This is a view from the rooftop parking at Greenacres Hospital, looking across towards the north west just after sunset. The domed towers are part of The Bridge Shopping Mall, which literally does form a bridge across a major road heading down to the sea.
More of the beautiful African wildlife in not-so-wild surroundings, at the Kragga Kamma Game Park.
All cities go through cycles of growth and decay, and the centre of Port Elizabeth is no exception. Established in 1820, she grew rapidly and a bit haphazardly at first, to become, by the early 1900s, the South African port with the biggest exports. This was mainly because the diamond industry in Kimberley, and the Ostrich feather and mohair industries were all in their heyday, and used PE to export their goods.But as these waned, she was overtaken by other…
I hope this is big enough, it seems these panoramic shots end up a bit small, even when uploading large. I thought I would give you more of an overview of the Boardwalk Casino complex and the manmade lake with floating island.
Yesterday at the Boardwalk Casino complex, a jazz festival was held. The complex is built around a man-made lake, and there is a floating "island" on which the various jazz bands played. Around the lake are many restaurants and outdoor cafes, and it was great sitting outside on a perfect summer day, enjoying good food and good music.
Port Elizabeth has two satellite towns, Uitenhage and Despatch. Both are about 30 minutes drive inland, and rely heavily on the motor industry. They are both included with PE in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which runs the metropole.Uitenhage is older than PE by a few years, and has some great old buildings. And at this time of year, it also has some glorious Jacaranda trees, which thrive in South Africa, although they are originally from South America.
We are extremely lucky to have access to some of Africa's most beautiful wildlife right on our doorstep. The Kragga Kamma Game Farm lies on the outskirts of the city, in a semi built up area of smallholdings and smaller farms. So we just have to drive 15 mins from the centre of town to be amongst these lovlies... as well as rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, and numerous other species. As environmental purists, we find it a little disconcerting…
The clock on the old Post Office building. Time has stood still here for a while, and the building is sadly neglected, one of many owned by an Irish property tycoon who has bought up many of the historic gems in Port Elizabeth, and let them go to rack and ruin. It is very sad.
Wherever there are good waves there are bound to be surfers. In Port Elizabeth that can either be on the Eastern or Western side of Cape Receife, depending on the wind and the swell.These guys are surfing off the rocks at Noordhoek, on the Western side. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that one does not come to a sudden stop against a rock, when riding these waves.In the distance, you can see the Cape Receife lighthouse. This…
One of the first sights to greet any visitor coming into Port Elizabeth on the N2, from the East, is the Algorax factory, which produces the country's carbon black requirements for the tyre industry. The factory, which is a short walk from New Brighton Beach, is known as Smelly Creek, because the not-too-delightful aroma of the factory is combined with the pungent emissions from the Sewerage Reclaimation Works next to it.This sunset scene gives the factory an altogether different look…