Load shedding is impacting the inverter…The heat and humidity are unreal…Trying to stay cool..

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Big Daddy is resting in the garden.

Incredibly, the animals manage to stay cool in this heat. It’s not that the temperature is high. It’s only 82F, 28C. It’s all about the humidity, which right now is at 73%, with the dew point at 72, which is outrageous. It’s sweating weather on an overcast day, drizzling now and then.

Last night, during a 4½ hour load-shedding period, the inverter ran out of power. And then, we had no fan for the remaining three hours until the power was restored and the fan and the aircon could run. I heard the fan go off in my sleep and didn’t fall back to sleep for another hour, not awakening until 9:30 am, another long sleep, which was needed.

Nina and Norman share breakfast.

Tom really hadn’t slept much in the past few weeks. Last night, when we finally started watching the first episode of Season 5 of Yellowstone, he kept dozing off. Eventually, I turned it off and watched a few shows on Philo, the streaming service I downloaded to watch Yellowstone.

There was a free one-week trial on Philo, and we figured we could watch all the episodes and then cancel it, incurring no costs to watch this fabulous show. If not canceled on time, there’s a monthly fee of US $25, ZAR 442. Since we already pay for Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, we didn’t want to start any additional monthly fees.

Louise bought us this portable rechargeable fan. It helps when I am sitting outdoors. Thanks, Louise!

When we go to bed, we’ll watch the first half of the episode that Tom missed again, so he’ll be caught up. I’m glad he got some sleep, and he feels better today. Those long flights and layovers, which consisted of no sleep for four days out of 16, left us both needing to catch up on sleep. I don’t care what “they,” say that you can’t make up for lost sleep. We’ve found the case to be otherwise.

We both feel great today, fully rested, even amid the lost sleep in the heat during nighttime load shedding. I’ve learned a lesson…if I need to cool down during the day for a bit, don’t use the fan during load shedding. Instead, save its accumulated power to use at night during power outages. If we have power during the day, we can use the fan. I may go into the bedroom to cool off for 10 minutes every hour or so during these hot spells.

Big Daddies and Lollie and her three piglets.

We avoid using the aircon during the day to save on electricity, although we don’t pay the electric bill. Some days, Tom takes a nap for 20 minutes and uses the fan, not the aircon. During the hot summer months, by our choice, we give Louise an extra ZAR 1000, US $56.58. We’ve had to insist she accepts this money from us since we know how high electricity is here, even with the daily outages for as much as 11½ hours a day.

Wherever we may live in the world, we are mindful of the power we use. We hear that many renters leave their holiday home, or even hotel room for the day, with the aircon running the entire time they are gone. Think of how much energy would be saved if everyone only used the aircon when they were at the property.

I realize our readers may tire of hearing about the heat, humidity, and load-shedding. But, let’s face it, it’s a big part of our daily lives. Today, I was trying to roast two little cornish hen-sized chickens for dinner. It’s too hot to cook them in the oven. But load-shedding starts at 5:00 pm, 1700 hours. Last night, we cooked two others on the braai, but we weren’t thrilled with the outcome.

This Big Daddy jumped the fence looking for pellets.

Since it’s so hot today, I decided to cook the two birds ahead of time, cool them, and make chicken salad with sliced hard-boiled eggs, onions, celery, seasonings, and homemade dressing. Timing the cooking of the chicken, cooling it, and the hard-boiled eggs were tricky with power outages. But we figured it out, and as I write here, Tom is peeling the eggs, and the chicken is done, which we cooked again on the braai. I chilled the eggs in a colander in the sink topped with ice.

Since it’s already close to 1:30 pm, 1330 hrs, we’ll place the chicken in the freezer to cool before I put it all together. Once the chicken cools sufficiently, I’ll clean off the meat and skin, saving the bones and fat for the next visiting mongooses. This way, we’ll have cold chicken salad for dinner. It takes much planning to prepare meals in this heat with frequent power outages.

Zebras, stop by for a snack.

We’d hoped to go to Kruger today, but after I slept so late, it made no sense. Generally, it’s better to go early in the morning. Plus, I had to fold all the laundry here again, subject to washing during available periods with power, make the dinner, do the post, and work on recording expenditures and receipts from the past few weeks. It’s a busy day.

Norman, Nina, and the baby have been here no less than six times today. Lollie is napping with her three piglets in her usual spot near the veranda. Big Daddies, kudu Bossy, and other kudus and bushbucks have stopped by. The presence of the visitors is a blissful distraction that takes our minds off the inconveniences of living in South Africa right now.

Day 2, no headache or facial pain. Humm…

May your holiday plans be rewarding and fulfilling.

Be well. zzxxlaa

Photo from one year ago today, December 13, 2021:

Mom, with lovely curved tusks and her three piglets. It’s “piglet time” in the bush, which makes it fun to see all the families. For more, please click here.

Gee…it feels good to be back…Nina and Norman’s baby…a joy to behold…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Duiker Delilah with Norman and Nina’s new baby, who is yet to be named based on gender, which we can’t yet determine.

What a glorious morning. Light rain sprinkled the dusty bush making everything look bright and green. Although the busy holiday season has begun in Marloth Park, there were fewer holidaymakers this weekend than there will be in the coming weeks. As a result, Monday morning brought us many visitors.

Of course, we were thrilled to see Lollie and her three piglets return and also Hoppy’s mom and two piglets (sadly, Hoppy passed away before we left due to her broken leg). Also, our four regular zebras stopped along with bushbuck Gordon Ramsey and duiker mates Delilah and Derek.

Norman is a proud new dad.

But, above all, we were beside ourselves with joy over seeing Norman, Nina, and their new baby, born a little over two weeks ago (while we were away), gender yet to be determined. Noah has wandered off since the little one was born. We can only imagine how frustrated he must be, unable to find a female nyala anywhere in the park. From what we hear, Deidre from Wild and Free is caring for a female who will be released in Marloth Park as a mate for Noah.

Norman got pretty upset with his son Noah sniffing over his mom, Nina. Finally, after the baby was born, he got the hint and moved on. We haven’t seen him since we returned two days ago.

Nina and Norman’s baby has yet to jump the little fence. But Nina and Norman jump over anyway while the baby waits for them.

How exciting it will be when the female is released, and Noah eventually finds her. We can only hope he will return here with her to our garden once they become a pair. Of course, we’ll report that here. But, for now, Noah has moved on to another area in the park to leave his parents to raise his new little sibling.

So far this morning, Nina, Norman, and their new offspring, as shown in today’s photos, have visited us four times, and it’s only 9:15 am as I write this.

We are thrilled to see the baby visiting us with her/his parents.

Last night at Jabula, in the awful heat and humidity with a dew point around 75, only a few of us were sitting at the bar. We were all dripping with sweat with load shedding and no aircon running. It was wonderful to see Leon and Dawn again, but Leon only hung around for a short time when he became tired and had to rest. His illness is catching up with him, and we’re all cherishing every moment we can spend with him.

Such an adorable baby nyala, the only one in Marloth Park.

Our friends Maroi and Peter were also there, and we all shared stories of the time we’d been away, including our awful experience with Ethiopian Air. No, we haven’t heard a word about our bags. In a few days, we’ll check again. Once we returned, it became more apparent how much we missed the items in those bags. Ugh!

We’d planned to grocery shop in Komatipoort this morning, but with five-hour load shedding on the horizon, we decided to shop at the little stores here in Marloth for the next few days rather than risk food spoiling. We now eat cabbage slaw (coleslaw) instead of lettuce salad since lettuce doesn’t keep well, but cabbage does.

We can’t get over the adorable face.

We’ll cook a flattie chicken on the braai with the coleslaw and whatever vegetable I can find at the little market. I’ll make white rice for Tom to go along with it. We took out the big pan of apple crisp I’d made before we left, and Tom will have some tonight after dinner with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Of course, I don’t eat any of it, nor do I eat anything after dinner. Tom lost a few pounds while we were away to enjoy this delicious treat.

Lollie and her three piglets have returned.

We’re off to the little market and the Wild Butchery in the Bush Centre down the road and will be back with more tomorrow.

By the way, thank you for all the thoughtful inquiries about my headache, and facial pain and how traveling on those long flights impacted me. It wasn’t a problem and certainly was no worse while traveling. At the moment, I am pain-free. Maybe it’s getting better after all. Perhaps it’s a matter of time, as I continue to do the nasal rinses several times a day. Fingers crossed.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 12, 2021:

We drove past a few giraffes while out exploring. For more photos, please click here.

We’re baaack!!!….The story of the last travel day…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Lollie and her piglets with a few kudus.

Yesterday morning, I wrote this post, in part, while on the short flight, less than 40 minutes from Joburg to Nelspruit, finishing and updating it today, on Sunday morning.

Once we landed in Nelspruit, we collected our one bag, and Tom headed to the rental car facility while I checked with Airlink to see if they knew anything about our two missing bags. I explained the loss of the bags had nothing to do with their airline but could they please help us? They were more than willing to assist. The bags are eventually supposed to arrive at their location.

The previous night, when we arrived in Joburg, we spent two hours at the missing bag area working on locating our bags. Finally, a few hours later, we received the necessary documentation we needed to attempt to find the bags. But, no bags yet.

Kudus stopped by for a drink and pellets. We were still sleeping.

From there, we made our way to the City Lodge Hotel at the airport, checking in with our one new bag and then on to the restaurant for a bite. We each had a beverage, including a glass of wine for me and a beer for Tom. I had the fantastic buffet, which had several good options for me, while Tom ordered a delicious club sandwich with chips (fries).

Our dinner was only ZAR 480, about US $27, with two drinks, food, tax, and tip. Gosh, we are happy to be back where everything is much more affordable than in the US. Over the next few months, we certainly have some “wound licking” to recover the losses from this recent fiasco.

With our time frame off, we both had a fistful night’s sleep. We only dozed for a few minutes on the 16-hour flight and assumed we’d be able to sleep at the hotel, but the time difference made it impossible to sleep. But, overall, that long flight wasn’t bad this time. We watched many movies, and the time passed faster than usual. I think I’ve finally adapted to that 16-hour flight and have no angst about it any longer.

A kudu is eating some tasty greens on a tree.

We were in a three-seat center row with an empty seat between us. We ended up in the Premium Economy section, and the seats were bigger with footrests and were better for reclining. That helped me nod off for a few minutes here and there. That also added to our comfort.

It was great to be back in South Africa. The food on the plane was awful, and we didn’t eat a thing precipitating our need for the late dinner at the hotel on Friday night. In the morning, we didn’t have time for breakfast, only coffee at the airport. Our two coffees and one sparkling water were only ZAR 120, about US $7. While in the US, we spent three times that much on the same items.

With the time difference impacting us, we both had a fitful night’s sleep, barely sleeping. But overall, that long flight wasn’t bad at all this time. We watched many movies, and the time passed faster than usual. I think I’ve finally adapted to that 16-hour flight and have no angst about it any longer. It is what it is.

A young male kudu is checking out the scene.

Our dinner at the City Lodge Hotel was only ZAR 480, about US $27, with the two drinks, food, tax, and tip. Gosh, we are happy to be back where everything is much more affordable than in the US. Over the next few months, we certainly have some “wound licking” to recover the losses from this recent fiasco.

Louise invited us to a “bush buddies” party at their house last night. Once we returned to the house in the afternoon, we unpacked our one bag and carry-on bags and attempted to take a short nap before going to the party, which started around 6:00 pm. But, no such luck. Neither of us was able to nap. By 5:00 pm, we both showered, feeling refreshed, and later made our way down the road to their house.

We had a fantastic time at the party, completely forgetting about being tired and staying until midnight, when everyone began to wander off. This morning, Tom shocked me and caused me to scream out loud when he was standing there staring at me. He was concerned that I had passed away in my sleep at 11:00 am and was still sleeping.

It rained a little before we got up this morning. It’s a very humid day!

My Fitbit indicated I’d slept for 10 hours. I can’t remember the last time I slept so long. He was relieved to hear me scream and apologized for awakening me. He only slept for about eight hours and may need a nap before we go to Jabula tonight for dinner.

Yes, there is plenty of load shedding, but we have water. We’ll toss some of the food in the refrigerator, but it wasn’t that full when we left. Everything in the freezers seemed to have survived.

Kudus, early this morning.

We left Marloth Park 17 days ago. Will our favorite animals return to see us soon, or will they wait until the holidaymakers go after New Year? Only time will tell. Yesterday, when we arrived, bushbuck Gordon Ramsey was here resting in the shad with about eight kudus. This morning Lollie and her three piglets stopped by. Tom gave them plenty of pellets.

Thanks for all the love and support over these past weeks and always. We will be back tomorrow with more.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 11, 2021:

Frank, who prefers to walk and run, flew up to the bushbaby house and posed for this photo. For more photos, please click here.

Today, we are on the move!…Back to the bush…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments

New friends Barry and Lisa, enjoying one last night together on the ship, on this date in 2017, during a cruise to South America. See the post here.
.

We’re packed and ready to leave the hotel to return the rental car at Ace, take their shuttle to the airport, check our bags and begin the long wait until our flight at 2:00 pm. The first flight to Newark is easy, less than three hours,, but the typical five-hour layover is to be expected.

During the layover, we’ll have dinner at an airport restaurant and spend time on our laptops to kill time while we wait for the 16-hour flight to Johannesburg.

This morning, Louise and I texted back and forth on Whatsapp. Apparently, things are not good in Marloth Park right now. It’s very hot and humid, the power has been out for almost a day, and there’s no water from the reservoir due to the 11½ hours of load shedding each day. But now, the power is out due to some type of fault or damage to equipment, and they can’t get the power back on.

We feel bad for Louise. All of her houses are rented with dozens and dozens of guests for a golf tournament in Komatipoort and holidaymakers. Can you imagine the complaints from the holiday renters who don’t have power…or water.  There’s no news on when both of these will be restored.

That night, Tom was having a great time, dining in the private “wine room” in the Tuscan Grill with Lisa and Barry.
.

We hope things are resolved by the time we return in a few days, but as we always say, “TIA, This is Africa!” What do we expect? In any case, we’ll be fine. We’ll definitely have to throw away all of the perishables in the refrigerator but hopefully not everything in the freezer. When shopping next, we’ll only buy enough for a few days, knowing power outages are even worse during December.

With all the holidaymakers in the park, we don’t expect to see many animals in the garden when we return. But mostly, we can’t wait to see Norman and Nina’s new baby, born a few days after we left. No news yet on the gender of the baby, but we have a few names in mind, of course beginning with an “N.” Noah has wandered off in search of a mate for himself, but there are no other nyalas in Marloth Park other than their family of four. Wild animals generally do not mate with species other than their own.

Hopefully, the rangers can find another female to bring to the conservancy for Noah. We hope to hear this has been done at some point. He’s certainly entitled to having a mate, now that Norman and Nina are preoccupied with their new baby.

It was easy packing the new suitcase that had plenty of room, and we filled it to the brim. We have no way to weigh it and will wing it hoping it meets the maximum 23 kg. limit. Of course, we have no idea if our missing bags will be waiting for us when we get to Joburg or Nelspruit. Only time will tell.

Last night, we had dinner with Greg and granddaughter Madighan at Champps. We’d hoped to see the other grandkids one more time, but we managed to have some quality time with everyone while we were here.

An antipasto board was served to each couple before our other courses were served.

This morning, I spoke to our friend Connie, whose husband and our dear friend Jeff passed away at our house in the bush, when they’d come to Marloth Park to fulfill Jeff’s dream of seeing Africa. We are so grateful he was able to fulfill that dream with us during the time he, Connie, and their adult daughter Lindsey were with us.  It was good to hear her voice. Next time we come to Minnesota, we will make a point of getting together with Connie and Lindsey.

This unexpected trip to Minnesota was such a flurry of activity with the family, leaving little time to see friends. We’re hoping for better planning next time to make time to see some of our dear old friends, too.

Well, it’s time to load the one bag and our carry-on bags into the rental car and make our way to the car rental facility. We are dressed warmly but without jackets, since we don’t want to carry extra clothes through all the airports. I don’t know when we’ll write again. It could possibly not be until Sunday after we arrive on Saturday, in time to shower, change and hopefully head to Jabula for dinner. It will be nice to see our friends once again and to share the latest news with all of you.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, December 8, 2021:

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 witnessed this fantastic sighting of one of the female lions known to roam the streets of Marloth Park. For more photos, please click here.

One last shopping trip…Why can’t we find this item?…Received all of our items from Amazon but one…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Penguin statue on the beach made of a penguin dressed in Christmas clothes and various locally inspired pins and decorations. From our post here on December 6, 2016, while living in Penguin, Tasmania, one of Tom’s favorite places in the world.

With Christmas shopping evident in every store we visited, we thought we’d better hurry and buy the one piece of luggage we needed to pack the clothing we purchased while here in Minnesota after having our bags lost from the fiasco we experienced on November 24, explained in detail in Part 1 this post and Part 2 in this post.

There was no way we’d get a big enough bag for under $100, so we headed to TJ Maxx in Bloomington, where they have quality brand-name luggage at reasonable prices. We also needed to buy a luggage tag when they are rarely included with the purchase of a bag.

We lucked out and found the perfect large suitcase in an obvious color and design that may prevent thieves from taking off with it. As I packed it, I wondered if we’d ever get this bag when we’ll arrive at Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger airport on Saturday, let alone our two missing bags from the fiasco on November 24.

This morning we packed the bag, and my carry-on bag, only leaving out clothes and shoes for tomorrow’s departure and toiletries in travel-approved sizes. This time, I packed pajamas and clean underwear in the same carry-on bag since we knew we would spend one night in the City Lodge airport hotel in Joburg to avoid driving in the dark to Marloth Park from Nelspruit on the dangerous N4 highway.

Everything we’d purchased easily fit into the suitcase and I have no doubt we’ll be within the weight limits. This time, we don’t have the portable scale to ensure that fact but based on the contents, I feel confident it will be fine.

The following day, on Saturday, we’ll fly to Nelspruit, collect the rental car at the airport and commence the 90-minute drive to Marloth Park, arriving around 2:00 or 3:00 pm. We’ll stop at Louise’s Marloth Park Info Centre to pick up the house key we left with her and then drive down the dirt road to our holiday house.

If we’re up to it, we’ll go to Jabula for dinner since we won’t have anything defrosted to make for dinner. Of course, with all the Stage 6 load shedding over the past several days, all of our meat in the freezer could have gone bad. Stage 6 is as follows:

  • 5:00 am to 9:30 am (4.5 hours)
  • 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm (4.5 hours)
  • 9:00 pm to 11:30 pm (2.5 hours)

This is a total of 11.5 hours without electricity in 24 hours. Also, there are severe issues with the reservoir based on chronic power outages. We may not have any water when arriving since our JoJo tank doesn’t pump water when the power is out for extended periods.

Oh well, TIA, “This is Africa,” and that is what we expect upon returning after two weeks away. The temperature will be tolerable at a high of 94F, 34C, and increasing in days to come. At least we have the inverter to run to the bedroom’s fan and lamp and the WiFi router. When we cook by Sunday, we can use the gas burners on the stove, lighting it with a lighter, and also use of the braai on the veranda.

We likely won’t grocery shop until next week after we access the power situation to determine what perishables will survive these long load-shedding periods.

Although two male lions were darted in Marloth Park a few weeks ago and moved to Kruger National Park, two females and cubs have been sighted in the park in the past few days. Warnings continue for diligence and caution when outdoors, walking to and from vehicles, and walking and biking only in daylight hours with added attention to one’s surroundings.

Juan, the snake handler we use, has issued warnings that many snakes have come out of hiding over the cooler winter months and to exercise extreme caution outdoors and indoors. Snakes often enter houses during the warm spring and summer months through open doors and thatch roofs, both of which we have.

Nonetheless, we are excited to return to the bush to see our animal and human friends and return to the lifestyle we so much cherish living in the bush.

On another note, we have been searching for thick neoprene Koozies to hold cold canned beverages and glasses. With the heat and humidity in MP. Koozies are an ideal solution to avoid cans and glasses sweating and drinks getting warm on hot and humid days and nights. The mistake we made was not ordering them from Amazon in time for delivery to our hotel.

We searched far and wide to find these neoprene thick-walled Koozies. Most likely, winter-time in Minnesota is not the best time to find these for sale.

We stopped at several stores in the past few days, hoping to find them. We couldn’t find them anywhere, and finally, we gave up trying. They do not sell thick-walled models in South Africa. We’ve searched everywhere online to no avail. And Amazon can’t send us items to South Africa due to high shipping costs and customs issues. It would take months for us to receive them. We’ll be returning to Minnesota next September and buying them at that time.

So that’s it, folks. We’ll do a short post tomorrow, and then we may not post again until Sunday since Saturday will be a hectic day. But, as always, we shall see how it goes, and if we can post sooner, we will. Often, I write the post on my phone on the plane and can complete it on the long drive back to Marloth Park. Thus, Saturday is a possibility.

We hope all of our readers/friends are enjoying preparations for the holiday season. Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 7, 2021:

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

Yesterday’s fantastic visit with a dear old friend…Quiet afternoon and early evening in the hotel while Tom was out…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This photo was taken on December 6, 2013, from Marloth Park. See the link here. The bright glare of the setting sun impeded our photo-taking of these elephants across the river. But, we were thrilled to get these. Soon, we’ll see elephants up close when we enter Kruger Park.

When Tom was meeting with his son TJ at a restaurant about 15 minutes away, I decided to see if I could change my planned visit to my dear friend Chere’s home in Eden Prairie. As much as we treasure time with friends, we have prioritized time with our children and grandchildren over all else.

Based on the time he and TJ were getting together, it didn’t leave time for him to pick me up when he’d be done. Nor did I want him to have to rush his time with his son to come to get me at Chere’s home. When I called and explained the situation to Chere, her husband Gary agreed to drop her off at our hotel. Chere recently had knee replacement surgery and hasn’t been cleared to drive.

By 1:30, she walked in the door, albeit a little shaky on her new knee, and we hugged as close girlfriends do. Instead of coming to our messy room with all of our recent purchases piled up, we sat in the lovely hotel lobby at a table with comfortable chairs and sipped on hot tea, and caught up.

It wasn’t as if we had much catching up to do when we’d last got together during our US visit in 2019 (but not when we were here, sick with Omicron last May). We’ve stayed in close touch over the years via text and email and knew what was going on with one another. Plus, Chere regularly reads our posts which easily fills in the blanks of what we’ve been up to.

Chere is a highly educated nutritionist and holistic dietician who has appeared on many local and national TV news stations over the years, as well as speaking as a keynote speaker at countless conventions on health, nutrition, and wellness, often sponsored by large corporations. It was as if we’d never been apart. I wanted more details about her life over the past few years.

There’s something magical about the skies over Africa from what we’ve seen so far in Kenya and now in South Africa, also from this date, nine years ago.

This passion we share for health, fitness, diet, and food brought us together years ago and remained a favorite topic as we share more intimate details of our lives, as girlfriends often do. It was delightful catching up with her. The almost three hours we spent together passed way too quickly.

Her husband Gary arrived to pick her up a few hours later but only after sitting with us for a while for more lively conversation. By the time they walked out the door after warm hugs and goodbyes, it was 4:30, and Tom had yet to return. But my delightful afternoon wasn’t over yet.

The lovely guest services representative, Kelly, at the hotel front desk, poured me a glass of Pinot Grigio, and another great conversation ensued, only occasionally interrupted when a hotel guest needed attention. Again, the discussion was lively and entertaining, and time flew by. Suddenly, it was close to 6:00 pm, and I headed back to our room. I was getting hungry and opened the meat and cheese tray in the little refrigerator for such an occasion.

A short time later, Tom returned, smiling over his enjoyable time with his son, and we decided to forego dinner. I’d eaten enough meat, cheese, and olives to hold me, and Tom said he had two generous portions of popcorn at the bar and wasn’t hungry. Also, we knew we could head to the included breakfast at this excellent hotel at 6:30 am, and we could easily wait for that.

Speaking of this hotel, Hyatt Place in Eden Prairie, we’ve decided to stay here each time we return to Minnesota. The only inconvenience is the lack of washers and dryers at the property. But everything else is superior to the other hotels where we’ve stayed in this central location. Their breakfast is good, the coffee is excellent, and the service is over-the-top.

The hotel had recently been remodeled and is attractive and modern, whereby the other hotels where we’ve stayed in this area in the past are somewhat dated. This seems to be a popular hotel for business people, with efficiency and competitive pricing the norm, typically at $118 a night, a real bargain for this suburban area. When we return in September, we will certainly stay here again.

Today is a quiet day. No family members were available to get together, so we will head to TJ Maxx to buy a suitcase for everything we purchased. We will also stop at the local CVS pharmacy for more of the sinus treatment product I’ve been using that I’d purchased at the pharmacy in Komatipoort. I hope they have something similar here since I’ll be running out by the time we depart. I don’t want to worry about heading to Komatipoort the day we return.

Otherwise, all is well. We’ll be dining out with Greg’s family tomorrow night on our final evening in Minnesota. We’ll head out for dinner since the cost of takeaway is as costly as dining in at some restaurants we like. We begin the long trek back to South Africa and Marloth Park on Thursday.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago, December 6, 2021:

A male impala is on the lookout in Kruger National Park. For more photos, please click here.

In shock after a night out to dinner in Minneapolis…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

This giraffe didn’t seem to mind being included in the photo with us. This photo was taken in our neighborhood. Louise explained that the giraffes would soon come to our house, and they did then, and they do now. For the post from December 3, 2013, please click here.

Last evening, when we arrived early at restaurant Benihana in Minneapolis to celebrate our grandson Vincent’s 17th birthday, we sat at the bar and ordered two drinks. I ordered nine oz. of Pinot Grigio, a little less than two glasses in a small carafe, and Tom ordered one Michelob Golden Light.

The total bill for the two drinks was US $39.75, ZAR 697.84, not including a tip. Our mouths were agape when we paid the bill. We don’t spend that much on dinner, drinks, tax, and tips at Jabula on a typical Friday or Saturday night, ordering anything off the menu we could possibly want.

However, this was only the tip of the iceberg. The cost of the dinner was yet to come. Tammy, Tracy, Vincent, and Tracy’s mom Lena were in attendance for six of us. Of course, the concept of teppanyaki is fun and festive, and we all expected to pay a little more than in a typical mid-range restaurant.

We usually pay the bill when we go out to dinner with our kids and grandkids. But this time, Tammy and Tracy insisted on paying for their own meals while Tom and I would pay for the two of us. I’m glad we had that arrangement on this specific occasion. I don’t mean to be a “tightwad,” but the total bill for all of us, excluding our drinks (we never ordered more), was US $494.87, ZAR 8687.84. Had we paid for everything, the total bill would have been $534.62, ZAR 9384.10. Can you believe it?

Thanks, Tammy and Tracy, for paying for the four of you. Our bill, separate from the above total, was US $159.62, ZAR 2802.26. We’d already lost a ton of money with this Seychelles fiasco and surely would have flinched for this outrageous bill which included a 20% service fee, and yet the server asked us for cash for more tips. Oh, good grief! Don’t ask! Tacky.

All of us agreed we’d never return after those outrageous charges. Prices have obviously increased since the pandemic, and we appreciate the dilemma the establishments have had to face. But, goodness, consider diners’ reactions and interest in returning.

Yes, the food was good, but none of us ordered the most expensive items on the menu. Nonetheless, Vincent enjoyed his birthday dinner, and we all had a lovely time. We were out the door two hours from the time we arrived. It was windy, cold, and snowing, so we said our goodbyes and headed back to our hotel.

Tammy and Tracy are leaving for a week’s holiday in California while grandma Lena stays at the house with Vincent. We’ll be gone when they return, so our goodbye was for now, although we’ll be returning in nine months, spending time with everyone once away.

This morning, at 9:30, we’re driving to the town of Shakopee to meet up with Greg’s family for brunch at a popular restaurant. Hopefully, everyone is feeling well, and we’ll all be able to be together for the first time since we arrived one week ago today. We’ve been here for one week since we arrived last Saturday afternoon. It seems like a long time ago that we shopped at Target, exhausted and dirty after wearing the same clothes and underwear for 56 hours.

Hopefully, the return flight in five days will be easier than this most recent one. When we arrive in Johannesburg next Friday, we’ll be staying overnight. Otherwise, we’d have had to drive in the dark to Marloth Park, which is way too dangerous on the N4 at night due to “spiking,” carjackings, and murders.

If all goes well and we arrive in Marloth Park after driving during daylight hours from Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger airport to Marloth Park, we should arrive in the afternoon. If we’re well rested, we’ll head to Jabula for dinner. We’re looking forward to seeing our friends, Leon and Dawn, and any other locals who may have stopped by for sundowners and dinner.

Of course, amid all this travel, we’ll be searching for the status of our missing baggage. We’ll keep you updated on the results.

That’s it for today, folks. It’s time for us to head out for breakfast with Greg’s family. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Be well.

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

Hippos aren’t necessarily the cutest of animals, but it’s fun to take their photos. For more, please click here.

Taking advantage of every moment we can spend with family…Snowstorm in the area…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
It was hard to believe we were experiencing winter weather.

Today, we’re staying at the hotel when it’s a very snowy day and dangerous on the roads. This unexpected visit somehow ended up being better timing for our kids to spend time with us, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. We are delighted to be spending such quality time with our family members.

The clothing situation continues to be of concern. We went for a quick trip to the pharmacy for a few odds and ends to replace items we needed to use here that were in our lost duffle bags. Here’s the dilemma…if our bags are truly lost, and we never get them back, we need to replace the lost items.

The bags contained almost every one of our hot weather items. Also included were swimwear, shoes, underwear, casual and dressy tops for me, and every pair of pants we currently wear while in South Africa. I’d recently had a couple of old jeans cut off and hemmed by seamstress Tracy at Daisy’s Den into a pair of shorts I was looking forward to wearing in hot weather.

After considerable discussion, we decided to purchase new clothing with the idea that we won’t be getting back our bags. Why not wait and see? Simple reason by our standards…neither can find any clothing we like while in South Africa. Most women aren’t as tall as me, so buying pants is nearly impossible outside the US. Tom has similar issues buying clothes and prefers certain brands he knows they fit him well and last for a long time.

This morning, I started searching through Amazon.com and putting items into our cart that I knew Amazon could deliver to this hotel in time for our December 8th departure. I actually enjoyed online shopping, especially when I knew the prices are excellent on Amazon and I could predict the quality of anything I bought based on experience.

We hadn’t purchased jackets, only sweatshirts, and hoodies, so it was cold when Tom brushed the snow off the car.

It felt good to get this task accomplished on this snowy day. Meanwhile, we contacted our travel insurance company about the missing luggage. We can file a claim for missing baggage. The claim is to cover some of the cost of the replacement clothing and miscellaneous items we needed to replace for almost two weeks in Minnesota. We don’t have to wait for the bags to be found.

Then we got to work calling about how we could renew our passports. Our ten-year passport ran out a year ago, which we replaced with a four-year passport when we were here a few years ago. Now that passport will run out in January 2024. That seems like it’s long enough away not to worry.

However, our upcoming cruises require that we have no less than six months remaining on our passports to sail. This is becoming a common requirement for many travel venues. As it turns out, we cannot apply for a passport renewal while we’re here in the US since doing so requires we mail our existing passports during the application process. We can’t take the risk that the passports won’t get to us in time for travel in nine days.

Our only alternative is to go to a US Embassy while we are in South Africa in either Johannesburg or Cape Town. That’s what we’ll have to do sometime in the next five months…one more trip on our agenda. However, this will allow us to visit Cape Town, which we’ve wanted to do for quite a while. But we’ve been so content in Marloth Park, we haven’t traveled much to other parts of the country.

The rest of this week is busy. Yesterday afternoon, Tom spent time with his son TJ which we’ll do again before we leave next week. Tomorrow, we’ll head out with daughter Tammy and grandson Vincent to visit Tom’s sister Patty and elder brother Jerome who recently turned 94 along with Tom’s sister Colleen who will join all of us. Thursday evening we’re going to dinner with Greg’s family.

We’re pretty much planning to spend most days or evenings with our kids and grandkids. We are excited about every event with our family members. We would love to have time to see our friends here but time is short and since we didn’t have an opportunity to see anyone due to our being sick with Omicron in May. We’re certainly making up for lost time now.

Tonight, we have leftover food we purchased at the grocery store for last night’s dinner and we will stay in, rather than venture out for dinner in the snowy weather. All is good here.

Be well.

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

Two elephants flapped their ears as we passed. For more photos, please click here.

We’re off to Seychelles…A few important points for our readers…Happy Thanksgiving to our family and friends in the USA!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Starting on the 26th, we’ll be cruising to these islands in Seychelles.

First, let’s start by wishing our US family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving day with fantastic food, love, and friendship. It was always a fun holiday for our family, with lots of stories to share and delicious leftovers for a few days while we began decorating for Christmas the following day and weekend.

There will be no Thanksgiving celebrations for us. Today is a travel day for us on our next visa run, hopefully allowing us another 90-day visa for South Africa. We’ll certainly report the results once we know when we try to re-enter the country on December 4, a mere ten days from now.

Our packing is just about done, with only digital equipment, power cords, converters, and adapters to be added, plus the medication I’ll still need to use as we travel. That’s a bit tricky since the nasal rinses and treatments I do every few hours will have to be postponed until we arrive in Mahe for one night in a hotel which will be about 24 hours after we leave here this afternoon.

Once boarding the first flight in Nelspruit, the travel time is 19 hours, including as many layover hours as flight times. But, we still have to drive to Nelspruit around 3:00 pm, 1500 hours, with many road delays and then wait at the airport for the 6:30 pm, 1830 hrs, flight to Joburg with an upcoming 11:30 pm, 2330 hrs, departure. This trip will consist of three long layovers.

Tom spotted a snake trying to take a drink from the splash pool. I missed the shot but got another after instead, as shown below. We’ve been so busy getting ready the past few days I’ve been too preoccupied to take photos. But surely, on our upcoming trip, we’ll be taking plenty.

See the green snake atop the post by the pool?

This morning I awoke feeling a little better and hope to continue to improve over the next several days as I continue the medications and treatments. I felt tentative about going on this cruise, not feeling up to par, but there were no other options. Once we paid the final payment for the cruise and the flights, we were committed. Plus, our visas expire on the 26th, and we had to go somewhere.

This morning, Vusi washed the little rental car, which we’ll return to the airport when we arrive. We’d rather give the money to Zef or Vusi to wash the car each time we leave instead of giving it to the carwash while Tom stands and waits for an hour or more. They do a perfect job. Once we return on December 4, another car will be ready, likely similar to what we’ve had.

The animals kick up a lot of dust and dander each day. While we’re away, Louise will arrange for the outdoor refrigerator to be repaired, and Zef and Vusi will do a deep clean of the house, which, even with their diligent daily cleaning, still gets dusty in tucked-away places. When we return, all will be fresh and clean.

An important point to share with our readers as we head to what will eventually be a remote location…we may not have WiFi for many periods during the cruise. If you do not see a post from us, please consider that as a day lost in our consecutive uploads. We won’t try to “make up” lost days while without internet access by doubling up.

Once we have a signal or, in the worst case, once we return, I will post the stories and pictures consecutively for many days to come. Please do not be alarmed if you don’t see any new posts during this period. Instead, I will document our activities offline as each day passes, taking photos.

However, we will be able to post from the hotel in Mahe tomorrow and most likely the first day/night on the boat while we’re still in port. You may check daily to see if there’s a new post. For sure, we’ll be back on December 5. We might get lucky and be able to post each day since there is WiFi on the boat, and for all we know, it may work well. We will be purchasing the best WiFi package they have available.

So, we’re signing off for the next 24 hours and hope to be back with you soon.

Be well.

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

This was the total size of the foam tree frog nest before it rained. After it rained hard for hours, it was half its original size. We aren’t sure if the rain destroyed it or if the male tree frogs will fertilize it. For more photos, please click here.

One day and we’re off!…We’re busy getting ready…Male lion warnings!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
This Big Daddy visited early this morning, wondering why he didn’t see us yet. Too early for us!

Last evening, we had intended to visit Louise and Danie for sundowners before taking off on our Thursday trip. When we returned from our pedicure appointments, there was a message from Louise on Whatsapp stating that Danie had come down with the flu overnight. It made no sense to expose ourselves to germs with this upcoming trip.

We appreciated her letting us know. She’d insisted on stopping by before dinnertime to drop off a special treat she’d made for our intended visit. We certainly didn’t want to take any risks, especially since I am already working on recovering from this long-term acute sinusitis.

Wearing a face mask, Louise approached the veranda’s railing, handing off a warm pan of prawn skewers and a fabulous dipping sauce. I’d already prepped a dish and a salad for dinner but decided the prawns would be perfect for tonight, our last night before leaving. We only chatted for a few minutes, and then she was on her way.

Since Tom’s not a big fan of seafood, except lobster, Oysters, Rockefeller, and escargot (which he likes to eat on cruises ships), we could take a few pork chops out of the freezer for him while I eat the prawns tonight. Of course, last night, I couldn’t resist eating a few of the skewers; they were delicious.

Last evening, there were many insects on the veranda, so we decided to eat at the dining room table with the doors closed. Four zebras stopped for remnants of the day’s pellets during that time.

This morning, I prepped Tom’s pork chops after they defrosted overnight in the fridge, made a big salad, and got Tom’s rice ready to cook when we put the chops on the braai. I’ll quickly reheat the prawn skewers and enjoy them with the sauce and the salad on the side.

Tom just returned from Daisy’s Den, where Tracy is a seamstress. Tom left this morning to pick up a pair of jeans. I had  Tracy cut off to hem for long shorts. Over the past few years, I wore that pair of jeans so often, I wore holes in the knees. There was no way I’d wear jeans with holes in the knees. Although it’s cute for young people to wear jeans with holes, I don’t find it attractive on older individuals.

I need to get over myself about the scars from the heart surgery. Since I don’t own a pair of shorts, all of which I’d tossed a few years ago with all the scars on my legs from the surgeries, I knew this tropical trip would require at least one pair of shorts to wear when we go out to the islands on our upcoming Seychelle cruise. This is a step in the right direction.

I’m even bringing the one swimsuit I own. But, the antibiotics I am on, specifically state to avoid the sun due to a high risk of sunburn. Since neither of us has tanned for so long, we must be cautious. We’re bringing organic sunscreen with an SPF of 30, which should serve us well. The cruise line requires all sunscreen, shampoo, and conditioners to be environmentally safe for coral reefs. Fortunately, we were able to find such products at Takealot.

Tom didn’t get outside until around 7:00 this morning and missed this handsome visitor.

On another note, warnings about lions in Marloth Park are posted on Facebook a few times daily. There are two males on the hunt. “And another warning! Here is today’s warning:

 🦁🦁🦁🦁
‼️ VERY URGENT CARNIVORE ALERT‼️
November 23, 2022
The Carnivore Team has released a VERY URGENT WARNING that two substantial male lions are on the move and hunting! They are active and moving fast between Gate 1, East of Olifant and Oribi! The situation is extremely dangerous, and the status could change anytime, so PLEASE be vigilant!
If you encounter the lions, please get in touch with the Carnivore Team! DONT POST IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA for safety reasons!
The Carnivore Team and Security are patrolling and monitoring the areas and situation and will report any variances for safety reasons!
Everybody needs to be highly cautious, especially if you are having a braai outside tonight; make sure the area is well-lit and sit with your backs to the wall!
This an urgent alert for joggers, hikers, and cyclists along these areas throughout the day!
Please do not allow children alone in these areas, period – as the lion could be hiding anywhere! 😳
Unfortunately, the warnings are not taken seriously, but the onus is on everyone to adhere to the alerts and warn others of the dangers.
Should you spot any lions, please get in touch with one of the following persons at all hours:
Rangers 082 802 5894
CPF/ Nadine 082 672 4545 Gerrie Camacho 082 353 9097,
Ernst Röhm /MTPA 083 626 6309,
April Lukhele: 082 807 1057. Jan Koekemoer 063 053 7601.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding – Carnivore Team, Rangers, MTPA, CPF, Security, and the Vet.”
We can only hope that visitors and locals will heed these warnings and be diligent when outdoors, whether near their braai, bonfire, walking, or biking on the roads and to and from their vehicles when out to dinner, bars, and shops. We’ve heard several stories from locals who’ve seen the lions and heard the roar of these lions but, as yet, we have not. We are very careful.
That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with a post tomorrow as we prepare to head out the door by 3:00 pm, 1500 hrs., for our 6:30 pm, 1830 hrs. flight from Nelspruit to Joburg.
Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 23, 2021:

An Egyptian goose was fluffing her feathers while on an island on the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.