Tag Archives: Transkei

River View

November 21, 2015 Andrew Harvard 3 Comments

“The sun will come out tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
There’ll be sun

Just thinkin’ about tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow
’til there’s none

When I’m stuck with a day that’s grey and lonely
I just stick up my chin and grin and say, oh

The sun will come out tomorrow
So you gotta hang on
’til tomorrow, come what may!
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow
You’re always a day away!” ~ Annie – Tomorrow Lyrics 1982

Baby Canon South Africa 550D, Sigma South Africa 10-20mm, F10, 1/50 sec, ISO 100 (base image); my last shot of this series for now wink emoticon

Blended with Raya Pro by Jimmy Mcintyre

Credit to John Costello Photography for pointing out this shot (go check out his lovely work) at the mouth of the Umzimvubu river, Port St John’s

5 Star Durban Amapondo Backpackers Amapondo IBackpackers Port St Johns Tourism Spottedgrunterresort Port St Johns Cremorne Estate, Port St Johns Outspan Inn

Photography

Magic

November 17, 2015 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

I’ve always said this of Port St Johns and now found a quote that is quite relevant.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl

I’ve always thought the river mouth at Port St Johns was dirty and disgusting. It took a local (go look at his amazing work here: John Costello Photography) to believe a little.

Baby Canon South Africa 550D, Sigma South Africa 10-20mm, F10, 1/5 & 0.6 sec, ISO 100

5 Star Durban Amapondo backpackers Port St Johns Rotary Club of Port St Johns Cremorne Estate, Port St Johns Community of Port St Johns, Wild Coast Port Saint John’S, Eastern Cape, South Africa Amapondo Backpackers Amapondo IBackpackers

Photography, Travel

Gap Rise

October 8, 2015 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

“In truth, to attain to interior peace, one must be willing to pass through the contrary to peace. Such is the teaching of the Sages.” – Swami Brahmanada

It was “just another sunrise at 2nd Beach Port St Johns“. A few late night party chaps stopped for a while in their car to shoot selfies, two crayfish salesmen walked past, the receding tide crashed medium waves into the rocks where I was and at The Gap; otherwise the beach was empty and still. Nearby, across the road behind me, Amapondo Backpackers / Amapondo IBackpackers was still asleep.

Canon South Africa 6D, 17-40mm, F11, 2.5, ISO 320

— at Port St John

Photography, Travel

Homeward Bound 2

October 6, 2015 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

“Again the Ghost sped on, above the black and heaving sea — on, on — until, being far away, as he told Scrooge, from any shore, they lighted on a ship. They stood beside the helmsman at the wheel, the look-out in the bow, the officers who had the watch; dark, ghostly figures in their several stations; but every man among them hummed a Christmas tune, or had a Christmas thought, or spoke below his breath to his companion of some bygone Christmas Day, with homeward hopes belonging to it. And every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year; and had shared to some extent in its festivities; and had remembered those he cared for at a distance, and had known that they delighted to remember him.” ~ Charles Dickens

I was a little late getting to Amapondo Backpackers / Amapondo IBackpackers for a sundowner last week as I stopped up the road towards Mthatha to take some snaps. The people, goats and cars were all homeward bound.

Port St John

Photography, Travel

Magical Umzimvubu

July 24, 2015 Andrew Harvard 4 Comments

Sometimes, not too often, I really battle to process a photo. The one below has been through about four attempts and I cannot get a look to it that satisfies me. But I refuse to toss it. What I am happy with is that I took it before sunrise at Port St John’s River Lodge after my LDV would not start: better than not shooting at all. It shows Cremorne Estate, Port St Johnsacross the Umzimvubu River. The area has a magical feel especially when you are on the mountain high above the river. There was light cloud, mist, hot air or who knows what rising from the one peak on this morning; that is visible. There are some big sharks in this river; not hearsay, I nearly caught one a few years back – something is moving in that water! (I removed the luminous eyes wink emoticon)

Canon South Africa 6D, Canon EF 17–40mm lens, 25 sec, F4, ISO 1600

Rotary Club of Port St Johns Community of Port St Johns, Wild Coast Amapondo backpackers Port St Johns Outspan Inn Outspan Inn

At Port St Johns River Lodge

Photography, Travel

Galaxy Note 4 Pano Mt Thesiger

April 3, 2015 Andrew Harvard Leave a comment

Photos taken with my Samsung mobile phone

Used the pano option in camera; not the sharpest / clear photos but I just drool over the view.

Photography, Travel

Andy on Mt. Thesiger

April 1, 2015 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

Just to recap: On Tuesday morning, 24 March 2015 I woke up before sunrise and headed alone up the hill to the top of Mt. Thesiger (Port St John’s – South Africa) at around this spot GPS: -31.603330, 29.527454. I spent the night before having a scrumptious seafood feast and filter coffee plus hot chocolate at @amapondobackers. I was photofit!

I set up my Canon South Africa camera (6D & Canon EF 17–40mm lens) and tripod in anticipation of the forthcoming sunrise. The river lodges were some 300 m or more below and I could faintly see their lights through the mist or low clouds.

It was calm, peaceful and dead quiet except for the medium-size predatory birds that were circling the mountain and squawking at each other. Every so often they would fly fairly close and it was amazing to hear their wings “woof – woofing” through the air.

The view across to Mt Sullivan on the other side of the river was glorious to say the least for about three minutes or less at one point of the sunrise. The sun then “disappeared” but not completely, although there was no more golden light forcing through the somewhat thick clouds.

The accompanying photo is a self-shot image using the camera’s 10 second timer.

If I’m looking a little tense and you wonder why I wasn’t doing some classic pose / holding a flashlight, then wonder no more. I sprinted 15 metres across rocks to get to my posing position, all the while trying not to trip and end up 300 metres down to the left. The “woof-woofing” birds flying around me were big enough for me to suspect they might be brave enough to try pecking my eyes out while I’m alive! Community of Port St Johns, Wild Coast

Settings F11, ISO 320 & 1/8 sec (-2 exp. comp.)

Cremorne Estate, Port St Johns Amapondo Backpackers Port St Johns Amapondo backpackers Port St Johns Port St John Port Saint John’S, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Old Transkeians…… Travelstart South Africa ‪#‎landscape‬ ‪#‎sunrise‬‪#‎mountains‬ ‪#‎valleys‬ ‪#‎umzimvuburiver‬ ‪#‎umzimvubu‬ ‪#‎amapondo‬‪#‎amapondobackpackers‬ ‪#‎transkei‬ ‪#‎portstjohns‬ ‪#‎portsaintjohns‬ ‪#‎selfie‬‪#‎chasingthelight‬ ‪#‎lightstalkers‬ ‪#‎backpacking‬ ‪#‎backpacker‬ Backpacker Magazine Backpacker Travel
Backpacking Backpacking Travel Blog Backpacking

Photography, Travel

Beyond the Gates of Port St John’s

March 30, 2015 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

On Tuesday morning, 24 March 2015 I woke up before sunrise and headed up the hill to the top of Mt. Thesiger at around this spot GPS: -31.603330, 29.527454 Port St John’s.

I set up my Canon South Africa camera from Orms (6D & 17-40mm L lens) and tripod in anticipation of the forthcoming sunrise. The river lodges were some 300 m or more below and could faintly see their lights through the mist or low clouds.

The accompanying photo is a panoramic-stitch of two separate photos, which takes one’s eyes in a westerly direction or so up the mighty Umzimvubu River, which I traced on a map all the way up to the Lesotho border.

The photo was originally going to be called Phillips’ View but was then changed to “Beyond the Gates of Port St John’s”. Settings F11, ISO 320 & 0.4 sec. Stitching done via LR export into PS. Outspan Inn
Where’s my backpack? Amapondo Backpackers Amapondo backpackers Port St Johns Cremorne Estate, Port St Johns, Port St Johns Spottedgrunterresort Port St Johns ‪#‎landscape‬ ‪#‎canon‬ ‪#‎canonsouthafrica‬ ‪#‎transkei‬ ‪#‎nature‬ ‪#‎hills‬ ‪#‎valleys‬

Photography, Travel

Galaxy Note 4 Pano at The Gates

March 27, 2015 Andrew Harvard Leave a comment

“Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been” ~ Alan Alda

It’s a fairly long drive from Durban to Port St John’s but you know you are there when you take the multiple bends a few kilometres out of town and on one of the downhill slopes get your first view of the river to the left. Sadly, as you go over the river bridge out of town and head towards Durban, the view from the bridge is the last time you will see the river.

On this trip, I usually stop on the freeway at Umgababa where I purchase avocado pears and other fruit. The prices have steadily increased so I stopped on the side of the Port St John’s bridge and bought avocado pears and guavas at a steal. Their prices are too good and reasonable.

The accompanying photo surprised me somewhat as it was taken out of my LDV window when I stopped alongside the bridge railing. Although I use my Samsung note 4 mobile phone to capture the scene in pano mode, it turned out really clear compared to what I expected. The sky was a little blown out and I had to do some work on it to hopefully improve the look. PS – don’t mentioned the curved bridge wink emoticon

Can’t wait to head back there to Amapondo Backpackers for my filter coffee and prawn & calamari feast.

#mobilephone #samsungnote4 #samsunggalaxy #galaxynote4 Samsung South Africa Samsung Galaxy ComMEnity Samsung Mobile Samsung Mobile South Africa Mobile Photo Awards — in Port Saint John’S, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Photography, Travel

Behind the Gates

March 25, 2015 Andrew Harvard 5 Comments

“The setting of Port St Johns is possibly the most dramatic in the country and the drive from Umtata to Port St Johns is one of the best journeys on the Wild Coast. The Umzimvubu River cuts a huge gorge right to the sea where it then squeezes between the river’s edge and the red stone cliffs of the gorge. Twin mountains, the Thesiger and Sullivan, lie on either side of the river mouth like bastions and are regarded as the gates of Port St Johns” ~ SA Venues

After the great seafood feast (prawn & calamari combo with chips and salad ZAR 85.00!!) and filter coffee at Amapondo Backpackers the previous evening, it was easy to get up before sunrise the next day for this photo shoot. PS – the hot chocolate is also super at Amapondo backpackers Port St Johns.

Canon South Africa 6D from Orms, 17-40mm, F11, 0.6 sec, ISO 320, 2 image pano stitch

Travelstart South Africa Where’s my backpack? SA-People – for South Africans in South Africa and expats #amapondo #portstjohns #transkei

Port St John South Africa