Cape Weaver in Addo

Visiting Addo Elephant National Park isn't all about elephants and other big game.  Addo is also home to over 300 different bird species, one of which is this Cape Weaver I found at Domkrag Waterhole in the park.

Acacia Karroo Sunset

The Karoo is big sky country so when the sun sets its something to behold. 

In the foreground of this sunset is the branch of an Acacia Karroo (Sweet Thorn tree)

Lalibela Game Reserve - a photo essay

There are some truly awesome game reserves around Port Elizabeth ranging from the epic Addo Elephant National Park to excellent private game reserves with top class lodges.  Playing right in that space is Lalibela Game Reserve between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown.  Lalibela is home to the Big 5 as well as other predators like cheetah, hyena, jackal & lynx on 7500 hectares with visitors staying in one of three excellent lodges.  I spent a night with the Damselfly in late 2012 and did a couple of posts on PE Daily Photo but for some reason uploaded this and forgot about it.  While going through the drafts folder to look for something to post today I found it right at the bottom and just can't let the opportunity go by to show you this beautiful place.  My apologies.  So here is Lalibela in a photo essay.  

 

Mark's Camp is Lalibela's family friendly camp with four twin rooms on one side of the lodge and 4 family rooms on the other.  My favourite part of the lodge is the walkway leading down to the swimming pool and deck next to the waterhole.

 

 A different view of the walkway, this time looking towards the pool deck from the lodge.  The waterhole is on the left of the deck.  Do you now get why I like this so much?

One of the very S P A C I O U S rooms at Mark's Camp

 

High tea before the afternoon game drive.  Just the temptation is an absolute sin but its a case of have food, will eat.  Plus how can you say no to a spread like this? Absolutely divine.

Watching elephants close by with the full moon rising over the horizon.  Game drives is always a highlight for me and I will go on each and every one on offer while at a game reserve. 

Returning to the lodge after the afternoon / evening game drive with a crackling fire welcoming you to the lodge.  The decor around the lodge is authentically African and not plastic Africa like I've seen at some lodges before.  Just what every international visitor wants.

Good food and friendly people, essential components of a good game reserve along with knowledgeable rangers, memorable animal sightings and a comfortable lodge.  This was lodge manager Charmaine waiting for us with dinner us on our return from the game reserve.  Any close up pictures of this would be deemed food porn. 

Ranger Terry was excellent on both game drives finding the animals and getting us in the best possible position for prime game viewing. 

 

Disclosure:  We were invited to Lalibela Game Reserve and stayed on a complimentary basis while our transport was for our own account.  I received no additional remuneration to write this post and all views expressed are my own.

My Old Fort adventure in Durban

I get to visit Durban once a year during the annual Tourism Indaba but other than stopping in Umhlanga and taking walks on the beachfront, I've never really had an opportunity to explore the city much.  This year I decided to pinch off an hour to explore and discover at least one new place and the choice fell on The Old Fort.  From outside the place didn't look like much but I pressed on and in and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  When the Dutch arrived in the small settlement of Durban in 1842 the British weren't too impressed to see the Dutch flag flying at the Point.  A armed force of a few hundred were sent to the settlement to sort the Dutch out and was surprised by some stern resistance.  After having to retreat back to the camp Dick King set off on his famous overland horse ride to Grahamstown to fetch reinforcements.

The camp didn't really provide the British with much shelter and during a 24-hour truce called to bury the their dead, the British moved quickly to strengthen it.  Sixty wagons was pulled in a circle around the tented camp and a trench dug around the perimeter.  The excavated soil was used to build up a mount in front with parts of the trench and mount still visible today.  During the siege the Boers shot 651 cannon balls and thousands of bullets at the British.  Many of the cannon balls were dug up and reused after having been fired at them by the Brits.

 

. The battle went on for a whole five weeks until it was finally ended with the arrival of two British ships, a schooner called the Conch, and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Southampton, with reinforcements.  Dick King had succeeded.  The Dutch were sent packing as far back as Cowies Hill and the rebellion was over.  The British was back in full control of Natal.

 

The Old Fort was continuously used as barracks until 1897 and today it's an open air museum of sorts.  The old magazine building has been converted into a chapel while aged military veterans live in rooms that used to be the military barracks.  The gardens that can be found through out the fort complex is littered with historical and interesting items, amongst them a bench made from timber of HMS Southampton, a cannon recovered from the wreck of the Grosvener (1782), and plaques commemorating the heroic journeys of John Ross and Dick King.  The South African Heavy Artillery Memorial can also be found in the fort's gardens.

 

Before I knew it my hour was over and I had to get back to what brought me to Durban in the first place.  Perhaps in the future I will get other opportunities to explore the city and expand my knowledge of the city a little more.

Enjoying scenic views

Visitors to South Africa are treated to the most beautiful views as they travel through our country.  Coastal views, views of the land from the sea, looming mountain views, views from mountains, scenic drives, hilly landscapes, flat landscapes, cityscapes, river gorges, animals on the plains and so I can go on and on and on ..... South Africa truly is a country of beauty.  This view of the Swartkops River on the Flamingo Trail outside Port Elizabeth is no different. 

Waterhole interaction

A couple of young bulls interacting at the Hapoor Waterhole in the Addo Elephant National Park just like a couple of young men would at their local watering hole

South African Heavy Artillery Memorial in Durban

I wouldn't really call war memorials a specific interest on my side, but I really enjoy discovering historic sites and attractions.  Just about every city and town in South Africa has a war memorial of some sort and Durban is no different.  Usually cities have a number of war related memorials and the first one I found in Durban was the city's South African Heavy Artillery Memorial, one of six around South Africa. 

 

After the end of World War I the Imperial Government presented 6 howitzer guns to the Union of South Africa.  The guns were used by the South African Heavy Artillery Association to honour their fallen Comrades-in-Arms and the six South African Heavy Artillery Memorials were created.  The six memorials can be found in the following places:

• Johannesburg Zoo - Memorial to 71st (Transvaal) Siege Battery
• Clyde N Terry Museum in Kimberley - 72nd (Griqualand West) Siege Battery
• Company Gardens in Cape Town - 73rd (Cape) Siege Battery
• National Museum in Bloemfontein - 74th (Eastern Province) Siege Battery
• Union Buildings in Pretoria - 125th (Transvaal) Siege Battery)
• Warriors' Gate MOTH Shellhole in Old Fort Road, Durban - 75th (Natal) Siege Battery