The Lady’s Slipper

For years I would drive along the N2 past Lady's Slipper mountain looking at it and wondering where the actual slipper was. At one stage I thought it may be the peak standing out over the mountain, but I just could not see it. That was until I heard that the slipper isn't visible from the N2 at 90 degrees side on, but rather that you have to be on the old road between the Falcon Rock turnoff and the…

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Maitland River mouth

The view of Maitland River mouth as you come down the road from Beachview side The Maitland River west of Port Elizabeth really isn't much to write home about. It originates somewhere between the N2 and the sea so isn't very long. Probably not even close to 20km in length. It flows down through Sleepy Hollow farm and then the Maitland Nature Reserve before the last little bit past the famous Maitland sand dune to the sea. The small lagoon…

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A Karoo view from Dam se Kop

Today's post isn't one of a well-known or even public spot, but I do want to show you the expanse of the Karoo in the Jansenville / Darlington Dam district. A couple of months ago we spent a weekend with our church cell group on the farm Wortelkuil of Willie de Wet. Willie farms with goats and sheep, but also offers a bit of hunting on the farm On Sunday morning we all piled onto his bakkie and off-road buggy…

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Chokka Boats and the source of calamari

Chokka boats in Algoa Bay Fishing boats out in Algoa Bay and St Francis Bay are regular sights to residents and visitors of Port Elizabeth, Jeffrey's Bay and St Francis. These boats can often be seen taking shelter in the bays when bad weather is forecasted and at night it looks like a town out on the water with all the bright lights out there. The majority of these boats are chokka boats with the region being home to the…

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Penguins at SANCCOB

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds or SANCCOB centre at Cape Recife in Port Elizabeth does an amazing job as part of the conservation of the African Penguin, especially here in Algoa Bay. The centre was previously known as SAMREC and doesn't just play a huge role in conservation, but also in educating locals and visitors alike. Because of this the centre has become one of Port Elizabeth's main tourist attractions. The activities SANCCOB do include…

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Orca in Algoa Bay

Over the last couple of weeks local whale watching outfit Raggy Charters has spotted two different pods of orcas on two occasions while out cruising in Algoa Bay. Owner Lloyd Edwards also saw the one pod cruise by Seaview a little less than a week ago. Yesterday there was excitement in St Francis Bay when a pod was encountered in the bay. We are fortunate to have these visitors to the area every once in a while, but I haven't…

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Boardwalk waterlilies

I really need to get my backside in gear and start blogging on a more regular basis again and the only way is to be more disciplined. And that starts today. I have decided to also work more on the Port Elizabeth Daily Photo side of the blog and here I am going to start to actually try and post a photo taken on that day as much as possible. It won't be every day and not always taken on…

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First swim of (not yet) summer

For the last week one waking up out of a Rip von Winkel sleep could easily have thought it was summer here in Port Elizabeth. It's been hot and humid. We headed down to Schoenies this afternoon and rather than just getting our feet wet, we went for a swim at the Tanks. First swim of the season.

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