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| << May30, 2005 - Turtle Essays edition no 135 dated 30.5.2005 |
June13, 2005 - Turtle Essays edition no 137 dated 13.6.2005 >> |
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Turtle Essays edition no 136 dated 6th June 2005 ** Turn your dog into the best behaved pooch on the park with Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer Guide Book http://www.dogproblems.com/clicksecrets.htm?hop=brerrabbit ** In this edition: Editors Blurb Grahamstown Kenton on Sea. ** Editors Blurb: Hi folks! Welcome once again to all my new and regular readers. This week we are visiting the Eastern Cape which is known as the Sunshine Coast. Its winter in Cape Town and the whole of the past week we have had rain and strong north winds . Its like the winters of old and its great. When the north wind blows many trees blow over or lose branches. Its actually quite strange as the south east wind hammers them all summer and they seldom lose branches or get blown over then. I think that the ground must soften up from the rain and that the trees root systems are set up to guard against the constant south east winds. Oh well, who knows, the trees get blown over in the storms. For those who are interested, I've written an interesting article about pelicans which you can find on my blog. http://turtleessays.blogspot.com I hope you enjoy it. See you all next week. Geoff Fairman. ** Grahamstown Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape situated about 130 kilometres from Port Elizabeth and about 180 kilometres from East London and about 60 kilometres inland from Kenton on Sea. Way back in 1812 the town was founded by Lt. Colonel John Graham as a military headquarters for a system of forts established along the Fish River which at that time was the boundary of the Cape Colony. The border region was a problem to the Cape Colony government as it needed many soldiers to patrol the area and keep it safe from marauding African tribes. In 1814 at the end of the Napoleonic wars there were many unemployed people in England and to solve the problem of the Cape Colony border and the unemployment problem in England Lord Charles Somerset suggested that many of the unemployed people in England be persuaded to come to the Cape. Those who came were promised and given 100 acre farms along the border on their arrival in South Africa. Many of these settlers were artisans by trade and had scant knowledge of farming methods Soon the struggling settler families, after repeated crop failures, were forced to leave the land and many of them made their way to Grahamstown. To accommodate all the settlers moving into town two new narrow streets were built. New Street and MacDonald Street as the streets were named were built at right angles to each other creating a square which became known as Artificer's Square, a place where artisans gathered to look for employment. Over the years Grahamstown became an important city for communications and agriculture in the area. As it grew many buildings were constructed on its wide tree lined roads and many of these old buildings are still in evidence today. In 1852 a bishopric was established in Grahamstown and today there are more than 40 active churches and places of worship which testify to the variety of cultures in the city. In 1864 history was made when Grahamstown became the only town outside of Cape Town ever to host a session of the Cape Parliament. Today, nearly 200 years later Grahamstown boasts it own University and several excellent schools. Because of its rich history Grahamstown has many historical attractions for visitors to see. The most well-known is the 1820 Settler's National Monument. Another monument dedicated to the memory of the Settler's is the Settler's Memorial Tower, which was to be erected in time for the 50th anniversary of the British Settler's arrival in South Africa. However this did not happen and the tower was incorporated into the building which was to become the City Hall. Another interesting building is the Provost Prison which was used as a military prison on instruction of Sir Benjamin d'Urban, the then Governor of the Cape Colony Modern day Grahamstown has much to offer the visitor. In June/July each year the Grahamstown/Standard Bank National Arts Festival is held. This year the festival starts on the 30th of June and runs through to the 9th of July. The festival caters to all tastes and actually is two festivals in one. The main festival is packed with prestigious performers presenting innovative indigenous works and international successes while the fringe festival is anything goes as long as it's shows, In between all this visitors can shop at hundreds of stalls get mixed up with camels, belly dancers and bagpipes to mention a few of the side shows. Accommodation becomes a problem in the town as its population more than doubles during the festival. The schools and universities let out their hostels while every homeowner who has a spare room does the same. Surrounding towns also assist in accommodating the crowds. The Grahamstown festival is not to be missed so if you have not booked your accommodation for 2005 get in early and plan for 2006. It would be great to meet you there. Geoff Fairman ** Kenton on Sea When travelling along the byways of South Africa one is always likely to come across a place that will remain in your memory. Kenton on Sea is just such a place. After arriving in Port Alfred after a whole day of driving we were sadly disaapointed in the accommodation we had booked. So much so that we decided to leave immediately and head for home. As we had seen Kenton on Sea on our way to Port Alfred we decided to explore the two beautiful rivers and the small village between them on our way back. While sitting admiring the Kariega river a game ranger arrived and parked near us, I'm an avid fisherman and will always ask a local for advice when looking for somewhere to cast my line. Who better than a game ranger? I approached him and chatted for a while and then broached the subject of accommodation in Kenton. He recommended that I visit a local estate agent which I did and I soon had accommodation in a house in the village with a beautiful view out over the Boesmans river at a very reasonable price. I was in paradise. Kenton on Sea has two rivers, the northerly one being the Kariega River and the southerly one the Boesmans River. Both rivers are tidal and when the tide comes in the estuaries are flooded as the sea pushes its way upriver. This is the time to get your line in the water and try for some fish and with a bit of luck you'll soon have something for the pan. Kenton on Sea ??? where the sun spends the winter??? not only has two rivers but a number of pristine beaches where swimming is safe. The weather is lovely, even in winter, where day time temperatures average about 20 degrees celsius. In a small village its always a problem to find something to do. Kenton on Sea has plenty to do. About 15 kilometres inland from the coast, is the Kariega Game Reserve which is located in pristine surroundings near the Kariega river. The reserve has some unique attractions and is a must for those seeking the thrill of the great outdoors and the tranquility that comes with it. In the reserve you will find families of giraffe, zebra, eland, wildebeest and various other antelope. For bird lovers there is a myriad of bird species, including many LBJ's. ??? Little brown jobs.??? Kariega Game Reserve is situated in a malaria free area and that means that visitors do not have to take medication before visiting it. For those wanting to spend a couple of days in the park there are two lodges with accommodation for visitors. Kariega Main Lodge has a number of luxurious and spacious 4-star rated, 1 to 4 bedroomed log chalets, all en-suite with their own viewing decks. Some even having their own private pools. The Ukhozi Lodge has four superbly appointed luxury suites and a restaurant that prepares traditional South African cuisine. For those who want to do more than just view game there is hiking on marked trails, game drives in open vehicles, river cruises on the Kariega river, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, horse riding and golf. Grahamstown and Port Alfred are the two towns closest to Kenton on Sea and they are also worth a visit. Port Alfred has a lovely marina on the Buffalo river and its extremely interesting to watch boats leave through the mouth of the river and take on the surf as they make their way out to sea. Of course coming back is even more interesting as they have to race the waves for the safety of the river mouth. Exploring the Eastern Cape is a great way to spend a holiday and what better place to stay while you are doing it than Kenton on Sea. Stop off and see for yourself when you next visit the Eastern Cape. I'm sure you will fall in love with the place like I did. Geoff Fairman ** The Eastern Cape has many rivers in which to fish. Why not brush up on your fly fishing before visiting the area. Get your fly fishing guide book here. http://www.flyfishingguidebook.com/swres/brerrabbit.html ** Turtle Travels new blog is online now. http://turtleessays.blogspot.com There are some interesting new articles being posted today. Be sure not to miss them. ** Start your own home nursery and earn yourself some pocket money! Find out how to do it from an expert. Here is his link: http://hop.clickbank.net/?brerrabbit/mcplants ** For my personal details, contact address, and warnings regarding products advertised in this ezine please read the disclaimers which can be found at: http://www.turtlesa.com/Disclaimer.html |
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| << May30, 2005 - Turtle Essays edition no 135 dated 30.5.2005 |
June13, 2005 - Turtle Essays edition no 137 dated 13.6.2005 >> |
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