about the House

HOUSE RULES : VERY IMPORTANT!!!
For any questions or issues please text, call or WhatsApp me on 202 394 9852 (in the USA, 6 hours earlier than here). Or, do the same with my property managers, Mike and Merle Bucknall, on 27 84 319 7300, who live in Marloth Park.

#1 do not harass, frighten, or otherwise threaten or disturb the wildlife. This is nature conservancy and the wildlife makes Marloth Park special. There are bats, snakes, lizards, and insects that you probably don’t want in the house, so keep doors and windows closed. But please respect them and don’t hurt them. There is also a family of bush babies living next to the outdoor dining area. Please enjoy them (they are sweet and harmless) but don’t bother them.

#2 lock up with the alarm whenever you leave the house. And when you are in the house, and out the back, keep the front door locked. Petty theft can happen in Marloth, I’m sorry to say. Usually crimes of opportunity.

#3 do not walk around after dark for 3 excellent reasons: the first is that anyone else you encounter after dark is probably up to no good. The second is that there are occasionally lion and leopard that come over or under the fence from Kruger. And the third is that there is a legal 6pm curfew in Marloth so you may actually get arrested. (Obviously driving anywhere after dark - to and from town, restaurants in Marloth, or just taking a night drive to see what you can see - is perfectly fine.)

#4 do not go above the speed limit in Marloth. That is how 90% of the tragic animal accidents happen here. The kudu and impala especially can just jump out into the road without warning. Do not drive drunk. One couple hit and fatally injured a baby giraffe and it probably still haunts them to this day!!!

#5 have fun, but not to the point where you disturb our animal and human neighbors. No loud partying. Have a good time, but please be respectful of where you are. The peace and natural surroundings is the point.

#6 do not put garbage outside. The monkeys and or the baboons will just tear it to shreds and spread trash everywhere. Please leave it indoors or take it immediately to the dump which is located just inside Gate 2, a very convenient 2 minute drive from the house.

#7 do not feed the monkeys or baboons as charming as they seem. You will soon regret it as they will become very insistent on MORE food. The male vervet monkeys and certainly the baboons have BIG teeth! My brother made the mistake of feeding a few monkeys one day and within 5 minutes there were over 35 monkeys angrily trying to get into the house. He thought he was in a horror movie! 😊

#8 do not feed the zebra, kudu, wildebeest, impala and any of our other wild friends BY HAND. First, it is against the rules because they become far too used to people. Second, they really are wild animals so you never know when they might bite or kick or hit you with their horns if startled. But you can put out pellets for them and in many cases get incredibly close. Just be careful.

#9  do not place the firepit under or near a tree. Or on the covered portion of the porch. Make sure wherever you put it, it is in no danger of setting anything on fire.

#10 do not grab wood from the wood pile without cautiously poking it first. Sometimes snakes hide in there, and about 80% of the snakes in this area are venomous. Please be careful, and if you do encounter snakes, allow them to get away peacefully. They are more afraid of you than the reverse and they just want to escape.

#11 do not collect wood from the property to burn. That is against the conservancy rules AND certain types of trees here can give off noxious gasses when they burn, that induces headaches and vomiting. Oh, the bush! 😊 The firewood they sell in the shops is pre-selected to burn cleanly by those who know their trees.

THE HOUSE:

This is Africa, so sometimes the electricity goes out, or the water  stops running and there is nothing I can do about it. Both of those are supplied by the municipality, which has its downside. The gas is from propane which runs the stove and heats the water. That is within our control, so any gas issues, let us know immediately.

For any questions or issues please text, call or WhatsApp me on 1 202 394 9852. Or, do the same with my property managers, Mike and Merle Bucknall, on 27 84 319 7300, who live in Marloth Park.

AIR CONS: There are aircons in the bedrooms only. There is a remote for each of the two aircons. Set them however you would like for your comfort. I usually find leaving them on low with both bedroom doors open keeps the whole house reasonable during the day. They actually function as heaters too on the RARE occasion that you might need heat! There are ceiling fans in all rooms.

ANIMALS: Feel free to put out pellets for the hoofed animals. There should be a bag of pellets in the store room. They love them, they are approved as a balanced and natural diet, and it’s a great way to have them up close to the house. Many of the animals will come up to the house on their own in any case because I have never frightened them. And they drink from the water hole. You will regularly see:
Zebra, kudu, impala, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog, mongoose, bush babies, vervet monkeys, baboons, ostrich, and plenty of birds and reptiles. (You should almost never see lion or leopard as they are supposed to be on the Kruger side of the fence, but always be cautious.) There are no elephant or hippo or crocodiles in Marloth Park.

BOOKS: feel free to borrow please don’t remove the reference books with my name in them. Any other books are on a take one/leave one traveler’s code.

BRAAI AND FIRE PIT: There should be wood under the braai when you arrive. Please buy your own wood after that (see #10 and #11 of house rules). Braai tongs etc. should be in the kitchen.

CLEANING: the house will have been cleaned prior to your arrival and will be cleaned after you leave, but during your stay it is your responsibility. If you want someone to come in and clean during your stay, let me know. There will be a modest additional charge.

COOKTOP: this is gas, and each burner will light if you press in the control. No need for matches. Oven is electric.

DISHWASHER: there should always be dishwasher cleaning capsules under the sink.

DRYER: it is in the store room, and you must move it to the main lounge to reach an outlet. Don't worry, it's light and easy to move.

FOOD STORES: you are welcome to take anything you find. We will start you off with a “starter” of a few necessities, and other guests may have left other things behind. Help yourselves. You will need to stock up otherwise. Please see “around the area” section for location of grocery and bottle stores.

FRIDGE: I leave the fridge on always. No need to worry about shutting it off at the end of your stay.

GARBAGE: please leave inside the house or take directly to the dump. The dump is just inside Gate #2, a few minutes from the house. There is no charge to dump any amount of stuff. They have decided to try recycling (YAY!!!) so keep your glass, plastic, and tins separate.

POOL: The pump and filter are automatically set so you should not need to do anything. The big striped pool towels are in the store room. The pool is cleaned at least once a week. Let us know if it needs an extra cleaning and someone will come out.

SECURITY: the security system is remotely unlocked and locked from the key remote. The front door is then manually locked and unlocked with the key. Please set the security whenever you leave the house, and lock all the doors and windows. When someone is in the house, you obviously can’t set the security system or every time you move it will set off the alarm. But I do advise to keep the doors and windows locked when you are inside, or even if you are outside in the back/pool area, lock the front door. FIELD SECURITY is my security company. They have an office in the Marloth Shopping Center that is open 24/7, and they patrol regularly. I once accidentally set off my alarm and they were there in 4 minutes. The telephone number for Field Security is 27 82 828 1043. There is also a panic button on the remote, which is the RED button.

STORE ROOM: lanterns, matches, flashlights (torches), candles, toilet paper, cooler box, etc should be in there if you need them.

WASHING MACHINE: it is in the bathroom of the second (2 single beds) bedroom. There should always be washing powder in the cabinet over the machine.