Travel Blog

Uncategorized

Rocky coastline

I took Chaos Boy for a morning of geocaching along Marine Drive the other day, picking up about 15 caches along the Wildside.  It meant that we stopped quite often to go boulder hopping in search of caches.  The Wildside between Cape Recife and Schoenmakerskop (and further) is a rugged coastline and when the south-westerly wind starts pumping it truly becomes wild out there.  But when there is no wind its a stunning area to explore with many little trails,…

6 Comments
09/07/2013
Uncategorized

New shoots of life

Nature is a wonderful thing.  It can be destroyed so easily through natural causes or human doing, but it is resilient and will always fight back.  Sometimes immediately and sometimes only much later.  We as humans don't always give nature the respect it deserves, destroying and polluting as far as we go.  At least many are waking up to the fact and is trying to do something about it.  Some people are trying hard to distroy this world we live in either through…

4 Comments
09/07/2013
Uncategorized

Soccer ball structures

When the soccer ball structures on the traffic circles outside the Port Elizabeth Airport were erected before the 2010 FIFA World Cup it made heads turn.  Its become a feature on the city's roads, welcoming visitors to the Friendly City and showing off our sporting heritage.  I stopped at the structures the other day to snap a couple of pictures and wondered how many people who regularly drive past it still notice them.  Just a pity the fades flags haven't been replaced.  If it…

Comments Off on Soccer ball structures
08/07/2013
Uncategorized

History of Walmer

I wonder how many people know that Walmer used to be a town on its own before becoming part of Port Elizabeth.  In 1815 the farm Welbedacht, covered an area just under 14 square miles, to the south west of Port Elizabeth was granted to AM Muller.  When Muller died in 1845 his farm was inherited by his 8 sons who, true to form, could not decide on how to sub divide the property.  As a result the farm was sold and…

15 Comments
07/07/2013
Uncategorized

Prickly Pear Flower

The prickly pear season is usually around January to March but I was surprised to find a prickly pear plant with a flower in the Baakens Valley the other day.  Taking a close up photo I realised how my photography has stagnated lately.  Why stagnated?  Well, for one I can't remember when last I've taken any good macro pictures.  I also used to always be on the lookout for nice compositions and specifically for something interesting to put in the…

Comments Off on Prickly Pear Flower
06/07/2013
Uncategorized

Skate park

Going by its popularity with both big and small, the new skate park at Kings Beach seems to go down quite well with skaters of all sorts.  Passing there the other day there were skate boards, a j-board, a BMX and somebody on in line skates trying out the new facility.

3 Comments
05/07/2013
Uncategorized

The old Cape Point Lighthouse

Cape Point is a many historic tales and legends.  In 1688 Bartolomeu Dias passed around the point in a storm without even knowing it and only got to see it for the first time on the return journey.  He named it Cabo Tormentosa or the Cape of Storms.  Its also off this point and coastline that the mythical Flying Dutchman under the command of  Captain Hendrick van der Decken is doomed to sail into eternity.  Cape Point is also one of the biggest tourist attractions…

3 Comments
05/07/2013
Uncategorized

The Wine Show 2013

I'm not a huge wine drinker.  Not that I don't want to but because I never really learned to drink wine.  Don't get me wrong though.  I enjoy a good wine as much as the next guy as long as it's something like a late harvest or a sweet Rosé.  This past weekend The Wine Show Nelson Mandela Bay took place in the city for the fourth consecutive year and for the first time at the brand new Boardwalk Convention Centre.  Some of…

1 Comment
04/07/2013
Uncategorized

Looking towards Kings Beach

Standing next to Shark Rock Pier at Hobie Beach, this is the view towards Kings Beach and the harbour.  We've had rain for the last couple of days but the sun's been sticking its head out from behind the clouds a little bit today.  After all the rain we had last year, this year has been pretty dry so the rain is very welcome.

2 Comments
03/07/2013
Read more about the article Queen Victoria in the Gamtoos Valley
Firefly the Travel Guy

Queen Victoria in the Gamtoos Valley

One of the well known landmarks in the Gamtoos River Valley in the Eastern Cape is the Queen Victoria Profile on the road between Patensie and the Baviaanskloof.  The profile is the result of erosion of the sheer cliff and can be seen when driving towards Patensie. About 140 million years ago the Cape Mountains were roughly three times higher than today.  A period of high rainfall then eroded them and the Enon Conglomerate, of which much of the Gamtoos…

2 Comments
03/07/2013