Aloes in the Karoo

One of the things I realised during lockdown that I was missing out on was seeing the aloes in bloom while driving through the Eastern Cape's Karoo Heartland. It's definitely one of my favorite things to see on a road trip and the thought of missing out on it this year kinda depressed me. Business travel opened a little while ago and suddenly I had the opportunity to make a quick trip up to Nieu-Bethesda for work. Yay, yay, yay!…

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Kragga Kamma aloe fence

A drive up Kragga Kamma Road towards Colleen Glen may just give you a colourful surprise this time of year. I saw a photo of the stunning aloe fence on Kragga Kamma Road in full bloom on Facebook and just had to go and see it myself. The whole aloe fence is probably a good hundred meters in length and all of it is in flower at the moment, making for a stunning site and beautiful photo opportunity. I'm not…

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Fields of Coral Aloe

Just as the "normal" Aloes in the Karoo Heartland is done flowering, it's the turn of the Coral Aloes.  A drive through the southern Karoo Heartland (on the N10 just over the Olifantskop Pass from Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape two weeks ago had me stop a couple of times and grabbing for my camera with literally fields of flowering Coral Aloe stretching away from the road.A carpet of orangeJust more proof that the Eastern Cape doesn't have to stand…

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Aloes in flower

One of the things I love most about winter is the fact that the aloes are in bloom.  Here is Port Elizabeth we are very fortunate that we are surrounded by areas where aloes grow in abundance.  Areas like the Gamtoos Valley, Baviaanskloof, Addo region, the Karoo Heartland and the Grahamstown district.

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The Aloes are in bloom

One of my favorite things about this time of the year (early winter) is the fact that the aloes are in bloom.  A little road trip through the Karoo Heartland had me stop once or twice to snap a few pictures, but mostly I just enjoyed the sight of them next to the road. A lot of the flowers are just starting to open up so give it another week or two three and they will be blooming in all their…

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A quick stop at Supertubes in Jbay

A week or so ago I attended the Kouga Baviaans Surf and Safari Marketing Association's AGM in Jeffreys Bay.  It was a perfect winters day and I decided to make a stop at Supertubes before heading back to Port Elizabeth.A deserted beach that was packed during the Jbay Open just a few weeks agoEnjoying one of the best right hand point breaks in the worldAloes on the coastline at Lower Point

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Aloes and Supertubes

Jeffreys Bay is seen as the surfing capital of South Africa with Supertubes being rated as one of the top 10 surf spots in the world.  Supertubes is one of the best right hand point breaks in the world and one a good day can break over a distance in access of 300 meters.  Swinging past there the other day the conditions were flat with no real break.  The coastline is still stunning and with the aloe in picture its…

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Karoo scene at the foothills of the Zuurberg

The Karoo is a hauntingly beautiful place.  A lot of people may find it boring but most see a beauty that is often described differently by every person.  Wide open spaces with blue skies above, a couple of sheep grazing on the sparse green grass around a wind pump filled cement dam, late winter aloes in bloom with a Karoo koppie in the background, farm workers' children playing in the dust close to a flat roof worker's house, somebody walking down…

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Aloe trident

Aloes are amongst my favorite flowers, specially because they bloom in winter, so I'm always a bit sad at this time of the year when the flowers start to wilt and disappear. 

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Aloe close up

Although there are still lots of flowering aloes about you can clearly see that the aloe season is slowly coming to an end.  I wish they could flower all year round.  But saying that, it wouldn't be as special if they did.  Here's a close up of an aloe flower for those who may have wondered what it looks like.

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