By now you are probably getting a bit bored with all the Oudtshoorn and Klein Karoo posts, so I will move on to the second part of our holiday which was a week spent at Cannon Rocks on the coast. I have some more stuff from this area, but I'll keep it for a little bit later. But before we get back to the coast, today's post is a bit more on the personal side. On our drive back from…
The sun shining through the arched gate in front of St Mary's Anglican Cathedral in the city centre.
Although Oudtshoorn is only a big town and not a major city, it houses one of South Africa's biggest military bases. It also has an invantary school where a part of South Africa's military forces get their training. This statue of a soldier is situated on the road outside the entrance to the base. The plaque reads:Exercé Perfection"Where the sun-bathed hights of Swartbergguard the wide and fertile plainyou are training future leadersfor our armies' might and main".GPS: 33°34'52.81"S, 22°11'30.18"E
Kini Bay is situated west of Port Elizabeth and is part of Port Elizabeth's "Wildside". The Wildside refers to the coastline outside Algoa Bay stretching to the west. Most of it consist of rocky shoreline although there are sections of magnificent sandy beaches in between at Sardinia Bay and Maitlands. Kini Bay is a small "village" (actually a suburb of Port Elizabeth) just before you get to Seaview. It is said that the name originates from the fact that in…
As you drive higher up the Montagu Pass, the road gets steeper and narrower. You can imagine how this could have been a problem during the early days of ox wagons. Two wagons could not pass abreast in most places, specially around the tight corners. Consequently the drivers and ox leaders had to whistle and shout and crack their whips continuously to warn one another of their approach. Very close to the top of the pass, the road passes under…
A week or two ago I posted on my trip over the Swartberg Pass (part 1 and part 2) during my recent holiday. I also had the opportunity to do another of the iconic Southern Cape passes while I was in the area. The Montagu Pass is the old pass over the Outeniqua Mountains from George on the coast to the Klein Karoo. The pass has been declared a National Monument which means that it is beautifully maintained and very…
I got to visit the Sea Otters Lodge in Kini Bay just west of Port Elizabeth today and was stunned by its perfect setting. Walking out onto the back garden you are literally on the beach. At the bottom of the garden is a two seater swing with the perfect view. I could see myself spending a day sitting there with a drink, a book and lots of peace and quiet.
There is quite a number of interesting and historic buildings in the area around Market Square in the city centre. One of those which is just across the road from the City Hall is Pleinhuis. The building belongs to the municipality and houses amongst others the offices of the portfolio councillors on the mayoral committee. Like so many other buildings built in Port Elizabeth at that time, Pleinhuis was built in the Art Deco style. When I passed it the…