Port Elizabeth

Thursday

We have left Amakhala and have now arrived in Port Elizabeth. We’re on the beach front feeling hot and tired from our 5am game drive this morning. We did manage to have an outside shower before we left Hlosi Lodge, but the heat is very intense. Here’s our view from our bed..

We looked around the local shops and nearly bought some bracelets, but found they were made from elephants tail hair, so decided against it. The pool at the hotel looked inviting but the sea was so close and beautiful we just had to get in there. The waves were high and crashed rhythmically on the beach.

The lifeguard flags only allowed limited access to the beach, so we had lots of people laughing and jumping through the waves with us. Lots of the local girls were in the sea in their clothes. It had been a very hot day so I guess nobody cared about being drenched in sea water.

We also spoke to an old SA couple on the beach. They had originally come from Cape Town but had to settle in Port Elizabeth for work. They were very friendly and chatty and wanted to tell us all about PE. Unfortunately, we were only here for one night so we were unable to explore as much as we would have liked to.

We dressed up and went for cocktails overlooking the beach at a bar called Ginger. As you can imagine, many drinks were made with root ginger, so we tried four and were not disappointed.

In the evening, we found a nice restaurant about a km away from our hotel. Mark had seen it recommended on Trip Advisor. It was called The Coach House was in an elevated position, overlooking the sea. All the staff wore long, elegant, royal blue dresses that enhanced their slim figures. We only managed to get a table inside, as all the outside tables were reserved. The place soon filled up and the waitresses were kept very busy.

Mark had the fillet steak and it was absolutely delicious. He also had mussel soup which was also tasty. I had pork chops and ate every mouthful – yum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely walk along the beach pathway and we were back at the Beach Hotel, ready for our last sleep in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

Plettenbergbaii

Hogs Hollow

We spent the day at the many beaches around Plettenberg Bay. Warm, white, soft sand.. crashing .waves, empty beaches. It was a Saturday and yet there were no people. Most shops were closed, but luckily we found a very nice fish restaurant and bar in the beach. Without hesitation, I ordered a large spiced rum and coke, mussels, followed by grilled fish and chips. It had a great beach vibe and Mark and I watched the kids on beach boards surfing the waves and a sand artist slowly creating nautical sculptures on the beach.

We also found Natures Valley where on one side was a serene, calm lake with mountains, then on the other side was the crashing waves of the sea. The beach between the two was enormous and beautiful, so I laid here for a while, turning from side to side enjoying the magical difference in sceneries.

A short drive away was the longest bungy jump from a bridge into a valley. It was so scary, I really don’t know why people would do it. Mark really wanted to do it. We watched a few jumpers then decided it was much better watching, than doing it ourselves!

We’ll be checking out of Hogs Hollow in the morning 😔