Port Elizabeth to East London

We left the hotel promptly at 8am to head for Addo Elephant National Park. As the name implies, Port Elizabeth is a major port on the east coast and has a strong industrial hinterland. We followed the N2 for a short distance before heading north west to the Park. I don't think there was enough said to prepare us for the Park as it is the 3rd largest in South Africa with an area of 1640 square kilometres. We were surprised that the whole tour in the Park was in the bus so photographic opportunities were compromised to some degree. The park boasts over 600 elephants and many other species of local fauna including lions, but unfortunately today was not a day for either to be spotted. In the hour we drove around, we spotted a herd of zebra, a few giraffe, many kudu, wart hogs, water buffalo and large leopard tortoises. I also spotted dung beetles on the road as well giant land snails and millipedes. The dung beetles have right of way on the road and they are needed to break down the huge "prairie scones" left by the elephants.

We left the main highway and took the scenic coastal route via Port Alfred to head towards East London. The vegetation was a coastal shrub land with occasional taller trees but there were also significant tracts of lush farming land supporting cattle primarily and some sheep. It was interesting to see the groups of shanties in many of the farms and I am assuming these housed the farm workers. Poverty is obvious in every town we visited and as we got closer to East London there were large areas of poor housing but they were much more spread out than the other areas we had seen around Cape Town.

At this point of time I should mention our black African (politically correct over here) bus driver. Jack is his name and you could not ask fo better. He observes the road laws and oesn't take risks and on top of that he has an engaging personality. Our tour guide Sybil is well credentialed and she has given us great insights into the culture and the scenic locations.

We had a comfort stop at a mall in Port Alfred and it was fascinating to see one of the palms in the forecourt covered in nests under construction by weaver birds. The accompanying photo tells it all. 

We arrived at the Kennaway hotel in East London quite late so there was only an hour before dinner. Our room was huge with a good lounge and dining table and chairs but there were also enough other features to make it quirky. It is a basic 3 star but we do have a view over the Indian Ocean. Tomorrow is the longest bus ride of the tour so it will be a long day but the scenic rewards will make it all worth while.