Chandler's Overseas

Experienced the real Joburg traffic when trying to get to airport to fly to Durban. In what can take 20min when no traffic, took 2hrs! Traffic is absolutely shocking on a Friday afternoon- especially when there is rain & thunder forecasted . Arrived at Durban airport, and drove north 50km to Bollito (in the province of Kwazulu -Natal) - lovely seaside resort. There were a total of 14 people- all Hatch employees & some partners. 2 houses were rented. Awesome weekend. We left the rain & thunderstorms of Joburg and were greeted by a weekend of sun and 30c by the Indian Ocean. Lots of swimming, sunbaking , beachtime , eating and drinking followed. The town was basically deserted- at the pub we were one of the main groups there. I’m told that sometimes the dolphins swim and frolic less than 50m from the beach shore- unfortunately we did not see any. On Saturday night we ditched Aussie BBQ and tried the traditional SA Braai . Coals are used to cook the meat. It takes around 1h...

Friday The boys (UP and Pete) finished work at 3pm (normal for a Friday) and we began the roadtrip east of Joburg to Sabie. Sabie is a small town in the Drakensburg escarpment. We arrived at our traditional Africaans hosted B&B (hideous arched brick house stuck in 70’s!) and ventured into town for dinner and drinks. For dinner we ate local delicacies of kudu (antelope family) casserole, springbok schnitzel and biltong (like beef jerky) pate. We have also discovered the obligatory finisher to any meal- a Dom Pedro- single or double shot of either whisky or kahlua, blended with icecream- yum! We then headed across the road to the local pub. It was fascinati ng being the only tourists and watching the locals in action… Saturday We decided to visit Kruger National Park. Most of the National Parks in Africa are fenced to protect the animals from hunting. Kruger NP is enormous (apparently the size of Israel)- we drove around it all day and would have only seen a small portion of the park...

We left town nice and early and drove to Pilansberg National Park for the day. We drove through Hartbeespoort situated on a green-blue dam surrounded by rolling hills and winding roads. Pilansberg NP was our first safari wildlife trip. We weren't sure what to expect however were excited nevertheless. The park is located around an extinct 1200 million year old volcano. There are self-drive roads around the park so you are able to go at your own pace. Our first spotting was a zebra (very exciting), then followed by white rhinoceros, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus, herd of chacma baboon, warthog and lots of impala…. Exciting day and whilst not sure what we would think of wildlife spotting we can now see that it could get addictive. It is a very relaxing day and exciting to stumble across the wildlife.

Jen's uncle, Phil, has been in town with us and has been great company. For our first weekend together in town, he thought we should experience more of the 'real' Joburg. Therefore, we ventured into the CBD for dinner (it's not recomended to travel into the CBD, especially at night) and to Soweto on Saturday. Apartheid ended in 1991 after around 43 years of existence. The CBD was effectively evacuated by many white businesses in the mid-1990’s leaving the district empty and open to crime. Many of the office blocks still remain vacant, if not overtaken by squatters. The businesses mostly moved to the ‘new’ business district of Sandton in the Northern suburbs. The northern suburbs is a mix of opulent housing, office blocks, endless tuscan themed shopping malls & strips. All houses have barbed wire &/or electric fencing around the perimeter. In contrast, the black communities south of the CBD and east of the city live in poverty. The government is slowly rebuilding...

Thought it time we touch base and let you know that we are still here!!! We have been very busy since Jen's arrival. Mainly involves trying to lease/buy cars & getting the necessary documentation, sorting out my work VISA, sorting out housing.... We are getting an Audi A3 which we should have by Friday. We can't wait to drive it! Second car to be confirmed (but hopefully purchased by early next week). I have been dropping Pete at work each day so that I can use the hire car... looking forward to sleep in's in the near future and really being a lady of leisure- enjoy it while it lasts I say! I have met with Charles Orbach (accounting firm) and am now in the process of obtaining documentation for VISA (copious amount) and then getting it processed ASAP. They are lovely people and I look forward to starting (probably another 1-3 months though due to length of time to get VISA). I seem to fill my days quite easily with daily food shopping, lunches, breakfasts, gym, organisi...

We are living in Pine Slopes, a northern suburb of Johannesburg. Johannesburg is in the province of Gauteng (pronounced "How-teng"). Elevation: 1,753m Population: 3,225,812 (in 2001), including outer suburban areas the population is around 7m Other Facts: - Johannesburg was established in the 1880's when gold was discovered in the region. - The city's northern and western suburbs have undulating hills, while the eastern metro area is generally flat. - The city enjoys a dry, sunny climate, with the exception of occasional late afternoon downpours in the summer months of October to April. - Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg has about six million trees, and it is often claimed that the city has the largest man-made (non-commercial) forest in the world. - 81% of households have access to running water & 80% use electricity as the main source of energy. - 22% of Johannesburg residents stay in informal dwellings. - 37% of city residents are unemployed (wh...

Thought it best that we explain some fundamentals we have discovered since living in South Africa. Race and citizenship are both complex concepts in South Africa. Apartheid ( Africaans for separatedness ) created race as a mechanism for violence. Race was the social and psychological reality through which repression and violence functioned. South Africans saw the world in 'black' and 'white' terms. Hence, race is divided and classified firstly based on colour: black, white & coloureds. As an Australian, it is obviously politically incorrect to describe or classify a person based on their skin colour. However, in South Africa, the skin colour of a person is deemed a fact, and therefore deemed an appropriate way to describe a person and their identity. During Nelson Mandela's leadership (1994-1999), a new vocabulary was introduced speaking of nationhood, unity, racial harmony and reconciliation. South Africa was described as a 'rainbow nation'. Any refe...