South Africa (2020)
Inhalt/Content
Port Elizabeth – A little paradise with shadows
After a not directly pleasant but still surprisingly acceptable night on the night bus, we arrived in Port Elizabeth in the early morning. We could move into our accommodation only in the afternoon and so our first way went to the car rental where we got a small Toyota in whose trunk we luckily could deposit our luggage. Our first drive led us to the “SANCCOB PE Seabird rehabilitation centre”. This was a sanctuary for seabirds, mainly penguins. The employees cared for injured penguins and released those that could still be released into the wild, while all the other birds received the best possible life on site. To our surprise, there were hardly any people around. A staff member first guided us through a small exhibition with various bird skeletons, eggs and general information about the local marine life and the pollution of the seas. Afterwards we went outside to the penguin enclosure. SANCCOB is a very beautiful and educational place which should not be missed when visiting PE. After the small guided tour we stayed there a little longer. We sat down in the small café from where we had a good view of the penguins and which was decorated with many different things with penguins on it. So we could also watch the feeding of the penguins. Also a visit to the souvenir shop was not to be missed. Here it is to be emphasized positively that there was not only the usual junk, as it is the case in many other souvenir shops, but that one could also buy here numerous sustainable products that reduced the own waste production. So I covered myself directly with beeswax tissues and a silicone pot sponge.
Our next stop was at the opposite site of PE. We had been recommended by a colleague to visit the restaurant “Elephant Walk”. This turned out to be a great tip indeed. The restaurant is located in a very quiet place. On the premises there is a small shop with handicrafts, a shop with local products and a pet shop where I got a small free pack of cat food, so we had a souvenir for Iva and Yuri directly. We sat down at a table in the really nice outdoor area and while waiting for our order we were allowed to meet the locals, who in this case were some very trusting cats. A very special fluffy one, which reminded us directly of our Siberian cats, enjoyed sitting down on the table in front of me. The waitress seemed to know this already and placed the bowls and drinks around the cat with a grin. The food was of course also very good. I had ordered a platter with a variation of vegetarian dishes, while Kevin had chicken stuffed with cheese in paprika sauce.
After two such great stops the strains of our Lesotho trip were almost forgotten. Kevin was still not at 100%, but he was much fitter. Next we went to our accommodation, a nice extension which was mediated as AirBnB. The accommodation was located in a very good area with nice big detached houses with swimming pools in the garden.
Our hosts have created a small travel guide. One point of which particularly appealed to us. It was a spot on the coast called “Start of Sacramento Trail”. The concrete coordinates can be found here:
We sat down in our rental car and drove off. Unfortunately the trip brought us back down to earth. Both our start and our destination were in very nice clean areas. The problem was the area in between. Our route planner led us through a township. Everywhere on the side were signs, which alternated with warnings not to stop or ride a bike here, or which were marked “Hijacking Hotspot”. The poorest of the poorest were standing at the side of the road, fires were burning where the garbage was burnt and halfway along the road I had to make an emergency stop because a group of pigs jumped in front of my car. It is not surprising that we were very happy to leave the township behind. I turned to Kevin and said, “We’re lucky we weren’t born there.” I can’t imagine how one can move up in society with so much social inequality.
Arrived at our destination we walked along the coast for a while, took pictures and enjoyed the fresh sea breeze. The place is a really good insider tip.
