Eastern Cape

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Coastal hiking at St Francis Bay

The St Francis Bay / Cape St Francis area has a number of hiking options and with such a stunning coastline how can it not?  Most of the walks are shorter hikes and include coastal walks like the Blowhole Walk, Bay to Bay Walk, Shark Point Walk, Wild Side Meander and the Two Harbours Walk.  There are also walks through the Irma Booysen Flower Reserve and up into the dune fields at the Sand River.  If you really want to experience the…

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09/04/2015
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50 Shades of Grey… and Orange

Our weekend in St Francis Bay gave me the perfect material for a Random.... post.  This time random shades of grey and orange. Orange, grey and white flowing together on the rocks along Cape St Francis' Wild Side on the walk to the blow hole.  This rock I found on the walk to Shark Point had me dotty...Check out the different colours of clay used by this swallow in building its nest on the porch at Dune Ridge Country House.  Now this…

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08/04/2015
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A Krom River wind turbine sunset

I snapped this pic during a canal cruise at St Francis Bay a week or two ago.  During the trip we cruised out onto the Krom River as the sun was setting in the west behind the Kouga Wind Farm.  Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera? 

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07/04/2015
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Birds and boat (and a new camera)

A fishing boat sailing along Port Elizabeth's Wildside with a flock of terns on the rocks in the foreground.  This is the last picture I have to post taken with my Fiji bridge camera.  The camera was in the boot of my car that was stolen about two months ago.  The good news is that, after what felt like forever, the insurance finally paid out.  I started shopping for a new camera (not that there is much available in that price range)…

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05/04/2015
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Canals, Coastline and Candelabra flowers – Exploring St Francis Bay

We are very fortunate here in Port Elizabeth that we have a number of excellent destinations surrounding us.  This does mean that it isn't always that easy to decide where to go for that much needed weekend break with your loved ones.  Seeing that we can't get away over Easter this year, we decided to have a family weekend away a week or so earlier.  After much deliberation along with outside encouragement and a couple of invitations to visit, we decided to spend the weekend in…

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02/04/2015
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Kinkelbos roadworks sunset

 Driving back from East London to Port Elizabeth last week I got stuck at the road works between Kinkelbos and Colchester.  I don't allow road works to faze me anymore and always get out, lean against the car and enjoy whatever scenery there is.  This time around the sun was setting in the west with some spectacular clouds and I grabbed my camera for a quick stop-go roadside photo shoot.  You should have seen the sky 10 minutes later as I…

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30/03/2015
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The Valley of Desolation at sunset

A visit to Graaff-Reinet isn't complete without a trip up to the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park.  It's hard to say when the best time would be for such a visit though.  That depends if you would like to enjoy all the views in bright sunlight, want to take photos in the early morning light or want to see the sun set on the distant Karoo horizon.  Personally I like to go up in the late afternoon…

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27/03/2015
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Die Groot Kerk and the fireplace

Spending a night in Graaff-Reinet recently I made sure I popped by the Dutch Reformed Church (Groot Kerk) on the Monday morning to see if I could actually get into the church.  The cornerstone of the church was laid on 12 April 1886 and it cost what was then a staggering 7,500 pounds.  The inaugural service took place on 11 of September 1887 with 2 000 people attended the service.  People must have come from far and wide to attend.  I wonder how many…

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25/03/2015
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Graaff-Reinet’s Groot Kerk – a sight to behold

The view of the Groot Kerk at the top of Graaff-Reinet's main drag is something you don't sommer forget that easily if you've ever visited this Karoo Heartland town.  As you enter the town from the south the church slowly becomes visible at the top of the main road.  It looms out above the surrounding buildings as you get closer and suddenly it looks like you're going to drive right into it till the road swings left and circles behind it.   The Dutch…

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23/03/2015
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Gamtoos River boats

The Gamtoos River is a very popular fishing destination in the Eastern Cape.  A quick trip down to the Gamtoos Mouth had me spending some time on the river banks taking pictures of a couple of boats lying at anchor there.  The owner of this one live right across the road and came out to chat to us.  Turns out he doesn't use this particular boat for fishing.  He uses it to take his boerboel dog across the river to…

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20/03/2015