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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
South Africa's roads have many different road signs. Some you see everywhere and sometimes you get those who crop up and make you do a double take. When it comes to people and animals on the road there are quite a few. Pedestrian crossing signs. Warning signs for cattle, tortoises, children, poth-o-les (I'm not sure what a poth-o-le is and what it looks like though. Must be some kind of nocturnal animal), kudus, cats and even penguins. I have even seen signs with elephants…
Graaff-Reinet is one of my favorite towns to visit for so many reasons. I spent a night in this beautiful Karoo Heartland town a week or so ago arriving on a Sunday afternoon for a Monday morning meeting. Getting up early the morning I headed out to one of the view points looking out over the town before doing a little sightseeing to still be back in time for my meeting. Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa and…
This railway signal at Cockscomb Station on the R75 to Graaff-Reinet really tickled my fancy for some reason.
Railway Stations used to be quite significant with station masters stationed there who was very proud of their workplace and kept it spick and span. These days most of these small stations are abandoned with very little other than a sign, some signals and an abandoned, often ruined, building. Driving up to Graaff-Reinet on the R74 from Port Elizabeth I made a quick stop at Cockscomb Station to find a Geocache and just had to snap a couple of pictures. If…
The last few weeks have been a challenge. It wasn't just my car being stolen with my backpack and everything in it which was locked in the boot. It was also the fact that my backpack contained my camera which meant that I haven't been able to take photos lately except for a few pics with my phone. It also means that my blogging hasn't been as frequent as it should be as I have been without any pictures to…