Potjiekos at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

This weekend we embraced South African culture by camping at Suikerbosrand and cooking our first potjiekos!

Suikerbosrand is a game/nature reserve less than 1hr drive south of Johannesberg. Very convenient and a comfortable and clean camping ground. With temperatures hovering around 0c at night, it was no wonder the camping ground was deserted! Luckily our new enormous tent can easily fit in doona's, blankets and sleeping bags making it nice & cozy.

Work life has been busy for us both so it was great to get away for the night and sit-back with a glass of wine & relax. The potjiekos we cooked was also yummy and just what we needed to warm us up!

The reserve does not have any Big 5 or man eating game(!) so has become a very popular, safe 66km cycling route. We have scoped it out and think we will use it as our training route for the 94.7km road race which is later in the year.

Harrison James Chandler - born 9 June 2009

Harrison James Chandler arrived at 14:30, Tuesday, 9th June 2009. Weighing in at 3.86kg and 55cm long, he was delivered via c-section surgery. Both Mum and boy are in great health. Dad is besotted with them both even after changing the 1st nappie!! Amazing, Amazing, Amazing! Tipping the scales at 3.86kg (8,5lbs)

Luxury 'camping' at Toorfontein

The Little Karoo is a broad valley stretching east to west hemmed in by the Swartberg mountain range to the north and the Outeniqua mountains to the south. Whilst the environment appears very vast and arid, the windswept plains are broken by mountains with deep ravines and breathtaking passes. Jen put on her 'travel agent' hat and found stunning accommodation at Toorfontein tented camp which would offer a completely different African experience for Jackie & Stu. To break the drive we stayed at The Fernery on Friday night- the only hotel at the base of the Tsitsikamma Mountains which has views of the rugged coastline, deep gorges and surrounding forests. Our lodge was nestled against a small waterfall of the gorge which made for pleasant background noise as we braaied on our patio. On Saturday we meandered along the Garden Route, breaking for coffee at a French cafe in Plettenberg Bay and a picnic lunch in Knysna. We continued over the spectactular Outeniqua Pass from George...

Camping at Monks Cowl, hiking the 'Berg

Due to this weekend being a long weekend in SA (and also to celebrate our birthdays), Pete & I along with British expats Gareth & Sophie decided a weekend getaway trip was required and the Central Drakensberg Ranges was chosen as the destination. We camped at Monks Cowl which is nestled in the picturesque Champagne Valley at the base of the Central Drakensberg Ranges in Kwazulu-Natal. In training for the Mt Kilimanjaro hike that we all hope to hike whilst we are based in Africa, we ventured off on Sunday for a long and hilly hike. We first headed to Blindman's Corner, an 11km return route from the camp. This route takes you steeply up a berg to The Sphinx and then along a flat and meandering grassy plateau to the base of the summits. However, upon arriving there we felt like a further challenge so subsequently climbed 1/3 of the way up Sterkhorn Mt. And up we climbed... at times the hill we were climbing had a gradient of >55 degrees! We rested for lunch perched precari...

Chandler's Overseas

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