port elizabeth

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Tackeling the city on the Urban Run

Road running isn't for everybody. Pounding away at the road for kilometer after kilometer bores me a little bit, but I do like to participate in races with a difference. The Urban Run around Port Elizabeth's city centre area surely is one of those. Urban Run is a 10,5 kilometer urban obstacle coarse which 1. helps to get people back into the city centre, 2. get people to visit places that they may not have seen or visited in ages,…

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17/09/2012
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Police cell graffiti

Yesterday (12 September 2012) was the 35th anniversary of Steve Biko's death and I got to join a group visiting the cell Biko was held in at the Walmer Police Station in Port Elizabeth shortly before his death.  This post isn't about the Biko story though but rather something a little bit more light hearted.  It seems that one of the suspects held in this cell at some stage not too long ago had a black permanent marker with him…

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13/09/2012
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St Peter’s Ruin windows

South End in Port Elizabeth is similar to District 6 in Cape Town where the original inhabitants where removed because of the Group Area's Act of the 1960's.  St Peter's Anglican Church was built in 1877 and the school next to it was the first church school in South End to produce pupils to  standard six (grade 8), the highest standard for coloured people at the time.  The church was deconsecrated in 1972 and most of it demolished to stop the congregation from returning…

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10/09/2012
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Township lunch – Beef stew and liver

"Are you joining us for lunch of liver and stew in the township ?"  That was the question one of my colleagues asked me the other day.  Now I can be a bit of a picky eater and there are a couple of things I won't touch.  So I thought about it... for about two seconds... and agreed.  And to be very honest, I haven't been sorry I did.  There we were, a Xhosa, two Afrikaners and a Coloured, four South Africans…

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20/08/2012
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White lion

Don't you want to just cuddle up to this big furry mane and fall asleep with him?  White Lions is quite a rare sight and the only Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape where you can see them in the wild is Pumba Game Reserve (which I hope I'll have the opportunity to visit some time soon).  The second option to see them is the Seaview Game and Lion Park just outside Port Elizabeth where the park has a breeding…

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07/08/2012
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Kidz Adventures – Exploring PE’s history

During the school holidays its always a bit of a challenge to keep bored children busy.  Most parents end up taking them to the movies, for ice cream at Micky D's, playing putt putt and games or one of the party places with jungle gyms and trampolines.  Me? Well, I try to spend at least a day with the Kidz exploring Port Elizabeth or surrounding area for them to get to know the city better.  During the past holiday we headed out to discover some…

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01/08/2012
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Black Sparrowhawk

Life and the universe tend to sneak you a very pleasant and unexpected surprise every now and then and I clearly got one of those pulling into my driveway the other day.  As I turned off thew road I spotted something on the lawn under one of the two big palm trees in my front yard.  There right in front of me was a bird of prey sitting on top of one of the palm trees' resident pigeons feeding away with…

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27/07/2012
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Kaap Recife vuurtoring

Die Kaap Recife vuurtoring is op 1 April 1851 in gebruik geneem en staan net buite Port Elizabeth op die westelike punt van Algoabaai.  Kaap Recife is die draaipunt in Algoabaai in en word verskriklik gevaarlikste geag as gevolg van Thunderbolt-rif wat oor die eeue al verskeie bote en skepe geëis het.  Die rif self is vernoem na die HMS Thunderbolt wat in 1847 daar op die rotse geloop het.  The vuurtoring is 24 meter hoog en die lig is 4 000 000…

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27/07/2012
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Kaap Recife Natuurreservaat

Die Kaap Recife Natuurreservaat in Port Elizabeth beslaan omtrent 370 hektaar om die westelike punt van Algoabaai.  Die reservaat is idiaal vir voëlkyk beide aan die kus en om die waterherwinningspoele.  Die beste manier om die reservaat te verken is om op die 9km lange Roseate Tern wandelroete gaan.  Die roete begin by SAMREC (South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre), 'n pikkewyn reddingssentrum, voor dit by die waterherwinningspoele verby gaan.  Die roete lei dan deur plantbedekte sandduine en verby 'n uitkykpos…

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15/07/2012