New bookings…We’re excited for the future!…To vaccinate or not…

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Flowers bloom in the front garden on a cloudy day.

Right now, there is nowhere in the world that appeals to us more than the countries we’ll see on cruises we’ve never sailed on in the past. For us, visiting new countries adds so much to our worldwide experiences. During the pandemic, seeing countries via cruises might prove to be easier and more sensible than flying all over the world.

Although some cruise lines are allowing a certain percentage of unvaccinated passengers, looking at the future, that option may be a thing of the past. No vaccination? No cruise! The long delays at airports, layovers, and packed airplanes seem riskier than mingling about a cruise ship, especially if every passenger must be vaccinated.

In essence, whether we agree with this philosophy or not becomes irrelevant in today’s world. The bigger question is; how badly do we want to participate in specific venues allowing us to experience a wide array of travel options? Or, would we rather stay put and let this pandemic dictate what we can and can’t do regarding travel?

These look like gladiolus. Spring is in the air.

If we wanted to continue with our journey, we had no choice but to be vaccinated. We weren’t going to deny ourselves the opportunity to continue with our travel dreams to make a social point that no one would care about anyway. As many stand firm, avoiding the jab, they may just be preventing themselves from engaging in the world’s vast offerings. And for what? To rally for personal freedoms?

We’d feel more like prisoners if we weren’t allowed to fly on an airplane, attend a concert, or, in our case, keep traveling the world. Life is short. We are old. We don’t want to spend the “golden years” locked down, in quarantine, and unable to participate in the activities we’ve chosen in the past.

Are there risks in getting vaccinated? Yes, most certainly. But the risks for us are no more significant than the risks we’ve taken over our almost nine years of world travel, being vaccinated (along with boosters) for dozens of potentially lethal illnesses that could occur to us while traveling from country to country. Although minor, we had a few reactions to some of them that never required medical care. We never felt the government of anyone else was trying to “control us.”

Peculiar bulbs were growing out of a cactus plant.

As my favorite motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins, always stated in his seminars and books:

“THE POWER OF REFRAMING

Perspective is a powerful thing. When you can reframe a particular experience or interaction, you can often change what happens as a result.” 

This message hit home with me when I attended many of his seminars in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s not always easy to change our perspective, but it becomes our only option if fulfillment and happiness are our primary objectives when we seek a different outcome.

So, as world travelers, we decided to toss aside the temptation to surround ourselves with conspiracy theories and do exactly what makes us the most fulfilled and happy. For now, it was being vaccinated and continuing our exquisite world journey.

These look like inpatients, which are popular for shady areas in the US.

With our changed perspective, we’ve decided that cruising provides us with the highest degree of satisfaction during times of Covid-19 and, as we’ve done most recently, spend precious time in one of our favorite places in the world Marloth Park, South Africa.

Thus, in achieving this perspective, yesterday we booked two more cruises, the second of which sails to Cape Town, South Africa, arriving on December 20, 2022, a mere 15½ months from now. From Cape Town, where we’ll spend a day or two, we’ll fly to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport and drive the 90 minutes back to Marloth Park.

No words can express how thrilled we are with this new plan. Yesterday, we informed Louise we’ll be back before Christmas in 2022 and save this house for us. We hope to stay another six months, with only one side trip required to renew our visas. No, we don’t know how the pandemic will roll out over the next few years. But we choose optimism. We choose hope. We choose not to allow this pandemic to hold us back any further.

Spending ten months in lockdown in a hotel room in Mumbai, India, taught us something that remains profound today…seek to live every day to the fullest, strive to accept situations over which we have no control, and seek to embrace each other and the gift of travel we’ve chosen as our fate during these waning years of life.

Tomorrow, we’ll share the pricing, itinerary, and information on these two new bookings. Thank you for being here with us.

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

This photo was from Almanara Resort’s restaurant in Diani Beach, Kenya, in 2013, posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #169. This fantastic array of seafood was all grilled and seasoned to perfection. It contained lobster, prawns, octopus, squid, snapper, and a few chewy wormy-looking items I didn’t recognize but ate anyway. Need I say that I cleaned this plate as well? For more photos, please click here.

It didn’t turn out quite the same as expected…More new exciting bookings…

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Broken Horn and Hal in a bit of scuffle over pellets this morning.

For days I was dreading the prospect of having my tooth pulled, only to discover that Dr. Singh decided to wait until next week when he seated a crown on another tooth that needed a crown replaced. That way, I wouldn’t have to have the anesthetic injections all over my mouth.

I appreciated his consideration. He prepared the bicuspid with the old crown, leaving me with a temporary crown until following Monday when he’ll seat the new crown and, afterward, pull the molar resulting in the necessity of only one injection. He had decided on a good plan suitable for me. A little over an hour later, I was out the door to find Tom waiting in the car for me. All seemed OK.

A closer view of Broken Horn and Hal.

After returning home, while preparing dinner, I felt an odd sensation in the tooth with the temporary crown. It reminded me of when I was a kid and a baby tooth was loose, ready to pop out. Oh, goodness, the crown was loose. There will be no Tooth Fairy these days.

Of course, I went to Dr. Google to find solutions on a reputable US national dental site to see if it was no big deal if the temporary falls out, preferably, not swallowed. I contacted Dr. Singh this morning, and he said, no worries, push it back in. It seems I have to do this every few hours but again, no big deal, until the following Monday. He said if it ultimately falls out, do not use dental glue. Either keep it out or push it back up there.

Moments later, they were getting along quite well.

Well, based on the placement of the tooth in my mouth, if it falls out, I will be pushing it back again. I don’t want to look like a “snaggle tooth” when I smile. I told Tom I could wear my mask when we are around people. See, those masks can be handy for more than Covid-19!

I’m OK with the new dental plan and hope to put all of this behind me soon. I only have one more tooth in my mouth with a silver filling and will have him replace that with white porcelain before we return to the US on October 21st. I wouldn’t say I like having dental work, but I have spent my entire life taking good care of my teeth, and I’m not stopping now. It will be a significant relief to have all of this done here soon. The total cost for the crown was US $318, ZAR 4560, a far cry from what it would cost in the US.

Several female kudus stopped by for a snack.

In the past few hours, Tom booked two more cruises. We are so excited and will share the details in tomorrow’s post. I can’t tell you how enthused we are to be building an itinerary once again. Before too long, we’ll make a new itinerary list to share here. It’s been a very long time since we’ve done that!

It’s been a hectic morning in the bush. I didn’t get started on todays’ post until three hours later than usual. But, it’s been worth every moment. What awoke us this morning was a barking sound coming from the garden. I jumped up to look out the bedroom window, and there was Broken Horn, asking for his pellets and carrots breakfast.

There are always several bushbucks hanging around in our garden.

We both jumped up to ensure he got his requested meal laughing all the while. A short time later, while we were both in the kitchen, we heard the funny chirping of the mongooses, only to find two they had stuck their noses in the door and managed to get inside the house. We scooted them back outside while Tom proceeded to cut up paloney for them. They were thrilled. Again, we found ourselves laughing out loud.

Four kudus, eight bushbucks, six pigs, Frank, and dozens of helmeted guinea-fowls later, we got back to the business of figuring out our future travels. As you can imagine, getting back to Marloth Park sometime in the future was certainly on our minds. Tomorrow, we’ll share if, how, and when we may return in the next few years. It makes me smile from ear to ear.

A mongoose was drinking from a puddle on the veranda floor after Vusi had hosed it down.

That’s the news for today, folks. We hope every one of you stays healthy and hopeful for the future, whether it’s travel plans you are longing to book or peace of mind into the new year. We are always thinking of you and appreciating how you’ve stayed with us throughout the years.

We’re not done yet!!!

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

This photo was from a  post from one year ago while in lockown in Mumbai, India, on day #168. The kingpin goat at the holiday home in Diani Beach, Kenya, in 2013. He nuzzled up to Hans when we entered the gate, remembering his early days when Hans fed him with a baby bottle. For more photos, please click here.

Off to the dentist for a tooth extraction…

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Pretty female kudu at Frikkee’s Dam.

Sorry, but no new photos today. We’ve been preoccupied with online research and will get back to taking photos soon.

I wouldn’t say I like going to the dentist, especially when the appointment is about anything more than a standard cleaning, which isn’t too bad. Today, my last molar on the bottom right will be extracted after an unsuccessful root canal that wouldn’t heal. Each time I brushed my teeth, it hurt, indicating the tooth had to go after two months had passed since the root canal was done, along with a recent round of more antibiotics.

Soon, at 10:15 am,  we’ll make the 35 to 40-minute drive, depending on Monday morning traffic which can be a real issue on the N4 due to an endless stream of trucks and never-ending road construction.

Thank goodness I didn’t allow myself to fuss over this upcoming appointment during the night, and I had plenty of sleep for a change. It was only about a month ago when Tom had two teeth pulled that were beyond repair. His fast recovery is encouraging, but then again, everyone is different.

The last time I had a tooth pulled was in 1967, after the birth of my first son. They said women would lose a tooth for each child they carried in those days, which proved to be a “wives tale.” They assumed the growing fetus depleted the calcium in the mother’s body during pregnancy resulting in the loss of a tooth.

In the realm of things, having one tooth pulled is no big deal. Can we even imagine how horrible having a tooth extracted was a hundred years ago or more?  I shouldn’t give it another thought. But, as a borderline dental phobic, I don’t go into this procedure with ease and confidence.

Yesterday, I prepped tonight’s dinner for Tom and planned to have scrambled eggs or something similar for myself. We’ll see how it goes. As for the remainder of the day, I hope to feel well enough to proceed, as usual, working on more corrections as soon as today’s post is uploaded.

At this point, I have 50 more days required to complete the corrections, which will be finalized just about the time we arrive in Arizona. After doing these for over a year, I can’t tell you how thrilled I will be to have this behind me. Almost every afternoon during the past year, I’ve been working on them. After all, there have been over 3300 posts since we began posting in March 2012.

Right now, I have about 1000 left. Recently I increased the pace and can manage to do 20  post corrections per day, an increase from my previous 10. Sure, I’ve missed some days here and there and don’t fuss about it, but it’s often on my mind after uploading the new daily post.

Since I don’t have to concentrate quite as much while doing the corrections, as opposed to preparing a new post, I usually have a podcast or movie in the background on a split-screen. It helps me to stay entertained during the tedious process. I can’t imagine how wonderful it will feel in the future to have my afternoons free to do whatever I’d like.

In Arizona, the roads are evenly paved, and I will begin walking outside each day. I may do it comparably to the process I did in India while in lockdown by getting up and walking every hour, rather than one long walk. I will listen to podcasts as I’d done in those long corridors. Plus, it helps to get up out of a chair and move every hour instead of going out once a day.

I am looking forward to walking again, which I haven’t done much while in Marloth Park with the uneven pothole-ridden dirt roads. The cool crisp air in Arizona in the wintertime is pleasant for walking outdoors.

So, that’s it for today, dear readers. We hope you have a pleasant day. We’ll be back with updates tomorrow.

Be well.

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

This photo was posted one year ago while we were in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #167. There we were, at last, in Kenya, Africa, on this date in 2013. We were hot and sweaty as we embarked on our first walk outside the gated complex, onto the main road, definitely a daytime-only event. For more photos, please click here.

This morning’s first ever event in the bush with photos!!!…Wow!…

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We scurried indoors when this Big Daddy came right up to the door from the house to the veranda.

To all of our friends/readers in the US, we wish all of you a safe and pleasurable Labor Day weekend. Please drive safely, observe local Covid-19 restrictions and enjoy time with family and friends, cooking outdoors, fishing, boating, or whatever you choose to do during the long holiday weekend.

It was shocking to see how brave they were in approaching us. We stayed clearly out of range the entire time they were here.

As for the weekend here in the bush, Marloth Park is relatively quiet with some holidaymakers, mainly from South Africa, who have come to escape life in the big city and relax peacefully in the bush. Nowhere in the world have we’ve ever been offered the depth of serenity and peace than Marloth Park.

There wasn’t a lot we could do when he approached us, other than getting behind the door. If we tried to scare him off, he could have used his massive horns on us.

Although from time to time that may vary due to visit by those select few who see this magical place as a “party town” where there is minimal police presence with many opportunities to go wild, drinking, to drive fast, and to have little regard for others seeking the peacefulness of living among the wildlife.

I accidentally dropped a carrot which he couldn’t quite reach. He came around to the other side to get it.

Fortunately, where we are located, the property backing up to Lionspruit, we rarely hear any noise other than the weekday construction work on a house across the road. In Marloth Park, there are strict regulations about weekend and evening construction noises to avoid disturbing visitors and the wildlife. Most comply or face fines.

He was contemplating how to get the carrot before he came onto the veranda.

This morning, as I struggled to get out of bed after staying up until after midnight with only about 5 hours’ sleep, Tom came to the bedroom, hoping I hadn’t gone back to sleep to tell me to hurry and come outside. He didn’t want to awaken me if I dozed back off. But, I was wide awake playing a fun word game on my phone.

Such beautiful and majestic creatures! See how he was checking out the bag of carrots.

I bolted out of bed to head directly to the veranda, and there they were…four mature Big Daddy kudus, seeing what we had for breakfast. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. Sure, we get one or two Big Daddies from time to time. But, four was something we’d never seen.

There they were, the four adult male kudus munching on pellets we tossed into the garden.

Quickly, I ran to the kitchen for the remaining carrots from the considerable bag we’d purchased at the market last week, and we both started tossing thick, whole carrots in their direction. They gobble them up in minutes, leaving us grabbing for pellets to throw onto the ground. As always, we never feed wildlife by hand, especially not Big Daddies with their enormous horns that could easily eviscerate a human in seconds.

Kudus are not violent animals, but they can startle easily, push one another, or lunge unintentionally. Besides leopards, the occasional lion, or warthogs with razor-sharp tusks, they are the most dangerous wildlife in Marloth Park. Even the adorable male bushbucks who visit us all day and night are extremely dangerous with sharp and long horns. One can never be too careful around any wild animal.

Broken Horn was in the background, but he seemed to get along well with the Big Daddies.

It was quite a delightful experience to be among them. We felt very fortunate to be privy to this amazing visit. And even if they never return together again, we are grateful for the opportunity to witness such magnificence.

Last night, our friends Fiona and Alan came for dinner. Alan is a prolific writer of outstanding published books on Marloth Park. He is a wealth of stories and information about this magical place after living here for 20 years, and the time spent with the two of them is rife with fantastic wildlife and human stories.

They rarely picked up their heads for full-face photos.

We had a lovely evening on the veranda with them, with our new speaker spewing out music to highlight the evening. We kept the speaker indoors (not too loud) to avoid making too much noise in the bush. The dinner turned out well, and the evening flowed with ease. As always, I was glad I’d prepared so much of the meal in advance.

We had various visitors while they were here, primarily warthogs, bushbucks, and many mongooses, who’ve been hanging around with us for days. Once they arrived, we savored the starters. We then put the meat on the braai, cooked the rice, reheated the roast vegetables, and tossed the salad with the homemade dressing. We sent them home with a “doggy bag” of leftovers.

Hmm…another lovely weekend here in Marloth Park. Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment with Dr. Singh to have that problematic tooth pulled. If we haven’t posted before leaving here at 10:15 for the long drive, hopefully, I’ll feel well enough to wrap it up when we return.

Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today. September 5, 2020:

DSC03486
We posted this photo one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #166. We visited Blarney Castle as a port of call on a cruise in 2015. For more, please click here.

The mozzies are back…Along with the heat…Summer is on the horizon in Africa…

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This is Fred and Ethel lying butt-to-butt in the garden with a helmet guinea-fowl looking om, hoping for more pellets.

Last night, there was a mosquito buzzing around my head every half hour or so. I covered as much of myself with the blanket, but it was hot in the bedroom, even though the aircon was on, set at 22C, 72F. Yesterday was a hot and humid day. Today is the same.

I ended up with one bite on my eyelid, leaving my eye half-closed this morning, and two bites on my hands which I had outside the covers most of the night. So here it is. Summer is coming in the bush requiring DEET repellent is applied at least three times a day and again before going to bed.

Two hornbills were standing on the veranda railing, enjoying some of Frank’s seeds.

This morning, Tom sprayed the bedrooms and bathrooms with Doom, and we now must keep the doors closed day and night to keep the flies and mozzies out of the bedroom, allowing us (mainly me) to get a decent night’s sleep. Tom is hard of hearing and doesn’t hear the mozzies, but they don’t bite him anyway.

Each warm season in the bush, Tom may get three mosquito bites without using repellent. Whereby I may get hundreds even though I use the repellent several times a day.

Spikey stops by five or six times a day, checking out the veg and pellet situation, which is often prolific when he arrives.

Tonight, we have Fiona and Alan here for dinner. For the sundowner starters, we have julienne fresh vegetables with Mediterranean hummus, crackers, and cheese along with a dish of macadamia nuts. I wanted to keep the starters light so we don’t get too full for the main meal.

For the main course, we’re making individual bacon-wrapped pork tenderloins on the braai, not the prepared versions at the market, but hand-wrapped butt bacon-wrapped well seasoned without chemicals and preservatives.

Big Daddy stops by a few times a week to check out the pellet situation.

Also on the menu is a big platter of roasted root vegetables, garlic buttered sauteed whole mushrooms, seasoned rice, and an enormous salad packed with colorful seasonal vegetables and feta cheese, with homemade salad dressing. No bread or dessert will be served since all of us are avoiding high-carb, gluten-rich dishes.

As of this time, close to noon, I have almost everything chopped, diced, and prepared for the meal. I am cooking the roasted vegetables ahead of time since they require lots of attention while roasting in the oven, turning them every 30 minutes during a 90-minute cooking time. All we have left is to cook the rice, saute the mushrooms and cook the meat on the braai.

When he doesn’t see any pellets, he positions himself close to us on the veranda to ensure we know what he wants. We comply.

After that, I’ll toss the salad and reheat the vegetables, and we’re good to go. It’s always been important to me not to be stuck in the kitchen once our guests arrive. Tom will attend to the meat on the braai while I do the rest. Plus, he always does the dishes, which is a massive help to me.

We don’t have a lot of new photos today. The past several days, with lots of social plans, including another fantastic dinner and fun evening at Jabula last night, chatting with Dawn and several other guests, we were back home before 10:00 pm and off to bed in no time at all. Unfortunately, once I turned off the light, the mozzie started dive-bombing me. A short nap might be on the agenda today.

We hope you have a pleasant Saturday, wherever you may be.

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

We posted this photo one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #165. This was the kitchen sink at the house we rented in Kenya in 2013. The kitchen was so small, two of us couldn’t be in it at the same time. For more photos, please click here.

A new cruise booking…

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Detailed map of voyage route
The cruise itinerary, beginning in Leith, Scotland, in August 2023, will end in Amsterdam 16 days later.

Right now, for us, it seems cruises are a logical choice for much of our future travels. That’s not to say we won’t stay in various countries along the way. Again, the plan is to use cruising to get from location to location, enabling us to stay in holiday homes near the embarkation and debarkation points.

We both have been interested in spending time in Scotland. For example, this newly booked cruise in Scotland will be an excellent place to stay before the cruise. The UK allows us to stay for 180 days without a need for a visa extension. However, Norway and Europe are all a part of the Schengen visa, which only allows us to stay for 90 days.

As for the cruise ending in Amsterdam, it was in August 2019 that we were there for three or four days before a cruise. And had time to do some sightseeing. We were there six months after I’d had open-heart surgery and subsequently two surgeries on each of my legs due to an infection. I had an awful time walking the streets of Amsterdam, but somehow we managed to see quite a bit of the lovely city, including a boat ride on the canals.

We doubt we’ll stay in Amsterdam based on that visit, but many other exciting locations are within a short flight. In the future, we’ll begin booking vacation homes on either end of this cruise and the other five cruises we currently have booked.

Tom has always shown interest in this particular cruise, and like our official cruise planner, I didn’t hesitate when he suggested we book this cruise, although it was more expensive than most cruises we’ve been on in the past nine years. Once again, we booked this cruise through Costco and will receive a gift card for booking through them for over US $1280, ZAR 18451. We can use the gift cards for online and store purchases at any Costco store.

These gift cards cannot be used for future travel but certainly may be used to purchase any other products they carry, such as phones, laptops, and much more. I am sure we won’t have any trouble finding products we’ll need somewhere along the line.

The total cost of this cruise for the two of us is US $16,275, ZAR 234,559 (based on today’s value of the rand).  The cruise includes an upgraded balcony cabin on the Azamara Journey, tips, drinks, and WiFi for one device. Once we board, we’ll pay for WiFi for a second device. Shore excursions are extra.

Following is the full itinerary for this cruise:

Sailing Itinerary
Date Port of Call Arrival Departure
08/01/2023 Leith — 08:00 PM
08/02/2023 Cruising — —
08/03/2023 Stavanger 08:00 AM 08:00 PM
08/04/2023 Haugesund 08:00 AM 02:00 PM
08/05/2023 Olden 08:00 AM 08:00 PM
08/06/2023 Alesund 08:00 AM 10:00 PM
08/07/2023 Cruising — —
08/08/2023 Svolvaer 07:00 AM 05:00 PM
08/08/2023 Trollfjord 06:30 PM 07:00 PM
08/09/2023 Tromso 12:00 PM 10:00 PM
08/10/2023 Honningsvag 01:00 PM 08:00 PM
08/10/2023 North Cape 11:59 PM 11:59 PM
08/11/2023 Alta 09:00 AM 05:00 PM
08/12/2023 Harstad 10:00 AM 08:00 PM
08/13/2023 Bodo 08:00 AM 05:00 PM
08/14/2023 Trondheim 01:30 PM 10:00 PM
08/15/2023 Cruising — —
08/16/2023 Cruising — —
08/17/2023 Amsterdam 06:00 AM —

We are excited about this cruise. This booking added to our other cruise bookings provides us with a total of six cruises booked at this time. However, some of the cruises scheduled for 2022 may be canceled due to Covid-19. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

This smaller ship, the Azamara Journey, carries 690 passengers, as opposed to thousands on many other cruise ships. We both enjoy smaller cruise ships much more than the enormous ships on our other preferred cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

Of these six upcoming cruises, three are on Celebrity Solstice, two on Azamara Onward (690 passengers), and now the one on the Journey. These Azamara cruises will be our first experience with this cruise line. We’ve sailed several times on Celebrity Sol, a passenger capacity of 2850 but have always had great experiences.

It feels good to be booking plans for the future, although we accept the reality that anything can change with cruising during times of the pandemic. We continue to pay attention to how cruising is going throughout the world in light of Covid, but only time will tell.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 3, 2020:

DSC03394
These photos were posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #164. Tom at Stonehenge in England in 2014. For more, please click here.
DSC03395
Me, at Stonehenge England in 2014. These photos were posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #164. For more, please click here.

Short post today…Tomorrow, an exciting new booking!…

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Franks gives us both so much joy every single day.

I just want to mention that I posted this main photo of Frank eating seeds off of the veranda railing, taken several days ago.

But, today when there were no seeds outside this morning and we were both busy inside the house, the door slightly ajar, was enough for him to push it open and come inside.

Tom was in the living room on the sofa working on his laptop, getting ready to go outside for the day. I was putting away folded laundry on the bedroom shelves. Tom yelled out to me, “You have a visitor in the bedroom.”

I looked down to the floor and saw Frank standing there looking at me, “Hey, I want some seeds!”

We only put seeds on the veranda when Frank arrives since if left there, the warthogs and bushbucks come onto the veranda and eat the seeds. They aren’t a good food source for them. We always pick them up and either put them on the table or back into the house.

Frank arrives by himself half of the time and with The Misses the other half, usually three times a day, oddly during human mealtimes. There are other Franks but we can easily tell them from our regular Frank. Also, they seldom stop by, compared to our regular Frank who will start a fight with the others if they dare to attempt to partake.

The noise four or five Franks make during an altercation is earsplitting and often leaves us in stitches. They don’t physically fight. Here is an audio clip of the noise made by francolins in the wild:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se_VSY1RjQ4

We both had a great laugh as Frank then escorted Tom out the door to put his seeds on the veranda floor. Frank then went about voraciously eating his seeds, making his usual mess on the veranda floor. We couldn’t stop laughing.

Last night, after returning from a fun gathering at Flo and JiJi’s home, for some odd reason, I didn’t sleep more than a few hours. I couldn’t shut my brain off and only dozed off a few times. Today, I am exhausted, but I managed a one-hour nap this morning after going back to bed after showering and dressing.

I texted Louise, asking her to have Zef and Vusi skip the housecleaning today. I need to nap more than having the house cleaned. Thus, today’s short and relatively uneventful post is all I can manage.

However, we’ll be back tomorrow with more new photos and information about a brand new booking Tom arranged yesterday that we are both quite excited about. Maybe the time has come that we can start planning for the future.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2020:

This photo is from the year-ago post while in lockdown in Mumbai, India on day #163. The full moon rising as it made its way through the clouds above Yorkeys Knob, Australia in 2015. For more photos, please click here.

Flight problems…Crocodile River photos…

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This photo was taken from the veranda at Buckler’s Africa Restaurant with several waterbucks in the Crocodile River.

When we booked our flights to the USA a few months ago using a company called, Fareboom, we had nothing but trouble. The various flights along the way were canceled, and we ended up in a scuffle with Fareboom to get our money back. Finally, after a week of back and forth and several pricey phone calls with hours of frustration while on hold for hours, we got it resolved.

Waterbucks, like much other wildlife, huddle close to one another.

This time, a few weeks ago, we found reasonable pricing at the site, eDreams, and alas, we experienced similar frustration. We booked the three flights to Phoenix: Nelspruit to Johannesburg; Johannesburg to Atlanta; Atlanta to Phoenix, and all seemed to be okay. We received confirmation from eDreams and attempted to book our seats.

Waterbucks were lounging in the sand at sunset.

When seats weren’t offered as “available at this time,” we didn’t give it much of a thought. We kept checking back. There have been occasions when we’ve traveled internationally that we haven’t been able to book our seats in advance and had to wait until we arrived at the check-in counter.

After a week passed, we became concerned when we noticed our credit card hadn’t been charged. Last night, at bedtime, I received an email from eDreams stating our flight had been canceled. When checking during this period, we saw their site showed, Your flight is processing.”

More waterbucks on the banks of the river.

During the worst of Covid, everything to do with travel was a mess (and sometimes, still is). Tired and ready to go to sleep, we both decided to wait until morning to rebook using the link on our site for Expedia, a company we’ve trusted and used on many occasions. The only difficulty we’ve had with Expedia was getting a refund from them for a canceled flight (by the airline, not by us), requiring we go to the airline directly to get the refund.

This morning, we rebooked the same flight at the same price, and all went well. We’ve booked our seats for two of the legs of the flights, but we’re never able to book seats in advance for South Africa AirLink, which we’ll fly from Nelspruit to Joburg, a very short flight. These are only obtained at the check-in counter at the time of the flight.

Locals say, “The waterbuck’s behind looks like they just sat on a freshly painted white toilet seat.” Note the two cattle egrets who often hang out with wildlife.

Right now, when verifying our flights with Delta, it appears, the “ticket is processing. We’ll have to keep an eye on this to ensure our flights are booked. Weird, to say the least.

This morning, Tom went to the salon to see about getting in for a haircut, but they were booked, and he’ll return tomorrow morning for his appointment. Tonight, we are heading to Flo and JiJi’s home in Komatipoort for sundowners, which will surely be another fun social evening. Soon, I’ll make an appetizer to bring.

The four of us thoroughly enjoyed the scene before our eyes.

Once again, this morning, the garden was packed with bushbucks looking for “breakfast.” Tom was busy serving them while I showered and dressed for the day. The weather is mild today. Yesterday was 90F, 32C, but today’s high will only be 72F, 22C, for a pleasant balmy day. It’s slightly overcast, with a 0% chance of precipitation, a perfect spring day in the bush.

A gregarious animal, the waterbuck may form herds consisting of six to 30 individuals. The various groups are the nursery herds, bachelor herds, and territorial males.

It’s hard to believe it’s September 1st already how the time has flown since we arrived last January. By the time we leave in October, we’ll have been here for a total of nine months. Without a doubt, we’ll return at some point. For now, we watch and wait to see what happens with our five booked cruises, scheduled over the next almost 11 months. Once we know more about these cruises, we’ll be able to plan for the future.

Have a pleasant “hump day,” everyone, and be healthy.

Photo from one year ago today, September 1, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #162. This is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. For more photos, please click here.

WiFi was out…Late posting…Great time at Frikkee’s Dam…

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Three kudus near the braai area at Frikkee’s Dam in Lionspruit.

When the WiFi is out in the house/area, the only way we can post is using the Google Fi data on my phone or using the phone as a hotspot to connect my laptop. In both cases, the cost is high, making posting for the day too costly when I’d be using data during the several hours necessary to complete the day’s story.

Miracle of all miracles, the WiFi was restored a few hours later, and now we can post as usual. As we’ve mentioned many times, “This is Africa,” and the infrastructure is unstable and unpredictable. It’s a factor that everyone who lives here must accept as a fact of life.

This kudu jumped over the fence to join us.

So, now that we’re able to post today, we’re pleased to be able to post photos from yesterday’s enjoyable party at Frikkee’s Dam, located inside Lionspruit, located within the borders of Marloth Park. We hadn’t been to Frikkee’s Dam since we arrived here in January but had during our past visits several occasions.

It’s a private gathering of a group of us that have attended over the years. Everyone brings food to share, potluck-style. We made our usual Brunch Eggs that were a big hit, with only a small amount left to get home. Since it had sat out all day, we decided not to eat the leftovers but instead feed them to the mongoose, who are carnivores, and the meat, egg, and cheese dish was a treat for them this morning.

Two curious kudus were checking out the humans. We didn’t bring along any pellets!

It was funny when Tom tossed out bite-sized pieces this morning, when Peter, Paul, and Mary competed with the mongoose for the leftovers. Generally, pigs only eat vegetation. But, on occasion, they show interest in bones and certain types of meat. There was bacon in the Brunch Eggs. We wondered how they enjoyed eating bacon, pigs that they are!

The time spent from 11;30 am until 5:30 pm when we finally packed up our stuff and left, was delightful every moment. The conversations were interesting and varied, and it was easy to join into any robust chatter at any point. It was fun to see people we hadn’t seen since the last time we attended a gathering at Frikkee’s Dam, back in 2018.

Another kudu is at the edge of the lake, looking our way.

It was interesting to hear varying views of Covid-19 and the vaccine. Some in our group didn’t believe the vaccine was safe, and it was fascinating to listen to their viewpoint. Most of the attendees were already vaccinated, but a few were not due to age or preference. But the conversation was always civilized and considerate, accepting one another’s opinions.

The Friskkee’s Dam braai area had been renovated in the past few years, providing a cleaner, more friendly space for a braai. We all enjoyed the new setting, which was easier to walk about with less awful tree roots causing tripping hazards in the past. Plus, the fence was lowered, and it was easier to see wildlife drinking from the lake while we stayed safely behind the fence.,

Tom took this photo of a bird with an orange head. Any ideas what bird this may be?

Back at our house (since we’d eaten very little at the event), we cooked a light meal of a few hamburgers (no buns) topped with cheddar cheese along with a small salad for me. We streamed a few episodes of a good show we’ve been watching on Hulu, Big Sky, finishing up season one’s episodes. Season two will begin in the latter part of September.

It was a busy morning in the garden. We were swamped, tending to the needs of our visitors. We had eight bushbucks, seven kudus, two duikers, 20+ mongooses, and as Tom said, a _ _ _ _ load of pigs. Of course, Frank and The Misses stopped by a few times, with the four Go-Away birds carrying on noisily in the background. Little was often seen hovering nearby, partaking in any morsels he could garner in the process.

Giraffe drinking from the lake with another looking on.

Rita and Gerhard have returned from their road trip to the Drakensburg Mountains, and today at 1530 hours, 3:30 pm, they will pick us up to head to Buckler’s Africa Lodge to watch the sunset, the Crocodile River for wildlife sightings, all followed up by dinner on their veranda. It will be excellent to see them again after almost two weeks since they left.

Have a lovely day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 30, 2020:

One year ago, this photo was posted in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #159. This was the shortest (height) car either of us has ever seen, spotted in youth Kensington, England, in 2014. I can only imagine that getting out of it would require rolling out the door onto the street and then standing up. For more, please click here.

Everything changed in a day…Bush braai today at Frikkee’s Dam…

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Five bushbucks waiting for pellets.

Yesterday afternoon, we stopped by Louise and Danie’s to drop off money for the three bags of game pellets they’d purchased for us.  A guy with a truck filled with pellets stops by most weeks to sell them to residents and holidaymakers staying in the various houses in the bush.

We purchase three bags which is close to the amount we go through each week. Each 40 kg, the 88-pound bag is priced at ZAR 230, US $15.62, considerably less than we’d pay in Komatipoort at various shops. Thus, the three bags cost ZAR 690, US $46.85, according to today’s exchange rate between the US dollar and the South African rand (ZAR).

We make this same purchase usually four times a month, although, on occasion, the pellet guy doesn’t show, and we have to purchase them at a higher cost at Obaro (hardware store) when we head to Komatipoort to the grocery store. When the pellet guy does show either on Thursday, Friday, or both, Louise always pays for our pellets, and we bring her the money to reimburse her. Then, Zef and Vusi deliver the pellets to us to prevent Tom from hauling the 120 kg, 264 pounds, and possibly injuring himself.

Four Go-Away birds making their funny noises with three in the tree and one on the birdbath.

Many people don’t feed the animals either due to the cost or their personal beliefs that wild animals shouldn’t be fed. However, pellets are entirely tailored to their eating habits, made with vegetation that is entirely suitable for each animal that partakes.

The animals that like the pellets are herbivores, and some are omnivores. Even the helmeted guinea fowls, omnivores (eat bugs and vegetation) love pellets, so it’s a challenge for the other animals when 20 or 30 of them are in the garden when we toss the pellets. We do not hand feed, nor do we ever touch the animals.

The sound from the Go-Away birds always makes us laugh.

We visited with Louise and Danie for a few hours, enjoying every moment. They informed us of the plan to have a “pot luck” braai or “bring your own meat” braai at Frikkee’s Dam this morning at 11:30. Low on food and supplies, with a plan to grocery shop on Tuesday, I was challenged to make and bring to the event.

In past events at Frikkee’s Dam, I have always made a big pan of Brunch Eggs, using eggs, meats, cheese, and vegetables I had on hand. Today, with plenty of eggs, I made the dish with precooked, fat removed, back bacon, onions, and 18 jumbo eggs. It’s cooking now as I write here.

The Brunch Eggs should be done by 11:15 am. We’ll wrap it up and be on our way to Liosnpsruit, the game reserve within Marloth Park where lions, Desi, and Fluffy reside, along with many other animals we hope to see while there. We’ve yet to see the lions, as is the case for most residents of Marloth Park. But, on many nights, since Lionspruit backs up to the rear edge of our holiday-home property line, we can hear them roar. It’s music to our ears.

This group of four Go-Away birds seems to hang out together each day. Three wait in the tree while one drinks and baths in the birdbath.

The timer on my FitBit is about to go off reminding me to take the Brunch Eggs out of the oven, wrap them up and be on our way. We’re bringing our two camp chairs, beverages, paper plates, napkins, and a spatula to scoop out portions. This dish is great finger food since its firm when fully cooked and holds together while eating.

That’s it for today, dear readers. Again, thanks to everyone for their considerate and kind comments and email messages supporting our up-and-coming trip to the US in less than two months, as a temporary waylay in our world travel journey while Covid-19 hopefully settles down throughout the world.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 29, 2020:

One year ago, photos were posted while in lockdown in Mumbai, India, on day #159, from the Museum of Natural History in South Kensington, England, in 2014.  Insect displays in the Charles Darwin research area of the museum. For more photos, please click here.