We’re off to Nelspruit, hotel tonight…Hospital tomorrow….Remembering….

A few months ago, we shot this photo of two Big Daddies sharing pellets.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A  pair of male lions, possibly brothers, checking out their options for lunch.

It was February 4, 2014, that I dropped my then laptop and destroyed the touch monitor. It was impossible to replace the monitor if parts were available since the cost to do so would be prohibitive, more than the cost of a new computer.

To see the post on the day, I dropped it, and please click here. To see the post from the following day, please click here, when our dear friend and driver Okey Dokey drove me to Nelspruit to a computer store to purchase a replacement.

I wasn’t thrilled with the HP laptop I’d purchased, but it managed to get me through until we arrived in Hawaii in December 2014. I ultimately purchased a new Acer model in January 2015, the one I’m still using that I bought at a Costco store in Kona.

While in the US in June 2017, we purchased a new laptop for me, knowing that our extensive travel resulted in tremendous wear and tore on laptops, and we didn’t expect it to last more than a few years.  

Handsome male lion lounging under a tree on a hot day.

As it turned out, Tom needed to start using the new laptop we were holding for me when his laptop died about six months ago. Finally, we were down to two laptops, no longer needing to haul a third as a backup.

The question remained…would my laptop hold out until we arrive in the US in April 2019 at over four years old? It has a few issues for which I figured out workarounds. Now, with only 64 days until we arrive in the US (staying for 17 days), I feel pretty confident, if I don’t drop it, it will last until we purchase a replacement. 

Replacing digital equipment is a challenge when traveling the world for as long as we have been on the move. For us, with all of our accounting and financials, blog postings, photos, and storage of TV shows and movies, no tablet can fulfill our requirements.  

Ms, Bushbuck, and Baby stop by every day. They love lettuce.

Plus, I find I need the bigger monitor and easy touchscreen available on these Acer products along with a lighted keyboard. As a lousy typist (still, after all these years), I need a lighted keyboard for nighttime typing.

Many have suggested we switch to Apple products, but we’ve been PC users since the beginning and have no desire to change. Also, with the higher cost of Apple products and the added wear and tear from constant travel, this makes no financial sense to us.  

At most, in the US, we can purchase exactly what I need for under ZAR 9321 (US $700), whereby Apple products are priced three times (or more) higher. Our philosophy is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” or, “Love the one you’re with!”

A pair of giraffes at the Crocodile River.

Yes, we do try new things, obviously, right?  But, when it comes to areas of our lives of world travel, we find systems we have in place came about from years of experience, trial and error. And yes, we’re open to new technology, making every effort to research new modalities that may serve us well now or in the future.

So today, as we make our way to Nelspruit for my upcoming hospital stay (hopefully, short-term), I’m reminded of that time five years ago when Okey Dokey and I drove to Nelspruit laughing at funny stories we told along the way.

A short time later, at the mall, we realized that South Africa wasn’t necessarily the best place to purchase new digital equipment with limited options available to suit my requirements.

Giraffes were wandering down a dirt road in the park.

Tomorrow, we’re hoping to be back later in the day, after the first round of tests is completed and we know more. Thanks to good wishes from many of our readers. You mean the world to us!


To our friends and family in the US, have a fantastic SuperBowl Sunday!

Photo from one year ago today, February 3, 2018:

The whaling equipment in Deception Island, Antarctica, and its housing were destroyed by a volcano eruption in 1969, and operations ceased.  For more photos, please click here.

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