I can't believe our 1st blogiversary slipped by yesterday, we clean forgot about it, but would love to thank all our visitors who have really become friends in the past year.One of our readers, Brenda from UK, grew up in a house which is just across the park from us. She has sent us some lovely old photos from the 1930s to 60s, and this is one taken in 1949 in St Philips Street. Note the newly planted sidewalk trees…
The Garden Route is not just a very scenic area but also an adventure junkie's playground with near countless activities to be done by thrill seekers of all shapes and sizes.The ultimate adventure activity can be done at the Bloukrantz River Bridge in the Tsitsikamma. The river is also the boundary between the provinces of the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. Here you will find one of the highest commercial bungy jump sites in the world.Measured at 216 metres…
There are two areas within an hour's drive from Port Elizabeth that are major citrus, and in particular orange, farming districts. The Sundays River Valley is to the north of the city while the Gamtoos River Valley is to the west. The Gamtoos Valley is often called the food basket of the eastern Cape as they grow all kinds of crops there. The main products are oranges and potatoes, but they also grow lots of pumpkins, cabbage, cucumbers, watermelons, chicory…
A whole chain of events leads to today's post... Gillian of the Fworld did a post on the demise of PE's roadhouses, and I commented on it. We got an e-mail from regular London visitor Jeanne (she of award winning food blog Cooksister fame), who saw the comment, and sent us a link to the website for the Casbah Roadhouse. I wrote to them and got permission to publish a couple of their old PE pix.This is the old Casbah…
So I don't really know the difference between grasshoppers and locusts. Wikipedia tells me locusts are several types of grasshoppers that would swarm at times. Around here I haven't seen any swarms, so these must be grasshoppers. What confuses me more is that in Afrikaans we just say "Springkaan" which is grasshopper for all of them. Whatever! I'm not really one that likes to get too close to things like spiders, grasshoppers or anything with more that four legs, but…
One of the odd things about having a cute house in a sought after historic area is the number of total strangers who will ring the doorbell to ask if you want to sell to them. This owner is clearly tired of the interruptions!
I couldn't remember when last I saw a chameleon when I saw this little guy. Taken a little while ago, I was on a drive through the Kragga Kamma Game Park just outside Port Elizabeth when my eye caught a slight movement on the road (well, more like a two track path). I stopped and there it was, slowly making his way across the road. I didn't want somebody to drive over him, so I made sure there were no…
One of PE's best kept secrets is Barnacles Restaurant in Beachview. Set high on the first dune overlooking the rocks and sea, Barnacles serves great steaks, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and especially wonderful seafood. (lousy cappuccino, but hey, you can't be PERFECT!!) But for us, apart from the excellent food, service and atmosphere, the best thing about it is the open deck that hangs out over the hillside, which leaves you with panoramic views of the coast. We have yet…
During my series on The British Settlers is posted about the history of Bathurst here and here. The biggest attraction in Bathurst is not an historic one, but a bit of a gimmick. Bathurst is in the heart of one of the biggest pineapple growing areas in South Africa. The Bathurst Pineapple Growers Association is base on Summerhill Farm on the outskirts of town. Some years ago the farmers from the Association visited Australia on a fact finding mission and…
Another shameful example of urban decay in Port Elizabeth. The old PE Tramways building was once a hive of activity, first as a tram and bus depot and then as an ice rink. It was then used for other businesses and now stands unused and derelict.It was announced with great fanfare that this historic landmark, was to be developed into an entertainment area, with the river in the foreground being turned into a small lake. Work was due to start…