Chandler's Overseas

Nearly 3 years ago Pete accepted a job with Hatch in Johannesburg, South Africa. What a truly fabulous time we have had here in Southern Africa. In retrospect, we can say that The Lonely Planet pretty accurately sums up South Africa as follows: 'South Africa is the most popular kid on the block in Africa and it's easy to see why. The southern end of Africa teems with adventure: hike, bike and fly amid craggy peaks and open plains, catch a tantalising glimpse of streakily painted zebras in the savanna, encounter the vibrant cultures of San, Khoikhoi, Zulu and Xhosa. And when you're ready for the high life, tour the vineyards or live it up in cities bursting with food, wine and culture.' Our excitement of our future adventure to Africa in mid-2007 was met with uncertainty and nerves from more than a few people. When informing people (whether friends, work colleagues or family) of our upcoming move the look of disbelief on some faces was priceless. South Africa unfortuna...

Caramelised pear cake for Pete... Goodness.... yet another year seems to have flown by. We celebrated our birthdays this week- Jen was a sprightly 29 whilst Pete turned the momentous 30! Both festivities were fun and relaxing days accompanied by some obligatory pampering. Paul, Heather and Erin were in town so we enjoyed spending the weekend with them. Further celebrations for Pete's birthday will follow when we are in Melbourne. Double chocolate brownie cake for Jen...yum!

Every April, PE is buzzing with anticipation of the annual Ironman competition. This year the event which comprises a 3.8km swim, 180km ride & then marathon run enticed 1600 athletes. One athlete who competed on Sunday was our good friend Paul Burger. We joined the majority of locals and set up mini-stations around the course to cheer Paul on. Pete even rode his bike to give extra encouragement to the tiring Paul as the race progressed into the early evening. It is staggering to think that 1600 people wanted to put their bodies through this gruelling competition. Raynard Tissink, a professional competitor from PE, won the men's race in an incredible 8hr23min. Paul did admirably finishing in a respectable 13hr35min. Of course Pete is now contemplating whether he should compete in one at some stage! Heather & Erin on the pier at the start line 1600 competitors commence the gruelling ironman... All rugged up and ready to cheer on Paul Competitor 312 (Paul) coming out of the...

Last weekend we made one last trip to Joburg to say goodbye to our good friends. We were both a little nervous as to how Harrison would cope on the plane with it being his first plane trip, however thankfully we had nothing to worry about. The flat tyre endured upon landing was the most excitement for the trip- unfortunately it meant we were stuck on the runway until we could all be taxied to the terminal by bus! As always, Ga and Soph were fantastic hosts for the weekend. They organised a braai on Friday night with most of the usual suspects which was fantastic. Loved catching up with Chris & Nix, Dabbo & Sonia, Rob, Keithy and meeting the Kiwi's Nerine & Murray. Pete and the blokes headed north on Saturday to celebrate Dabbo's bux evening. Apparently what happens on the bux, stays on the bux so not much to report there, except that it was an awesome night of complete & utter mayhem! Jen, Soph & Nerine stayed behind and enjoyed some shopping and a night-in ...

Goodbye South Africa..... .... and hello Australia!! Well... after months of endless questions, options and discussions, a deal has been struck and decision made. The Chandlers are moving home to Australia. But the adventure isn't over just yet... Brisbane is calling! With South Africa becoming 'home' for the better part of the last 3 years Brisbane (and Australia for that matter!) seem a world away with new opportunities and adventures to experience. Pete's contract ends on 30 April and a long homeward flight to beckoning family and friends awaits. The next 23 days are going to be packed with work, goodbyes, parties and a precious few more South African moments that we have become so accustomed to. Excitement ++

Having ventured in most directions from Port Elizabeth, the far north-east of the Eastern Cape remained one of the few unexplored regions. Paul and Heather kindly invited us to join them at their beach house in Southbroom for the Easter long weekend, which not only was an attractive offer alone, it also enabled us to drive through the Transkei. The Transkei, meaning the area beyond the river Kei, is most famously known as the birthplace of Nelson Mandela. It was previously an area set aside for Xhosa speaking people. The region became a nominally independent state in 1976; however, joined the Eastern Cape in April 1994 after becoming a participant in the CODESA negotiations for a new South Africa. The Transkei is a distinct area covering 45,000 square-km sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the Drakensburg Mountain Range. No doubt due to its history, the region appears very poor with infrastructure, agriculture and development. The inland N2 highway is one of the few tarred roads wh...

These are some photo's we took of Harrison which capture his quickly changing facial expressions. Each picture tells a slightly different story, yet all taken within 10 seconds. What was he thinking?!

Now that Harrison is crawling everywhere (at lightning speed) and perfecting his clambering skills, it was deemed necessary to upgrade the stair barriers. The boys headed off to the hardware store to find a suitable barrier. Harrison loves sitting in the 'big boy' seat of the trolley and normally adopts a very relaxed and comfortable pose taking in everything there is to see. His concentration is very intense of all to see however occasionally gets interrupted by sheer excitement with arms and legs flapping uncontrollably! Harrison just as he was placed in the trolley with excitement levels slowly building p.s. a suitable make-shift barrier was found which Harrison has been busy analysing!

After saying goodbye to Jen's parents on Thursday, we welcomed Richard, Isabelle and their 16 day old baby daughter Emilie for the weekend. Harrison is still a little boy being nearly 9 months old, however amazing how quickly he has grown, and how big he is compared to Emilie. It was very cute seeing Harrison interact with Emilie- he was so intrigued with her, and surprisingly gentle. On Saturday an impromptu visit to Addo was planned. Upon arrival we soon discovered that the cool coastal breeze had not ventured inland so experienced a hot 37.5c as we drove around the game reserve. Thankfully our air conditioning was working well and there was sheltered picnic tables available for lunch. Whilst the majority of the game were hiding in the shade, we saw large herds of elephants bathing in most of the waterholes which Harrison watched eagerly. Harrison & 16 day old Emilie Cute pouting Emilie Picnic lunch at Addo with Richard & Isabelle Elephants cooling down in the waterhol...

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...