Part 2…A shocking and totally unexpected situation…We aren’t in Seychelles on the cruise…What???…

This morning, there was ice on the windows of the little car. Tom had to use the provided scraper to scrape off the ice.

The first question we asked when we discovered we weren’t getting on the flight was, “What about our luggage?” At that point, it was already on the plane to Seychelles.  The rep assured us our luggage would be removed from the aircraft since luggage is never sent without the passengers on the flight due to security risks. We were assured we could pick up our bags the next day.

After hearing the bad news as we stood at the Ethiopian Air check-in counter, Tom and I looked at one another for a minute, each lost in our thoughts of what we’d do next. As Tom called it, we both had the same idea, “Plan B.” There can always be a Plan B.

He spoke first, “Let’s go to Plan B.”

“And, what is Plan B?” I asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.

He replied, “We have no choice but to go to the US, which will ensure reentry into South Africa with a new 90-day visa stamp.” I nodded in agreement. We had to get out of the country and do so quickly. There was no time, only 26 hours until we became “undesirables” in South Africa.

There were no immediately available flights to the US. Our only option was to get a hotel room and search for the next flight to Minneapolis. We hadn’t seen our family members when we were in Minnesota only six months ago due to being sick with Omicron. Now, not infectious by any means, we could at least see the family in Minnesota, although it didn’t make sense to also visit Richard in Nevada on this trip with the holiday season in full bloom.

We’d stay a few weeks and head back to Marloth Park less than two weeks later. Immediately we tried booking a room at the Johannesburg airport hotel, City Lodge, where we’d stayed on previous occasions, but the reservation wouldn’t go through. We thought it was due to the weak WiFi signal. We were SOL. We decided to trek the long distance inside the airport in hopes of getting a room. The hotel was indeed totally booked. They arranged a taxi to take us to their sister hotel, about a 15-minute drive (at our expense), and within minutes after arrival, we could check into a room.

This morning the temperature was 32F, 0C, with snow expected tomorrow. Photos will follow as we try to get back into the groove of taking photos.

We were situated in the room by 1:00 am on November 25, with 23 hours to go until our visas expired. Under the circumstances, neither of us was hungry but had we been; no food was available that late at night. Neither of us had eaten anything since early that morning in Marloth Park.

When I walked into the room, the first thing I said to Tom…and I may add, the first whining I did, was to say, “I don’t have any pajamas.” I always wear pj’s of one sort or another to bed. I’d have to sleep in my day-old underwear, an unpleasant thought. Tom gave me an overly grumpy look and growled. I hadn’t even packed toothpaste, deodorant, or other toiletries, using most of the space in my carry-on bag for all the medications I’d been taking for sinus problems. I didn’t complain further.

Oddly, when I packed the carry-on bag, I included enough medication to last a month, assuming anything could happen, and I’d hate to have to get to a doctor for my handful of regular medicines.

So, we got undressed and under the covers, cold from being tired, and began searching online for flights. We spent no less than two hours trying to book flights, a hotel, and a rental car. We ended up speaking to a rep at CheapOAir, and wow…did we run into problems, one after another. Finally, by 3:00 am, we had it all booked, and Tom turned over to get some sleep.

At 3:10 am, I received an email from CheapOAir, stating that all three of our reservations for air, hotel, and car had been canceled for no apparent reason. I looked up the credit card we’d used, and the charges were listed under “pending.” I was wide awake but played with my phone to lull me off to sleep, which usually works.

I was able to get in contact via chat with another rep from CheapOAir, and she resolved the issue by confirming by email that the cancelation email had been an error on their end and that all of our reservations arrived once again with confirmation numbers. I didn’t wake Tom up to tell him about this recent event. Why bother him? When we awoke a few hours later, I told him what had happened.

With reservations in place and our 16-hour flights from Joburg to Newark, we were scheduled to depart at 10:30 pm, only 90 minutes before “undesirables” status. That was cutting it close. What if the plane arrived late at the gate? We decided not to even think about this. We’d had enough stress for one day.

When we went to breakfast in the hotel, we asked if we could pay for a late checkout until 6:30 pm, 1830 hrs,  to which they agreed to charge us Zar 840, US $49, which was well worth it, rather than spending more hours waiting in the airport. After breakfast, we returned to the room to handle some of the issues we’d yet to face, such as canceling the cruise, getting our bags, and miscellaneous odds and ends.

When we hadn’t heard anything about the bags, Tom decided to head back to the airport to see if they’d brought the two large duffle bags to the missing baggage department. Our bags were nowhere to be found. They proved to be on their way to Seychelles. He left the hotel at 12:20 pm, 1220 hrs, and didn’t return until three hours later.

He filed a claim, only to discover there was no way they’d send the bags to the US. They’d only forward them to Nelspruit, South Africa, sometime around December 10. We’d have to arrange to pick them up in Nelspruit if the bags were found. They agreed to contact us when the bags were on their way to us.

This happened to us the last time we came to the US, and we had to pay a delivery service to collect the bags in Nelspruit and bring them to us in Marloth Park. Fine. If the bags are found, we’ll be thrilled to arrange that.

So, we were boarding the flight to Newark, New Jersey, with no bags on board other than a few carry-on bags with our digital equipment and the medications. We were heading to the US with nothing but clothes on our backs, shoes on our feet, and wearing dirty underwear. We’d figure this out when we arrived in MSP.

The 16-hour flight was one of the hardest for me ever. I couldn’t get comfortable in my tiny seat and spent the entire time watching fewer than eight movies. My favorite was the new Tom Cruise Top Gun movie; I barely remember the rest. I nodded off several times for only a few minutes each time. Tom and I couldn’t sit together, but he often came back to check on him. We were both wearing compression stockings. I made of point of getting up and going to the bathroom every few hours.

We had a three-hour layover in Newark, but the time passed quickly. Before we knew it, we were on our way to MSP, arriving at about 12:30 pm. We took a shuttle to the car rental facility distant from the airport, but the service and car we booked were excellent at Ace. Shortly later, we were on the road, heading to Target to buy some emergency clothes and toiletries. It was Saturday afternoon, about 53 hours since we’d left Marloth Park.

I barely remember the time we spent in Target. We were exhausted and had trouble thinking, but nary a complaint crossed our lips during the shopping expedition. It would have been fun if we hadn’t been so tired. Everything we purchased fit us and would suffice for the days until we left to return to South Africa on December 8.

Once at our lovely hotel in Eden Prairie, we unloaded our new clothes, removed the tags, and showered. What a relief that was. I purchased two pairs of warm pajamas and couldn’t wait to get into them quickly enough, adding a pair of new socks to the equation. By 6:30 pm, I was in bed, falling asleep in only minutes. Tom wasn’t far behind. We slept for over eight hours and felt much better in the morning.

The story continues with a few new challenges, which we’ll share as we go along. We have no delusions about our responsibility in not investigating further to discover the requirement of this form. However, we’d checked the US State Department’s website for requirements for US citizens to enter Seychelles and read, “visa provided upon entry.”

Also, we had asked the tour company for any documents needed, and they said none other than what we’d provided. It’s hard to believe that after ten years, we still have lessons to learn, but, like life itself, regardless of how long we live, we still learn more and more each day.

After Covid, so much has changed in how documentation enters many countries. We may have become lazy in “assuming” we had everything we needed. We realize we need to be more proactive and mindful than ever and will do so in the future as we make new travel plans.

And so the story continues with more positive updates from these first few days we’ve spent with family. Delightful! Perhaps it was meant to be.

Photo from one year ago today, November 28, 2021:

Mom and three piglets often stop by. Is this the same mom we’ve seen this year with new babies? It certainly looks like her. with those perfectly formed tusks. Be well. For more, please click here.

Part 1…A shocking and totally unexpected situation…We aren’t in Seychelles on the cruise…What???…

I don’t know where to begin to tell this convoluted story of sheer travel frustration and dismay.

In many ways, the details of this story only compare to the fiasco of attempting to find a place to stay when we ended up in lockdown in India when Covid-19 hit. That resulted in our being trapped in a hotel room in Mumbai in March 2020 for ten long months, indeed a somewhat awful travel memory.

Now, this new harrowing experience is more than a correlation between our determination to continue traveling and our intent to maintain an optimistic attitude during one of the most complex travel situations over the past ten years. But. this current situation could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back had we been considering putting an end to our travels.

After ten years of highly experiential travel, we pride ourselves in being well-prepared and knowledgeable on most potential challenges we may encounter.

So here’s how it all began and ultimately played out starting Thursday. November 24, a mere three days ago.

The drive from Marloth Park to Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger Airport was relatively smooth and uneventful. We dropped off the rental car and wheeled our two well-stuffed duffle bags into the lovely little airport, checked in with our two duffle bags looking forward to a pleasant, albeit long 19-hour trip, including layovers, until we’d land in Mahe, Seychelles, with a one-night stay at an oceanfront Hilton Hotel.

We didn’t anticipate any problems. Our documents for our arrival in Seychelles and our subsequent return to Marloth Park 12 days later were in order. Or…so we thought…

When booking the Seychelles cruise with Intrepid Travel months ago, we asked countless questions and conducted extensive research on immigration and Covid-19 requirements. Our online research verified that we’d receive a Seychelles visa upon arrival to the country.

Nothing in the comprehensive documents and instructions from Intrepid Travel over the past months stated that any additional documents would be required than the requested copies of passports, vaccine certificates, and my food preferences.

We verified what Intrepid needed via multiple email messages and a chat module on their website.

Once we completed the usual easy flight on Airlink to Johannesburg Tambo Airport, around 7:30 pm,1930 hrs., we checked in at the Ethiopian Air counter. The rep gave us all the boarding passes we needed.

The agent asked to see the border authority’s approval for arrival and departure for Seychelles. We were dumbfounded. We’d never heard of such a form.

The rep firmly stated, “You need to have approval from the Seychelles border authority that you’ve been approved to enter the country.” She gave us a link to begin the application process, which we could do online right then and there. At this point, we had four hours until our flight, and we weren’t concerned. Surely, we’d get the form completed and processed on time for our flight.

At first, we thought it was no big deal. It was just a minor inconvenience. We found a good place to sit and began the process. The WiFi signal at Tambo was very poor. I could get online on my phone with the weak signal but not on either of our laptops. While we started the application, we were approached and asked by other passengers if they’d been informed of this requirement. They, too, had no idea about applying for this border authority permit.

Fast and furiously, we scrambled on our phones with the awful signal trying to get the forms for each of us submitted. The application kept shutting down due to the poor signal, and we didn’t get our forms submitted until about two hours before the flight. We had options to choose from as to how it would cost for various expediency, based on the urgency of the approved documents. We choose the most expensive option for the fastest approval at Euro 78 per person, US $81.23.

We waited and waited. One of the other couples going through the same process got their approval, but the others, including us, did not.

We all asked if we could board the flight to Addis Ababa, the next leg of our flight which was five hours, with a three-hour layover, before our last flight to Seychelles. Nope, this was not allowed. We either got on now with the approval or…this was it…we weren’t going. By the time we were supposed to board, while we were still at the Ethiopian Air counter, we still didn’t have the approval. The Ethiopian Air agent told us we were too late to board and weren’t getting on the flight.

At this point, I should mention there was not another available flight to Seychelles that would allow us to board the ship in time for the sailing.

But, here is the clincher. All this occurred at 10:40 pm, 2240 hrs, November 24, 2022. At this point, we had less than 26 hours to get out of South Africa, or we’d become “undesirables” and couldn’t reenter South Africa for five years.

Instantly we knew we needed to have a Plan B. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll share Plan B and tell you what transpired.

Be well.

Four days and counting…Saving more money on future cruises…Blood on the veranda…What could that be?…

We were shocked to see the blood on the veranda, but there was no evidence of its source.

We had a busy morning. We rushed off to the doctor at 9:15 am to get a few more prescriptions. This will be my third round of antibiotics for the acute sinusitis I got when I had Covid-19 in April. The other medications I am currently on have been adjusted, lowering some doses, and adding a nebulizer treatment. I tried to avoid taking more antibiotics but this needs to go away once and for all.

Once back at the house, Zef was here cleaning and changing the linen. There was a problem with the bathroom sink over the weekend and it was tricky trying to do six nasal flushing treatments a day in the bathroom sink when we knew it wouldn’t get fixed until Monday. We didn’t tell Louise about it until this morning since we didn’t want to disturb their short holiday in Mozambique. over the weekend.

We put a large bowl in the bathroom sink and used that each time I did the nasal treatments or washed our hands, dumping the water onto the shower floor and rinsing the bowl each time. That worked. TIA. This is Africa. Stuff happens. Then again, stuff happens wherever we’ve lived in the world, including back in the USA.

When Tom stepped onto the veranda this morning, he spotted this trail of blood with no indication of its source. There are a few leaves in the center but aren’t of importance.

The extra refrigerator we use that’s on the veranda died over the weekend. We emptied everything out and moved the items to the main refrigerator in the kitchen. I’m sure while we’re gone, Louise will arrange to have the refrigerator repaired since we use it often, especially when doing a two-week grocery run or having guests.

Tom is currently on his way to Komatipoort to get my prescriptions filled so we’ll be good to go on Thursday. Fortunately, he was willing to drive up and back on his own as he’d done last Friday for the same purpose. This enabled me to work on some projects around the house; folding laundry, prepping for dinner, and writing a schedule for all of the medications which require my attention every two hours.

I contacted Louise to send the link for our next three months’ rent due at the end of this month and immediately paid that, taking one more item off of the “to-do” list. Yesterday, I set up bill pay for upcoming credit card payments due in December in the event we have poor WiFi on the ship which we’re expecting. We entirely pay off our credit card balances each month unless we’ve charged a huge amount for a pricey cruise or trip, which we’ll pay over two months.

The animal (or human, for that matter) walked along the side of the house where the blood droplets continued.

Speaking of money, Tom discovered another price drop, a Black Friday special, on Cruise Critic, for our upcoming cruise next August. He called Costco Travel that evening and we received another price reduction of US $1100, ZAR 19175…plus an additional US $1000, ZAR 17432, cabin credit which added to our existing US $300 cabin credit, ZAR 5227 for a total of US $1300, ZAR 222652, that we can use for purchases of drinks, WiFi or purchases in the shops which are always fun for me when we have unused cabin credit. The cruise lines do not refund leftover cabin credit.

Our total benefit for that one call to Costco on November 18, resulted in us saving US $2100, ZAR 36588, less the reduction on the complimentary Costco gift card, which we can’t use until we get back to the states. The last such gift card we had, we used toward the purchase of this new Lenovo Windows 11 Ideapad Flex 5 which I am very happy with. Using a Chromebook, for all we do wasn’t ideal for me but works well for Tom.

A hornbill stopping by for some birdseed we place on the bushbaby ledge.

Of course, this price reduction reduced the amount of the gift card Costco provides for booking travel with them. Originally, before all the price reductions we’ve got on this cruise with credits for canceled cruises and price drops, we only owe US $2996, ZAR 52161 as compared to our original price for that cruise US $16275, ZAR 2834406.

It’s imperative that we stay on top of all of these posted price reductions. The cruise seller/agents don’t watch for the price drops on cruises. It’s up to us to keep an eye out and then ask for the benefit of the reductions and perks.

Earl stopped by last night for some pellets on the bench which he prefers to eating off of the ground.

This upcoming cruise in Seychelles didn’t offer any price reductions or perks. Once we set sail or at the end of the cruise, we’ll be posting the cruise fare and added expenses.

Today, the temperature and humidity are moderate and we’re quite comfortable which is a welcomed relief. There are many hours of load shedding but we are fine with that, as long as our inverter is working and provides WiFi, the ability to recharge our equipment, a fan in the bedroom, and the light from one lamp.

May you have a pleasant Monday! Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2021:

It was great to see this elephant from Amazing Kruger View restaurant while out to dinner with another couple the previous night. For more photos, please click here.

Sunset cruise on the Chobe River…A huge hit with animals and people…

Our favorite mom and baby elephant photo was taken while cruising on the Chobe River.

When a driver picked us up yesterday to take us to a resort down the road, we were a little surprised we’d be boarding a boat on the Chobe River from Chobe Marina Lodge, not Chobe Safari Lodge, where we were staying. The three-minute drive down the road and the 30-minute wait to board the boat were no big deal.

Male Cape buffalos heading to the water from an island in the Chobe River.

We were seated at a table for four on the pontoon-style boat in no time, ready to embark and begin the sunset cruise lasting three hours. As soon as we sat down, we were seated across the table with a lovely couple, younger than our adult children from Milan, Italy. Andrea and Jenny spoke good English, and we chatted endlessly, later meeting up for dinner at the restaurant up the hill from our resort.

Two fishermen on a small boat on the river.

Unfortunately, the photo I took of the two of them ended up being obstructed by a person walking by, and I could not post it, much to my disappointment. I should have checked the camera, but I caught up in the lively conversation with this adorable and intelligent Italian couple and failed to see if the photo came out. It was an oddity that this happened.

Waterbucks and a few Egyptian geese were foraging on the island.

We enjoyed the time spent on the boat with them and later for dinner up the hill. While on the boat, we met another couple, who were friends, and the man, Dwight, lives in the suburbs in Minnesota, leaving us with endless stories to share, especially with Tom, a native of Minnesota. Christie was from Denver. It was also fun talking to Americans whom we seldom meet in this part of the world.

Seeing the elephants on the island in the Chobe River was such a joy.

The three hours passed quickly, and before we knew it, we returned to our resort to meet up with Andrea and Jenny later. We shared a delightful day and evening while taking many beautiful photos, some of which we’re sharing here today. Many more will follow in days to come. We haven’t put a dent in the pictures worthy of posting but have plenty of time to do so in the days and weeks to follow.

Two young male elephants were practicing sparing.

This morning, we had a nice breakfast in the resort’s restaurant buffet. We never had dinner at the buffet since there were few foods suitable for my way of eating. In our last post for this trip, we’ll share food photos and final expenses for our one week away from Marloth Park.

A blue heron…

As always, we’re a little tentative about getting another 90-day visa stamp when we return to South Africa in two days and go through immigration. If we are turned down, we’ll have to devise a plan which, of course, if that happens, we’ll share here. Each time we get another 90 days, we sigh with relief. The law is vague in this regard…are we required to return to our home country each time? The answer isn’t clear. We’ll see how it goes one more time.

An ibis…

In a little over an hour, our trusty Chris from Chris Tours will arrive at this resort, who will drive us back to the border between Botswana and Zambia, and then take us to the Protea Hotel by Marriott we’ve stayed many times in the past. It’s a pleasant hotel, with good breakfast included,  lovely rooms with comfy beds, and free WiFi.

A crocodile lounged on the grass on an island in the Chobe River.

We will check into our ground floor room, unpack a little, and within a few hours, be heading out to the Zambezi River for another sunset cruise, this time on the Lion King boat with live entertainment. This will be our second time on this boat. We enjoyed the scenery, the included drinks and snacks, and the African music last time and looked forward to this repeated event.

Elephants are excellent swimmers, using their trunks as a snorkel. Cool, eh?

When the boat ride has ended, Chris or his staff will pick up up to take us to the Royal Livingstone Hotel, where we will dine tonight and again tomorrow night, overlooking the Zambezi River. We’ve embarked on quite a few adventures this time, more than in the past, and have had nothing but great experiences.

We couldn’t take our eyes off the swimming elephants.

Saturday afternoon, after a late checkout, Chris will transport us to the Harry Mwanga Nkumbula Livingstone Airport for our short flight (less than two hours) back to Nelspruit. At that point, we’ll go through immigration and see how it rolls out again. After getting a great rate at the US $15, ZAR 253 a day, we’ll collect the rental car at Budget and make the hour-plus drive back to Marloth Park.

The water was shallow in this spot, and he could stand up and walk the rest of the way.

By 5:30 pm, 1730 hrs., we should be back at our holiday home in Marloth Park to decide if we’ll dine in on frozen leftovers or head to Jabula for dinner. We’ll play that by ear, providing all goes well with our return.

Playful elephants.

Yesterday, I attempted to process the ZAR 196, US $11.64 customs fees due on our UPS package from the US. For some odd reason, UPS’s system wouldn’t accept an international credit card, like all of ours. Only South African credit cards can be used. Louise was so kind to help, using her card, which we’ll reimburse when we see her next. All went through Ok, and we should receive the package sometime next week.

Sunset on the Chobe River.

We are packed and ready to leave in about 40 minutes, so I’d better wrap this up and get it uploaded so I won’t have to rush later this afternoon when we have plans.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 25, 2021:

This is my new toy, a JBL Bluetooth speaker that works with voice activation from our phones or laptops. The sound is fantastic! We use this every day! For more details, please click here.

Figuring out credits from canceled cruises…How much was Tom’s dental surgery today?…

Wildebeests, zebras and warthogs in the garden.

I won’t get into all the convoluted particulars regarding the confusion on when and how we’ll get refunds and credits for canceled cruises we’ve booked in the past few years during the pandemic. Most travelers book one cruise, and it’s nowhere near as confusing as to when we’ve booked seven or eight, many of which have canceled after collecting our final payments.

Hmmm…I wonder why they don’t cancel them before we make the final payment. Are the cruise lines in such a dire financial situation that they need the “float” of our money for three or four months until they get on their feet? That’s a harsh reality and frustration for world travelers like us, who book several cruises over a year or two.

That’s wildebeest Bad Ear looking at me.

In almost ten years of world travel, we’ve sailed on 27 cruises, few of which we ever canceled. If there were cancellations, there were precipitated by the cruise line for one reason or another. In our case, we may have moved several bookings to future dates before the final payments were due to satisfy the needs of our upcoming itinerary. Still, none of these incurred any penalties or refunds.

With the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, we’re seeing some of the cruises we booked making changes we didn’t request, and now we’re struggling to get our money back consistently and seamlessly. Often, a small amount appears as a credit on a credit card we used to pay for a cruise. We never know which one it is without calling Costco, being on hold for an hour, and often holding on the line for another 45 minutes while Costco Travel calls the cruise line to get it figured out.

Tom was checking out Bad Ear after he jumped the fence to get closer to us.

We don’t blame Costco Travel. The long hold is the only issue we have with them. But, the perks they offer as an incentive to their customers are well worth the inconvenience of continuing to work with them. The refund issues are not their doing. That’s entirely up to the cruise line.

When we think about how much money we’ve lost due to the pandemic, it’s in the thousands. This was no one’s fault. It was the nature of the dreadful virus, and many lost money on travel-related expenditures, wages, and business revenue. When we were in the US, we couldn’t believe how many small and medium-sized businesses have failed due to these tough economic times.

Bossy often jumps the fence to remind us she is here.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on most of us in one way or another. Now, we are all faced with rising fuel prices, let alone the cost of living in most areas worldwide.

At this point, we have a few airlines holding credits for us that won’t provide us with a refund. We have no idea if and when we’ll ever be able to use those credits. All of these losses certainly have impacted our budget, and we’ll proceed cautiously to ensure we remain vigilant and maintain control of our expenses.

In the interim, we’re happy to be in South Africa, where the cost of living is considerably less overall than in many countries. Tom just spent an hour in the dentist’s chair having dental surgery for his implants and the total bill for that hour was ZAR 1266, US $79.78, as shown in the statement below.

Tom’s dental surgery bill for today was ZAR 1266, US $79.78.

After the appointment, he headed to the pharmacy for three medications due to the surgery, including antibiotics, non-narcotic painkillers, and probiotics, which are always prescribed with antibiotics in South Africa. The total pharmacy bill was ZAR 424.05, US $26.71, as shown in another photo below. Where would we pay so little for this amount of service and products? Nowhere that we know.

Tom’s pharmacy bill, ZAR 424.05, US $26.71.

As “they” say,…it all comes out in the wash. We’ll continue to stay on top of the credits we’re due for the cruises via more phone calls and diligence, ensuring everything is accurate.

Have a delightful weekend!

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

A red-backed shrike was sitting atop Rita’s hat while we were at Two Trees. For more photos, please click here.

Second Covid test is positive…No cruise for us…Now what?…

Tom placed four bananas in the window to ripen. This reminded us of the ten months we spent in lockdown in Mumbai, India in 2020 when Tom was served four bananas a day, often unripened like these. Yikes!

After a fitful night of coughing, I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed, shower, dress, and begin the process of taking one more online Covid-19 test, which requires contacting a live person through the Navica app and eMed, monitoring the test with me.

I knew it would be positive the second time we did the self-test in the past 24 hours. I still have many Covid-19 symptoms, whether Omicron or another variant. My throat is red and raw, my voice gravely and unrecognizable, and the cough…Well, the cough…It’s brutal.

It’s only been four days since I first tested positive on the ship. The tiredness is still prevalent, but the achy painfulness has waned, the headache and the feverish sensation that lasted for days. What did we expect?

Even if I tested negative today, I wondered how I could possibly get on the Queen Mary 2, manage to walk the long corridors, dress for dinner, and participate in events and fancy dinners. I could barely keep my head up to eat a few bites for breakfast this morning. It has hit me hard.

No, I don’t need to go to a doctor or hospital. I had a worse virus in South Africa in 2021 when I had trouble breathing and yet had a negative Covid test. The electric nebulizer and medication are helping tremendously, and today, for the first time since this began almost a week ago, I feel like the dry cough is loosening up a bit.

This also reminds us of those ten months in India with not much view from the hotel room window.

When I can get a negative test, we can fly to the US, which is up for grabs. Since we had to cancel today’s cruise on the Queen Mary 2, we’ll now have to fly to Minnesota from Southampton once I can manage a negative test. Tom is well on the mend. We didn’t use another test on him since his symptoms were almost gone. If one of us tested positive we couldn’t go on the cruise anyway. Why use up another test kit?

We will not wait for the next sailing on May 8th. If I test negative within a week, we’ll arrive in Minneapolis by May 1 as planned, head to Nevada on May 15, and then fly from Nevada to South Africa on May 22. We’d lose all the bookings we made in the US during May since we’d have to move fights, hotels, etc. Most likely, we’ll lose the airfare from New York to Minneapolis anyway. We didn’t want to compound the situation.

At this point, until I test negative, we can’t plan anything. We extended this hotel room for four more nights when I will test again. If it’s still positive at that point, we’ll extend it again. There’s nothing else we can do. It’s out of our control. In the interim, I’m resting, eating healthy foods, and treating the symptoms to the best of my ability.

They say Omicron is like a bad cold, at worst. It is not like any cold I’ve ever had. It’s sneaky. It’s insidious. And for some, it’s relentless. I only hope it is over soon.

This morning, when we couldn’t reach a live person at Cunard Cruise Line to report we won’t be going on the cruise, Tom decided to walk to the port to report it to a representative. We were concerned about them not perceiving us as a “no show,” negating our opportunity for a future cruise credit which they promise for positive Covid results.

Tom just now returned after a frustrating time at the port but managed to show my test results and our cruise documents to a representative who hopefully will document our reasons for not boarding.

We will keep you updated as we work our way through yet another challenging time in our world travels. Nope, we’re not considering giving up! (In case you were wondering).

Be well.

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

Everybody was busy munching on Big Daddy’s fallen tree. For more photos, please click here.

Two days and counting…Cruise coming to an end…

Note: Due to the ship’s poor WiFi signal, we cannot add captions to today’s photos of Lisbon.

It was another fun night aboard the ship as our days on the cruise ended. We disembark in only two days. This morning we arranged for our last load of laundry to be done, the second free bag of laundry based on our Elite priority club status.

We’ll be extra careful to avoid dirtying any clothes during the three nights at the hotel in Southampton to ensure we’ll have plenty to wear on the Queen Mary 2 cruise beginning on April 24th, sailing back to New York. Once we’re situated at the hotel in Minnesota, we’ll be able to use the hotel’s laundry facilities.

Tonight is a dressy night on this ship, but I have avoided wearing any clothes I designated as suitable for the Queen Mary 2. Tomorrow night, we have to pack as soon as the bag of clean laundry is delivered to our cabin around dinner time. It will all work out well.

The time has gone by so quickly, and of course, we’ve had a fabulous time. It couldn’t have been more rewarding and enjoyable. We’ve met more people than anticipated during the restrictions imposed due to Covid with no “table sharing” in the dining room. But the proximity of the many “tables for two” made conversations flow with ease.

Last night was the final “silent disco” event, and of course, we had another fun and festive evening with new friends we’ve made. We do not doubt that we’ll stay in touch with many of the beautiful people we’ve interacted with during this 13-night cruise. Soon, it’s time to move along.

With the awful WiFi signal, we need to get this post uploaded until the signal is gone entirely, which keeps happening off and on.

We’ll continue to post, but with improved accuracy and consistency, once we arrive at our hotel in Southampton on April 21. Please check back with us each day for updates.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, April 19, 2021:

Frank and The Misses stop by several times a day, messing with the seed container. They don’t like sunflower seeds, so they pick through the container to toss them aside. The next time we purchased seeds, they were without sunflower seeds. They were much happier. For more photos, please click here.

Three days and counting…The cruise ends soon…Change to today’s port of call…

Inside a shop window in the Azores.

The time aboard the ship has passed so quickly. It’s hard to believe that in a mere three days, on Thursday, April 21, we’ll arrive in Southampton and disembark.

One of our long-time readers and her husband are meeting us for dinner at our hotel on Saturday. They had seen us do the seminar on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas in 2016. Here is the link to the story about the seminar. We appreciate that they have followed us, and it will be delightful to see them and hear their stories of cruising since they are also cruising enthusiasts.

These unusual-looking trees lined the streets.

I’m a little bit sluggish today. Last night, we had an early night, heading back to our cabin after dinner. I had a hard time falling asleep. I didn’t finally dose off until around 2:00 am and awoke less than five hours later. Perhaps a short nap might be on the agenda this afternoon, perking me up.

Cruising can be exhausting, mainly when we’ve stayed up so late having fun with other passengers in the Martini Ice Bar or the Ensemble Lounge. Frequently, lively music plays in the background, energizing the mood with songs from our long-ago past.

Gonçalo Velho Cabral was a Portuguese monk and Commander in the Order of Christ, explorer, and hereditary landowner responsible for administering Crown lands on the same islands during the Portuguese Age of Discovery. For more details, please click here.

Having friends throughout the world has been a highlight of our world travels. The conversations, the dancing in our seats and on the dance floor, and the engaging interactions with beautiful people we’ve come to know in these few short days leave lasting memories we’ll treasure in years to come. When we look back at all the friends we’ve made while cruising, we realize how vital cruising has been in enriching our lives.

Based on yesterday’s change, we’ll be arriving in Lisbon later than expected due to the necessity of a helicopter picking up an ill passenger who’d had a heart attack. We watched the helicopter approach the ship. Tom was able to take the photo below, but we didn’t see much else.

A decorative miniature train in the town.

The passenger was taken off the ship safely. We’ve witnessed such a scenario on several other cruises in our years of cruising, and it’s always heartbreaking to think of how hard this must be for the patient. I can’t even imagine how hard it would be to be lifted into the helicopter by a metal basket.

The scheduled arrival time in Lisbon was 3:30 pm, but by 4:30, the ship was finally cleared. We will get off the ship to take some photos. We’ve been to Lisbon in the past and will be there again in seven months when we do the triple back-to-back cruises as we make our way back to Cape Town, arriving on December 20, when we’ll fly back to Marloth Park after the 42-nights of cruising. It will be the longest time we’ll have cruised since our first cruise on January 3, 2013.

A pretty boulevard in the town of Ponta Delgada.

We still have some cabin credit left which we need to “use or lose.” Today, I meander down the row of shops to see what appeals to me. I am not much of an enthusiastic shopper these days, knowing I haven’t got room in my bags for anything of any size. Most likely, I’ll purchase a few items for the grandkids.

Today’s photos are the balance of those we’d taken in the Azores a few days ago. We’ll be taking more photos over the next few days.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, April 18, 2021:

Such cute little creatures who manage to kill venomous snakes. For more photos, please click here.

Day 4, transatlantic cruise…My food aboard the ship…Weird food photos…

Chef Gordon Ramsay would have been horrified if he was served such a dish.

We have no delusions about me being served suitable, tasty, and appealing meals on a cruise. All I expect is a nice-looking plate of protein prepared with seasonings, a few non-starchy green vegetables lightly seasoned and buttered, and perhaps a side or starter made with protein and dairy of some sort.

I am not picky. I will eat any of the above-mentioned foods prepared appropriately but also enjoy the visual aspect of a pleasingly prepared meal. In the past three nights, I have been shocked by the unappetizing appearance and taste of the dishes I ordered, hoping the chefs would appealingly prepare them. But, it has not been the case.

On the first night, I received a bland small boneless chicken breast with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Yes, this was what I ordered on the first night, but it could have looked and tasted much better. On the second night, they offered a seafood pasta dish on the menu.

I asked if they could make me a plate of shredded, sauteed green cabbage topped with the same seafood used in the pasta dish. Instead, I received what is shown below in the photo…a plate of greasy cabbage with no meat.

This was the cabbage dinner I received minus the seafood I’d expected.

This was all that was served as my entree. Gently, I reminded the waiter that I’d ordered the dish with seafood on top of the cabbage. Ten minutes later, he brought me a little plate with two tiny scallops, two prawns, and two minuscule mussels in the shell. I placed the dry unseasoned seafood atop the cabbage and ate it.

When the waiter returned asking how my dinner was, I explained there wasn’t enough protein to fill me up. Another 15 minutes passed when he brought a second tiny plate of seafood. By then, Tom and our two dinner companions were enjoying their dessert.

After my plate was removed, I was brought a lemony dessert. It looked wonderful but was filled with banana slices, topped with sweetened whipped cream, and was made with rice flour. The dessert may have worked for a gluten-free passenger. But, I can’t eat fruit, sugar, or rice flour. I offered it to Tom, who tasted it and made a face, pushing it away. I explained to the waiter that I couldn’t eat that…politely, of course. I suggested they don’t bring me any dessert since nothing they’d have would work for me.

I was confused by this tiny appetizer plate. The items were so small it wasn’t more than two bites combined.

Then, the next night, after I’d ordered the branzini fish, a favorite fish of TV Chef Gordon Ramsay, but asked for a sufficient portion to get me full, I received the plate of fish as shown in today’s main photo. It looked like it had just come out of the ocean and was thrown onto the plate atop a few overcooked asparagus. Chef Ramsay would have been horrified and committed to some serious swearing over the appearance of that plate of fish.

In desperation, I ate the three tasteless pieces of unseasoned fish. It filled me up sufficiently to allay my hunger, and I didn’t think of food for the night’s remainder.

This morning I awoke, determined to get better meals, and while we were situated at Cafe al Bacio, I headed to the customer service desk to ask to speak to the dining room manager, who appeared promptly. He was appalled and embarrassed by the photos. I showed him the photos, and he immediately called the main chef to join us in conversation.

The lettuce wedge salad was nice. I ordered this again for tonight.

Together I shared my concerns, simply asking for seasoned food with palatable appearances and befitting my eating method. He assured me that today, everything would change and that my future meals would be entirely different, delicious, and appealing.

I will post photos so our readers can see the anticipated improvement, which I feel confident will transpire.

I am looking forward to posting photos from tonight’s dinner to share with you in tomorrow’s post. We always say, “We are the customers and pay for good food and service. It’s OK to ask for it to be better instead of writing endless bad reviews.

Be well.

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

Female kudu resting in our garden. For more photos, please click here.

Cruise Log…Plus interesting comparison…A fun night dancing…

Lovely Laura, a recent Covid and cancer survivor with an injured knee was such a great sport, dancing with her cane and her doctor daughter, lovely Ciara, at the silent disco. We had such fun with their family!

A few days ago, we mentioned that on our way to Fort Lauderdale from Apollo Beach, we began compiling a list of all of our past cruise sailings, including this Celebrity Silhouette cruise and the upcoming cruise on the Queen Mary 2 upcoming a few days after the end of this cruise.

Me and Tom wearing silent disco headsets listening to two different songs, smiling and laughing all the while. Such fun!

Once we started, we felt compelled to keep going. It proved to be a daunting task with the slow WiFi on the ship. The outrageously slow WiFi and my problems with the letter “L” on the keyboard made the process difficult and time-consuming. Tom knew the bulk of the information off the top of his head, but we couldn’t recall the number of nights of each sailing and searched online for answers.

Marilyn’s beaming face bespoke the fun we were all having!

(I won’t be able to wait to get a new computer until we get the shop card from Costco for this sailing. We’ll be back in South Africa, and it’s too costly and risky to have it shipped from the US to SA). It takes six weeks until we receive the shop card after this sailing.

In any case, somehow, we managed to look up all the information. Here is the list below:

 Cruises since the onset of our world travels, October 31, 2012, to May 1, 2022:

  1. January 2013 – Celebrity Century, San Diego to Florida – 15 nights
  2. January 2013 – Celebrity Equinox, Florida to Belize – off, mid-cruise – 8 nights
  3. April 2013 – Carnival Liberty, Belize to Florida – 5 nights
  4. April 2013 – Carnival Liberty, Florida to Florida – 7 nights
  5. April 2013 – Norwegian Epic, Florida to Barcelona – 11 nights
  6. May 2013 – Norwegian Epic, Barcelona to Barcelona – 4 nights
  7. May 2013 – RC Mariner of the Seas, Barcelona to Dubai – 15 nights
  8. June 2013 – Norwegian Spirit, Barcelona to Venice – 12 nights
  9. August 2014 – RC Brilliance of the Seas, Harwich to Boston – 14 nights
  10. September 2014 – Celebrity Solstice, Vancouver to Honolulu – 13 nights
  11. May 2015 – RC Legend of the Seas, Honolulu to Sydney – 18 nights
  12. January 2016 – Celebrity Solstice, Sydney to Auckland – 14 nights
  13. April 2016 – RC Voyager of the Seas, Sydney to Singapore – 14 nights
  14. July 2016 – Viking Magnificent Mekong, Hanoi to Saigon – 11 nights 
  15. October 2016 – RC Radiance of the Seas, Sydney to Perth – 16 nights
  16. November 2016 – RC Radiance of the Seas, Perth to Sydney – 17 nights
  17. March 2017 – Celebrity Solstice, Sydney to Sydney – 12 nights
  18. April 2017 – RC Explorer of the Seas, Sydney to Seattle – 22 nights
  19. May 2017 – Celebrity Solstice, Vancouver to Seattle – 9 nights
  20. November 2017 – Celebrity Infinity, Florida to Chile – 14 nights
  21. December 2017 – Celebrity Infinity, Chile to Buenos Aires – 14 nights
  22. January 2018 – Ponant Le Boreal, Ushuaia to Ushuaia Antarctica – 16 nights
  23. August 2019 – RC Brilliance of the Seas, Amsterdam to Amsterdam – 12 nights
  24. October 2019 – Celebrity Silhouette, Southampton to Fort Lauderdale –  13 nights
  25. April 2022 – Celebrity Silhouette, Fort Lauderdale to Southampton – 13 nights
  26. April 2022 – Cunard Queen Mary 2, Southampton to New York – 7 nights
  • Total number of nights since the onset of our word travels: 3469
  • Total nights spent aboard ships – 326
  • Percentage of time spent on cruise ships: 9.4%
  • Comparison: Total nights in lockdown in India: 290
  • Percentage of total travel: 8.3%

It’s interesting to us to see our statistics. We were surprised by some of the above information. As we move forward to more booked cruises in the future, we will continue to update the cruise list factoring in new numbers of days and pertinent facts as indicated here.

Tom pretended to be playing a keyboard while rocking to the music.

On another note, last night, we had a blast! It was “silent disco” night where we wore headsets with three channels, each playing changing songs with lights indicating which channel we had set: red, blue, and green. Passengers wore headsets,  dancing to the songs they were playing at the time, and yet the room was silent. It’s hysterical and such fun. We met many people and had so much fun! Today’s photos indicate some treasured moments of the night.

Passengers of all ages participated in the event.

We didn’t fall into bed until almost 1:00 am. We’re docked in Bermuda, but the weather is horrible, and we don’t have proper clothing to stay warm enough out there. The wind is comparable to a monsoon. We’ve been to Bermuda in the past and are content to stay aboard, with many of the passengers doing the same. Today, we’re chipper as we can be and are looking forward to another fantastic day on the ship.

We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Be well.

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

We were happy to see bushbuck Torn Ear return to the garden. For more photos, please click here.