April 2019. Peter Giddy guided tours -- Hiking; Addo Elephant Park; Kragga Kamma and Daniel Cheetah; Tsitsikamma and Garden Roure.

Peter Giddy Guided Tours of Addo Elephant Park and others.

April 2019

+ 27 (0) 82 55 03 714    Whatsup

peter.giddy@gmail.com

• Addo Elephant Park
• Kragga Kamma Wildlife Reserve
• Daniel Cheetah Project
• Pumba; Shamwari; Amakhala; Kariega -- Day trips Private Reserves.
• City and Cultural Tours
• Hikes and Walks around Port Elizabeth (2 hour Nature and Coastal walks)
• Garden Route Adventure Tours (Zip Lines; Segway in the Forest; Bridge Walks; Bungy Jump; Walking with Elephants; Monkey Land and Birds of Eden; Big Cats Sanctuary; Oudtshoorn Cango Caves and Ostrich farms)
• Shore Excursions from Passengers ships
• Airport; Hotel and Wildlife Reserve transfers. 
• Volkswagen Factory visits.  
• Golfing Tours where everything is supplied. 

Website --   petergiddyguidedtours.wordpress.com

For tours and bookings.. email me at.    peter.giddy@gmail.com

Contact me on Whatsup....  +27 (0) 825503174

Cycling on Sunday 31st March seems to have put my knee out.  So I now have a Swollen Knee and am battling to walk.  Monday and Tuesday all day at home. Admin and other stuff.

Thursday 4th.   Swim with Andrea in the Newton Park Pool.  My first attempt at exercise since Sundays cycle.  We start at 6.30 and swim for an hour. Andrea is training for the Durban 1/2 Ironman and has a schedule of training that she is trying to keep to.

 

Sadly Lindsay Pillay died last month  ...... He was a member of Achilles .... Here he is pictured as part of the Annual Relay team that we put together with Graham Nel; Geoff Roberts and myself.
Thursday 4th.  Hakan and his Swedish Friends arrive.... Per and Minna; Petter and Bjorn.  They will be staying with us for the next week over Ironman.

Addo  with Denise from Netherlands; Patricia and her two sons; Nicholas and Franco from Argentina.  The father is doing Ironman on his sixth and last continent.  With us... Julian and Florence who currently live in Reunion ... They are French and travel extensively.

 

Beatrix.... Stayed over for a night last September when Hakan was here.  She was at Addo and recognised me. Beatrix is also here for Ironman.
Friday... I have a group for Addo... We have a wonderful day and they simply love it.

Saturday morning.  I finally make up my mind and decide to give the Corp Triathlon a go. My Knee seems to be holding up after last weeks MTB event where I came back in agony.  I load everything up and drive to the beach... I have to careful that I have taken absolutely everything and miss nothing that I could need .... But end up traveling light with just the absolute necessary stuff.

 CTC ..... Last time was 2017 as Barbara and I were in Spain in 2018.  I love this event.  Such a wonderful vibe.  Amazing support.  A real community event.

Sunrise at Hobie Beach.  The Canon signals the start of the Pro Men and then the Pro Ladies... And after a while the amateurs go off 10 every 10 seconds -- Self Seeding.
Sunday 7th April 2019.  Ironman Day!  Clear Skies with a light easterly which makes the sea choppy and the swim is cut to just 1.6k
I spend the morning watching the swim and then the start of the bike event.

Michel from Germany.. Studying Mechanical Engineering; is my guest today.

Zebras make for such amazing photography.
Monday 8th. Run four times around Grey...  First lap on my own. Met Philip whose wife is in Hospital.  Then around and met Chris and Lindi.  Turned to run with them.  Then met Kate.  Turned to run with her.  Then continued on and met Adrienne; Mitch and Gaye.  Turned around to run with them and ended up with 8kay run.
Pick up Michel from Island Vibe. Addo Safari.  A good day.

 Addo Elephant Park at Jacks Picnic Site.  With ; Minna; Per; Petter; Hakan and Bjorn -- Ironmen.

 Kragga Kamma where we find this magnificent Cheetah

 Coffee Break in Kragga Kamma... They make a delicious Cappucino

 Giraffe are one of the most spectacular animals  to see

Bontebok in Kragga Kamma.
Tuesday 9th.  Start the day with an 8km run with Mike; Chris and Adrienne.
Addo Safari and then Kragga Kamma with Hakan; Per; Minna; Petter and Bjorn who are staying with us for the Ironman period.  They all had a successful day on Sunday completing their challenges.
Wednesday 10th.  Hakan and Bjorn join me for our morning run.  Hakan stays with the faster group while Bjorn joins Chris and myself for a short 6km once around the park.

 The Queen Victoria in Port Elizabeth for the day.

In Addo at Jacks for lunch with Anne; Martin; Polin and Steve;  Henry and Stephanie.  They used to run a Take Away fish and chips shop and are now retired.
The Queen Victoria is in PE and I am fortunate to have a private tour with Polin and her family who live in Bristol in the UK but were visiting family in Hong Kong and then took the ship back to Southhampton.

Ayanda and Petter in Red Location

 Lungi does the intricate painting.

Everyone bought something from Ayanda.   Minna; Per; Lungi; Hakan; Ayanda and Petter.
Thursday 11th.   I start the day with Hakan for a morning run.  We run through Target Kloof to 10th Ave.  About 9km.  Unfortunately, Bjorn is not feeling well after a nasty incident yesterday at Sardinia Bay where he got into trouble in the sea and ended up on some rocks.
This morning I take the group for a short Township Tour of Red Location; New Brighton; Zwide and Kwa Dwesi where we stop at Ayanda's Pottery and CD's & Sam's Spaza Shop.  Petter in particular is interested in her artwork as he has, in the past two years, also being doing Pottery work.

Elmarie; Per; Bjorn and Minna.

 Chris is at work on the Braai while Hakan and Barbara share thoughts.

 Chris is a real Braai Master and makes the fire just right for grilling.

 A Perfect Fire.

 Sitting in conversation with a great group of people who soon become friends. Bjorn; Barbara; Chris; Hakan; Elmarie; Ron and Lyn; Petter; Minna and Per. Charlotte was in there somewhere.

Per; Minna; Chris; Elmarie; Barbara and Lyn say goodbye to the evening.
This is the group's last day in South Africa after their Ironman so we invite a few friends for an early Braai.

Grassroof for a 20kay cycle with Andrea.

Cathy is in Cape Town with Blake ... They visit the aquarium.

Jacqui is on the beaches of Israel.

 Barbara has an extension built onto her bird cage.

 Youart is in Wilderness training for the Outeniqua 21k in a month.

Per; Hakan; Minna and Petter say goodbye on their way home to Sweden.
Friday 12th.   I drop the group off at the Airport.  They leave for Sweden.
Meet Andrea at Grassroof for an hour of cycling which is part of her training schedule for the Durban IM.
I meet Sarah to discuss the Garden Route tour and then meet Stuart to talk about his plans for getting back on the road... Running and cycling. And maybe CTC 2020?

Looking a little blue in the face before the St Albans 10k race with Andrea.

 A big crowd gather for this event.  It is a fast and reasonably flat out and back route. You have to work all the time to maintain a pace.

Andrew will be running his 10th Two Oceans this year.  He ran an amazing 42.40 today
Saturday morning.  Andrea fetches me and we register for the St Albans 10kay.  Andrea wants to run an extra 3km but although we left at 5.30am for a 6.30am start; we still do not have enough time for the additional distance before the start of the race.  We run together for the first 6km and then Andrea is feeling strong so she surges ahead.  I am not going to try to keep up to her pace as I want to "Save my legs"for the 21k in Cape Town next week.
There is a Saturday Market at St Albans Church and after the run I wander around a bit; tempted to buy some nice stuff to eat.  But I resist and spend a few minutes talking to fellow Achilleans and other people.  It has been perfect conditions -- nice and cool with a threatening drizzle.  However as 8am comes so does the heat.  And the day turns out to be a really still, hot day.
Andrea ran a fast second half after staying with me for the first half to achieve 53.34
Last year I ran 55.45 for two points and this year  55.53 for just one point

Grey plays Paul Roos and loses miserably

Saturday evening Braai after Rugby

After a shower I walk across to Grey where Josh is on the bench for the U15d and E teams playing Paul Roos.  They are, unfortunately. completely outclassed and Paul Roos run away with the game.  Lene and Daniel are supporting him.
Sunday 14th April.... I meet Michael and his family at Addo Main camp and we have a wonderful day in Addo with great sightings.

William and Pauline demonstrate the strength of the Termite Hill at Algoa Lookout.

A herd of Elephants at Peasland

A day in Addo Elephant park with Diedrick; William; Geertrui; Pauline and Michael.

Monday 15th
A day tour of the Garden Route with Gershon and Yair turns out to be quite spectacular.

Tuesday 16th.. .A morning run with Antoinette who is new to the group; Chris; Michael; Adrienne and Stephanie.   Steff and I are winding down for Two Oceans 21k at the end of the week,

To get to Inzolo -- take the N2 from PE to Grahamstown (Makana) and pass the last turn into Amakhala __ Woodbury Lodge.  A further 1km up the hill turn left to Sidbury and Eagles Crag.  From here it is about 6km to the entrance to Inzolo. (Meaning Silence).

 I arrive in Grahamstown.

 Take the first left onto Somerset Road -- Past Rhodes and past St Andrews college to the R350.  Just outside of town is a Tar Road to a Military base.  Take this road and look for the Red Buildings.  This is the Aerodrome.

 This is the sign of the Aerodrome.

When I arrive at the Aerodrome I see this administration building.  Walk through to see if I can establish any information about the incoming flight.  The building is deserted except for a lonely garden maintenance man who accepts some of my left over sandwiches.

 The private plane arrives from Cape Town with my 6 guests -- Paul; Catherine; Gavin and <<<< and Olivia and Claudia ... Paul is a farmer and fruit exporter to the UK from where they come.  Gavin and his wife are from Australia.  They chartered this private plane to bring them here.

 A small amount of luggage for just three nights.

I take the group to Inzolo for their safari holiday.
Tuesday 16th.  I have a simple pick up at the Grahamstown (Makana) Aerodrome and take to Inzolo.  I have never been to either place so it is interesting for me to discover new things.  And meeting new people is the best of all.
Wednesday 17th.   Run 4km with Chris. My last outing before Oceans 21k on Saturday.
My car is in for service for the day.   I attend a PPECB Meeting and give feedback to Head Office Dole.  I also complete some University Moderation tasks.

Braai at Nicky with Cathy and friends... Piet and Anne Louise.

 First time with Cathy in Three Years.

 Deep Conversations all the way around.

A full moon this evening.
Thursday 18th.  Barbara and I drive to Cape Town.   We leave around 6.30 and arrive in CT at about 4pm.  The traffic was hectic and going through Somerset West takes for ever.  We met will Claire at Veritas in Newlands.
Then to Nicky where Cathy and Blake have been staying for the past week.  Nicky and Werner have friends -- Piet and Marie Louise over for drinks.  And Werner cooks us a delicious Braai of Mushrooms and Chicken.

Good Friday 19th.  Cathy leaves early for a Table Mountain excursion.  She is first in line for the Cable Car.  Werner sets up a Badminton Court with a net and 4 rackets we attempt to play.  Two Oceans Marathon.  The 56k is being diverted to Ou Kaapse Weg for the 6th time.  2000 to 2003 we ran the alternate route due to closure of Chapmans Peak.  Then 2015, I was by then running the 21k.  This diversion was due to fires.  And now this year, there have been protest actions in Hout Bay and so the route is again being diverted to Ou Kaapse Weg.  The alternate route means a bit more climbing than Chapmans Peak and the downhill from Silvermine is steep and could lead to injury.  Then the 56k marathoners have to contend with a 3km hill called Southern cross Drive which we will have run up earlier in the morning. I think that Constantia Neck climb is tougher than Southern Cross.

Saturday.  Nicky and I run the 21k in about 2.30.  We run the first 10 together and then become split up at the start of Southern Cross Drive but still finish within minutes of each other.
The rest of the day is spent relaxing and recovering.  Nicky and I have loads to eat and sleep exceptionally well on Saturday night.

Quad Bikes in Wilderness where Nicky and her family did Segway last month.

 Action pic with Cathy; Blake with the Guide and Barbara in front.

 Rocking and Rolling on quads

 Barbara is zooming up front.

 Blake says --- Look Mom. No hands.

 Cathy is hot on his heals and instructs Blake to hold tight.

 Fun in the forest at Wilderness.

 A good looking biker.

 Hell's Angel in the making.

Cathy is loving it.

Easter Sunday;;  Cathy and Blake drive back to PE with Barbara and myself.  We leave at 8am and have a total of 10 hours traveling to PE.  This includes 5 stops. One stop is for the Quad Bike Adventure in Wilderness.  This turns out to be a real success.  We do the 4km loop which is not a mere dirt road.  The trail that we do is full of twists and turns on soft sand.  It had rained for most of the drive home and so the sand was wet on the surface. Barbara got stuck a couple of times and Cathy almost turned over on the one occasion.  Blake rode with one of the guides.  We arrive home at 6pm.  Just before dark.  We are all in bed by 7pm.

 Daniell Cheetah Project with Oksana and Rowland.  Our guide is ....

 Oksana and the Cheetah.

Rowland really enjoyed the experience of being up close to the Cheetah.

It seems that there are now 10 Giraffe in Kragga Kamma.  We were really fortunate to be able to see them close to the car.
Easter Monday,  Family day.   I meet Chris and Lindi at 5am. They run a fast 4kay and then I continue twice around Grey for a 10 000 step 7km run.

I have a Tour with Oksana and Roland from Zurich Germany.  She works for Lufthansa and he is in the storage business.    We first of all look for a Cobra Car in a car dealership in William Moffet and then a brief Township tour before visiting Daniell Cheetah run by Richard Daniell who is on the property.  He breeds and exchanges Cheetah.  We drive back to PE and after a coffee we do a tour of Kragga Kamma which also turns out to be quite successful with most of the animals up close.  It was  just the Rhino which we saw from a distance.

 Roland and Oksana -- On holiday from Germany.  Car enthusiasts (Cobra made in PE at Hi Tech Automotive) The Owner, Jimmy Price, has a real winner in his replica Sports Cars.  500 people are employed and only the highest standards of manufacture are acceptable for the international markets they serve.

Newton Park swimming pool.  Tiles being stripped and replaced. This is supposed to be ready by end May 2019.  But there is still a huge amount of work to be done including a 2 week drying period before water can be added to the pool.  Swimming was stopped on 6th April.  And the water took a long while to empty.  Then the stripping began and as they worked they found more and more places where the tiles were coming loose and, to do a thorough job, they needed to replace now while they had an empty pool.
The rain continues to fall on Tuesday morning so I skip the run this morning. Catch up on some Admin. After a short Township Tour; I drop Oksana and Roland at the Airport.
Wednesday..... 9km run basically on my own.  Meet Adrienne and Gaye at the end of the run.  We were so lucky to pick a gap in the rain.  As soon as I got home it started to rain again. This morning I have a couple of Admin Chores including the Bank; Supa Quick for two new tyres and a look at the Newton Park swim pool which is being renovated.  The Tiles had started to fall off so the pool was emptied and 150 sq meters of tiling replaced.

Wednesday afternoon.  Kim; Johan and I meet for a cycle through the PE Golf Club.  I again hurt my knee.

Barbara; Lene; Daniel; Blake and Cathy working on the Jigsaw (Wasgij)

 In Addo we find an injured young Zebra.  He has clearly been clawed. His mother was also limping.

 Irene (Works at the University) and Christian (Nurse) from Germany.

Sabrina; Theresa and Irene travelling together.   And Malcolm and Annette from UK.
Thursday 25th.  I have a planned Addo Tour for two with Christian and Irene from Kudu Ridge.  And receive a last minute request from Leigh for three from the Formula One Hotel.  As I get to pick up the three, I meet Malcolm who also wants to join us so I end up with 7 guests. Tough tour as we are really fortunate to see Elephants in Harveys Loop and those are the only Elephants that we see today.

Cathy is staying with us for a 2 week holiday and we have a Braai to introduce her to some of our friends. Here is Peter'; Graham and Bobby sitting with her.  Bobby has an interest in Aukland as his brother lives there.

Bobby; Chris who is, as always, our Braai Master.  Lene is not holding his leg as it appears here.  And Barbara is not asleep.

Adrienne has just resigned from her job a the Collegiate School Shop where she has been working for many years.  She has now applied to be a "Carer" in the UK.  Elmarie is a faithful at these Braai's of ours.  Always willing, bringing additional meat and a salad.

Cathy stands around the fire with the men; Bobby; Chris and Peter.

The following morning I take Cathy and Blake with Barbara driving and Daniel to Addo.  We are fortunate to see some Elephants as after the recent rains they have been a bit elusive.  Here there is a bit of a stand off between the Buffalo crossing the road and the Elephants walking past us.  The two tolerate each other.

Daniel and Blake who loved the first hour or so, asking all kinds of questions and happy to spot animals.
This week is my first after Two Oceans 21k.  And having driven back on Sunday, Monday I run and then have a full day tour. Tuesday at home and Wednesday I start the day with a 9k run and end with a two loop cycle around the Golf Course.  That was a mistake.  By Thursday I have an Addo Tour and on Friday my knee is swollen and painful. That night we invite some friends over for a Braai to celebrate Cathy being home for a short visit.
Friday night: I cannot sleep due to the pain and on Saturday Barbara has to drive. I am ice-ing the knee and taking anti inflammatory pills.

So on Sunday 28th I am able to do an Addo Tour with Jorgen and his wife Lisa from Norway, who are staying in St Francis and drive through this morning.  I also pick up Simon.  Although I am uncomfortable I am not suffering like I was a few days earlier. I am able to hobble around with a stick. Unfortunately I leave my phone at home so have no pics to show for the day.

Tuesday 30th I receive a late call to take Gert and Susan Van Wyk from Alberton for an Addo Safari.  We have a reasonably successful day.  The best part is being able to be really close to some of these Giants of Africa.  What I love about this particular pic is the contrasting Blue of the sky; Brown of the mud covered Elephant and the green background.
This morning we say goodbye to Cathy and Blake who board a flight for CT and will leave for NZ at the end of the week.
This evening Peter Joseph; Frank, Alan and I share some of our thoughts at the month end meeting.
My left knee continues to give me trouble as I am struggling to walk, especially as I get out the car.  I am Icing; Resting and taking anti inflammatory pills and hopefully it will soon begin to heal.

Blake receives an award for Rock Climbing

 Kim is on the bike at the Baywest event.  She is in Pink at the back.

Jacqui takes Tom; Jessica; Emily and Anabelle to the movies... Dumbo. Apparently a better finish to the movie than the original.