All in Places
At just one such gathering in one small farming community in the Eastern Cape, there are so many beautiful tales to tell. These are the good stories waiting to be told in rural farming communities all over South Africa.
Who would have thought that a sport which allegedly originated from American students throwing around pie dishes on the college campuses of 1960s USA would eventually make its way to the villages of South Africa’s Wild Coast?
“We call penguins an indicator species. If the penguin is sick, the ocean is sick. Penguin numbers are dropping drastically, so it means that other sea life is suffering too,” says Philipa Wood, Education Manager at SANCCOB.
As much as London is about its majestic buildings steeped in historical significance, world-class (free) museums, theatre shows and iconic views of the Thames, it is people who live there that add a fire to its belly, graffiti to its streets and soul to its music scene.
I happened to pop in to Sundays River Adventures on the Tuesday following Port Elizabeth’s hosting of the Half Ironman World Championships, and was taken on a sand-boarding outing with none other than four Costa Ricans, three Belgians and two Colombians.
Walking through the front door of The Phoenix Hotel is like taking a few steps back in time; you can almost smell the history and hear the singing. It is no wonder that in the late 60s, the hotel is said to have sold the most beer per square foot of any establishment in the city.
There is nothing quite like witnessing a Karoo sunset, but catching a lift to the top of a mountain on the back of a bakkie (or a horse) and watching it from there, is even better.
For one of the most talked-about entrepreneurs in Port Elizabeth, Mike Chizeya is very relaxed and down-to-earth. When he is not making coffee or racing between his three Micoffee shops, Mike loves to play a bit of soccer and spend time with his family. "You're famous," I tell him. "Not really," he replies with a grin.
I took tens of thousands of photographs. I dressed up for Halloween as Beetlejuice and no one could recognise me because I looked so awful, and I was part of the winning drama cast at a small international theatre festival.
In the last decade or so, good old PE has become a city transformed, rejuvenated, and full of hip humans and hangouts.
I left the store with a gold shopping bag of health and green tea for loved ones back home, several “selfies” on my phone and the giggle-inducing thought of Trump in “hot water”.
