I meant to wake up at 6:30 this morning to go to the tsitsikamma park office to figure out what I could do today. I woke up at 10. I hiked on a few trails in the area, resisting the temptation to take a couple of the longer routes to ensure my safe return home before dark. I got really excited about doing this one trail, the otter trail, its sposed to be really beautiful. People reserve their permits 6 months to a year in advance for their five days on the trail. I hitchhiked to the park office, about 10 miles from where I am staying, to ask if there was a way I could hop on. The trail is only about 30 miles, I figure I could do it in two days easy, but it has 4 sleeping huts, you stay at one each night, and they are all filled every night. There is not really any flexibility. It’s probably better, I’m not equipped for camping. If I was able to go, I would have boiled a big pot rice and bought a jar of peanut butter to sustain me for the couple days. My mind is still racing with possibilities, but I think I’ma be easy. I could do the world’s highest bungee jump from a bridge. It’s tempting, but I think I will pass. It could lead to an adrenaline addiction. It feels strange to have no football, it’s probably good for me tho.
When I returned from inquring about the trail, I chilled with these brother who sell their arts in town. They do lots of carvings from different woods, stones and seeds. They paint all types of things as will. The one bro gave me a little shaky instrument made from a seed. I bought another one so I can jam. He tried to teach me how to shake them with the rhythms of the drum. I need more practice. I would have liked to chill with them more, they invited to dinner the tomorrow night, but I am probly headed out. But if they can get to the US, they will have a place to stay.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tuesday June 29
I took my time leaving PE, I got to the taxi rank about 11am, and got on a taxi for Jeffrey’s Bay, the next major town about 80km away. This is one of the surfing hotspots, the home of billabong. There is a factory store where everything is half-off. I meant to get off in the town then decide whether or not to stay there or continue….but when I found out the taxi I was in continued a bit further, a drive through the town was good enough. My taxi ended in Humansdorp, where I got a taxi for Stormsriver because it near a national park. I think it was about another 100km. I sat on the back bench of the taxi, my two seatmates to my right I think were father and son. They offered me a beer, and we chatted off and on for the trip. They both worked in the tourist industry around Stormsriver. They told me bits about the area. They need to go to the next town (Humansdorp to the east, Plettenbergs Bay to the west) every month to get supplies, there are small stores close to them, but they are more expensive. They insisted I have a second beer. This made the last 30 minutes a bit painful due to a full bladder. My friends drained their’s in one of the villages we stopped in, but I just couldn’t do it with homes in every direction.
I saw a skinny cow for the first time.
I got to my hostel just in time for Japan-Paraguay. I would’ve preferred to be late. Without a preference in the match it was extremely boring. Both teams played good, intelligent football, but it just wasn’t entertaining. That was alleviated by the Spain-Portugal match. I thought Spain would win a tight match, I was surprised how many quality chances Portugal created. Villa’s goal appeared to be offsides, but they never showed a good replay here. Despite the bumping social scene at my hostel, I am getting ready for bed, I am excited to choose my adventure here in Tsitsikamma national park. I just realized I may have thrown away a bag that had jerky in it, so I’ma stop by the kitchen real quick and investigate. Goodnight Family.
I saw a skinny cow for the first time.
I got to my hostel just in time for Japan-Paraguay. I would’ve preferred to be late. Without a preference in the match it was extremely boring. Both teams played good, intelligent football, but it just wasn’t entertaining. That was alleviated by the Spain-Portugal match. I thought Spain would win a tight match, I was surprised how many quality chances Portugal created. Villa’s goal appeared to be offsides, but they never showed a good replay here. Despite the bumping social scene at my hostel, I am getting ready for bed, I am excited to choose my adventure here in Tsitsikamma national park. I just realized I may have thrown away a bag that had jerky in it, so I’ma stop by the kitchen real quick and investigate. Goodnight Family.
Sat-Sun-Mon
I typed my Fri night entry at a fan park in Bloemfontein. After I finished, I walked up to the main area where there was a dj and a few scattered South Africans. At the fan parks, they often have performances before/after/in-between matches. I think most of the 15 people standing around were scheduled to perform after the last match. All the performances were cancelled due to the small crowds. South Africans do not like the cold. That is one of the flaws in this WC. They have all these great fan parks, but no one comes to them because it is too cold. During the days it feels in the 60’s and sunny. At night it feel’s in the 40’s. The sun goes down during the 4pm match (10am match there), so people are not really outside during the 4 and 830 games. All the fan parks advertise they will show all 64 matches. On a few occasions I have stood outside a closed fan park reading a sign that makes this claim. I guess they close when there are almost empty. Anyway, before I came I imagined watching most of the matches in fan parks with enthusiastic crowds, which I’ve done a couple times, but really only for South Africa’s matches. Despite being able to count everyone in a few seconds, I enjoyed this fan park. I had a conversation with a saxophonists, a comedian (who were both slated to perform later) and their friend. They left when their performances were cancelled. Then I chatted for a longer time with a couple university students. Both crews spoke about their challenges in SA and their perceptions of the US. It was the first time I had a conversation with substance for awhile. Everyone here wants to come to the US. Some for jobs/education, some to connect with the movies and music they know.
I wanted Chile to top the group so Spain and Brazil would play. Some are pleased they avoided each other with the hope they will meet in the final. It would be a good final, but its seems a long shot that both will make it with the quality of teams in their way. I would accepted one getting knocked early to see them play each other. I was glad Switzerland folded, they are among the least interesting teams to watch. Sorry Swiss Mike.
The matches ended and my university friends walked me the short distance to the bus station. The bus ride was a bit rough. There are a 4 or 5 major bus lines in SA. The one I have been using has two arms, Translux and City to City. Translux is the “luxury” line. There are two large comfortable seats on each side of the aisle, they play movies, it’s really quite nice. City to City has a third seat on one side, making everything quite tight, the seats are much less comfortable. I hadn’t thought to ask which bus my ticket was for because I had been given translux for all my longer trips. I noticed in the station that this ticket said City to City. A translux bus came at the same time mine was scheduled for, headed to my destination, East London. Just in case, I went out and showed my ticket, and was promptly sent back. A city to city bus came about 10 minutes later for East London, I also got rejected, there was one more on the way. So my bus came at about 12:30, 35 minutes late. This is the first bus that was late, I am impressed with how prompt the buses have been. I was glad to get on the bus, I was excited to sleep. The bus was already packed, it had started in Pretoria. I got an aisle seat close to the front, my seat mate took up a bit more than her seat, which was fine, but there wasn’t enough leg room. Luckily the back of the seats are soft so I could press my knees into the seat in front of me. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to rest my head, so I was in and out of sleep. I tried to lean my seat back, which actually moves the bottom part of the seat forward creating the slight recline in the back part. This was impossible because my knees couldn’t press into the back of the seat in front of me any further. Eventually the seat right behind the driver opened up as a passenger got off the bus with about 3 hours left in the trip. I hopped in that seat hoping that I could sleep a bit with the window to lean on. The bus driver got back on the bus with two cups of coffee. He handed one back to me and said something I didn’t understand. He then passed back 3 packets of sugar and a stirrer. I figured my job was to put the sugar in for him so he could keep driving. This was a disaster, as the cup was full and the ride was not smooth. I ended up with fair amounts of sugar and coffee on my sleeping bag which I was using as a blanket. After I got the sugar in I could not find the stirrer, so I gave it a soft shake and handed it back to the driver. He waived it off, saying it was for me. If I had known this I surely would not have removed the lid to put in sugar. There were two drivers on the bus, one sleeps in a compartment in the back while the other drives. I think the second cup was for the other driver, but he did not wake up at this stop. So I drank the coffee, not knowing what else to do with it, and not knowing what impact this might have on my ambitions of falling asleep. The sun was starting to come up as we wound through beautiful hilly landscape. I was glad I was awake for those couple hours, I did sleep for maybe an hour before we arrived.
I arrived in East London at about 9:30. I went to my hostel, showered, and figured I would see a bit of the town before falling asleep for the entire day. I ended up walking the town for the entire day. There wasn’t much to see in East London, I spose it’s a nice beach vacation destination. The national rugby team was playing in town that afternoon, so I made it to the stadium as the game was about to begin. I asked around about tickets and learned it was sold out. There were a couple scalpers asking for more than I wanted to pay. I spoke to a couple guys who were trying to buy tickets. They introduced me to the man who I will refer to as the Big Scheme. (BS) It was arranged I would pay r200 for my entrance once we were inside. BS simply said “trust” and away we went. He gave me half of a ticket, they tear the tickets when you enter. We had not entered. There were four others in our crew. He explained something to the people where they take the tickets and we walked through. He explained something to these people at a fence which was not the regular entrance. They opened the gate, and we went through. The next stop was more difficult. It was a turnstile with security. He pushed me through the turnstile as he was arguing, I gave my half ticket to one of the guards as I went through. While still arguing, he went to the next level of security, I think to find someone he knows. Former rugby players make up the next level of security. After a bit of talking with these large men, someone he knew came out and said something. A few minutes later, we were allowed to continue. Our crew of six then walked up the steps towards the corporate boxes. The security guard protecting these boxes tried to stop us, but he had no luck. He walked backwards up the steps trying to explain to the big scheme that he had to have a ticket, but BS was explaining to him why we should be there….I think. Eventually the guard gave up. BS and his friend then began to walk into boxes. The inhabitants of the boxes were surprised each time and promptly asked them to leave. We were forced to go back downstairs and enter the stadium where the regular folks enter. Now this is a very small stadium, Probably as big as a small college stadium, I would guess 10 to 15 thousand seats, mostly bleachers. We walked around to the main bleachers. BS went right to the best seats, right at midfield, and asked the ushers to arrange something for us. The bleachers were absolutely packed, and despite persistence from the BS, we were eventually escorted to the only section with a few empty seats behind the one end zone. I was given the seat closest to the field, with BS and the rest of the crew a couple rows behind. I sat next to a very nice university student, we talked during the game. He was good company. After about 15 minutes, BS came and took me to get food, because, the lines would be too long during halftime. He didn’t really ask me, just told me to come, so I went. On the way I told him I really didn’t need anything, I had eaten recently, but in part I thought this was the front so I could pay him in a way that wasn’t too awkward. I eventually agreed that I might enjoy a sausage. BS got one as well, I offered to pay for them , after a couple minutes we were up to 5 sausages and a porkchop. While in line I brought up the ticket. Eventually he said not to worry about the ticket, just pay for the food. I thought this was fair, since I never had a ticket, he just talked us in. I couldn’t have done that, so I was more than happy to buy some sausages. The game was cool, rugby players are big. The rugby team is nicknamed the spring bokkes, and the fans are quite passionate. Rugby and cricket are probably the top sports in SA, with football just behind. Most South Africans will tell you that Rugby is the white sport and football is the black sport. After the match I couldn’t find BS to thank him and get his contact info, I was sad about this. I had agreed to come to church with my the student I sat next to, so I would catch him tomorrow.
It was about 4:45 when I was leaving the stadium, I wanted to get back to the hostel before it got dark. East London is on a bend on the coast, I went to the stadium straight from my earlier wanderings, so I used my impeccable sense of directions to find the best route back to the hostel. A few minor miscalculations probly added about 20 minutes to my walk, but I got there.
I finally had a short nap, then it was time to watch US-Ghana. I went to a rather nice restaurant on the beach. Despite my imperfect appearance, they accepted me, they knew why I was there. I ordered butternut soup and peri peri chicken livers. I am usually open to eating most things, but these inner meats are quite new to me. I had heard someone saying how good peri peri chicken livers were, so I figured this was my opportunity. I can’t say I downed them like a champ, I finished them all, but the texture started to bother me towards the end. The sauce was good though.
The match was good. The US started slow, but they really should have won the match in the second half. I was disappointed in Ghana, with a one goal lead they should have controlled the tempo, slowed things down, possessed as much as possible. They looked uneasy, just clearing the ball and allowing the US to attack hoping they wouldn’t score. They were fortunate to get to extra time. Gyan’s goal was fantastic, he had a small window and he did everything right. Then Ghana did what they should have done in the second half, they knocked the ball around and ran out the clock. I am proud of the US in this tournament, they brought their best and with a little better play in both boxes they would still be playing. If they get a truly dangerous attacking player they could be the real deal. Maybe if Jozy keeps developing and Freddy Adu figures himself out to bring some creativity, the US can be a threat in Brazil.
I woke up a bit on Sunday, my friend from the rugby match told me church started at 8:30. I woke up at 8:30. I packed my stuff and hurried out of the hostel. He told me his church was on the main street in town…I walked the length of it and failed to find the church. Instead I went to a Baptist church when I got tired of looking. After the service I learned I had passed it, it was a few blocks back. I spoke to the Pastor for a bit, it is an older church and he is trying motivate the troops. He preached from scripture then pushed the vision statement for the second half of the sermon. Attached to the church is a community center which seems pretty cool. They do a bit of everything, it seems they try to meet all the communities needs. I am interested in the idea of community service groups specializing and collaborating with other groups to meet other needs, that’s for another time.
I decided to take minibuses(public taxis) along the coast to Capetown. My first stop was Port Elizabeth. It was about a 3 hour ride on the minibus to a taxi rank just outside the city, then another 15 minutes into town. PE is a nice place, large port, nice beaches, hills rising away from the coast. I didn’t really connect though. On Monday I walked all around the town and the waterfront. While I was walking along the beach area, a man selling crafts complimented my Nigeria jersey. I thanked him and shared my appreciation for the super eagles. He then offered me anything craft item on his blanket in exchange for the shirt. I presented two problems to him. The first being it is hard for me to carry things because of long journey and small capacity. He showed me some smaller items that were made of very strong wood, and once wrapped in bubble wrap and tape, would be indestructible. I then asked him what I might wear if I gave him my shirt. A couple minutes later I left wearing a small red tank top that didn’t quite cover my torso and a small wooden hippo well-secured in bubble wrap. I think I should get a Brazil jersey, they are extremely popular here, and see what I can get for it. Or maybe I can make an offer for someone else’s shirt. I now had the problem of being far from my hostel with a shirt that probably offended some who saw me. On top of the appearance, I didn’t smell too nice. I am out of deodorant, and for past couple days I have been rubbing plastic on my armpits hope I get some remnants of what was once on the stick. My first chore of the day was to get a new stick, but I was too impatient to wait in the lines at the store I stopped at. For this, I apologize to the greater P.E. community. But there was nothing I could do, Slovakia and the Netherlands were starting in about 20 minutes and I had to find a place to watch. There was an amphitheater next to the casino on the boardwalk, I got there just before kickoff. When the dutch scored their first half goal, music started playing and four girls in “sexy” outfits got up danced for about a minute. Frightened of what might happen at halftime, I left as soon as the first half ended to head back to my hostel. I walked farther than I thought, it took the taxi about 20 minutes to get me back, I missed a bit of the second half, but it seemed a rather dull match.
After a brief rest, I headed towards the fan fest in PE for the night match. Along the way I grabbed a bite to eat, spent an hour online, and found a store without a line to buy deodorant and chocolate cake. I was excited about the Brazil-Chile match. Chile had looked dangerous in all it’s matches, they were obviously vulnerable with their attacking style, but I thought it would be closer than it was. Chile looked scared most of the first half, like they were playing a team they couldn’t beat. If they had played with the same swag they came at Spain with, I think it woulda been more of a match. Oh well. I went out for a drink with a few lads at my hostel from England, Australia and Quebec respectively. I ordered a beer, it turned out they only 750ml bottles. It was good conversation, we talked about football. I was bored with PE, so it was time to move on.
I wanted Chile to top the group so Spain and Brazil would play. Some are pleased they avoided each other with the hope they will meet in the final. It would be a good final, but its seems a long shot that both will make it with the quality of teams in their way. I would accepted one getting knocked early to see them play each other. I was glad Switzerland folded, they are among the least interesting teams to watch. Sorry Swiss Mike.
The matches ended and my university friends walked me the short distance to the bus station. The bus ride was a bit rough. There are a 4 or 5 major bus lines in SA. The one I have been using has two arms, Translux and City to City. Translux is the “luxury” line. There are two large comfortable seats on each side of the aisle, they play movies, it’s really quite nice. City to City has a third seat on one side, making everything quite tight, the seats are much less comfortable. I hadn’t thought to ask which bus my ticket was for because I had been given translux for all my longer trips. I noticed in the station that this ticket said City to City. A translux bus came at the same time mine was scheduled for, headed to my destination, East London. Just in case, I went out and showed my ticket, and was promptly sent back. A city to city bus came about 10 minutes later for East London, I also got rejected, there was one more on the way. So my bus came at about 12:30, 35 minutes late. This is the first bus that was late, I am impressed with how prompt the buses have been. I was glad to get on the bus, I was excited to sleep. The bus was already packed, it had started in Pretoria. I got an aisle seat close to the front, my seat mate took up a bit more than her seat, which was fine, but there wasn’t enough leg room. Luckily the back of the seats are soft so I could press my knees into the seat in front of me. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to rest my head, so I was in and out of sleep. I tried to lean my seat back, which actually moves the bottom part of the seat forward creating the slight recline in the back part. This was impossible because my knees couldn’t press into the back of the seat in front of me any further. Eventually the seat right behind the driver opened up as a passenger got off the bus with about 3 hours left in the trip. I hopped in that seat hoping that I could sleep a bit with the window to lean on. The bus driver got back on the bus with two cups of coffee. He handed one back to me and said something I didn’t understand. He then passed back 3 packets of sugar and a stirrer. I figured my job was to put the sugar in for him so he could keep driving. This was a disaster, as the cup was full and the ride was not smooth. I ended up with fair amounts of sugar and coffee on my sleeping bag which I was using as a blanket. After I got the sugar in I could not find the stirrer, so I gave it a soft shake and handed it back to the driver. He waived it off, saying it was for me. If I had known this I surely would not have removed the lid to put in sugar. There were two drivers on the bus, one sleeps in a compartment in the back while the other drives. I think the second cup was for the other driver, but he did not wake up at this stop. So I drank the coffee, not knowing what else to do with it, and not knowing what impact this might have on my ambitions of falling asleep. The sun was starting to come up as we wound through beautiful hilly landscape. I was glad I was awake for those couple hours, I did sleep for maybe an hour before we arrived.
I arrived in East London at about 9:30. I went to my hostel, showered, and figured I would see a bit of the town before falling asleep for the entire day. I ended up walking the town for the entire day. There wasn’t much to see in East London, I spose it’s a nice beach vacation destination. The national rugby team was playing in town that afternoon, so I made it to the stadium as the game was about to begin. I asked around about tickets and learned it was sold out. There were a couple scalpers asking for more than I wanted to pay. I spoke to a couple guys who were trying to buy tickets. They introduced me to the man who I will refer to as the Big Scheme. (BS) It was arranged I would pay r200 for my entrance once we were inside. BS simply said “trust” and away we went. He gave me half of a ticket, they tear the tickets when you enter. We had not entered. There were four others in our crew. He explained something to the people where they take the tickets and we walked through. He explained something to these people at a fence which was not the regular entrance. They opened the gate, and we went through. The next stop was more difficult. It was a turnstile with security. He pushed me through the turnstile as he was arguing, I gave my half ticket to one of the guards as I went through. While still arguing, he went to the next level of security, I think to find someone he knows. Former rugby players make up the next level of security. After a bit of talking with these large men, someone he knew came out and said something. A few minutes later, we were allowed to continue. Our crew of six then walked up the steps towards the corporate boxes. The security guard protecting these boxes tried to stop us, but he had no luck. He walked backwards up the steps trying to explain to the big scheme that he had to have a ticket, but BS was explaining to him why we should be there….I think. Eventually the guard gave up. BS and his friend then began to walk into boxes. The inhabitants of the boxes were surprised each time and promptly asked them to leave. We were forced to go back downstairs and enter the stadium where the regular folks enter. Now this is a very small stadium, Probably as big as a small college stadium, I would guess 10 to 15 thousand seats, mostly bleachers. We walked around to the main bleachers. BS went right to the best seats, right at midfield, and asked the ushers to arrange something for us. The bleachers were absolutely packed, and despite persistence from the BS, we were eventually escorted to the only section with a few empty seats behind the one end zone. I was given the seat closest to the field, with BS and the rest of the crew a couple rows behind. I sat next to a very nice university student, we talked during the game. He was good company. After about 15 minutes, BS came and took me to get food, because, the lines would be too long during halftime. He didn’t really ask me, just told me to come, so I went. On the way I told him I really didn’t need anything, I had eaten recently, but in part I thought this was the front so I could pay him in a way that wasn’t too awkward. I eventually agreed that I might enjoy a sausage. BS got one as well, I offered to pay for them , after a couple minutes we were up to 5 sausages and a porkchop. While in line I brought up the ticket. Eventually he said not to worry about the ticket, just pay for the food. I thought this was fair, since I never had a ticket, he just talked us in. I couldn’t have done that, so I was more than happy to buy some sausages. The game was cool, rugby players are big. The rugby team is nicknamed the spring bokkes, and the fans are quite passionate. Rugby and cricket are probably the top sports in SA, with football just behind. Most South Africans will tell you that Rugby is the white sport and football is the black sport. After the match I couldn’t find BS to thank him and get his contact info, I was sad about this. I had agreed to come to church with my the student I sat next to, so I would catch him tomorrow.
It was about 4:45 when I was leaving the stadium, I wanted to get back to the hostel before it got dark. East London is on a bend on the coast, I went to the stadium straight from my earlier wanderings, so I used my impeccable sense of directions to find the best route back to the hostel. A few minor miscalculations probly added about 20 minutes to my walk, but I got there.
I finally had a short nap, then it was time to watch US-Ghana. I went to a rather nice restaurant on the beach. Despite my imperfect appearance, they accepted me, they knew why I was there. I ordered butternut soup and peri peri chicken livers. I am usually open to eating most things, but these inner meats are quite new to me. I had heard someone saying how good peri peri chicken livers were, so I figured this was my opportunity. I can’t say I downed them like a champ, I finished them all, but the texture started to bother me towards the end. The sauce was good though.
The match was good. The US started slow, but they really should have won the match in the second half. I was disappointed in Ghana, with a one goal lead they should have controlled the tempo, slowed things down, possessed as much as possible. They looked uneasy, just clearing the ball and allowing the US to attack hoping they wouldn’t score. They were fortunate to get to extra time. Gyan’s goal was fantastic, he had a small window and he did everything right. Then Ghana did what they should have done in the second half, they knocked the ball around and ran out the clock. I am proud of the US in this tournament, they brought their best and with a little better play in both boxes they would still be playing. If they get a truly dangerous attacking player they could be the real deal. Maybe if Jozy keeps developing and Freddy Adu figures himself out to bring some creativity, the US can be a threat in Brazil.
I woke up a bit on Sunday, my friend from the rugby match told me church started at 8:30. I woke up at 8:30. I packed my stuff and hurried out of the hostel. He told me his church was on the main street in town…I walked the length of it and failed to find the church. Instead I went to a Baptist church when I got tired of looking. After the service I learned I had passed it, it was a few blocks back. I spoke to the Pastor for a bit, it is an older church and he is trying motivate the troops. He preached from scripture then pushed the vision statement for the second half of the sermon. Attached to the church is a community center which seems pretty cool. They do a bit of everything, it seems they try to meet all the communities needs. I am interested in the idea of community service groups specializing and collaborating with other groups to meet other needs, that’s for another time.
I decided to take minibuses(public taxis) along the coast to Capetown. My first stop was Port Elizabeth. It was about a 3 hour ride on the minibus to a taxi rank just outside the city, then another 15 minutes into town. PE is a nice place, large port, nice beaches, hills rising away from the coast. I didn’t really connect though. On Monday I walked all around the town and the waterfront. While I was walking along the beach area, a man selling crafts complimented my Nigeria jersey. I thanked him and shared my appreciation for the super eagles. He then offered me anything craft item on his blanket in exchange for the shirt. I presented two problems to him. The first being it is hard for me to carry things because of long journey and small capacity. He showed me some smaller items that were made of very strong wood, and once wrapped in bubble wrap and tape, would be indestructible. I then asked him what I might wear if I gave him my shirt. A couple minutes later I left wearing a small red tank top that didn’t quite cover my torso and a small wooden hippo well-secured in bubble wrap. I think I should get a Brazil jersey, they are extremely popular here, and see what I can get for it. Or maybe I can make an offer for someone else’s shirt. I now had the problem of being far from my hostel with a shirt that probably offended some who saw me. On top of the appearance, I didn’t smell too nice. I am out of deodorant, and for past couple days I have been rubbing plastic on my armpits hope I get some remnants of what was once on the stick. My first chore of the day was to get a new stick, but I was too impatient to wait in the lines at the store I stopped at. For this, I apologize to the greater P.E. community. But there was nothing I could do, Slovakia and the Netherlands were starting in about 20 minutes and I had to find a place to watch. There was an amphitheater next to the casino on the boardwalk, I got there just before kickoff. When the dutch scored their first half goal, music started playing and four girls in “sexy” outfits got up danced for about a minute. Frightened of what might happen at halftime, I left as soon as the first half ended to head back to my hostel. I walked farther than I thought, it took the taxi about 20 minutes to get me back, I missed a bit of the second half, but it seemed a rather dull match.
After a brief rest, I headed towards the fan fest in PE for the night match. Along the way I grabbed a bite to eat, spent an hour online, and found a store without a line to buy deodorant and chocolate cake. I was excited about the Brazil-Chile match. Chile had looked dangerous in all it’s matches, they were obviously vulnerable with their attacking style, but I thought it would be closer than it was. Chile looked scared most of the first half, like they were playing a team they couldn’t beat. If they had played with the same swag they came at Spain with, I think it woulda been more of a match. Oh well. I went out for a drink with a few lads at my hostel from England, Australia and Quebec respectively. I ordered a beer, it turned out they only 750ml bottles. It was good conversation, we talked about football. I was bored with PE, so it was time to move on.
Last Friday
I’ve had a nice day in Bloemfontein, I wandered around, stopped in a couple museums, had a steak, pap(along the lines of rice, but not really) and beans for $3. I’m pleased now because I’ve barely spent anything today, I sleep on a bus to East London tonight(r210) and I’m staying at a hostel tomorrow night for r110. My goal is to average $50 per day, not including match tickets. I don’t think I’ma go to any more matches, I’ve been 7, spent $580 on tickets, I think that’s enough. This is by far the best world cup to be at to see matches, I keep hearing that in Germany last year, scalpers were getting 1000 euros for group stage matches. We’ll see though, I may have a walk around the stadium for the semi-final in Cape Town to see if I find anything reasonable. I had planned on being in Port Elizabeth for the round of sixteen match (Uruguay-South Korea), but that bus was sold out tonight so I’m going to East London for a day. It’s about 300 km east of PE, then hopefully I will get to PE on Sunday.
Despite the long odds I was hopeful Cote d’Ivoire would get through. They have had terrible luck. In ’06 they were in a group with Holland and Argentina, this time with Brazil and Portugal. I truly think they folded in not being more adventurous vs. Portugal. I think they may be a hair better than Portugal and that was the win they needed to advance. Portugal had the better schedule, in hindsight at least. They got a weakened brazil side, no Kaka, Robinho, or Elano. Brazil also had nothing to gain in that last match. That second half may have been the most boring half in WC history. Cote d’Ivoire still folded. They were immature against Brazil and couldn’t match Portugal’s goal total against NK….I’m just upset they didn’t get through, I think they could’ve been a very dangerous team in the knockout stages.
I’m excited about the Chile-Spain match. I have an hour and a half of sitting and waiting, but they are both good sides and they both need a result. I don’t think it will be quite as good as Ghana-Germany, but we will see.
Despite the long odds I was hopeful Cote d’Ivoire would get through. They have had terrible luck. In ’06 they were in a group with Holland and Argentina, this time with Brazil and Portugal. I truly think they folded in not being more adventurous vs. Portugal. I think they may be a hair better than Portugal and that was the win they needed to advance. Portugal had the better schedule, in hindsight at least. They got a weakened brazil side, no Kaka, Robinho, or Elano. Brazil also had nothing to gain in that last match. That second half may have been the most boring half in WC history. Cote d’Ivoire still folded. They were immature against Brazil and couldn’t match Portugal’s goal total against NK….I’m just upset they didn’t get through, I think they could’ve been a very dangerous team in the knockout stages.
I’m excited about the Chile-Spain match. I have an hour and a half of sitting and waiting, but they are both good sides and they both need a result. I don’t think it will be quite as good as Ghana-Germany, but we will see.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Ghana-Germany
So I went to Ghana-Germany match. It was a mess except for the match being absolutely beautiful. While I was still in Durban, I decided to call Martin, the cat that showed me around Soweto. I told him I would pay for his ticket if he wanted to come to the match with me. He was down, so that cemented my choice to return to Joburg. So when I got there, he told me he was sick and couldn’t make it. This sucked, because I had planned on staying at his house, but it is really hard to navigate the townships, especially at night. I had a few people who offered me a place to stay if I ever needed it in Joburg, so I figured I would call one of them. On the train to the stadium I met Jigs. His young son was standing behind my large backpack on a packed train, we starting talking. As we separated, he told me I can stay at his place if I needed. I figured this would be easier, I could just come home with him after the match instead of trying to connect with someone else. Now for tickets. At most I had payed half price thus far. I figured a 90,000 seat stadium there had to be lots of people selling. I was wrong. There weren’t enough tickets being sold to really drive down the price. In the end, I found half price, a $120 ticket for $60. It was a guy he planned to bring his girl, but she was sick. I only had r400($60) on me, so I couldn’t pay him more. He wasn’t too interested in playing the game, he tried for a bit, with no luck, so he told me r400 was fine. But as I talked to him and got to know him, I felt bad, so I gave him $60 US I had in my bag, so I paid full price.
The match was great. Germany is amazing. Everything about them is precise, they put constant pressure on the defenders, and always seem to make the right choice. They create so much space for themselves by playing smart football. Anytime Ghana cheated or guessed Germany easily passed or dribbled into the open space. They must play the best team football in the tournament. Nothing amazing from an individual, but they are so difficult to defend as a team. Ghana is also amazing. They create space when there is none. It is the complete opposite, but equally as beautiful. Every player on the field creates space for themselves whether it’s with their first touch, on the dribble, or creative passing. I could never coach West African football, I have no idea how they think to do the things they do. It goes against everything I’ve found to be good decisions. It’s one thing for a forward to be creative, but players in their defensive part of the field….dats crazy. I do think such flair comes with the casual attitude I’ve talked about, and it seemed to hurt them in the final third. It’s like they can’t accept an average goal, when they had a good shot, they would try to beat one last defender, when they could make a dangerous pass, they attempted a ridiculous shot, and they made one last pass whenever it seemed a chance for that player to go for goal. I don’t understand it, but I enjoy it. Anyway, the game was well worth it.
After the match I called Josi and got his wife. It turns out he left his phone at home. So that plan was out. Not wanting to bother anyone else that late, I called Martin to get his address to take a taxi there. I gave my boy that sold me the ticket $20 US for r150 and went in search of a taxi. First, I had a quick stroll through all the buses to see if any were going in the direction I hoped to go in the morning. No such luck. It turns out taxis are hard to find. I asked about ten people where to find one. Each told me something different. I was never sure to keep going where I was headed or heed the most recent advice. Eventually I was walking with no direction and I found them. This was probably an hour and a half after the match ended. They are metered taxis for r15 per km. But they don’t have a meter. They make up a number. The first told me r500. I talked to a couple more and eventually found one that would take me for the r150 I had. Now he just had to figure out where Martin’s house was. We stopped for help a couple times, and eventually I was at Martins house in a safe bed.
I got up a 7am and hopped on a Public taxi. Most drivers head to town when they are full, this one needed two more people than could actually fit. But they fit. I got to Park Station just before the bus left for Bloemfontein. My destination is Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein is on the way. I figured I’d spend a day there before I got back to the coast. The bus took longer than I could have imagined, it spent about 30 minutes of the trip on the highway. The rest was between small towns to drop off and pick up. My 8:35 departure arrived at 3pm. I think the distance is between 150 and 200 miles. I didn’t mind tho, I’ve enjoyed the long bus trips so far. The only problem was I still had to find a place to stay before dark. I went to an internet café and looked up hostels in the area. They were all out of town, one being just on the edge. I decided to walk to that one. After walking for about an hour, mostly cause I wandered around town a bit, I got to the hostel. It was basic like the others, but this one was charging r500. I guess they are trying to make money during the world cup. With it getting dark soon I decided to suck it up and pay. I regret this, it ruined my evening. I had a nice walk, a very tasty bacon avocado burger, and watched some football, but the whole time I was mad that I’m was $70 for a bunk bed. So now I am laying in expensive bunk bed with the loud tv in the background and the louder snoring in the room next door. We’ll see how well I can fall asleep.
The match was great. Germany is amazing. Everything about them is precise, they put constant pressure on the defenders, and always seem to make the right choice. They create so much space for themselves by playing smart football. Anytime Ghana cheated or guessed Germany easily passed or dribbled into the open space. They must play the best team football in the tournament. Nothing amazing from an individual, but they are so difficult to defend as a team. Ghana is also amazing. They create space when there is none. It is the complete opposite, but equally as beautiful. Every player on the field creates space for themselves whether it’s with their first touch, on the dribble, or creative passing. I could never coach West African football, I have no idea how they think to do the things they do. It goes against everything I’ve found to be good decisions. It’s one thing for a forward to be creative, but players in their defensive part of the field….dats crazy. I do think such flair comes with the casual attitude I’ve talked about, and it seemed to hurt them in the final third. It’s like they can’t accept an average goal, when they had a good shot, they would try to beat one last defender, when they could make a dangerous pass, they attempted a ridiculous shot, and they made one last pass whenever it seemed a chance for that player to go for goal. I don’t understand it, but I enjoy it. Anyway, the game was well worth it.
After the match I called Josi and got his wife. It turns out he left his phone at home. So that plan was out. Not wanting to bother anyone else that late, I called Martin to get his address to take a taxi there. I gave my boy that sold me the ticket $20 US for r150 and went in search of a taxi. First, I had a quick stroll through all the buses to see if any were going in the direction I hoped to go in the morning. No such luck. It turns out taxis are hard to find. I asked about ten people where to find one. Each told me something different. I was never sure to keep going where I was headed or heed the most recent advice. Eventually I was walking with no direction and I found them. This was probably an hour and a half after the match ended. They are metered taxis for r15 per km. But they don’t have a meter. They make up a number. The first told me r500. I talked to a couple more and eventually found one that would take me for the r150 I had. Now he just had to figure out where Martin’s house was. We stopped for help a couple times, and eventually I was at Martins house in a safe bed.
I got up a 7am and hopped on a Public taxi. Most drivers head to town when they are full, this one needed two more people than could actually fit. But they fit. I got to Park Station just before the bus left for Bloemfontein. My destination is Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein is on the way. I figured I’d spend a day there before I got back to the coast. The bus took longer than I could have imagined, it spent about 30 minutes of the trip on the highway. The rest was between small towns to drop off and pick up. My 8:35 departure arrived at 3pm. I think the distance is between 150 and 200 miles. I didn’t mind tho, I’ve enjoyed the long bus trips so far. The only problem was I still had to find a place to stay before dark. I went to an internet café and looked up hostels in the area. They were all out of town, one being just on the edge. I decided to walk to that one. After walking for about an hour, mostly cause I wandered around town a bit, I got to the hostel. It was basic like the others, but this one was charging r500. I guess they are trying to make money during the world cup. With it getting dark soon I decided to suck it up and pay. I regret this, it ruined my evening. I had a nice walk, a very tasty bacon avocado burger, and watched some football, but the whole time I was mad that I’m was $70 for a bunk bed. So now I am laying in expensive bunk bed with the loud tv in the background and the louder snoring in the room next door. We’ll see how well I can fall asleep.
Leaving Durban
Tuesday was my last day in Durban. I slept in, walked around a bit, then it was all about football. I went to the beach to Bafana’s last game at the Fanfest. The fanfest in Durban is great, I’ve been watching the night match there. For this match there must have been a couple thousand. It was packed, I squeezed my way up towards the front, when I turned around I couldn’t see past all the people, standing and sitting anyplace that had a view of the screen. It was lots of fun. I guess 4-0 over France was too much to ask, they did have their chances though. It was fun to have hope throughout the match. It seemed people felt good enough about going out on a positive result. I got interviewed by SABC 1 after the match, the main tv station in SA. They just wanted a fan having fun to say how much they are enjoying SA. I think I did well.
Now it was time to get ready for the South-Korea Nigeria match. I made a couple quick stops, then back to my hostel, then to the match. Tickets were tough to get, I was surprised. There were lots of empty seats in the stadium, but there weren’t many tickets being sold outside. I ended buy a category 2 ticket for $60, about half price. I couldn’t find any of the cheap tickets for either game in Durban. They were actually bad seats, they were in the corner with an obstruction, but I was able to move down a few rows and it was a pretty good view. I think I would have truly enjoyed this match if I was impartial, but because of Ewere, Bukky, and my current pro-African stance, I was pulling for Nigeria wholeheartedly. I had the jersey and everything. In the end, it’s better Nigeria is out, it is too frustrating to watch them earn poor results. I think this is the closest I’ve come to understanding how my parents may have felt while I was in high school and consistently earned poor marks on my report cards. They are beautiful to watch, but played with half the work rate of South Korea. They created a few goal scoring opportunities by pressuring SK, but most of the time they jogged to pressure the ball, even in dangerous parts of the field. This would be the same rant I’ve gone on a couple times, so I’ll stop. But the contrast in work rate between the teams was amazing. Again, Nigeria shouldn’t play like South Korea or Greece, but they failed to get the result they needed against two less talented teams. Hopefully they can sort it out, we need West African football.
So now I’m on my way to Joburg for the Ghana-Germany match tonight. I folded this morning. I didn’t have a bus ticket, so I was in a rush to get to the bus station. I woke up late, packed up my stuff and hurried out of the hostel. As I was trying to check out, this guy came up to me and asked if I was going to Joburg, he said he was too, he would just grab his bag, implying we’d catch the bus together. It took me a couple minutes to check out, then I went and looked for him briefly and couldn’t find him, so I left. I shoulda given him more time, I was crunched for time, but this is one of the things I need to relearn. I’ve slipped into being so focused on the things I need to do, that I don’t leave space for people and other opportunities. I could have been sitting next to a new friend on the bus right now. I could have supported him in some way that he needed, he may have supported me in a way that I needed. I missed that opportunity in my haste. After I bought my ticket I realized what I had done, I looked for him hoping he was a couple minutes behind me, no such luck. Sorry friend.
Now it was time to get ready for the South-Korea Nigeria match. I made a couple quick stops, then back to my hostel, then to the match. Tickets were tough to get, I was surprised. There were lots of empty seats in the stadium, but there weren’t many tickets being sold outside. I ended buy a category 2 ticket for $60, about half price. I couldn’t find any of the cheap tickets for either game in Durban. They were actually bad seats, they were in the corner with an obstruction, but I was able to move down a few rows and it was a pretty good view. I think I would have truly enjoyed this match if I was impartial, but because of Ewere, Bukky, and my current pro-African stance, I was pulling for Nigeria wholeheartedly. I had the jersey and everything. In the end, it’s better Nigeria is out, it is too frustrating to watch them earn poor results. I think this is the closest I’ve come to understanding how my parents may have felt while I was in high school and consistently earned poor marks on my report cards. They are beautiful to watch, but played with half the work rate of South Korea. They created a few goal scoring opportunities by pressuring SK, but most of the time they jogged to pressure the ball, even in dangerous parts of the field. This would be the same rant I’ve gone on a couple times, so I’ll stop. But the contrast in work rate between the teams was amazing. Again, Nigeria shouldn’t play like South Korea or Greece, but they failed to get the result they needed against two less talented teams. Hopefully they can sort it out, we need West African football.
So now I’m on my way to Joburg for the Ghana-Germany match tonight. I folded this morning. I didn’t have a bus ticket, so I was in a rush to get to the bus station. I woke up late, packed up my stuff and hurried out of the hostel. As I was trying to check out, this guy came up to me and asked if I was going to Joburg, he said he was too, he would just grab his bag, implying we’d catch the bus together. It took me a couple minutes to check out, then I went and looked for him briefly and couldn’t find him, so I left. I shoulda given him more time, I was crunched for time, but this is one of the things I need to relearn. I’ve slipped into being so focused on the things I need to do, that I don’t leave space for people and other opportunities. I could have been sitting next to a new friend on the bus right now. I could have supported him in some way that he needed, he may have supported me in a way that I needed. I missed that opportunity in my haste. After I bought my ticket I realized what I had done, I looked for him hoping he was a couple minutes behind me, no such luck. Sorry friend.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Durban
My time in Durban has been pretty uneventful. I went to the Netherlands-Japan match on Sat. and have otherwise just wandered around. Japan played extremely well and deserved a point. It seems like this ball really is bad. There aren’t this many goalkeeping errors in high school soccer.
It is quite the party atmosphere here. I guess that comes with being in a beach city. There is tons of activity along the beach. The highlight for me would be the beach soccer, but I cannot participate because of my knee. In large part I have avoided the beach. I do need to jump in the ocean before I leave. I will. The hostel I am staying also has quite the social scene. It’s pretty big, there must be 100 people staying here sharing the common areas. I’ve only spoken to a couple. This isn’t really my crowd…no one wants to talk about the politics or challenges of South Africa, or their own countries. I’ll have to be fun and outgoing to fit in here, not sure if I will figure it out. I’ve walked around the city lots, it really is a great vacation spot. It would be nice to have a car to tour around other places. There is mountain range to explore close to here. There is tons of Indian and Zulu culture to learn about. There are other natural attractions close by. I have thought of paying for a tour of something or spending a couple days in the mountains, right now I am leaning against it. I have a tendency to want to see everything, but then I never really relax and enjoy anything. But at the moment I am torn between just meandering along the coast, going back to Joburg for the Germany-Ghana match, or spending a couple days in the mountains. We will see.
African teams are killing me. I am still convinced they have the talent to compete with any team. Ghana and Ivory Coast showed lots of immaturity in not getting the results they needed in their last matches. I respect having a certain style. I understand pride and holding on to certain values. Every athlete dreams off making certain plays and scoring goals in big moments. But at some point all those things need to be put aside, or at least in the right place, to win a match. Ghana was casual and selfish against Australia, they played like they were gonna win just cause they are better. This happens all the time in all sports, but you don’t do it here when you have three matches to qualify. Cote d’Ivoire made a fair mistake on the first goal, but the next two should not have happened. Yes, the second was a handball, but the ball would have never been in their net if they hadn’t stopped. The third goal we saw a defender stand completely unaware of his surroundings and allowed a hurtful third goal. Then after they did score, they got caught up in everything that didn’t matter, and lost a chance to at least attempt to close the goal difference. Brazil’s antics were equally as childish, I can’t stand watching Luis Fabiano, he cries the entire match. But they are Brazil, they are established as the best team in the world, I don’t like it, but their arrogance and swag has a foundation. These African nations seem to have the same arrogance and swag. Many of their players have achieved much with their club teams, but not with their national teams, I’d like to see some more humility and a desire to earn some success. The Asian teams have been great so far. Each match they put their absolute best out there, and I think that is reflected in the results they have earned. All regions are really doing the best they can with the talent they have, but the African nations can’t seem to figure what it takes to get a result in this World Cup. Again, I am usually ok with taking things as a learning experience and moving forward, but this opportunity will not come again for a long time. Not in any of these players’ careers. Maybe African life is too fractured. There is corruption in African governments, there are always problems within African FA’s, there are countless problems in African nations. Maybe there is too much turmoil around an African player and their national side. Maybe they have to play for self, because playing for country just doesn’t make sense. I sure can’t understand whatever it is, it is upsetting me though. I came here dreaming of people encouraged, empowered, or maybe their lives just brightened a bit by their fellow countrymen doing something great. Now we hope at least one team gets through. I think Nigeria may be in the best place, even though they havn't earned a point yet. If they win and Greece loses, they should be through. Ghana needs at least a point against Germany, not easy, or a Serbian fold. Algeria needs to beat the US, which is possible, and then Cote d’Ivoire and Bafana need the stars to align just right. Cote d’Ivoire is a bit more likely, but still a stretch. Ok, I’m done now, time to go watch Spain knock the ball around, we’ll see if they decide to score this time.
It is quite the party atmosphere here. I guess that comes with being in a beach city. There is tons of activity along the beach. The highlight for me would be the beach soccer, but I cannot participate because of my knee. In large part I have avoided the beach. I do need to jump in the ocean before I leave. I will. The hostel I am staying also has quite the social scene. It’s pretty big, there must be 100 people staying here sharing the common areas. I’ve only spoken to a couple. This isn’t really my crowd…no one wants to talk about the politics or challenges of South Africa, or their own countries. I’ll have to be fun and outgoing to fit in here, not sure if I will figure it out. I’ve walked around the city lots, it really is a great vacation spot. It would be nice to have a car to tour around other places. There is mountain range to explore close to here. There is tons of Indian and Zulu culture to learn about. There are other natural attractions close by. I have thought of paying for a tour of something or spending a couple days in the mountains, right now I am leaning against it. I have a tendency to want to see everything, but then I never really relax and enjoy anything. But at the moment I am torn between just meandering along the coast, going back to Joburg for the Germany-Ghana match, or spending a couple days in the mountains. We will see.
African teams are killing me. I am still convinced they have the talent to compete with any team. Ghana and Ivory Coast showed lots of immaturity in not getting the results they needed in their last matches. I respect having a certain style. I understand pride and holding on to certain values. Every athlete dreams off making certain plays and scoring goals in big moments. But at some point all those things need to be put aside, or at least in the right place, to win a match. Ghana was casual and selfish against Australia, they played like they were gonna win just cause they are better. This happens all the time in all sports, but you don’t do it here when you have three matches to qualify. Cote d’Ivoire made a fair mistake on the first goal, but the next two should not have happened. Yes, the second was a handball, but the ball would have never been in their net if they hadn’t stopped. The third goal we saw a defender stand completely unaware of his surroundings and allowed a hurtful third goal. Then after they did score, they got caught up in everything that didn’t matter, and lost a chance to at least attempt to close the goal difference. Brazil’s antics were equally as childish, I can’t stand watching Luis Fabiano, he cries the entire match. But they are Brazil, they are established as the best team in the world, I don’t like it, but their arrogance and swag has a foundation. These African nations seem to have the same arrogance and swag. Many of their players have achieved much with their club teams, but not with their national teams, I’d like to see some more humility and a desire to earn some success. The Asian teams have been great so far. Each match they put their absolute best out there, and I think that is reflected in the results they have earned. All regions are really doing the best they can with the talent they have, but the African nations can’t seem to figure what it takes to get a result in this World Cup. Again, I am usually ok with taking things as a learning experience and moving forward, but this opportunity will not come again for a long time. Not in any of these players’ careers. Maybe African life is too fractured. There is corruption in African governments, there are always problems within African FA’s, there are countless problems in African nations. Maybe there is too much turmoil around an African player and their national side. Maybe they have to play for self, because playing for country just doesn’t make sense. I sure can’t understand whatever it is, it is upsetting me though. I came here dreaming of people encouraged, empowered, or maybe their lives just brightened a bit by their fellow countrymen doing something great. Now we hope at least one team gets through. I think Nigeria may be in the best place, even though they havn't earned a point yet. If they win and Greece loses, they should be through. Ghana needs at least a point against Germany, not easy, or a Serbian fold. Algeria needs to beat the US, which is possible, and then Cote d’Ivoire and Bafana need the stars to align just right. Cote d’Ivoire is a bit more likely, but still a stretch. Ok, I’m done now, time to go watch Spain knock the ball around, we’ll see if they decide to score this time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)