SAClips

Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe - South Africa

The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe,pronounced "Oat-Tar-Nee-Qua Chew Chew" is the last remaining scheduled steam service still operating in South Africa. It links the coastal towns of George & Knysna, on the western cape, in an area known as the "Garden Route". Due to a combination of track maintenance and a land slide the motive power has been replaced by a diesel and the total running length of the 68Km line has been reduced by a third. This service now goes from Knysna to the seaside resort of Wilderness. Also included in this production is a detailed visit to the transport museum at George, plus black & white photo's of the line in it's hay-day of operations. This was the very last branch line to be built in South Africa and a trip on it is a must. The views of Knysna lagoon and a trip over the 2.5Km long bridge and causeway is worth visiting whilst travelling along this little known line. Today the independent traveller is discovering what this region has to offer, so please enjoy this production. To view or purchase the full version of this film, please go to our website at, www.sprucestudios.com

Outeniqua  Choo  Tjoe  south  africa  bobsymes  steam  cape  town  sprucestudios  class  32 

Channels: Cities, Towns & Places 

Added: 152 days ago by SAClips

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City Sightseeing Cape Town - Celebrating Cape Town

Hop onto the Red City Tour Bus and take a trip to these favourite destinations. Stops such as the Cape Town Convention Centre, Cape Towns Tourism Street, St George's Cathedral, the South African Museum, Mount Nelson Hotel, SA Jewish Museum, Castle of Good Hope, the Gold Museum and Jewel Africa. › See where the Design Indaba is held. › Get directions to the best places to eat and shop by picking up a few maps on offer or by using our easy to read online Cape Town maps. › Visit the structure that outlived three wars, depressions and recessions. › Take a walk into the oldest museum in Sub-Saharan Africa founded in 1825. › Sleep at the hotel that so many renowned guests have slept in before you. › View paintings on display in honour of those who fought against South Arican apartheid. › Discover why the Castle of Good Hope was built. › Explore the relationship between gold and the African continent. › Marvel at the variety of African jewels and diamonds. For more informations please visit http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/cape-town-convention-centre, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/cape-town-tourism, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/st-georges-cathedral, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/sa-museum, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/mount-nelson-hotel, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/sa-jewish-museum, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/castle-of-good-hope, http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/gold-museum and http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/jewel-africa-in-the-bo-kaap.

hop  on  off  bus  cape  town  city  sightseeing  red  tours  tour  travel  holiday  south  africa  tourism  tourist  celebrating  celebrate  museum  jewish  convention  centre  mount  nelson  hotel  gold  jewel  st  georges  cathedral 

Channels: Cities, Towns & Places 

Added: 152 days ago by SAClips

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"Crossing the Karoo" Jesshiggins's photos around Cape Town, South Africa (karoo crossing)

Preview of Jesshiggins's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jesshiggins/africa2005/1115019180/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Cape Town, South Africa Entry Title: "Crossing the Karoo" Entry: "Mainland Africa at last. One would think I'd have all kinds of exciting things to write, but nope--I'm still in recovery mode. I landed in Johannesburg, spoke a bunch of English, ate some falafel, marveled at all the new and shiny buildings, breathed a huge sigh of relief, and promptly got sick. It was just a cold, and a blessing in disguise. I needed a breather after Madagascar, and only the brief but utter breakdown of my body could make me take one. So I spent an unexpected five days lounging around the hostel. I was so happy to be back in the company of other travelers. Getting off the beaten track is great, but I think getting back on it is really underrated. There's not much to say about Rosebank, the Johannesburg suburb where I stayed. Much of suburban life here takes place in enclosed shopping malls, so any attempt at character seems artificial and out-of-place. I do, however, love that the ATM asks me if I want to continue my transaction in Zulu. Why yes, I do! But who knows what I would manage to do to my accounts. And it's wild to hear the people around me at lunch gabbing on in a click language (Xhosa, I think). I decided to wait on Kruger, since a 4-day tour costs about a kajillion dollars (or, 1/4 kajillion per day). Instead, I found a ride to Cape Town with a lovely Swiss-German couple who had brought six different kinds of cheese and even more kinds of chocolate with them from Switzerland. Obviously I fell instantly and deeply in love with them. We took four days to cross the country, stopping in little towns along the way. We crossed The Great Karoo, or as Roland calls it, The Boring Karoo (hey, we didn't ask him to drive it all!) It reminds me of parts of the American West, all open scrubland and irregular mesas. We passed herds of cattle and sheep, the latter sometimes being herded from horseback, and the occasional herd of antelope. And fences--miles and miles and miles of fences in the middle of nowhere. Once in awhile we'd see something exotic, like a pair of ostriches or a black-faced monkey peering at us from the side of the road. Despite these signs of life, the semidesert seemed merciless, the dusty brush withering under intense sun. It was utterly silent. It felt like one good rain might make the difference between a bleating cow and a bleached pile of bones. And in empty places like that, you know that ultimately nature doesn't care which way it goes. I'm not the first to be morosely touched by the Karoo. In Graaft-Reinet, we watched the sun set over Desolation Valley. An apt name, but terribly hard to explain to my traveling companions--how do you describe desolation? Most visitors to South Africa overlook the Karoo, since at first glance there's not much to see, and its natural beauty is eclipsed by that of the Garden Route and the game parks. But it has an interesting history as the site of the Great Trek, when the Boers set out from Cape Town to escape English domination. I suppose it would be simplistic to say that they made the trek solely because they wanted to keep slaves (and the English had just banned slavery), but that was apparently a big factor. Anyway, the Karoo is one of those unique places where a beautiful (in my mind) landscape intersects with the history of an entire country. The Karoo gradually gives way to rolling hills and green valleys, and finally the coast. So you see, even though I've done next to nothing for ten days, I can still write four pages about it. Sheesh! Next on the docket: A cage dive with Great Whites (and mom, by "Great Whites" I mean "kittens"), then an overland tour through Namibia and Botswana." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jesshiggins/africa2005/1115019180/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "_Lion park" 2. "_Big boy" 3. "_A white lion" 4. "_A girl's got to eat!" 5. "_HOW CUTE IS THIS???" 6. "_The Karoo" 7. "_Hills in the Karoo" 8. "_Karoo flora" 9. "_Graaft-Reinet" 10. "_Church in town" 11. "_Door in town" 12. "_Cutest dog in South Africa" 13. "_Wait! We have another contender" 14. "_My favorite hostel" 15. "_In Desolation Valley" 16. "_Sunset over Desolation Valley" 17. "_Can't get enough of that Karoo" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00cf-b95a-7c50?ytv4=1

karoo  crossing  trek  boers  the  see  trip  south  africa  flora  da  frica  imagenes  en  cape  town  western  slideshow  tripwow  tripadvisor  photography  vacation  photos 

Channels: Cities, Towns & Places 

Added: 152 days ago by SAClips

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Robben Island Cape Town Double Swim with Dolphins

Graham was accompained by a school of wild Dusky dolphins while completing this magic long distance endurance swim from Robben Island (the former prison of Global political icon Nelson Mandela) to Cape Town and back again (The Robben Island Double), one of only a handful of long distance swimmers to complete this particular swim. The swimming distance was approx 15km and it took place just off the south coast of South Africa in the cold, shark infested waters of the Atlantic Ocean, against the backdrop of Cape Towns most awesome Table Mountain. Time approximately 5 and a half hours. This swim has been recognised by the CLDSA Cape Long Distance Swimming Association of South Africa. This particular swim was recognised by various international news channels, including Carte Blanche, Africa's flagship magazine and actuality programme as an epic achievement, pushing human spirit and endurance to the limits. Graham was nominated by Out There Adventure Magazine as Out There Epic Adventurer of the year 2009 and quoted as 'having achieved one of the toughest extreme events in the world'. The first leg of the swim between Robben Island and Blaaubergstrand was completed with swimming companions Dr. Otto Thaning and James Saunders. The spontanious decision by Graham to turn around and complete the double swim 'carpe diem' resulted in the most awesome of human experiences. Completing this swim accompanied and 'pulled along' by such incredible animals truly was a magnificent experience, which touched those on the boat and reiterated for me the magnificence of our great oceans. At a critical stage of mental and physical exhaustion, five wild dusky dolphins swam side by side with me for about a mile, gently weaving their way under me, next to me and in front of me and it certainly felt like they were enjoying themselves. I completed the swim exhausted but exhilarated and have felt on a high ever since.

dolphins  dolphin  swim  robben  island  graham  long  distance  grindley-ferris  swimming  cape  town  open  water  ocean  extreme  adventure  outthere  epic  endurance  achieve  table  mountain 

Channels: Cities, Towns & Places 

Added: 152 days ago by SAClips

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"Cape Town" Seandrade's photos around Cape Town, South Africa (arab music store cape town)

Preview of Seandrade's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/seandrade/zambia/1176370380/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Cape Town, South Africa Entry Title: "Cape Town" Entry: "Finally......here it is. Although Cape Town lacks the sense of racial tension that is undeniably strong in Joburg, it is for all intense and purposes a very "white" city. Cape Town it's self is set along Long Street, the backpackers haven, the waterfront, Table Mountain, University of Cape Town and then heads out to various suburbs, beautiful national parks, hiking trails, gardens, beaches, etc.. Except for Marvel Bar on Long Street, a very cool, retro, old rap bar with pictures lining the walls of famous Jazz artists and old records, the only African South Africans I saw were the ones serving our food or drinks. You get a very distinct feeling that somehow there is a segregation, is it voluntary, is it coerced, I don't know but I will say among the touristy areas of Cape Town, I rarely saw a black face that was not serving. Now once you are outside of the center, you pass townships as well as distinctly wealthy black areas and all of the sudden there are Africans on the street everywhere....hmmm is there an imaginary line we shall not cross? After learning a bit about Cape Town's history, I could begin to piece together why this might be so....especially seeing as much of the battles of Apartheid actually were fought in Cape Town as it was the seat of the legislature. In the late forties, the National Party took control and took away the right of coloreds to vote, made it hard for them to be employed and refused to build any new black housing. Consequently, squatters were forced to build small shanty towns east of the city and wherever possible, however, the government would frequently come in, bulldoze the shacks and dump the inhabitants farther away from the city....In the early sixties laws were passed forcing blacks and coloreds to carry passbooks which showed if they had permission to be in that particular area or not. A few years later Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders were arrested and imprisoned on Robin Island, just off the coast. The famous District Six area, what was a predominantly colored ghetto, until it was declared a white neighborhood and the inhabitants expelled, is close to Long Street and has since created a museum and various walking tours around the historic area. Now people like to think of Cape Town as one of the most open-minded cities in South Africa...I do think it's very laid back with the surfer beach atmosphere...but just as other parts of South Africa I find it a very bizarre segregated integrated area. Long Street is full of different cafes, restaurants, a great live music joint called Zulu café...funky stores, boutiques, huge music stores and markets. The street is alive all hours and the Middle Eastern stand blasting Arabic music and serving kebobs, pitas, and all kinds of delights fills the air with amazing aromas. After a five hour lay over in Joburg, due to a plane malfunction before we were to take off, we finally arrived in the late afternoon, exhausted and hungry...winding around the roads from the airport to Long Street beautiful views of the bay, the ocean, and the landscape unfolded before our eyes, set against the beautiful Table Top Mountain and Lions Head. We get settled into the Cat and Moose...and yes later discover the dog's name is in fact Moose, we venture out and immediately feel a much more cosmopolitan, lively vibe than Lusaka. Music wafts through the streets, students, and the young 20's/30's crowd is roaming the streets, browsing shops, filling cafes, having afternoon beers, tapas, conversating on a vast array of topics. We arrive at the Zulu Café, amazing food great music that comes up from its neighbor restaurant (owned by the same people) Mama Africa. We kept hearing Mama Africa, a restaurant with a long reservation list, and which looks like a scene from African interior decorating magazine, was great, but I must say the music was much better than the food and we usually found ourselves heading towards Zulu over the next week ..." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/seandrade/zambia/1176370380/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "Baboons" 2. "Beca and samara" 3. "Boat marina" 4. "Cape samara" 5. "Coast and bay" 6. "Gard bec" 7. "Gard sam" 8. "Kulk" 9. "Lighthouse" 10. "Lion head" 11. "Llandudno" 12. "Lookingout" 13. "Ost" 14. "Penguins 3" 15. "Penguins1" 16. "Penguins2" 17. "Restuarant" 18. "Rocks" 19. "Seal bay" 20. "Sun1" 21. "Sun2" 22. "Sun3" 23. "Table 2" 24. "Table1" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0149-0238-c6b4?ytv4=1

lusaka  2008  half-marathon  suden  sun  cape  town  marvel  bar  arab  music  store  coasts  and  where  pitchers  of  llandudno  bays  hiking  girls  kaapstad  ghetto  pics  coast  western  south 

Channels: Cities, Towns & Places 

Added: 152 days ago by SAClips

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