Tag Archives: bus

Oribi Mom

Oribi Mom: Nice Neighbourhood for Nature’s Best

“Hopefully, I’ll still be running when my boys are big enough to join me in our beautiful part of the world here in Oribi Gorge.”

PHOTO BY PIXABAY 

October 11, 2023

I finally got back to managing a 10-kilometre jog the other day. My last one was about four years ago. That’s two babies ago, depending on how you look at it.

It’s amazing being able to run in my home neighbourhood with almost nothing but farmland, birds, and wildlife.
The occasional tractor and friendly farm worker pops up, too. But mostly, it’s just me and the sky, dotted with cane fire ash and gliding vultures.

The clouds sometimes blow way over my head faster than I’m jogging, which isn’t very fast. I even saw flying guineafowls this time after a taxi scared them out of the grass. Like the hadeda, they like to scratch around by the water catchments on the side of the road. I love their distinctive sounds and comical waddling.

Lots To See in This Wild Kind of Neighborhood

On a previous run, I’d seen about six hadeda ibises fly down from a pole and chase away a water mongoose. It ran off into the cane before I could get closer. They’re really huge, at least a metre long.

My quiet runs on the tar are quite different to the crunchy farm roads I usually use. You can actually feel the vehicles coming before you see them. There are vibrations, then a kind of whining sound, and then a whoosh as it zooms past.

The UGU bus is the scariest vehicle to have coming up behind you. It’s very loud. Though, the huge cane trucks can be, too. I always hope for the best as I try to jump to the side, praying that me stepping into the long grass isn’t going to be me stepping onto a puff adder. You never know, even in winter.

Jogging Alone? That’s Perfect for Now

My baby son is not at all interested in spending time with me out there in his pram. I’ve tried a few times. All I got as a thank you for the adventure was a screaming child.

At least running alone means not having to push the big pram up the steep parts. Maybe, when he’s big, he will run with me and try to catch the water mongoose and laugh at the doves giving the jackal buzzard the beady eye.

I’ll show him the monkeys stealing cane and the pairs of stone chats guarding their perches every few metres. Hopefully, I’ll still be running when my boys are big enough to join me in our beautiful part of the world here in Oribi Gorge.

Published here.

South Korea, Travelinds

Yeonginsan, South Korea

01 October 2015

Yeonginsan Natural Forest ( 영인산자연휴양림) is about twenty minutes from Asan.  It is a reserve for hiking, picnics, camping and outdoor activities, popular for school outings, families with young children and hikers.  It is stunning in spring and autumn and has lush green scenery in the summer.  We’d imagine winter would be very pretty in the snow, but hiking in the cold and snow is not our idea of fun!

A ten minute drive from our apartment in Dunpo, it’s an easy morning out if we feel like some exercise with a view.  It is a course that lends itself well to all levels of hikers.  It is possible to walk to all the major points from the central area and back to the middle again, or from point-to-point in a circuit if you’re a more serious hiker and require more of a challenge.

  • Cost:

    • 1,000 KRW pp for Asan or Cheonan residents
    • 2,000 KRW for others

  • Parking:

    There are parking lots below the mountain, at the entrance to the reserve (where the swimming pool and chalets are) and further up near the education centre and cable car.

    • [We usually park (for free) at the bottom entrance to the hiking trail and walk up the 2 km to the central picnic area, passing the ticket booth on the way.]

  • Bus:

    There are two bus stops in Yeongin-myeon, the Middle School stop (영인중학교 1979(아산)) is closest to the hiking trails, but the Nonghyup stop (영인농협 637(아산)) is just a few minutes further.

    • From both bus stops both, if you carry on walking up the main road towards the mountain, you will come to the beginning of the trail on your right. (It’s opposite the dirt parking lot)
Yeonginsan
The bus stop in Yeonginsasn.
Next up:
The following weekend, Travelinds ventured out to Bukhansan National Park in Seoul – a more challenging hike than Yeonginsan.
South Africa, Travelinds

A bus from Johannesburg to Gaborone

16 February 2015

Johannesburg has treated us to a fine stay with the family we love.  Today we took a trip up to Gaborone, Botswana for a night, to see the old folks and catch up with a beloved aunty. Since we were short on time and had been living out of suitcases for a month already, we decided to try a ‘luxury bus’ instead of the InterCape as we had heard about this option.

We found the Flight Connect bus on the internet and decided to try it. It claimed a 6 hour trip, with on-board WiFi, directly from the bus station at O.R.Tambo International Airport to Gaborone, Botswana.  To us this seemed a reasonable package for the price offered and we booked our tickets through email.

The office (in Botswana) was very prompt in replying to us with a booking number and indicating methods of payment (cash or credit card) and ensuring that we knew where to go. We got to the airport and then headed to the bus terminal, which is directly behind the Intercontinental Hotel, outside arrivals.  The bus was on time and our names were on the list. We made the payment for our return ticket when we arrived in Gaborone.

Tips:

  • There is a bathroom on board and it is clean, but rather bumpy.
  • The bus stops at the border, you jump out and go through immigration and then WALK THROUGH no-mans land (not too far) to the next border post and jump back on to the bus on the other side of the border. Don’t be alarmed when the bus is not there as you come out of the first immigration building.
  • There is WiFi on-board but no charging stations so take a fully charged battery with you.
Travelinds, Vietnam

Hue, Vietnam

13 August 2014

Hue, Vietnam

Imperial Fortress
The Imperial Fortress is full of dragons, depicting power.

Hue, the epicenter of ancient Vietnam and previous capital city. Home to the Imperial Fortress, Royal residences, pagodas, tombs, the Perfume River and so much history of war and destruction.

Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go and see the ‘garden houses’ and I’m sure this would have been a great place to see Hue’s historical beauty preserved by patriotic, caring citizens.

Hue was definitely one of the most interesting places that we visited in Vietnam.  The local cuisine is truly unique and delicious too; I would definitely consider the food as one of the main attractions in this city!

Bicycle Culture

Hue was well worth a trip, especially if you like historical and cultural aspects of travelling.

It is small enough to cycle around (we hired bicycles from our hotel for $2 per day) and there are so many little places to explore, including some local entrepreneurs at street stalls, quaint shops and interesting restaurants.

We stayed at The Canary Hotel ($18, big clean rooms, air-con, nice view higher up, lovely breakfast on the 7th floor overlooking the city).

The staff were really helpful here with planning activities and the rest of our trip to Hoi An.

There is a bus that comes right past the Canary hotel for $5 pp to take you to Hoi An (we made a day trip out of it rather for $12 pp and went on a private van through Lang Co, Hai Van pass, Marble Mountain Danang, to Hoi An).

Hue Night Market
The night market was fascinating. These handpainted pictures were one of the things we bought (for about $1)!The night market was fascinating. These handpainted pictures were one of the things we bought (for about $1)!

 

TIP #1: Ask your hotel about the night market (between the bridges) as this was a highlight for us (it was a Friday night, local market not aimed at tourists, great buys and interesting things to see and do).

 

TIP #2: The traffic is still a little crazy in parts but you get in to the swing of things and people seemed generally patient with tourists on bicycles and motorbikes. The Thien Mu Pagoda was 3 km out along the Perfume River road and it turned out to be an awesome cycle from the Imperial City to the Pagoda and back to our hotel (about 10 kilometers total).  Plus, Hue is relatively flat so cycling on creaking bicycles without gears is not too difficult.

 

TIP #3: When we visited the Imperial Fortress, we didn’t realise that we couldn’t cycle around inside the paid area (about 105,000 VND per person to enter the purple “forbidden” city), so be prepared for a lot of walking, in the hot sun! Take water, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes here to make the most of the experience. The Purple city ticket also provides access to the museum just around the corner from the exit. There are places to park your bicycles close by, which the hotel can indicate on the map (only a small fee for a whole day’s parking).

Check out more information on Vietnamese Food, Vietnamese Trains and Hoi An.

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.
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.