Tag Archives: paradise

Oribi Mom

Oribi Mom: Trying To See the Light During Loadshedding

“Just another day in paradise.”

PHOTO BY PIXABAY

October 7, 2023 

It was just one of those days today. Work ran late, spanning through three loadshedding sessions. I crawled into bed at about 11.15pm after showering in the dark. My baby woke up for the third time, his snotty nose making the feeding difficult for him. I could see his grazed eye and face by the moonlight, where he had launched himself onto the concrete earlier. Learning to walk is hazardous.

Down the passage, one brother was snoring like an elephant and the other was coughing again. It was so loud it just about drowned out the Scops owls and nightjars that have been calling so loudly since spring came around. The annoying roof rats are even louder at the moment.

Sleep Isn’t Easy When the Kids Are Sick

I slept on and off, but the baby was restless and the brothers were too. Then, at 1am, the baby’s cough got a bit worse. He vomited all over himself and my feather duvet.

I was so tired at this point that I just stripped him, threw the duvet on the floor, and found a blanket to crawl under with him. I would have chucked everything into the washing machine, but what good would that have done without power for the next two hours.

Only, it wasn’t two hours, or the regular four hours we’ve been having; it never came on. We woke up still in the dark three hours later with the whole area without power. No morning rooibos. No explanation.

There’s Power and Comfort in Community Life

A few residents managed to log a call before 7am, which was when the next four hours of load shedding was due to start. That puke duvet was still on the floor with the clothes and the normal pile of washing.

The fridges were off. The cellphones were almost flat. And the work day had started with laptops and Wi-Fi routers that couldn’t charge.

The baby and his brothers are still snotty. And the baking we did for school (between load shedding stints) was left behind in the confusion of the morning. That meant a turnaround and a little person very late for school.

But we did get him to school.

The dogs and kids are fed.

The sun is out.

And a certain van for electricity repairs has been spotted in the area.

There are also a few baked goods left to reward us for enduring all our challenges this week. We’ll make it to the weekend.

Published here.

Oribi Mom, Travelinds

Oribi Mom: Back To Paradise and Still Captivated

“If you ever go there, be sure to leave time for a long walk.”

Oribi Mom at Mabibi in iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

August 3, 2023

It’s been three years of this COVID stuff, with two sons arriving amid the chaos. With all that’s happened, we’ve also had to postpone a holiday we’d planned for July 2020.

Instead of COVID lasting a few weeks, it was still around the next year, so we didn’t go in 2021 either. Then, Boy Number Three made an entry in 2022. And now, here we are, with a one-year-old, his two brothers, and finally a three-year-old booking we have been able to actually use.

A Special Place for Our Growing Family

The place is a very special one for us as a family. It’s where we met 22 years ago as starry-eyed teenagers. It’s also where he proposed to me six years after that, when I was finally old enough to get married. So when we go, there’s always some history to it.

But it’s truly a gem of a beach destination on the North Coast. It’s the type that is beautiful just the way it is. It doesn’t need amenities to cover up litter or dirty sand or cloudy water. It has pristine soft white dunes, crystal clear water, and kilometres of space with not a soul in sight. Perfect.

Beautiful Beach Hours Above and Under the Water

The snorkellers in our little group saw rays, crayfish, lionfish, and all sorts of other interesting things in the water. The beachgoers admired the performing whales constantly passing by. And I found five turtle nests, marked by the dried eggs fanning out from the exit point on the dune. Super exciting.

In twenty years, not much has changed there except the popping up of a very exclusive lodge right below the campsite. The camp has also erected three little cabins with canvas walls, giving us the option to have our own kitchen and shower. It’s glamping compared to the outright campsites, but just as immersive in nature.

I like the cabins with small children, but we let the bigger boys camp for two nights just to have the memories. The kids also hopped around from campsite to campsite, visiting their cousins and friends who came with us for laughs, toasted marshmallows, and lots of sand castles. They even found some of the endemic bird species in the area, saw giraffes right on the main road, and watched the sunsets over Lake Sibaya. They heard the bushbabies and elusive Green Malkohas too.

Hopefully, they’ll always remember it as the best beach ever. That’s how we think of it. If you ever go there, be sure to leave time for a long walk. You might just find one if the giant cowries my love used to propose to me all those years ago. Best ringholder ever.

Published here.

Oribi Mom

Oribi Mom: No Wedding Video To Show Our Sons

“If we had invested in a professional videographer that day, we could have shown our sons what their parents, aunties, uncles and other friends looked like.”

The reward of reaching 15 years with three kids and a full memory bank has been worth it so far.

October 1, 2022

Many of you may already know that it sometimes pays to go through your cupboards and boxes. All three boys are transitioning into the next clothing size and I was taking a hands-free 20 minutes to fold laundry and sort things out.

When the piles of clothing were finally back into the right spaces, my eyes fell on a shoebox right at the back of the shelf. Oh yes, Mom brought that over a few months ago and I haven’t had a chance to look in it yet.

As I opened it up, I realised it was a few things from my childhood room; some wedding invitations, a photograph or two; printer’s tray items. How sweet to remember the little ornaments I spent so much time looking at and playing with as a girl. Too delicate to pass on to rough and tumble toddler boys just yet, though.

Look Closer at the Memories for Treasures

As I scanned the items, I saw an envelope with a single name on it in my handwriting. Who is that? Let’s call him Ben.

I only remembered one person by that name – a boy in my primary school. I didn’t remember ever writing him a letter, so I opened it. Three R100 notes fell on the floor! And as I read the note, it became clear.

“Here’s something to say thank you for taking our wedding video. Hope 2008 is a wonderful year for you!”

Oh, that Ben.

The one who offered to film our wedding almost 15 years ago. The friend who never arrived.

Still Frames in the Mind Are Treasured, Too

That’s right, we don’t have a wedding video to remember our very special union at 21 and 23. Those fresh-faced young people in the photographs are captured in still frames only. Their sincere voices and excited celebrations are a distant memory now.

Wedding guests didn’t have smartphones to capture clips of the day. There wasn’t even WhatsApp.

“Car trouble, sorry,” the message said as we were dressing for our long-awaited big day.

We’d dated for six years and were finally old enough to tie the knot. As we stood overlooking the ocean and said our vows, only the guests and gulls bore witness. We signed papers and we beamed at the prospect of what the future might hold for us.

Guests swam between the ceremony and the reception to stave off the oppressive January heat. Speeches and friends’ songs made everybody cry and laugh. And then, we moved on with our lives.

Maybe We’d Do It Differently But Time Doesn’t Rewind – Enjoy the Moments!

Maybe if we had invested in a professional videographer that day, we could have shown our sons what their parents, aunties, uncles and other friends looked like and how they sounded at the start of something beautiful.

Thankfully, we’ve invested more wisely into marriage. Love takes work, but the reward of reaching 15 years with three kids and a full memory bank has been worth it so far.

And, now we have some cash to go on a well-deserved date night one of these days to celebrate. Happy early anniversary to us.

Published here.

Malaysia, Travelinds

Mataking and Timba-Timba Island

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07 February 2015

tumblr_inline_n40p17q3WL1rg4d7lMataking Island

Mataking Turtles
Turtles popping their heads out of the smooth turquoise water off Mataking Island.

 

The Mataking Island day trip was by far our favourite of the three days spent snorkelling off the coast of Semporna, Borneo.

With its long white beach and crystal clear turquoise water, it is just like something out of those romantic movies in tropical paradise.    Just the two of us, on a white beach, under the shade of a tree, looking out over the cobalt water lapping on the shore…
We saw a large number of fish and other sea life, including barracuda, stone fish, colourful varieties of parrot fish, turtles and weird looking tiny things.

The colours here are truly spectacular and this is definitely one of Travelinds’ best places in the world to snorkel and to swim!
We spent time on the beach after lunch while the divers rested and could see the turtles popping their heads out of the water every few minutes (to breathe).

 

 

 

 

 

Timba-Timba Island

Mataking

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to Semporna, we went to the Diver’s Delight snorkelling spot off Timba-Timba island and saw so many turtles here!

It was really exciting for me as I had not had much experience in swimming with turtles, even while snorkelling in Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand!

It was a truly spectacular snorkelling day and we flaunted the sunburn to prove it!

See more about Scuba Junkie here.tumblr_inline_n40p3uXy3t1rg4d7l

 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia, Travelinds

Semporna

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04 February 2014

Semporna is a very small city on the south eastern border of Sabah, Malaysia Borneo.  It is home to a wide range of cultural groups including Filipinos, Indonesians and Chinese Malaysians.  It relies on palm oil and tourism to sustain its economy.  It is best known for its association with some of the world’s most beautiful diving and snorkelling islands that lie just off the coastline.  Check out Travelinds posts on the gorgeous northern islands off Semporna’s coast – Sibuan, Mabul, Mataking and Timba-Timba.

First impression:

Upon arriving at this town via express bus, we were surprised to find a dirty, poorly maintained town with litter, water leaks and sorely evident poverty.  The overall vibe here was so different to that of other charming cities we had visited in Sabah and our sixth senses seemed to kick in to high alert.

Tourist attractions:

The only reason to visit Semporna is to use the town as a stepping stone across to the vast underwater beauty of its stunning coastline and surrounding islands.  Scuba Junkie are the dive operators of choice in Semporna.  The islands also boast fantastic white sandy beaches that rival the Tip of Borneo.

Getting here:

We took the Dyana Express Bus (from Sandakan MYR 40, about 6 hours, airconditioned, fairly comfortable).  The Dyana express bus terminal is only a ten minute walk down to the waterfront and boat jetty so the town is pretty small.  You could also take a taxi or intercity bus from Tawau (where the domestic airport is located), or an express bus from Kota Kinabalu.

Accomodation tips:

We stayed at City Inn (right next to the Dyana bus terminal, ten minutes walk from the jetty) for only MYR60 per night. It was clean, quiet, more reasonably priced than backpackers and comfortable. Trip Advisor reviews seemed a bit harsh for the value for money of this hotel.

Staying in Semporna and doing the dives/snorkel trips from there is highly recommended because it generally works out a lot cheaper than staying on Mabul Island.  There are also quite a few restaurant choices on the waterfront (unlike on Mabul Island) so this helps keep the budget in line.

If you are diving at Sipidan, however, you have to stay on Mabul Island or at Kapalai resort (this is usually arranged a little while beforehand though as things get booked up quite quickly).

The advice from a local dive instructor was that it was not really worth the money to stay on Mabul Island (no swimming beach, few restaurants, pricey accomodation) unless you were really into diving at a few of the exclusive spots.  For regular snorkellers/divers, like ourselves, it worked out better to stay in Semporna and take trips out to the islands every day.

Bus booking tip: 
If you are too tired or lazy to walk up to the Dyana bus terminal and book your tickets, there was a waitress at the Scuba Junkie restaurant who also does bookings for the bus from there.  She phones, books your seats, takes your cash and issues your official ticket. Helpful when it is the end of a long day of sunburn or passed office hours.
Thailand, Travelinds

Looking for Secret Beach in Phi Phi, Thailand

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26 August 2013

A Secret Beach? Yes please.

After reading Travelfish’s blog post called Koh Phi Phi Beach Getaways, we decided to try and find this “Secret Beach” while we were on Koh Phi Phi Don. It sounded simple enough to follow the instructions — walk here, turn there etc. However, in the end, we were glad to have taken along some lunch, water and gear on this “short hike.”

Secret Beach 1
Coastline road after Sunflower Bar

Find Phi Phi’s Secret Beach

We began the journey by leaving from Phi Phi beach. This was from Loh Dalam Bay, the one on the opposite side to the main port of Tonsai Bay. We headed towards Sunflower Bar as directed.

The tide was at its highest, so there was not much beach visible at all in the direction we thought we were going in. The instructions said to walk past Sunflower Bar on the back road. So, we headed over the bridge and kept along the coastline road up quite a steep hill.

The instructions then said to find a small path beyond the thatch buildings, but this seemed somewhat impossible with all the new construction happening. Someone was building a whole new resort here. It’s understandable, as the traveller had written the blog two years before.

Navigating these buildings with care, we reached the top of the hill and found ourselves in the middle of a new resort. We had to turn around. It was only when we got about half way back down the hill that we found our route to the Secret Beach — maybe.

1272314_10152368036841992_1365437797_oSecret Beach Hunt: Updated Instructions (and Some Tips)

As at August 2013, here’s how we got to Secret Beach on Phi Phi Don in Thailand:

  • Head up the steep hill after Sunflower Bar. Be sure to look for a left turn about midway up the hill.  For us, this left turn was sign-posted by a small “Phi Phi Sea Sky” sign, nailed to a tree.
  • Head through a well-hidden pathway on the left. At the time, this path went between two building constructions towards the beach. Let it take you parallel to the beach.
  • Look for signs to Sunset Bay and Sunwaree Resort. Somewhere along this path to Secret Beach was where Travelfish mentioned that “a road appears out of nowhere.” It did, quite literally.

Note: We never did come across the 10 foot high rocky ridge that Travelfish mentioned. Maybe we missed something.

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Secret Beach 4
The rugged coastline at high tide.

Once you’ve located this path, keep to it. You’ll be walking alongside the ocean until you reach Sunset Resort.  Here, we headed down towards the beach and turned right to keep going along the coastline.

At this point, we started walking on the rocks and sand. At low tide, it might have been possible to walk the whole way to Secret Beach over rocks. However, at high tide, we had to go back up onto another steep pathway into the grass.

Keep Going: Secret Beach in Sight

Up the hill, we passed a sign that said, “Tonsai bay 20 minutes Phi Phi Outrigger.” When we reached a small Thai shack at the top of the hill, there was a meditating monk. We tried not to disturb him and carried on down another small path to the beach. There was a swing in a tree here!

Swing in the tree
Swing in the tree before the coral-covered beach

We clambered over some rocks at the bottom to get onto a coral-covered beach.  We had been walking for about two hours, mostly on the cliffs and pathways.

Just after the coral-covered beach, we breathed a sigh of relief. At last, we found Secret Beach. Of course, it only really opened up once the tide subsided. Then, it was absolutely beautiful! As described by our informative Travelfish guide, this discovery was so worth the tedious hike!

Finally! Time To Cool Down On our Secret Beach and Enjoy Phi Phi Don

We were the only people around and enjoy ourselves snorkelling, picnicking and relaxing in the shade provided by the only small tree on the beach. With so many cowries and other interesting shells to be found, time flew by. Reluctantly, we headed back to the main beach later that afternoon.

On the way back to Loh Dalam Bay, the trip was about a million times easier. We knew our way, so it was much quicker. Plus, it was low tide, so we could walk most of the way on the sand and rocks rather than going on and off of steep pathways or through the bush.

Do you only have a few days in Phi Phi? Make this a day trip for some great photo opportunities and some exercise.

Happy exploring!

Travelfish Phi Phi

Check out the original blog at Travelfish – Best Beaches in Phi Phi.