Jumping for joy on sand dunes at Igoda near East London

These two photos show Basti and Zooty jumping off (down?) sand dunes at Igoda beach, yesterday 23 June 2010. When their homemade sandboard didn't work, the boys took to running down sand dunes and jumping down sand dunes instead.  Even mom (me) and Tony had a turn.

Basti's Igoda story and photos

Zooty's Igoda story and photos

Basti flies up in the air down a sand dune at Igoda, near East London

Zooty flies up in the air down a sand dune at Igoda, near East London

Igoda beach near East London

Tony, the boys and I took a drive out to Igoda beach yesterday afternoon, just for fun. It was quite late in the afternoon already and we could not stay long, but we took our cameras, romped around on the sand dunes a bit, tried out a homemade sandboard that didn't work, and generally just had a "winter outing to the beach." I haven't been to Igoda in years, but used to go to Igoda with my parents often when I was a kid. My parents used to like fishing there, and I would run around on the sand dunes, or try catch a few fish in the rock pools - further along the beach, as the first bit of beach is just beautiful sand and ocean. My mother used to put red ribbons in my hair in case I wandered off a little too far, she would be able to spot me easily (and reel me back in) :)

The route seems to have changed somewhat, from what I remember. Obviously it's still leave East London and travel past the East London airport, but now it's straight down into Winterstrand, then turn right at the bottom, drive along the coast through the little Winterstrand residential village, then as you start to head away from the ocean again, turn left onto a little dirt road, that ends in a small parking area at Igoda beach.

Basti's Igoda story and photos

Zooty's Igoda story and photos

Igoda beach, near East London, and not far from Winterstrand

As you walk down onto the sand at Igoda beach,

this little village and lagoon is off to the right, a bit magical, like Brigadoon.

Zooty (11) and Basti (12) stand on rocks at Igoda Beach.  The beach itself is long and beautiful,

without any  rocks unless you walk pretty far along the beach, but these rocks (and ideal fishing area)

are immediately off to the left as one walks down from the little Igoda beach parking area.

East London's beautful Nahoon River

This short little video (about 13 seconds) of the Nahoon River in East London, was taken a little upstream from the Nahoon River mouth.

A little further upstream, one finds tranquil little picnic spots - pretty much in the middle of East London (if incorporating Gonubie too.)

Litter in East London, near the Nahoon River

We took this short little video sometime back already, near a beautiful view of the Nahoon River in East London.  It really was not a lot of litter we found there, but what we particularly didn't find appropriate was that the litter was right next to a sign reminding people to please not litter.

Related Article about litter on Tony's blog

Photos of sunrise and a train in Cambridge East London

Tony and I haven't really been rambling lately, so when we popped in at OK Foods in Cambridge on the way back from dropping the boys at school this morning, we decided to pop over the road and see if we could take some photos of the railway line - we didn't have much time, so doubted we'd be lucky enough to have a train come along, but we thought wrong. We had hardly gotten there, next to the railway line, when a train came trundling along the tracks.

Here are the photo efforts of this morning's mini East London ramble:

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

Broken concrete gutter and wet road from a burst water pipe

We didn't have to ramble far in East London for these photos - these photos of the wet road and the broken concrete gutter were taken in Garcia Street, Cambridge, East London, not far from where we live.

The water pipe burst on Saturday morning 29 May 2010, and the road, driveways, and gutter were flooded.  Cars wheels whoosed through the water, causing water to spray up everywhere.

The East London municipality did not take long to arrive and repair the damaged water pipe, and luckily water supply to the nearby houses in Garcia Street was soon flowing once more.

More on the Garcia Street water pipe burst:

Daily Dispatch DispatchNow blog - Well done BCM!

Car wheels splashing in water from a burst water pipe in East London

I wanted dad to let go of my leash

View from The Edge at Hogsback in the Eastern Cape

Beautiful view from the edge at The Edge in Hogsback, or not, Tony was not going beyond that gate.  Although I'm not as scared of heights as Tony is, I wasn't all that keen to go beyond this gate either - although a super zoom lens on my camera would have been great.

But, here's the view, as I took it, so hope you like!

I took this photo during a day trip to Hogsback in early 2009.

The Gonubie beachfront Boardwalk at night

This very short video shows what the Gonubie boardwalk looks like at night. Lots of little miggies flying around the light drew our attention too. Put your speakers on. Gonubie is an awesome Eastern Cape coastal holiday destination - and the locals of East London love it too. The Gonubie boardwalk stretches along the ocean's edge from the carpark near the Gonubie Hotel all the way to the beach near the Gonubie River mouth.

Tranquil picnic spot along the Nahoon River in the middle of East London

This tranquil and beautiful Nahoon River picnic spot is quite a hidden little gem in East London, near the bridge separating the suburbs of Nahoon and Beacon Bay.  Bonnie Doon, Vincent, Abortsford, Nahoon Valley, and Stirling are not too far away either.

What an ideal little riverside spot to take a break at in the middle of the day from shopping, or to relax at with the family on weekends, or late weekday afternoons.

Also see The bridge over the Nahoon River in East London

The bridge over the Nahoon River in East London

This Nahoon River bridge seperates Nahoon from Beacon Bay in East London.  The Nahoon River runs into the ocean at the mouth, at Nahoon Beach.  One of the longer swims that Amakhosi Masters Swimming Club had when they hosted the South African Masters National Swimming Championships in East London in 2009, was held near this spot.  There are another three bridges that cross the Nahoon River further up the river too.  See the video below:

Anyone in SA remember the mid 80's SABC series The Volunteers?

It was on the far bank of this river in the photo, near Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, that the SABC series The Volunteers was filmed in the mid 1980's.  A group of "volunteers" lived like the 1820 settlers - I remember how they ended up arguing and moaning so much.  Took this photo in 1985 on a standard 9 (grade 11) school English trip to Grahamstown and surrounding areas.  We walked down a long road off to the right of where this photo was taken from, and jumped across rocks and used a little canoe (I think, was some time back now!) to get to the other side of the river and go look at the area where The Volunteers had lived, during the SABC filming of the series.  Everything had basically been removed already, but, having had enjoyed the South African tv series, it was kinda cool to be standing exactly where The Volunteers had lived, and had been filmed.

(post by Terry)

The East London beachfront in 1994

This photo of the East London beachfront, and looking towards the dunes of Eastern Beach, was taken from an 8th floor apartment above the Kennaway Hotel where I was living at the time.  This was in 1994, 16 years ago, now, when I was 25 (I'm now 41.)  Numbers nightclub and disco was just across the way from the East London aquarium that you can see in the photo (the aquarium has a pale blue wall).  (Numbers was next to where Virgin Active Gym is now.)

(post by Terry)

Looking at yachts on the Buffalo River in East London

Tony's hair was still short!  If you have an old nickname like Yottie, and you used to do sailing on dinghies and catamarans, and also had an interest in 1m radio controlled model racing yachts, then you'll also want to pop down to the East London harbour, to be reminded of what you love and miss, and, who knows, perhaps be motivated to make a plan about getting back into it, and onto the water again.

Spot the bus car train and boat

Yes, there is a boat there - click to enlarge this photo taken at the Buffalo River in East London.  Clue:  the boat is not on the river (that's a jetty just on the other side of the man fishing).  The other three modes of transport are all clear to see, one above the other, like in a triple story house.  Hm, pity there wasn't a helicopter or something in the air too.

Yacht mooring ropes and metal bollard

Into boating?  Pop down to the East London harbour on the Buffalo River (a river port) to check out ropes, bollards, boats, a yacht or three or four, ships, or just relax nearby and have a snack or drink, while enjoying the salty air and smells, and maybe catch a glimpse of fishermen coming back from a day's fishing, who, if you're lucky might be holding their catches up and you can go home and say "It was thiiiiiiis big..."

Shell and rocks looks like a chameleon's head and eye

And here below is a close up of the "eye" of the chameleon - the interesting swirling pattern in the middle of this shell reminds me of a little water nymph, or something.  Something magical anyway.  This section of rocks and the pretty little shell was found along the Gonubie coastline, East London.

The sun rises and slips behind clouds

These two photos were taken in the East Coast Resorts area of East London early one morning.  As the sun rose, it slipped behind some clouds, but the edges of the clouds were still lit up.  I love the cooler colours of the sky and clouds in the top of the photos, then the warm glow near the bottom, coming all the way down to the bottom, now, to the dark foreground of silhouetted thorn trees to offset it all.  This  is a sunrise that is typical in the countryside of South Africa - but this one was in East London, my lovely little hometown, and so it's extra special.

Geese taking a walk near Seagulls Beach Hotel, Wild Coast

These geese looked so happy and relaxed just taking an afternoon stroll, near Seagulls Beach Hotel, on the Wild Coast, not far from Kei Mouth.  We spent one night at Seagulls Beach Hotel in early 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed our stay, and of course their divine Saturday night seafood, as well as meandering through the countryside - and all sorts of animals, not just geese - on the way there and back.

The beach between Glen Gariff and Glen Eden

Spending some time on the beaches in and near East London is a great idea for both visitors and locals alike.  East London beaches are stunning, the ocean waters are not too cold, and some of the quieter beaches allow dogs too.  Explore and discover the East Coast Resorts area beaches, like the people in this photo are doing.  This is a stretch of beach between Glen Gariff and Glen Eden.  Go hiking along the coast, but don't forget you sun protection!

Kwelera River is a nature lover's delight

This photo was taken a bit upriver from the mouth of Kwelera River, near East London, in South Africa - about 2km or so, upriver.  It is near the Kwelera River mouth that the 16km (10 miles) Surfers Marathon Coastal Challenge starts each year.  Yellow Sands beach is on the opposite side of the river mouth.  Glen Gariff is not far along the coast, from the mouth either.  Just a little downriver from these cliffs in this photo, one finds Areena Riverside Resort.

This is the perfect area for abseiling, tubing, canoeing, fishing, hiking, bird watching, swimming and more! 

Hugging a log at Sunrise on Sea near East London

Zooty was 3 or 4 in this photo taken at Sunrise on Sea beach, East Coast Resorts, near East London, about 7 years ago.  Zooty is now naturally bigger, the log is the same size, and the beach is still there.  Only thing really different now is that the log is missing Zooty's hugs.

Sunrise on Sea driftwood and ocean

This photo was taken at Sunrise on Sea beach, using an old SLR camera, and focussing through a hole in a large piece of driftwood, to the background of rocks, ocean and waves.  Sunrise on Sea is not far from Crossways supermarket at the Village Centre in the East Coast Resorts area of East London.

Bridge over the Buffalo River in East London

This bridge over the Buffalo River in East London separates the east and west banks of East London.  One would drive across this bridge, entering the city centre, if coming from Port Elizabeth, or from the East London airport.

Messing ice-cream at the Spur restaurant and steak house in East London

What a mess!  If kids don't make a bit of a mess though, at a Spur restaurant, they aren't having fun are they?  The Spur is an ideal place to take kids - of just about any age, and we do have a few Spur restaurants here in East London.  Love their texan chillie sauce for burgers, or on a steak, their cheddar melt sauce (creamy cheese and mushroom), their steaks, and of course, their ribs, YUM!  Oh, and of course Spur waffles (with BOTH cream and ice-cream) aren't bad at all either.  In this photo Basti has fun messing and enjoying his ice-cream and marshmallow - photo taken early January 2009.

Charming wood furnishings at Bramlyn b&b in Nahoon, East London

Light and airy furnishings and neutral, natural tones of the furnishings and linen at Bramlyn bed and breakfast in Nahoon, East London, is welcoming indeed.  Sunlight streams through the window of this room at Bramlyn, leaving delighful streaks of light across the wooden floor, highlighting part of the wooden desk and chair, and the welcoming bed.  Whether you're needing to be active at the nearby shops in Nahoon, or want to pop down to Nahoon River, or go swimming or surfing at Nahoon beach or reef, or, are just needing to relax, Bramlyn b&b offers you the perfect, relaxing East London accommodation solution.

Plenty of secure parking at Lord Selborne Guest House in Selborne

Parking at Lord Selborne Guest House in East London is secure.  Cars can park securely behind a high wall, and the two gates are automated.  Access to the parking area - and to Lord Selborne Guest House - is gained by drivers of the cars first speaking on the intercom at the entrance gate, to identify who they are.

Tennis court at Lord Selborne Guest House in Selborne

Lord Selborne Guest House is ideally situated in Selborne, East London - behind Selborne Primary School, close to shops in the Vincent Park shopping area, the Joan Harrison public swimming pool, and of course not forgetting Boykies Biltong Bar.  Even though it may sound like Lord Selborne Guest House is in a busy area, this East London accommodation establishment is behind high walls and is quiet once you're on the large premises.  It has a lovely spacious garden, a bar, a small glass-encased gym, and a tennis court for social tennis players to keep fit on.  We enjoyed designing a website for Lord Selborne, and taking photos of their upmarket accommodation establishment, which includes conference facilities.  

Radio controlled racing cars in East London

It's almost a sin that the boys were 10 and 11 (about a year ago) before we took them to see some radio controlled cars in East London.  Watching these little radio controlled model racing cars racing around the track near Buffs Club in East London was not only enjoyed by the boys, but by Tony and I too.  The paint jobs on the model cars enhanced their looks, and the boys found these attractive little cars really interesting.  Being female, I guess, the word I would use to describe the colours of the model cars, is "pretty."  There was even a pink one. We would like to take the boys to another race at the Buffs club model car racing grounds sometime, after all, they did quickly forget about wanting to make racing radio controlled model cars their new hobby quickly enough last time.  We don't have enough extra money to support a hobby like this right now. There were other women that day at the racing event in East London, who were actually watching the cars race, so it's obvious to me that radio controlled model car racing is not just a hobby for men and boys, but for women too!

East London police on horses bigger than the cars they're watching

East London police sit on their horses behind the fence at the East London radio controlled cars track near Buffs Club.  The horses actually looked a little interested in the small radio controlled cars too.  These policemen must have been having a bit of break, and probably thought "Why not go show our horses what else we enjoy?"  Little cars or big cars, cars will always be fascinating to boys of all ages - we didn't check, but maybe all those horses were boys too?

Self-catering interior decor in Kwelera, East London

Interior decor is certainly not just for city-dwellers or accommodation places within the city.  Get creative and liven up your countryside self-catering interior decor like Petra and Spuds Self Catering have.  Wooden antique looks are just so quaint and it makes more sense when this kind of interior decor is found in the countryside, blending, somewhat, with the area.  This photo was taken just inside the entrance to Petra and Spuds Self-Catering in Kwelera Village, East London - in the East Coast Resorts area.

Who wants to join the circus?

I think Basti wants to joins the circus, but then again, that makes sense, as he's my child and when I was little I wanted to join the circus too.  I used to dream about joining a circus, like some children in the books I read were doing.  Okay, Basti does not want to join the circus, but he certainly enjoyed trying out his balancing skills on this tightrope, and later, tried some more balancing on the stilts.

(post by Terry)

The huge slide at the Gonubie Agricultural Show in East London

That's a pretty big slide.  I wonder how fast the kids would slide down if they poured some water and soap onto this slide?  Wheeeeeeeee!  That's Basti at the bottom of the slide, having just climbed up those steps to the right of the slide.  He said there was one step that was a little faulty and one could see down to the ground.  Hm, this slide is not for me, and definitely not for Tony.  Too high!

A picture of the swings at the Gonubie Show, and a picture of the bubble balls one climbs inside

Walking on stilts at the Gonubie Agricultural Show

Tony on stilts at the Gonubie show!

Not fair - he could walk, hop, and even just stand there balancing perfectly!

With some practice on stilts, Basti might one day manage to walk on stilts, and balance on stilts, as well as Tony does.

Read about our trip to the Gonubie Agricultural Show in East London.

Being inside a big plastic bubble ball at the Gonubie Agricultural Show

Basti had loads of fun in these huge big plastic bubble balls.  The fun see-through plastic balls were just one of the many attractions for children at the recent Gonubie Agricultural Show in East London - some adults enjoyed the rides too! 

Two more photos and the whole story of our visit to the Gonubie Agricultural Show.

Walking dogs in East London 365 days a year

This is Khatu and Isha and they're very fit, healthy, and happy dogs.  Their 70 year old East London owner, Dave, is fit too.  The three of them walk about 3 km 365 days a year!  Walking dogs is not just for the dogs!  And to stick to walking dogs 365 days a year is a remarkable achievement indeed.  Well done Dave, Khatu and Isha!

Powerful ocean near Nahoon Reef in East London

 

The first and last photos of these 6 photos above had us flying backwards to avoid being splashed.  These photos were taken today (Friday 23 April) down on the beach near Footprints Cafe in Nahoon.  We were there to meet a client, and had some time to kill before she arrived.  The ocean was rough and beautifully alive and we couldn't resist strolling down to the water's edge for a few photos of the waves spashing over the rocks.  This was in the morning and the tide was high.  Later in the day we were in the Kwelera area of the East Coast Resorts area, when it was low tide, and the sea still looked just as rough, with huge and powerful swells approaching Yellowsands and Kwelera River mouth.  The sea is terribly powerful, and although it's exciting to watch the ocean and the waves when it's rough like this, it's a little scary too.