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.
Don't let the name of the Wild Coast put you under a wrong impression. The Wild Coast isn't all rough and tumble with storms and shipwrecks. It's also a place of beauty, untouched pieces of coastline, stunning river mouths, beautiful beaches, villages on rolling hills overlooking the sea and Nguni cattle on the beach. I really wish I had the opportunity and time to go and visit it more often to see more of it than the two or three…
Road tripping bring you the possibility of many memorable things. Beautiful destinations, interesting people, scrumptious food, fascinating places and, in this case, a beautiful Karoo Heartland sunset. Although it was probably still another hour before sunset, the sun heading for the distant mountains through hazy skies made for a sight beautiful enough to make me pull over on my drive to Cradock. This is why I go nowhere without my camera.
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…
The Wild Coast is famous for it's beautiful and rugged coastline and one of my favorite aspects of it is all the rivers that flow through the area and into the sea. I got to discover another one for myself when I stayed at Kob Inn recently. The Qora River Mouth is located only two or three hundred meters south of the hotel. To cross the river you have to make use of a local in his boat and unfortunately…
I'm a big advocate of keeping one's eyes open for the little things as much as the big stuff. Spending a night at Kob Inn on the Wild Coast I went for an afternoon stroll down to the Qora River and while the coastline and river held my attention, I still spotted this little scene. The more delicate side of the Wild Coast.
If you drive through the Langkloof from East to West you enter the valley just past Humansdorp and pass towns like Kareedouw, Jobertina, Krakeel, Louterwater, Misgund, Haarlem and Avontuur. The valley is about 160 km long and the R62 (the road running through the Langkloof) then meets up with the N9 near the town of Uniondale. Between this intersection and Uniondale travelers will find the Potjiesberg Pass. The name of the Potjiesberg, directly translated, means little pot and refers to…
Most tourists and holiday makers traveling from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape (or vice versa) do so along the world famous Garden Route. It means that they miss out on the very scenic Route 62 through the Langkloof which runs parallel to the Garden Route on the other side of the mountain. You could say traveling through the Langkloof is travelling off the beaten track. On my last trip up the Langkloof I detoured off onto a dirt…
I struggle to pass by a small town museum if I have time on hand and time on hand I had the last time I visited the Karoo Heartland town of Somerset East. I immediately headed up to the Somerset East Museum standing in the shadow of the Boschberg Mountain at the top end of Beaufort Street. I've been here before but it's been a few years so I decided another visit was in order.The Somerset East Museum is also…
The Karoo Heartland town of Somerset East is a place full of interesting and quirky attractions. One of them is the Walter Battiss Art Gallery which also houses the local tourism information office. Battiss (6 January 1906 – 20 August 1982) was generally considered to be the foremost South African abstract painter but is probably equally as famous as the creator of the quirky Fook Island. Fook Island was Battiss' "island of the imagination" for which he created a map,…