Pine Lodge Resort And Conference Centre

THE WINDY CITY

by PEE-WEE

Port Elizabeth is South Africaýs third biggest port and lies on the shores of Algoa Bay. It is called the Friendly City by some, and the Windy City by others.
Too many travellers treat PE as an overnight stop. Stop to have a look around. The city offers pockets of unexpected charm and old and new rub shoulders as Victorian mansions step down hills to the seafront where shopping malls take their place and Miami-style palms line the pavements.
There are outstanding swimming beaches, good windsurfing (great wind!), sailing and scuba diving.
If youýre running out of time and havenýt yet experienced real African wildlife this is a good stop as the Big Five are easily accessible in a malaria free environment. Itýs just a short trip to the Addo Elephant National Park, (guaranteed ellies) or to Shamwari Game Reserve where the Big Five lurk. Schotia Lion Park is also nearby.

Port Elizabeth is a major transport hub, so itýs easy to get to most places from here. Thereýs an airport, good road links, a train station and a major bus station. You can pick up or leave rental cars here too.

Schotia Game Park

by rcsparty

Having never been to a game park before, I wasn't really sure what to expect....WOW! Even though Schotia is not a big game park, it was very impressive. Right away, we were face to jeep with a large Black Rhino. Soon after, we were parked in the middle of a pack of male lions, where I was really wishing for some doors and windows on the jeep. All went well, until a co-worker pulled out his 1980 3 1/2" disk camera, which was loud enough to break the guides 'don't give them something to investigate' rule. After 10 tense minutes, and the guides reach for the tranquilizer gun, the Lion quit circling the jeep and we were on our way to a fantastic cook out in the middle of the reserve.

Sardinia Bay

by PierreZA

Sardinia Bay is quite different, in the sense that dogs are allowed as is horseback riding. There is a very long stretch of beautiful beach.
The area is also a conservation area. There are several short hiking trails.
If you lucky, you will be able to spot the threatened African Black Oyster Catcher. For more info about this bird, I included a picture.

THE FAIREST CAPE

by PEE-WEE

THE FAIREST CAPE IN ALL THE WORLD
Sir Francis Drake said these words of the Cape of Good Hope when he sailed round it in the 15 hundreds, However this is also the Cape of the Flying Dutchman doomed to sail round the Cape until judgement day.
It is also the Cape that has claimed uncountable ships and lives, the earliest been Portuguese in the early 15 hundreds. An early attempt was made by the Portuguese to land in or about 1510 this met with a disastrous end when the landing party was massacred by the local Hottentot community. The English met with no better luck in the early 16 hundreds when they attempted to settle convicts on Robin island. The English eventually repatriate the convicts and hanged them.

It was the Dutch in 1652 who managed to settle and build the Castle at the cape, however for the next three hundred years the Cape of Good Hope would continue to take it’s fearful toll on ships and lives.
The Dutch lost a fair number of ships along the coast and later so did the English. In 1782 the Honourable east India Company lost the ship the Grosvenor on the Natal coast few survivors ever reached the Cape to tell of the disaster a large number of the crew and passengers simply vanished in to Africa. From the outset they were plagued by the natives robbing them of any metal they had in there possession and further more they did nothing to alleviate the suffering of the poor ship wreaked folk of the Grosvener. A number of expeditions were sent out from the Cape to look for survivors but very few were found. In the year 1754 another ship of the Honourable East India company the Dodington came to grief on Bird island in Algoa bay again few survivors reached civilisation the ships carpenter managed to build a small boat which the survivors sailed back to civilisation. This boat a sloop was sold to some of the local s once it reached civilisation.

By the end of the 18th century a large number of ships had already been lost along the coasts of South Africa but squire rigged ships of the East India companies continued to make there way to and from the East with goods to sell and buy. In the early 18 hundreds a number of ships were wreaked of the coast of Algoa bay the Amsterdam a Dutch man of war sank of the coast to the east of the present day Port Elizabeth. And so gave it’s name to the area still known to day as Amsterdam Hook. Another Dutch man of war the Zeepad came to grief on the western approaches of Port Elizabeth at more or less the same time.
In the mid 16 hundreds there was another ship wreak in this area a Portuguese ship by the name of the Sacramento was lost in a storm this ship was carrying newly founded cannon for the king of Portugal. These cannon can be seen at the Port Elizabeth Museum they way many tons and are made of bronze.