Travel Archives - Page 10 of 15 - Living Our Sunshine with Susann Deysel

April 11, 2017 3 Mins Read

The perfect holiday plan for Zanzibar

I’m going to shock you, make you want to climb in my suitcase and cry because you will be stuck in the middle of winter when I’m soaking up some sun – just keep reading.

Zanzibar here I come!

My husband’s birthday is coming up and to celebrate we are going to Zanzibar! We loved our island holiday in the Maldives so much that we wanted to do it all again – but somewhere different and close…and not Mauritius.

We are staying at a very basic hotel right next to the water. We just want to sleep in the beach bungalow and the rest of the time eat, drink, swim and go on excursions. We aren’t those people that sleep off a babelaas until after lunch – we are out and about. Sometimes it is me dragging a sleepy husband out of bed to take a swim and walk around with a camera or it is husband wanting to eat.

I travel lightly…

This is the shocking part of my travel post – I only travel with carry-on luggage! I can pack for a 10 day holiday in a carry-on suitcase and take everything I need and come back with souvenirs.

I heard gasps of disbelief and jaws hitting the floor…

It is true, it takes some creative packing skills and planning to pack for a holiday in a small suitcase, but it takes away the stress of the airline “losing your suitcase” and you not having clothes. In my mind, that makes perfect sense.

I make packing lists – and I promise you, I have not forgotten a single thing I wanted to take. It is the best planning tool.

What am I most excited about?

Taking photos! Lots of photos will be taken. I want photos of Dhows sailing, some Masai etched against the blue water and Zanzibar doors.

I am also excited about the day we will be spending on a dhow sailing to 2 islands. I might get sea sick but I will take so many photos of that dhow it will look like the best thing I’ve ever done.

Then we are also going to Stone Town because I have this obsession about doors and photographing them with my Instax camera. I am drooling over photos of these Zanzibar doors and my husband has quietly resigned himself to his fate.

The water… I love the sea. I can stay in the sea for hours. I love to swim and luckily so does my hubby. (Have I ever told you that my hubby was a surfer in Ballito when he was younger?)

The only thing I hear my husband mumble is crayfish, seafood, swim – make it happen…and I will make it happen – in Zanzibar!

April 10, 2017 2 Mins Read

Apply for your Passport and ID online in South Africa

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to any service provided by the government, I want to run for the hills. Service is with a sour face, slow and at best barely registers on a scale of acceptable – and let’s not even go down the road about how the grime just stares at you from chairs, desks and biometric equipment!

Well, last week I realised that my passport will no longer be accepted for travel, I only had a month left before its expiry. Sigh! I still remember the queues at home affairs from last time, the frantic search for the right forms and how I felt like dousing myself with Dettol to get rid of whatever I may have picked up from the equipment…

Then I remembered, I can now do the application online and go to FNB for biometrics! No more home affairs! OMG, it was a breeze. I completed the form online for both my ID and passport, made the appointment at FNB Sandton (on WEST ST, Merchant Place), paid online and received an SMS with my appointment information.

On the day I arrived at FNB, sat for 5 minutes before being called and VOILA!, I was done before I broke a sweat. That was on a Friday. The following Tuesday just before 3pm I got an SMS to say my ID is ready for pickup! The Friday morning before 9am another SMS – my passport is ready! Quick service like this is totally unheard of from a government run anything – right?

Where to find this magical portal to home affairs bliss:

https://ehome.dha.gov.za/echannel

Remember, this is a government website and as such they optimise for usage on Internet Explorer. They also say that you have to print out your completed application – not true, I tried everything to print out the document and finally just gave up and arrived at FNB without. Turns out, they didn’t need it.

On this site you can:

Submit applications online
Upload supporting documents
Make online payments
And schedule a booking to visit a Home Affairs enabled Bank offices

You can also complete the form online and then go to a home affairs to do the biometrics – because the enabled banks (with home affairs officials) aren’t everywhere yet.

February 13, 2017 1 Min Read

INSTAX Door Project Update

I don’t know what I’m enjoying more – taking photos with the Instax Mini 8 or taking photos of the Instax photos. Finding the doors also makes me happy and seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they see the photos is just such a nice feeling.

When I first started thinking about doing the project I had a vague memory of my parents’ old Instamatic camera – and a few photos from my childhood. Then I got the Instax Mini 8 and it just gelled. The camera attracts attention and I get to take unique photos.

First there was the mosque in Midrand…

Then there was a wonderful pink door at Sherbet Angel Spa.

This was followed by 2 doors from Limpopo – Big Baobab Pub door and green door from the Pioneer House.

…and this was followed by the door of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.

I think I have finally mastered the Instax Mini 8 camera 🙂

I am going into Joburg city soon to capture some of the historic doors that make up this vibrant city. It is going to be epic!

February 6, 2017 3 Mins Read

Explore the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria #INSTAX

I will never be the person that says my BAE or it is AF something or ON FLEEK. Those aren’t real words – and I like my words. I do however like to use words like WANDERLUST and Lekker. (Now those words are mos lekker, jy weet.)

Back to this wanderlust thing…

Pretoria is just over the river past a few hills, but actually going there requires a shift in driving habits, remembering to speak Die Taal in shops and restaurants and relaxing (we Joburgers are different, we are always switched on).

Pretoria has 2 of my favourite architectural beauties, the Union Buildings and Voortrekker Monument. If you give me a day and a camera I will come home with hundreds of photos of these two places.

Just the other day we popped over the border to the Voortrekker Monument (again) and it took away my breath (again). No matter how many times I see this marvellous building, I get goose bumps. Its sheer massive presence dwarfs everything I have seen anywhere else in the world. It is such a strong building that tells a story so passionately and beautifully.

In the belly of the building massive arch stained windows illuminate the stories on the walls. Stories of a people that left for the unknown in search of a future that helped build the ZAR and saw a president as loved and respected as Paul Kruger.

Then there is the cenotaph that only on 16 December gets hit by the sun… all it says is “ONS VIR JOU SUID-AFRIKA”. A simple promise made by simple people and still observed by many.

The views from the top of the building is spectacular, you can even see the Union Buildings. However – don’t forget to take a photo of the arches.

There is a secret view that you would want to see – if you can stomach heights. Prepare to climb the last stairs to above the dome. You will have the most spectacular view of the cenotaph way down below.

The Voortrekker Monument humbles you. It feels like a place where you can sit and quietly drink in the many stories on the wall. It is a place where you realise just how small you are.

January 27, 2017 2 Mins Read

Gems of Limpopo: Pioneer House – Houtbosdorp

Nowhere on a map or tourist attraction website will you find this quaint little white house with thatched & green roof that sits against a mountain just off the Houtbosdorp road. Yet, somehow a big corporation like ZZ2 (the people that grow tomatoes, avos, mangoes and more) decided it was worth restoring.

Now I don’t know if you can just drive up and get access – I know people, I grew up there. If in doubt, just contact ZZ2 head office and ask.

So it is somewhere off a gravel road that tests the limit of your little town car, just past University of Limpopo, up and down a few hills – on the right… Driving up the road that had clearly seen heavy rain my little Chev Spark had to cross over “dongas” that could’ve swallowed her whole – and there was a misty rain blowing down against the mountain.

…and there it sat, a little white house with a thatched & green roof surrounded by mist that swept around it like a blanket.

My cameras struggled with rain on the lenses, but I pushed through and I captured a little of this home where a couple raised their children in a house with few too many bedrooms and way too little space – and not so standard doors.

Pioniershuis Houtbosdorp Limpopo — Hubby at 1.72m; Door at 1.74m

The story goes that the couple had a bunch of kids and when they passed on and the kids had moved away the house fell into ruin. Since it has been restored one or 2 old pieces of furniture from the original owners was obtained and an old coal stove is on lend from my bro-in-law. The house has a rondavel attached which brings the grand total of rooms to 3 and a stoep – I didn’t see the outhouse (which I assume they would’ve used). It isn’t really big, but it would’ve been warm if the coal stove was fed.

I love historical buildings – even if it is a plain old building with no special architectural features. It is the fact that somebody decided to move up a mountain and carve out a live that tickles my interest – and trigger happy camera fingers.

January 10, 2017 1 Min Read

Top 20 island escapes on my bucket list

I have a travel bucket list so long and varied that I cannot possibly do 1 post with all the places. Obviously, I have a list of islands that I would love to visit – because I’m one of those beach people. In no particular order here are my top 20 island destinations I would still like to visit:

Reunion Island
Madagascar
Mauritius
The Comoros
Seychelles
Bora Bora
Santorini
Crete
Saint Martin
Milos
Cook Islands – Rarotonga
Canary Islands – Gran Canaria
Tahiti
Moorea
US Virgin Islands – St Thomas
Hvar (Croatia)
Antigua
Fiji
Cayman Islands
Capri

Since I’ve been to the Aran Islands (Ireland), Phuket, Koh Phi Phi & the Maldives, they are not on the list. I would however never say no to go back to the Maldives – it was spectacular. Don’t think this is the end of my list either – it is so much longer than 20 islands.

Which islands do you want to visit?

January 5, 2017 2 Mins Read

Gems of Limpopo: Modjadji Rainforest

Have you ever been in a place that was just so ethereal that you just can’t get over it? Well, I am still in awe of the Modjadji Rainforest in Limpopo.

I grew up in the area and have been there before, but this time I took my husband. We got into my little Chev Spark drove down a mountain with sometimes a single lane gravel road and then up another mountain 40km down the road.

After entering the gates of the reserve you actually need a 4×4 as the road to the starting point of the hike is really badly maintained. Some places I feared my little car would be swallowed by the earth.

The view from the top of the mountain over the rainforest and valley is just spectacular. You can see the tiny houses at the bottom of the valley and the dense green rainforest.

What goes down, must come up

The hike through the Modjadji Rainforest is not for the unfit as the route will take you down more than 5km into the belly of the forest. The route is neatly marked with stone stairs.

Humidity and the thinner air will take its toll on you, but being able to see this majestic forest on foot will make the trek worth it.

About a kilometer down the route will open onto a platform where you can take spectacular photos of the stairs disappearing into the forest and another valley view.

What you need to know

The chances of you being the only person/s at the reserve are highly likely based on the number of entries I saw in the gate logbook.
Entrance to the Modjadji Rainforest Reserve will set you back R30 a car and R20 per person.
There is a picnic spot with braai facilities.
Take water!
Leave nothing, take nothing.

December 8, 2016 1 Min Read

One PINK door at a time with #Instax

There are certain things that will always be true about me, I love cats and I love pink. So when I stumble across a door that is the exact pink of my toes (and my favourite colour) I do a little happy dance and bring out the cameras.

This pink door is at Sherbet Angel, a beauty spa, in Parkhurst (Johannesburg).

This little spa in this old Johannesburg neighbourhood is a little gem filled with everything nice, pink and sparkly with angel wings on top.

November 20, 2016 2 Mins Read

Exploring Gauteng: Nzamiye Mosque, Midrand #INSTAX

We don’t often stop at the beautiful place between us and our destinations, but when we do – magic happens.

Last week I started my “Doors of… Project” with 3 cameras in tow, my trusty Fujifilm digital camera that I have dragged all over the world, my iPhone 6 and my brand new Instax Mini sponsored by Fujifilm. Taking photos with digital cameras are super easy – if you don’t like a photo or it is out of focus you just take another one. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 was a whole different story…

To see all Instax photos just vist this Instagram link #INSTAXgoddess.

Nzamiye Mosque, Midrand

First on my itinerary was this new mosque built in Midrand. Its pointy towers pierces the skies from a large piece of land next to the Old Johannesburg Road. The Nzimayi complex consists of the mosque, school, restaurant and more and its sheer size is impressive.

I phoned ahead to make sure that I would be allowed to take photos in the mosque complex – and it’s a good thing I did. During my visit I was asked 4 times if I had permission to take photos. As soon as I reassured them that I had permission , they were all very happy for me to drag my cameras around. As per usual with mosques I had to cover up from ankle to wrists and wear a headscarf when entering the mosque.

The mosque courtyard is surrounded by white arches that gives you glimpses of doors surrounded by blue flowery mosaics.

Standing inside the mosque you will feel dwarfed by this impressive space. It has a high ceiling with many windows – and down below students that are learning and worshipers. The opulence feels new, not yet lived in but beautiful.

…and this is what it is all about, the doors.

Do you want to visit?

If like me you like to take photos you have to phone ahead. You can also organise a guided tour. Entrance is free. Read more about the mosque on their website, click here.

August 8, 2016 3 Mins Read

Dear YOU, we should hang out more often in Limpopo

I really don’t know how this has happenend. Just the other day I wrote this amazing article and planned this amazing calender with posts I wanted to do and then I somehow didn’t quite get to it and now it is almost mid-August! How, seriously – how?

This weekend we went to Houtbosdorp to stay with my parents (and celebrate my dear old mom’s 70th birthday). It was the perfect weekend in the mountains. It had snowed everywhere else so the arctic winds necessatated snow jackets and a heater for my cat in the room.

As always, the views from my parents’home is amazing. How could you not have an amazing view if you lived on a mountain that had views over other mountain tops?

Don’t even get me started on the sunsets… I promise, I didn’t even apply a filter to this photo 🙂

Just to top of the weekend, we also visited Haenertsburg as I’ve always loved the vibe of this little town – and well it was just 30km down a gravel road, over a mountain and to the right of that bush (you know how it goes).

This little town is rich in history, quaint shops and friendly people (and vervet monkeys).

My absolute favourite part of the day was lunch. I ate the most delicious Lavender scone… and licked off my fingers.

It was quite weitd to see the cherry blossoms out early, but I guess after the rains they thought it was almost spring.

You are still wondering where these places (Houtbosdorp and Haenertburg) are – right? Well, Haenertsburg is somewhere between Polokwane and Tzaneen. It is just after the ZCC church area.

Houtbosdorp is a little more complicated to direct you to, because it is no longer a town but rather just a road with farms – but it used to be a Swiss logger settlement. The original farm that the “town” was built on is still there and the ruins are still there, but you can’t just rock up and say you are there to explore – private property. If however you want to see the spectacular views you drive from Polokwane side to the University of Limpopo road and keep on driving until it becomes a gravel road. As soon as you hit gravel, you are on the right track. Places on this road to book – Kurisa Moya or Graceland (they have 3 giraffes).

That is it. Safe travels.