Tag Archives: ocean

Philippines, Travelinds

Turtle Point and Virgin Island

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22 January 2014

Balicasag Island

Part of our snorkel tour included a couple of hours at Balicasag Island (off the coast of Bohol).  We started out with snorkelling and then headed on to the deserted stretch of beach in front of the island lodge to wile away a few hours of sunshine.

Balicasag Island has a tiny local population most of whom thrive off the tourism to the island by selling trinkets and running the small local food stalls where tourists can grab a bite to eat.  There is also a lodge on the island which looked quite peaceful. It is a very small island and you could walk around it in under an hour. There are shallow reefs right off the beach which means you have to take a boat out to the drop-off to be able to snorkel.

This is, of course, another money grabbing scheme (not only to ‘protect the reefs’) because you need to pay a local boy to take you out to the spot on his tiny boat.  He supervises you and then returns you to the shore where you can go back to your original speedboat.  We had to pay the boatman to take us out to turtle point (he rows) in this TINY two man boat (three of us) against a very strong current. Interesting, and fun.  And we were happy to be supporting his monumental efforts at transporting at least 160kgs of us to the Turtle Point.  It didn’t look that far, but it took a long time to row out there.

The snorkelling choices here were one of three places (we could do more than one if we paid an additional fee per snorkel spot). We chose to go to “Turtle Point” as it seemed the least likely spot to be filled with boatloads of tourists. As we had hoped, we were the only ones snorkelling there, probably due to the very strong currents that abound off that particular point.  H held on to the boat for a while to try and stay in one place longer to admire the underwater beauty and R managed to read the currents a little better.

The main thing is that we actually swam with turtles, H for the first time, and we saw at least 15 turtles altogether.  It was super exciting! Turtles are really the most graceful creatures and despite looking like slow-pokes, it was impossible to keep up with them. It was an amazing experience!

Virgin Island

Virgin Island

The next stop on the island hopping tour was Virgin Island (it’s nickname only) and this was truly one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen.  White sand and the bluest water colour of any bay I’ve seen around the world – it is so difficult to describe that clear-sparkling-blue-cobalt-turquoise-perfection!

The island has no shade whatsoever, so take suncream, hats and sarongs to cover yourself.  You can walk across a shallow sandbank to a mini island with a few mangrove trees.  Be careful, the sun is hot and the walk is way longer than it looks! Dodge the sea urchins and marvel at the beautiful pansy shells and starfish that lie strewn across this stretch of sand.

It was the perfect place to end the day with an afternoon snack of bananas and bread rolls our well-deserved reward for reaching the other side of the sandbank. Stunning!

Thailand, Travelinds

Patong Beach, Thailand

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24 September 2013

For our last night in Thailand we decided to go and see the famous Patong beach area.  We stayed in Kata to avoid the crowds so, to get there, we took a 20 minute taxi, through Karon, up to Patong.

As expected, Patong was just crazy from the first moment.  As we entered the Patong area, our taxi had to screech to a halt to wait for two elephants to cross the road! Yes, you read it right, two live elephants carrying tourists back from their day trips!

As we drove down the road, a little further, we passed a Cabaret show (with ladyboys (very convincing transvestites) of course.  Then, as we rounded the corner to the beachfront, we were suddenly at a standstill in congested traffic which, continued all the way around the beach ring road.  We hopped out and headed into the crowds to see what we could find.

The first fantastic discovery was a bargain clothing wholesaler where everything was about a third of the price of any other store we saw in Phuket.  Had we known this at the time, we would have bought a whole lot more!  But we did manage to pick up a few things.

We headed over to the beach to see the last of the daylight disappear but not before we had watched a paragliding company giving rides (of 5-10 minutes) to a large handful of tourists.  Everytime the parachute returned to the beach, the two handlers managed to unclip the person, reset the harness, secure the next person and then push off for another run; all in only 10-20 seconds! Absolutely unbelievable! The one handler also tags along for the ride so that he can guide the parachute in the right direction.  He is not even strapped in.  He jumps up, swings himself up into the ropes and then hangs on during the ride.

Getting hungry, we ventured back onto the opposite side of the street to search for a restaurant.  Distracted by a few more clothing stalls and became more expert by the minute at palming off aggresive salesman.  We eventually hit the main party district in Patong.  Lights, noise, sex and booze everywhere.

Picture the madness. Salesman everywhere pushing their wares into your face.  Lights flashing and music blaring from the hundreds of bars on the strip.  Advertisements and flyers everywhere about ping-pong shows which are not really about ping-pong at all. Ladyboys enticing you into the bars, clubs, cabarets and other forms of entertainment that can be found in this place. “Make you a suit sir?”, “Like iguanas, here take photo – and give me 100baht”, “Come, bar good ladies”, “Happy hour here, best price, come come”…

An eye-opening experience to say the least. The exhausted travellers retreated back to the quiet hotel in Kata a couple of hours later. As a last farewell, we chose a taxi with our own flashing lights and disco music to take us back home.  Awesome!  I think this may just have been the highlight of my evening.  Wind blowing through my hair, lights flashing, music pumping and four of us bopping as we sang the few lyrics we knew of the dance music all the way back to Kata.

Patong, you are forever seared into my brain with your colourful lights and your craziness!

Thailand, Travelinds

Kata Beach, Thailand

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09 September 2013

We had a short stopover in Phuket for only 2 nights.   We chose to stay at Kata as this is known to be the quieter of the three main beach areas (Patong, Karon and Kata).  The beach itself was so different to those in Phi Phi with big waves, slightly coarser sand and, believe it or not, more people.  There were even ‘no swim’ zones due to rough currents.

We enjoyed a (windy) afternoon stroll on Kata beach and also a morning tanning session the next day.  It was a slightly quieter vibe here and even though it was difficult to swim because of the very high Spring tide, we still enjoyed a few dips to cool off.

The excitement of the day was when R helped save a lady from the rip tide which had pulled her out to sea when her and her boyfriend were swimming in the ‘no swim’ zone.  Even though she had passed out and collapsed from exhaustion by the time they got her on to the beach, she was fine and recovered with oxygen and lots of rest.

The wave house just next to the beach was very cool and reminded me very much of the Gateway wave house in Umhlanga, South Africa.

Kata had a huge selection of restaurants, hotels, shopping areas and travel agents. There is also a buzzing taxi industry taking tourists between Patong, Karon, Kata, Old Phuket town and the Phuket port and airport.  Our taxi from Phuket port (from the Phi Phi ferry) took at least an hour to Kata which was not bad considering the heavy traffic.

The ClubMed Kata resort spans almost the full length of the beach front which means that anyone staying in a resort behind this has to go around in order to get to the beach on either end.  We didn’t mind the walk though! So many interesting things to see in this little beach village.

Thailand, Travelinds

Karon Beach, Thailand

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06 September 2013

We visited Karon beach for only one day as part of our two night stay in Phuket.  The famous snake/dragon statue greeted us as we jumped out of the taxi and the long, sandy beach beckoned to us to come and enjoy this beautiful beach.

The long, sandy beach hid the number of visitors well as there was enough place for everyone to feel like they were actually alone on the beach.  Most sources say that Karon is 4km long and it is also wide enough to give you a sandy or grassy spot to escape rising tides.

Our day was very relaxed, a little swimming, a little waboba for the boys, tanning, sleeping.  We also were happy taking advantage of a vendor for a new bikini at only 150baht – WHAT A STEAL! She was part of the many who (conveniently) constantly walked up and down hoping for business for anything from eats to clothing to hammocks.

I hope to return someday to explore a bit more – I think a few early morning runs on Karon beach would be just the best way to start a day before exploring the rest of this lovely place.

Thailand, Travelinds

Day trip to Phi Phi Island

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01 September 2013

We did a day trip from Aonang to the Phi Phi islands. A surprisingly short trip from Aonang on the speedboat, we were spoilt with great weather and beautiful scenery, as promised on the brochures.

The tour took us to all the major tourist spots around the Phi Phi islands and included lots of swimming, snorkelling and beach time as we’d hoped.  Unfortunately and unavoidably we also had to contend with many tourists piled onto many boats and crowding the viewpoints.  Expect this, in even greater numbers during the high season.

The spots where we explored were Maya bay (‘The Beach’ movie location), Pileh bay; Monkey beach and Viking cave on Phi Phi Leh; Tonsai beach on Phi Phi Don; 2 very nice snorkelling spots and the last stop at Bamboo Island before returning to Krabi. All locations provided many exquisite photo opportunities and a chance to take a dip to cool off.

The beautiful sunny day ended with a 30 minute thunderstorm that came out of nowhere, drenched everybody in the speedboat, caused an embarrassed passenger to be sick overboard and then, magically disappeared. The joys of travelling in the rainy season in Thailand. Definitely not enough to dampen our spirits after a fantastic day tour though.

Maya Island Bay
Maya Island Bay
Thailand, Travelinds

Krabi Four Island Tour

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17 August 2013

Amazing day enjoying a “Four Island tour” in Krabi, Thailand, including a longtail boat, snorkeling, sunshine, beach time and plenty of photo opportunities!

Krabi 4 islands tours
Krabi 4 islands tours

The Four Island tour took us from Aonang Beach to these lovely stops:

1. Seal island

This limestone cliff stretches out of the water near Poda island and makes for a good snorkeling spot. Beautifully clear water.

2. Poda island

Stunning! The snorkeling right off the beach was beautiful, there are limestone cliffs in the sea like on postcards and there are ’ Langkawi’ eagles soaring at the top of the cliffs. Fine white sand and turquoise water made for fantastic photo quality too!

3. Chicken island and Tup island

Very nice water quality, fun sea path walk/wade between the two islands, lots of shady nap spots and great scenery for photos.

4. Phranang cave

Interesting, busy, beautiful and impressive. Highlight definitely the cave and sheer limestone cliffs with of varied colours and textures. Phranang beach is far more beautiful than the popular Railay West and East beaches.

The Final Take on Four Island Tour

We’re not usually prone to taking touristy tours if we can help it. However, after some local research and weighing the other options, this one seemed like a good way to see the islands and have a day of snorkeling. As it turned out, it was so worth the 300 baht!

If you don’t mind a few boats in one location at one time, you’ll be okay. We’d recommend the Four Island tour to anyone who is spending a few days in the Krabi area. If you’re wanting a more relaxed day out on a boat and a chance to really take in what the ocean has to offer here, this is a good opportunity to do so.

4 Islands Krabi
4 Islands Krabi
Aonang Beach Resort
Aonang Beach Resort
Krabi
Krabi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philippines, Travelinds

6 Days in the North of Cebu

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29 July 2013

Snorkeling, sunrise over Malapascua, mangrove paddling, massages, some boys climbing a tall palm tree to steal baby birds from the nest, great food, flying fish, pool bar and bussing through Cebu — wow!

Did Travelinds love Cebu in the central Philippines? We absolutely did. Here’s why our six days on this island was one of our best trips yet.

Day 1

After overnight flights through Manila, Travelinds flew into Mactan airport on Cebu island at sunrise. Tentatively, we made our way to the north bus terminal in Cebu City, based on some sketchy directions.

After a few minutes of checking things out at this busy location, we found ourselves taking part in pass-the-tourist games with competing bus companies. Eventually, we settled on an air-conditioned bus to Daanbantanyan toward the north of the island.

A four-hour bus ride in 35 degrees Celsius and with 90% humidity outside was a breeze. It turned out to be much more comfortable in an air-conditioned bus. Fortunately, the fare was only about 20 pesos more than the regular bus (only ZAR4 more!). So, we arrived at Virgin Beach Resort cool, calm and collected.

Day 2

We chilled, swam and then went on an hour-long kayak paddle by the resort. The flat, blue ocean was incredible.  We were actually searching for snorkeling spots along the coast but only managed to find some pretty scenery and a few mangrove swamps.

After lunch, we found a comfortable hammock and socialised with two American tourists. We also played battleships as we watched the afternoon thunderstorms pass by.

Day 3

We decided to travel up to Malapascua Island, which is off the  very northern tip of Cebu. The locals advise taking the calm ferry from Maya port that was only 30 minutes from our accommodation.

After some negotiations with local boat captains, who were trying to get as much as they could out of the small group of tourists wanting to hop over the bay, we made our way to the small island. The ferry ride included seeing these amazing flying fish all along the way —bonus!

Once we reached Malapascua, we met a charming local hotel manager who promptly convinced us to check out his place. We hadn’t pre-booked anything, as usual. His kind manner and persistence paid off, and we booked into Malapascua Legend, his beautiful resort with a rather magnificent swimming pool.

That first day on the island, we enjoyed a one-hour full body massage in our airconditioned room for only 600 pesos. We also had ‘Fish Tropicana’ at La Vida restaurant nearby, a dish of fish fillet cooked in coconut milk with lemon grass and topped with fresh pineapple pieces. So delicious!

That particular restaurant had beanbags and love nests right on the beach by candle light every night. It also has an upstairs balcony for those rainy evenings. The restaurant manager, a friendly gentlemen from Denmark, was so efficient and professional that it was hard not to notice. That’s not something we’d come across yet anywhere on Cebu.

Day 4

Mostly, we spent the day lounging around the poolside while looking at the bay a few metres beyond. We enjoyed the morning rain while we had our American-style breakfast. How long it’s been since we’ve had REAL bacon!

We also found a lovely lunch restaurant with all meals at only 95 pesos. This time, we enjoyed mango banana pancakes, thick mango shakes and yummy fresh veg and pork in coconut milk.

That evening, we headed out to find Happy Hour cocktails and dinner, so a very relaxed island day in all.

Day 5

At about 7am, after taking some lovely sunrise pictures, R inadvertently stepped on a log sticking up and was injured. It was bleeding quite a bit. He needed a trip to the island doctor — luckily there was one — to clean the wound properly and bandage up his foot.

Other than that, we spent the day relaxing at the beach and the pool. We needed to start researching accommodation for our last night in Cebu.  That way, we’d have a place booked when we reached Cebu City. The 30-minute ferry ride from Malapascua  followed by a five-hour bus ride down to the airport felt like a big ask after such a relaxing few days in the sunshine.

The Last Day in Cebu (Until Next Time)

After a very long day of travelling back down from the very north of Cebu, we reached Cebu city. We had decided to stay at Pacific Cebu resort on Mactan Island in Lapu-Lapu. Then, after a restful night, we flew back home to carry on working a little — before another vacation.

Malapascua

South Korea, Travelinds

Discovering Hagampo Paradise

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June 2013

On 6 June 2013, South Korea celebrated Memorial Day. The celebration remembers all those who died in military service. To enjoy the break from school, as well as take advantage of the start to a beautiful summer, Travelinds headed to Hagampo beach in Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do.

A Beach Worth Seeing on the West Coast of South Korea

From our house, it is a drive of about 1 hour 30 minutes, and we we were not disappointed. This West coast beach is beautiful! When we arrived, the beach itself was almost deserted, despite it being a public holiday. It welcomed us with clean sand, blue water and an island to explore at low tide on the one side. On the other side, there were some rocks to clamber over. What a gem it is hidden in this Taean National Park site!

Hagampo

Finding a shady spot on the far side of the beach, we settled in for the day like good South Africans do.  Why not? There was perfect weather (about 26 degrees Celsius), a slight breeze to keep us cool, sunshine, peace and quiet and even a few South African snacks left to keep us fed (acquired on my recent trip back home!). All in all, it was an absolutely perfect beach day not too far from our tiny apartment!

Lunch Around the Corner from Hagampo Beach

After a nice, quiet time to relax on the beach, we needed to find some lunch at about 3pm. We ventured into the small village made up of mostly small restaurants, tiny shops, a camping area  and guesthouses (called pensions). Eventually, without really reading anything right because it’s all in Korean, we settled on some mool naeng myeon (물냉면). This is a summer-only noodle soup containing kimchi, radish and fresh veg — with big pieces of ice in the soup. So refreshing after a hot, sweaty beach day!

We even watched the day end with a beautiful sunset over Hagampo at 19.50pm. Then, we headed home.

Memory Maker on Hagampo Beach, Taean

We can’t leave it at that without mentioning the highlight of the day! On this particular trip, it was seeing a group of seals — yes, real and wild ones — swimming up and down in the bay! You read that right, living and sea-wild seals right there in the Yellow Sea of Korea.

We love animals of all kinds, so we went over to another family on the beach and asked them if they had seen the seals. We also wanted to check that we had the right name for them: mool-gae. Mool (물) means water and gae (게) means dog. The direct translation is “water dog,” which makes sense I guess.

The other family looked at us as if we were absolutely crazy. They said, “No! No animals. No animals. Barrier.” They had pointed to the “net barrier” that was about five metres off the shore. Is that supposed to be a shark net of sorts? We laughed heartily, and promptly drew their attention to the actual seals playing about 25 meters offshore.

It was great to see the amazement and disbelief on their faces. They slowly realised that these Westerners were not, in fact, crazy. They, too, really saw the seals swimming in the bay.  The lady looked so shocked and said, “My first time to see this! Thank you!”

Wow! Nature-loving South Africans educating Koreans about their local sea-life? It was a proud and happy moment.

Travelinds recommends visiting Hagampo for all who love the beach, nature, forest walks and camping. It’s a perfect spot, and there are quite a few other beaches along this same coastline. If you have a car and want to explore, the Taean coastline has over 30 beaches, including Mallipo beach, which is over 3km long. This one is still on our must-see list!

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