South Africa Archives - Page 11 of 24

THREE TRANQUIL BEACH GETAWAYS

NATURE’S VALLEY Nature’s Valley is a feast of forest, sea and lagoon scapes. Situated at the mouth of the Salt River it has a sheltered lagoon for those unpleasant windy days but you still want to take out your canoe. This beach haven lies within the De Vasselot Nature Reserve, which forms part of SANParks, and has a shady campsite under indigenous tree frequented by a lot of birds. There is only one access road that brings the visitors to this sleepy village. To appreciate Nature’s you need to appreciate the bush, the sea and be able to entertain yourself. SEDGEFIELD The fossilised sand dunes are what makes Sedgefield so special. For centuries already they keep guard over the residents and visitors of this “slow town.” Beach walks and Saturday markets – my favourite is the Wild Oats market – bring this town alive over weekends and holidays. You can… Read more >

GO SLOW IN SLOWTOWN

Life can be fast – get up, go for a jog, a quick shower, drop off the kids, grab breakfast and coffee on your way to the office to start your day. This is not what Sedgefield is about. Take your time, because you are in a slow town. A town does not choose to be a slow town randomly; you need to meet certain criteria as set out by the Cittaslow movement in Italy, before you can adopt the name “slow town”. Sedgefield earned this name in 2010 and was the first town (and thus far the only town) in South Africa to be awarded with that title. South African now joins the list of slow towns of the world. These towns can be found in some unexpected countries like Japan and South Korea in the East to Denmark and Finland in the North and USA and Canada in… Read more >

CATCH OF THE DAY

This holiday we were exploring our own region to see whether there are still spots that we have not visited before and to my astonishment we did found such a place – Gullilule bird hide near the Fairy Knowe Hotel! The Pied King Fishers is one of my favourite birds as they have magnificent hovering and diving skills. With their black and white plumage, they are not as colourful as the rest of the King Fisher family, but still very pretty. On arrival we found a pair perched on some dry branches right in front of the hide and shortly thereafter they started their display for us. It was time to get out the camera and start clicking! First their super hovering skills were displayed, then with perfect timing a quick dive into the water was executed (alas too quick for me to get the shot) and when it surfaced… Read more >

FOUR PRETTY COOL INVENTIONS!

A new year brings new challenges, travels and discoveries. Maybe it is a good idea to enlighten you of some pretty cool inventions coming from South Africa – some of it you will probably recognize. 1) The Kreepy Krauly The funny swimming pool vacuum cleaner was invented by Ferdinand Chauvier from Springs. Chauvier tried to figure out a way to take the hassle out of pool cleaning. The result was the Kreepy Krauly and the first one was created in 1974. I think he was just tired of cleaning the pool and thought of all the pool sweepers out there, so he made them happy! 2) Dolosse Created by Eric Merrifield, a harbour engineer from East London. Dolosse is that large, unusually shaped concrete blocks weighing up to 20 tons that you sometimes notice on the shoreline. Initially they were called the “Merrifield block.” A Dolos resembles the knuckle bones of… Read more >

SPOTTING BLACK AND WHITE IN ADDO

Addo Elephant National Park is one of the smaller parks in South Africa, but did you know it is the only park in South Africa that boasts the Big Seven? Are you able to name the Big Seven? What better way to start this post with an appropriate shot of an elly! Situated in the adventure province of the Eastern Cape it is within easy reach of the Friendly City of Port Elizabeth and is a firm favorite for a day escape from hectic city life. I feel like experimenting as 2017 is drawing to an end and thus decided on an all-out black and white theme. One of my favorite objects to capture is zebras as they are really patient while you are zooming in and set your focus to snap that perfect moment. This was another black and white shoot done and dusted. Did you know that you… Read more >

TAKE THE QUIZ

So, you think your general knowledge is good. Come let’s play a game and see what your score is on South Africa – no cheating or Googling! Shoot from the head/hip. (Answers at the bottom of the page) # Question 1: We as the Rainbow Nation has a rich culture and history. A country at the bottom tip of the African continent, but do you know how many languages we speak? Hope you are off to a good start and got this one right … # Questions 2: America has Route 66, but we have our own Route 62 stretching from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. Why is our Route 62 famous? # Question 3: My quiz journey now takes you to KwaZulu Natal where the famous Comrades marathon takes place between Pietermartizburg and Durban and thousands of runners participate each year. Do you know why the first one… Read more >

FREE HOLIDAY FUN IN THE FRIENDLY CITY

Seeing that the schools are closing today for a six weeks summer holiday break, I am putting up some holiday fun activities to do in and around Port Elizabeth. RISE AND SHINE! Get up nice and early. Go for a stroll along Shark Rock Pier to watch sunrise over the Indian Ocean. What a better way to start your day? BE A VOLUNTEER Sancobb (but you will probably still remember it as Samrec) is always looking for volunteers of any age to help with daily tasks caring for the penguins at the centre as well as to help protect our precious marine life. A GIANT FLAG Did you know that Port Elizabeth is home to the largest flag in South Africa? Take a walk around The Donkin and watch the giant flag of 12 meters by 8 meters, sitting on a 65 metre high pole, fly in the wind. It… Read more >