November 2018. Peter Giddy Guided Tours. Addo Elephant park and other Shore Excursions.

November 2018.  Peter Giddy Guided Tours.  Addo Elephant park and other Shore Excursions.

• Private (Not more than 7 guests). 
• Addo Elephant Park
• Kragga Kamma; Daniel Cheetah; Seaview Lion Park; African Dawn (Birds) and other Combo Tours
• Morning 2 or 3 hour hiking trail combined with a Kragga Kamma Wildlife Park. 
• City; Township; Cultural and Historical Tours
• Tsitiskamma adventure tours;  Plettenberg Bay beach walks; Bungy; Zip Lines; Segway; Storms River Mouth and Suspension Bridges; Monkey land and Birds of Eden. (Single Day or multiple days)
• Namaqualand; Historical; exploration and flower tours (August and September)
• Garden Route and Cape Town 
• Ocean Safari
• Passenger Liner -- Shore Excursions. 
• Horse Riding for both Experienced and Novice Riders

Contact Peter at peter.giddy@gmail.com to arrange your tours to suite your individual needs. 

The most photogenic and fascinating of the animals is the Zebra.  Here two of them allow a close up pic from the car.


Builders continue in the House.  Kitchen has been opened up.  Two cupboards removed.  All Kitchen fittings removed.  Windows removed and opened up. Out door entrance changed.  Indoor entrance to the kitchen has been moved. Ceiling boards to be replaced.  Laundry area will now become a lounge.
And the ensuite bedroom is completely being retiled and a shower fitted. All of this takes time and energy as we have no kitchen and we have to buy all the fittings and tiles.

Standing outside the SARS offices this morning from 6.30am to correct my ID number in their system. 

I have an assignment to pick up frozen and other foodstuffs for a Kosher client and take it to Kariega.  Barbara comes with me and we get home at about 9.30pm. 

Friday 2nd Nov.  I swim 1500m with Megan who is back from a couple of weeks holiday in India.  I try to favour my knees by using the "Leg Float" thing.  Not easy to swim without kicking.

 Saturday --- No running.  This time as I have a cold that I am trying to cure. I have a group of 6 from Holiday Inn and one from Hippo for a morning Addo Tour. Thomas; Thomas; Jeanette; Monica; Floriat; Liess and Lina from Denmark.
Sunday afternoon I have a meet and greet at the PE Airport for the two kosher clients going to Kariega for a few days.  Big fires around Tsitsikamma closes the road for a while.

Plettenberg Bay.  My brother Ian marries Rachel.  Around 1985.  Peter and Barbara with four of our children .... Nicky; Michael; Cathy and Jacqui.

Monday 5th.  I have an Addo Safari with Peter the Fireman; Tomca Health insurance; Pia a Kindergarden teacher (Germany)and Antonio and Artist (Portugal)
We have a wonderful day of viewing with a variety of animals and other interesting sights.

Europa 2.  This ship is in PE for two days.  I have an assignment to take guests for a Bay Penguin cruise but then the wind picks up and the cruise is cancelled.  So I spend 2.5 hours waiting for instructions before leaving.
Afternoon whirlwind tour of Addo for ship Crew

 We had heard that there were lions.  We were delighted when firstly this sub adult (Jack) came up right next to the car, Then Josie and finally Tom; Dick and Harry all came into the open plains of Waynes Valley. This was early in the day and set the tone for the rest of our Safari.

At Algoa Lookout with Tobi on the right with his wife Hanna on the left.  They were staying at Kududu which is a lodge near to Hitgeheim across  the road from Avoca.  Only as we approached it did I remember that I have stayed here with the Media Group when working for Mosaic.  Also in pic are Luca and Morris who are Italians and Charlene (Studying Anthropology) from Tousouse, France.

Our Thursday Addo group at Jacks.  Luca was a real fun person with this easy laugh and quick humour. I was really happy to have met Tobi and Hanna from Germany as they had been corresponding with me on email.  Hanna picked up my name through a blog (not mine) which had recommended me.  That was a real surprise as I had no idea it existed. I love it when there are French guests in the car and I can pretend to know a bit of French. Although I think that I would pick up conversational French reasonably quickly if I were able to practice regularly.
Thursday 8th.  Two Oceans entries open. But by the time I try to enter the entries for the 21k are full.
Addo for Hanna and Tobi staying at Kududu and Morris & Luca from Italy plus Charlene from Toulouse France -- all from Lungile.  It was also good to meet up with Antonio and Pia who I had been with earlier this week and who had moved to Lungile before setting off to Namibia this weekend.

Before the start of the Gelvandale 15k with Bob; Graham; Tremaine; Lesley; Gail and Tom.

 At the start -- Kenny; Christine; Tremaine; Alan; Roger; Bob; Percy; Nic; Graham and Geoff

The Coffee Club for after the run..... Join the Achilleans for a coffee and rusk and talk about the event you have just run

Here are some of the Achilleans who ran this morning.  Ken; Bruce; Christine; Percy; Gail; Geoff; Bob; Lesley; Graham; Nic; Tremaine; Cathy; Tom and Roger.
Saturday 10th.  I run the Gelvandale 15k. This event has special memories for me as my Son in Law, Michael, once ran the event with me.  I have not run for two weeks; first with a bit of ITB in my right knee and then having a lousy head cold.  So I know this is going to be very slow and tough for me to run.  I am right.  I battle from start to finish trying to maintain some kind of dignity in my miserable shuffle. The route is tough as we run from the Stadium and along Stanford Rd for 3k and then left u a steep hill. From there to the 8k there are a series of hills that make the going tough for me.  Once back on Stanford rd for the return journey the route continues to climb although at a less steep gradient. My legs are heavy and I shuffle just to keep going.  I am able to run (if you can call it that) from start to finish. I stay for a coffee with fellow Achilleans after the run.  I ran about 1.46 this morning.

 Pick up 17 plus their leader. Jaana from Kariega for Mosaic

 Blunden Bus for the Kariega Transfer.

 We take them to Nanaga and then to Col\cacchio restaurant for lunch before taking them to the airport.

.Clinton is our driver today.  He drops me off at Peter Joseph.

Still no kitchen at home so I have to Braai the simplist of suppers like these 6 porkers.
Sunday 12th.  I have a Kariega Pick up and Transferr to the PE airport. Clinton from Blunden is our driver.  Jaana is the tour leader.
Once Clinton has dropped me off at Peter Joseph, I take his car and have two guests from Jhb for a NMBT city Tour. Alan has the Combi for an Addo Tour for two plus their three children.

Lene has a Haloween work function.  Daniel; Jessica and Josh dress for the party.

 My group of 6 at Jacks.  Monica and Moosa;  Carla and Ross;  Sabrina and Sonja.

Algoa Lookout.  Monica;  Sonja; Sabrina;  Carla and Ross and Moosa.
Monday 12th. Start the morning with a 1500m swim with Megan.  I have Sabrina and Sonja for Addo then add Monica and Moosa from Hippo and Ross and Carla from Afroventures..... 40 Albert road pick up.  We are fortunate that in the final half hour we find a single lioness sleeping under a tree.

Tuesday 13th  Start the day with a 7k run with Chris; Mike; Jenna and Fran joined us for the second half.
Angelika and Thomas.  Staying at Cosmos Cuisine.  Addo Tour.  Wonderful sightings and a real adventure today.  Unfortunately Thomas not feeling his best. But he did not allow that to detract from the day.

 Maitlands Forest hiking trail  -- De Stades loop.  Today we are a total of 33 walkers.  Thomas and Angelika are with the group to walk an "unknown trail". 

 Robin gathers the group together to talk about the upcoming year end braai and Di tells us that we have donated a total of R7000 to various causes.

On the trail we are a long line of walkers.

 Thomas and Angelika coped well and seemed to enjoy the group as well as the forest and views.

 We stop for our "half way snack"".

Here the front walkers regroup on a switchback.

 The group looks down on us back markers.

 Angelika and Thomas have coped well with the hills.  Thomas tells me that they live near to open areas where they are able to walk out their back garden and go for hikes.

 The end of the trail.  Checking for ticks.

After the Maitlands trail we go to Kragga Kamma Game park where we have good sightings of all the animals that we missed on the previous day in Addo.  Here is a female Nyala.
Wednesday  Swimming 1500m with Megan.  Meet Thomas and Angelika at Sunridge Park and then go to Maitlands for a Wednesday hiking trail followed by Kragga Kamma and a Sacramento marine drive.

Thursday morning.  Running 8km with the group.  Chris; Mike; Lindi; Andrea; Kelly; Natasha; Joanne and Amanda are in our group.

Doing the long walk today.... Dave; Fedor; Andrew our leader; Yvonne; Lynne who normally leads the short walk; Karen; Lesley and Alan. 

 In the barn where we found the two Barn Owls is this pile of machinery.

 Plows and other farm implements.  No value to the farmer but could be ornamental if cleaned up.

 Alan and Dave -- Hier sit die manne at the barn yard owl.

 Lynne and Karen in an old farm building on the Thornycroft hiking trail.

After our break at the water tanks we walk a long downhill before turning into the forest and back to the Braai Area.  The second half of the walk goes quickly today.
Hiking with the Thursday group.  We meet at Nanaga.  I have time to buy a coffee and then we leave at 9.15  We start hiking at 9.45.  The first part is a hill and then some more climbing before we can see the water tanks in the distance.  The short walkers go straight there.  Our walk is not at all difficult despite the heat and open fields. We end our walk on the meadow.  As soon as I am back at the car I leave.  But the penalty is having to open three farm gates on Thornycroft. The rest of the group stays for a braai lunch

 Purple flowered bush or tree on Ngulube

 Melina and Caroline are at Jacks for lunch.  In all we really had a good day today.  And that is in the eyes of these two German ladies who are on their first ever Safari.

This evening I take a Cooler box of Kosher meals to Pumba for a couple who will be here for a few days from Sunday.
Friday 16th Nov 2018.   Start the day with swimming at Newton Park Pool 1500m with Megan Holden who is my regular swim partner.  It works well for both of us as we drive to the pool together and this is the motivator to get us up and into the pool by 5am.
This morning I have an Addo Safari with Caroline and Melina.  Both from Germany.  For both of them this is a first ever wildlife safari and they love it -- We have great sightings of most of the animals except the lions which are long distance sightings.
This evening I pick up a cooler box for a Pumba Transfer.  Barbara accompanies me and we drive out there to be back home by 9pm.

Aspen Club -- Cindy and Joanne who often join the MPRG and Ronel .

 Alan; Tom; Graham and Kenny at the start of the 15k

 Andrew and his running partner.

 Alan on the run.. He is really doing well at present

 Roger is a consistent front runner

 Graham is Mr Serious when running these events.

 Rose and Herman.

 Matie Jack who we often pass when running in Target Kloof in the morning.

 Keith Harris.  He was a Nippers Dad and was part of the organising team for last week's 15k in Gelvandale.

 Kenny having a laugh because he is now ahead of me after passing each other a couple of times.

 Tremaine laughing at something I said?

 Tom -- at his age he has to keep his arms out to maintain his balance.

 Geoff grabs a drink at half way.

 Natasha.  Met her this week when running Target Kloof.  She has run with MPRG before but I dont remember chatting to her.  This week we ran up Target Kloof together.

 Graeme is so incredibly regular at these events.

 Erica is another of the regular runners at the 10s and 15s in PE

 Robin -- Bringing up the rear of the Achilleans.

My guest in Addo today is Markus.  Here he is at Algoa Lookout taking pics of the Termite Hill.
Saturday 17th.   I start the day with a 15k race from VP sports grounds out to the back of the airport and back again.  1.30 was my time. I was not able to stay for the Coffee Club afterwards as I was committed to an Addo Tour for Markus (germany).
Some of the Race Results

• Joanne and Cindy  1.21
• Keith Harris  1.25
• Ken  1.26
• Mati  1.26
• Tremaine   1.28
• Peter 1.29
• Tom   1.31
• Ronel   1.34
• Michael  1.35
• Natasha 1.40
• Erica 1.54

My day started off okay but then became a disaster.  I go to Checkers for a Coffee and Sandwich special and buy two of each.  Then as I am about to leave I spill both cups onto my shirt and on the counter.  I then get a cup holder to carry the coffee and on my way out I drop the one sandwich.
In the car I put one of the coffee in the cup holder and the other I leave in the cardboard holder on the floor.  Now I am a bit late so going round a Circle the coffee that is on the floor falls to the left and empties next to the passenger door. Nothing I can do so I carry on to fetch my guest and as soon as I arrive I start to clean the floor.  He comes out and I put the rubbish into the boot but forget to close the boot and drive off with it open.  Fortunately nothing falls out the boot.
Okay now off to Addo for the day.  Halfway into Addo I realise that my fuel tank is almost empty so have to drive carefully and slowly to main camp, stressing that I will run out of fuel, I finally get there and I fill up.  The rest of the day goes okay except for the wind which blows a sand dune amount of dust into the car.

 Rhino are a wonderful sighting.

Pumba with Salomon and Linda from Mexico
Sunday 18th.  Morning Kragga Kamma with Markus.
Afternoon -- Meet and Greet at the PE Airport then transfer to Pumba.
Evening -- snacks with Derrick and Lynne Jolliffe.

Gerald is still the same man we have known for the past couple of decades.
Monday -- Swimming 1500m with Megan.  I visit Gerald.  He cannot walk at all and this frustrates him as he has pain in his backside every time he has a slight hill or strain. We chatted about the wonderful times we have had together and things we have done such as the Fish River Canyon, Orange River Canoe Trail; Whale Trail and Tsitsikamma hiking trail
Tuesday 20th.  7km run  with Chris; Mike; Adrienne.  11 000 steps;  Ally; Nicky and I Enter Two Oceans 21k.  We are in a Draw so will hear in a week if we are in the line up or not.
Pumba transfer for Salomon and Linda from Mexico.
Ally arrives home from Stellenbosch after two days in Plett.

 Mark (Dad)  and Sophie (Daughter) from Switzerland

This enormous elephant is the last animal we see today.
Wednesday 21st.... Started the morning with a 1500m swim. It has been raining in the night and again this morning.  The first substantial rain in months. Mark and Sophie for an Addo Safari for Mosaic.
I give up Alcohol and Cappuccino for a month.

Kelly; Andrea and Carli on the run Thursday morning.  We run Target Kloof to 11th Ave in Walmer.  9km -- 12 000 steps.

we walk the De Stades loop which is about 9km

 On the walk today -- Jonathan; Anette; Bennie; Alan; Karin; Sandy and Liesl and two more.

 Looking across the valey.

 Maitlands is famous for these huge sand dunes.

 Our snack break.  I have strawberries and banana

 Maitlands River Mouth.

At the end of the hike we check for ticks.
Hiking at Maitlands with the Thursday Group.  Alan; Benny; Annette and grandson Jonathan; Karin -- Hike leader; Sandy; Liesl and two others.
I was pretty much exhausted after the morning run and then the hike.  A bit of sorting out the house building which is starting to take shape now.
Friday 23rd.  Black Friday.... Means all kinds of reduced prices at retail shops.  I swim my 1500m with Megan.  Also in the pool -- Greg and Chantele and Armand.  Regular morning swimmers.

 Start of the Moon Walk from SANCCOB Penguin Rescue.

 Walking down the steps there is a bit of a hold up as the last step takes a while to negotiate.

 Barbara and Luke (the organiser) striding it out.

 Sunset at the lighthouse

 The group gathers at the lighthouse.  We thought they ready to walk back .... But we were first to set out and got back before anyone else.

 Cape Recife Lighthouse.

The full moon begins to rise.  To our eye it is huge but in the camera it is a speck above Barbara's hand.
Cape Recife Moon Walk   is held once a month .... Next month should be 23rd.

On the Saturday run... Chris; Lindi and Liesl took a short cut.  Here is Peter; Joanne; Jenna; Evie; Elmarie; Kelly; Andrea and Mike. We ran to the Airport and back down 2nd ave for 12k.

Jay takes a pic of Margaret with Barclay and Theresa in background.  They are here to watch the Pro14 series in PE; CT and Bloem.

 Theresa having a blast on the Lady with the Chair.

 Ryan on the Chair.

Jay standing proud on the chair.
Saturday 24th.
Today was quite unique.  Friday evening when we go walking at Cape Recife, unknown to me, Barbara is concerned that I am getting agitated due to no tours for two days and no prospects for the next week.  So she prays for business for me.  I almost immediately receive two enquiries. One for an Addo tour and one for a township tour.  None of which confirm.  Then I receive a call for a City Tour for two pick up 11am.
Saturday morning.  I am not rushed after my run and lazing at home until at 8.45 I receive a call for a City Tour for 4 at 9.30am.... So I shower and get to the Boardwalk hotel in time.  Meanwhile I arrange to change the pick up for the original two at 10am.   I then do a bit of the University and pick up the original two at 10.  So now I have 6 for the City Tour and it is most successful with them climbing the Campanile and Light house plus the normal interest points.
After the tour, at home, I receive another call for a transfer from the Boardwalk to the Bay West Mall which I do and then pick up at 7pm.  When in the hotel lobby after the return trip I overhear some people wanting to go to Old Grey and so I agree to take them for a reasonable rate.  It is 10 guests (and later turns out to be 12 people) who want to be returned to the hotel at 10pm. So I then do this in two trips.
So from no prospects on Saturday evening -- I end up with a really busy Saturday which starts with a great run in the early morning.  I think the best part of the day.  And I have a total of 20 people I have transported around for the day; doing 7 separate trips.
Sunday 25th.  Raggy Charters Transfer.
Monday -- 1500m swim.
Tuesday -- 8k run... Kitchen starting to take shape with windows and cabinets fitted.  Electrician connects some of the plugs and lights; Ceilings in.  Tiles almost completed.

 Ken; Jan; Adinar and Markus -  Today it was Adinar who made the tour a real pleasure.  Her bubbly and enthusiastic nature was a breath of fresh air.

At this time of year the Spekboom flowers and produces this pink flower to brighten up the park.

I found these flowering bulbs on the South Side of Ngulube Loop.  They are known as Boophone or Bushmans Poison Bulb or also known as Sight for sore eyes.

The Bushmans poison bulb is used for healing as the scales of the bulb are used for healing the wound after circumcision.  The bulb is also used for hunting as it is highly poisonous.

I cannot find much information about these bugs except that they are known as Lygaeinae or Lygaeidae or True Bugs or Hemiptera.

I found these bugs at Jacks where we were having our picnic.
Wednesday 28th. Raining in the morning. Addo with Ken and Jan;;  Markus and Adinar.
This morning Adinar spots two Rhino across the valley from Vukani.  I have seen them there before and it was a delight to see them again this morning.
Ally returns from Stellenbosch where she wrote an exam.  Seems to be satisfied with the result.

Sam from Switzerland and Gerhard the Kite Surfer from Austria who talks like Arnold Swartzernegger.
Thursday 29.  Running with Mike and Susan.  Through Target Kloof to 10th Ave... 9km including my warm up.
Addo Tour with Gerard -- Kite Surfer from Austria... and Sam -- Sound Engineer working in an events company in Switzerland.
Month End Meeting with Peter; Frank and Alan.

Sinbad the Sailor -- Pantomime in support of SU for the Perks. Definition of a Pantomime. " A theatrical entertainment mainly for children which involves music; topical jokes and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story; usually produced around Christmas. A pantomime villain."
The evening certainly lived up to this definition.
Friday 30th.  I swim 2000m.  It takes me an hour.  I am first in the pool this morning and no Megan gives me an extra 15 minutes.