A funny kudu experience at Louise and Danie’s home…Returning to our house soon….

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

It was a bit odd spending the night away from our little bush house, sleeping in another king-sized bed, dining at the elaborate bar in their luxurious lounge while watching another episode of Shark Tank. Before and after dinner, we enjoyed sitting on the veranda, watching wildlife wander by on the dirt road adjoining Louise and Danie’s property.

Lately, I dread bedtime with all of my itching bites when all the itching seems to worsen. We’re hoping the extensive fumigation will have eliminated the issue. Hopefully, we’ll know that I don’t get any new evidence of the dust mite allergy over the next few days.

Ms. Kudu didn’t mind the oxpecker on her head.

Last night, on WhatsApp, we spoke to friends Rita and Gerhard from Washington, USA. Years ago, they stumbled across our site and eventually came to Marloth Park when they’d read so much as to how we love it here. When they arrived in 2018 and stayed for a few months, we had an opportunity to meet them, and we hit it off so well that we became fast friends,  spending lots of fabulous times together.

In December, they hosted a fantastic surprise birthday party for Tom, and a month later, we did a birthday party for Rita. Now, they are in the process of getting their “retirement visa” for South Africa using the law firm that we’d use for the waiver to return to South Africa when we overstayed our visas when I had heart surgery, and we were banned for five years.

Within minutes of her arrival, the oxpeckers landed on her and refused to leave. She gave up trying to shake them off and went into the trance-like state we’d never seen before.

At some point, we may decide to apply for a retirement visa, eliminating the hassle of having to leave every three months when we come here. This doesn’t mean we’d live here permanently. It simply means we can go and stay for six or nine months every few years without the hassle. We shall see. As with everything right now, plans are up-in-the-air due to Covid-19.

Recently, we found out from dear friends Kathy and Don. It looks like they may have their retirement visa finalized by May and will be able to return for another few months’ stays. They will be able to return to Marloth Park in July.; That’s a long time away, but hopefully, we’ll all be able to get together again, as more and more friends eventually return to Marloth Park, especially after receiving their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Three or four oxpeckers started working on her as the trance-like state began.

Also, we’re thrilled Linda and Ken will be back in Marloth Park for a few days. Saturday night, we’ll all dine at Jabula, and Monday night’s dinner will be hosted at our house.

But, even for us, so much is up in the air. Will we have to return to the US when our next visa is up in July to get the vaccination allowing us to cruise and travel in the future? Only time will tell when right now. At this point, South Africa will not provide vaccinations for non-citizens. This could change. We’ll continue to watch the news.

The more the oxpeckers worked on her, it was funny to watch her ears droop, and her eyes stare into space.

Last night, while sitting outdoors on Louise and Danie‘s veranda, we had a hysterical time, laughing for almost an hour, over the antics of a kudu mom and her two youngsters, when they were bombarded with oxpeckers, the funny birds with orange beaks, who eat insects and clean wounds of some of the wildlife including kudus, giraffes, warthogs, and others.

These birds are persistent, and even if the animal shakes them off, which they often do. They are relentless and will return seconds later. Last night, when a flock of oxpeckers stayed attached to the three kudus, we laughed over something we’d never seen before…the kudus appeared to be in a trance with their ears down while the oxpeckers did their thing.

Even her young male’s ear also started to droop when a few more oxpeckers descended on him.

Soon, once load shedding ends, we’ll head back to our house, which is currently being “spring cleaned” by Zef and Vusi. The house was clean before the fumigation, but Louise insisted that every inch of the house was thoroughly cleaned of any potential dust, and each room aired out to eliminate the smell from the fumigation. As a result, we took several photos, most of which we’re sharing here today.

We are so grateful for their attention to detail, along with the commitment to rid the house of any possible dust mites. In the meantime, as much as we’ve enjoyed it at Louise and Danie’s home, we’re anxious to get back to our little house. Louise sent me a photo from when she was overseeing the work where Frank was looking for me. He was peering inside the screen door, wondering where his seeds were. She spotted the seed container, leaving a little pile on the veranda floor so he and The Misses could partake. So sweet.

The look on her face was unique, one we’d never seen before.

The bush always surprises us! May you have a great day!

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

Another of our favorite tiger photos was taken while on safari in India. For more, please click here.

Today, is our 9 year anniversary of posting…Will we make it to the 10-year milestone?

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This is where we’ll sleep tonight. We won’t even have to change the bedding when Zef and Vusi take care of everything tomorrow. We appreciate them too, as we do Louise and Danie, for always making everything perfect for us.

Today is the ninth anniversary of our first post being uploaded, which may be found at this link. It’s a little hard for us to wrap our brains around how much time has passed since we began posting. At that time, we infrequently wrote, only as often as three times a week at most. But, a year later, as reader interest grew, we began posting daily and have continued doing so as long as we had access to the internet.

Speaking of the internet, we have no WiFi at the moment. Load shedding is happening, and often WiFi goes out simultaneously.

Will we make it to the ten-year mark? We’re hoping so. Of course, it’s always predicated by our health a year from now. All we can do is continue to make every effort to stay as healthy as possible for as long as we can.

The view toward the braai from where we are seated now.

This morning we’ve moved into Louise and Danie‘s beautiful home while they are fumigating our house and living in one of their gorgeous rental properties with some of their visiting family members. It’s almost as if this is a mini one-day holiday for us, with different surroundings and the finest of amenities one would only find in such a luxury property. We are quite content, although we do enjoy our little house on Luiperd Street. (Translates to Leopard).

As we were packing to leave this morning, Little stopped by, sitting in his favorite spot next to my chair off the edge of the veranda, waiting for me to come outside to see him. Tom gave him some pellets while he waited while I was showering.

Last night, we cooked extra mozzarella stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken breasts, enough for us for tonight’s dinner. All we’ll need to do is reheat the chicken and Tom’s white rice in their microwave. We didn’t want to make a big mess in Louise’s kitchen and decided leftovers would be fine.

Tonight we’ll sit at this lovely bar and enjoy sundowners in  Louise and Danie’s home.

Over the weekend, Louise and Danie visited Daisy’s Den to purchase some mite control spray. They discovered I’m not the only one who’s been suffering from dust mite allergies. Many residents of Marloth Park have been trying to figure out ways to eliminate these pesky, impossible-to-see insects. Even Louise’s arms were covered in itchy spots like mine.

In a way, it is comforting to know that I’m not the only one suffering from dust mite allergies. Of course, dust mites will no longer be a problem once the winter comes in a few months and temperatures cool. They increase in hot, humid climates. Today is a little cooler than yesterday at only 87F, 31C, with an expected high of 90F, 32C. Tomorrow will be hotter and more humid once again and continue throughout the remainder of the week.

Yesterday, Tom got to work on finding a good deal for a rental car for our next three months beginning the day we return to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport on April 14th. Since we don’t have a car of our own, with coverage for rental cars, we’ve been renting cars, one month at a time, when our credit cards offer complimentary insurance, good for only 30 days. Thus, when we’ve rented for three months, we have to make three separate contracts.

Tom is situated at the end of this big table on the veranda.

This time, based on higher rates in South Africa during Easter, we had difficulty finding fair pricing, month by month. By an odd bit of luck, he found a car through Thrifty at the airport for three months, including full insurance coverage for the entire period for US $1207, ZAR 17958, making our monthly rate US $402, ZAR 5981, as good a price as we could as for with the insurance is included. We usually select the smaller, less expensive cars, which work well for us.

Now that we have all the bookings we need for the next three-month period in South Africa, we have peace of mind and can rest easy except for our need for the Covid-19 vaccine. It appears that non-citizens of South Africa will not qualify for the vaccine. We’ll have to consider what our other options may be. We’ll need a new Covid-19 test before we leave for Kenya in 24 days, which we can get at the lab in Komatipoort a few days before we depart.

At the moment, the power and WiFi have resumed. It’s almost 1:00 pm, and as soon as we finish here, we’ll have the remainder of the day ahead of us to relax and do as we please, free of any pertinent paperwork or research for bookings. This is a first for a while. We’ll certainly take advantage of it.

Have a pleasant, peaceful day.

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

This is the grass left from harvesting rice. Note the horns on these buffalos. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. It is a preferred feed for cattle, horses, and elk in all seasons. In spring, it is considered a preferred feed for sheep, deer, and antelope and a desirable feed for sheep, deer, and antelope in late fall and winter. For more photos, please click here.

Sultry Sunday in the bush…Peculiar nighttime invader…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
An insect on the screen door that looks like a dried leaf or plant.

Since we wrote here yesterday, we’ve had three load shedding sessions of 7½ hours without power, an eight-hour session with no WiFi, and a five-hour session with some animal sounding as if they were trying to dig their way into our bedroom last night. Could it have been the porcupine Tom saw on two late-night occasions?

Neither of us cared to venture outside in the dark to see what it could have been. Even Tom, with his poor hearing, could hear the rambunctious scratching sounds coming from the bedroom’s exterior wall. I guess we’ll never know what it was unless we stumble upon it while we’re outside on the veranda in the dark.

Mr. Bushbuck was chasing around Ms. Bushbuck all day. Hmm, we wonder why?

Lately, mosquitoes have been so hungry for my flesh that we can’t stay outdoors after about 8:00 pm 2000 hours. They seem to get worse when it gets dark, even more so than at dusk. Once winter comes, we’ll be excited to stay outdoors much later.

Last night, when we returned from another fun dinner at Jabula Lodge & Restaurant in the dark, we found Ms. Bossy Kudu waiting for us at the edge of the driveway, along with her youngster and another female. No more than moments after we entered the house, the three of them were in the back garden waiting to see if we had some pellets. We did. We freely offered them a few good-sized portions, which they devoured with enthusiasm.

I should mention how grateful I am that Dawn and Leon, owners of Jabula, who have special ordered my low-alcohol wine, Four Cousins Skinny Red, and also have special ordered hamburger meat without the usual fillers that restaurants often include in their burgers in South Africa, such as sweet sauces and flour. Dawn ordered the plain mince (ground beef) and personally cooked the two unless burgers for me last night, topped with “real” cheese instead of processed cheese used on most burgers.

The mating hornbills continue to return, but no babies yet.

On the side, I had three perfectly prepared fried-in-butter (not oil) eggs, cooked to my liking turned over medium. It was a perfect meal. Rather than leave them with a partially used bottle of red wine which would spoil before we return in a week, we always purchase the entire bottle, bringing the remainder home with us. We so appreciate their friendship and their caring service with their thoughtful attention to detail.

Before too long, we headed to our bedroom, turned on the air-con, and settled in for a few episodes of BritBox TV series, Shetland, which friends Linda and Ken (now back in Johannesburg) recommended. Oddly, season two of this series is missing. If any of you know where we can find Shetland’s season two, please let us know. We searched online with no results.

Right now, we’re doing a free 7-day trial of Britbox through Amazon Prime, but we won’t be able to get through all the seasons (even without season two) when we only watch two episodes a night. We set up my laptop atop the wooden kitchen cutting board to keep it from getting too hot on the bed. We’re willing to pay for Britbox for the next month to complete the series.

Bushbucks are constantly on guard when other wildlife stops by.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll pack and head to Louise and Danie‘s house where we’ll stay over, for one night, while they fumigate the house until the regular service provider returns from his two-week holiday when he’ll come out and take care of a second treatment. We’d have to move out again for another 24 hours at that time too. Instead, we’re hoping he can come after we leave for Kenya in 25 days, on April 8, 2021.

Load-shedding is expected to start again soon. As all of you know, lately, many WiFi issues have impacted our ability to upload posts in a timely fashion. Most times, the WiFi stays active without the power running, which we’re hoping will happen again so we can continue this post, add some photos, and upload it in a reasonable time frame.

Taller animals drink from the pool, but now that the water in the mosquito breeding pond has been removed, warthogs and birds have nowhere to revel in our garden. Today, I put out a bowl of water.

Well, it’s after 11:00 am, and the power didn’t go off as expected. We can anticipate it will go off at some arbitrary time later today and tonight. It’s nice to know in advance, allowing us to plan accordingly, but that’s not always possible. With Eskom, the unreliable South Africa power company, such inconsistencies are typical.

That’s it for today, folks. We intend to post tomorrow after we move out of the house for 24 hours. So, please look for us then. We hope you have a pleasant Sunday, wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, March 14, 2020:

This kind man, Mr. Ganapthay of Cholan Art Village, made the experience of visiting his nine-generation family’s bronzing business all the more special to both of us. For more, please click here.

Hesitated to write about this…More of what?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
dust mite medical 3d illustration - typical dust mite dust mite stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images
Yikes! This is a dust mite, un-seeable by the naked eye.. (Not our photo).

I hesitated to write this story today. Genetic health issues, primarily from my mother’s side of the family, left me with a variety of medical problems which I’ve struggled with most of my life. As a child, I had severe asthma beginning at about three years old. As I got older, I developed hay fever, which only exacerbated the situation.

In my 20s, I started taking cortisone tablets daily, which continued for 14 years, wreaking havoc with my health and well-being, but at least I could breathe.

In my 30’s I went through all those allergy tests and subsequent weekly injections to reduce my symptoms while at the same time tapering off the cortisone tablets, which took two years. Finally, the injections were completed, and I was truly free of symptoms for many years.

On top of that, as mentioned in the past, I suffered from metabolic syndrome causing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and constant battles in attempting to maintain my weight at a healthy level. These issues have only recently been entirely resolved when I once again changed my diet, becoming more strict in a low-carb way of eating while in that hotel room in India. I no longer have high blood pressure (off all medication), and I am no longer pre-diabetic.

As I continue to learn about metabolic syndrome, I have realized that constant high blood sugar and high blood pressure caused me to develop cardiovascular heart disease, often a high-risk factor in diabetes and hypertension. Also, after 40 years have passed since I had those allergy injections, the positive effects have worn off. The allergies have returned and manifested in different ways.

Kudu, named Bossy, was surrounded by mongooses and didn’t seem to mind a bit as long as there were pellets around. The mongooses don’t care for the pellets.

Yes, after all my posts about my health over the years, I hesitated to write about it again today. But, over the past few months, I’ve thought that if perhaps my writing about this could provide one of our readers with a morsel of curiosity about their conditions, resulting in their pursuit of answers, it was well worth any potential retribution or criticism. I can only imagine many of our readers thinking and saying, “Here we go again.”

So here is my most recent allergy dilemma. I am suffering from severe hives (or what appears to be insect bites) from dust mites. When I had the allergy tests 40 years ago, dust mites were the number one allergen I responded to, number two being grasses.

This house we’re in is impeccably clean. You’d have a hard time finding a speck of dust anywhere. Each day Vusi and Zef clean every inch of space. But the harsh reality regarding dust mites is that they live unseen in mattresses, pillows, stuffed furniture, and clothing. Dust mites, per se, don’t bite their victims. See below from this site:

Tom mixed ups yet another batch of raw scrambled eggs.

“What Are Dust Mites?

Dust mites are microscopic, insect-like pests that generate some of the most common indoor substances—or allergens—that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in many people. Hundreds of thousands of dust mites can live in the bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets, or curtains in your home. They feed on the dead human skin cells found in dust.

Dust mites are not parasites; they don’t bite, sting, or burrow into our bodies. The harmful allergen that they create comes from their fecal pellets and body fragments. Dust mites are nearly everywhere; roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed.”

Here is information on rashes caused by exposure to dust mites, which I appear to be suffering from over the past few months. I do not see new rashes during the day or evening while outdoors. But, at night, when I go to bed, I start itching like crazy and discover new rashes all over my body in the morning, particularly areas that touch the mattress and pillows.

Utilizing extreme caution and the frequent use of DEET repellent several times a day, I no longer am getting many mosquito bites. For a while, I thought the rash might be a result of the harsh laundry soap. Louise had Vusi and Zef start using baby-friendly chemical-free laundry soap.

We rarely feed the impalas. There are so many of them, and we’d draw even more if we did so. Occasionally, they visit when there are already pellets on the ground. There is plenty of green vegetation for them to graze at this time.

We purchased the same type of laundry soap for our laundry, clothing, and towels.  Although there was a slight improvement, I’d still awaken in the morning with new outrageously itchy spots all over my body, particularly any exposed skin. A few nights, I wore winter pajamas with long tight pants and long sleeves. This helped, but it’s tough to wear these hot clothes to bed when temperatures are in the 100Fs, 40Cs, during the day. The air con in the bedroom couldn’t keep me cool enough to be able to sleep.

My arms are the worst, covered in inflamed, red bite-like spots that continue to itch for no less than three weeks once I have a new batch. My neck and face have been covered at times with the rash. When old patches recover, new ones occur. I try not to complain. My Fitbit shows how poor my sleep has been, often around four or five hours intermittently. I take antihistamines daily and use prescription cortisone cream several times a day and night. Nothing helps.

Last week, Vusi and Zef cleaned and sprayed all sides of the mattress and pillows with anti-dust mite spray. It lasted only two nights and then was back with a vengeance.

Yesterday, in dire frustration, I threw my arms in the air. I asked Louise to find a professional exterminator to come and fog the entire house, hopefully ridding us of this problem. We insisted we pay for this service. As it turned out, the only professional in this area is gone for two weeks. Instead, he told Louise and Danie how to fumigate the house and what products to use that will hopefully provide some relief until he returns and does the full-professional treatment.  I feel bad that they have to do this. But, that is how they are, always concerned for our well-being and the well-being of all their clientele.

Bossy always stares at me for more pellets. She has us both well trained.

Monday, we have to move out of the house for 24 hours while they come in the morning and do the temporary fumigation job. They insisted we stay at their wonderful current home while staying in another of their fabulous properties with family joining them for a few weeks’ visit. Monday morning, we’ll pack up an overnight bag and head to their beautiful house, only minutes away.

So there it is, another of my recent dilemmas. This same thing happened to me last time we were here in 2018 and when we stayed in a hotel in Minneapolis during a six-week family visit in 2017. There were no such issues during those ten months in India. Thank goodness.

Last night our friend Alan came to visit, and we had an enjoyable evening. Tonight, we’re going to Jabula for dinner. Soon, we’ll visit Kruger National Park once we wrap up this situation and complete a few looming tasks.

Happy day. Be well.

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

“Buffaloes are believed to have domesticated around 5000 years ago in the Indus Valley and thrive best in the areas of moderate rainfall as they require plenty of water for their daily bath.   Indian buffaloes are considered to be an important source of milk today. They yield nearly three times milk like cows. Interestingly, 47.22 million milch buffaloes produce 55 percent of milk, which is more than half of the total milk produced in the country. Whereas, 57 million cows contribute only 45 percent of the total milk yield.” This is from the post one year ago, when we knew we had to end our 54-night private tour of India prematurely due to Covid-19. Please click here for more.

Impossible visa documents…Have to use the pricey option…Lion and a snake…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

We spent all afternoon for two days attempting to apply for an e-visa for Kenya from the government immigration website. No matter what I tried, changing and reducing the size and the file types of the photos and documents required to upload, it was all in vain. It simply would not work. I wrote to the immigration department and also called with no response.

We were both so frustrated. There were dozens of other sites from which to apply, but most of them were scam sites. It was too risky for us to proceed with one of those. Finally, we contacted the pricey US site, CIBT, which we’d used for a few visas in the past, mainly required for cruising. They are a reputable company, which must have less than a month left to leave for Kenya.

Had we known how difficult this would be, we would have started the process a week ago. But, with the awful heat and humidity, it’s been challenging to be motivated. Today, I resigned myself to stay in the bedroom and get this done. Last night, due to the time difference, I called CIBT, and they said I could email them the photos and documents for which they sent me a particular email address.

Their fees are high at US $179, ZAE 2672, per application plus the fee Kenya charges of US $51, ZAR 761, for a total of US $230, ZAR 3433 for each of us. If we could apply at the Kenya Immigration site, we’d only have to pay the US $51, ZAR 761 each.

We expect that the government offices in Kenya aren’t open due to the pandemic, and no one is attending to their website or office inquiries. There’s no other explanation. Then again, we’ve had experiences with governmental offices and often have run into issues in some countries, including in the USA. It’s not so unusual.

As soon as I upload today’s post, we’ll get to work on both of our applications simultaneously, following each step of the way together. This is usually somewhat of a stressful process, one neither of us cares to do. Hopefully, by the end of today, we’ll have peace of mind, and this will be done. We should receive the e-visa from CIBT within two weeks of submitting our application.

Over the past months, we’ve had several issues with our site. Our web people have been diligent in solving these myriad problems. Many of these issues don’t appear to you, our readers, but impact me as I attempt to post each day. Of course, over this past almost year of the upgrade, we’ve been down for many days, and many of you have been unable to read our new posts. We apologize for this inconvenience.

At this point, it’s looking as if most of the issues have been resolved, and all should be fine going forward. That’s not to say we won’t have WiFi problems or any problems with the site going forward. Please know that we are well aware of our site and have notified our web people if our site is down. WordPress sends me an email when there are problems.

The power just went out due to load shedding. We are currently in the bedroom (no air-con working) with a fan blowing on us. The fan works off of the inverter, as does the WiFi. We have the blinds closed to keep the heat out until power returns in 2½ hours. Last night the load shedding started during the night from 3:00 am until 5:30 am. Thank goodness we have the fan.

Currently, the temperature is 95F, 35C at 11:00 am. It is expected to be 101F, 38C by 2:00 pm, 1400 hours. The humidity is through the roof. Today, there are two more load shedding sessions, resulting in 7½ hours without power on such a hot day. Oh well, as we said, this goes with the territory. This is Africa, and we’re grateful to be here.

May you have a relaxing and safe day wherever you may be!

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

The town of Mahabalipuram is lined with shops with supplies for locals and also an endless array of tourist trinkets. For more photos, please click here.

The dreadful process of filling out forms…A zebra in a pool???…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
We’ve yet to have a single visit from a full-racked male kudu. They can only get into our garden by walking on the driveway when the bush is too dense. This young male could make it through the bush to stop for a visit during sundowners on the veranda.

We dread it each time we have to extend our visas, apply for permits, or apply online for any government-mandated process. Often, the forms are confusing, difficult to use, and don’t save partially completed forms. However, their website clearly states that returning users can easily find their partially completed forms. Ha! Not always the case.

Yesterday, we started the necessary process of applying for our e-visas for entry into Kenya on April 9th. On January 1, 2021, Kenya switched from the easy visa-upon-arrival process with a mandatory online application. With many of the questions translated from other languages, the questions in the form are often ambiguous and confusing.

A female kudu and a male impala were getting along well while eating pellets.

But, the worst part for us, mainly me, who will make both of our online applications, is now using a Chromebook instead of formerly using Windows. With Windows, all I had to do was find the appropriate travel documents in a folder on my desktop, and we’d be good to go.

It’s not so easy with a Chromebook, regardless of how and where I save documents, to easily find them to grab and attach to an uploader in an online application. I know how to do this. But when saving the documents needed, such as airline tickets, hotel reservations, copies of passports, and decent headshot photos, those documents I properly saved are often missing, and I can’t “grab” to upload them into the form.

Impalas are very shy around humans. We’ve been surprised to see so many visiting our garden.

Yesterday afternoon, I spent no less than two hours in dire frustration in the 100F, 38C, heat, and humidity, and will have to go back and try again today. Just now, as we speak, I looked for the documents and found them where they should be in the “download” folder.

But, I do not doubt that when I start working on the form again, re-entering all I’ve already entered on ten pages, they won’t be there. We often wonder how less experienced users could get through this process. Often, they have to hire a company to do this for them at an additional cost over and above the US $102 ZAR 1558, the fee (for both of us) charged by Kenya.

Impalas stay at a distance from the veranda.

Oh, I can’t wait to get this done and behind us. Tom, a less experienced user of Chromebook’s weird nuances, will be able to re-enter his personal information, which was lost upon “save. Hopefully, after he re-enters it today, it will all be there for me to log into his Kenya visa account and upload the documents from there also.

Talk about sweating in this weather! It’s only 10:30 right now in Marloth Park, and it’s already 90F, 32C with high humidity, all of which is rising rapidly. It won’t be until after about 5:00 pm, 1700 hours, that we’ll feel the temperature drop slightly. Yesterday Tom read that the “wind chill” was 110F, 43.3C. We had no idea wind chill factors were considered for hot weather as well as for cold temperatures.

Adorable young male bushbuck checks out the grassy area in our garden, waiting for Tom, in the red shirt, to toss him a few pellets.

Last night, the air-con in our bedroom couldn’t keep up with the heat. It was also necessary to use one of the two standing fans in our bedroom, aimed directly at us. It never really cooled down much during the night. Even our wildlife friends stay away during the heat. They hunker down in the shade of the bush, close to water holes. It must be so hard for them.

Yesterday there was a Facebook story under Marloth Park Sighting Group that was mind-boggling as follows:

“ATTENTION POOL OWNERS: Last week Thursday, driving up Berghaan Rd, I was flagged down by a resident/visitor of a house with a newly built swimming pool. The gentleman was FRANTIC, and I soon learned that he was deaf, as is his partner, neither could speak either. Turning into the driveway, I was greeted by the sight of an adult zebra, in the pool, but exhausted, his neck and head out of the water, hanging over the side, as the gentleman, who was EXHAUSTED, and two young builders from the next-door house had managed to get zebra to the side of the pool. I don’t know how long it was going on before I arrived, but I jumped into action, looped my bakkie (a pickup truck) tow strap around zebra’s neck, and with the help of the builders, directed zebra around to the shallow end where it could stand, and where we could lead it to the steps. This worked!! Three minutes after I arrived, the zebra was out of the water and on its feet…..
Firstly, the pool was too deep for adult zebra to stand. Secondly, the pool should be fenced. Should it not just be common sense to fence a pool in a nature reserve?? Hate to think what would’ve happened had I not driven by when I did. Occupants of the house were inside, both deaf, with no idea about the drama outside. Luckily the builders were awake…”
Bushbucks have such adorable faces!
Fortunately, the zebra was rescued by the kind and creative people who immediately went into action. The zebra seemed fine and dashed off. And yes, there are pools at most houses in the bush, mainly splash pools used to cool off in hot weather, days like today, and few, if any, are fenced.
That’s a matter for another day. Fences are frowned upon in the bush, preventing the wildlife from freely foraging as they wander about the park. But, circumstances under which a wall may be sensible, providing safety for humans and animals alike.
Tiny is sitting in front of his favorite tree stump.
Our pool, yet to be used by us, is shallow, above ground, encased, and surrounded by a cement wall. It would be unlikely an animal could fall in without climbing over the fence, tricky to do at best. Plus, it’s shallow, as is the case of most splash pools in the bush. We’re thrilled to hear the zebra was safely rescued. Life in the bush has always been exciting and often unusual.
Have a lovely day.
Photo from one year ago today, March 10, 2020:
“Krishna’s Butterball (also known as Vaan Irai Kal and Krishna’s Gigantic Butterball) is a gigantic granite boulder that rests on a short incline in the historical coastal resort town Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu state of India. Since it is part of the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built during 7th- and 8th-century CE as Hindu religious monuments by the Pallava dynasty, it is a popular tourist attraction. It is listed as a protected national monument by the Archeological Survey of India. It is best viewed at sunrise from northwest to southeast or at sundown from northeast to southwest when the panorama is bathed in magical golden hues.” Our guide explained that at one time, centuries ago, the locals tried to move this boulder using elephants, but it wouldn’t budge. For more photos, please click here.

More social time in the bush…Will we be able to get the “jab?”…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Giraffes are such beautiful animals, especially in how they relate to one another. On occasion, there may be fighting by necking among males. But, overall, they get along well, sharing the bounty of the bush.

What a wonderful anniversary we had! Not only did we receive countless warm wishes, but we spent the evening again with dear friends Linda and Ken, who are leaving Marloth Park tomorrow to return to their home in Johannesburg. They are planning to return for other visits during the next several months.

Both parents are diligent in looking after their youngsters.

After almost a year of being unable to socialize, as has been the case for many throughout the world, it is fantastic to be able to spend time with Louise and Danie, Linda and Ken, and all of our other friends who are currently in Marloth Park with many more to arrive in the next several months after they can get their Covid-19 vaccinations.

They are often curious about humans but make a point of not getting too close. Of course, we don’t feed them when their diet mainly consists of trees and plants.

When we may be able to get vaccinated is up in the air. As non-residents of South Africa and with a limited supply of the vaccine, we may not be able to get vaccinated for a long time to come. However, we found this encouraging article online that gives us hope that we may be allowed to get the jab at some point.

What an adorable face!

We’re hoping this country can provide some certificate stating we’ve been vaccinated when the time comes. It certainly wouldn’t make sense to be immunized without such a document to use going forward, especially when and if the time comes, that we can go on any of the cruises we currently have booked, well into the future. We are confident that in the future, cruise lines will require proof of vaccination for all passengers.

They manage to sustain themselves in areas with room for them to navigate. When the bush is too dense for freedom of movement, they’ll often forage from the roads.

This morning before posting for the day, we headed to Komatipoort for a few items. With Easter upcoming on April 4th, President Ramaphosa may impose a new alcohol ban around that time. Thus, we decided to stock up on my wine and brandy for Tom.

Another adorable face!

My wine is ZAR 49, US $3.23 a bottle. Tom’s brandy, the popular liter of Klipdrift, is ZAR 229.99, US $14.85. With prices like these, it doesn’t take much forethought to stay well-stocked, especially during lockdown periods when bans are possible. It’s no wonder South Africans enjoy “sundowners.”

They can be playful with one another.

While I visited the pharmacy, wearing a mask, a face shield, and rubber gloves, I was able to purchase a bottle of 1000 vitamin B6 tablets for Tom at the cost of ZAR 97.41, US $6.29 plus, an allergy medication for me along with a variety of odds and ends. A woman is stationed outside the shop, spraying hand sanitizers onto the hands of entering customers, and takes everyone’s temperature.

We took these photos a few days ago against the backdrop of a blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

As often is the case, my temperature was 36C, 96.8F, instead of 37C, with an average temperature of 98.6F. I have always had a low temperature which is no big deal, one way or another. From the pharmacy, I walked to Spar Market, where Tom met up with me. He had gone ahead on his own after dropping me off to get petrol for the rental car, a bag of pellets from Obaro Hardware Store, and the wine and brandy from TOPS liquor store.

Their sense of hearing is acute, and when another animal or human enters the scene, they are quick to investigate.

In no time at all, we’d purchased the few items we needed from Spar to round out our groceries for the week. With social plans for five nights in a row, we still have plenty of food on hand, quickly enough to last for another week.

One of the most delightful scenes in Marloth Park is when giraffes wander down the road.

Tonight, as mentioned, we’re meeting Linda and Ken for dinner at Amazing Kruger View restaurant that overlooks the Crocodile River. Hopefully, we’ll be able to take many good photos of wildlife while outdoors on their wide-open veranda. Of course, I’ll load up on plenty of insect repellent, hoping to keep the mozzies at bay while dining outdoors.

It’s scorching and humid again today. By 4:00 pm, 1600 hours, we’ll head indoors to shower for the second time today and get ready to go out once again for more social fun. We certainly love life in Marloth Park.

We hope that a reduction in Covid cases in your area allows opportunities for more visits with family and friends while always taking necessary precautions to social distance, wearing face masks, and washing your hands. Regardless of vaccines, these precautions must be adhered to diligently with no margin for error.

Please have a great Monday, and thanks for all the well wishes for our anniversary. We appreciate every one of YOU!

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

There are numerous temples in this one location. Many come to pray here every day. We weren’t allowed inside the temples since we weren’t Hindu. For more photos, please click here.

We’re baaaack!!!…Sorry for the disappearing act!…Still unable to upload new photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This blind priest prays in this position all day, standing outside the  Eklingi Temple. As a functioning temple, no photos are allowed. Silver was used in embellishing the interior and it was stunning.

Please know how frustrating it is for us when we’re unable to upload a post and new photos. During the past year, we’ve had numerous occasions when our site was down during the upgrade and thereafter due to one issue or another. Then, over the past few days, there was some type of WiFi issue making it impossible to upload photos, let alone the text content.

We’re always in awe of the detailed carvings, many of which required decades of diligent work to complete.

But, now we’re thinking it is an issue with WordPress which is being worked on now as I prepare this post without new photos. Instead, we’ve added some photos from last year on this date.

As a result, yesterday morning, I threw my hands up in the air after trying for two days, to take a break and wait until today. So far, I still cannot upload photos.

Yesterday, we were preparing to entertain friends for sundowners for eight of us and we had a busy day preparing for our guests, making a wide array of snacks and treats for happy hour.

Sacred cows kept safely on the grounds of the temple.

Actually, it’s less time-consuming to prepare a meal than a wide array of starters (appetizers) but entertaining this way is traditional in South Africa, although cooking on the braai is the next favorite option. Unfortunately, in this smaller house, we don’t have the number of serving items, space, and dinnerware to accommodate a sit-down dinner for eight. But, we did fine last night with Louise‘s help in providing us with serving pieces of various types including adequate numbers of wine glasses.

South Africans love their wine and rightfully so when some of the world’s finest wines are produced in this country, with many vineyards close to Cape Town. Of course, I only drink my favorite, Four Cousins, Skinny Red, which is 33% less alcohol and only a few carbs.

Nagda Temple is not a functioning temple, but the Gods contained therein are attended to on a daily basis. They are symbolically brought food, flower offerings, and bathed each day. No visitors are allowed when the Gods are sleeping.

Last night, Lesley took photos of us, speaking of red wine, and I didn’t smile much in the photo of Tom and I when I knew my teeth were red after my first of two glasses of red wine. That’s the only thing I don’t like about red wine, the awful staining of otherwise white teeth. A good brushing later in the evening gets rid of “that look.” But, but “they” say not to brush until a few hours pass after drinking red wine, something to do with the acidity not being good for the enamel if brushing while still drinking.

I don’t know. I don’t always believe what “they” say when over the years, we’ve discovered “they” were wrong about so many things.

In any case, we had a lovely evening with Linda and Ken, Lesley and Andrew and Louise and Manie. The conversation was lively and we both enjoyed their appreciation of our sundowner spread of various snacks and treats. It’s always a joy for a host and hostess to see guests enthusiastically partaking in the foods we prepare, The only thing missing was many of our other friends who’ve yet to get the vaccine to become able to travel here.

Tom takes a photo of me taking a photo of one of several beautiful temples.

The mosquito issue doesn’t end when darkness falls. If anything, they get worse in the dark. As a result, most sundowner parties end by 7:30 or 8:00 pm, rarely later. This is disappointing since it’s at this point when a party is in full swing, but everyone has to wrap it up and go home. Some diehards will sit by a bonfire and tough it out with the mozzies. But, this mature group, us included, weren’t prepared to deal with the darned mosquitos. The reality of entertaining in South Africa is that most social events occur outdoors. Here in Marloth Park, this is especially true when most houses are not built for indoor entertaining including at restaurants. Well, this is all good except for the reality, that at dark by about 7:30 pm this time of year, the mozzies come out in a flesh-eating frenzy.

That was the case here last night. By 8:00 pm, our guests had left. Tom and I had cleaned everything up, the dishwasher was running and we headed into the bedroom to watch a show on Amazon prime and wind down. After an hour or so, we took out some of the leftovers for a late-night treat. It was another lovely evening in the bush.

Tonight, we’ll return to Jabula Lodge & Restaurant for dinner again, after our visit on Thursday with Linda and Ken. Soon, they’ll be leaving the bush to return to their home in Johannesburg. We’ll be spending both Sunday and Monday evenings socializing with them once again, always a great pleasure.

The temple structures were made of marble which is abundant in India but over the years the white color has changed to this light brown coloring.

Please know we are totally aware of the photo issues and are working hard to resolve them. It may not be resolved for a few more days. Have a great weekend.

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

All of the above photos are from one year ago, Please see the link here.

Planning for the future…Uncertainty in times of Covid-19…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
It’s surprising how well they get along when sharing the raw scrambled eggs.

Ah, it’s a new day, and it’s more perfect than it’s been in a while. The sun is shining. The temperature is moderate with low humidity. Late yesterday, our site was down for a few hours, but now it is working again. Why this happens is beyond me. All I know is our web people quickly respond to resolve it.

My question? Is WordPress unstable? Is our web hosting company Hostinger, a substantial worldwide provider, dangerous? I can’t seem to get a definitive answer to these questions. But, this continues to happen from time to time. If you see we’re down, please check back later, knowing our web people are working to find a permanent solution. We always know when this happens since WordPress sends me a message. Immediately, regardless of where we are and what we’re doing, we report it.

Our site is huge, with well over 3000 posts and 40,000 photos. This may be a contributing factor. One may say, well, Amazon is a thousand times larger than us, and they don’t go down. Well, they are spending millions of dollars a year to maintain their site. We are not. Since we make so little revenue from our site, recently, we added more advertising to offset some of our web-related expenses.

This mongoose must have stared at us for an hour, watching our every move.

Also, we are in the process of monetizing our YouTube page. We’d hoped we’d never have to do this, but with all these added web expenses, we had no choice. Of course, none of this impacts our readers, other than an occasional click to rid yourself of the necessity of viewing an ad. You aren’t obligated to use our advertisers (but we appreciate it if you do), nor do you have to pay to access our site. This won’t change.

You can access our YouTube videos at this link. It’s easy to sign up if you’d like to become a subscriber. You may enjoy going back and seeing our old videos from all over the world. In the future, we’ll be making a concerted effort to upload more and more videos.

Right now, as I prepare today’s post, Tom is researching flights for our exit on April 9th for the much-needed visa stamps when our current visas expire on April 12th. We have to leave a few days earlier than our visa ends since the car rental facilities at the local airport, Nelspruit/Kruger/Mpumalanga, are closed on the weekends. Thus, we’ll leave before and after a weekend.

Tom brought out the pan with the raw scrambled eggs, and of course, they gobbled them up in a matter of seconds.

As for what we’ve chosen to do when required to leave South Africa, we should have a plan in place by tomorrow, and we’ll share all the details here.

The sun has become hidden behind white fluffy clouds as we’ve sat here over the past hour. We’ve been watching the weather and the condition of dirt roads to embark on a drive through Marloth Park and eventually to Kruger National Park. It may rain after all.

There are no public restrooms in the park other than resorts, camps, and restaurants. The outdoor restaurant at Lower Sabie, the Mugg & Bean, has been closed for the past few months. When traveling to Kruger, it’s a suitable spot to stop for a bathroom break and brunch. Spending several hours in the garden without a bathroom break can be a challenging premise.

They are so cute, playful, and funny. We always enjoy their visits. Besides, they are a deterrent to snakes since they may attack them and are resistant to the venom.

Plus, it’s enjoyable to be on a self-drive in this massive national park and be able to stop at a restaurant overlooking the Sabie River, often rife with wildlife, a view to be savored while dining. Photo ops are abundant in this area. Soon, we’ll go on a day’s outing as the dirt roads dry up more and more, not only here in Marloth Park but also in Kruger.

Today, we’ll spend the bulk of the day booking plans for April 9th, firming up all the details. A vital aspect of booking any travel plan at this point is to become well aware of Covid-19 requirements and restrictions. Upon arriving in another country, no traveler would want to discover that a 14-day quarantine was required. This would be a fiasco.

They tend to rest piled atop one another with an occasional little head peeking out from under the pile.

Otherwise, all is well. We’re cheerful, although zeroed in on booking the upcoming travels, and will feel a great sense of relief once we’ve completed booking every aspect of this upcoming trip.

Enjoy your day!

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

The bulky gaur, a rare type of buffalo, is found in India. For more photos, please click here.

An old friend comes to call…Sheer delight…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
It only took me a split second to realize it was Little, not only by how he looked at me but by his funny-shaped little tusks.

Note: We’ve yet to receive the link for the stream of our interview on Lowveld Radio on Saturday. Once we receive the stream for the podcast, we will upload it in the next day’s post. We’ve returned from Malalane after seeing Dr. Singh, the dental surgeon, and for the first time, leaving a doctor’s office, I was on Cloud 9.

There is no abscess, nor is there any issue of any kind with any of my teeth or gums. His sophisticated scanning equipment revealed every aspect of my mouth. He stated emphatically that I had the teeth of a much younger person who’s cared for her teeth all of her life. This news made me smile.

The pain I had in my check resulted from a sinus infection, which the antibiotics I’d taken may have resolved. What a relief! I was anticipating bad news, not such good news. We’re both thrilled. After we left the dental office, we headed to Click’s Pharmacy, a store comparable to a CVS or Walgreen in the US. Tom waited in the car while I shopped.

Little kneeling on his knees for some pellets. He was in heaven. Me, too.

I loaded up on some much-needed cosmetic items. After all, I hadn’t been to such a store in over a year, back in the US at the end of 2019. It was fun to load up on some of my favorite items. In my old life, I usually used department store cosmetics. In the past eight years plus, I’ve been content using drugstore items when I can find such a drug store in any given country. It’s not always possible.

After Click’s, we drove a short distance to the massive Spar Market, which is twice the size of the Spar store in Komatipoort with many more options and, again, reasonable prices. It was more like Sam’s Club or Costco store. I felt like a kid in a candy store, squealing with delight each time I found something new, befitting of our way of eating.

From there, we headed back to our bush house, anxious to unload our “haul” and get to work preparing today’s post with the intent of getting it uploaded before 4:00 pm. Tonight is a cause to celebrate. But, then again, a lot of evenings are worthy of celebration. It’s comfortable and cool today. The WiFi and power are working. We have a great dinner planned, and we couldn’t be more content.

Perhaps a nap was on the agenda, not uncommon for Little.

However, something extraordinary happened yesterday afternoon while we lounged on the veranda in the early afternoon. A warthog came up to the veranda looking for pellets. Immediately, Tom said, “Oh, that’s the pig that tore a huge hole in the screen door a few days ago,” while I was indoors. He was trying to make his way into the house.

The moment I looked at him, I recognized him. It was, unquestionably, without a doubt, my boy Little. My heart skipped a beat with sheer joy. It was easy for me to recognize his unique features, particularly his girth and his flint-shaped little tusks, the reason I’d named him “Little.”

I couldn’t grab the camera quickly enough. But first, pellets were on the menu. Tom tossed him several containers while, happily, I took one photo of him after another. To confirm it was him, for which I had no hesitation, Tom looked up old photos of him for comparison, and he too agreed. It was, in fact, our boy Little. Sadly, I’d surmised that perhaps he’d been culled during the last culling  2020.

Napping was elusive when there were more pellets on the ground.

The big question remained… Did he remember me from 22 months ago, the last three of which I spent very little time outdoors while recovering from open-heart surgery? I’d been stuck lying on the sofa in the lounge room until I was able to walk after the two-leg surgeries began to heal. He continued to visit each day during those long three months. When I could muster the strength and energy, I’d occasionally get up to greet him.

Keep in mind that science states that pigs are even more intelligent than dogs and, we all know dogs remember those they love years after they’ve been separated for whatever reason. Why wouldn’t a pig? And Little did. He stopped eating pellets while I called him by name, talked to him, and looked into his eyes. If a pig could smile with that goofy snout, he would have been smiling.

But, I smiled for both of us. It took over six weeks for him to come here and find us, and I accept the reality that I may not see him for many more weeks or even months to come. Having seen him once was magical. Any more times will be a bonus. I doubt he and Tiny will get along, and one could scare off the other permanently, as happened at the Orange house with Tusker and Basket. The basket came after Tusker and dominated the garden. Tusker never returned after having been a regular in our garden for many months.

When we were gone today, Vusi was cleaning, and Little returned and tried to get inside again. Vusi suggested we move the big bags of pellets from the lounge to another area. We’ll do this tomorrow.

Ah, yes, I am a died in the wool animal lover. Some may say I am an “animal whisperer” when I quickly build relationships with animals, as has always been the case throughout my life. I love them all, big and small, but especially those where eye contact becomes a relevant means of communication, coupled with their response to my high-pitched yet gentle voice.

We had a great day out, and we plan to spend the remainder of today on the veranda, appreciating the cool, rainy weather and the visitors who come to call, hour after hour. Whether it’s Tiny, who usually arrives each afternoon around 4:00 pm, Little, whom we don’t know will return, or the 24 impalas who graced us with their presence only minutes ago. It’s all magical and will continue to be so for every moment we spend in this life-changing environment.

Currently, we are working on travel options for getting out of South Africa on or about April 12th, when our 90-day visa expires. It doesn’t appear there will be a “free” automatic extension for foreign visitors when President Cyril Ramphosa spoke last night, dropping COVID-19 restrictions down to Level 1 from Level 3, easing some restrictions, none of which impact us at this time. As a result, we’ve decided to take a trip out of the country with some exciting possibilities in the works. We will report back once these plans are confirmed, sometime in the next few days.

That’s all, folks! Stay safe. Wash your hands. Social distance and for those who can and are willing, get vaccinated.

Happy day.

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

The outdoor dining room at Tuli Tiger Resort. It was very cool at night, and we had to bundle up for dinner. For more, please click here.