One Man in South Africa

I like to keep things reasonably ecologically friendly but, after much discussion and soul searching, I decided that a 'road trip' was necessary given my remaining time left in South Africa. Initially I was going to work my way along the 'Garden Route' ending up at Cape Town however looking at the changing weather patterns as we are now in the autumn season I decided to head west instead, my destination Durban. At least then I would be able to dip my toe in the Indian Ocean! During a last supper with friends in Port Alfred I was given a small guide book to look at. Flicking through the pages gave me the gem of an idea and we will see if I can reach this ultimate destination.

The entrance to what was 'Cook's Castle' I had been discussing with my sister and Toby what to do before I returned to Europe, having decided on a road trip I thought I would nip out this morning to take some photographs of two local places of historical interest which I had seen previously.  Unfortunately it started to rain.  On my return the day was to develop an historical theme, my sister had discovered that there was a Port Alfred Museums competition in the afternoon. At that point I was not aware that there were five museums in the area.

Norma and Toby returned from their holiday in the north having decided to close the restaurant on the Thursday for 'deep cleaning' so why not throw a staff party.  Not just a braai, everyone was ferried down to the marina in the buggy and commandeered cars. Drinks and a buffet lunch were loaded and off we set for a cruise up the river Kowie.

I awoke bright and early on Monday morning as, according to the Tourist Information Office, the South African Air Force (SAAF) Museum only closed at Christmas and New Year. There was also a 'Heritage Trail' to follow around the old town which sounded interesting. Despite this being another public holiday I thought I would have a good day. Alas, when I arrived at the SAAF Museum it now closed every Monday! I headed back to Beach Road and followed it in the direction of the town to see if I could find the park and the 'trail'. I found myself at the Market Square and turned left up the hill. This proved fortuitous as I ended up parking next to a large open grassed area. 

No - not my hotel lol As it happens Monday 28 th is a public holiday so a busy weekend for Guido's. On Sunday I borrowed the truck and set off for Port Elizabeth a little later than I had expected as Toby and I had a wine tasting session the night before! I went up towards Grahamstown then along the N2 to Port Elizabeth as this is a more direct route though the scenery is just as dramatic, it reminded me of Scotland when I went to Pumba Game Reserve. Lo and behold a signpost to 'Lothian' a little further along the route. I drove into Port Elizabeth not recognising any of the signed routes so headed for the airport and then down to the beach road looking for the 'Road Lodge' hotel I had been booked into when I first arrived in South Africa. Driving along I couldn't spot it so turned across a convenient junction to book into a hotel opposite, easier said than done. Three hotels in a row and I couldn't find a door into any of them. Eventually I entered...

Easter Monday, I know this has taken a while getting here but you try to decide which photographs to leave out from this adventure! I booked a safari trip at the Pumba Game Reserve about 20km along the N2 road from Grahamstown to Port Elizabeth. Amazing how much you can find in the Eastern Cape. When the settlers arrived game roamed free over the whole of the African continent whilst the indigenous tribes co-existed hunting only for food and clothing. The farmsteads divided up the land and drove the wildlife out, introducing our own farming species and crops including trees from Australia which were of use as windbreaks in the new environment.

Sunday and the place to be for breakfast is the 'Fish River Sun' Hotel, once a casino. This tied in nicely with my exploration of the N72 towards East London having seen the lighthouse yesterday. I pulled off on the west side of the river and had a look around before proceeding across the road bridge to find my champaign breakfast, at only R120.00 a bargain and a pleasant way to while away your Sunday morning.....

Easter weekend Saturday, this time I turned in the opposite direction along the N72 heading towards East London to see what I could see. Was that a pair of cats running across the highway? No, I realised at the last moment that the long tail disappearing into the bush belonged to a monkey. I pulled over onto the verge and waited by the truck to see if they would reappear, a horn blast from the other side of the road made me turn to see three more scamper across behind me. Hmm, this blog requires patience! I was rewarded after about 10 minutes or so by a head poking out of the bush opposite and the rest as they say is history. I came to realise that, just like buses, monkeys can be seen all over either darting across roads or playing around in the bush as I saw many more during the day.

It is Good Friday and another fine day in the Eastern Cape but, in the absence of hot cross buns, I decided to go on a road trip and have a look along the route signposted 'Frontier Country to see what I could find..... Heading out along the Port Elizabeth road I turned left this time and headed inland. When you look at the photographs you will get some idea of the vastness of this country and I am only exploring in a 60 km radius at the moment. South Africa will definitely take a year!       I came to a settlement called Salem which was founded by the Septon party, one of 60 made up a total of 4000 settlers landing in 1820. M any of them poor were sent here by the British Government to bolster the hold on the Eastern Cape. They were given a plot of land, farming equipment and seed and left to get on with it. Many later departed for urban conurbations such as Bathurst so that they could use other skills such as glass making in order to survive. A church built form mud ...