We’re back!…Power and water restored…Nice day in Kruger National Park…

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Mom and baby hippo on the Sabie River.

The electric power has been restored as of yesterday afternoon and the water. This morning I was able to take a shower with water pressure. Also, it’s cooler today, although the dew point is tropical after it rained again during the night. The animal’s feet are covered in mud, and the garden is muddy. But, we don’t mind.

We’re grateful it continues to rain at night to increase the available vegetation for the wildlife. None of our visitors look undernourished after being well-fed over the winter months by enthusiasts like us and can now eat their natural diet of leaves, roots, and grasses.

Wildebeest family resting near what they think is a tree.

We’re keeping a watchful eye for snakes and venomous insects that flourish this year. I may jinx ourselves in saying so, but the mozzies aren’t as awful as they could be. But it’s still early yet. Actual summer doesn’t begin until December 21st. When the weather is tolerable, we remain outdoors and will continue to do so during the summer months.

Yesterday’s trip to Kruger National Park was rewarding, although we didn’t see any cats. We haven’t been lucky with cat sightings in the park during this past year. Although, we still enjoy every animal we see. We don’t spend much time on the dirt roads; instead, spending the majority of our drive on the main paved road.

The first elephant we spotted on our self-drive.

Why don’t we venture out to the more remote dirt roads is a reality we’ve had to accept. We don’t rent expensive four-wheel-drive vehicles based on our extended stays in the country. The prices of rental cars have increased over the years, resulting in our renting smaller, less expensive vehicles. Subsequently, these smaller cars don’t do well on the bumpy roads in Kruger or Marloth Park.

It’s not as if we haven’t experienced countless game drives during our years of world travel. As a result, we’ve accepted the reality that the cars we’ve rented have some limitations. Living life on a perpetual vacation/holiday requires budgetary diligence. We’d rather live in a lovely property, eat great food and be able to dine out as often as we choose than pay two or three times more for a rental car.

We spotted this lone Cape buffalo, close to the Sabie River.

We decided it was essential to go yesterday, knowing we wouldn’t tackle entering the park during the holiday season. During this upcoming period, reservations will be required to enter the park. We have no interest in making a reservation, which would result in many cars on the paved road stacked up when a sighting is found. This doesn’t appeal to us.

After the holiday season ends, well after New Year’s, we will happily return when the numbers of visitors are minimal and no reservations will be necessary.

Several elephants in the Sabie River.

As for yesterday, we spotted more elephants than we’d seen in a long while resulting in many photos we’ll share over the next few days. For the first time in a while, we spotted a Cape buffalo on the bank of the Sabie River, many wildebeests, including some newborns with their umbilical cords still attached, several zebras, a few crocs, and others as seen in our photos.

Today, we’ll stay put. Everything is prepped for tonight’s dinner; the laundry is washed and hung on the rack. It could be another lazy day when I do not feel motivated to tackle any projects after a poor night’s sleep.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 15, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #267. t was only a short walk from our holiday home in Pacific Harbour, Fiji, to the river. For more photos, please click here.

A frog symphony…Grateful, even with the heat…Mozzie time…

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Holey Miley visits each day.

As we are situated on the veranda with me sipping a delicious mug of iced coffee, we’re listening to the symphony from two frogs, one in the rafters of the veranda roof and the other on the edge of the birdbath. They go back and forth with their melodious chirps and then chirp simultaneously from time to time. It’s music to our ears.

Today’s a bit cooler with an expected midday high of only 93F, 34C. What a relief! We can handle that easily, compared to the fierce heat of the past many days, even weeks. Summer won’t officially begin until eight days from today. We’d better brace ourselves.

We are grateful to be here in South Africa rather than any other place in the world, even with the heat, the insects, and mozzies. As much as it’s rained in the past month, we’re surprised the mozzies aren’t any worse than they are. But, it’s early days. They will come.

Barbara and Lori (Shark Tank) frequently stop for a visit.

Three times a day, I reapply Tabard roll-on insect repellent. Without it, I’d be covered in bites. Although this product has DEET, the risks of which I am well aware, it is the only repellent that works for me. Over the years we’ve spent in South Africa, I have tried many “natural” repellents only to discover they don’t work for me. It’s a toss-up…risks of DEET or chances of contracting malaria. I chose to take the risk of DEET.

When applying, I don’t put it all over my body, only on the exposed skin such as my legs and feet when wearing short pants, hands and arms up to my sleeves, and the neck area. I wear closed shoes until bedtime, which prevents getting bit on my feet, after carefully applying the repellant to my ankles, where mozzies particularly love to bite. On a rare occasion, I get a bite under my clothes.

Kudus stop by almost every day.

Due to allergies, occasionally, I get red itchy patches on my skin, usually on my arms or legs.  Calamine lotion seems to be the only product that helps with that type of itching.

The inconveniences from the awful heat, humidity, insects, and snakes are incidental compared to last Christmas when we were stuck in a hotel room in Mumbai—living in a hotel room for ten months, never knowing when the international airport would open. Each day, we thought, maybe tomorrow? Each day, we were disappointed.

But now, we are content to be here, enjoying our animal and human friends, making great meals, having sundowners on the veranda regardless of the heat, while having little responsibility other than to cook, do dishes, wash laundry, grocery shop, and manage financial matters.

Little Daddy and two female kudus.

It’s reported on the news today that President Cyril Ramaphosa has Covid-19, most likely the Omicron variant, which is currently raging like a wildfire in all of South Africa. It is also reported that 27% of all Covid-19 tests are positive here. According to some reports, all people in South Africa and many other countries will test positive for Omicron in the next several months.

We are hoping Cyril will extend visas once again, which will prevent us from having to fly anywhere in the next few months. Only time will tell.

Mom, with lovely curved tusks and her three piglets.

After being in South Africa for almost a year (as of January 13th), we realize that our posts are redundant and relatively dull. We apologize for that. Of course, we’d love to have exciting adventures and stories to share each day. But, right now, like most of you, we’re living one day at a time. We are waiting to see when travel makes sense for us and the status of our upcoming booked cruises.

Have a pleasant week as we roll into the holiday season.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #265. The locals performed their Bollywood routine on Saturday nights in Fiji in 2015. For more photos, please click here.

Hot! Hot! Hot!…Omicron on the rise in South Africa, and worldwide…

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A dung beetle and his mate atop the ball of dung while he pushes with his back legs to move the ball along. What a fantastic sighting!

I am in the bedroom at almost noon with the air con and the fan on, trying to cool down. I spent over an hour in the kitchen preparing tonight’s dinner while it was 97F, 36C with outrageous high humidity. It will top 100F, 38C, or more on a bright sunny day in an hour or so.

With no air-con anywhere in the house except for the two bedrooms, it is the only place to hide away to cool off. I’d never tackle such a cooking challenge in this heat without air-con in my old life. It would have warranted a dinner out, for sure. But, in Marloth Park, many of the restaurants don’t have suitable cooling with doors always wide open, so there’s little relief to be found there.

Mongoose hanging around the edge of the veranda..

The dinner I’m preparing today requires a trip to the little local market to purchase mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. We’ll have a low-carb dish called Low Carb Mushroom Burger Scramble, a favorite, although it presents as one-pan winter comfort food. But, this morning, I made two pans, one for each of us, enough to last for three dinners.

Thus, regardless of continuing heat, I won’t have to cook for the next few days, only making a salad and rice for Tom. That’s a good plan, especially since we’d like to go to Kruger in the next few days, once the temperature drops, which is expected by Tuesday or Wednesday before all the holidaymakers arrive for the Christmas holiday when Kruger will be packed.

We drove past a few giraffes while out exploring.

It is hard to spot much wildlife during ultra-hot days. Even our usual wildlife visitors to our garden are sparse on the hot days. This morning, several bushbucks, two sets of Mom and Piglets, and Broken Horn stopped by. But now, as the day wears on and the temperature rises, the only visitor we’re seeing is Frank and The Misses, who stop by once every three or four hours. They, like us, tend to stay undercover when it’s so hot.

After returning from the little market, they stood at the screen door to the veranda, looking inside the house, wondering where we’d gone. We always laugh when we see them there, walking back and forth impatiently from time to time. We love those birds! Who would think we’d adore these chicken-like creatures as much as we do?

Broken Horn is always welcomed in our garden.

A few minutes ago, Tom called out to me. The mongooses were here! Lately, they have been stopping by each day. We had bones left from Tom’s ribs from last night’s dinner at Jabula, which they always love and also paloney. Tom cut up the paloney into bite-sized pieces and tossed them into the garden, far enough apart to prevent them from fighting over the food.

Based on numerous reliable sources online, the variant Omicron is rising in South Africa, doubling every 2½ days. This is also occurring in many other parts of the world. It’s possible that soon, all cases of Covid-19 in South Africa will be Omicron. If that is factual, with lesser illness from this variant, this could be a good sign. We are hopeful but remain diligent in our efforts to stay healthy.

Giraffe’s legs and hooves are fascinating.

Today will be a quiet day for us. Most likely, we’ll spend the next few hours cooling off in the bedroom. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, when the temperature begins to drop, we’ll head outdoors and enjoy a few hours on the veranda, although according to the weather report, it won’t get below 90F, 32C, until after 7:00 pm, 1900 hrs.

Tonight, we’ll hunker down in the cool of the bedroom, streaming a few shows such as Dexter, New Blood, and Yellowstone. We hope you have a pleasant Sunday during the holiday season and always.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while we were in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #264. Just like that, the zebra was on the veranda at the Orange house in 2018. For more photos, please click here.

Fun night in the bush!…Memories of years past…

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Frank, who prefers to walk and run, flew up to the bushbaby house and posed for this photo.

Last night, we didn’t take a single photo. Once we arrived at Khaya Umdani, a beautiful holiday home owned by Louise and Danie, we were caught up in the loveliness of the evening, the hosts, the Christmas decorations, the food, and the beauty and ambiance of a house we’d stayed in for a few weeks back in 2014.

Returning to Khaya Umdani brought memories of the particular time we spent in that gorgeous house far beyond our budget. The rent is at least three times more than we pay at this house and more suited to large groups with six bedrooms and five bathrooms. It is a stunning house, suitable for ten adults and two children.

It was fun to see a few mongoose babies.

If you are interested in coming to Marloth Park with friends or family, this house is ideal. If the cost were divided among three, four, or five couples, the cost would be a bargain. To view this listing and its stunning features in many photos, see this link and contact Louise for more information at bookings@khayaumdani.com.

As the guests arrived, almost all of whom we already knew and thoroughly enjoyed at other social events, an intimate group of their closest friends, we felt honored to be included in this little party of 13. Everyone had brought tasty treats, and of course, Louise and Danie made some fantastic meaty items on the braai, ready to be served when we arrived.

Could One Tusk be our replacement for Tiny, also gentle and friendly?

At that gathering, Flo and JiJi invited all of us to their upcoming New Year’s Eve party, which we’d attended the last time we were here on New Year’s Eve in 2018. We are thrilled to be included. We have parties to attend on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, rounding out the holiday season.

We’ll spend Tom’s birthday on December 23rd at Jabula without any commotion due to its proximity to Christmas when everyone is otherwise preoccupied with Christmas festivities. We’ll make his 70th birthday in 2022 more festive when we return to Cape Town, South Africa, earlier in the month by cruise and make our way to Marloth Park for the holidays and a few following months.

One Tusk never minds sharing pellets with piglets and their mom.

Of course, all of the cruises we have booked into 2022 could easily be canceled over the next several months. The first one we expect to be canceled is the one for which we’ll make the final payment on Christmas Day, two weeks from today. If that payment is accepted, it doesn’t confirm that the cruise will set sail on April 8, 2022, because it is a transatlantic cruise ending in Southampton, England.

England has several entry restrictions as outlined here at this site. But, a lot can change in the next four months, so, once again, we’ll play it by ear. We’ll need to arrive in the US 14 days before the cruise to ensure we can get on the cruise on April 8th. Otherwise, they won’t accept us for boarding the ship in Fort Lauderdale, coming directly from South Africa. We can’t take that chance.

Big Daddy maneuvered through the dense bush to make his way to our garden.

Today, I decided to make Tom a special treat for his birthday. Although not low carb, he deserves a treat, so I will make him his favorite dessert, German Chocolate Cake, from scratch. South Africa doesn’t carry typical cake mixes. In our old lives, I’d use a Pillsbury German Chocolate cake mix for this particular cake and make the frosting from scratch.

This year, I’ll make the entire cake from scratch and plan to do so early in the morning on his birthday. That night, when we return from dinner at Jabula, he can have a piece of his cake. Of course, I don’t eat any of it, but I will enjoy seeing him savor his favorite treat. It’s the least I can do for my guy on his 69th birthday!

Kudus are used to eating from the trees, not bending down to eat pellets.

Most likely, for the holiday, I will make a special low-carb coffee cake for me and another of the same for Louise and Danie, who also eat as I do. Once done, I will post both recipes.

Tonight, we’re off to Jabula for dinner and more fun socialization. No doubt, we’ll have another fantastic evening.

Be well.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #263. This was Cupid with a heart-shaped marking on her throat. She particularly loved the lucerne. For more photos, please click here.

Holiday party tonight…Five lions need to go…

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We’d hope for a better photo of the ostrich family, but dad, mom, and chicks hurried across the road, leaving little time to get good photos.

Commonly, social events are planned at the last minute in Marloth Park. It makes sense to plan social events last minute with frequent power outages, water outages (we had a 24-hour water outage this week), and unpredictable inclement weather. Thus, tonight we are attending a sundowner party with starters instead of a full dinner, which is hard to do in this heat.

Plus, it makes sense for all guests to bring a dish to share, which we’ll prepare today to get to the 6:00 pm, 1800 hrs event. Since we usually have dinner around that time, today we’ll have a late breakfast of bacon and eggs that will hold us. I ended up canceling tonight’s dinner at Jabula with a reservation for tomorrow night, Saturday, instead.

If we don’t feel like cooking on Sunday, we may go back to Jabula for another dinner. We’re running low on groceries and plan to head to Komatipoort early next week. The small freezer is still reasonably full, but the refrigerator section is practically bare.

Dad proudly strutted across the road with his four huge chicks and mom trailing behind.

At the moment, at 11:00 am, It’s already 90F, 32C with high humidity. We’re sitting outdoors on the veranda while sweating profusely. Zef and Vusi are here cleaning the house. We don’t envy them for their hard work in cleaning Louise’s many rentals as more and more visitors come to the park for the holiday season.

Last night, there was a notice on Facebook about residents and tourists assisting rangers and animal wardens in locating the FIVE lions sighted in Marloth Park. Apparently, for their safety and ours, they must be captured and removed from Marloth Park. Here is a newspaper article about the lions entering Marloth Park:

Here is the post we read on Facebook last night from a Marloth Park group:

“Gerrie Camacho, the MTPA Carnivore Scientist, requests the help, assistance, and cooperation of everybody in Marloth Park to aid in the capture of the lions as fast as possible. The capturing and removal of the lions are extremely difficult due to the number of people in Marloth and the strategic planning of the ground crews and the on-site vet, whose time is precious! Unfortunately, the lions have to be removed as per the rules, law, and general safety of everybody! It is also in the best interest of the lions as they need to be captured alive and removed!
PLEASE everybody let’s help the team with any sightings to immediately contact Nadine, Security, the Rangers, or myself so that we don’t waste any time. We will be kept in the loop as far as what happens after their safe capture and removal.
Once again, we ask everyone, including Lodge owners, guests, clients, visitors, and permanent residents, to report ANY sightings of the lions as soon as possible!
CPF, Security, Carnivore team, MTPA, and Rangers.”
We spotted several other giraffes, but they were hidden in the dense vegetation.
Many members of various Facebook groups have stated, “Let the lions stay!”
We understand some locals desire to keep the lions in the park. They offer added excitement and adventure and may be instrumental in reducing night break-ins which are rampant right now.
But we also see why it’s essential to remove the lions with the busy holiday season upon us. Many visitors have no regard for curfews and often let their kids walk and ride bikes on the roads and along the river. No one wants to tarnish the beauty and wonder of Marloth Park with an adult or child being attacked by a lion.
Also, if such a horrific event transpired, the lions may have to be euthanized. They are here just doing what they do in their natural habitat, hunt and kill, which while in Kruger or another national park, is generally safe for them. After all, they are at the top of the pecking order, “The King  or Queen of the Jungle.”
Yesterday, we took a short drive to where they’d last been spotted. But seeing them during daylight hours is comparable to finding a needle in a haystack. Many others have driven around the park looking for them but spotting them is more of a fluke than anything. They are elusive and cautious.
A few days ago, we posted by Melissa, who stumbled upon them, able to capture several photos. You may see her photos here at this link.
That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more tomorrow, hopefully with some photos from tonight’s party. See you then!
Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 10, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #262. A boulevard scene in Arica, Chile. For more photos, please click here.

Two years of hell?…

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At first, we thought this was one centipede tangled around itself. But, when Tom moved it to safety in the grass, it proved to be two. Were they fighting, or were they mating? Centipede poop beside them. Did she squeeze the you-know-what out of him?

Without much of a social life these days after most of our friends have left the bush, our days and nights seem to roll into one another, and we easily lose track of time. Many Marlothians are concerned about Omicron and staying close to home rather than going out and about to socialize.

We haven’t heard of any new virus cases here in the park, But it’s entirely possible they aren’t being recorded. Today, I contacted the Marloth Park medical clinic to see if they’ll have the J & J boosters, and they will not. I am awaiting a response on if I can get a different booster which I’ve read is fine to “mix and match.”

This is One Tusk and who may have been his mate, Momm, and three piglets. The two warthogs in the background are hers from her last litter, Barbara and Lori. She chases them off now that she has the new piglets. Family dynamics. Funny.

At this point, I don’t think South Africa has authorized boosters for the general population, but finding accurate information online is tricky. Answers are vague and confusing. All we can do at this point is to continue watching the news for updates. Also, we continue checking the news to see if the President will do his “family meeting” to see if he will extend visas again for foreign nationals.

This was hilarious. One Tusk happily lounges on the ground while the three piglets are “giving him a bath.” He didn’t mind a bit. Surely, these must be his kids! Note: Barbara and Lori are looking on.

If he does not extend visas, we’ll have no choice but to return to Zambia again for the new visa stamps. Flights are still available to Livingstone, from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger. This time, we’ll bring a copy of our flight cancellation and a newly purchased ticket to the US. South Africa immigration doesn’t approve of “border jumping” for visa purposes, although it is legal. In this case, we won’t have a choice.

If our cruise cancels, will we attempt to stay here longer, or will we book a new location? Fortunately, United Airlines now has a free cancellation policy that makes bookings easier. If we find out that our cruise is canceled after we’ve booked it, we’ll be able to change or cancel the flight after deciding what we’d like to do.

It’s fun to see the three generations getting along.

At this point, a new location is more appealing, providing the various countries we investigate will accept passengers from South Africa, which is a real dilemma, especially since the onset of Omicron. But, at this early date, we have no idea. Everything could change between now and March or April.

If we go to Zambia on January 24, 2022, and get another 90 days, and if the cruise cancels, most likely, we’ll stay here until the end of the 90 days. We’d be able to stay in South Africa until April 24, 2022. Our next cruise, sailing from Istanbul, isn’t until June 29, 2022. Hopefully, we could find somewhere interesting to stay for a few months in that part of the world while we wait for the cruise.

The piglets are hilarious. We never tire of watching their antics. One Tusk is a very gentle guy, even with the one vicious-looking task.

So much is up in the air. But after spending ten months in lockdown in India in 2020, we are much more adept and patient in dealing with the unknown. As complex and challenging as those ten months were, we did learn a few things about ourselves and our ability to adapt and accept such a trying situation.

If anyone had told us that we’d experience such a difficult challenge for ten months during our first nine years of world travel, along with dealing with my open-heart surgery, all transpiring in a two-year period, we’d have wondered if we could handle this degree of strife. But, amid those difficulties, we had countless fantastic experiences. The two years weren’t, by any means, a total loss for us.

Eventually, Mom and the babies were left on their own, when of course, we tossed more pellets their way.

As those times have passed, we look back with gratitude for the personal growth and strength we gleaned, individually and as a couple, during those tough times.  It has only made us more resilient than we ever imagined. Waiting out this current scenario is a piece of cake,

We’re safe. We’re content. We have each other and the love from friends and family worldwide. What more could we ask for?

Be well.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #261. After arriving in Nevada to visit family in 2019, we were on our way to the Vegas Golden Knights game, guest of son Richard, a super fan. For more, please click here.

Lions still in Marloth Park…Flights, canceling to and from South Africa…What shall we do?

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When Melissa Grobler of Dubai, currently staying in  Marloth Park with her mom, a resident, captured these lion photos, this morning we were enthralled. Melissa managed to witness this fantastic sighting of one of the female lions known to roam the streets of Marloth Park.

Finally, this morning, photos were taken of one of the lions that have been spotted in Marloth Park over the past few months and subsequently, posted on Facebook. These are the first photos we’ve seen of the lions. I contacted the photographer, Melissa Grobler, who is currently staying in the park for a few months, visiting her mom, a resident, asking if we could use her photos. She was thrilled to share.

After all the comments we’ve read about numerous sightings since the lions were originally spotted, with no supporting photos, we began to wonder if these elusive carnivore beasts were actually staying here. Often, at night, humans perceive certain animals to be roaming the bush, other than those we see regularly, At times, at night, we’ve often thought we’ve seen something when perhaps the light and the night tricked our eyes.

Melissa did this drawing to outline the shape of the lion she spotted in the bush.

In this day and age, with the advent of rampant cellphone and camera use, we longed to see an actual photo of a lion in the park. It’s not that we doubted their existence here, especially when, in this day and age, rangers and many locals have spotted them, over and over again. But, as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and Melissa hit the jackpot this morning.

So, for all the naysayers, here are some good photos of the lions, keeping in mind they don’t care to be around humans and may be extremely poor subjects when hiding in the bush, and mostly making appearances at night in the dark when they are on the hunt for their next meal. Obviously, the pickings are good in Marloth Park with so many animals a part of this unusual wildlife conservancy,

You may have to squint your eyes to see the lion in this photo.

On to other matters…This morning at 6:00 am, I received an email from Expedia, that our flight from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger to Tampa, Florida had been canceled by Delta Airlines. Apparently, Delta isn’t interested in flying to and from South Africa, in light of Omicron, the newest Covid-19 variant.

Although, so far, reports are showing this variant is no more lethal than other variants, a worldwide panic ensued and many countries locked their borders to South Africa as well as airlines suspending flights. In this prior post, we commented how we’ve canceled our plans to attend our dear friends, Karen and Rich’s wedding in Florida on February 11th.

We were sad and disappointed to be missing this event, which after the wedding, we’d planned to stay in Florida for an upcoming cruise sailing out of Fort Lauderdale on April 8, 2022. After a month-long stay with Karen and Rich at their oceanfront home, we’d also planned to spend time driving through Florida, visiting friends that have relocated to various oceanside areas in the warm weather state.

It’s been a thrill to see these photos. We can only thank Melissa for capturing these photos.

With everyone’s justified concerns about Omicron, we won’t be seeing our friends after all. If the trans-Atlantic cruise actually sails, we’ll come to Florida two weeks earlier and self-quarantine, not seeing any of our friends during this period. From there, we’ll board the cruise. But, by the end of March, new rules may be in place about mandatory quarantine for anyone arriving from South Africa, whether US citizens or not. Only time will tell.

When we decided to cancel our trip to the wedding, we left our flight, departing on January 22, 2022, in place. With Delta, we had until the end of December to move the flight to a different ending point and date without penalty. A few days ago, when I’d made a to-do list on this post, it included moving this flight. Now, this has been taken care of by Delta canceling the flight and offering us a full refund.

This morning after receiving the email, I requested a refund for the flight and we’ll book our exit out of here when we know more. Is the cruise going to sail in April? Will there be flights out of South Africa by then? What will we do about our visas expiring on January 24th? This all remains to be seen.

In the interim, we’ll be contacting all of our friends in Florida, telling them not to worry about being near us since we won’t be seeing them after all. Our biggest concern beyond that is what we’ll do about our expiring visas in January? We may have no choice but to return to Zambia for another short stay and another visa stamp. Will immigration allow us to make this trip once again? Or, will President Cyril Ramaphosa issue another visa extension for foreign nationals based on this Omicron situation?

Only time will tell. In the interim, we will stay positive and aren’t as worried as one may think. We’ll continue to enjoy our time in the bush and see how it all rolls out.

Today, we’re reveling in the lion photos and the excitement each day of wildlife visiting our garden.

Happy day!

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #260. We were with friends Lisa and Barry, enjoying one last night together on the ship in a private sitting in the wine room. For more photos, please click here.

Stuck indoors on a rainy day…One big task accomplished..

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Zoom in to note the difference in size between this massive elephant and the nearby male impala. For more photos, please click here.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how I was procrastinating over a few tasks that I’d listed in the story., As of this writing, I have one of these tasks completed, the new spreadsheet for 2022 expenses. Wow! Accomplishing a nagging task is so gratifying it’s indescribable. It spurs me to work on the remaining tasks to achieve more of this “high.”

Perhaps once today’s post is uploaded, I’ll strive to tackle these other challenges instead of getting into mindless drivel. Dinner is already made for tonight, laundry is done, and nothing is like a rainy day to get things done!

Several kudus stopped by for a short visit, eating some pellets and drinking from the pool.

Our house was in excellent condition, but there were always little projects that could be tackled. In our old lives, on a day like this, we might have been heading to Home Depot to buy the necessary products to do some “fixing” around the house. Or, I may have called a friend to meet me for lunch or visit the kids and grandkids.

Shopping was also a possibility when I kept an ongoing list on my phone of needed groceries or other items that may precipitate a trip to a local mall or Costco store. We only shop for groceries once every ten days due to the long drive to Komatipoort. As for any other shopping in Komati, it’s limited. Only on a few desperate occasions have I entered any store, other than the pharmacy or the Spar Supermarket,

Our good friend, Hal, visits from time to time but not as often as Broken Horn.

With most of our closest friends returning to their home countries or other locations, social events are at a minimum here in the park during the upcoming holiday season. Also, with concern over Omicron, many locals stay close to home to avoid contact with others. We certainly understand this.

We’re grateful we have a Christmas Day party to attend and will wait and see if a New Year’s Eve party materializes over the next few weeks. If we had a bigger house, we might plan something, but this house doesn’t have adequate space for entertaining more than four guests, especially when the weather is unpredictable and could require entertaining indoors.

A young kudu was checking out the action in the garden.

Thank goodness, we have our fun Friday nights at Jabula and may, over the holiday season, go there for dinner on both Fridays and Saturdays when socialization is at its best. Tom’s birthday is coming up on December 23rd, a Thursday. He doesn’t want to inconvenience locals to attend a party for him so close to Christmas. As a result, we’ll go to Jabula and celebrate with our friends there, including friends/owners, Dawn and Leon.

Unfortunately, we don’t have many new and exciting photos. With the awful heat, these past several days and now the rain, both occasions during which wildlife stays undercover, our photo-taking ops have been limited. Also, with the bush so lush and green, we’ve tossed less than half the pellets than during the sparse winter months. We’ve barely gone through one bag a week instead of the usual three bags.

Young Daddy is looking at us, wondering where his pellets are.

Of course, this is good for the wildlife. Grazing off the natural vegetation, most suitable for their diets, has been excellent over these past several weeks since everything became green once again. As a result, we’ve had 65% fewer wildlife visitors than we had in the past.

We haven’t even seen Little and Narrow in the past two days. Perhaps, they’ll stop by later this afternoon at their usual 4:00 pm, 1600 hrs, time slot. We’ll have an eye out for them, even if we are stuck indoors.

We hope you have an enriching day filled with many wonders.

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

This photo was posted one year ago today while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #259. Tom and I and Lisa and Barry, our new friends. They visited us in Ireland in 2019, and we are close in touch. For more photos, please click here.

Oh, what a night!…

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Holey Moley, chewing on a piece of cabbage, we tossed her way.

Last time was torture. During the day, the temperature rose to 98F, 37C, with the dew point at a high/uncomfortable tropical 72. At about 4::00 pm, 1600 hrs, the power went out due to an Eskom fault. On the horizon at 11:00 pm. 2300 hrs, load shedding was scheduled to begin. We weren’t hopeful.

We were seated at the table on the veranda, listening to music and chatting about our dreams for the future amid these crazy pandemic times. When we heard the usual ping of a power failure, we started planning how we”d prepare dinner when several items we’d planned required the use of the stove.

We cooked the rice, creamed spinach, and bacon on the braai to go with our beef patties I’d already seasoned and prepped. Earlier in the day, I’d made a big salad that would stay cold in the fridge until we’d eat, a few hours later. Regardless of the power outage, we were roasting on the veranda in the interim. It was hotter indoors.

We prepared and ate dinner, and when the bugs got bad, we had no choice but to go indoors. With WiFi still working, we decided to sit on the bed and watch a few more episodes of Yellowstone. By 8:00 pm, 2000 hrs, we still had now power. Worried about the food in the fridge, Tom filled the metal bowl with ice and placed it in the center of the refrigerator, hoping to keep the contents cool enough not to spoil.

Only on the hottest days that Little sits in the cement pond.

The bedroom was a hotbox. We had to keep the door closed since many bugs were flying around the house, including flies that came out of nowhere when preparing any meat.

At 10:00 pm. 2200 hrs, we turned off the laptop to complete darkness except for the light from our phones. Since the outage, I’d been texting back and forth with Louise since she gets updates on  Eskom outages on her phone. She, too, speculated this would be our fate for the remainder of the night.

I’d taken another shower before bed but was dripping in sweat in no time. Tom was feeling the same, but neither of us complained. What was the point? We weren’t the only people feeling uncomfortable. The power was out in all of Marloth Park. Also, without power, the security system doesn’t work. The house locks up tightly. We keep the house keychain in the bedroom with us every night since the emergency button on the keychain is battery-operated.

Field Security could be here in five minutes if we pushed that button—lately, many break-ins and burglaries in the park, including on our road. We always stay super alert to sounds outside the house. Most of the break-ins have occurred at night when residents are in bed. This is especially frightening.

Getting to sleep wasn’t easy. I awoke at midnight sweating under my lightweight tee shirt. Tom slept restlessly beside me. Finally, we drifted off.

At 1:30 am, I heard the familiar ping of the power returning. We’d left the remote for the aircon on the bed between us. I couldn’t hit the button quickly enough. Within minutes, I was back to sleep, pulling up the duvet, hopeful our food in the fridge might survive.

He moved around a few times, looking for the coolest spot.

This morning, Tom said the ice in the metal bowl hadn’t melted, a good sign the food would be ok. What a relief! On numerous occasions, we have lost most of the perishables in the fridge.

Today, it’s still hot with a high of 97F, 36C, but with a slightly lower dew point which makes all the difference in the world. Of course, load shedding will occur tonight but only from 9:00 pm, 2100 hrs, for a total of 2½ hours. We can handle that easily.

Summer is almost here, but we’re already amidst its brunt now. It will worsen, and we will prepare ourselves for that eventuality. We could be in Minnesota now, where we spent most of our lives (Tom all of his life), where temps are often below zero with snowfalls hard to imagine. Nowhere in the world is exempt from challenges such as these.

We forge ahead, slaying the dragons as they appear and carry on, filled with hope and optimism for the future to come.

Be well.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #257. A pelican was proudly posing for a photo while in Pisco, Peru, in 2017. For more photos, please click here.

A decision has been made…Photos from our trail cam…A special visitor…

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Look to the right of this tree in the center, and you’ll see our occasional visitor, a porcupine.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make. We don’t want to be overly or foolishly cautious as we strive to continue our world journey, hopefully soon. There wasn’t a single factor that precipitated the decision to stay in South Africa, again, to get a visa extension, due by January 24, 2022.

Yesterday afternoon, I called my dear friend Karen and told her that sadly we wouldn’t be coming to her wedding in February. It was a huge disappointment for her and us and her fiance Rich, but they both fully understand our predicament with the world in an upheaval due to the latest Covid19 variant, Omicron.

The porcupine is easiest to see if you zoom in.

What was the most influential factor that resulted in making this decision? Most likely, more than any of the other factors we mentioned in yesterday’s post, it was due to uncertainty. With airports and borders preventing the entry of passengers from South Africa, we could be left in a precarious position if last-minute changes are made, giving us little time to make an alternate plan.

We know this from experience, not speculation. On March 20, 2020, we arrived at the Mumbai International Airport at 2:00 am to be turned away from our scheduled flight after waiting in line for over an hour. South Africa closed its borders from when we left our hotel for the airport until the moment we heard the bad news. From there, you all know what transpired over the next ten months.

We wish the camera got a better shot, but we are always excited to see these.

We can safely stay in South Africa to wait this out with the only obstacle, a mandatory renewal of our visas, every 90 days. From past experience, we feel confident we can work that out and come up with a solution by January 24, 2022, our visa expiration date.

Also, there is a possibility that President Ramaphosa will extend visas for foreign nationals if the pandemic worsens over the next few months. This has transpired several times since the onset of the pandemic and could easily happen again. If not, we’ll fly to another country in Africa for a short stay and return. In this situation, we may not be able to make plans until a week before our visas expire.

As we’ve mentioned, porcupines are nocturnal.

The process of applying for an extension is so labor-intensive, and invasive of our personal financial status deters us from choosing to apply for an extension. Plus, with fewer employees working at the immigration department now due to Covid-19, it’s possible, even if we did apply, it might never come through in time.

We had a fantastic time at Jabula last night, chatting with Dawn and Leon, Lyn, and other guests at the bar. By the end of the evening, we’d been invited to Christmas Day dinner at Sinndee and Bruce’s bush home, along with Dawn and Leon and others we may or may not know. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to have plans for Christmas Day!

The Christmas tree at Jabula was a delight to see.

Of course, this reminded us of Kathy and Don inviting us to their home on Christmas Eve when they had never even met us! But, this is Marloth Park, and people are so friendly and welcoming, it’s always been hard for us to believe! The beauty of the bush, the wildlife, and the easy lifestyle has been instrumental in locals being warm and friendly.  Then again, South Africans are known to be welcoming to foreign visitors.

As for today, Saturday, we’re staying in. It’s still sweltering and humid. At the moment, I have a floor fan blowing on me that helps. We were outside on the veranda all morning. But now, being indoors with the fan cooling our sticky skin feels a little better.

They never seem to get very close to the camera.

It usually cools down by evening, but the dew point remains high at 72. We best prepare ourselves since summer’s “real” heat and humidity in Africa is yet to come. December, January, February, and March are the hottest months. January is considered the hottest month, with an average temperature of 91F, 33C. Considering how much it cools off at night, you can easily imagine how it is during the day.

The record high temperature in Marloth Park was 118F, 48C, the date on which this occurred is not published. We sure hope it doesn’t get that hot this summer. In any case, whatever it will be, we’ll manage to get through it.

Every one of us, throughout the world, has ongoing challenges to face as the pandemic continues and impacts all of our lives. We pray for us all.

Photo from one year ago today, December 4, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #256. Here is an albatross chick shortly after hatching. The chick was hatched during the first week in February while in Princeville, Kauai, in 2015. For more photos, please click here.