Chandler's Overseas

We were brave and ventured to the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls for 3 days after visiting Chobe National Park. We were initially unsure as to our safety and security due to the instability there at the moment, however it was fine. As you approach the town mist reveals the existence of the waterfall. Rainy season has only just started and the mist (and waterflow ) still seemed incredibly impressive. I can't imagine what it would be like at the end of rainy season! Apparently 550,000 cubic metres of water hurtles over each minute, and falls to depths over 100m resulting in spray that can raise 500m above! Vic Falls is comprised of 5 separate falls and due to the spray and mist has resulted in a rainforest area surrounding the falls. We had a helicopter ride over the falls. Not only was it exciting to have a helicopter ride (first time for us all), it gave stunning views of the falls and gave us a better understanding of the size and magnitude of the falls. The day we visited the ...

We flew into Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on Saturday 22nd December and immediately drove to Botswana to begin our adventure... We passed numerous herds of elephants roaming the major highway and hundreds of trucks waiting to catch a ferry into Zambia (apparently trucks can regularly wait up to 2 weeks). We were very happy to have our transfer organised as road signs do not appear to be a priority in Botswana. From what we saw around Kasane and discussed with local Batswanans , there appears to be a better distribution of wealth in Botswana than South Africa. They have a very buoyant economy from mining and a stable government since Independence in 1965 and appear to be a lot more supportive to the less privileged . The minimum standard of living was certainly higher with locals living at least a brick houses with power and running water. We were staying at Elephant Valley Lodge for a couple of nights which is nestled in a forest, 2km down a narrow sandy red dirt track from the main...

One of Hatch’s jobs in South Africa is part of a joint venture, HMG JV (Hatch; Mott McDonald & Goba), that has been formed to facilitate the Transnet Capital Expansion Program. Transnet, the client, is a government owned body responsible for Rail and Port infrastructure in South Africa. Hence, the program focuses on the revitalisation of the Ports and Rail infrastructure nation wide. My role on the project is within the procurement team for the Port of Ngqura (‘gqu’ pronounced with a click of the tongue…. nigh on impossible for an Aussie). The port is 20km northeast of Port Elizabeth. The Port is being built on a green fields site and the phase that is currently underway has a budget of around 8 Billion Rand (A$1.33billion). The work at this stage is major concrete paving and civil works to shape the container terminal, rail connections, power infrastructure, navigational aides, the buildings that will be required to run the Port (around 20) as well as purchasing the equipment requ...

Today Bin, Nelson and I visited the Lion Park which is just outside the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. We were able to play with lion cubs, feed giraffes, see springbok, cheetahs, zebra, ostrich etc. and most excitedly drive amongst herds of lions. The giraffes were hilarious. They have really long tongues which they poke out to collect food when feeding- euww!! They seriously tower over you and make you feel minute. The cubs we played with were gorgeous and very friendly- not at all scared or intimidated by us, whilst the adult lions were stunning. It was very exhilerating and intimidating to drive amongst them. Impressive animals. Now we just hope we see that many lions and in similar proximity at Chobe National Park in Botswana.

The elegant female impala We now have a full house due to the arrival of Bin, Phil and Nelson. We had beautiful sunny weather in the days leading up to their arrival, however it has been overcast with a little rain since. We went to Pilansberg on Monday (for a change!)- see below for some of Bin's amazing shots. We have brought forward Christmas Day to Friday 21st when the boys break up from work. There will be the usual affair with turkey, ham, pudding and lots of wine :). Bin, Nelson and I have been busy preparing all week! On Saturday we are flying to Zimbabwe and being wisked away to Chobe National Park (in Botswana and Namibia) for a safari. We return to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls for a few days before spending NYE in Joburg. Early in the new year we are flying down to Cape Town for some grape grazing, beach time and scenic viewing. Should all be amazing...very excited! A rhinocerous that was way too close! Lunch at Pilansberg Warthog Pete 'at home' behind the...

Portia taught me how to cook a traditional meal that black Africans eat on a day to day basis, provided they have enough $ for the meat. We cooked pap with a beef stew. Pap is the staple diet for blacks which is eaten at every meal (the equivalent of rice for Asians). It is incredibly cheap and very filling, and has the same consistency as polenta. Method: Either steak or lamb is cut into small pieces and boiled in water for a couple of hours. Then a miniscule amount of carrot, capsicum, onion, garlic, spices and beef stock are added. Cook until meat tender. Pap is a bit more complicated.... it is boiled in water and stirred constantly until all the water is dissolved. Practice makes perfect to get the right consistency- otherwise it can be a bit rubbery! End result- yum!

Spa Day always brings a smile & sense of excitement to the wives that partake in the day. Today was Spa Day (or should I say guilty day...). Once a month 8 of us take a 40min road trip to Kievits Kroon , a Cape Dutch country estate and spa, where we are pampered, preened and groomed. Our clothes and shoes are banished upon arrival and replaced with a luscious white bath robe and matching slippers. Today we had a body scrub, some sun time and relaxation by the pool, buffet lunch accompanied with wine & fresh juice, some time in the swiss shower and jacuzzi and then finished with a 1 hr full body massage. All of this for around AUD 60! Note- there are some benefits for the husbands from this monthly activity. To reduce the guilt levels a delicious meal is always on the table upon their return home from work! :)

Patience is a virtue. Patience is definately being tested of late by living in South Africa. A common expression used by the expats when annoyed by an occurence specific to South Africa is TIA (acronym for This Is Africa)... it has now been changed to TIFA ! Currently, demand for electricity is outweighing supply. In addition to this, maintenance is performed over the Summer period. These factors combined with some unexpected outages has resulted in a 25% reduction in supply. Hence, the requirement for load shedding. Load shedding is when Eskom (electricity provider) cuts electricity supply in suburbs on a rotational basis around Gauteng for a few hours. Yesterday Jen's patience was definately tested. - No electricity from 7am to 10.30am at home in Lone Hill. - At 4.30pm Jen left home for the short drive to the gym. There was load shedding in suburbs on the route to the gym, therefore traffic lights were not operating during peak hour. Whilst the Outsurance pointsmen (refer ...

A favourite past time for Africans of all ages is golf. By golf I don't necessarily mean playing a round of golf, more so just heading to the local driving range. Today we visited The World of Golf ( TWOG ), with a friend Ilne, to experience this phenomenon. We hit around 200 balls each in the 'world of driving' section, 50 in the 'world of chipping' and then attempted bunkers before Jen and Ilne lost interested! TWOG also offers putting on numerous greens of different speeds, a 9 hole chip & putt course, 20 golf pro's to assist at your whim, a gym, bar, restaurant and ridiculous little carts to carry your clubs around (golf bags not allowed for security reasons). A very civilised way to spend an hour or two on a Sunday! Ilne & Jen practising on the driving range

Diana experiencing life as a temporary 'lady of leisure'- cocktails and antipasto platter at Montecasino (little Italy)! Jen's cousin Diana visited us for 3 days as she flew home to Australia from Europe. It was wonderful having her here- we loved showing her around and ensuring she experienced as much as possible of South Africa. She got a taste of life in the northern suburbs and saw the tiny ramshackle tin housing and poverty experienced by some in the black settlements. A settlement near Pilansberg We went to Moyo's for dinner on Tuesday night. Moyo's is a modern African restaurant which combines earthy African decor with delicious food & entertainment. Included in this was the mandatory tourist facepaints. Diana tried ostrich fillets, biltong, pap and the compulsory dom pedro at the end of any meal out. She was even lucky enough to have the experience of eating by candlelight both nights that she was here (there was electricity load shedding across Job...

What a weekend... We neglected to check the weather forecast on Friday afternoon as we set out from Joburg to Pilansberg for a weekend of camping. We arrived at the camping ground, chose the perfect site and commenced setting up camp. The clouds slowly got darker and darker (the sky was black at 4.30pm) and the lightening and thunder got closer! First there was torrential rain and wind, then hail the size of large marbles, lightening and thunder directly above us in the sky and then more rain. We were scared the tent would fly away so we seeked refuge in it. We have never heard lightening so loud- was unbelievable! I was a little scared as to whether we would make it out alive from the tent, however luckily the storm passed in 20 min and we were able to witness the destruction. Our trusty little tent was fine (not even wet), however the camping ground looked a bit like a war zone. All foliage was lost from the trees, where there were roads there was now flowing rivers, and many tent...