Ushaka Marine

Since I lived here, me and abg always have something to do every weekend. Either I will try new receipies to enhance my cooking skill (cewah) or we both together go somewhere to release stress and have fun. I can't stay long in the house doing basic things like housekeeping and cooking, cause I got enough of that pattern of doing the same thing for the whole week at my office. Therefore I always looking forward for something fun and different from my routine.

A few weeks ago, my officemate, Vernon forwarded me an email from Ushaka Marine. There was a promotion for combo ticket where I can get it for half price only if I can count the fishes in a game they provided. It was easy as Vernon also gave me the answer huuhu. Just a few second after completing the game and filling the particular form, the half price combo ticket arrived my mail!

Ushaka Marine is like a waterworld located in town of Durban. It consist of two parks, which are waterparks where there are a lot of water game including slides and lazy river, and also waterworld which exhibits a various kind of marine life. It also includes some animal shows and water activities like snorkelling, diving and also diving in cage in the shark tank!

We went there with two other Malay families. The place was actually not much different from Aquaria and the waterpark also just like desa waterpark. But what attacted our attention most was the water activities. I was really excited to try out any of them. So right after we served our eyes with various kind of ocean life and watched the dolphins and sea lions shows, we straightly headed to the snorkelling booth!

It was my second chance of snorkelling. The first time I did in Pulau Perhentian when my family had a vacation there. The view of corals was so beautiful and indeed proved me of the Almighty of Allah.

This time we snorkelled in a huge tank for 45 minutes (huh it was so tiring) and actually the tank was one of the tank in the exhibition aquarium. That means other people can watch us swimming with the fishes and also Sharks! hehe I didn't know that there were also sharks inside the tank. But then they seemed harmless and just swam at the bottom of the tank. We were free to touch any fish but were warned not to scare them. For that moment my eyes captured closely variety of fishes which some always swim in a group, some got unique face and beautiful pattern of skin, small fish, big fish and a lot more. What a lovely moment..

Bersiar siar dalam Aquarium

As well as at the waterworld, me and abg really had a great moment at the waterpark. Abg said it'd been years since he last went to waterpark like that..that was why on that day he acted like a happy child, excited to try all the water game there hehe. Although it was cloudy and slightly raining, it somehow made our day easier as there were not many people coming there so we could try anything as many time as we like without wasting our time in que.

Unfortunately we didn't bring the camera to capture all those happy moments. However during the snorkel time, there was a photo man took some of our photos in the tank. Here they are..tata.

Family Mat Din and Us

Travel and wedding

Seronok pulak baca blog org lain apedet mcm2..ade yg suka citer hal2 zaman silam, ade citer pasal anak, ade citer psal everyday life,pasal persiapan nk kawen and not to forget some frozen blogs ..

For my blog, I always speak about travelling. yes that obviously means I love to be a traveller. Alhamdulillah so far I've travelled to number of countries including which I never thought of stepping my foot on before. I still remember when I was young, my father liked to bring me and siblings everywhere he went for outstation. At that time, my late grandfather TokWe was still alive and he always joined us. When papa went for a meeting, we enjoyed ourselves staying in the hotel, having breakfast then together went outside exploring the place.

Depan masjid Zahir Kedah 1994

ni kt mana tah. tepi jalan pun layan tgkat gamba hehe

bercuti di Danau Toba, Medan

The moment that I always remember during our vacation was everytime we stayed in hotel, papa usually received breakfast vouchers but unfortunately these voucher were limited to two persons only. That means it was kind an unfair to those who couldn't go as we are a big family contains of all big tummies. So here's the deal. The person who will go must bring back some foods for the rest who stay. how is it gonna happen? bring a bag and put as much food as possible in it. And guess who was the person? it was always ME! hahaha (because I am the cutest or perhaps got the biggest tummy haha). So I carried a beg, leave it at my table which must be located at the most hidden part of the place, had my breakfast first untill I was full (this was one of the advantages to be the chosen one), and in between, took some foods like sausage, sandwich, cakes, fruits and whatsoever foods which were possible to be carried in that bag, and secretly put them in the bag. Done! Remember to make natural-look face and went back to our room to feed others..hehehe kesian sungguh! Usually there were not so many foods I brought back, aku pun tau malu jgk..janji konyang + terpaksa menjalankan mission impossible demi siblings yg lain huhu...how i miss the good old days..

bersama sepupu sepapat dan mak sedare di Bukit Bendera.

first time di atas Penang Bridge

By the way, this year has become a big year for some of my friends, siblings and even myself for eventually changing our single status. For this year, my family has celebrated 4 couples in 2 weddings! Hah I dont think there's other family can beat us lah! My sister just ended her bachelor status on last September. She's finally married to a guy which has been working with her for 3 years..susah2 je cari jauh2 padahal ada depan mata je hehe. Only I feel so frustrated for being away during the day she got married. At that time I just arrived and was struggling to adapt myself with my new life in Durban. Anyway I really hope and pray to Allah, that she gains a happy life after all the sacrifices she made to us. Though I couldn't make to her wedding, but I think i've known her husband quite well. So Abang Shime ku, please take good care of my Kak Ani, as, she can be so fragile but lucky to have :)

Semoga bahagia dan rumahtangga berkekalan.

To my best friends, Mawarni, Ju and Yati (merangkap sister-in-law), I can't wait to be at your wedding day! hehe. I'll be going back to Malaysia on December for two weeks and indeed, my planner has been so colourful filled with wedding-to-attend. Hopefully everything will turn out well and smooth.

I miss home so much!

Raya, HLUHLUWE and St Lucia Sanctuary

Hluhluwe Game Reserve

Rindu betul nk menulis kt blog ni..punyala tadak masa smpaikan org lain yg kena updatekan..Syawal baru je berlalu meninggalkan aku yg masih terkial2 dgn kehidupan baru ni..smpaikan another special month da berlalu pun aku tak perasan..hmm

Di pagi raya yg sayu dan ala kadar

Sambutan raya kt sini aku boleh katakan hanya ala kadar memndangkan baper kerat je kenalan yg ada. Time bulan pose punyala aku berangan nk try kueh itu ini..last2 buat bihun goreng je huhu. ape punya pemalas daa..but then in the afternoon baru la rasa meriah bila geng2 mesia dtg rumah and we all pegi beraya ke rumah Aslam yg buat open house hr tu. that's how Syawal should be celebrated right. Di rumah Aslam, ramai family Aslam yg dtg and eventhough that was our first time meeting Aslam's family, they were so friendly and treated us so kindly. We had Bryani ala Africa and variety of desserts. Kurang2 terubat la jgk rindu kitorang nak makan sedap2 during raya hehe.

At Aslam's open house

Last weekend, just before Syawal ends, warga2 Mesia di Durban samada yg da lama atau baru smpai just after raya, held a Jamuan Raya. Supaya tidak dicop sebgai pemalas, aku dgn rajinnya prepare macaroni bakar, guna resepi sendiri yg aku create time belaja kt Jerman dulu hehe. Org lain ade yg bawak nasi lemak kelantan, mee goreng durban, dessert, and paling best ada braai (BBQ) yg di taja oleh the bachelors. Makin ramai Malaysian yg dtg and join the community..hopefully pasni banyk lg aktiviti boleh dianjurkan..bak kate omputih, the more the merrier..

Raya gathering host by encik Nasrul yg berbaju merah

Malaysian community in Durban

Sedar tak sedar da nak masuk 3 bulan aku stay kt sini. Life's getting better. Kalau dulu aku tak bersemangat nk gi keje, skrg keje da bertimbun2 risau pulak klu tak dpt siapkan. Dgn ofis mate pun da semakin rapat wp English aku still lg tunggang langgang. Org sini tak kisah pun asalkan deme paham ape yg aku cakp. kdg2 malu jgk bila terperasan ayat english aku salah..but that's how I improve it. Pernah sekali ofis mate aku offer kacang tanah rebus, aku pun beria la cerita kt mesia kacang tanah agak glamer byk diguna dlm masakan. tp aku lupa ape benda kacang tanah dlm english..last2 selambe aku cakp 'earth nut'. Mamat ni pun angguk2 la seronok dpt vocab baru..lepas sembg tu aku try pk2 balik brla terkeluar perkataan ground nut hahaha bodoh plak rasa..sian mmber aku tk pasal2 blaja ilmu salah. Hubby selalu gelakkan aku..tp besela bkn aku tak tahu, cuma suis english kt otak aku belum betul2 function, kejap on kejap off, kejap flashing..

Life as a wife pun semakin bertambah baik. Disebabkan hanya kami berdua je kt sini tade sedare mara, aku n hubby byk merancang utk travel and explore bumi Safari ni. For our next trip after pegi Giant castle as per my last entry, aku n hubby pilih utk explore the wild pulak. Klu dulu, aku pernah pegi ke kebanyakan zoo kt mesia hatta kt jerman sekalipun, sekarg ni aku teringin sgt nk tgk kehidupan sbenar wild animals. For that reason, kami pilih Hluhluwe and St Lucia as our next destination.

On the 3rd of October, we made our trip to St Lucia by our car. It took about 3 hours to get there. Hubby da 6,7 kali dah smpai ke St Lucia coz dia selalu kena jd Tourist Guide utk org2 petronas yg dtg melawat ke sini. But this time, to fully optimizing our weekend, we planned to sleepover there. Lgpun ada bnyk aktiviti can be done there, so rugi la da dtg jauh2 tp tak smpat nk enjoy sgt kan.

Tiket masuk agak mahal tp for SA residents blh dpt half price.

Kami bertolak awal, kul 630 pg lagi kete da jalan. So around 10 am, kitorang smpai ke destinasi pertama which was a Game Reserve. Baru aku tahu game tu maksudnya binatang2 hehe so basically game reserve ni adalah tmpt binatang2 liar ni terpelihara. Besar sgt kawasan ni and ada bermacam2 jenis binatang yg dr zaman tok nenek moyang diorang lg tinggal kt situ. Mmg definitely bkn mcm zoo, boleh parking kete then jln lenggang lenggok smbil tgk binatang dr dekat. Klu rasa nk jd daging fresh utk dijamu, silakanlah huhu. Lgpun tak kuasa den nk jln kaki naik turun bukit redah hutan sumer dan smmgnya anda dilarang sama sekali utk keluar dr knderaan semasa bersiar2 dlm kawasan tu. kedegilan adalah tanggung jawab sndiri.

the wilds and their habitats...there were a lot more

Hari tu tak banyak binatang yg kuar, but still banyk jgk yg smpt kitorang bertegur sapa. Kat South Africa ni terkenal dgn binatang 'The Big Five' which are the lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, and the elephant. Tp hr tu we only saw buffalos and dua ketul Rhinos. yg lain mungkin sibuk bermesyuarat sebb tu tak jumpe2 smpai ke petang.

Taking a break at the Hilltop to enjoy Nasi lemak sambal sotong for lunch.

Wp hanya memandang dan meninjau2 dr dlm kete, terasa jg kepenatannya bila da smpai petang cari gajah n singa tak jumpe2. memandangkan hr da petg kitorang pun proceed to our plan utk ke tmpt penginapan which took us about 1 hour to reach at the place.

This was our place of stay, the Rhino Coast Guest House

Kami pilih utk stay kt Bndar St Lucia, sonang klu nk cari makann2 pape. It was really a lovely place, clean with fresh air right from the ocean. After having a short rest lepaskan penat, we then spent the evening by visiting the beach which is just located a few kilometres from our Guest House. Memula tu ade org tu siap plan nk mandi kt pantai, tp smpai2 situ tgk tadak sapa pun, ombak pun besar, terus tk jd huhu.

Berjoget sblum smpai pantai

Berposing sesampai di pantai

Lepas jln2 tepi pntai, abg ajak pegi kt tasek just berseblahan dgn pantai. Dulu tasek ni bersmbung ng pantai tp mungkin kemarau kot, terputus saluran air tasek tu ke pantai. Cantik tasek ni betul2 mengadap matahari petang. Ada several pakcik2 tgh memancing. Aku n hubby smbil posing2 tepi tasek smbil menikmati sunset.

This is St Lucia lake yg dulunya bersmbung terus ke laut.

Tgh syok posing mosing, tetibe dgr bunyi dr tgh tasek. dr jauh nmpk mcm bdk2 tgh mandi. tk sangka pulak igtkan org lg berminat nk main air kt pantai. Lgpun tasek tu mcm agak dalm je. Ye la siap org mancing2 lg. So kitorang pun pegi la dekat2. Makin dekat makin pelik rupe makhluk yg tgh main air tu..da dekat baru nmpk..mak aih rupenya Badak air! Aku punyela excited sebb ni first time aku tgk Hyppo yg hidup dgn cerianya..klu tak, yg penah aku jumpe kt zoo mcm hidup segan mati tak mau je..berkubang je dlm air kolam zoo tu tayang lubang idung. Tp kali ni mmg ceria hyppo2 ni bermain dlm geng. Terkejut gak la memula bila realize tu hyppo, hubby siap tarik tgn aku lg nk lari jauh2 sbb dia tahu hyppo ni antara binatang yg paling bnyk bunuh org n wp badannya gedempol tp mampu lari lg laju dr pelari pecut dunia dgn kelajuan 40km/h. Lg2 klu hyppo ni dlm air. Aku pun baru tahu hr tu. Ganas jgk rupenye, nmpk je baik. So kitorang pun dok jarak skit dr tasek demi keselamatan sejagat.

tgk tu, 'kanak-kanak' sdg bermain air

Hari pun da makn senja, kami pun beransur pulang..on the way nk pegi parking baru lalu papan tanda state yg tasek tu bkn setakat ada hyppo tp crocodile loo!! Gile lah aku dgn selambe badaknya berdempek tepi tasek ambik gamba, sib baik buaya tak teringin huhu..bahaya betuii.

Papan tanda dan 'hyppo'

the Hyppo and the Croco

Esoknya after having toast bread n ommelete for breakfast, seawal 730 pg kami sudah terpacak kt Jeti berhampiran tasek buaya semlm. Tujuannya, we were going to do Kayaking!! Ala2 berani kucing terjun pokok gak aku sbrnye, mau taknya, tak tahu la plak aku nk kena kayak kt tasek ade boya. tp sebb da book n baya, we proceeded with the plan. tunggu punya tunggu then tgk balik peta..rupe2nya tersilap jeti, ceh penat je tunggu heh..sib baik bila smpai ke jeti yg betul, instructor still tunggu kitorang. Ada tiga lg peserta yg join. Two of them are Germans. dengar diorang bersmbg, terasa rindu pulak nk bercakp2 jerman..tp byk aku da lupa..

Nak buat pape pun yg pnting posing dulu

It was really adventurous during Kayaking.. semua org kena stick together and sekali-kali tak boleh masukkan anggota badan dlm air..nk celup jari ke, basuh muka ke sbb boleh terus direct ke mulut boya. Gerun kan huhu..perahu kitorang pulak asyik tersasar je ikut arah lain,penatla aku n hubby berhempas pulas kayuh perahu. Smbil kayuh smbil kumpul air tasek dlm perahu huhu..habis basah kuyup baju. Lama jg berkayak ade la dlm 2 jam. Kitorang melawat tmpt buaya berjemur, then dr situ boleh nmpk a group of hyppo tgh having lunch with fresh grasses by the lake. Pastu patah balik pegi the other side of the lake yg banyk berpaya bakau and ada mcm2 jenis burung terbang n bertenggek kt pokok. Ada satu masa tu angin punyala kuat smpai kayuh mcmn pun, perahu kitorang tak bergerak pun..sib baik muscle aku kuat tak krem pun. Sbb da tak terdaya nk lawan angin we all pun patah balik ke jeti..seronok sgt dpt berkayak..our sun-burn skin can prove it :)

Air tasek ni agak dlm..we never know what stays down there.These photos were taken by the Germans and they send them to us thru email. baik betul diorg ni.

Lastly, after checking out the guest house, we proceeded to the last activity which was to have a relaxing moment on a cruise while exploring most parts of the lake.

Before boarding the cruise

Utk trip kali ni, mata kami dijamu secara dekat dgn hyppos and crocodiles..jln skit nmpk badak air tgh mandi2, jln skit nmpk boya dok berjemur, jln skit nmpk badak air pulak berguling2 tdo mmbontot, jln skit nmpk boya pulak dok nganga...sampai da tak larat dh nk tgk hyppo n boya...other than that, there were many species of birds flying freely in the sky.

The weather was so good for the whole weekend that we enjoyed our trip so much.

Huh aku ni mmg tak reti nk tulis pndek2 lah..konfem org tk larat baca tgk gamba je haha..tkpelah ni utk kenangan aku jgk and also utk those yg nak dtg sini can take the ideas of how to spend time here. Tak sabarnye for our next trip of honeymoon hehe..tata

It's time to go home!