An outrageously fun night at Jabula…A mind blowing coincidence…

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We were at Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center in 2014 and had an opportunity to interact with this cheetah, their mascot. If we had any apprehension, which we didn’t, the fact that he was “purring” welcomed our touch. See this link for the original post, and please read our story below for the significance of posting this photo today.

We arrived at Jabula at 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs, our usual time. We were a little apprehensive about going at all due to the number of holidaymakers in Marloth Park during the holiday season. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have been concerned about crowds. But in light of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, I thought about it several times during the day. Will it be safe to be inside the bar that can become packed with party-goers during holiday times?

Our usual seats at the bar were taken when we arrived, but during the entire time, three hours, there was never more than 10 or 12 hovering near and around the bar. I sat at the furthest end with no possibility of anyone sitting next to me but Tom. We decided we’d eat at the bar when we ordered our food after a few hours.

But, in the interim, we met some fabulous people and caught up with Sindee and Bruce, who have invited us for Christmas dinner at their home. There will only be 11 of us, a manageable number. When dining at a home in the bush, drinks, and meals are often served outdoors. We anticipate this will be the case on Christmas Day.

The conscientious guide ensured our safety. But, we had no fear.

First, we met a lovely group of three, including Gabby, her brother, and sister-in-law. Gabby works for SanParks, the park system in South Africa. We had a fantastic talk about marketing, our website, our mutual love of wildlife, and Marloth Park.

Gabby has been coming here for 30 years and is as excited by wildlife as we are, especially with her job with such easy access to national parks. She has many interesting videos on YouTube. You can see them here at this link. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to talk again in the future. We certainly hit it off!

After a while, the three of them left, and two men moved in and occupied their seats. Rico sat at the bar on Tom’s right, and immediately the two of them started chatting. In no time at all, they were like long-lost friends. That’s the magic of Marloth Park.

Rico is a fun and animated guy. I leaned in to hear the conversation and pick up pieces here and there. At one point, Rico told us that his son works for Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center, which we visited in 2014 when we did the Panorama Route, which is a self-driving tour with many sights to see along the way. We had a wonderful time on the route and stayed overnight at a fabulous resort, making memories we’ll always treasure.

While he and Tom continued talking, I looked up our post on my phone from our time at Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center. After thumbing through a few posts, I stumbled across the above two photos when we had an interaction with the center’s mascot. This rehabilitated cheetah couldn’t return to the wild based on injuries he’d incurred at a young age. He’d never learned to hunt and fend for himself. Instead, he became the center’s mascot.

I leaned forward and showed Rico and Tom the photos from our post from January 19, 2014, almost eight years ago. Rico practically screamed when he exclaimed, “That’s my son in those photos!!!?

Oh, my goodness! We were aghast! What a coincidence that eight years ago, we’d taken photos of the cheetah and Rico’s son. It’s a small world, after all, like the song, here on YouTube. When I opened the song and read the lyrics as listed below, I was reminded of how small the world really is and how grateful we are to have met so many wonderful people along the way:

Lyrics
It’s a world of laughter
A world of tears
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world
There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev’ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world

Have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 19, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #271. “Puerto Madryn (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweɾto ˈmaðɾin]; Welsh: Porth Madryn) is a city in the province of Chubut in Argentina, Patagonia. It is the capital of the Biedma Department and has about 93,995 inhabitants according to the last census in 2010.”We toured the oceanfront village on foot on this date in 2017. For more photos, please click here.

Exciting lion story in Marloth Park and Lionspruit…Exercising caution in many ways…

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Marloth Park has a dedicated group of individuals who volunteer their time and efforts to preserve the flora and fauna of the Marloth Park Conservancy. They are known as Honorary Rangers, and over the years, we’ve come to know and admire several of those special people.

Yesterday, on Facebook, a post was uploaded by an Honorary Ranger that we found to be of particular interest. We are sharing that story today but leaving out the names of the rangers for their privacy. Instead, we’ll insert their initials in place of their names.

May be an image of big cat and outdoors
Not our photo. This photo of Fluffy (male) was posted on the Honorary Ranger’s story on Facebook.

It’s important to preface the following story with a description of Lionspruit, a game reserve located within the borders of Marloth Park. From this site, Lionspruit is described as follows on this screenshot. Please zoom in for more detail.

As it turns out, the rear line of our holiday home borders Lionspruit. We can often hear the two lions, Dezi and Fluffy, often roar at night. On occasion, during the day when lions usually sleep, we’ll listen to a roar. It’s music to our ears. Being so close to their habitat has only added to the joy of living in this property during the past 11 months.

Thus, yesterday, when we spotted the following story on Facebook, it was thrilling. Living in close proximity to the animals in our garden, let alone those at a short distance, had been, by far, the most exciting aspect of our world travels over the past nine years.

“There has been lots of excitement about Kruger lions entering Marloth recently, but we in HR are so pleased that our own JG witnessed the most thrilling moment of all. It seems a just reward for her dedication to the wellbeing of our lions. Here is the Facebook story as told by the Honorary Rangers:

FLUFFY RULES HIS DOMAIN!

On December 8th, RD and I were privileged to see Fluffy in attack mode for the first time in all the years that we have monitored the health and activities of our Lionspruit lions.

We were parked on a track next to the fence, quietly waiting, when the drama suddenly unfolded, and we had to hastily put up our windows! A strange lion burst into view, racing straight towards us, with Fluffy and Dezi in hot pursuit.
Fluffy was on the attack against one of the young Kruger males who dared to enter his domain. It was gratifying to see the young male flee, having experienced the wrath of our magnificent lion. Fluffy followed up with some impressive roaring, ensuring the interloper continued to run.
Both lions are in good condition for their ages. Since the incident, they continue to patrol the fences – to make sure those Kruger upstarts do not get ideas about coming back again!

(The somewhat fuzzy photos of Fluffy are proof of the sudden excitement and being taken by R. through the windscreen!).”

When the park is packed with holidaymakers seeking the ultimate excitement and experience in Marloth Park during the busy holiday season, they couldn’t ask for more. With the two prides of lions recently sighted in Marloth Park who have entered via the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park, locals and tourists must exercise extreme caution.

Everyone has been advised not to drive to the areas where the lions have been sighted and avoid making any lion sounds to attract them. Doing so could be life-threatening.

The usual children riding bikes and playing on dirt roads are dangerous and foolhardy during this time. We can only hope that parents will keep their children from being out of the safety of the holiday homes without close adult supervision. With curfews in place before dawn and after dark, we hope everyone will be safe.

Lions roam at night in search of food. Nighttime walks are forbidden and are surely “looking for trouble.” Why anyone would even consider being on foot at night is not only against the rules of the park but is totally careless and also inconsiderate of the lions. If one were to attack a human, it would be euthanized without a doubt. The goal is to get the lions back into Kruger National Park ultimately.

Dezi and Fluffy are busy protecting their habitat, as indicated above in the story, as they constantly peruse the fences/border to ensure no other lions enter their space. We’re listening carefully for the sounds of any of the lions.

Last night we didn’t go to Janula, as mentioned in yesterday’s post. They had a group of 18 coming to the bar at 5:00 om, 1700 hrs, the time we usually arrive. We didn’t want to be exposed to so many people who may be infected with Omicron, which is taking over South Africa as Delta wafts away.

Instead, tonight, we’ll give it a try but will remain mindful of those near us.

Have a safe and healthy holiday weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, December 18, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago today while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #270. This photo is from our post on this date in 2017 while sailing on the Celebrity Infinity along the coast of South America and dining in the fantastic specialty restaurant, Qsine. For more photos, please click here.

Omicron…We can’t ignore what’s happening in South Africa and the world…More Kruger photos…

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Open mouth crocodile on the bank of the Sabie River. Crocs don’t have sweat glands. Instead, they open their mouths to cool off.

It would be easy for us to ignore what is happening with Omicron throughout the world and for us here in South Africa. Sure, we could write about “travel” and travel-related topics or continue with the mindless drivel of our day-to-day activities while living in the bush.

But, we can’t possibly ignore what’s going on in South Africa and throughout the world in many countries as Omicron spreads like wildfire, doubling every two days. We have no doubt you’ve seen endless news reports on this topic and most likely would prefer not to read it here.

But, over these past nine years of writing these posts, we always promised to “tell it like it is,” and we have diligently done so since the first post we uploaded in March 2012, only three months short of ten years ago. Please, dear readers, understand that sharing what we know, if doing so saves one life or one serious case of the virus, it will have been worth it. It is from that perspective that we write this today.

Another photo of a hippo mom and baby.

No politicization is included or intended here. This is entirely from our perspective, based on the research we’re conducting now and how and when it may impact our lives in the future. After all, in only 113 days, we hope to board a ship from Fort4 Lauderdale, Florida, to sail across the Atlantic Ocean for a two-month stay in and around the UK until the next cruise on June 29, 2022, sailing out of Istanbul.

At this point, Omicron is infecting the world so rapidly that everything could change in the next 30 days. But, in 38 days, we have to figure out what we’ll be doing about extending our visas. Do we dare fly to another country in Africa for a visa stamp and risk becoming infected if President Cyril Pamaphosa doesn’t extend visas for foreign nationals?

Baby elephant resting in the grass.

Based on the fact the borders are still open, in light of the rapid increase of Omicron, we seriously doubt he’ll be extending visas for foreign nationals. He’s getting a lot of pressure about new lockdowns after the already developing country has suffered so much loss over the past two years of the pandemic.

We have some tough decisions ahead of us. Returning now to the US is not on the table when we see the number of cases escalating there daily. This chart from the stats presented on the website, Worldometer, certainly impacts our plans. See the stats on the screenshot I made with yesterday’s numbers:

Please zoom in to see these numbers in detail. I removed some of the columns to fit on the page for this chart.

Some scientists and immunologists are predicting there will be 1,000,000 cases per day in the UK by January. The US will follow shortly behind. And, as far as South Africa is concerned, 35% of all Covid-19 tests are positive for Omicron, and 90% of all cases of Covid-19 are Omicron cases, even in the fully vaccinated. There are claims that contracting Omicron results in a less severe illness with fewer hospitalizations and deaths.

But, uncertainty about that immunity provided by Omicron, when science isn’t definitive, about whether or not the variant is less severe or that those getting it may already have some protection from prior exposure and vaccines.

Elephants were grazing in the park.

There are many theories that Omicron could be the end of the pandemic when most of the world’s population becomes infected, which may provide herd immunity? Is this variant the magic bullet that may give the herd immunity, the world so desperately needs to end the pandemic?. Not enough is known at this time to answer all of these questions.

But, as world travelers anxious to get back “out there,” we wait in anticipation of more definitive science and what travel restrictions may impact us.

Rapids on the Sabie River in Kruger National Park.

This has been a tough couple of years for all of us. We are saddened by the loss of life and lingering illness many have experienced. My sister has been suffering from long-haul Covid for the past 16 months, along with one in four patients undergoing the same worldwide. We are saddened by the financial strife experienced by business owners and workers during extensive lockdown and restrictions, including our friends here in South Africa, the US, and the world.

For now, what can we do? Avoid crowds? Wear masks? Maintain social distancing, which is now more confusing than ever, when the fully vaccinated spread Omicron? There’s no easy answer, but we’ve decided to remain vigilant in doing everything possible. But, we have no desire to stay in lockdown, totally isolated from other people.

Yellow-billed stork.

We have two outdoor parties we’re planning to attend; Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Are we prepared to discontinue our Friday night dinners at Jabula? No! It’s always a highlight of our week.

Take care of yourselves the best way you can as we watch how this variant rolls out.

Photo from one year ago today, December 16, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in lockdown in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #268. A cave we spotted at Cape Horn on our way to Ushuaia, Argentina. For more photos, please click here.

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

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Mom and baby hippo on the Sabie River.

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

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

Wildebeest family resting near what they think is a tree.

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

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

The first elephant we spotted on our self-drive.

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

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

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

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

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

Several elephants in the Sabie River.

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

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

Be well.

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

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

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

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Holey Miley visits each day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kudus stop by almost every day.

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

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

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

Little Daddy and two female kudus.

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

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

Mom, with lovely curved tusks and her three piglets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was fun to see a few mongoose babies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be well.

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

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

Holiday party tonight…Five lions need to go…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Procrastination…Not good for world travelers…

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A male impala is on the lookout in Kruger.

Is it likely that we procrastinate when projects are tackled from time to time? You bet we do! Because we are world travelers doesn’t mean we are always “on the ball.” Right now, a few projects are hanging over our heads that we need to address by the end of the year.

We haven’t been motivated to do much of anything other than the bare minimum with the heat and humidity. I’ve managed to do laundry, cook meals, and prepare each day’s new post. But that’s been the extent of it. Of course, we both always keep ourselves looking fresh and presentable, if not for ourselves but one another.

Tom does everything related to dishes and is constantly alert for insect control, both inside the house and on the veranda. He makes ice a few times a day and keeps our ice tea pitcher topped off while overseeing the job of keeping both of our cold mugs filled to the brim with tea and ice. He also handles all of the photos on the trail cam daily, filling the big bucket of pellets we keep in the lounge room and tossing pellets to our animal friends.

Impalas in Kruger National Park are a common sighting.

Of course, I am in charge of Little’s arrival each day since I get a huge kick of feeding him and his buddy, Narrow,  who’ve been arriving together each afternoon. It’s nice to see Little has made Narrow his friend once again.

Although Zef and Vusi clean the house five days a week, a certain amount of housekeeping is required. Sure, we could leave dishes in the sink and tidying up for them, but we don’t. We clean up after ourselves, never leave dishes in the sink and pick up and fold our towels after use. They’d willingly do our laundry, but we prefer to do it ourselves to ensure our clothes last longer by avoiding using a clothes dryer.

Our day-to-day responsibilities are limited. But, this morning, I spent two hours in the kitchen after showering and dressing for the day. It’s so hot. We decided a  few cold salads would be ideal for the next few days, so I made a big batch of chicken, tuna, and mixed salad for dinner.

Big Daddy kudu in Kruger.

All three salads were in the fridge cooling for tonight’s dinner two hours later. I had to cook the chicken, cut it into bite-size pieces, cook, cool, peel, dice two dozen eggs, chop red onions, white onions, celery,  and make the dressing. All that’s left is to make Tom’s rice and toss the green salad at dinnertime. But, just like that, two hours drifted away.

Now, I am at 11:00 am just now getting started on today’s post, sitting straight up on the bed with the fan blowing on me. We dislike using the aircon during the day, but lately, when Tom takes a nap around 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs, we turn it on to cool us off a bit. It’s a welcome relief.

So what could we possibly be procrastinating about right now? A few things which include:

  1. Jess: I am getting started on the SEO posts I have been putting off since I finished the corrections a month ago.
  2. Tom: Conduct research on what we’ll do for our upcoming visa extensions on January 24, 2022.
  3. Both: Move our previously booked flight to the US by December 31 to ensure we get a full refund once we decide when to fly to the US for the upcoming cruise in April. (Delta Airlines is offering free flight changes up until that date. Plus, before month’s end, we’ll know if our next cruise is sailing and the flight plans we’ll need to make for that sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 8, 2022).
  4. Jess: Make a new spreadsheet for 2022 expenses

    Hippos mulling around in the dam.

These tasks are not only time-sensitive but require a reasonable amount of time and effort. We know we’ll get them all done in time, as we always do. But right now, today, we don’t feel like doing any of this. Instead, we stay fairly low-key during these hot and humid days in the afternoons. We realize it’s not going to cool down as summer approaches, but perhaps there will be a few cooler days to get us motivated.

May you have a cool and comfortable day!

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

This photo was posted one year ago in lockown in a hotel In Mumbai, India, on day #258. In 2018, when Little didn’t get my attention when he walked up the steps to the veranda, he knocked over this chair—determined Little, trying to get my attention. It worked! For more photos, please click here.

Oh, what a night!…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The porcupine is easiest to see if you zoom in.

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

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

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

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

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

As we’ve mentioned, porcupines are nocturnal.

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

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

The Christmas tree at Jabula was a delight to see.

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

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

They never seem to get very close to the camera.

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

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

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

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

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