Rock anglers

The ocean anglers of this world is split between those fishing off boats and those fishing from the shore.  Port Elizabeth has a number of popular angling spots ranging from the dolosse to the rocks and beaches along the Wildside and Maitlands area.  The rocks at Polock Beach below the old Something Good roadhouse is another spot where you will always find a couple of fisherman.

Reticulated Python

The Reticulated Python is one of the Snake Park at Bayworld's prized snakes.  Out of all the snakes on display she probably got the most attention and comments by the kids that we took to the Snake Park for Chaos Boy's birthday party.

Checking out the snakes

Drama Princess (in the middle) and a couple of Chaos Boy's friends checking out the snake displays at the Snake Park at Bayworld.  They have downscaled the Snake Park a bit from the days when I was a child, but its still very interesting seeing all the different snakes on display.

Ironman cycle leg

Better late (more than two week late that is) than never.  I decided not to photograph the Ironman South Africa event here in Port Elizabeth this year.  Well, it was more a case of we wouldn't have been in town and when it turned out that we were I decided to rather spend time with the family.  I did pop down to Buffelsfontein Road at Mount Pleasant to have a look at the cyclists coming by.  About 15 minutes after getting there the leaders came flying up the road on their second lap of three, passing the back markers already.  By the time I got the camera out the top three had passed already but here are the chasing pack coming up the road with some of the back markers getting out their way on the left.  Next year I will be back on my post for this event.

Mendi Memorial

One of the lesser known, but by far not lesser in importance, monuments in Port Elizabeth is the Mendi Memorial in New Brighton.  The SS Mendi was transporting 823 members of the 5th Battalion, South African Native Labour Corps to France during the First World War and was struck by the SS Darro in think fog off the coast of Plymouth.  616 South Africans, 607 of them black troops, plus 30 British crew members died in the disaster.  The majority of the men of the South African Labour Corps were from the rural areas of the Pondo Kingdom in the Eastern Cape and this memorial remembers them.  I did a more extensive post on the SS Mendi a little while ago on The Firefly Photo Files.  Please click the link and read the whole story.

Marsh terrapin

We took a bunch of kids to Bayworld for Chaos Boy's dinosaur birthday party (I haven't edited the party photos yet but will post a couple at some stage) and I spotted this "smiling" marsh terrapin at Bayworld's Snake Park.  Happy chap if you ask me.

Museum chopper

One of the helicopters on display at the South African Airforce Museum in Port Elizabeth

Stadium steps

The steps leading up to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Campanile view north

Looking north out from the Campanile observation area the view is basically taken up by the city centre and Settlers Freeway.  The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is visible on the right in the background while you can just see the big South African flag on the Donkin Reserve on the left.

Campanile view south

The viewing area of the Campanile has a window on each wall of the room giving you a view all around it.  Looking south the Port Elizabeth Harbour and Settlers Freeway is in the foreground with the beachfront in the back.  The big warehouse in the middle of the photo is a cold storage facility.