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The pretty girl and the dung beetle

Looks can be deceiving.  You tend to think young pretty girls would only be interested in fashion, nightlife, tanning on the beach, spending time in the shops and hanging out with their friends. Yes, yes, I know I'm generalizing but I'm trying to get to a point so bare with me.  Late last year I hosted a travel blogger visit to Port Elizabeth and the surrounding area and the first blogger of the five to arrive was Rachel Lang, known…

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02/04/2014
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Then and Now – Queen Victoria Statue and Public Library

One of Port Elizabeth's best known historic landmarks is the Public Library with the statue of Queen Victoria in front of it.  The statue of Queen Vic was unveiled by major of Port Elizabeth, J.C. Kemsley, on 30 September 1903.  It was carved from Sicilian marble by Edward Roscoe Mullins of London to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee which took place in 1897 and was paid for my public subscription.  The first site preferred was in front of the City Hall but…

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01/04/2014
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Sir Lowry’s Pass view point

After nearly a day on the road between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town (roughly about 800km and normally an 8 hour drive if you only stop once or twice briefly) one starts to be in a hurry by the time you get to the top of Sir Lowry's Pass just west of Somerset West.  The end destination is within reach after all.  I like to pull over on top of the pass at the view point for a couple of minutes first…

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31/03/2014
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Ominous skies over Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth sometimes has the tendency to produce four seasons in one day.  A week ago we had a nice hot autumn day that makes one think that we're still in the midst of summer.  During the afternoon the Damselfly and I went on a cruise in Algoa Bay on the Jester and suddenly the weather changed.  Mist and clouds started rolling in from the west without warning and as we cruised back into the harbor the drops started falling.  This…

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31/03/2014
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Settlers Park view

The view of Settlers Park with the Baakens River flowing through it from the How Avenue parking area of the park stays one of my favorite views in Port Elizabeth.

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30/03/2014
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Wilderness Beach from Dolphin Point

The Garden Route has some stunning scenic view points.  Storms River Bridge, Bloukrans Bridge, Natures Valley, Plettenberg Bay looking to Beacon Isle and Robberg, Kranshoek and the Knysna Heads just to name a few.  Heck, the Garden Route is one continuous scenic view.  Right up there with the best amongst them is the view from Dolphin Point looking east along Wilderness beach.  How can one not stand in awe at a sight like this? Dolphin Point also used to be a great spot to watch the…

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28/03/2014
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Mosaic steps at the Donkin Reserve

There are two way to walk up the Donkin Reserve from Chapal Street.  The first is along the winding Voting Queue path and the second is straight up along the Mosaic Stairs.  The Mosaic Stairs is a collaborative work by a group of mosaic artists and is an experiential journey that starts in the darkness and turbulence of the past (dark colours at the bottom) and progresses up to a new dawn and explosion (reds, oranges and yellows) of colours.  The…

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28/03/2014
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Random elephant “did you knows”

I haven't done a "Random ..." post in ages, so for today I'm doing three Random elephant did you knows.  An elephant's trunk, which is a fusion of their nose and upper lip, contains over 100,000 different muscles.  African Elephants also have two finger like features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items with.  Indian Elephants on the other hand only has one of those "fingers".  An elephant can lift up to 350kg with their trunks. Elephants have…

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27/03/2014
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Swimming at Kings Beach… seen from the sea

I don't get to go on the sea that often so cruising along the beachfront on The Jester gives one the opportunity to experience a different view of the beautiful Port Elizabeth beachfront.  And it really is beautiful.  One of the things that does come across as a little weird though is watching people swimming on the beach side and not with the ocean behind them like one usually see.

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27/03/2014