My weekend in Incheon

Last month, I got to spend three nights in Incheon, South Korea. I checked into the guest house on Friday evening.

It was a lovely house with two bedrooms. A Swiss tourist was in the second room. We arrived at the same time. The host showed us around. It’s a cosy, charming house.

The kitchen at King’s House.

Each room had a private bathroom. We only shared the kitchen and sitting area.

The sitting area.

I was tired so I just made a cup of tea. I still had a sandwich I’d traveled with from South Africa so I ate that, showered and then went to bed.

I woke up early on Saturday. It was cold but I went out for a walk as I wanted to check out the area.

It was supposed to be Spring, but the few people who were outside, had warm jackets and gloves on. I was a bit chilly, but I soldiered on. That’s the price you pay for an adventurous spirit!

The streets.

It was very peaceful. I liked the look of the place. After walking around for a bit, I went back for some breakfast. After breakfast, I put on warm clothes and went to explore my surroundings on foot.

Don’t spill…

There streets started to buzz a bit. I spotted foreigners which were far and few in between. I got stopped by the “cult recruiters”. I didn’t have the heart to ignore them like I’d seen other people do. I listened to their presentation about church. They then insisted on inviting me to the Sunday service. I gave them my SA number knowing very well that it wouldn’t go through. We then parted ways.

I saw people buying a snack from a food truck. I decided to join in as I am a fan of street food. I can’t remember how much it cost, but after one bite, I knew I didn’t like it because it was too sweet for me. It’s hot, fatty with the fruit jam filling. It tasted like igwinya with jam.

The sweet snack.

Before I knew it, I had been walking for hours. I liked the look of the place. It’s a bit tricky navigating it if you don’t speak Korean. A translation app is a must.

Anyway, I went out for solo dinner. I chose a Korean styled Chinese restaurant because it was closer to the guesthouse. I ordered noodles and the owner threw in a free snack!

My first soju ever.

I also had my first soju ever! I must say I don’t understand how people can drink it neat. It needs to be mixed with something and lots of ice! So, I did not enjoy it at all. I mixed it with water, but it was still too strong for me so I only drank half.

After dinner, I walked straight home as the cold was starting to bite again.

On Sunday morning, I went hiking. It was such a lovely hiking trail. I spent the first two hours by myself. It was safe. Later in the morning, I came across other hikers.

The sun was out.

It was my first time seeing a hammock at a hiking trail! It’s perfect if you are extremely exhausted – you can take a bit of time to recharge your battery! I rested on it as I soaked on some much needed vitamin D.

How cool!?

I really enjoyed the hike. There was also a coffee shop along the way as coffee culture is huge in Korea.

I really enjoyed my weekend in Incheon. It’s a beautiful place with lots of activities.

I got to catch the sunset which always brings me joy.

The sun setting over Incheon.

I went home tired and happy. I had managed to navigate my way around the city.

Next morning, the guesthouse owner arrived at 9:15am to drop me off at the airport. He’d brought me breakfast which was prepared by his wife. It was such a beautiful and kind gesture!

The exterior is seaweed stuffed with raw veggies.

That was my weekend in Incheon. I would like to go back and explore it some more.

Mistakes to avoid when traveling

Travel essentials.

“Travel. As much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life is not meant to be lived in one place.”

This is my motto when it comes to travel. However, traveling is not without its challenges. It requires a lot of planning and paperwork. As an organized person I don’t mind this, but there are some little things that can negatively impact your travel experience.

I’m sharing what I’ve learned so you don’t make the same mistakes.

Money
Personally, I don’t like carrying cash especially when I’m traveling alone. I feel safer when I don’t have any money on me. Blame it on living in a country with a very high crime rate.

Thanks to the advances of technology, I’ve become accustomed to cashless living. In SA, I hardly carry cash. I use my card to pay for goods and services.

Sadly for me, this didn’t work during my solo travel adventure. I learned the hard way that some countries, especially on the continent, still prefer hard cash.

I remember wanting a toilet in Zambia after crossing the border and they charged a small fee which I didn’t have! Luckily, a fellow traveler paid for me as she could see that I really needed to pee!
So it’s important to have local currency before crossing into any country. If you didn’t make it to the bank, make use of the cash exchange people at the border. Just be prepared to negotiate as they will try to shortchange you.

One time in Mpika, Zambia, I went out for drinks. When it was time to pay, I produced a debit card only to be told they only accept cash! I had to leave behind my sunglasses and go look for an ATM which wasn’t always easy to find.

Another thing, as you get into a supermarket, ask whether you can use an international card. I remember having to put back groceries (I was already at the teller) at Food World in Zimbabwe because they didn’t accept international cards.

Connectivity
This one really hurt. I’m a cheapskate so paying to use the internet really suck! It’s also partly because I’m used to businesses that offer free WiFi so I was expecting the same during my travels. Imagine my horror when lodges/hotels didn’t have free WiFi!

Usually when I travel, I don’t buy a local Sim card as I’d use free WiFi to communicate with people back home. In Tanzania, it soon became clear that WiFi wasn’t easily accessible in most places. I spent a lot of time looking for places with free WiFi.

One hotel, told me they only allowed people who had booked rooms to use their WiFi! I as someone, who wanted to have lunch and use the WiFi while waiting for my food, wasn’t allowed any access! I couldn’t believe it, but that was their policy. So I had to get a local Sim card so that I could connect with the people back home and for a bit of social media now and again.

This was such a culture shock because in SA we take it for granted that you can simply ask the waitress for the WiFi password while ordering a drink!

Accommodation
This one was a tough lesson. As a planner, I always make sure that everything is in order before moving from point A to B. When it comes to accommodation I always book and pay well in advance. This worked out well until I went to Mombasa, Kenya.

I had booked for seven nights. The place was lovely and reasonably priced. The problem started in the evening. They played loud music throughout the night. I was sleep deprived for a week! I couldn’t move out as I’d paid upfront. And the pleas for peace and quiet fell on deaf ears as they were making money from the disco!
The unpleasant experience taught me to only prebook for a night or two before deciding on whether I want to extend my stay after I’ve experienced the place first hand.

I know this is difficult for planners, but it’s better to keep your options open just in case your initial accommodation doesn’t tick all your boxes.

Passport

Lastly, we all know this one but sometimes we take it for granted. In the beginning I used to carry a copy of my passport with me, but after months of traveling without ever having to produce it, I stopped. Then one day I was stopped by Tanzanian soldiers for unknowingly trespassing! I was interrogated for quite some time and I didn’t have my passport with me! They had to drive me to where I was staying so I could show it to them!

Books

I read a lot. I prefer hard copies. I want to smell a book and there is something about turning a page. So it was no surprise that I’d travel with books. However, I could not carry a lot. Books are heavy. Someone suggested Kindle but I wasn’t about to sellout so I declined. Needless to say, I ran out of books after six months of traveling. I was kicking myself for being stubborn about Kindle. For weeks I didn’t have anything to read. It was tough. Finally, when I arrived in Cape Maclear, Malawi there was a whole bookshelf with so many great books. I could read again! Lesson learned. I’m definitely getting a Kindle for travel!

Do you have anything to add to this list? Please do so in the comments section.

The “Cool Drink”

So last week I crossed the border from Tanzania into Malawi. I had emailed three weeks before to make sure I would meet all the entry requirements.

By the way, Tourism Malawi is very quick to respond and very helpful. So I made my way to Malawi feeling confident of all the necessary paperwork.

At the Malawi border.

I arrived at the border just after 9am. I was directed to the Covid-19 desk for the antigen test.

In Malawi, you need to have a PCR test that’s not older than 72 hours and you will still be required to do the antigen test for free.

Anyway, after receiving my negative test results I had to get my passport stamped. That’s when a very grumpy immigration officer told me my results from Tanzania needed to be printed out. I had to walk to the Malawi side of the border to get it printed. It was hot. I was carrying a heavy backpacker bag and a backpack. I was annoyed but I had to do it.

Anyway, I came back a few minutes later. She was now less grumpy. I had to fill in a form and when it was time to stamp my passport she looked at the man behind me. When she saw he wasn’t paying any attention, she whispered to me, “can you buy me a cool drink?”

I was shocked. For some reason I didn’t expect this in Malawi. I told her I didn’t have money and I was thirsty myself!

That’s when she started working in slow motion. She paged through my passport. Asked about my age. I was really worried that she was trying to think of something to deny me entry. That’s when her supervisor appeared. He asked if everything was OK and she said yes. She stamped my passport!

I was so relieved and quickly went out. I have two questions. Why do immigration officials (some) always act as if they are doing you a favour when doing their job?

Secondly, when and where was it decided that a code name for a bribe is a cool drink? As an African, you know exactly what a government official means when they ask for a cool drink. Perhaps there was a conference where it was debated and voted that cool drink is the best way to ask for a bribe?

My 54 hour hellish bus ride

After spending two months in Namibia, it was time to move on. Next stop was Zambia. I booked a bus because flights were expensive and I don’t call myself a frugal traveler for nothing.

Anyway, booking was easy and it was quite cheap. I think it was just under R900. I was traveling from Rundu to Lusaka. The bus was meant to leave at 23:00 that Friday. It was late. We left Rundu at midnight. There was an issue with someone taking over my seat. She simply refused to move! The conductor tried but she wouldn’t budge. I, the seat owner, had to be moved to the front of the bus. Anyway, we left.

The ride was comfortable. I was enjoying myself until we were close to the border. The bus stopped. The driver informed us that the bus had run out of diesel! Imagine! How do you not check!

We were livid but there was nothing we could do. People started organizing lifts for themselves but us, who were going to Lusaka, had to wait because we still had a whole day of traveling ahead of us. Eventually a mechanic arrived – only to be told we needed diesel and not a mechanic! Oasis.com scores zero on communication!

After waiting, I was stinky, grumpy and angry, a Quantum arrived. It took us, we were a handful by then to the border.

Our luggage was loaded inside the taxi as there was no trailer.

It was an uncomfortable ride but we were happy to be moving. We arrived at the border. Dealt with immigration and then another bus arrived to take us further.

The Oasis sprinter that picked us up at immigration.

When I complained about having to take another bus, three Namibian students who study in Zambia, told me to be grateful because there were times when they had to cross the border on foot with their luggage. They told me horrific stories about the bus company’s bad service. They continue to be bad because they don’t have any competition. InterCape no longer runs in that route so there’s no pressure to improve.

We entered Zambia and soon encountered the worst road I’ve ever experienced. There were more potholes than tar. What should have taken us 1:30 minutes took us over four hours!

The road that left my body sore!

It was hot. We were sticky. We were hungry. It was the worst bus ride ever! Eventually, we arrived at the border town of Sesheni just around 9am. We were told to wait for another bus that was going to take us to Livingstone but it would only arrive at lunchtime!

I was beyond being angry. I was just trying not to pass out from the heat. We waited and the bus arrived at 2pm. We drove to Lusaka. When we arrived at 6pm we were told we’d be sleeping on the bus because they were not allowed to drive after 7pm. Sidenote: lesson to read up on country’s rules. Zambia introduced this law because there were many accidents involving wild animals at night. Anyway, we slept on the bus. The mosquitoes had a feast!

We left the next morning at around 4am. We drove to to Lusaka. We arrived just before lunch. I then found out that I needed to take another bus to get to Mpika but I had missed it because it leaves early in the morning! So I slept on another stationary bus for a second night. All the fellow travelers were gone by then. I was the only one who had to keep going. It was another night of being attacked by mosquitoes.

We left the next morning. So I only arrived at my destination on Monday! The bus ride was supposed to be 39 hours and it ended up being 54! I’m still traumatized by that journey!

What I’ve learned living in A Hostel

I have been living in a hostel for seven weeks now. I am no expert on hostel culture but I will share my lived experience thus far.

In the several weeks that I have been volunteering at this hostel, I have mingled with travellers from different parts of the world, people I would have never met in my everyday life.

In my ignorant mind, only certain people stayed at backpackers – boy, was I wrong! I’ve met students, medical doctors, scientists, hairdressers and travel bloggers. They all love hostels because of the communal living and of course, it’s budget travel.

One woman, who’s travelled to 148 countries solo, said she felt safer at hostels because there were other people around as compared to Airbnb for example.

I also clicked with some people. You really do meet your tribe while traveling solo.

Best place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just chilling.

I have also come to realize that Germans love Namibia because 80% of our guests are German. I am well aware of their colonial past. So that plays a huge role on the relations between the two countries.

Before I digress, I love how people as young as 19-years-old are traveling by themselves. It’s truly an amazing experience. I think traveling early on in your adult life is best as you have less responsibilities. Be that as it may, I know that not everyone has the privilege to travel straight after school. I’m the perfect example: I had to work for years, quit my job so I could have a gap year! So there’s no time frame, do it whenever you can.

We’ve all been told that travel opens your mind. It’s true. The people I’ve met, from Finland to Brazil, are truly open minded and always eager to learn about different cultures.

Lastly, as an introvert I am constantly reminded to open up to new experiences. I have been getting out of my comfort zone and I believe I will be better for it.

How to make friends when traveling solo?

Friends. Most of us have them and they enrich our lives. However, we are not always with our friends. For example, when on a solo trip, there comes a time when you want to meet new people. Go out to dinner or a stroll on the beach with another human being or even a group.

So how do you make this happen? I’m socially awkward so making friends doesn’t come easily to me.

Recently, I was lucky enough to be approached by a fellow solo traveler while walking on the beach in Kenya. We started chatting only to discover that we had so much in common.

The next day we made arrangements to go hiking together. The German picked me up in a motorbike. It was my first time riding! I was the passenger and I loved it. The breeze and the excitement of trying something new were enough to make me want to ride some more.

The mini-hike was good. We had coffee afterwards before going our separate ways. I must say I enjoyed the encounter, but I know I would not have initiated it… I struggle to approach strangers. Could I blame my mother for teaching me not to talk to strangers?

Anyway, as my solo adventure continues, I’d like to have many experiences like the one I had with the German. I know I have to be proactive and that’s the scary part.

Any tips on how to make friends when traveling solo? Hit me up on the comments section.

A day in Ponta du Ouro

After spending several days in Maputo, it was time to explore surrounding areas. I asked around and the locals suggested Ponta du Ouro.

A fellow traveler to Maputo, who had visited the place before, offered to go with me. We took a bus from the Maputo railway station. It dropped us off halfway. We then took a taxi, which turned out not to be roadworthy, so it took forever to get to Ponta.

It didn’t help that the driver and his conductor couldn’t stop talking. They were chatting loudly all the way. The journey was about two hours. The driver would turn around to chat with the conductor who was sitting in the next row. Everyone else in the taxi was quiet. People just wanted to get to their destinations.

The long journey to Ponta.

Eventually, we arrived at our destination. I was tired, annoyed and hungry.

We had to walk for about five minutes before we had a good view of the place.

The view made it all worth it.

The view calmed me down. The anger dissipated. I loved how tranquil the place was. It was almost deserted. 

The beautiful beach.

It was time for a beach walk. Which is one of my favourite things to do. I decided to head east.

Look at those houses on the hill. Must be nice.

After a while, it was time to find a restaurant. I chose A Florestinha Do Indico because of the pizza and ice-cream painting.

The place was empty.

As soon as we sat down, the hawkers came through. They had beautiful souvenirs. You could see the desperation in their eyes. The beach was deserted so they were not making any money. It was a sharp reminder of the impact of Covid-19 to the tourism industry.

A man trying to make a sale.

It was so sad to hear them recount how difficult life has been since the pandemic hit their shores. But they were hopeful that things would return to normal soon.

Beautiful handwork.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy anything. We only had enough money for lunch and the bus fare.

We stayed a bit: taking it all in. The locals were right. Ponta is beautiful.

Beautiful colours.

We then decided to leave as we wanted to catch the last bus to Maputo. We got it and it was faster than the taxi from earlier in the day.

Road tripping during a pandemic

In December I had an opportunity to go to Port Elizabeth, also known as the Windy City, for the first time ever. This was at a time when the Nelson Mandela Bay was the epicentre of Covid-19 in South Africa.

Any sensible person would have chosen to stay at home, but we are talking about someone whose obsessed with travel. After spending the most part of 2020 indoors due to the nationwide lockdown, I squealed with delight at the thought of an eight-hour road trip.

We left at 4am because we wanted to arrive by midday.

Sunrise on the N2.

We made a great playlist which is a must for a road trip. We also have a tradition of Choc Stix. We never buy them just nje but for road trips they are our thing. So we had to hunt them down a few days before the trip. For some reason, not many stores stock them. Anyway, I digress.

Are we there yet?

The journey was a breeze. We arrived in PE just after 1pm. My first impression was that PE was actually bigger than I had imagined it.

We made our way to Summerstrand. We had booked The Gate House via Airbnb. Nick’s place looked like it did in the pictures – which was a relief! Because we know some people use pictures that were taken 20 years ago and you can imagine the disappointment.

One of the two bedrooms.

On arrival, we were screened. The place was neat and cozy. It’s a two-bedroom flat with a super fast internet in a very quiet neighbourhood. It’s about a 10 minute walk to the beach. You can also walk to restaurants and shops.

The cozy kitchen.

The lounge.

As a host, Nick was fantastic. He was really helpful. He had great suggestions for outdoor activities but, we had to turn him down because we were on a working/holiday so work had to come first.

On our first night, we stayed indoors. It was pizza and Netflix. On the second day after work, we explored a bit. We walked to the Boardwalk.

Entering the Sun Boardwalk.

It was almost deserted. Many shops had shut down due to the epidemic which means an even higher unemployment rate. Covid has really wreaked havoc especially on small businesses.

A very empty boardwalk.

It was great that everything was within walking distance from our accommodation.

I think this was closed due to lockdown regulations.

On the third day we went to Stanley Street – thanks to Zodwa, who acted as our tour guide during the trip. The street had a hip vibe. People were out and about socialising while looking fly.
We went to The Boardroom. It’s a place that’s owned by lawyers. I loved the concept.

The Boardroom in Stanley Street.

There was just us, a group of four, and another group of five. So we felt a little safe. I know you can never be sure but hey it feels a bit better when the place is not crowded.

The place feels like a study.

The place looked really expensive but it was quite affordable. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

You can brush up on your understanding of the law while sipping on wine.

How cool is this rustic table?

For dinner we moved up the road to Salt. The weather was lovely so we chose to sit outside. The service was good. I really enjoyed my vegetarian curry. From our table, I had the perfect vantage point for people coming in and out. Let me just say, PE has beautiful people!

On our last night, a local took us to a beautiful restaurant on the beachfront. I completely forgot it’s name. The place was stunning and big. People were enjoying themselves despite the howling wind outside. So I definitely had a glimpse of the Windy City.

Going home.

Our stay in PE was only four days and we had to be cautious due to Covid-19 so we didn’t get to explore as much. I’m definitely looking forward to a longer stay to do so much more. My heart ached a little when we drove past Tsitsikamma. It’s one of the places I’d love visit in the Eastern Cape.

Anyway, we made it back home safely. We didn’t show any signs of Covid on our return. I’m thankful our spontaneous (read: reckless) decision did not backfire.

A day in St Helena Bay

Recently, we spent a day in St Helena Bay in the West Coast, Western Cape, South Africa. The plan was to go to Tietiesbaai, but one wrong turn from Paternoster and we found ourselves on the road to St Helena Bay. It wasn’t a train smash as we’d never been to the town before.

We went on a Monday because we wanted to avoid weekend crowds. We arrived mid-morning. On a beautiful sunny day. Social distancing wasn’t an issue as there were few people/tourists in sight. We started off at a housing development. Dreaming is free, right?

Construction workers were hard at work. Few new houses have already gone up.

The view for the new houses.

We then decided to have lunch. A local suggested a Portuguese place down the road. We went there. The sign said it was open, but when we got to the gate it was closed.

Alegria Restaurant serves Portuguese cuisine with a Mediterranean flair. But don’t quote me on that!

We then drove back into the town. We saw a sign about specials at Die See Ster Kombuis. We decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a quaint restaurant/cafe. They didn’t serve any alcohol which was quite interesting.

How cute is this set up?

We ordered drinks and enjoyed the view. The food was really good and affordable.

Cheers and check out the view.

I loved the decor. And the staff were friendly.

We didn’t get to try their cakes but they looked delicious.

After lunch, we decided to explore the harbour. There was no soul in sight. You could hear workers inside some of the buildings, but outside it was just us. We enjoyed the breezy afternoon without a care in the world.

The deserted harbour.

A fishing boat.

The town is quite small so you can explore it in a day. There are few restaurants, arts and craft places and the beach.

These suitcases took me back to my childhood. I had one in my first year of school!

The locals were quite friendly while keeping their distance in order to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.

If you enjoy small fishing towns, St Helena Bay is worth a visit.