Tag Archives: beach

South Korea, Travelinds

Jeju-do Roadtrip – Part 2

26 July 2014

Jeju Island, South Korea

tumblr_inline_nclsgwf0tT1rg4d7lThe second night of our road trip, we stayed at a pension on the West Coast of the island – in Korea, ‘pension’ refers to a self-catering holiday flat or room, usually with a kitchenette.  We had almost driven right around the island from Woljeong-ri in the northeastern corner, past some stunning ocean views, to the southwestern corner of the island.

Travelinds found a pension called Madangdol Pension and booked in for a night. It looked out over the dark blue ocean crashing on to volcanic black rocks – amazing!

There was a Heuk Dweji (Black Pig) restaurant down the road from the pension and enjoyed a scrumptious Korean-style braai, seated on the floor of a restaurant whose only other customers were some rough looking fisherman and farmers from the area. If the owners were surprised to find two random waygooks in their establishment, they didn’t show it.

Jeju Island Black Pig
Jeju Black Pig Barbcue

At the pension, there were only three other guests (a mother and daughter who were on vacation with the daughter’s new boyfriend who was a university professor and the designated barbecue chef for the family).

Travelinds shared some South African biltong and cider with them, they shared some of their barbecue with us; and the evening ended with us teaching them how to play a couple of card games and chatting about life and travel dreams. What fun!

The morning came too soon and we were on our way once more. Heading back up north towards Jeju City.

Jeju

South Korea, Travelinds

Jeju-do Roadtrip – Part 1

25 July 2014

Jeju Island, South Korea

Art House
Art House

This summer, Travelinds did a roadtrip to Jeju Island – South Korea’s ‘Maldives’ and a popular honeymoon destination for Koreans. There were four days (Monday to Thursday) to explore and decided it would be more fun to go over on the car ferry with our dear old Kia Sephia.

We stayed three nights and chose the hotels as we went along. From Jeju City, we drove around the whole island going east first and driving along the 1132 Coastal Highway.

We stopped the first night at Woljeong-ri and stayed at “The Art House”, a charming bed and breakfast with pension rooms also available.

It was only a short drive from Woljeong Beach with its beautiful turquoise sea, sandy beach, giant energy windmills and only a handful of tourists. The Art House is on Agoda.com – see the reviews on TripAvisor here.

Woljeong
Evening swim at Woljeong Beach

At Art House, we met up with a couple from Spain who were touring Jeju without a car and more importantly without any knowledge of Korean. We offered to drop them off along the way to our next destination so that they could explore before heading back on the local 700 bus.

Woljeong-ri
The drive along Woljeong-ri (on Jeju’s north coast)
Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak
Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak

We dropped them off at the UNESCO Natural Heritage site called Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak) to hike the volcanic peak with the hoards of tourists spilling from tour busses. With a sore ankle and suffocating heat (or was is crowds?) as an excuse, we declined the hike, took some sneaky pictures at the museum that made it look like we had touched the mountain and headed off down the coast in our air-conditioned car.

Pyoseon Haevich beach, low tide.
Pyoseon Haevich beach, low tide.

Next stop was the south-eastern corner of Jeju at Pyoseon Haevich Beach and Jeju Folk Village. The beach was lovely for swimming, but not so lovely for tanning as the whole bay is covered in water during high tide resulting in permanently wet beach sand, even at low tide. Most people hire those silver picnic mats and umbrellas (Korean style) and sit on these for a bit before retreating from the sun.

The only bikinis were H and a couple of other Russian tourists that were frolicking in the shallow bay – full body wet suits, long sleeve rash vests, big hats, fully clothed swimmers, tubes, umbrellas and loads of whitening suncream reminded us that we were still very much in Asia.

Jeongbang waterfall.
Jeongbang waterfall.

We looked in at the Jeju Folk Village but decided against going in as we had run out of time and it was time to drive on to our next hotel on the west of the island.  On the way, we managed to stop at the Jeongbang waterfall for a quick snack of Hallabong (a famous Jeju tangerine with protruding stem, sweet and delicious) and a mini photo session.

TIP: The GIANT Mosquitoes at Jeongbang are permanently hungry and really dig in when they find a weak spot; like feet, legs, arms or even faces.
Jeongbang waterfall.
Jeongbang waterfall.
South Africa, Travelinds

“South Coast” KwaZulu-Natal – I <3 South Africa

Destination: “South Coast”,

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Description:

The “South Coast” as it is fondly known by local Natalians is the southern coastline of KwaZulu-Natal, dotted with endless beaches, that stretches from just below Durban all the way down to Port Edward. Everyone you speak to may have a different opinion on which beach is the best to visit, but this probably depends heavily on where their annual family outings and summers were spent.  Wherever you choose to go, you are sure to find long sandy beaches and good waves for surfing (and from mid-December to early January, a boat-load of visitors that escape the cities and head east for a beach holiday around Christmas every year).

Tourist Must-sees:

  • Pennington, Scottborough, Hibberdeen, Uvongo, Margate, Ramsgate, St Michael’s and Leisure Bay are some of the more popular beaches among local holiday-makers.  These are generally very busy in the summer months and you will usually find life-guards, vendors and tourists here between October and April.
  • Some lesser known beaches that are just as beautiful, but less busy, are: Winkelspruit, Pumula, Southport, Southbroom and Munster.
  • Lake Eland – a game reserve, restaurant and wedding venue – is also a wonderful day out for the whole family, especially on those occasional rainy days during the summer months. Go on a safari, take in the stunning views of Oribi Gorge, take a zip line tour, brave a walk out over the impressive gorge drop and eat a great meal, South African style. This is an especially sentimental place for me personally, as quite a few of the family’s and our friend’s weddings have happened here!
Photo credit: www.margate.co.za > close up Hibberdene to Port Edward
Photo credit: www.margate.co.za > close up Hibberdene to Port Edward

My favourite beach:

One of my favourite beaches is Southport, mostly for sentimental reasons, but also because of the lovely swimming bay and the wide sandy beach for tanning and beach games.  It also has a small shady park in front of the only restaurant where you can picnic or braai (this is the South African word for “barbecue”).  There is also a very nice restaurant a short walk up the road from the beach, called Castaways, that has a great menu.

Hungry?

MacBananas (a farm stall) has some of the best pancakes, shakes and lunches in the area. It is a definite favourite with the South Coast locals.

If you don’t mind waiting in queues during the December holidays, the Waffle House in Ramsgate also has a wide selection of savoury and sweet waffles – think along the lines of “Banoffee”, “Chili Con Carne” or “Fresh Strawberry.

Fish on the River (Port Shepstone) is also a hidden gem when it comes to seafood, especially fish and chips. Sit on the deck and look out over the river or enjoy the nautical decor in the breezy interior.

Fun facts:

“Vaalies” are what the locals call the hoards of holiday-makers that come from the Northern provinces (Gauteng, Freestate etc), which stems from the old provincial name of “Transvaal” and has stuck over the years. (Aside: You may not want to use this term when talking to an actual “Vaalie”, unless you’re a good sprinter or know kung-fu.)

P.S. It is always good to remember that safety comes first, so: swim where the lifeguards have designated, watch out for riptides, keep an eye on your belongings and wear sun cream at all times!  A little caution goes a long way to ensure the happiest of beach days.

Check out more posts about South Africa here >> *I <3 South Africa*

South Africa, Travelinds

Tsitsikamma, Storms River Mouth – I <3 South Africa

Destination: Tsitsikamma

Eastern Cape, South Africa

Description

Tsitsikamma National Park is one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in South Africa and it is situated on the world-famous Garden Route.  TsitsikammaIts rolling green hills, sheer cliffs, wild oceans, fascinating wildlife and rugged beauty are simply breath-taking; Mother Nature at her finest.Tsitsikamma

 

Tourist Must-sees

In the National Park itself, there are camping facilities, chalets, hiking trails, picnic spots, a bird-watchers paradise, plenty of wildlife and the rugged sandy beaches that belong to the earth, not to tourists.Tsitsikamma view

There are also amazing sight-seeing opportunities in the nearby areas of Storms River Mouth and the village, Nature’s Valley, Plettenberg Bay and The Crags.

The Big Tree, The Otter Trail, Robberg Nature Reserve and Birds of Eden are some of my favourite spots in this area.

 

Attractions range from the highest bungee-jump in the world at Bloukrans to the five-day beach hike on the Otter Trail, this place offers adventure-seekers a multitude of thrilling endeavours.

 

There are also a number of acclaimed restaurants nearby.

I especially recommend De Oude Martha in Storms River Village (a short drive from the Tsitsikamma Reserve). There are also other interesting places like Canopy Tours, Monkeyland and the Elephant Sanctuary to make for a great day out with the whole family.

 

Tsitsikamma is also a perfect setting in which to relax and enjoy the sunsets, or do some serious whale-watching and stroll along the green pathways alongside the dark blue coastline.

My favourite place

My favourite place here is at the Tsitsikamma National Park at the Storms River Mouth Rest Camp. There are cute wooden cabins here, perfect for a romantic getaway, where in fact we enjoyed a very romantic spring break in October 2011.

Otter TrailMemory Bank:

We walked a little way along the Otter Trail to reach the famous waterfall pool, seeing antelope, cormorants, whales, dolphins, seagulls, baboons and kingfishers along the way. Then followed a lunchtime picnic followed by a cool swim in the tannin-coloured waters below the waterfall before heading back along the trail. A little way before the camp, we found a secret rock pool below the path where we enjoyed a dip in the refreshing waters; dodging the bunch of sea urchins on one end of the pool.  Such an amazing day!

Fun facts:

  • Whale-watching Season: June to November
  • Climate:                                 Temperate Coastal Climate – The wettest months are May and October, and the driest are June and July.

Helpful Resources:

Booking website: Tsitsikamma National Park (SANPARKS)

Recommended Tour Agent: Imvelaphi Safaris (her name is Jeannette and she is a vibrant, knowledgeable and professional entrepreneur who will provide you with an awesome tour package).

Check out more posts about South Africa here >> *I <3 South Africa*

 

Malaysia, Travelinds

Jainnes Apin – Celebrity Chef

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15 February 2014

On a trip to the Tip of Borneo (Simpang Mengayau) in Sabah, we were privileged to meet Chef Jainnes Apin.  Fellow travellers at our lodge recommended the restaurant to us not knowing the name of the restaurant or the chef, but said the cuisine was excellent and worth the short walk up the hill.

The restaurant is called Merrimas and is part of the Merrimas Villas complex at Simpang Mengayau (Tip of Borneo).  The menu is varied and delicious and, in fact, we returned a few nights in a row to sample a few more scrumptious dishes from their menu.  The pan-fried fish (red snapper) and a variety of the ‘set dishes’ were top quality Rungus cuisine and reasonably priced compared to the few other restaurants along the Tip of Borneo.  The quality and presentation of the food was head-and-shoulders above any other restaurant in this area.  Since we enjoyed our meals, we asked to meet the chef and that is when we were introduced to the talented and humble celebrity chef, Jainnes Apin.

He introduced himself as Chef Apin, “but you can call me Jainnes.”  He is a charming man with a passion for preserving and perfecting the Rungus cuisine in particular; it’s evident that his cultural Rungus heritage was of utmost importance to him. It was lovely to be able to enjoy his cooking on the Tip of Borneo, get a taste of the Rungus cuisine and culture, and to hear some of his interesting stories.  One of his family members was sitting at a table doing some of the intricate beadwork for which the Rungus of Borneo are so famous.

Chef Apin, keep up the great work!

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo Accomodation

14 February 2014

After a week at the Tip of Borneo, the following accomodation in the area seemed worth a look. Since not all seemed to be available for online booking, Travelinds thought they’d mention a few options to those looking to spend a couple nights in this beautiful place:

1. Tommy’s Place (mid-range, email booking)
  • We stayed here for the 5 days and loved the vibe of this chilled out lodge.  The food was decent (breakfasts were delicious!), it’s right opposite the beach, ten minutes walk from the Tip of Borneo monument and lookout, managed efficiently and generally clean.

    Tommy's Place
    Tommy’s Place
2. BorneoTip Lodge (mid range, email booking)
  • Right next door to Tommy’s Place, wooden bungalows and a lovely pool seems to be in the making (a long way from finished though).  Popular with bikers going up to the Tip for the weekend. Also right across from the beach and ten minutes walk to the Tip of Borneo.
3. Merrimas Villas (mid to high price, online booking available)
  • Beautiful villas here and it is right on the tip. five minutes walk down to the beach. Great restaurant (see blog on Chef Jainnes Apin) and friendly staff.
4. TipofBorneo Villas/bungalows (mid to high price, phone/email booking)
  • The last lodge before the tip itself. Seemed like simple but comfortable bungalows (different sizes available) but mid to high prices. Cheapest beer at this restaurant. Five minutes walk from the beach.
5. Tampat Do Aman (Howard’s) (mid range, online)
  • This seems to be the most well-known (well marketed) lodge in the area with its rungus-style longhouse and rustic living experience. The information is available on their information website and you can read more in the menu of Tip Top restaurant (Howard’s) while you are there. http://tampatdoaman.com/

This area is largely untouched with hardly any urban development noticeable. It provides a great base to relax, enjoy the beach, swim, surf, explore beautiful local beaches (with absolutely no people to crowd out the long white stretches) and just enjoy a bit of an authentic Sabah experience.

It is so worth the trip!

Tip of Borneo beach
Tip of Borneo beach
Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo Restaurants

13 February 2014

 

After spending a week at the Tip of Borneo (Simpang Mengayau), here is Travelinds’ take on the few restaurants in the area:

Ranked at number 1:

Merrimas Villas Restaurant – try the fish dishes (all of them) and enjoy the reasonably priced “set menu” especially the “fish ginger.”  Read Travelinds’ piece on Chef Jainnes Apin – the very talented chef at Merrimas whose quality food was most certainly the best in the area.

Contending for overall second place:

Tip Top (Howard’s) against Tommy’s Place restaurant.  Both serve a very similar menu, both are priced about the same. Nothing unique about the dishes, presentation or prices but it did the trick.

Last place:

Borneo tip lodge restaurant: A menu similar to Tip top and Tommy’s, but so many mosquitoes, bland food and very, very slow service.  Pricing the same as Tommy’s and Tip Top.

Breakfast spot:

Tommy’s Place offered a great breakfast menu (highly negotiable and can be suited to your preferences). We had oats with hot soya milk, fresh fruit, toast with jam, coffee. There were also eggs available (omelettes etc). A much better variety (price and nutrition) than most other places we stayed at in Sabah.

Cheapest beer:

Although we didn’t eat here, we did find that the restaurant that is the closest to the Tip itself (I think it is called Tip of Borneo resort/villas resto) had the cheapest beer out of all the restaurants (RM 5). We went here for the gorgeous sunsets and we enjoyed a beer as the sun went down on Simpang Mengayau.  It is on the other side of Merrimas Villas, closest to the Tip itself.  Although, if you pick up a bag of trash and do your part in cleaning up the Tip’s long white beach, you can get a free beer from Tip Top Restaurant – so it’s up to you!

In reality, the food is NOT the important part of a holiday to this part of Sabah.  It’s a place of such beauty that it is the perfect place to just relax and unwind! But Bon Appetit!

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo

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12 February 2014

 

Simpang Mengayau, the Tip of Borneo, is often described as the most beautiful place in Borneo itself.  On the map, it is the tip of the ‘left-ear’ of the Sabah ‘dog’ and is the northern-most point of Borneo itself.

Tip of Borneo

What is there to do?

This is the perfect beach destination.  You can do nothing but relax. Read, sleep, sunbathe, walk along the 2km beach, explore on your rented motorcyle, eat local food, read some more, sleep some more and swim in the warm South China Sea.

Getting there

The Tip of Borneo is about 3 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu (Sabah’s capital city).   There are a few different ways to get there but after chatting to a few tourists along the way, each method is a bit of trial and error and doesn’t always work out exactly as described in the brochures.Tip of Borneo

By Car – hiring a car from Kota Kinabalu and driving up is possible. We met someone who did this (at RM90 per day) but ended up stranded that night as the car died and nobody was able to assist until the following morning. It is only a three hour drive, scenic, but with potholes and roadblocks along the way.

By Bus – there is a ‘big’ local bus once a day (sometimes) which can take anywhere between 3 to 6 hours. It costs about RM 30.  You take a bus from near the ‘Shangri-La Motel Bus Stop’ (it is behind the city hall, it is NOT the express bus stop on the beach-side of the city hall).

By Taxi – a taxi from the airport (and back) would be anywhere between RM 250 to RM 350 depending on your negotiation skills. For four people wanting to only do a day trip, this might be worth the cost to have a personal driver.

Tip of BorneoBy Shared Taxi – This is the option that we used and it went very smoothly both ways. From Kota Kinabalu, go to the same place as the bus stop (above) and find a shared taxi (5-7 people). It costs RM30 each and you have to wait for the taxi to fill up before it will leave. We waited no more than an hour for both trips to and from Tip of Borneo.  Beware of unlicensed taxis.

In Kudat, you go to the centre of town, there is a waiting place there with shared taxis which take longer to fill up than in Kota Kinabalu (you need to get transport from Tip of Borneo in to Kudat town to catch this taxi – we paid RM20 each for our lodge to drop us there).Tip of Borneo


By Plane – this seemed like the quickest option for some travellers that we met. But you still need to take a taxi/hotel shuttle between the Tip and the airport in Kudat. Flights could be found cheaply and the small plane experience is apparently very scenic and gives impressive views of the mountain and the northern bays.

You can also apparently fly from other cities (Sandakan, Tawau etc) to Kudat, so this is definitely worth a look if you are coming from the south of Sabah and don’t want to take the inevitable route in and out of to Kota Kinabalu.

Check out some places to stay here and restaurants in the area here.

Tip: Make this a stop in your itinerary – it is worth it, if only for the stunning coastline and magnificent sunsets.Tip of Borneo

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

Tip Top – Tip of Borneo

05 February 2014

Tip Top restaurant is right on the beach road of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau (the Tip of Borneo).  It is also known by the names Howard’s or Tampat Do Aman restaurant.

It has a very relaxed beach vibe; sandy floors, wooden benches, bean bags and some chilled out tunes playing in the background.  There are also some books to read and a lot of locals and tourists to chat too.  The food is competitively priced with the rest of the area and there are some local dishes to try like ‘Hinava’ – raw fish marinated in citrus juice.

Inside the menu itself, there is a whole stack of information about the owner’s many business ventures, the sustainability focus and many community projects.  There are so many ways that you can get involved in projects in the Kudat area through either volunteer work or donations; like turtle conservation, beach clean ups, volunteering in the local community, survival courses etc.

Personally I was very impressed with the detailed explanations of the different projects that are currently up and running in the area.  I hope to get involved in some of these in the future.

Enjoy!

Check out more information on Tip of Borneo restaurants.

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tanjung Aru

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30 January 2014

Tanjung (Beach) Aru is the long, flat beach between the Kota Kinabalu International airport and the Sutera Harbour.  It looks out on to the four islands off the coast (Manukan, Sapi, Mamutik and Gaya island).

We spent one morning here just sunbathing, reading and swimming; and then left after lunch.  It was a lovely, quiet place, although the sand looked a little dirty (oily) in some patches. The water was surprisingly clear and from the amount of people swimming, didn’t seem to pose any health threats.

There is also a small park with benches and places to picnic. The one or two restaurants on the beachfront seemed reasonably priced and good enough for a lunch on the run.

Getting here:

  • Take (big) Bus Number 16 from Wawasan Bus Terminal.
  • MYR 1.50 each, ask for Tanjung Aru beach.
Note: There is a small bus (minibus) 16 that also goes to this area, but it drops you at Tanjung Aru town, not at the beach. So it is about a twenty-five minute walk to the beach from the town bus stop.