Western Cape

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Montagu NG Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church)

The little town of Montagu in the Western Cape truly is a gem of a town with beautiful old buildings, lots of history, fruit, mountains and nature all around.  Montagu was founded in 1851 on the farm Uitvlucht.  The town was named after John Montagu, the British Secretary of the Cape, who was responsible for the building of the Cogmans Kloof Pass that opened up the town for passing trade.  One of the most significant buildings in the town is the…

6 Comments
16/01/2012
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Ronnie’s Sex Shop

Let's fall right in the door and explain before there are *gasps* and threats of blog boycotts because I'm posting about a sex shop (sic).  If you are a South African you may be familiar with Ronnie's Sex Shop on Route 62 near the town of Barrydale in the Klein Karoo.  If you are from elsewhere and have never heard of Ronnie's, then listen up.Some years ago a guy called Ronnie decided to fix up a building next to the popular…

12 Comments
13/01/2012
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Knysna forest roads

The are two ways of exploring the indigenous forests around Knysna, by car and on foot. Several forest roads take one all over the forests surrounding Knysna from down by the Knysna River up to Gouna, across to Millwood and over the Prince Alfred Pass.  The road in the picture is called Kom se Pad.The best way to really connect with the forest is by going on one of the many hiking trails criss crossing throughout the forest. This is the only way…

2 Comments
22/12/2011
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Klein Karoo landscape

The Klein Karoo is a narrow strip of land wedged between the Outeniqua Mountains to the south and the Swartberg Mountains to the north. Although its only about 70 kilometers wide, it stretched from the Langkloof in the direction of Cape Town as far as Montagu over a distance of a couple of hundred kilometers. The word "Klein" means little in Afrikaans and the word "Karoo" is a Khoi word which means place of thirst. Thus Klein Karoo means "Little…

4 Comments
26/09/2010
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V&A Clock Tower

Probably my favorite building at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is the old Clock Tower.  Situated on the far side from the main shopping centre area, the Victorian Gothic-style Clock Tower has always been an icon of the old docks and has become an important focal point in the Waterfront's recent developments.  The building was originally the Port Captain's Office and was completed in 1882.

5 Comments
22/09/2010
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Cape wreck

Lying just off the beach at Bloubergstrand in Cape Town for the last year or so is the wreck of the Turkish ship Seli 1. The Seli 1 apparently dropped anchor in Table Bay when the anchor broke off in large swells. The ship drifted towards shore and landed on a sandbank before being pushed onto rocks which punctured a hole in the side of the boat. Fortunately it didn't cause any pollution along the coastline. Authorities have been unable…

5 Comments
19/09/2010
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V&A boats

My weekend in Cape Town was a bit of a dull and dreary one, so I didn't get to take too many bright pictures. Stopping by the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, I wanted to get a couple of photos of the different boats in the harbour for a post. Not the best, but here they are.Looking to my left, there were fishing boats lined up, while...... to my right there were luxury yachts with upmarket apartments in the back.A closer…

2 Comments
17/09/2010
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Sandy Bay

Everybody in South Africa knows (or should know) the name Sandy Bay. It's probably the only public beach in the country where it's acceptable to let it all hang out. And with that I mean going nude (Like you didn't know what it means). So on my recent visit to Cape Town we were driving along the Atlantic Seaboard when my brother asked me if I've ever been to Sandy Bay. Now I had heard that you have to walk…

7 Comments
14/09/2010
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How low can you go?

I was watching these guys perform at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town the other day... ... and this guy actually went under a burning rod balanced on dumpy (500ml) Coca-Cola bottles

3 Comments
11/09/2010