Boer War defenses

While no real Boer War battles were fought in the vicinity of Port Elizabeth, the British did fear a possible Boer attack. So, on the outskirts of PE, a series of trenches were built and a small fort to secure the city's resevoir and important railway bridge. At top, from the vantage point of the stone fort, is the railway bridge. If you were to follow the gulch in rightward direction for several miles, the stream would lead you to the reservoir. The next two photos show a gun port in a fort wall. You can see that lacking other building materials, British soldiers stacked up the stones to build the defenses. Hard work in the African sun. In the bottom two photos, the local historian, a Mr. Tomlinson, discusses the remnants of the trenches in which we are standing.

Day at the Beach

Although it was a little chilly, we could not be so close to the beach and not spend some time sunning on it. As you can see, there was almost no one else. At top, Lily, Emily (standing), Mike, and Telie settle into beach mode. In the middle Cal and Telie survey the scene. At bottom, the group stands in the Indian Ocean.

Kragga Gamma III

We had the chance to watch the keepers feed a group of wild cheetahs. Beautiful animals. When they ran, they looked like water flowing over the ground.

Kragga Gamma II

Nice kitty!

Some of the cheetahs at the game preserve had been raised by their keepers since they were born so they are relatively tame. That means an opportunity to get close personal with the cats. We were warned not to make any sudden movements, not to look like "prey."

Kragga Gamma

Very near PE, is Kragga Gamma Game Park. At top, several giraffe browse through the brush, next a mother rhino and a young rhino snooze in the midday sun, next a herd of wildebeest get ready to run away from us, and at bottom one of the most dangerous of animals in Africa, the cape buffalo.

Jeffreys Bay

Bayworld

Bayworld is a combination museum and aquarium on the beach in PE. Bayworld's two dolphins were leaving the facility for a larger and better funded place in China. Bayworld had been featuring dolphins since the 1960s and the community was quite attached to them. Lots of coverage in the paper and on local TV for the depature of the dolphins and we joined one of the last shows featuring the dolphins. At top, we wait for the show (Telie chose to sit higher up because she was sure we would get wet), next the dolphins leap, next the ever popular seal chats it up, and at bottom a seagull perched on a light pole on the beach.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a comprehensive university based in Port Elizabeth. The modern campus is located on one edge of the city, close to the beach and adjacent to a wildlife refuge. It was pretty quite for most of the time we were there but toward the end of our stay the students returned from their term break and the campus became very busy. At top are my students and I on our first day of class, next is the library (which not suprisingly had a fine collection on the Boer War), next is the International student office which housed the very helpful international staff and has a cafe in the basement where I moved our class because it wa closer to the coffee (it was also warmer than the classroom which was an important issue). At bottom was a sign that really lets one know that the campus is in Africa. "Beware of Monkeys" with a number to call in case of emegency :) The monkeys were scampering around and while we had no incidents we heard some funny stories about the monkeys pursuing students for a bag of chips or a sandwich :)

Khoikhoi and Sarah Bartman

One of the highlights of the early days of our visit was trip out in the country to visit the leadership of the local Khoikhoi people. The Khoikhoi and the San were the first peoples in South Africa. The Xhosa and Zulu slowly migrated into southern Africa from points further north in an important historic movement known as the Bantu Migration. The Khoi chief was eager to emphasize to us that they were the indigenous inhabitants of the region before the other darker- skinned Africans, the "blacks," as they said. The importance of the site where were met them is that in the 19th century a Khoi woman, who was called Sarah Bartman, Sarah was taken to Europe and essentially put on display because of the physical attributes of Khoi women, such as large buttocks. Her body was returned to South Africa in the 1990s from Europe and has been a rallying point for the few Khoi people who remain. The Khoi were friendly to us and eager to talk about their history. They were incidentally Christian and we said a prayer over Sarah's grave. At the top, my students and a group of students from the U. of Mississippi pose at the graveside. Then there is me with Khoi court and finally a view of the nearby scenery.