Eastern Cape

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Reading the travel book one page at a time – Tree lined lane

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page - St AugustineVery true words indeed.  But I also believe that while travelling you need to go off the beaten track every now and then as well otherwise you will just keep seeing what everybody else sees.  There really isn't anything wrong with that, it's just nice to see a little more sometimes as well.  And often it's something simple, like driving along this tree…

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03/11/2016
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The (second) longest bridge in South Africa

My normal route through the Karoo Heartland of the Eastern Cape when heading up north is over Cradock and Steynsburg towards Venterstad and then a short left to the Gariep Dam before hitting the N1 for Bloemfontein.  Before my last trip to Johannesburg I had a closer look at the Geocaching map to see if there are any possible alternative routes that will take me to cache locations I haven't been to.  A couple of green dots around the town…

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02/11/2016
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Fields of flowers in the Karoo

 It's dry in the Karoo.  The word Karoo doesn't mean "Place of Thirst" for nothing.  But the smallest amount of rain in the last winter of early spring means that there will be flowers.  And flowers there were when I drove through the Karoo Heartland late in September.  On the road north of Steynsburg I had to double take when I suddenly saw fields of yellow flowers and just could not help but to pull over and take out my…

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22/10/2016
Read more about the article Things to do in Port Elizabeth this summer – Grab a backpack and take a hike
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Things to do in Port Elizabeth this summer – Grab a backpack and take a hike

There is an Afrikaans folk song that goes, Dis heerlike Lente, die Winter's verby... (It's time for Spring now that Winter has passed - doesn't quite roll off the tongue the same in English though) which means Summer is fast approaching.  Longer days, better weather and spending more time outdoors over weekends.  Plus the holiday season is coming up quicker than my sausage dogs when I open the fridge.  With an eye on said better weather and upcoming holiday season, I…

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11/10/2016
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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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09/10/2016
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When a game ranger goes above and beyond

A lot of people have the policy that if you want something done you have to do it yourself, especially if you don't really have anybody to delegate to.  But even then you need somebody to push a rock out of the way for you every now and then.  I had a funny "push a rock out the way" moment on a game drive at Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve outside Graaff-Reinet the other day.  We weer driving up the mountain…

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27/09/2016
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The road to Noodhulp

The road to Noodhulp (Afrikaans for First Aid) is not what you call the route somebody takes when they are cruising for a bruising and looking for trouble with a big oke.   Not that kind of thing at all.  I found the road to Noodhulp while en route to Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve outside Graaff-Reinet and after a double take reversed back for a better look to make sure that was the name I saw and then a…

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19/09/2016
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There is no end to the adventures we can have

On a game drive at Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve near Graaff-Reinet recently we stopped to watch a couple of  Gemsbok on the side of a hill.  Strangely enough my attention wandered from the antelope to the road in front of us and I snapped this picture.  Looking at it afterwards I wondered how to use it as I didn't have enough material to do a full article on my visit to the reserve.  I decided to rather post it along…

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15/09/2016
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The perfect Karoo sunset

Take the big sky of the Eastern Cape's Karoo Heartland, add some rain the previous night, a few distant mountains, an old building, a thorn tree and throw in a sunset for good measure.  What do you get?  This, as observed while on a game drive at Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve outside Graaff-Reinet recently.  All I still needed was a windpomp in the picture somewhere.

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13/09/2016
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A romantic evening at The Plantation

When you are young and in love you go out your way to be romantic.  Flowers, movies, open the door, whispers in the ear, special dinners and and and.  When you get slightly older and have kids, just spending a little time together on your own without the kids is seen as romantic.  For us it is anyway.  Now when you get to combine both of these, you know you have a winner on your hands.  And a winner I…

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06/09/2016