Oh, what a night!…The social life begins…Pig on the porch!!!…

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Wouldn’t you know? A pig on the porch. It’s quite a hike to get up onto the raised veranda but leave it to a determined warthog to figure it out.

The social life has begun. Last minute, Louise and Danie stopped by for sundowners on Thursday evening. I put together a little cheese board and the conversation, as always, was lively and animated. We had a lot of catching up to do.

Last night, we commenced our usual Friday night tradition, hanging out at the bar at Jabula Lodge and Restaurant to later order dinner. Based on how cold it is outdoors at night, we dine indoors at the bar. Often Dawn and Leon dine with us. As more and more guests join the “party,” the decibel level increases along with the pop music in the background. It couldn’t be more fun.

Last night, we met a delightful couple from Nelspruit whose upbeat and playful attitude only added to the evening’s festivities. By 8:00 pm, we were both ready to return to our bush home, especially since we hadn’t socialized in so long due to our recent illnesses.

We couldn’t stop laughing over Mom (of Mom and Babies) foray onto the veranda.

Feeling much better, I drank a few glasses of my light red wine, Skinny Red, by Four Cousins, a South African winery, and Tom sipped on a few brandies and Sprite Zero. Ironically, last night I slept better than I had in the past six weeks. When I awoke this morning, my phone’s battery was still at 93%, indicating how little time I spent playing Scrabble with strangers during the night. Tom also slept well, and we both feel great today.

We feel confident we can start planning more social events, including heading out with our portable chairs to watch wildlife on the shores of the Crocodile River, often an environment for meeting new people and commiserating over the wonders along the river.

Today, we’re staying in, making a lovely dinner, doing some laundry, and observing the wonders in the bush on the veranda. With plans set for what we’ll do for our next visa stamp, we can relax and enjoy ourselves at long last, feeling well and like our “old” selves. We appreciate feeling well more than we can say.

She scoured the area, but we didn’t put pellets there, instead of placing them on the ground outside the little fenced area.

Wildlife visits aren’t as plentiful right now over the weekend since the park is busy with lots of tourists. Either the animals are busy with the newcomers or hiding from the added commotion. One can never know for sure. We often assume they are being fed food not suitable for wildlife that tastes a lot better than the dry pellets, but unaware tourists who don’t realize the harm they are doing feeding the animals human snacks and treats.

Yesterday, we finally found the camera bag that contained the charger for the camera’s battery. We unpacked when we were sick and haven’t been able to find a few items. The loss of the camera bag would have been frustrating, but we felt we couldn’t have lost it or left it behind in a hotel on this last awful trip since we hadn’t taken the bag with us. However, we had brought along the camera, the battery, and the charger.

We never used the camera on this dreadful trip and, thus, would never have a reason to use the charger. We knew it was somewhere in this house, but we weren’t sure where. After going through all the luggage and removing all of our clothes from the shelves in the bedroom, we finally found them tucked away behind some beach towels on a top shelf in the bedroom. We were thrilled.

Even Big Daddy feels like he has a right to be inside the little fence.

At that time, we realized we only had one battery that worked for our newest camera. Since we will be going on safari in Botswana in a few months, we’d need another battery. Looking online at Amazon, we couldn’t find the exact model. Instead, I found it at Walmart in the US. It will ship to our mailing service, where we are accumulating another order to be shipped, mainly with enough Crystal Light Ice Tea to last us through this upcoming year. Once the battery arrives on the 17th, we’ll be able to order the package with the help of our mailing service in Nevada.

Once again, it will cost a fortune to ship, but that iced tea is just one of those things we don’t choose to forego in our world travel lifestyle. After shopping for a few items in the US, I realized how many food products we miss using. But, once again, it’s all about adaptation, and we’ve learned to find alternatives for many items we used in our old lives.

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you may be, heading into summer in the Northern Hemisphere and heading into winter, like us in the Southern Hemisphere. What a weird phenomenon that is!

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2021:

We were worried for Broken Horn, who was picked on by the three other wildebeests, including Crooked Face. Maybe now, that explains why he often visits alone instead of with “friends. For more photos, please click here.

Lions in Marloth Park…And other warnings…

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Lion prints were found here in Marloth Park a few days ago.
Let’s face it; life is dangerous in most parts of the world. Whether it’s wars, natural disasters, crime, or animal encounters, one can never sit back and feel entirely safe. South Africa is listed as #8 in the list of the world’s countries for the highest murder rate, details of which may be found here at this site with updated stats for 2022.
Also of concern for humans are the world’s most dangerous animals listed on this site, most of which may be found in South Africa and other countries on the continent and other parts of the world. The majestic lion is listed as #10, certainly not the most dangerous to humans, but without a doubt, falling into a difficult position.
No one wants to come face to face with a lion, although many videos on YouTube may lead some to assume human interactions with lions is safe. It is not. Subsequently, with lions on the loose in Marloth Park, every local visitor must exercise caution daily and night.
A resident of Marloth Park took this photo from their vehicle.
No one is exempt from the possibility of a life-threatening or life-ending attack by a lion, even right here in this paradise-like conservancy where wild animals surround us at any given moment. A few minutes ago, I walked by the bedroom window to see our new wildlife visitor, Bad Ear (his left ear is bleeding), a huge wildebeest looking into the window at me, inquiring about the possibility of some pellets.
Of course, we were happy to see him, but we don’t forget for a moment his size, as indicated here:
“Males typically weigh 165 to 290 kg (364 to 639 lb), and females weigh 140 to 260 kg (310 to 570 lb).”
With their sharp horns and seeming gentle disposition, a human could be impaled instantly if a wildebeest becomes frightened or defensive.
Thus, we don’t take our presence here in the bush lightly. We proceed with caution at every turn while still taking time to enjoy the frequent visits from wildlife. But lions, hmmm…if a lion approached us while we were on the veranda, we’d have to move quickly to get inside the house to protect ourselves, keeping in mind how fast ions can move.
Fortunately, by nature, lions don’t generally seek human interactions. But, here again, if frightened or provoked, an attack could be imminent. We are more well protected in this house by a short fence bordering a portion of the veranda, providing some protection. But, if we hear a lion’s roar nearby, I assure you we won’t be racing out to the garden for a photo.
More lion footprints were recently spotted in Marloth Park.
It is difficult for residents to take photos unless they happen across one of the lions while in their vehicle. The images we’re sharing today are not ours. They were on a public forum on Facebook, which we watch diligently for new sightings on a few select Facebook groups for Marloth Park.
In the case of today’s photos, we “borrowed” all of them from Facebook to make an illustration of this reality in Marloth Park and other areas. Are we frightened? No. But we certainly would be if we were up close and personal with one of these beasts.
On another note, there is considerably more to fear from humans, the criminal kind who have been attacking and, in some cases murdering drivers on the N4 highways after dark, often early in the evening. As indicated in the post, we spotted it this morning on Facebook. These two attacks occurred as early as 2100 hrs, 9:00 pm. Anyone could be traveling back to Marloth Park after enjoying dinner in a restaurant on the N4 or visiting family and friends.
We have decided to avoid traveling on the N4 whenever it is dark, with no exception. The risk is too high based on the circumstances, such as listed below, posted by a Marloth Park official this morning.
The carcass of an ostrich found in Marloth Park results from a lion attack (or possibly, a leopard).
“Fyi
Good morning everyone.
Please warn your guests to try not to travel late at night.
We had two spiking incidents last night.
Both about the same time. 21h00
1. N4 Impala Station (between Hectorspruit and Malelane. Mozambique Truck.
2. Bethal, near the offramp, two vehicles spiked.
The problem is that the suspect is in groups.
1. Avoid driving over any foreign object on the road.
2. If you cannot avoid it, and your tires do hit an object which causes any damage, please continue driving as far as possible. The ideal will be to a garage or toll Plaza.
3. Suspects target what’s in your vehicle, cell phones, bags, cash, etc.
4. Don’t carry a lot of cash.
Keep the TracN4 ready at all times so that you can call them immediately.
Be vigilant at all times.
Thank you, and be safe.”
This frightens us, as it should. We are not foolhardy and take no such risks. Then again, nor should anyone, anywhere in the world, in these frightening times. We all must proceed with caution while still striving to find joy and fulfillment all around us in whatever we choose to do, wherever we choose to live.
Be well. Be safe.

Photo from one year ago today, June 3, 2021:

Hornbills certainly enjoy Frank and The Misses’ seeds. We don’t have any Franks at this new house. For more photos, please click here.

Getting into the groove…It’s heavenly…Plans for our August visa run revealed!!!…

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This female kudu jumped over the fence to see if the “grass was greener.” We don’t feed them when they jump the fence so they’ll avoid eating the grass and vegetation which is newly seeded and planted.

Wow! It’s Thursday morning on a perfect weather day. It’s cool, the sun is shining, and we’re comfortably ensconced at the table on the fantastic veranda. We’re feeling so much better today. The gastro issues are gone. The awful feeling of exhaustion from Covid-19/Omicron continues to improve daily, and we’re almost back to our old selves.

The sights and sounds in the bush are making us both smile. Birds are singing, screeching, and flying overhead. As I write this, the same five kudus, including a baby, have been hanging around for the past few hours. We named Pushy a very bossy warthog since he growls when we don’t give him pellets fast enough. He makes us laugh. We can’t help but respond to his goofy personality.

Bushbucks are sharing pellets with a warthog.

There are a few “Spikey’s” hanging out, young bushbucks with tiny horns, and one of our old favorites, Stingy, from our old house, 2 kilometers, 1.2 miles away. He responded to his name, and we recognized him for the markings and size of his horns, which are always muddy from digging up roots. Indeed, we’ll see some of our old animal friends in time, but it’s easy to welcome new friends when they are so adorable.

Gosh, this feels good. Tom is streaming Garage Logic on his laptop. we’re sipping on ice tea in the big mugs Louise gave us a few days ago, and we’re snacking on chunks of delicious aged cheddar cheese and a fine quality ham. Dinner is made for tonight’s meal, and I’ve already done two loads of laundry.

A Mom and Baby bushbuck partaking in some pellets.

Danie arranged for a plumber to come today since the water at the kitchen sink wasn’t hot enough for washing dishes. There’s no dishwasher here. Tom did all the dishes but quickly became frustrated when the water wasn’t satisfactory for sanitizing the dishes. As soon as we mentioned this issue to Louise, she and Danie were all over it and the plumber arrived this morning to make the necessary repairs. By tonight’s dinner Tom should be able to do the dishes in hot water. The remaining faucets in the house are fine.

With our plans set for the necessary visa run on August 20, as of two days ago, we have peace of mind and can relax until then. We definitely decided that neither of us feel up to any long flights and layovers to go far away. We’ve decided to head back to Zambia.

An adorable baby bushbuck.

Once we arrive at the small airport in Livingstone, our former tour guide Chris will pick us up at the airport and drive us to the rive where four countries intersect, the only such place in the world. We’ll take a little boat across the river to the other side to Botswana where a guide will meet and take us through immigration, and then to Chobe Safari Lodge, where we stayed a few times in 2018.

Each time we were at the resort and went on safari, we longed to spend more time there. This time, we’ve booked five nights at the lodge and two nights at the Protea Hotel to round out an entire week we’ll have been away, hopefully long enough to satisfy South African immigration to give us a new 90-day visa stamp.

Three bushbucks are sharing pellets. Now that we’re back to using the camera, we’ll zoom in more for better shots.

Fortunately, the flight to Zambia is non-stop on Airlink in Nelspruit and is less than a two-hour flight, making the trip easy for us. We’ll pick up a new rental car when we return to Nelspruit, and the 90-day clock will begin once again. But, 70+ days later, we’re heading to Athens. At the end of the cruise from Athens, we’ll return to Cape Town South Africa, about 45 days later.

We are thrilled with this plan. It’s easy, affordable, and less work than applying for another visa extension which we may have to do again sometime down the line. But, this one trip and the cruise take us to March 2023, when again, we’ll leave South Africa for a while to explore other options. All of this, of course, is based on travel restrictions because the pandemic is not over.

There are several Mom and Baby bushbucks. Soon, we’ll identify features and start naming them.

So, God willing, we’re back to life as we knew it, comfortable and content to be here, feeling well, enjoying our animal and human friends. Life is good, once again.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 2, 2021:

Little Daddy comes to call. As a youngster, he certainly knows how to give the “look,” indicating he’s up for some pellets. For more photos, please click here.

We’re back…Sorry we missed a post…Brain fog continues…Planning for the future…

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“A large, bulky, gray-brown ibis with an iridescent green-purple gloss on the wings. It has a bicolored black-and-red bill and a white streak across the cheek under the eye. Pairs and small flocks occur in a variety of habitats including open country, wetland margins, and forest edge; they forages on the ground, digging, probing soft soil, and picking up invertebrates with their long bills. The frequently-heard call is one of the most characteristic sounds of Africa: a loud, raucous, trumpeting “ha-da-da,” which gives the bird its name.”

We failed to upload a post which was a fluke. It was the first morning since April 20, when we were first diagnosed with Covid-19 on the last two days on the first cruise; we awoke feeling better. There was no compelling need to be laying down, no lightheadedness, and no body aches.

I looked at our WordPress editing app, and it appeared I’d done a post the previous day but failed to upload it. Ah, I thought, this works. I’ll add that post and won’t have to give it another thought. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. I had already uploaded that post.

Was it possible after six weeks, we were finally getting better from Covid-19 and, most recently, the dreaded gastrointestinal bacterial infection that began with a vengeance last Wednesday night, only one day after arriving in Marloth Park? Everything Doc Theo prescribed for us had done its job of freeing us from those horrific symptoms.

This was the first time we were this close to one of these birds.

We were so excited to feel better that we ran about the house, organizing cupboards to open up more storage space, knowing in an hour or two we’d planned to drive to Komatipoort to buy groceries, stop at the dentists, Luzaane’s office to arrange teeth cleaning appointments. Suzanne welcomed me with a warm hug inquiring about how we were feeling. It seems everyone in town knew we’d been sick from seeing our Facebook entries or reading our posts. She suggested we wait a few more weeks to recover further before having the cleanings.

After that, I went next door to Doc Theo’s office, and as soon as he came out from seeing a patient, he came right over to me, inquiring how we were feeling. I told him it was our first day out, and we were feeling so much better.  I thanked him profusely for calling and checking on us several times and prescribing medicines that worked so well. I took different meds than Tom since my case of Salmonella/e-coli was so much worse. But, here we were both feeling better.

Tom dropped me at Spar to the grocery shop and headed to the nearby petrol station to fill up the little car. It took at least an hour to shop. With a good list on the Bring app on my phone, were were able to find everything we needed for our various menus for the next week. Tom came into the store to push the car and load up the food at the register in no time at all.

We were thrilled to see the giraffe visiting.

It took everything I had to bag up those groceries into the various bags we’d brought along. By the time we were back on our way to Marloth Park, we were both pooped. On the return drive, I was thinking about reorganizing the kitchen space to fit all the items we’d purchased.

The refrigerator space is no issue as it has been in some past rentals. The kitchen fridge is an enormous side-by-side model. Plus, the an extra fridge on the veranda and a chest freezer in the dining room. We never have to worry about running out of space for perishable foods.

When there is load shedding for 2½ hours, none of the perishable foods spoil. But some outages last for many more hours or even days from time to time. We can move the bulk of the perishables to the chest freezer, where the items will remain fresh for days. Let’s face it; this is the bush. Things are different here.

Giraffes don’t interact with humans in the bush but they are always a majestic sight to see.

I rearranged all of the kitchen food storage space, making room for everything we purchased. It feels complete, and it will be easier to find everything. Since Tom has lost so much weight in the past six weeks, I made a double batch of his favorite blueberry muffins this morning. The muffins he used to pick up at the market were made with many chemicals based on a massive list of unknown ingredients.

If Tom is going to eat sweets, at least they need to be homemade with good ingredients. I baked two dozen muffins, enough to last for 12 days when he eats two each day.

While making the muffins, I also made Low Carb Beef and Mushroom Casserole, enough to last for a few dinners. In one way, it felt good to be cooking again, but afterward, I felt exhausted from all the work. We’ve been lying around for quite some time. I look forward to my energy returning when I can start walking again.

In the past few days, we worked on a plan about where we’ll go when our visas are up on August 20. We’ve made a plan and booked reservations, which we’ll share in tomorrow’s post.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 1, 2021:

Three go-away birds at the birdbath. The grey go-away-bird (Crinifer concolor), also known as grey lourie, or kwêvoël, is a bold and common bird of the southern Afrotropics. They are present in arid to moist, open woodlands and thorn savanna, especially near-surface water. For more photos, please click here.

Getting organized in the house…Many new visitors…

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This Big Daddy jumped over the fence to see what treats we may have for him while his brothers grazed beyond the fence.

Since we’ve been sick for two days after we arrived last Tuesday, other than unpacking, we haven’t had time to get organized in the house. We’ve finally worked out a sound system for doing laundry. Danie delivered the clothes rack, making it easier for me to hang clothes. After having open-heart surgery in 2019, I can’t easily raise my arms over my head. Using an outdoor clothesline is impossible for me. This was an easy solution with a good-sized clothes rack in the outside laundry area.

With that problem solved, Louise brought over some items to make life easier for us, including some kitchen items. The spice drawer in the kitchen was already stocked with our spices. All I need to purchase when we go to Spar next is garlic and chili powder to make the spice mix for taco salad which we’ll make some time in the future when we’re feeling better and can eat spicy food.

This morning, we made a good-sized bowl of chicken salad with the leftover chicken breasts from last night’s dinner. We boiled a dozen eggs, peeled and chopped them when they cooled, and chopped celery and purple onion while I made the delicious sour cream dressing. We tossed it all together and placed it in the refrigerator to chill for tonight’s dinner. There should be enough left for tomorrow’s dinner too.

A warthog we don’t recognize. Once we get to know them better, we’ll begin assigning names.

It took everything we had to make the salad when we both were weak and out of sorts. Diarrhea has stopped, but we both still have a long way to be our old selves. Hopefully, we’ll feel well enough to go to Jabula for our usual Friday night dinner by Friday evening. We’ll play that by ear. Right now, it would be impossible. Neither can stand for long, let alone keep our heads up to sit at the bar.

Somehow, I managed to get the laundry done, doing a little bit at a time. When it is so cool outside, it takes two or three days for everything to dry outdoors when not in direct sunlight. Tom has stayed on top of all the dishes and kitchen clean-up. So, the house is orderly and ready for our needs right now.

Vusi just arrived to clean the house and change the bedding. He and Zef don’t clean on the weekends, and the floors get very dusty with the doors wide open. With no screens on the doors and the dusty terrain, it’s no wonder the house gets dusty in a hurry. But, we’re used to this fact and take it in our stride. We are so grateful to have Zef and Vusi taking care of us.

Since we haven’t been outdoors much, fewer animals have stopped by, but we notice that more visitors come to call each time we sit out there. This morning, we saw duikers, bushbucks, warthogs, kudus, and many helmeted guinea fowl who like to get in on the pellet offerings.

More Big Daddies in the garden.

The remainder of the week will be spent taking care of our health. We hadn’t had a sundowner since the first night we arrived when we dined at Jabula. There’s no way a drink sounded good when suffering from gastrointestinal distress, and even yet, I can’t imagine sipping on a glass of light red wine. It makes my stomach turn. Friends Linda and Ken in the UK, who got Covid a week after us, still avoid happy hour when they don’t feel right either.

Do we have lingering effects from Covid? Right now, it’s hard to tell the difference if we’re sick from the residue from Covid or the gastro infections. We feel wiped out and lethargic. Last night after dinner, I was feeling awful. I drank a glass of water with electrolytes, which helped a little. I can’t get any water down today, but I am drinking a Sprite Zero. It seems as if the bubbles offer some relief like 7-Up, which seems to help when sick.

We are looking forward to being excited, upbeat, and positive once again as we embrace the usual pleasant life in the bush. We are anxious to get back to Kruger National Park to see what we can find in the way of big game and, of course, to see our human friends as well.

Take care, and have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, May 31, 2021:

Crooked Face, a unique and handsome devil. For more photos, please click here.

Light at the end of the tunnel…Hopefully, we’re on the mend…A doctor, like none other…

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A baby duiker with her mom was the first sighting for us.

I awoke at 1:30 am and never went back to sleep. Surely, that’s a result of napping on and off all day which with this bacterial infection it’s hard for us not to do. Yesterday, Tom napped for three hours straight, but he could sleep during the night, although he woke up several times while I mindlessly played scrabble with strangers on my phone.

Yeah, I know the deal about “screen time” at night, but after countless tries without it, I still couldn’t get to sleep and just gave up trying. Worrying about not sleeping doesn’t help. I resigned myself to this reality and beat the heck out of several players, one after another. At least if I was going to be awake, I might as well enjoy some lively competition.

Before bed, we continue to watch Outlander on Netflix. We are on Season 3 with two more seasons to go. What a show! But in our weakened state the past several nights, we had an awful time staying awake, later re-watching the portions we’d missed. Tonight, I’ll have a heck of a time staying awake after dinner. If I take a nap today, I’ll ask Tom to wake me up after 20 minutes.

Last night, Tom drove to Jabula to get takeaway food for us. Doc Theo suggested I eat lean meat and pumpkin which is easy on the digestive tract, so I ordered roasted chicken, and butternut which is comparable to pumpkin. It tasted so good after not eating for a few days. For the first time in days, I was hungry. Tom enjoyed his chicken, rice, and creamed spinach, and the meal sat well with both of us.

In the past, we couldn’t get this close to shy duikers. It’s such a pleasure to see them get so close to the house.

As we were placing our food on plates since we don’t like to eat out of styrofoam containers, Danie showed up at the door. He said, “Hey, man, are you guys ok? Doc Theo was trying to call you Friday night and he’s worried that you didn’t answer”  I had left the phone on, next to me Friday night. He didn’t have the correct phone number for me.

He told Danie if we weren’t feeling better, please go to the hospital for IV solutions and more treatment and not wait until Monday when we could see him again. But, we were feeling better, drinking plenty of fluids, and felt like we were turning the corner. Danie called Theo back to tell him we were alive, improving, and thanks for worrying about us. It was almost 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs, on Saturday night, and Theo was worrying about us. Bless his heart.

Where in the world would we ever find such a doctor who cared this much? Nowhere we’ve ever been. After all, Theo diagnosed my painful jaw as a dangerous indication of heart disease and a potential immediate heart attack or stroke. Good grief! The man saved my life, and here he was, once again, providing a level of care that is rarely found anywhere. We are very grateful.

Mom and Babies and another female arrived early this morning. Most likely, the extra female is from Mom’s last litter.

Feeling a little better today, although we still have a way to go tonight; we’ll make chicken breasts on the braai with rice for Tom and sauteed mushrooms we have on hand. It will be an easy meal to make. All I will do is season the chicken, after which Tom will place it on the grilling rack, then cook the rice and the mushrooms in garlic and butter. It’s great we have a gas stove and oven in this house. When there’s load shedding, we can still use the stove.

Louise offered to cook for us, but we insisted we’ll figure it out, and we have. Here again, is it any wonder we love being in Marloth Park? Our friend’s and medical professionals’ love and kindness are enough motivation to be here.

We haven’t seen many animals the past several days since we’ve been hunkered down in the bedroom resting day and night. However, this morning, Mom and Baby warthogs returned, along with a first for us, a Mom and Baby duiker. What a sweet sighting.  Of course, we took a few photos we’ll share here soon.

Every so often, we check outdoors as we continue to rest and recover. We won’t hesitate to offer pellets to any of our visiting new friends. Many more visitors will stop by once we are better and can spend all of our time on the veranda.

Have a safe and healthy day.

Photo from one year ago today, May 29, 2021:

Hal and Crooked Face were standing at the veranda railing that morning, awaiting their pellets. For more photos, please click here.

We’re baaaack!!!…You won’t believe this…Why we’ve been away…

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Mom and Babies…

I wish we’d never have to write about being sick. But, with our commitment to always “tell it like it is,” we feel compelled to share every aspect of our lives of world travels with our readers. Even if we didn’t travel, we’d be sick from time to time. Would it be so unusual for a senior citizen to get sick once or twice a year with a cold, flu, or a virus? Certainly not.

Of course, some people never become ill, and we surely envy their sturdiness. But, we aren’t quite so fortunate. Why? We don’t know. We certainly strive to live a healthy lifestyle. Tom is considerably less likely to become ill than I am. He takes no medication and has no known conditions in his almost 70 years.

But, I don’t see him doing anything more diligently than I do, yet I fall prey to various illnesses throughout the year. This frustrates me, the person who has strived for good health all of my life through a healthy diet, exercise, and positive attitude. I guess I am missing something, or perhaps, genetics plays a more significant role than I’d thought.

Soon, the scary processionary caterpillars will arrive.

Our recent bad bout of Omicron left us both reeling with exhaustion and lingering effects, most of which continue to subside day by day. Tom had fully recovered from Covid pneumonia. We both only have a tickle of cough on occasion.

When we arrived in Marloth Park on Tuesday, although exhausted from the long journey but we both knew a few good night’s sleep, we’d recover from the two-day trip from Las Vegas, Nevada, back to South Africa, the last leg of which was a 15-hour red-eye in the coach. We each only slept an hour or two, sitting straight up in our seats. The remainder of the time was spent watching movies on the entertainment screens at our seats.

Once in Marloth Park, we were excited to complete the recovery of Covid while resting from the long journey and being fit and chipper to cherish our time back in the bush. But that was not the case.

On Wednesday, we both started experiencing severe diarrhea and stomach pain. I was feeling nauseous and very ill, Tom less so. By Wednesday evening, I had a fever and lay under four blankets on the bed, shivering all night. I took two Paracetamol (Tylenol) every six hours to keep the temperature down but never slept a wink due to the constant need to run to the bathroom and the awful feeling of having a fever.

Big Daddy stopped by to check out the action in the garden.

Thursday, I never left the bed other than to shower and run to the bathroom. Tom was struggling as well, but not quite as bad. I couldn’t eat, knowing the result would be more trips to the bathroom, but I didn’t have an appetite. By Thursday night, we acknowledged that we needed to see Doc Theo as soon as we could get an appointment, hopefully on Friday with the weekend coming.

Our appointment was scheduled for 2:30 pm, 1430 hrs, but we arrived 30 minutes earlier, and he could see us. At that point, I could barely keep my head up. We told Theo about our awful bouts of Covid and Tom’s pneumonia. He explained that Covid weakens the immune system, which is most likely why we’d both become sick at this time.

He diligently examined each of us. He ordered blood tests just for me since, most likely, we had the same affliction. He noted my case was much worse than Tom’s since he’d been on antibiotics for pneumonia only a week or two earlier, which provided him some lingering protection.

The testing lab is across the street from the doctor’s office. There was no way I could have walked, so we drove. We went back to Theo’s office to await the results. In no time at all, he called us back into his office and said I had a severe gastrointestinal infection, either e-coli or salmonella. Tom has a lighter version. How did he know Tom’s was less? From palpating our stomachs. Mine was tender to the touch where Tom’s was not. Plus, Tom’s symptoms were less severe.

He prescribed a litany of medications for each of us. Tom didn’t need antibiotics which was good since he’d recently been on two. But, he prescribed Cipro and other meds for me. Cipro is commonly used in Africa to treat bacterial infections which is what I have.

When we arrived at the pharmacy i brought the prescriptions inside and handed them to the pharmacist. But moments later I could no longer stand and went back to the car, asking Tom to go inside and collect them when they were ready. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs., we were back at the house, began taking our meds while I headed back to bed. We had scrambled eggs for dinner, the first food we had eaten all day. But, within minutes of eating, the rushing to the bathroom began again.

This morning I am a little better, and so is Tom. We are hopeful we are on the mend. How we got this dreadful infection is unknown to us. We went over everything we ate and drank, and there is nothing we ate the same except for the dinner we made at the house, salad (unbagged), rice (for Tom), and meat, nothing that should have caused an issue. But one never knows. It could have been either the salad or the beef, which was fresh when we cooked them.

So, that, dear readers, is why we didn’t do a post yesterday, nor did we take any new photos. I’m still not up to sitting outdoors and watching our animal friends visit. But that will come in time, and for that, we can hardly wait.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 28, 2021:

Tiny never disappointed us. His gentle nature and interest in us was delightful. Of course, he enjoyed pellets, carrots, apples, and bird seeds from time to time. We never saw him again after we returned from the US at the end of July. For more photos, please click here.

Adaptation is the name of the game…

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Tom was feeding eggs to a large band of mongooses. We were happy to see them since they can keep the snake population at bay around the house.

As much as we love being back in Marloth Park, we realize we need to adapt once again after being in the US for almost two months. No, it’s not as if we were out and about much while there, but we quickly rolled back into our old ways of the conveniences offered in the US. Of course, prices on everything are reflected in the significant price differential.

Mom and Babies!

But the differences aren’t all wrapped up in making purchases. They are mainly centered around the nuances of daily life. Here are some examples:

  1. Each time we go inside the house from the veranda, we have to bring our laptops and phones inside with us, even if we are going to the bathroom or getting a coffee cup and closing and closing the doors. There are two reasons for this. Some thieves watch the bush houses to see if anything valuable is left outside. Two, the baboons and monkeys could get into the house or damage the equipment outdoors.
  2. It’s a long drive to the market, about 25 minutes. The little local markets have very few items. Yesterday I needed sour cream to make salad dressing. There was none to be found anywhere in Marloth Park or any salad dressing other than Greek which neither of us likes.
  3. Extra care must be taken when using the septic system and hot water.  Generally, the water pressure is low.
  4. Load shedding: This occurred (power outage) last night from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm and can occur twice to four times a day. It will happen again tonight at the same time as last night. We ensure we’ve had dinner, are doing the dishes, and have battery-operated lights handy.
  5. WiFi can go out during load shedding or other times. Since Louise and Danie installed inverters for us, we’ll have WiFi on most occasions to stream our shows at night.
  6. There is no dishwasher at this house and never a clothes dryer. Zef and Vusi will do our laundry, but we’ll do our own once it’s busy here.
  7. Extra caution must be exercised when driving to avoid hitting the animals crossing the road. This includes watching for snakes, rodents, dung beetles, and mongooses.
  8. No TV on the main floor. It’s not that we spend time watching TV; we don’t. But we may check out news from time to time. Instead, we use our phones and laptops for news updates.
  9. We must drive small, inexpensive cars due to recent increases in car rental prices. These car types don’t handle the pot-hole-ridden dirt roads very well in Marloth Park.
  10. Insects, mosquitoes, snakes, and other “creepy crawlers” are in the bush year-round, although they are considerably less right now since winter is approaching. (We are in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are opposite the Northern Hemisphere). It’s necessary to use powerful insect repellent at all times of the year on all exposed skin.
  11. Limited shopping. If we need a clothing item, there isn’t a local shop that will carry the products we’d be interested in buying. Online stores have inconsistent sizing, making it difficult to order anything online and feel assured it will fit. If we need non-clothing items, brand names are expensive since they are imported.
  12. Shipping items from the US is costly. A typical 20-pound, 9 kg package can cost around the US $400, ZAR 6277 when it’s necessary to use fast shipping through DHL or FedEx and pay customs fees when the items arrive.
  13. Problems using ATMs. If an ATM is not associated with a specific bank and is located at a bank, it’s challenging to get the machines to work to obtain cash. When we arrived in Johannesburg, we had to go to four ATMs to get one to work. This is common.
  14. Due to Covid and employee shortages, it isn’t easy to get responses from many service-orientated businesses.

    An adorable male duiker stopped by.

Well, I suppose I could go on and on. But, what it boils down to is that we so appreciate the wildlife, the scenery, and the people, items such as the above are a small price to pay. In no time at all, we get into the groove, finding ourselves comfortable and fitting into the environment.

This morning we had no less than 25 impalas in the garden with one male and the rest females and babies. It’s called a harem.

Last night’s dinner of well-seasoned bacon-wrapped filet mignon, rice (for Tom), and a big salad was all we needed. We cooked on the braai whilel it was dark outside, and we still had electricity for lights. It was terrific dining at the outdoor table amid the night sounds of the bush.

Our first wildebeest visitor ate some pellets and took a nap outside our bedroom window.

Yesterday, I made the terrible mistake of taking a two-hour nap during the day, which I never do. As a result, sleep was elusive last night. Today, I’ll be more careful and not sleep until bedtime. Since we were infected with Covid, we both have been napping on and off during the day. Hopefully, soon, the need to do that will pass.

Our wildebeest stopped for a drink from the pool before he left with a female impala looking on.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 26, 2021:

Frank and The Misses share their seeds with two hornbills. They all got along quite well. We haven’t seen any francolins here yet. But, we set up the bird feeder and shall see what happens. For more photos, please click here.

Vague and confusing rules to re-enter South Africa…Three days and counting…

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If I could eat sweets, most likely I’d choose some of these. We wondered what they did with the items that didn’t sell and how many days they stayed in the case.

As it turned out, the two Covid-19 antigen tests we purchased at Walgreens are not suitable for travel. In my state of COVID brain fog, along with a long queue in the pharmacy that day, I failed to ask the question to the pharmacist before I purchased the kits.

We’d used the same brand name kit to enter the US, but apparently, the tests I purchased in the US don’t have the red stripe across the box. It is the brand name, but it didn’t say it couldn’t be used for travel. Upon further investigation online, Tom discovered these test kits wouldn’t work.

These baked goods for sale at the Lucky Penny are much larger than they appear in this photo.

The next point was the confusion over whether South Africa requires a PCR or antigen test. According to several government sites, on March 22, 2022, it was no longer necessary to have a PCR test to enter the country if a person had a valid vaccination card.

The tricky part is they won’t accept the CDC white vaccination cards, which we have. They will only accept a vaccination certificate with a QR code.

These baked goods are twice the size of those you’d find in a bakery. Everything in Las Vegas is vast!

Yesterday afternoon, we spent hours finding out where and how we could get such a certificate. If we had weeks to spare, we could request it and get it in the mail at our “home” address. Well, that doesn’t work for us. Our only option is to get a new PCR test at a drive-through at CVS pharmacy. We don’t have a car. We’ll have to pay for a taxi to take us to CVS’s drive-through to get the test.

But that expense is a lot less than having a company come to the hotel to do our tests. After checking with the concierge, we discovered the cost is US $199 per person. Our taxi bill will be a lot less than the US $398.

These macaroons were the size of a man’s fist and stuffed with something creamy.

This is a bit frustrating, especially after all we’ve been through the past four-plus weeks. Our two tests are booked at a nearby CVS for 11:00, and 11:10 am tomorrow. We should have the results by Saturday, which we’ll print at the hotel, along with our rental agreement with Louise, which is required to enter the country for three months.

The next hurdle we had to handle was that we couldn’t find confirmation for the 90-day car rental for the vehicle we’re picking up at Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport (MQP). Indeed the issue was more about Covid brain fog and our lack of ability to locate the booking information easily. This has never been an issue for us. I always enter the booking details on our Cozi travel calendar. There was nothing there.

These massive chocolate cream puffs made my mouth water. The brownies on the far right were at least 4″ squares.

We spent at least two hours figuring out which car rental company we’d used and which company was supplying the car. We went through past credit card statements and finally found three small deposits we’d paid in March. Finally, we figured it out, after calling the company..

This error occurred when we were rushed to book this entire trip to the US, one hotel and flight after another. When we returned to South Africa, the records for that one rental car fell through the cracks when we were swamped booking flights and vehicles for Florida, Minnesota, and Nevada.

Yes, we love bacon, but I’m not sure about chocolate-covered bacon. Thank goodness I can’t have sugar. I’d have been tempted to try it. I encouraged Tom to try one of these fantastic items, but he prefers plain old-fashioned doughnuts, which weren’t available.

Thankfully, all is fine now, and the car will be waiting for us at the airport next Tuesday. However, we weren’t able to secure a straight 90-day booking. Every 30 days, we’ll have to return the car to Nelspruit (a three-hour turnaround) to sign another 30-day contract. However, we will make every effort to convince them to let us send them photos of the car and odometer readings to allow us to keep it the entire time. We shall see how that goes.

Whew! Lots of challenges this time around. Fortunately, with sheer determination, I managed to set up my new laptop completely, finishing early this morning. That’s a relief to have out of the way. In the next few days, we’ll reorganize the contents of our luggage, weighing everything to ensure we comply. Then, at 4:00 am Sunday, we’ll leave the hotel for the airport.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2021:

This photo astounded us. See the post for details of the unusual phenomenon from our trail cam in Marloth Park. For more information, please click here.

A new plan for the next year…

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A marina in Apollo Beach.

As it turned out, we’re booking the new house in Marloth Park for one full year, during which we’ll leave from time to time for new visa stamps. We plan to do one more visa extension through the law firm, and we’ll be going for cruises at other times. Subsequently, we’ll only have to leave once for a visa run during the 12 months. This works out well for us.

Are we settling down in Marloth Park? No. We’re using it as a base until after we return from the Lisbon to Cape Town cruise in December, leaving us six more months of the one-year rental contract from which we’ll embark on more cruises. After that year ends, we will leave South Africa for new and different horizons. But, for this particular period, it works for us.

Are we done with staying in holiday homes for two or three months in various countries? Not necessarily. In the interim, we can live well below our budget to offset the cost of the cruises. But with the cost of holiday homes skyrocketing worldwide due to the pandemic, we’ve had no choice but to reconsider what works best for us.

We have seen an increase in holiday rents, not only in the UK and Europe but also worldwide. We are not wealthy people who can spend thousands of dollars a month on rentals. Nor are we willing to forgo our criteria of living in nice properties in safe neighborhoods, in excellent condition, with utilities included and unlimited WiFi. We can’t justify forfeiting any of these critical requirements.

For those of our readers who have grown weary of wildlife photos, we apologize when we say there will be plenty more to come once we return to Marloth Park on May 24. The difference will be an entirely new batch of animals, with new names, new behavior, and the plethora of peculiarities we find in the bush.

If we named our site Worldwide Wildlife Adventures, a steady stream of animal photos would be expected. So, from that point forward during the upcoming year, you may ask yourself, would I read such a daily blog? Would I become bored with one wild animal after another?

If your answer is that you would be bored, then please check back from time to time to see what adventures are upcoming or perhaps wait until we are on the move again. On November 8, 2022, we’re sailing through the Middle East, including visiting Israel and many other countries.

On August 1, 2023, we will finally be sailing to Norway, a new experience for us. Thus, during this one year, we won’t be sitting on the veranda the entire time, tossing pellets to our newly named animal friends and heading to Jabula every Friday night. There definitely will be some adventures along the way.

Our lives are not long-term vacation/holiday. It is a compilation of experiences in many cultures, focused on nature, building relationships we make along the way, and learning about the world’s ways. Our goal is to remain intrigued while continuing to grow and flourish in many environments. Staying stimulated by our surroundings is a fantastic means of maintaining a youthful outlook and demeanor.

As long as our health remains good, we will continue on this path. When that changes, which it ultimately will, we will make another plan. Also, based on great medical care, we feel incredibly at ease in Marloth Park.

So, there it is, dear readers, our plan for the upcoming year. It begins when we return to South Africa on May 24; after our two upcoming cruises, a two-week visit to Minnesota with another one-week visit to Nevada. From there, we’ll embark on the long journey to return to South Africa.

We are content with our plans and hope most of our readers will continue to share this peculiar life with us. We’ll be back tomorrow with some exciting photos of “safari luck” in Florida after sightseeing.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, March 31, 2021:

Frank was standing on the veranda railing. For more photos, please click here.