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Beachfront crafts

The area across the road from Brookes-on-the-Bay in Humewood has over the years established itself as an informal craft market with a number of stalls having sprung up there.  Although the crafts are traditional African crafts, most of it gets brought here from elsewhere.  Elsewhere being mostly up north from Zimbabwe.  Although the crafts aren't "local", its very popular with international visitors as it's still African crafts they can take home with them. 

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14/11/2012
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Paul Sauer Bridge

Most travellers on the N2 through the Tsitsikamma stop at the Petroport to fill up the one tank, empty the other or just grab a snack.  A lot of those travellers, specially those from afar, either take a walk across the Storms River Bridge or to the viewing platform.  The bridge spanning the Storms River is actually called the Paul Sauer Bridge.  The bridge was designed by Riccardo Morandi, an Italian architect, and completed in 1958.  At the time of its building it formed…

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14/11/2012
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Kaappunt se vuurtorings

Kaappunt in die Kaap van Goeie Hoop Natuurreservaat is seker een van die plekke wat die meeste besoekers ontvang in Suid Afrika.  Alhoewel Kaappunt nie die mees suidelikste punt in Afrika is nie, is dit die suidelikste punt van die Kaapse Skiereiland en een van die plekke waarheen besoekers gaan as hulle om die Skiereiland toer.  Die ou Kaappuntvuurtoring by Kaap Maclear is een van twee vuurtorings by Kaappunt en kan bereik word deur of die trappies te klim of die makliker opsie…

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13/11/2012
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Little trains

On the first Sunday of the month families with young children (mostly but definitively not exclusively) flock to the Port Elizabeth Model Locomotive Society's venue in Fernglen to ride these beautiful little trains.  It only costs R6 per person for a ride which will take you around the yard on a couple of loops, through a tunnel and over the Great Grass River bridge.  There are both miniature diesel as well as steam trains and here two of the steam loco's are…

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13/11/2012
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Hippo at Lalibela

Some people get real excited by seeing lions and elephants or even something rare like an aardwolf in real life on a game drive.  The Damselfly had her moment when she saw real live hippos for the first time at Lalibela Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth. What made the sighting even better was that there were a number of this huge semi-aquatic mammals in the dam when we got there and the one then proceeded to get up so that we could…

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12/11/2012
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WW2 observation post

Port Elizabeth has arguably the most complete collection of surviving coast artillery buildings and equipment dating from the Second World War (1939-45) of any port in South Africa.  Before the Second World War the Port Elizabeth Harbour actually had no defence in place except for Fort Frederick which was built in 1799 to guard the original landing place in the early days long before a harbour was even built.  In 1942 it was decided to put harbour defences in place at all South Africa's…

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11/11/2012
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Dias Park

I wonder how many Port Elizabethans know that the grass area next to the Green Mosque in South End is called Bartholomeo Dias Park.  Perhaps you didn't know it but have seen the stone with the granite plaque?  The plaque contains the information of Dias' voyage. 

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09/11/2012
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Stormsriviermond hangbrûe

Die Tsitsikamma Nasionalepark op die Tuinroete is een van die mooiste plekke in Suid-Afrika met sy inheemse woude, loodregte kranse en pragtige kuslyn.  Die 1 km lange mondwandelpad van die ruskamp tot by Stormsriviermond is die gewildste staproete in die park en die hoogtepunt is die drie hangbrûe by die riviermond self.  Die oudste een van die drie steek die rivier oor terwyl die twee mees onlangse toevoegings oorgesteek word soos mens die rivier met die paadjie langs nader.  Die enigste waarskuwing wat ek het…

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09/11/2012
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Back to the beach

After a couple of wet months (as I've said before, 2012 has been the wettest non flood year on record) it finally seems that summer is starting to slowly muscle its way into our lives.  Although its not totally in the door yet, the days are starting to warm up very nicely and people are heading back to the beach front more and more.  Even I went for a run on the beachfront walkway the other afternoon.  The less said…

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08/11/2012