Travel Blog

Uncategorized

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

5 days now, and we are unable to upload pictures to blogger. Every time we try, we get the following messageNetwork Error (tcp_error) A communication error occurred: "" The Web Server may be down, too busy, or experiencing other problems preventing it from responding to requests. You may wish to try again at a later time. For assistance, contact your network support team.On the forum there is a short note from a Google Employee saying there is a problem and…

3 Comments
07/08/2008
Uncategorized

Lion in the late afternoon

An adult male and two juveniles lying in the late afternoon sun in the Schotia Private Game Reserve. This is the same game reserve where I took the sunset photo of a couple of days ago.

4 Comments
06/08/2008
Uncategorized

Family gathering

Port Elizabeth is situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The area to the north and the east of Port Elizabeth is prime big game country with numerous private game reserves on offer in a malaria free environment. Most of the game reserves have some or all of the Big 5 and offer accommodation ranging from rustic to luxury 5 star. The biggest attraction in the area is the Addo Elephant National Park, less than an hour outside…

3 Comments
05/08/2008
Uncategorized

St Croix Island #3 – Guano

These lonely looking houses on the leeward side of the island were built for guano collectors. This was apparently not a very succesful venture, as the collection of guano was made difficult by the terrain. The smell of the place would have put any normal person off, before they started.

3 Comments
05/08/2008
Uncategorized

St Croix Island #2 – Penguins

St Croix Island rises out of the sea like a large rock and looks like a very inhospitable place, but it boasts the largest colony of African penguins in Southern Africa.Wherever you look on the island there are groups of penguins. They are increasingly coming under pressure, as the fishing trawlers have depleted the area of fish. Recent sudies have shown that they travel up to 155 kms to find food. That is a long swim by any standard.

3 Comments
04/08/2008
Uncategorized

At a snail’s pace

I climbed into the garden for a change and cleaned out the weeds in my rock garden. This little snail was quite willing for me to get all close and personal and click away for some photos. Just having a little compact Kodak EasyShare meant that I had to take these pics from about 20cm away. Good thing for me they don't spit, sting or bite.

1 Comment
03/08/2008
Uncategorized

Still on a high

There is a man in Port Elizabeth who is both passionate and very knowledgable about marine life in Algoa Bay. His name is Lloyd Edwards, and he owns an operation called Raggy Charters. Lloyd is involved in all sorts of marine conservation, education and research projects, and in order to fund these, he has written a stunning book called Scenes from Algoa Bay, full of photos he has collected over his years of boating in the bay. In addition, he…

7 Comments
02/08/2008
Uncategorized

Baakens Valley #3 – Third Avenue dip

The Third Avenue dip is convenient short cut from Newton Park to Mangold Park, Lorraine or Walmer. However, the dip is prone to occassional flooding and many a motorist who has misjudged the depth and force of the water, or been too lazy to take the long route has been swept away.

3 Comments
31/07/2008
Uncategorized

Baakens River #2 – Guinea Fowl Trail

The Guinea Fowl Trail starts at Sunridge Park and ends at Settlers Park. Most people who do the walk start at the Third Avenue dip at Newton Park.If you do the walk wear a pair of good shoes and take some water with you, because it can get very hot in the Valley. These days it is advisable to go in a crowd as there have been muggings in the Valley. I was delighted to see that the Baakens Valley…

4 Comments
30/07/2008