Going to a place we used to frequent many moons ago, took me back to the time before GPS, navigators and online maps.
My son in the distance there, fishing off the rocks
A map book was a necessity especially if one went to unfamiliar destinations as careful route planning was vital.
Recalling memories of our travels of yester-year often leads to lengthy searches, as we have to rely on photographs that's either stored in little envelopes or in a dusty photo album.
How privileged are we today on Hive to have dApps like HaveYouBeenHere and Pinmapple making it so much easier with traveling planning and calling back the past with our very own Personal Profile Map.
I wrote about My Travel Journal Lives Forever on @pinmapple and HaveYouBeenHere just the other day.
So, when we visited the little seaside village of Port Edward with family recently, my baby brother suggested a picnic as day visitors at TO Strand Holiday Resort at Leisure Bay, just a little north of Port Edward; a place where our family spent many annual fishing holidays when we were still little kids.
Memories of laidback holidays came flooding back, and this time I got to storing my memories as they happened on HaveYouBeenHere.
The caravan park was quite empty as it was during the week and many were still afraid to travel with Covid still around, but come holiday season, and this place will be buzzing with holiday makers and activities.
Back in my childhood days, the menfolk would spend the days fishing with Mom Lily often joining them.
I would be swimming and having fun with my new friends; later on in my teens the holiday romances came along, and I'd be going home broken-hearted although we'd try and write letters, but all those teen flings quickly faded.
Baby brother fishing off the rocks
Back then, even though we eventually knew every nook and cranny along the South coast of Kwazulu Natal, we would still take a copy of the map book so we could see the next town on the endless road, or helping us judge our expected time of arrival as it was important to get the tents up before night falls, or heaven forbids, the rain starts falling, as there is no fun in putting up a tent in the rain!
Nowadays of course that lady who sits inside the navigator knows the exact time of arrival.
You know who I mean, she's the one with the American or English accent who gets quite cheeky if you take the wrong turn and keeps on telling you to turn around till she eventually gets quite fed-up and then tells you she's recalculating the route!
I'm just as cheeky with her mind you, especially when she's trying to make us take a route we don't like ;)
Getting my code from Pinmapple to add my post on this smart Map is real easy.
As I said, this time I used the HaveYouBeenHere dApp and added a waypoint when we visited TO Strand plus I could add images taken there, making it much easier for writing my post and for storing those memories.
Egyptian Goose
Empty Nest Syndrome anyone?
Quaint Signs to His and Hers' Ablution Block
TO Strand, with the tranquil Kuboboyi River on one side and fronting straight onto the Indian Ocean offers lovely shaded caravan and camping sites with good ablution blocks, plus has a large number of self-catering chalets offering basic but very comfortable accommodation.
Image Source
The whole idea of this visit was to get Mom Lily onto the beach so she could see the rocks where she used to fish from, and we managed to get her there even though her balance is really bad now; Mom has an Acoustic Neuroma which affects her balance even though she's had VP Shunt surgery to permanently drain the brain fluid.
For Mom Lily (89) this was a bittersweet day as she remembered how she used to walk these sands and climb the rocks unaided with a fishing rod in the hand and now is fragile and unsteady, but she thanked us all afterwards for taking her.
Our Cynthia who came along to give a hand with mom is always smiling, and tried to cheer Ouma up as she calls her.
The river mouth not open as we've not had much rain.
The menfolk debating which would be the best fishing spot while my sister in law already had her line in the water! She showed them up at the Umtamvuma River the next day when she caught the first Snapper Salmon as I shared in a previous post.
One of the best and safest swimming beaches on the south coast. They have life guards on duty during the holiday seasons.
I'm truly thankful that we were able to spend a day at this place of childhood memories, and that I could store those memories here on Hive plus have the post pinned on my own Personal Profile Map on Pinmapple!
A huge shout-out to the entire team of @pinmapple and the HaveYouBeenHere Community for reaching 1000 #traveldigest posts, and now they’ve come up with an awesome challenge so are giving us the opportunity of sharing our wildest travel dreams in the “If I had $1000” Writing Contest but at the same time have also thrown in a mini User Experience Writing Contest which is what I’m sharing with you today; I've been real busy planning my $1000 vacation with the help of PinMapple; see ya soon on the other side of the world)
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We actually still have map books. Some are really, really old. We don't have a GPS. Google maps...
What lovely memories.
Warm groete vir Ouma.
Dankie Fiona!
I will never let my map books disappear, hang onto them for dear life; I still love feeling the paper and having to search plus being able to highlight some places too;)
Hope you're keeping well and enjoying the warmer weather!
We are in the throes of nog 'n klein wintertjie!😱
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Ag nee!
That means we will also have another cold front coming this way but I'll welcome it with open arms, been sooo hot here suddenly!
We are in the throes of nog 'n klein winertjie! 😱
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Bitter/sweet memories not only for your Mom but all of us now visiting places familiar to us with glimpses of childhood.
Glad you managed as a family to get your feet onto the sand.
If you still wondering about the sturdy old map books, I am one who still uses them, never gets lost and will not have burbling in my ears when I drive by some faceless soul.... 😄
LOL, I do trust that voice especially when up in Joburg as I get totally lost there but still love the old map books when on holiday;)
Yep, the world has certainly changed in a big way!
Thanks for your thoughtful caring comments Joan
Even with the directions given in Johannesburg one gets lost, new one way streets and many of the old land marks we used to know are gone. Have a wonderful weekend Lizelle.
Dang it looks warm there. Been in the 30's hear, I still here these peoples A/C units running, @lizelle. California boy's had the heater on since August! 🥶
Saw this one featured on Pinmapple, it's nice to be surrounded by good company.
How nice to see you @dandays! It's really getting hot and sticky here again, we only have fans in the house, the bnb section has aircons; will hopefully be able to spoil ourselves soon! We're getting REALLY busy again, thank goodness for that!
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What a glorious post, that just ticks all the boxes. Beautiful scenery and wild life, a wonderful campground and fishing. Best of all, memories.
I remember the map books. I still have several, I just love the detail so still use the ones for Arizona and SoCal. And I have a box with an Australian girl that reminds me why I don't re marry! Kate!
Thanks for a terrific post, Lizelle.
Thank you @bigtom13, I'm so glad you also keep those map books alive. I do make use of the gps but nothing like looking at the map book when planning a trip; I'm definitely an old-fashioned gal, but then I am o...l...d not so, in years but not in mind at least; I think you know what I mean;)
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It must have been really nice for Mom Lily to return to a place where she used to enjoy herself so much. Hopefully she had a nice day out.
As for the lady in the navigator who keeps on telling you to do a U turn, she can be very persistent sometimes, I love seeing how long it will take before she gives up!!!
It was kind of bittersweet for Mom, but she did enjoy it and brought back many happy memories.
Oh I'm the same with that lady! It was so funny once, we were really in a town that no one ever visits and did that lady get frantic, she simply wouldn't stop telling us to make a U-turn;)
We were sooo lost and eventually had to stop and ask directions as some of the roads we were on were unknown to that lady!
Thanks for popping in @livinguktaiwan, glad you enjoyed the visit.
Oh dear @lizelle, you are showing your age. You mean you lived in a time with no maps? Was the world coloured then or was it still black and white?
Guffaw.
how good is Pinmapple - I love it.
Haha, it was still in black & white when I was a little girl, but suddenly became full of colour when in my teens;)
Dear Mr @Pinmapple really is amazing, love it!
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PS love that name @itchyfeetDonica, I picture you forever on the road traveling!
Wow, it looks like a wonderful place to have an adventure and walk! I really love the rock outcroppings!
I'd forgotten just why it was out favourite place to go for family holidays, has a bit of everything for everyone;)
Thanks for the visit @violetmed!
Looks like a great place to go and chill for a while, without being needed to do too many things to enjoy the life :) My parents would love going there!
It is a kind of laidback place especially in the low season but when it's holiday period, they arrange quite a bit of entertainment for the young ones, so it's perfect for families. Thank you for taking a peak at our south coast @gabrielatravels.
I was thinking the same thing last week, I want to plan an inland trip during December and a nice old map would be nice to work from!! I need to do some searching, perhaps I still have one lying around somewhere!!
It's still my preferred method of planning a holiday but love using @pinmapple and HaveYouBeenHere at the same time. Thank goodness we can travel again, enjoy your trip @rynow!
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Thank you @bdcommunity & @rem-steem, really appreciate the curation :)
haha that cheeky googlemaps girls gets mighty insistent when you take a locally known shortcut that doesn't quite concur with her idea of which way you should be driving!! LOL.
Stunning pictures, @Lizelle - I suddenly have an urge for pan friend fresh fish while I can see-smell the ocean.
Hope that Covid soon subsides in your part of the world and you can easily and safely hit the road again.
So beautiful place!
It really is, thanks @sreypov:)
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So strange to think of life before digital map finders and cellphones. Lovely memories Lizelle.
That would have been one enjoyable memory trip how nice to take Mom Lily she would of really enjoyed that and wished she could have taken a fishing rod out again and go jumping all over them rocks...lol ☺️
Oh she would have loved that, finds it quite frustrating as she's a fiercely independent soul! Thanks for stopping by:)