At had a meeting with Nadine of Passing the Open Window, a fellow travel blogger, yesterday and got to take this photo from their balcony looking down the Baakens Valley towards the harbour. Nice!
The Baakens Valley truly is Port Elizabeth's green lung stretching all the way from the west of the city through to the harbour. The valley really has so much potential to be one of the city's playgrounds, but the stigma of crime is sticking to it like velcro. Mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers use parts of the Baakens Valley on a regular basis but the valley has so much more to give. I am a true believer in the…
In yesterday's post I showed you the view of Settlers Park looking west from the parking area off How Avenue. Today's post is the view looking east from the same spot showing the little dam in the park.
I wonder how many people have asked me how to get to Settlers Park. They know where the park is, but not how to get to it. The best way is turn off Park Drive down How Avenue next to the St Georges Hospital. The entrance to the main parking is just a short distance down the road. This is the view from the parking area looking west. Settlers Park Primary School (previously called Walmer Primary) is visible on the…
I'm always amazed at how many people didn't know that Port Elizabeth had involvement in the Anglo Boer War even though the war didn't take place here. Even less people know that there are old Boer War trenches above the Baakens Valley in Settlers Park where the town guard set up lookout spots on the approach to town. They can be reached from the How Avenue parking area and via a short walk.
The view of Settlers Park with the Baakens River flowing through it from the How Avenue parking area of the park stays one of my favorite views in Port Elizabeth.
Over the last year I have become absolutely addicted to Geocaching. Maybe that's an understatement. I was addicted from day 1. In December the crew from Pasella, an Afrikaans magazine program on SABC 2, was in town to shoot an insert about Geocaching in Port Elizabeth for the show. Their "guide" during this adventure.... yours truly. I even got the KidZ to briefly appear in the insert. I did three caches around PE with them, at St Georges park, the East…
As you may have noticed lately, I have developed a special fondness for the Baakens Valley. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for it, but since taking up geocaching I've had to venture into it a couple of times to look for caches and have taken my camera with on every occasion. The spot in the photo is in Settlers Park at one of the places where you cross the river hopping from stone to stone. The river dams up a…
One of the things I've discovered since I've taken up geocaching is that even though I thought I knew everything there is to see in and around Port Elizabeth, I haven't. I've already been to at least three spots I've never visited before and I have another two new places lined up. One of those I haven't seen before was a corner of Settlers Park called Wellington Park which is quite popular for a short walk with the residents living in…
I feel like I am having one of those days where I just want to get out and go for a walk somewhere relaxing. Somewhere in nature. Somewhere with a stream. But alas I am stuck in the office. I do have this picture of a couple of friends doing just that in Settlers Park.