Author: fitravel

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Hospital peacocks

The peacocks at the St Georges Hospital is become an institution over the years. I'm not sure where they originally came from, but they are always found in the hospital's gardens. Sometimes they venture down towards Settlers Park, but the safe bet for them is sticking around the hospital with its security guards. Its a common sight seeing the males show off their tail feathers during breeding season, but on the day I was there nobody wanted to oblige.Footnote: Traci…

3 Comments
16/07/2010
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Female Njala

Njala (Tragelaphus angasii) are very shy antelope and normally hide in the bush. On my last visit to Seaview Game and Lion Park this female Njala was standing next to the road on the way out and allowed me to stop to take a couple of pics before she quietly disappeared into the bush again.

4 Comments
16/07/2010
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Baakens Valley sunrise

I was heading down to the beachfront the other morning to get some sunrise shots, but got going way too late. I ended up looking down the Baakens River Valley towards the harbour from the top of Valley Road as the sun was rising. It may not have been the beachfront, but any sunrise, doesn't matter where, is worth the effort..Visit Skywatch for more sky related pictures.

7 Comments
15/07/2010
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King Edward Hotel

The King Edward Hotel in Central is one of Port Elizabeth's landmark hotels and was built in 1903. It was taken over by a Dubai group a couple of years ago and is busy going through an extensive renovation process. The Grand Hotel across Western Road has also started a renovation process while the Donkin Reserve in front of the hotel is in the mids of a major upgrade as well. All of this bodes well for Port Elizabeth, and…

6 Comments
14/07/2010
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Elephant Skull

Elephants are amazing animals and its not often one gets to see an elephant's skull. The other day I had the pleasure to see one up close at an exhibit. An elephant can weigh up to 5 or 6 tons which means that it's skull is of considerable size. The interesting thing about the skull is that its not solid bone, but consist of tubes like the inside of a plane's wing. The skull didn't have it's tusks in, but…

6 Comments
14/07/2010
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Forest Hill Heroes’ Acre

I don't really need to say it as regular readers of specially my other blog will know, but I have a thing for cemeteries. Specially old ones. This is to such an extend that I have had a couple of people ask me to track down headstones of their ancestors for them. Anyway, Port Elizabeth has several cemeteries with military connections and/or sections. The Forest Hill Cemetery had a 'Heroes' Acre' laid out in 1980. This was in the Apartheid…

2 Comments
13/07/2010
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Durban skyline

The skyline of the coastal city of Durban in KwaZulu Natal. Most of the skyline is dominated by hotels as the city is a popular coastal playground in summer. After South Africa's successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the word on the street is that Durban is going to bid to host the Olympic Games either in 2020 and 2024. Tongue in cheek footnote: I still personally much rather prefer my home town of Port Elizabeth as a…

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13/07/2010
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Ox wagons

I decided to start the week off with a nice varied Random ... theme post. The chosen Random ... theme is Ox Wagons. Ox wagons played an important roll in the early history of South Africa, in particular the Great Trek, and forms part of just about every museum exhibit throughout the country. They are specially evident around small towns and farms with ox wagon wheels often found at farm entrances. This ox wagon is on display outside the museum…

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12/07/2010
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Last day of the World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is over. Actually, as I post this the final between Holland and Spain still needs to be played, but by the time most people read this it will have been something of the past. Before the World Cup the doom profits predicted that the event would be an absolute failure, that overseas supporters shouldn't come to South Africa cause they will be robbed and murdered and that the stadiums would be empty. How all of…

4 Comments
11/07/2010