I won’t get into all the convoluted particulars regarding the confusion on when and how we’ll get refunds and credits for canceled cruises we’ve booked in the past few years during the pandemic. Most travelers book one cruise, and it’s nowhere near as confusing as to when we’ve booked seven or eight, many of which have canceled after collecting our final payments.

Hmmm…I wonder why they don’t cancel them before we make the final payment. Are the cruise lines in such a dire financial situation that they need the “float” of our money for three or four months until they get on their feet? That’s a harsh reality and frustration for world travelers like us, who book several cruises over a year or two.

In almost ten years of world travel, we’ve sailed on 27 cruises, few of which we ever canceled. If there were cancellations, there were precipitated by the cruise line for one reason or another. In our case, we may have moved several bookings to future dates before the final payments were due to satisfy the needs of our upcoming itinerary. Still, none of these incurred any penalties or refunds.

With the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, we’re seeing some of the cruises we booked making changes we didn’t request, and now we’re struggling to get our money back consistently and seamlessly. Often, a small amount appears as a credit on a credit card we used to pay for a cruise. We never know which one it is without calling Costco, being on hold for an hour, and often holding on the line for another 45 minutes while Costco Travel calls the cruise line to get it figured out.

We don’t blame Costco Travel. The long hold is the only issue we have with them. But, the perks they offer as an incentive to their customers are well worth the inconvenience of continuing to work with them. The refund issues are not their doing. That’s entirely up to the cruise line.

When we think about how much money we’ve lost due to the pandemic, it’s in the thousands. This was no one’s fault. It was the nature of the dreadful virus, and many lost money on travel-related expenditures, wages, and business revenue. When we were in the US, we couldn’t believe how many small and medium-sized businesses have failed due to these tough economic times.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on most of us in one way or another. Now, we are all faced with rising fuel prices, let alone the cost of living in most areas worldwide.

At this point, we have a few airlines holding credits for us that won’t provide us with a refund. We have no idea if and when we’ll ever be able to use those credits. All of these losses certainly have impacted our budget, and we’ll proceed cautiously to ensure we remain vigilant and maintain control of our expenses.

In the interim, we’re happy to be in South Africa, where the cost of living is considerably less overall than in many countries. Tom just spent an hour in the dentist’s chair having dental surgery for his implants and the total bill for that hour was ZAR 1266, US $79.78, as shown in the statement below.

After the appointment, he headed to the pharmacy for three medications due to the surgery, including antibiotics, non-narcotic painkillers, and probiotics, which are always prescribed with antibiotics in South Africa. The total pharmacy bill was ZAR 424.05, US $26.71, as shown in another photo below. Where would we pay so little for this amount of service and products? Nowhere that we know.

As “they” say,…it all comes out in the wash. We’ll continue to stay on top of the credits we’re due for the cruises via more phone calls and diligence, ensuring everything is accurate.

Have a delightful weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, June 24, 2021:

Here are a few tidbits of information about the winter solstice in South Africa:

The Tropic of Capricorn

The sun’s rays are directly overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn (the latitude line at 23.5° south, passing through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) on December 21.

Which Month Has The Shortest Days In South Africa? On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Cape Town will witness the solstice (the winter solstice). In comparison to the December solstice, here is a 4-hour and 32-minute shorter day of the year. The shortest day is on this date in locations south of the equator.”

It’s odd for us Northern Hemisphere people to wrap our brains around the fact that the winter solstice begins today, June 21st. Of the past ten years of world travel, we’ve spent five of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, experiencing this peculiar sensation of winter beginning in June.

I suppose it’s all about what one is used to for most of their life. But, after all these years, it’s not unusual for us to experience the beginning of winter in June. But, the fact that winter begins in June in South Africa doesn’t mean that we are free for an extended period of the hot summer months when winter is short. In a matter of only three or four months, the temperatures will climb, and it will become hot again, and the insects, including mosquitoes, will be back among us.

However, we will savor each day of comfortable weather over the next three or four months. I will still need to wear repellent as I am right now, to deter the stings from chiggers, sand fleas, and pepper ticks. It’s not unheard of to see a few mosquitos this time of year.

When we lived in Minnesota, the summer was short. It didn’t warm up much until May or June; by August and September, we could feel the temperatures dropping as we’d rolled into fall. Often, by November, we had snow.

This morning is a little warmer than the past few mornings. We kicked off the extra covers when the bedroom warmed up at night. This morning, for the first time in weeks, we’re outdoors on the veranda without additional layers. Both of us are wearing shirts without long sleeves. It’s a beautiful day in the bush.

Soon, we head to Komatipoort to get our teeth cleaned at Komati Dental, next door to Dr. Theo’s office. While here, we’ll often have a cleaning every three months. The cost of the cleaning is 75% less than in the US, typical for most medical services. No dental insurance is needed here.

In a few days, we’ll book the appointment for Tom for the final step in his dental implants after having two teeth pulled about six months ago. He’ll be relieved to have this done since the gaping hole is obvious whenever he smiles. He’ll return to Dr. Singh, the dental surgeon in Malalane, about a 35-minute drive from here, who initially pulled the teeth and placed the foundation for the implants.

After our teeth cleanings, we’ll stop at the pharmacy and Spar to pick up a few items. This way, we won’t have to shop again until next week. We have taco meat left over from last night, so tonight, we’ll have one of our favorite dinners, homemade taco salad. We don’t use the carb-laden shell. We load up diced tomatoes, sliced green olives, chopped purple onion, hand-grated cheddar cheese, seasoned meat, and lettuce into big bowls. I add sour cream and sliced avocados to my salad.

I make the spice mix for the meat from scratch, which doesn’t have added chemicals, starch, and wheat found in store-bought taco seasoning mix, which, surprisingly, they sell here. Spar Market has a small supply of ingredients for various ethnic recipes. The spices are plentiful, so I have no problem making the seasonings. If you’d like the recipe for the spice mix, please comment, and I will post it.

Time to walk again before we head out. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, June 21, 2021: