and before I started working on today’s post, the power went out at 0945 hours (9:45 am). We weren’t too concerned when most often, it comes back on within a few hours. 

Tom read a “paper” book we borrowed from friends Lynne and Mick about the history of Marloth Park while I’m typed the text on the offline app for our site on my phone, which I often use during power outages.

We never get tired of seeing these wondrous animals, both in Kruger and in Marloth Parks.
Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to plug in my phone when I got up this morning, and the battery was almost dead. I typed fast and furiously to be prepared when and if the power came back on today.

Power outages are common in Africa, as are other areas of the infrastructure. For example, we had a package shipped from the US on May 28th, almost two months.  Due to a strike, it’s been stuck in Pretoria since June 6th.
Zebras were crossing the road in Kruger.

We check package tracking and often call to no avail. Yesterday, I was told the “network was down” and to call back again. I called again, and there was no answer.

But, as everyone always says…this is Africa, and we can’t expect such services to be comparable to that in the US and other more developed countries in the world.

A bloat of hippos at Sunset Dam.
Expectations must be kept in check. Our friend Kathy (and Don), while home alone at one of their other homes in Pretoria, South Africa, was without power from last Friday until late Sunday. She couldn’t leave when the electronic gate wouldn’t open without power. We could only hope that type of scenario doesn’t happen here. 
From this site: “Hippos can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes without coming up for air, according to National Geographic. When they sleep in the water, their bodies automatically bob up to the top of the water so that they can take a breath, and then they sink back to the bottom. Hippos’ eyes and nostrils are on top of their head. This allows them to breathe and look around while the rest of their body is submerged. “

We’d grocery shopped yesterday, and the extra freezer is full of meats and other items. The refrigerator is all fully stocked. If the power didn’t come back on, we’d be out a lot of money.

OK, folks, here’s a new one for you…This is a “bask” of crocodiles!

I finished making most of the meal and quickly opened and closed the refrigerator door putting everything perishable inside. We decided the best course of action was to embark on one of our usual drives through Marloth Park, hoping the power would come back on while we were gone. 

We returned several hours later, and we have power. That’s why today’s post is so late. We had an eventful drive, including spotting two lions on the river and other wildlife, and yet, we’re happy to be back at the house with power.
Another “bask” of crocs at Sunset Dam.

No doubt, we’ll have another good night in our blissful surroundings, grateful for even the little things; a good home-cooked meal, lots of visitors to the garden, and of course, having power back on.

Three giraffes at a distance in Kruger National Park.

Tonight, clear skies providing, we’ll be able to see the entire total eclipse of the “blood moon,” which is only fully viewable in certain parts of the world,  South Africa included. It should be a good night!

As winter continues, there’s less and less green vegetation for the wildlife in Kruger and Marloth Park.

Hopefully, wherever you may be, tonight, you’ll get a glimpse of this special moon!

Photo from one year ago today, July 27, 2017:

Too distant for close-up photos, we spotted these two Cormorants sitting on a rock in a pond at the Henderson (Nevada) Bird Viewing Preserve. For more photos, please click here.