My Blog Jesse Hart - Ultimahart Blog - Graphic/Web/Logo Designer
Select a date ] 06.04.10 ] 06.15 ] 06.16 ] 06.17 ] 06.18 ] 06.19 ] 06.20 ] 06.22 ] 06.24 ] 06.25 ] 06.26 ] 06.27 ] 06.28 ] 07.01 ] 07.03 ] 07.04 ] 07.05 ] 07.06 ] 07.07 ] 07.10 ] 07.12 ] 07.14 ]
06.04.10 ]
Trying to set up the blog before leaving for Cape Town.
Go to top
06.15.10 ]
Whew.. made it! What a flight, Japan and China almost don't compare. It was a pretty nice trip though. Ash and I were both lucky enough to be able to sleep for 8 out of the 11.5 hours from Amsterdam to Cape Town (waking up every hour for a moment to adjust to another awkward sitting position). That's definitely a record of sleep time for me on a plane. The plane trip all around was actually very decent. Delta had very recently put little computer monitors in the back of every headrest so we had lots of movies, tv shows, video games, music and other things to keep us occupied. I thought that my ipod would be dead by the end of the trip but its still almost fully charged!
We arrived at the Cape Town airport at 10:30pm (or 22:30, most clocks I've seen so far are in military time) and began to look for our host Hannes but couldn't find him. So we decided to get our currently exchanged to the South African Rand (about 7.5 Rand to 1 US Dollar) so that we could buy a phone card to try and reach Hannes. Just as we were finishing getting our rand he magically appeared right behind us! Leaving the airport, I found the weather to be as I predicted. It was cold and rainy, very similar to nighttime during early spring in Eugene. We hoped into his small French made car (cant remember the brand right now but there are few if any in the states). I at first of course tried to get in on the right side of the car but the steering wheel is there now. I'll have to get used to that. Driving on the left side actually seems less complicated then I thought it might be. You sit and steer on the right side which will constantly remind you to stay left.
Hannes is a very nice guy. We got to chat with him a bit in his small apartment that he owns in the Southern Suburbs. He's a doctor but doesn't like talking about his job. He says that its always some form of bad news, I think he sees a lot of bad injuries and such. So I took a shower, checked my email and somehow fell asleep around 1. Now I'm back awake after almost 6 hours of sleep. As soon as I woke up there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep from the excitement. Besides, I always try to get a little less sleep while traveling. I have my whole life to sleep but only 5 weeks in South Africa.
Today we are going to explore the surrounding area and perhaps take the train into the city center. I'm very excited to chat with some locals, see the city and be surrounded by the World Cup. This will be so unlike China, Japan or Mexico for obvious reasons, but more so that I never dreamed as a kid of going to those places. I did however, dream of seeing professional soccer at its highest and most exciting level. I know that I'm witnessing history in the making first hand for the first time in my life. I hope that Team USA makes a big impact (I'd be really happy if we made it to the quarterfinals, ecstatic if we made it to the semis) and I hope a team that has never won the tournament before (Spain or the Netherlands are my hope) wins it this time around. Although its a high probability that Brazil will take the title once again. You have to respect a team that is so good that Ronaldinio doesn't even make the squad of 23. Okay enough writing, its starting to get light outside (its 7:40am right now). Time to check it all out.
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.16.10 ]
What an amazing country! Only one day has gone by and already it seems like so much has happened. We got up and ready early, Ashley was feeling a bit under the weather but still wanted to go out. Walking around our neighborhood, we definitely stand out. I believe right now the population is about 80% black, 9% white, 9% mixed and the rest I believe from Asia. Everyone has been very friendly, even though the setting is somewhat sad. The poverty level here is quite high right now, higher then it was 10-15 years ago (Hannes has been really great at answering all the questions we have had). Its amazing again to be reminded about how good we truly have it, even those of us who make little money. Its so much more then they make here. The next time you feel sad about not having enough or that your life isn't going the way you intended, get over it. We as Americans and other first world countries are lucky enough to pursue whatever we wish with very small if any limitations. I was wondering at times yesterday about whether or not white colonization was going to help this country in the long run. Its a perfect example of the world. 10% of the people share approximately 90% of the wealth, and the other 90% share the remaining 10%. There's a lot we all can do in our own unique ways. I think the key to a fully prosperous world is easier then we think it is, all that has to happen is us, the rich 10%, to pay it forward and truly treat others how we want to be treated. Ashley and I didn't even have to spend much money yesterday but already I think we are leaving a very positive and hopefully lasting impression. Multiple people we met even said so.
Oh yes, our day. So we wandered around and saw our area. Ironically the first thing we saw was a rainbow over the distant mountains (South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation). We stopped by a bakery to get some brunch. This answered my question about whether or not food was expensive here. It is very affordable for us. I wanted to get something different right off the bat so I went to the bakery counter and the woman showed me the menu. There were many things different on it with some names I can't remember but one thing she brought to my attention were the pies. When I think pie I think dessert, but not here. There were a dozen or so options for different types of meat and veggie pies, similar to chicken pot pies. I couldn't get the right vibe from anything I saw so I asked her which one she liked. So I took her advice and got the peppered steak pie, it reminded me of an African version of a large dumpling. A soft breaded outside with a meat and sauce filling. I could hold the pie in my hand and just munch away. I also got a Coke-Cola (I love foreign country Coke because they always have real sugar in them). This meal filled me up and only cost me about $3.50. Ashley was still feeling a bit sick so she got some water, a Sprite and a bit of bread (about $2 for all). Ash began to feel sick again so we headed back to our place to rest a bit before heading into the city center.
We took the train which luckily is only a couple blocks away from us. The train tickets were also very affordable, they only charge about a dollar for a one way ticket (8 Rand for one way, 15 for a round trip). I'm glad we didn't get a car right away because I think public transit will be just fine. The train will take us all the way to our place in Fish Hoek too.
Cape Town is beautiful, even with the poverty and a decent amount of garbage. With the surrounding landscape its definitely unlike anyplace I've ever been before. I can't wait to hike up one of the mountains. Downtown things were really happening. Lot of people and different booths, food carts and restaurants littered the downtown area. We entered a place called "Fan Fest" next to City Hall. Fan Fest is for the world cup specifically and is free to the public. Its a closed off area of downtown that fits 25,000 people who can watch the game on a giant screen, watch live music between games, check out local crafts, buy food (more expensive than outside but still pretty reasonable), etc. We met a few people. A younger guy from France and a local guy were showing a "green" house which was mostly comprised of cheap wood, plastic crates and plastic bottles (for insulation). It was pretty impressive. We chatted with them awhile and met another Cape Town local who approached us to ask where we were from. We said from Oregon and right away she told us all about a project she had been working on about being more Earth friendly and she used Oregon (of all places) as her prime example. That made me feel pretty good and proud of where I was from. You don't hear of many people who know about Oregon. Off topic but I had to compliment her on her eyes. They were amazing! They were a greenish hazel on the outside, a light orange hazel inside that, then a darker maroon surrounding her pupil. I didn't even know eyes came in those types of colors!
After that we explored around the African craft tent and met another local who was an extremely awesome person who was thrilled to speak with us. She gave us lots of advice of where to go, what to do, etc. She even gave us a public transit map of Cape Town and surrounding areas. She was such an awesome influence on us that I insisted on buying something from her shop even though she said that that wasn't necessary. So I got a small clock with Africa in the center patterned like a soccer ball and all the country's flags surrounding the outside.
Afterwards we left the Fan Fest and explored the streets. The more we wondered the more I felt very comfortable. Everyone was very pleasant to be around. Even those who needed business would not pester you (unlike Mexico and China where people notice you and try very hard for you to come to their shop). Some people tried to get us to buy things but it was always very politely. We wandered into a restaurant to have a late lunch and ordered an African style pizza (it was called chicken pizza but had mushrooms, green peppers, white cheese and a white sauce). It was good but didn't settle in our stomachs very well. We then offered up the second half of the pizza to others around us. The service was really good and our waitress was really helpful in explaining the different menu. We didn't know whether or not to tip so Ashley asked a man behind us. He was impressed at her compassion and generosity. He said that he wouldn't have guessed that we were Americans because we blended in so well, he thought we were South African (even though we were the only white people in the place). He said that tipping wasn't necessary but is always appreciated for doing ones job well. So we tipped her and headed out.
Gosh I seem to have written so much already. I'll try to finish up here. Ash bought a couple pieces of local art (for dirt cheap of course), we took our picture with the wandering "Eggy Man" (a guy with a gigantic... I don't even know, balanced on top of his head) then we got back on the train who filled with about 40-50 Africans (its so crazy to be such a minority) and made the 30 minute trip back right as it got dark.
We had a great conversation with Hannes, went to a sports bar about 100 meters away to watch the Brazil vs North Korea game (which Brazil dominated but only won 2-1) and have a beer (which was a little over one US dollar). Then we came home and crashed hard. But once again here I am and it is now 7:30am. I only got about 6 hours sleep but I feel well rested. Ashley is feeling nauseous and getting sick again. I think that it is just her stomach getting used to local food. Poor thing. But we are still enjoying ourselves and going to make the best we can out of this trip. So far so good.
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.17.10 ]
What a day yesterday!! One I will never forget! It started off with a really ruff morning with Ashley who was beginning to get pretty sick. I was still pretty confident that it was just her stomach who has never tasted food outside North America but I started to wonder because she was also in a decent amount of pain. I walked over to the local Safe Way style store called "Checkers" but I arrived 45 minutes before they opened at 9. So I walked back home and we waited. Hannes drove me to a pharmacy where I got the South Africa equivalent to Pepto Bismol ('Gaviscon')and some anti nausea pills. She took both and fought hard to keep it all down. Ashley got up determined to not let this ruin her day. I knew too that all she needed was to get out and get distracted and it would pass. First stop was the local fisherman's dock in Kalk City.
I was nervous about Ash being in the fish smell but she took it like a champion. Only one fisherman was in cleaning their snoek (pronounced 'snook') and Hannes said we would come back because it would be hard to haggle with the only person supplying fish. We walked around the city which was just south of Cape Town and north of Fish Hoek (similarly pronounced 'hook'). We wandered in some really awesome antique shops for a while and then headed back to find many more fishermen. Hannes haggled in Afrikaans with the people cleaning their catch. We ended up getting two large Snoek (a fish that looks similar to a Barracuda) for only 70R (little less then $10). Then we headed out to check out Fish Hoek and the place we were going to be staying.
It was a national holiday, "Youth Day" which lies on June 16th every year. I thought that was interesting considering that all our random holidays is all for old people (or dead people). Just like us though, there was nothing particularly youthful about the day, it was just a day off. The traffic was a bit bad but luckily I wasn't driving so I didn't mind, there was plenty of things to look at out my window. Hannes (just found out his name is pronounced, 'han-iss') was great at answering each and every one of our questions even though he's more of the quieter type. By this point in the day Ashley was feeling right as rain again.
After Fish Hoek we headed back north to go around the side of False Bay and up and around the east side of Cape Town. We drove by the huge stretches of shanty towns. It was very heart wrenching to see all the little cube houses, no bigger then a typical living room in the US, as far as the eye can see. Two million people lived there. It was a really good reminder that the world is still very messed up and must be tended to. It made me feel a bit guilty that our next stop was to check out Spier, South Africa's most successful (they say) wine. It was an amazingly beautiful place and they randomly had tons of animals including... Cheetahs! Which you could go in and pet for a bit for 100R. That was pretty incredible. His name was Joseph and he is 8 years old. As we pet him he lifted his head in our direction (don't worry, his trainer was holding him) and gave out the most aggressive purr I've ever heard (at first we pulled our hands away because we thought he was growling). Apparently he was very comfortable and happy that we were petting him. Sadly we only got to spend a few minutes in Joe. But then we got to have an even better experience. For 20R we got to explore around their park full of dozen of birds of all types. Plus we got to go into the owl cage and feed them bits of chicken. One was so friendly he flew up and stood on my shoulder. I quickly took advantage of the photo op. We got to pet them and others, its was really cool. After the birds we decided to have a very nice lunch by the lake side and then finally to what to the event we were counting on, wine tasting!
It was surprisingly my first time. I have intended on wine tasting around Oregon but never found the opportunity. Hannes treated me and got me a 5 time taster. He got the 3 taster since he was driving. And their tasters were more like 1/2 to 3/4 of a glass full. So needless to say by the end of it I was a bit buzzed. My favorite was the "Private Collection Chenin Blanc" but the full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon was the most impressive and strong tasting.
After we left Spier we explored around more this areas east of Cape Town including a very cool store who specialized in Strawberry liquor (but we were there more for the amazing deals on wine). They had a ton of different metal statues up around their strawberry fields to represent the countries of the world cup.
Ashley fell asleep on the way home. I had to do my best to stay awake another 4 hours so that I could watch the South Africa vs Uruguay game (which sadly we lost 3-0). It seems to me like the South Africa fans have little faith in their team sadly. Many people left the stadium when it hit 2-0. Hannes also had little faith. All I thought was, 'Well if that's what you all think then that is probably what will happen.' Maybe the locals don't know, but being the home team puts you at a major advantage, no matter how unlikely the chances of success are. And the South Africans really didn't look half bad, they just made a few big mistakes that Uruguay capitalized on. Oh well, I will continue to hope for a big upset against France for their third and final match in the group stage. I truly believe that a country has to believe in their team whole heartedly for the to do well. That is why I KNOW that the USA will do very well in their upcoming games.
Today (6/17, or 17/6 as they write it) we are off to meet Dave Eber, one of our friends who we will be staying with in Fish Hoek. But not before we head to the local bakery where I'm going to get a chicken and mushroom pie!
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.18.10 ]
Looks like my best time to write my blog is when I get up early because I have been awake earlier than everyone everyday so far. It seems like this is the pattern I am going to follow. So I'll be typically writing about yesterday in each one of my blog entries, I hope that that will not confuse.
Yesterday, we got up and ready after our first long sleep on the trip and felt very refreshed and ready to take on our first night in and around downtown. We left for downtown to meet up with Dave Eber, a friend of mine I met through playing soccer at the UO. We haven't seen each other in at least 3 years. We got to where we were going to meet up and we were early so we decided to walk around and have our first time looking around and bartering a bit at all the stands that had been set up. I helped Ashley haggle for her first time. She's a nice person so of course she doesn't think she has the right to get a good deal. I always tell her that they won't sell to her for a price that won't make them a profit. She wanted a USA scarf for the game (TODAY! GO USA!). There weren't a lot to choose from for USA but we were able to get one from 50R down to 35R. I think towards the end or right after the World Cup is over I hope am going to help clean house on all the national team stuff they have in all the shops. We'll see. We also got our first experience meeting with a South African rastafarian type who ran his own shop in downtown. He was of course a really nice man. It was very cool and interesting to talk with him.
We met David at noon and had a really great time walking around the city and checking out a bunch of stuff. First we walked the 'Fan Walk' which starts near the downtown railway station, goes towards the water front, to the Green Point Stadium, then loops back around and puts us back where we started. The waterfront is far more expensive then all other places we have visited so far. I think I will do my best to spend my money where it will go the furthest and also help the people who don't see many of the visitors.
We watched the Argentina vs Korea Republic (S. Korea) which was the most fun game to watch I've seen yet. The Argentineans seem to be really flowing, they were very fun to watch as they whooped the Koreans 4-1. They are back in contention for the cup in my mind.
We wandered around talking, taking pictures and exploring different parts of the downtown area. We walked through an amazing park and then had our first time on the famous Long Street. Long Street is the street that is set up to party. There were tons of people from out of the country in all of the bars along the street. There were tons of guys from England which I realized later that they were here because England plays Algeria today in Cape Town. I wish I could have gone to that game but I guess my attention will be better spent all on Team USA. I'm really excited, my USA jersey, jacket, scarf and my US flag I turned into a cape (after all, we are in Cape Town) are all waiting for me to put on. As much as I loved watching the first match (USA vs England) in Portland, I'm going to be very proud to wear the stars and stripes and represent our great country. This will be the second time I've gotten to do so. The first was at the USA Canada hockey final in the Vancouver Olympics so I pretty much got the crash course on showing national pride. I don't even care about hockey but its awesome to have a team that you belong to. When we got home from Vancouver I bought my very first USA flag. It feels really good to cheer your country on. More on that tomorrow after the game. We play Slovenia today by the way.
Where was I? Oh yeah, so we went to a pub to watch the end of Greece vs Nigeria game and it looks as if the Nigerians will sadly be the first African team to be denied a spot in the Round of 16. The general opinion around seems like you root for your home nation, your pick(s) for the winner and all African teams. After all, they are in the spotlight for the first time in history. I overheard the bartender talking about how terrible the English tipped and how he wished that they would tip more like American. I spoke up to represent (after all, we had just had a conversation on tipping with a local the day before yesterday). He said that Americans were very fair and generous when it came to tipping. After the game we walked to David's hostel where we chilled for a bit and then went to grab some food and find a good place to watch the France Mexico game. We watched it in a bar that was attached to another hostel Dave had staid in which was cool because there were lots of people from all around the world there. We all bet 5R in what we thought the outcome of the game was. My prediction was 2-1 France, Ashley and David were hopeful in that the Mexicans would upset and bet 2-1 and 2-0. France qualified for the world cup by a hand ball goal by Henry that was apparently on purpose. Naturally I was rooting for the Mexicans but didn't have the faith that they would pull it off. And it was a great upset and Dave took his 60R in winnings and a small backpack. We actually left that place and had to come back with 10 minutes left in the game so that Dave could collect his winnings.
We got a taxi to take us back to the train station and I am very glad we did. The taxi driver one of the coolest old men I have ever met. He was very spunky and full of positive energy and pride for his nation in its current state. He talked with us briefly about how he recently met his first Mexican ever, who he could very much relate with on a personal and cultural level. The Mexican he met even called him on his cell phone as we were driving and they exchanged warm hearted congratulations on the Mexican victory. "You deserve the victory. Forget Brazil, you are champions." he told the Mexican on the other end. He tried to have fun by messing with us (to which Ashley always had a good comeback). He would look back, laugh with her and say "She's not blond. Definitely not blond." which I thought was a very good compliment that I had never heard before. I felt very proud to be with her. We got into the train station, found a good safe section to ride in (it can be a bit dangerous if you aren't careful at night). We met some French-Algerians (Zinadine Zidane supporters of course) who didn't seem highly bothered by the French loss. Luckily for them they have two teams to belong to.
It has been so great to already meet so many awesome people from all around the world. I highly suggest that you come to South Africa some day and that you go to a world cup. Even if you don't care about soccer. I guarantee you will enjoy yourself if you have an open mind. But for now, believe in the USA. We are going to make history in this world cup, I can feel it!
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.19.10 ]
Wow. Never have I (or Ashley) felt such passion for a game that really was just that, a game. I remember admitting to this fact just hours before the USA faced off against Slovenia. But that is not what it felt like. Today team USA showed us what they are capable of, and our referee showed us what it is to truly hate someone that didn't actually do anything to you. Let me explain.
Ash and I woke up and got ready (dressed up in everything USA; jersey, jacket, scarf and flag across my back), packed up our stuff, cleaned up our bed and the living room we had been staying in and then we headed off to get brunch at the bakery close by. Afterwards we headed downtown to get our faces painted inside the Fan Fest in downtown Cape Town. I did the one white star over my right eye like Star child from Kiss. Ashley had lots of small white stars on one side of her face and red and blue streaks on the other. After we left we headed towards Eber's hostel for the group's rendezvous point.
What should have been a 20 minute walked turned into more of a 40 minute walk. We got noticed, big time. Like I said, Cape Town was full of England fans because they played Algeria at 8:30pm that night. We got a lot of looks from them and a lot of cheers from locals and Algerian fans. We even got stopped by a group of Algeria fans who insisted on taking pictures with us. They had a small sheet with a bunch of Arabic on it that they wanted to have in the picture with all of us. I'm still not sure what it said but I'll figure it out when we get home. At this point we wanted them to upset England to give us a better chance at taking the first seed in our group. After getting stopped multiple times and offered tickets to the game ( for $170 though, :( ). It was a very proud moment for the two of us. We are definitely going to get painted up again for USA's game 3!
We got to Eber's hostel only to find out that Dave accidentally bought a plane ticket from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town for JULY 18th, not June 18th. So he had to quickly switch but it meant getting into town when the USA game was already underway. We decided to watch the first match of the day, Germany vs Serbia (a 1-0 Serbia upset which changes the chances of the US meeting with Germany in the Round of 16, which is a good thing). I got to meet a Kiwi (New Zealander) and bunch of British guys. There was also a group of 16 year old high school kids from Florida that I talked with. It's good to give them a chance and talk to them like adults, I felt like they respected me for that fact. How fortunate to be so young and to be on a trip like this! I will definitely do the same for my kids!
After the game we immediately headed out to get a quick bite and to get to the Fan Fest to watch the USA game. We were three minutes late to the game but better late then never. Team USA was off to a bad start. I noticed that my attentiveness and nervousness made time speed up. Already it was in the 25th minute and it felt as if 5 minutes had gone by since we arrived. I could tell that we had better skill then the Slovenians but that didn't matter. Our team does what they do best and let the other team score first. And then again. And the ref screwed us with a yellow card for a ball that went of off Robbie Findley's face (he went to OSU and played with my friend Matt Johnson). At half it was 2-0 and I had had to pee really bad for over an hour, but now finally I could. I sadly made my way over to the porta potty and on the way spoke to another USA fan' "We got this," I said angrily and passionately with an increasing sinking feeling in my stomach, "we'll be known as the team that came back." I knew we had the skill and the heart, it was just a matter of putting the two together. More fans came together and said similar things back to me. I helped to spread the word amongst the crowd of thousands of strangers, but still my countrymen. Only a few minutes into the second half they gave us hope. Our hero Landon Donovan took the ball from the far right side all the way into the keeper looking to give it off to a striker coming into the center. That striker never came so he pounded it as hard as he could at the Slovenian keeper's face. The shot must have been going at 80-90 mph (yes, the ball can be kicked that hard), the Slovenian keeper flinched and did not have enough time to put his arms up to block the ball and it hit the TOP of the net. We finally had the hope we needed. The USA fans in the crowd were now into it and began to cheer and chant. Finally once again, probably about 30 more minutes into the game or so, we made the equalizer. The crowd went wild. Beer and water rained down upon us from people's cups now raised high in the air. I picked up Ashley as if she weighed nothing. I could have thrown her ten feet into the air I think. Adrenaline was surging throughout my body. Finally we achieved greatness with 8 minutes left in the game when a free kick from Landon came into the box and was struck perfectly by Edu into the back of the net. And as our fans cheered in tremendous passion I saw the look on our teams faces and it was not the same as ours. The ref had screwed us, royally. He said their was a foul in the box when there clearly was nothing out of the ordinary. It was BS to say the least. It seemed like a call that was bought to me. This ref had seemed sketchy to me from the start and I know refs, I am one! USA pushed and pushed but could not since a fourth goal. We tied them 2-2 even though we one fair and square 2-3. My passion and happiness turned to frustration and anger. Middle fingers rose up throughout the crowd towards the screen when the referee was shown after the game, my own included. I felt so incredibly cheated. I watched the screen in ferocious anger halfway hoping to see a beer bottle fly from the crowd to meet the referee's head (its crazy what a angry passionate mob of people can get you to feel). As we walked out of the Fan Fest grounds I tried very hard to listen to my sane self and know that there's nothing that can be done and thank god we came back from 2 down. I hadn't gone 20 yards towards the exit when a group of 5-6 British guys, all in their white jerseys saw my face and began to taunt me. "Goodbye!" one said, "Have a nice trip back home!" with devilish grins all across their faces. I felt like I could have snapped, I turned back to them, got right close face to face with one who I knew had said one of the jeers and said plainly to his face, "You know what? You guys are supposed to win, and you're gonna lose." This I think hit him because it is most likely true. England is always favored but never really meets up to their expectations in the world cup. They only won once in 1966 and that was IN England. I turned away from the dicks and all they could see was the USA flag down my back as I walked as calmly away as I possibly could. But still I was so angry. Not at USA, not at Slovenia but towards the English (and the referee's too, but surprisingly mostly the English). I convinced myself that England had paid off this ref to give their team a higher chance at success. That is how the referees calls felt, like he was doing something wrong to meet the demands of another. Slovenia sucks, they did not deserve that point (for the tie). We just wasted our first half being extremely nervous. Finally Ashley helped to calm me back down as we got to the train station where we were going to meet up with everyone before heading to Fish Hoek.
Let me wrap this up. We found them and it was so good to see their friendly familiar faces. We got on the train. We talked about our travels (and the game of course) and eventually all got down to our place (Ash and I had to make a quick stop to grab our stuff from Hannes place). Ash and I got to meet a guy from France (originally from the Congo) who was so happy that we spoke with him, late night at the train station, without fear. We were on our guard, but there was nothing to be afraid of. He spoke of how people should not be so worried of the lower-class blacks of the country. Things have changed and people now have jobs, he said. We also met another guy from Zimbabwe who wanted pictures with us because of our awesome face paint. We finally arrived at Fish Hoek and got to our place (which is really awesome, more on that later) and then watched the England Algeria game. Which they treated us to a 0-0 final. A perfect outcome for team USA. I hope that English guy thought of me when the final whistle blew. Now we are #2 in the group with only 2 ties (2 points). We now still stand a very high chance of getting out of our group, but we must be Algeria this Wednesday!
Alright, I gotta go. Its 10:10am and apparently we are all going on a walk. Keep the passion for our team! We have the dream, this is history in the making and I'm witnessing it first hand! This is the best trip EVER!!!!!
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.20.10 ]
Finally a day to relax and get settled in to our new home. Chad got in late the day before yesterday so our 6 person group is all together and we all get along super well. And perhaps for the next couple days I may have company in the morning since Chad's internal clock still isn't set to SA time (he's awake with me in the living room right now and its 5:30am).
Yesterday we all got up out of bed at about 10ish and headed to downtown Fish Hoek (2 blocks away) to get a soccer ball. We went to a shop that had tons in their windows so we went in, found the cheapest ball (60R) and proceeded to buy it. When Eber took it to the counter the clerk said, "That'll be 60 bucks." and Eber, looking a little confused as I was for a second asked, "Rand?" The clerk decided to believe in our American stereotype and half-way rudely said, "We can call it that too. The world does not revolve around you." He may have just been 'breaking our balls' a little but I was a little offended. Neither one of us had heard the word "bucks" being used in SA yet so we just wanted to be sure. We probably would have realized it if we had thought for 5 seconds. That's like an asian driver with a clean driving record getting pulled over and the cop saying to him/her, "Oh, of course." I thought it would have been nice of him to just realize that yes we are from the US, we've never been here before, we are accepting people who don't believe that the world revolves around us and a simple, "We actually call them 'bucks' here too." to which we would reply, "Oh cool. Good to know." Whatever, no use in getting bent out of shape. We'll just have to show him by example that we are not the stereotypical Americans he might think we are.
After leaving the store we met up with the girls who were perusing around another shop. We all headed to the beach to kick the new ball around. That made it a very perfect morning. The six of us just hanging out on the beach, kicking and juggling a soccer ball. With the exercise and the sun shinning I got warm enough to want to take a swim in the cold ocean but alas the black flag was up which means, 'Sharks'. So obviously no getting in the ocean, but it did give me the idea that at some point we should get some fresh meat scraps somewhere and see if we can get them close to shore. Ha ha, we probably shouldn't though.
After the short soccer fest we all went to the grocery store to buy up food to fill the house with. Then we walked the two blocks back home with all of our grocery bags in hand. I think a mutual feeling of peace and happiness was shared among our group. We all helped to put things away, Eber (and Chad I think) made us some eggs and I made some toast and we had a good late breakfast and then some more juggling (of course kicking the ball once into the neighbor's yard and having to scale a wall to fetch it).
Luckily we have a small TV that gets the channel that shows all the games. So we had a nice relaxing day at the house watching the games, kicking a ball around and exploring around the neighborhood a bit. Chad helped me to notice that there are a ton of commercials here advertising the world cup and other things with a world cup theme that isn't being shown in the US. I realized that most of the commercials were an African and World Cup theme mix which I think really helps to get in the right mood. I am definitely more into this World Cup than any one before for obvious reasons but I also think that this world cup is special. Its the first in Africa so every African team (Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Algeria and South Africa) is being cheered on heavily by the locals. You wouldn't see Spain cheering on Portugal or any of the European teams just because they are on the same continent. The people of Africa definitely have a bond that we don't have in North America and neither does Europe or Asia (but maybe South America does but I'm not sure. I wonder if Brazil and Argentina would cheer for each other).
The gang made a great brie (the name they use for barbeque), Ash and I contributed our wine that we bought previously and we had our first sit down meal, almost as if we were already a kind of family. Pretty awesome. I'm very happy that this is our group. Sadly we had to end the night with Cameroon being the first African team to be denied into the Round of 16. Hopefully they will play for pride when the face the Netherlands for their last game. We will be rooting for them from the stadium stands this time. I never thought I would want Cameroon to upset one of my favorite soccer teams, but Holland doesn't need the points anyway, they are already qualified to move on.
For now I will root for the USA first and African teams second. There is a shared hope among everyone here in SA that the African teams will get to move on out of their groups. Time will tell. They, like the US, have to show the world that they too play quality football.
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.22.10 ]
The day before yesterday we had a nice day. I went for a run with Dave and Jamaica which I am still sore from (gotta get back into shape). Then shortly after we all went on a long walk from Fish Hoek all the way to Simon's Town. We heard from multiple people that there were a lot of penguins there and sure enough we found them. There are tons of penguins all along the coast line, some even wandering so close that they pecked at my camera as I tried to take a close up. We also saw in the distance a few Orcas (Killer Whales) jumping out of the water in front of a boat. We over heard a local saying, "This never happens here. Never happens." So apparently we were very lucky. I wish I could have been on that boat. The coast line here is so amazing in so many ways. Cant wait to explore more of it today.
Later on after the beach exploring we got some local pizza (blech) and with them came a couple of free vuvuzelas (the horns that are so popular this world cup). So now we are armed with noise. Although I got the pleasant surprise that Chad plays the trumped so he's pretty good at making an okay sound come from it, even some good beats.
Enough of that, yesterday is what I want to write about. My first professional soccer game EVER! But first something a little more serious. On the hour long train ride to the station downtown we met a very talkative working class man who was thrilled to talk with us. We talked about our cultures, the good and the bad. We also spoke about what it will take to all finally work together and help one another out. I am proud to say that he was very impressed with me being 23 and saying the things I did. One of the most important things we spoke of was that of believing in something or not giving up. I trend I've noticed with the South Africans and this man too was having no faith in their national soccer team. They suffered a pretty brutal defeat but the way I see it, it's not over till its over, even if they are playing France for their final match (besides, France is doing terrible this world cup). He and his co-workers seemed to take my words into consideration when I said, "If you've already admitted defeat, how can you ever expect to win ever?" All in all he was a very wonderful man and I got a little worked up after they got off on their stop because I know that the struggles. He probably makes $1 an hour AT BEST! And I bet he works hard too (judging by his work clothing). The world is truly not fair at all but the only thing I can do is attempt to change it and I'm acquiring the tools and the mind set needed to do so. Once people realize how much more rewarding it is to make a connection like that rather then buying something, things are going to change for the better very quickly. I told him we as a race need to stop being distracted and fighting one another. I could write on this for a long time. I'll end it with that and if anyone would like to speak more on the subject I'd be more than happy to. Coincidently as I began to tear up a bit it started to rain for the first time on our trip.
K, enough seriousness. We walked out of the train station and proceeded to go to the ticketing office to pick up our (Chad and my) tickets for today's match and the rest of our games. It began to pour so we all got soaked but it was going to take much more than that to ruin my mood. The girls did not have tickets to this one so we walked with them to the "Ayoba Tent" near the waterfront where they were going to shop around and watch the game on a big screen. The real excitement didn't start to hit me till we had been patted down and cleared for entry. WHAT A STADIUM! I love Autzen and PGE with all my heart but neither compare to Green Point Stadium. The entire thing is lined with a very strong mesh so at night with the lights on inside you can see right inside it and almost right through it in some places. As we entered the stadium is when I realized that this was actually happening and somewhat embarrassingly let out some squeals of happiness. I even started to skip and jump around for no apparent reason, I felt like I could have ran a mile in record time or jump 10 feet in the air. It was an amazing feeling to say the least. We were two hours early to so I had plenty of time to check all around. We checked out each others seats (the tickets separated us in two groups of two and we sat on either ends of the stadium), got some rip off hot dogs and cokes and watched the teams take the field and start to warm up. And there he was, in less than the distance I can through a baseball (and I can't through one that far) was Christiano Ronaldo, arguably the best player (highest paid I believe) in the world right now. Although I don't agree with his arrogant personality I can't help but admit there was something intimidating and amazing about his presence. By the way, I looked for North Korea fans, couldn't find any. The stadium filled up with about 90-95% Portugal fans with just a couple small sections of North Koreans. We noticed that they also had a bit of extra help with security. I would have really liked to meet with one but alas.
So anyway, Ronaldo demands respect no doubt and his countrymen idolize him, even if he's a giant douche. In a weird way, that's pretty amazing. I was excited to see him perform as well. I could see with all the Portugal fans to every side of me that I was now going to be rooting for Portugal (coming into the game I was hoping for a Portugal blowout or a North Korea upset win). It was crazy how much I cared about the game even though I did not care about either of the teams. The power of so many passionate fans will make you feel and act in ways you wouldn't think possible. And what a treat to see this game. Portugal let a couple close calls happen but in the end, the North Koreans had not choice but to let them play their game, which was like a professional team playing against a high school team. We were treated to 7 awesome goals from the Portuguese. 7!!! For those who don't know soccer, a 7-0 victory in the world cup is VERY rare. It happens once, maybe twice, per world cup. The second half produced 6 goals in the span of about 20-30 minutes. Chad and I had more than a blast, it was a life changing experience for us. Our first world cup game and it was all offense and hardly a dull moment the whole 90 minutes long. And just as I suspected it was over well before I was ready to go. But it was awesome to watch all the Portugal fans in massive celebrations in and out of the stadium. I took tons of pics and video but can't upload them yet. We get charged a decent amount for going over our megabyte limit here (another reason I love the USA, fantastic, cheap, high speed internet).
So after the 7-0 victory I wouldn't be surprised to see Portugal take the 1st seed and Brazil take 2nd in their group. This would be great because that means that we will see Brazil play in the round of 16! Either way really, it would be a pleasure to see Portugal play again too. I will never forget that game. SO well worth the money. You can't find passion like that anywhere else. To cheer on your country and see them play the beautiful game they can and pull of a victory of that magnitude. I can hardly wait to see my first USA world cup game. Too bad it will have to be four years from now in Brazil. I wish they would have been scheduled to play down here one time. I'd pay good money to see them. Speaking of which, I heard that USA was #1 behind South Africa in ticket purchases for the cup. That makes me very happy and hopeful for our soccer future.
Yesterday was one of the best days of my life!!
Leave a comment
Go to top
06.24.10 ]
My God. Where do I start? I guess I gotta get through the day before yesterday first. I have to say first that, on this trip, every day feels like the best day we've had yet. We took the train in a bit early to go and view the Bafana Bafana ("Boys Boys" in Afrikaans I believe) at the fan fest. Eber warned us that it gets out of control when the home team is playing, he had been to the Fan Fest for the previous game and it was almost too much for him to handle. I think its the only time they actually have to fence off the gates so that it doesn't get over crowded. So Ash, myself and Eber all went to get some food before the game (because of course the prices are much higher and the food much worse inside the 'Fan Fest' set up by FIFA, Coke Cola and Budweiser. I swear I will not drink a crappy American beer on this trip). As we headed in after getting food I had to quickly shovel because we noticed that they were about the close the gates. We got into the big crowd trying to get in and were closed off just feet before we were in. Shoot. Now we had to try and contact the three of us who were already inside to make sure they weren't looking for us or anything. We didn't have Jam and Dave's cell number on us so we had to go to an internet cafe to retrieve it. After that we tried once more to convince the guards to let us in, you can ask me more on that story later if you want. No luck, so we went to find a pay phone but of course foreign payphones always take a bit if not forever to figure out how to work them. "Coincidently" a girl Katie from Oregon who we met on the train just an hour before walks down the road and spots us. Of course she had a phone so she let us use hers. Eber left a message of where to meet after the game and then we felt we could go try to find a bar to watch the game.
Of course ever bar and restaurant in downtown is filled to the max. We were denied entry to three bars before entering the Dubliner, and seconds later the home team scores against the favored France. Perfect timing! We hugged strangers, screamed and cheered so loudly and had an altogether amazing time for the first half that ended in 2-0. How perfect for South Africa! At half time we sought out a different bar so that we could sit down and watch rather than stand and have a not so good view of the screen. We found a hookah bar with one table just big enough for the four of us (Katie decided to tag along). We finished watching the match which ended in a 2-1 win for South Africa. Unfortunately the win was not enough for them to move through to the Round of 16 but beating France was something that no one would have predicted at the start of the tournament.
We found the other group outside the gates and proceeded to head home. The train was packed with people singing and dancing, a very beautiful site. There was a main group of guys who really started it and thanked the rest of the train as they got off. Talk about national pride. It's so amazing what one game of soccer can do. I love this tournament!!
Alright, now for the main course (if you are American you should appreciate this next part). Yesterday was Team USA's last chance for qualifying into the Round of 16. We needed a win and only a win to secure our entry (since we all believed England was going to win their game so a tie or a loss would put us in third or fourth place in the group, only the top two go on). First we went in very early to get into the Fan Fest, only to be rewarded by a giant screen showing that the England game was going to be shown (they play two games at a time now so that neither team knows before hand what they need to accomplish to go on). I was disappointed, but oh well, we would find another place to view it. We played some street soccer with some local kids, juggled the ball, Dave won a shooting contest and got 300R towards a big meal at a good chain restaurant they have here (it might be in the US too, I've never seen one though). I don't believe there was a cloud in the sky. It was shaping up to be the most perfect day.
Soon we left and headed to a couple of bars we knew we liked. Every one was showing the England game!! WTF? Finally we were recommended we go to "Bob's" which was almost empty except for some locals and one guy from Jersey. The beers were cheap, we had places to sit and the tv was in front of us. Soon after we had settled some Americans came in to tell us that there was a much larger group of us at the Purple Turtle. Jam and Ash went to scout out the place and came back saying it was definitely worth it. And sure enough it was. We left and got to the Purple Turtle, found a place among hundreds of Americans and proceeded to scream our national anthem as our team took the pitch. We even met a guy from UO who Dave and Chad had played against in the UO World Cup final (and won) just a couple months ago. Small world.
What a nail biter! In the first half we had some opportunities and so did Algeria (our first game against the African team ever) but the crowd continued to chant and sing for our boys in white. Once again the ref denied our goal to a very very close off sides call. But the call was made and there was nothing that could be done. The game was tied 0-0 at half but word passed through the bar that England was up 1-0. Not it was time to get serious, a loss or tie would now do us no good at all. Into the second half. As the clock ticked the crowd got increasingly more nervous and antsy. Everyone in our group admitted to making deals with God in our heads (myself included). Time after time the Americans struck forward but each attempt failed at producing a goal. Everyone in the bar muttered under their breath or to their friends, "Just one goal, just one." I, like others, had my hand stuck showing just one finger. "Just one, please God, just one." And mind you I'm not much of a religious person. Into the final minutes of regular time I began to have doubt and fear that we would not be able to finish one. But we all still believed even as the 90 minute mark came and not two minutes into our four minutes of stoppage time we were rewarded with the greatest of all gifts, one goal. To be honest, I didn't remember how it happened or who even scored (which it turns out was our hero Landon Donovan) but when that ball hit the back of the net EVERYONE was on their feet. It was the loudest, most beautiful thing I had ever heard. Ashley and I broke into big tears as we hugged and jumped up and down screaming at the top of our lungs. No one even noticed that Algeria was given a red car a minute later, we all calmed down with just enough time to see the ref blow the final whistle. And then the party began. Music blaring and people singing and shouting, you would have thought we had won the World Cup itself. It didn't matter. I laughed so hard with tears pouring out of my eyes, it was amazing. One of the best feelings I've ever had. Our body heat filled the bar as everyone jumped and danced, I was completely soaked in sweat but did not care. I held, hugged and cried with complete strangers but today we were all Americans and we were all best friends. The bar played some great popular American music (including a few times through with Sweet Home Alabama, ha ha) which we all proceeded to scream. My favorite (and I think the favorite of the World Cup) was "Wavin Flag" by K'naan. A perfect song for the world cup. In my opinion, it's much better than Shakira's "Waka Waka" (the actual 'theme song' of this world cup).
For an amount of time that I can not tell you how long (my guess is somewhere around and hour or two) we partied with our fellow Americans and as we left the bar (ahh fresh cold air!) the party continued down the street with every American we passed. High fives all around! And then of course some Brits had to come and try to spoil our fun. They taunted from across the street and we playfully shouted back. They took this of more of a threat than a game. They ran across the road shouting anything they thought might get under our skin, I asked on of them calmly, "Hey why are you guys doing this. What's your deal." to which he replied, "Its just fun being hooligans" This guy was the sheep and he forgot to speak with me civilly after his buddy began to try more harsh taunting. They achieved what they wanted and we began to shout insults in each others faces. They didn't seem too offended until we spoke of their small island in comparison to our huge plot of land (so ridiculous really). No one through any punches thank God so we as calmly as we could turned our backs. "1776 bitch.", "We ruled you for a hundred years!", "Not any more you don't." And that was it. I tried my best to remind my friends that this was a time for celebration and not anger. Some poor locals began to follow us, Eber even agreed to buy them food which we found out soon after they were just selling on the streets for drug money. A South African police officer informed us on this issue, so no more buying people packaged foods, its really sad. My God so much happened in that short amount of time after the game, and all of us with huge chemical imbalances because of our happiness and then our anger and then our pity. Luckily there was a British guy in the super market who whole heartedly congratulated us and we back to him (USA took first seed by the way and England took second). It was a good reminder that you cannot listen to ass holes, and they do not speak for all of their country. I was thinking this morning that I feel a bit honored in a way that now the English see us as a threat. Ha ha, beautiful, we have already won, our goal was respect among the world and we have already achieved that.
No we play Ghana, probably the only African team to make it past the group stages. We have a great draw though. Ghana in the round of 16 and then either Uruguay or South Korea if we win and go into the quarter finals. This is shaping up to be the most important World Cup in USA history. And I feel so fortunate to be here and to be a part of it. I know I am witnessing history in the making. I know the USA will do well in the knockout rounds. We just have to believe and support our team, that is our job as fans. And we also have to represent our country well and not get into stupid tiffs with the Brits or any one for that matter. And karma struck the English because now they face their rivals Germany in the round of 16. A game I am pretty sure they will lose, Germany is doing fairly well thus far. Alright, enough of this. Please ask me about this day when I get back and I will fill you in with more details, this post is just getting ridiculously long.
What a day for the USA!
Go to top
06.25.10 ]
Another great day. Thank you Brad for buying my ticket. By far the best seats I've had to any sporting event, no, any event to date. We were section 117 which is practically on the center line and only five rows from the field (only two rows of people were in front of us). We were close enough that we could see the blades of grass and the players protruding veins (I know that sounds weird but it's true!).
It was the Netherlands vs. Cameroon and sadly the game did not matter much. The Netherlands had already qualified for the Round of 16 and Cameroon was already out. But that didn't stop the players from playing, not by a long shot. I could have shouted at Kuyt and he would have heard me, even over the sound of thousands of fans and vuvuzelas (I still don't care for them much, especially because it gives ass holes an easy way to be obnoxious and everyone else just has to take it). It was especially an honor to see Robben, nearly every time he touched the ball was a goal scoring opportunity (including his amazing shot off the post that Chad called "Goal" just moments before).
I'll tell all my soccer friends more details when I get back. And I'll show everyone pics from my seat (although it doesn't do it justice, not even close). I highly recommend everyone go to a world cup game at some point in their life. The fans of soccer are SO much more amazing than any other sport (yes yes in my opinion, but if you say soccer is a dumb sport then I would say there are literally billions who would argue otherwise). I can't wait to follow the USA in the tournaments to come. We even have a chance that they will play here in Cape Town if they make it to the semi finals (and they will). I might have to shell out some serious dollars to be there!
Short and sweet, that was yesterday so I suppose that will also be my post.
Go to top
06.26.10 ]
Finally a day to relax. I'm a person who definitely believes that if you are in another country, or on any trip for that matter, that you should really seize the day, everyday. This is my first time traveling with a group of closer friends PLUS a girlfriend. Its nothing like Ben and my style where we just go, do whatever, whenever, where ever. The group has already got the next two weeks or so scheduled. I'm still having fun so there is little to complain about really (besides, I really hate complaining, especially since life is so so sweet), but I needed REST. We slept in yesterday later than any other morning and as soon as I awoke, the thought of moving sounded terrible. I think it was Ash that morning who got me up, thinking she heard the alarm on the beach that there was a shark in the area. I would have appreciated that had it actually been an alarm and not the sound of a boat's or lighthouse's horn but alas. Then some obnoxious bird kept calling and calling and calling, then right as I was about to fall back asleep (its about 8am I think), it calls again! I took it as a sign to get up and I'm glad I did. I really value some time alone and I think everyone should try this. Be comfortable and happy with just your own company, it really helps to calm your inner anxiety. Sadly I feel like few are able to achieve this, I think most get freaked out about being "alone". ... There I go again, enough of that, onto the more positive aspects of the day.
When Ash got up after waking me up she wanted the two of us to go down and have lunch together on the beach. It was a very foggy day but sounded fun non the less. We got some good cheap food and the Price n' Pay (I think that's its name) and went down to a bench that was next to the beach. It was so foggy that we could only see about 30-40 feet out into the water but it was still cool. We watched a guy come out of his small beach side cabin in just his boxers (I think) and walk slowly into the ocean. It was a bit eerie since it was so foggy and there was a possibility of sharks in the water, apparently he had no fear. He swam out in waist to knee high water and then attempted to body surf, but with little luck. Then, like a kid, birds caught my attention instead. Seagulls and pigeons were beginning to come in from all directions because they smelt our food. I don't usually feed wildlife, but yesterday I felt like it. I through an over abundance of food in front of us on the sidewalk. Few were brave enough to go the extra foot close to us to reach the smorgasbord. I get annoyed at unnecessary fear these days, even if from an animal or bird. Sadly animals cannot tell the difference between a dangerous human and a not dangerous one, or can they?
I got up to all the food scattered around the ground and decided that I would only feed those who could catch it in the air. I tried a few times, some birds tired, most failed but one seemed to get the picture. As we began to video tape it I looked around and realized that they had all left even though there was still a lot of food on the ground. Ashley was the first to notice that there was just one left, the one who had the most luck in catching what a threw. It was a type of bird I'm guessing native to the area (I haven't seen any in the states), it looked like a little bit more attractive seagull, smaller and built for speed and maneuverability. I realized soon after that he understood the game, he was the smartest. Out of what was probably 30 birds, he was the only one who stuck around. He knew what I was doing and would make multiple fly byes and each time I threw up a piece of food and every time, even with a bad throw, he would catch it. It really made my day. I'm going to go back again to see if he is maybe still around. That was surprisingly fun, Ash got a great video of it too.
For the rest of the day we all just chilled and watch the last 4 group-stage soccer games. It ended with us having full stomachs and the Round of 16 to be complete. We also now knew that we would be watching Spain (YES!) and Portugal in our round of 16 game in Cape Town on the 29th. That should be a great match. The fun thing about now is that there has to be a winner. No ties, one winner who moves on and one loser who goes home. In the next four days the 16 will narrow down to 8. USA is second to play at 8:30pm (Uruguay and S. Korea are first at 4pm today) against the only African team to move out of group play, Ghana. We still have much to prove. This is only Ghana's second world cup ever, the first one being last one (2006) and they defeated us in group play. Now its our turn, but it will be with all of Africa rooting against us. We will see if USA can calm themselves and play like the true champions they are. I hope some of you out there are enjoying this world cup. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is one for the history books!
Go to top
06.27.10 ]
"Gotta Be Somebody's Blues". That's the song that 'coincidently' came up on the ipod when I hit shuffle during our long train ride home after the USA was beaten by Africa's only team in the Round of 16. I know that I should have felt happy for the home continent, after all this is their world cup. I just felt, from my experience from talking with other Africans, that they didn't have the heart like we did. Nobody in Africa had confidence in their teams it seems. All South Africans seemed to believe that their team was going no where. True they weren't an amazing team, but they were good and they deserved more than that (and then they beat France so good for them). I have to try to be happy for Ghana but it is hard. This tournament felt like much more than a tournament for me. Its funny but I can't help but think that the loss is partially my fault. My negativity and rage during and after the game were uncalled for. I didn't get into any fights or anything like that, but I sure wanted to. Its so messed up to have rage but the maturity to know you should not show it. It has built up little by little on this trip, all the while trying my best to always stay positive and have a smile on my face. On the way home, not matter what other songs came on the ipod, ("Paper Cut" and "Karma" played shortly after) my energy that sought a channel would not be allowed. The train was the only thing I could see was okay to attack. It was super late coming into Cape Town, we had to wait around while train after train was cancelled and no reason was ever announced to anyone. Then it was super late on the way home. So we had to sit at the train station as others walked by and gloated, "GAH-NA! GAH-NA!" in our direction. Ghana did not play with heart, and would flop and fall down over the most ridiculous things, things I would give out yellow cards for faking and delaying the game. The only reason they deserved the win is because this is their home continent, that's all.
Anyway, as I was saying before, my energy finally found a channel, the train. As we headed home every stop was jarring, as if they were using the emergency brake over and over to try and slow it down. Then finally, about a half mile before Fish Hoek it just stopped, right on the tracks, nothing around, it just stopped and stayed and I had had enough. I sought to open the doors to get off but they were locked, so I opened the door to go to the next car and hopped out over the side to the flat of concrete next to the train. And I ran. I couldn't breath due to the insanity in my head and instead of putting it towards another person, (and there was one I was ready to give it to, not Ashley of course, she is the only one who even has an idea of where I'm coming from), I jumped and I ran. Not because the train was taking too long, not because USA lost and I was feeling sorry for myself, but because I just had to go, had to get out. But sadly no matter how fast I ran, I can't run from my mind. Its here to stay and I have to learn to control it, but sometimes your only option is to just run, try to get away. It helped, but not completely. I was of course beaten home by the rest of the group and in my mind I was ready for verbal thrashing if my decision was challenged. But right before the door to my house I looked up for the first time being in the southern hemisphere. I saw stars I've never seen before but more importantly I saw the full moon. It was straight overhead, the full moon staring straight down at me and I stared straight up at it. That's never happened to me as I can remember. It calmed me down. And then I walked to the front door where Ashley was waiting in worry. The rest of the night was spent calming her down and attempting to understand one another. Sometimes that is so hard. In any relationship. To truly see inside another persons head, impossible really. I may never know truly, they mechanics of hers or any one else's. I want to, but first I think I have to understand how the mechanics of my own works first. I know what I did wasn't right, but sometimes you gotta try a little wrong. But I have to keep it under wraps for now, now's not the time during this amazing trip in South Africa. I have to do what is needed in order to keep the peace between me and myself, but more importantly between Ashley and I. She needs me and I need her. I have no one to really talk to and confide in without her. I'm sorry Ashley. I'm sorry world. I gave into my lesser instincts and now I must rebuild my foundation a bit.
Now that I write I feel like its best USA isn't in the tournament anymore. Now I can focus on what is much more important than soccer, life. Life is just occurrences after occurrences and its up to each one of us to receive those occurrences in the best possible manner that we can. It is only our own fault if we don't, no matter what your situation is. The only person that can help is those who love us and ourselves.
"Where you gonna run when they come for you? ... Will there be someone left to sing your blues?"
Cheers to USA, to Africa, and to a new trip starting today.
Go to top
06.28.10 ]
Today put me back on track. It was just a nice, relaxing, fun day. Besides the fact that I very nearly got my debit card stolen. How you ask? I'll tell you.
I wish I could say the highlight of the day was watching some amazing soccer matches, checking out the Green Market in downtown Cape Town, or attempting to juggle a soccer ball on a moving train. But alas no, human leeches were the most notable. As we were looking around the market I realized that I was running short on money so I headed to an ATM. The one nearest was broken so I had to walk a couple of blocks to one of South Africa's largest banks. Inside were three ATM's and two security guards on the outside. There were others already using them so I figured they were safe (I had heard warning of being very careful about going to ATM's, I had no idea though). I went in to an open machine and as soon as I pulled my card from my wallet, three half way filthy men appeared out of thin air and swooped in behind me, "Put in your pin, put in your pin." They said immediately. I turned my head to see a black man with missing teeth and a few silver capped ones, another man took my card right from my hand and put it in the machine (or so I thought), "Now put your pin in." he said again. I turned my entire body to them and in a gesturing motion with my arms I said, "Shoo! Go away, get out of here!" as if they were pestering flies. I looked back at the screen and nothing had changed on it, I quickly began to think of Ben having the ATM take his card in Mexico. I could not cancel, I pressed all the buttons except the numbers but still nothing changed. Then from over my shoulder the man, with my debit card in hand, put it in the machine. Somehow the first time he put it in (I thought my card was in the machine the entire time) he did some movement of hand magic and actually had slid it back in his hand and waited to see me enter my pin. This all happened in a matter of about 60 seconds. My confusion turned to frustration. I turned ready to yell at the human ticks but they seemed to get my body language and moved away. Quickly I covered my own hand and as stealthily as I could entered my pin (I know, I should have just left, but I was dazed). I quickly got 1000R out, my receipt, my card and I left, with my hand in my pocket clutching all three. The security outside was gone, there was just another group of tourists who informed me, "You have to be careful, you could get ripped off. That is what these men do." Frustrated that they didn't offer a hand when I needed it I said, "I told them to fuck off! That's just sad!" I dodged a bullet somehow today, why the man decided to give my card back I'll never know. I checked my card multiple times before I left making sure that it was mine. Ugh, insane. I told my group this story so that no one has this experience again and hopefully neither will you reader.
Besides that my day was great and I felt high on life by the time we got back. We started to get good at juggling a soccer ball on a train while it was moving. Not an easy task especially within a confined space. We also visited a hookah bar to watch the Argentina vs Mexico game (an amazing game unlike any we've seen thus far in the world cup) and discussed plans for Ashley's 21st coming up on the 30th. Ha ha, all is well again.
That's all for now, I gotta go check my bank statement. I still can't believe I got my card back.
Go to top
07.01.10 ]
Alright, gotta catch up on a couple of big days. I'm trying to not lose my momentum on this blog. So day before yesterday (6/29) we had our first game at the stadium all together but first we decided to go downtown and do a little haggling (even though it was raining pretty hard). I really enjoy haggling if I'm prepared to do it. Otherwise its just tons of people coming up to me and saying, "Hey! Extra special price for you sir!" over and over again. We made the joke later, can you imagine the guy who really thinks every one of these vendors is actually giving him a special deal?
Oh whoops, I forgot to tell the most important thing of the day. At around 2 or 3 am I got woken up by Dave (Mehr) knocking on Ashley and my bedroom door. I had just fallen asleep so I made it over to the door. Dave as quickly but as calm and quietly told me he just found Category 2 quarterfinal tickets to go see the Argentina vs Germany game for only $200 (trust me, that's an amazing deal, especially for the seats we got). I quickly went back in the room to ask Ashley if she wanted them and she said yes, I told Dave to get them and went back to sleep. Then I awoke the next morning to hear Chad saying in the same tone as when we sat down in our amazing Netherlands v Cameroon seats, "Oh my God, Oh my God." I knew then that Dave had got the tickets. I came out of our room and gave Dave a hug when he told me he got them. Not only are they an amazing deal, but we are right on the corner, a couple of them in row 11, row 17 and 18 and subtract two of those rows because they always have the first two blocked off. So look for Ashley and I in our matching USA jerseys and Argentina scarf's (that we haggled for at the market) right behind Messi (or whoever) scores and comes over to our corner flag (I hope!) to celebrate. We'll be RIGHT THERE! :) I'm very excited for that game. Ashley has a small crush on Lionel Messi (and loves the Argentina team) so she is very excited as well.
Speaking of small crush, ha ha ha, I had my first wink from a guy later that day when we went to "The Neighborhood" to have a beer, meal and watch the Japan Paraguay game. It took me by big surprise. I went up to the bar and asked for some tap water. The bartender quickly retrieved me some and right after I said, "Thanks a lot." he looked me dead in the eyes, not flirty but not regular friendly either, and gave me a big wink and a slight smirk. The look I gave back must have said it all. I'm gay friendly so I wasn't freaked out, I was actually quite appreciative for the compliment. I went back to our table and proceeded to tell my group. And then I got the biggest treat of all, Ashley got a little jealous and protective. She asked as a new waiter entered the room, "Is that him?" I love her, so much, she is so adorable. I laughed and she turned red. But she still wanted to know so I told her, "No, that's not him." We made jokes about me getting hook ups from the bar before any of the girls did. I had heard that Cape Town is South Africa's gay capitol but hadn't noticed really till that night. It doesn't matter, we didn't see that guy for the rest of the night.
We left and headed quickly to the Fan Fest because K'naan (writer of the now famous Wavin Flag song) was supposed to perform. We walked all the way there just to find out that he wasn't going to be there (I suspected much because there weren't a lot of people, had he been there the place would have been packed). BUT, they did give us an okay band with a girl with big bouncy boobs and a big butt that she shook around the stage, not taking any part to actually add something to the music. It was ridiculously cliche, 'You didn't get the show you wanted so here's some sex instead.' and of course, no one seemed to mind. Funny how easily men (and women) can be so quickly won.
We staid for one song and then left to go to Green Point Stadium. We got there and had to climb the stairs up to our seats in the nosebleeds. It wasn't terrible up there, we could still see numbers and it was very easy to watch to flow of the game. Spain mostly dominated Portugal as far as possession and passing but the game ended in a 1-0 win for Spain. Sadly Torres (Mehr's favorite player) once again did not perform well and was subbed out half way through the second half. Apparently though, he's coming back after surgery just two months ago. So for that I still applaud him. There were open seats next to Mehr, Eber and Jamaica so at half we went over and stood with them, all the way in the very back row. It made for a different but cool game environment. I enjoyed it and so did Ashley. Plus she got a great deal of practice using her great zoom on her new camera. I can't wait to see what she will take when we are down on the lower level next game!
We took off to go find a bar to have a shot for Ashley's birthday at midnight. Every bar was PACKED with people (mostly lots of Spaniards or people supporting Spain of course). We finally got to Bob's and I got the worst service I have ever seen anywhere. There was one bartender out of three or four that seemed to be doing anything and the only way he would have been making less progress was if he was putting away stuff. A British guy stood next too me, also quite annoyed by the lack of service and I asked him if I could go in front of him because it was Ashley's birthday and it was now 12:05am. He generously accepted and at long last I got us 7 shots of Olmeca tequila (which some other ass hole knocked one down and as I confronted him he just looked at me as if he couldn't have cared less, prick). Luckily the Brit didn't want his shot and Eber didn't want his. So Ash got two and the rest of us toasted to her. The British guy's friends showed up and realized it was Ashley's birthday and they hugged her and each kissed her on the cheek. I thought that was very nice, its too bad we don't always do the same in our country. Ashley turned red but with a big smile on her face. Then we left and went home.
Ok, now yesterday: Ashley's 21st Birthday! We all woke up last minute before we needed to leave to keep our reservation on the Robben Island (the prison where Nelson Mandela was kept) tour. Finally we contacted them by phone to find out that all tours had been cancelled due to 'rough seas' we all thought it was odd because it was a beautiful day, the sea looked fine to us, and there was no wind and few clouds in the sky. Oh well, we took the train in, got the refund for the tour and then went to lunch at a nice restaurant where Ash had spent her one night alone at. The meal was fantastic and we had some mango cheesecake and caramel cheesecake for dessert.
It was Eber's last day before flying out ( he's already left early this morning :( ) so he suggested to Ashley that we got to the giant botanical gardens. She agreed and Eber got a private shuttle by walking into a hotel and acting as if we were staying there. We had to pay of course but it was still awesome. The gardens were amazing, I wish we could have been able to have a full sunny day there, there was so much to see and too many nice places to relax. The place almost put me to sleep. It was very beautiful and I found some quotes by Ian MaCullen (I think that's how his name is spelled, probably not though) that I really liked and I plan to look up more about him later.
After the gardens we got a taxi back who drove us coincidently right to where we wanted to go, a hookah bar ('sheesha lounge' they call it here) where we smoked strawberry hookah and had dinner. I was so exhausted, I wished so bad to be able to teleport home. The feeling from the hookah got me even more bothered for some reason. The hour long train ride was getting really old and I was not looking forward to it. We got to the train station at about 8:30pm just to remember that the train doesn't go to Fish Hoek from 8-11. So Ashley and Eber (who needed to get back and pack) took it upon themselves to find a bus and when we couldn't find a bus Ashley got us a great deal on a taxi (R600 for a 40 minute trip down to our house) so all six of us piled in the small car (Ash on my lap, Jam on Dave's, Eber in the middle and Chad (tallest of all of us by far) up front). The driver was really nice and we talked with him the entire ride home.
Ashley had her first experience popping open some champagne and we had some mimosas to finish off the night with. I'm very glad and happy because she told me she can't wait to tell people that she had the best 21st birthday (and one of the most unique) ever. I love her. :) Cheers to Ashley, the smartest, most mature, and most beautiful 21 year old I have ever known.
Go to top
07.03.10 ]
Quickly I have to just say one thing. I've had more problems with this PC in the three weeks I've been here, then my ENTIRE history working on a Mac (going on 4 years now). I barely have anything on this little Dell and it messes up, freezes and bogs itself down time and time again. Its the mentally handicapped of the computer world for sure. Those Mac commercials shouldn't have PC be a dorky guy with glasses, he should be a retarded guy with leprosy with Mac standing around like, 'I know he has a human brain but it just doesn't work in the most efficient way. And he's falling apart without warning.' If you are also tired of your Piece of Crap (you didn't know that's what PC stands for did you?) I strongly suggest you move to Mac for your next computer. And get Apple Care with it. Trust me, I was a PC user once too and I (like millions of others) am so glad I made the switch now. Look up all this information in a Consumer Report if you don't believe me. Spending the little bit of extra cash with be well worth your time. And it takes almost no time to learn the Mac operating system, its like driving a car on the left side of the road, it seems very intimidating at first but after a few drives you realize how easy it actually is. And for those of you who still use Internet Explorer, fuck you. Sorry, just kidding. But seriously, switch to Firefox, or Chrome or ANYTHING, trust a guy who does web design for a living. Internet Explorer is the retarded PC guy's diarrhea, sure there's a lot of it, but its all shit. Ok, (lol literally), moving on.
I feel like everyday can be positive as long as you draw one positive thing from it. Like on the 1st I was having a down in the dumps, don't feel like doing anything day but I had one long conversation with Ashley and she taught me things I didn't know she could teach. That one positive conversation made me so glad for the day and instantly made things clear up for me (although I was still slightly peeved that someone had stolen my sandals from just outside our front door, but who cares, they were the worst smelling shoes I've ever owned).
Then yesterday I felt similar again but once again Ashley got me up and we went and explored the coast line in Kalk Bay. The one positive thing once again made the rest of my day and my outlook so much better! Then I got to witness history twice.
The first quarterfinal between the Netherlands and Brazil. The Netherlands made the upset happen and came back from being down 1-0 to winning 2-1, a rare thing to do against any team, let alone BRAZIL! I think Brazil got a little to overconfident and were having a bit too much fun. Because the entire first half was all Brazil, the huge grin across Kaka's face told the story. But then in the second half disaster struck and Brazil scored an own goal (your own player accidentally hits it into your goal) and the momentum completely shifted. It got really exciting once Netherlands was up by a goal, seeing Brazil down and stressed out is a rare treat that almost never happens. The Netherlands held tough and although I still believe they were not the better team overall, they were the better team when it counted. And every soccer player knows that its not always how you play the entire 90 minutes but rather its how you capitalize on those few seconds of a game. I generally root for the upset, plus I got to see the Netherlands play so that was an added bonus. I hope they make it to the final, it will be their first time in history.
Then the less (but more) anticipated game of the day, Uruguay vs Ghana, the last African nation alive in the tournament. I could definitely feel the passion they and all of Africa had for the game. Even though they put out the USA and even though their fans never had confidence or hope in any of their teams from the start, still I wanted Ghana to make history and be the first African team EVER to make it to the semi finals. Their heart would help them win, their ability to not break under pressure would not. I knew deep down that if it went to PK's (90 minutes, then 30 minutes of extra time, then Penalty Kicks), Uruguay would stand the advantage. They are South American and they've won the world cup twice, the intense pressure would all be on Ghana. If you missed the game but were lucky enough to catch the final few minutes of the second half of Extra Time (over time) then you got to see one of the best moments in soccer I have ever seen. The ball was put right into Uruguay's box and it went back and forth, almost a goal, almost a goal and finally when Ghana struck the ball that was going to make World Cup history, Uruguay's star Ramirez (an offender) stuck both of this hands out and blocked the ball as if he were a goalie. This awarded him an obvious red card. When I watched the reply though I couldn't tell for sure whether it was premeditated or instincts just kicked in and his lashed out with his arms (I have done it before). He was most likely thinking over and over, "No matter what, don't let the ball in. No matter what, don't let the ball in." And of course what his legs could not accomplish his arms could and this is what resulted. Ghana set up to take their PK that would also have made World History, there was only time left in the entire game for one shot against just the Uruguay keeper. All he had to do was put it away. As he approached the ball to kick it I could tell right away it was going to be dangerously close or not in at all, and then he kicked it and it deflected off the crossbar. The Uruguay looked up at the crossbar as if it had a mind of its own and had purposefully blocked the ball (just watch the replays, you'll see what I mean). On of my favorite parts was the replay of Suarez, just as he was walking off the field (you must leave the game and go to the locker room if you get a red card) he turned around to see the PK that he had brought on his team had not gone in and they had not lost the game. Its moments like these that make it so obvious why so many soccer players look up and pray to the sky as if God itself really cares that they personally are victorious.
This entire situation made me wonder. Is it better to cheat to be a hero (and a villain too) or to not and go against your instincts and your best interests. Suarez broke millions of African hearts but became the hero of his home nation in a way that they will never forget. I really wonder if he really meant to do it or not, I'm guessing he did but the replay doesn't look as if he was even thinking, he just did what he knew needed to be done. I have to say, as far as winning a game and a game that big, I would have done the same. Its not something I'm proud of, but I would have spiked that ball like it was a volleyball. So I get ejected, who cares? Its was the only thing to do if you want your team to have a chance to move on.
Now PK's. 5 per side. And I knew what was about to happen. Ghana's captain got the chance to redeem his cross bar shot by taking the first PK and he sunk it no problem. Over all I thought Ghana did much better at not breaking under pressure like I thought they would. Think about it, BILLIONS of people are watching just you, the majority of them wanting you to perform well. If you are a soccer player you know the scenario of PK's. and if you are not then let me tell you this, PK's. is a completely different game. Its all about keeping your composure, confidence and a little luck that the keeper does not dive in the direction of your ball. That walk up from half field is like walking a mile up hill. You get to see how well your brain works under pressure, and that's in just in any soccer game, this is the World Cup! Ghana's first miss was shot with way too little effort (he was two steps from the ball when he shot it with minimal pace) and then they were given yet another chance as Uruguay gave one too much and hit it over the crossbar. But then failure again and Ghana broke with the weight of their continent on their shoulders. I can't imagine what that really feels like. I am sad for them, but only depending on how the Africans take the loss. They can react like champions and have new found confidence that their countries CAN achieve soccer greatness or they can go back to what I've seen thus far from the fans, this dull, 'I even know why any of our teams are in the world cup to begin with' attitude. That I can't stand by the way. In my mind I felt I had no choice but to see the USA loss as a positive thing, I hope all of Africa sees their loss the same way. I have to applaud Uruguay for now, being in that game in that stadium on this continent and somehow pulling out the win was baffling. I hope the Netherlands don't make the same mistake Brazil did and become over confident with their underrated opponents in the semi final.
Go to top
07.04.10 ]
Happy 4th of July! Apparently they are setting off some fireworks for us Americans down at the waterfront today so I assume our plans will revolve somewhat around that. Its so funny but this is Ashley and my first 4th together (first one I was in Japan, second one she was in Virginia with family), and its in South Africa of all places. Should be a great day.
It was hard to beat yesterday as far as soccer goes. I left late due to writing in my blog but luckily for me the train was also very late. The meet up time was 12 at the train station downtown but because of the crowds the train was a half hour late. It was much more packed than any day so far. Just at Fish Hoek which is almost the end of the line, all the seats were taken and there was people already standing. By the fourth or fifth stop it was pointless to even stop anymore (except to let one or two off every now and again) because the train was completely packed with people. But everyone was more or less enjoying themselves, most people wearing some sort of Argentina or Germany supporting apparel. I felt super fortunate over and over as I clutched my ticket in my pocket.
After I arrived we went to the Stadium Shuttle (wish I would have known earlier that it existed, but I have enjoyed doing 'the walk'). We got to the stadium 2.5 hours early, got into the stadium and checked out the sponsors (Coke, Hyundai, Sony, Visa, etc.) tents. Sony had a sweet one, they were showing what our home theaters are going to be like soon, 3D SOCCER GAMES!!! Its not mind blowing, but it is very cool and will improve the viewing experience.
We went inside the stadium and took a long look around, after all this was going to be our last game. The sun coming through the gigantic skylight made a giant spotlight and we were in the center of it (it sounds cool, but actually a pain having to look into the sun). Ashley and I were sporting our USA jerseys and our Argentina scarf's. We were rooting on Argentina mostly because they have been the most fun to watch to us, Messi, and I realized how much I love to hate Maradona. I wanted to see how big his head would get after a win over Germany. Shortly before game time some people threw a ton of Deutschland (what Germans call Germany, if you don't know) and I had two thrown almost right to my feet. I then had a quick feeling of doubt that Germany would win, I don't really know why (well, we were surround by mostly Germany fans, plus the giant Argentina sign that said "Dios es Argentino, y Vos?" (God is Argentinean, and you all?), I didn't really care much for that). But alas the Germans were incredible. They scored within the first four minutes of the game. Argentina tried and tried to play their game but were smothered ever time by the German team (who were so tall they made crosses into the box look hopeless for the shorter Argentineans). This was the first time Argentina had been down this World Cup. The half ended at 1-0 and just into the second half, when Argentina started to find a little bit of a spark, Germany drowned their fire. I told Ashley, "Ok, I'm tired of this, I just want to see some German goals down on this end." I was rewarded with 3. I was about 100 feet away as the Germans made history by beating Argentina 4-0. A real treat. We both felt that Argentina played a poor game (getting really tired of those dives) so by the end we switched our scarf's.
The Spain Paraguay game was equally if not more impressive. Spain needed a wake up call really bad. You can tell they have the talent a European Champion should have, but something was missing. Sadly, it seems like not having Torres in the lineup is it. Because almost as soon as Torres came out is when things start happening. This time around was different though. In Spain's box during a Paraguay corner kick (of free kick, I can't remember), one of Spain's most valued defenders, Pique (pronounced PK, for Penalty Kick ironically) held onto his man's arm like he was a little kid clutching and pulling his favorite toy. Watching the reply I could not believe what I was seeing. He had both hands clutching the Paraguay players arm and even looked like he shook it a bit, perhaps it was his last resort or his man would have been open for a shot on goal. Either way, he acted in a way like no one was watching, and we all (including the referee) were so a PK was awarded to Paraguay. I can't recall the name of the player who took the shot but he had terror written all over his face. I knew once again that this would be a missed shot. It was on target but the keeper was there. I found out later, Spain's backup keeper plays for Liverpool and had been scored on by the same player on two PK's prior to the cup, each of his shots when bottom right, so he warned the Spanish head keeper before the game that if a PK was drawn and he was taking it, drop to your lower left because that is likely where he will put it. And he did. Heartbreak for Paraguay, bursting excitement for us. Literally seconds later on the other end of the field Spain drew a PK! And then made it, but Spanish players had ran in too early so it was taken back. Now Alonso had to choose, shoot to the same side he just made it on, or go the other direction? He picked the same way and was denied by the goal keeper (plus the Spaniards entered the box early again, so it could have been pulled back had he made it). The game just got real. Two stopped PK's in a matter of minutes. Spain and Paraguay both played like champions but it wasn't till three posts were met in a matter of two shots back to back to finally decide the winner. First shot off the post right to the man, David Villa who shot it towards the opposite post, it bounced of it as well, right across the goal line, and then hit the other post luckily with enough of an angle to put it into the goal and not back out. Chad and I went ape shit (poor Dave was at dinner and a show, he is very passionate about Spain this time around). It was one of the most amazing moments in soccer I've ever seen. The man who had taken and missed his PK for Paraguay was inconsolable, I felt really terrible for him. He took all the blame on himself. I realized that Paraguay had the dream too. They truly thought they would make it to the semis, just like I had though the USA would. But again, someone has to have their heart broken, and they are just 1 of 31 teams who have or will follow suite. My hopes are in Spain to win it all now, even though I saw an an amazing German (by the way, since when are they "Germany" and not "Deutschland" like they call it?) team who was also very inspiring, I'm going for Spain, they are the team who were supposed to win it, then looked like they would be another European disappointment, to now look like world champions again.
Go to top
07.05.10 ]
Happy 4th! Ash and I woke up yesterday morning after a nice long sleep, got ready and went to explore the tide pools around Kalk Bay and St. James. A few people shouted from their cars or elsewhere wishing us a happy Independence Day which I thought was awesome. I wanted so bad to wish a Brit a Happy Independence Day but I decided to hold my tongue today. It was our first 4th of July out of 3 we've had since we've been together. So we decided to take a day to ourselves. We went downtown to find out about if the rumor about fireworks was true. Sadly it was not but we did get to see some great street performers (I got to play one of their didgeridoo) and we walked all the way to past Green Point stadium on the beach to see the sun set over the Atlantic. It was a very romantic day and I was glad to have spent it with the girl I love.
Go to top
07.06.10 ]
We awoke to a silent house at 10-ish and went quickly to the train to begin our journey to get to Stellenbosch for the last day of their wine festival. It was nearly a 2.5 hour train ride one way but it was worth it. There were no advertisements on the festival when we arrived, but luckily the second local we talked to was more than happy to give us a ride to it. At the festival we paid R150 ($20) each for a glass and five vouchers, each towards a different winery of your choice. Sadly we were only able to use two of them because we had only 2.5 hours till the festival was over and we had to catch the last train back at 5:20. We met some other Americans from Florida, North Carolina... and another state or two. They were very nice people and it was a pleasure to spend our short day with them.
The wine tasting was fantastic. One of the winery's even gave complimentary food that went very well with their corresponding wine. I had no idea of how wine could really compliment certain types of foods! It was like the two were made for one another. Finally after we had just developed a nice buzz it was time to find our shuttle and get back to the train. Not once but twice our shuttle was extremely late, luckily someone answered to the hopeless look on our faces as we realized that perhaps we were going to have to find an alternative to our train. I man and a woman who were just getting off work at the winery gave us a ride to the station. We found out when we got there that the woman was also getting a ride from him to the same place. We sat on the train the three of us and just talked and talked, about South Africa about the United States and about worldly relations. It was a great conversation and I think by the end she had impressed us and we had inspired her. I of course told her about Couch Surfing and gave her my card. She was a very amazing woman who deserves the best. I hope that someday she finds a way to get out into the world, but sadly our minimum wage can allow people to travel if they are careful with their expenditures, she gets paid just enough to get by. Sad but true. I told her that I will be one person who will help that. Its truly not fair that only some of us benefit from the riches of the world (many who don't deserve or appreciate what they have) while others work their ass off for next to nothing and are people who do deserve more opportunity. Next time you pop open that bottle of wine, at the very least just remember that perhaps there is someone, a good person, out there who works all day on that vineyard and doesn't even make enough to purchase a bottle for themselves. Don't feel guilty, its not your fault. But next time you see someone who you know is not as fortunate as you, try to strike up a conversation. Friendship is what will eventually change things for the better. If that woman somehow makes it through and actually gets to Oregon, I will be more than happy to have her stay at our place and help her find whatever it is she needs to find. Pay it forward. A good deed one day turns into another good deed in another. There's my moral for the day.
When we finally got back to Fish Hoek we bundled up and went down to the beach. Ashley got a bit paranoid and thought she saw someone but I focused on it and I said, "No its a sign." Here we go again with coincidences. Ash was worried about someone coming and taking advantage of two lone people on the beach. I gave her a hard time because I thought we were safe and that Fish Hoek was a peaceful town. Moments later a man appeared from out of the darkness and we both shut up. I kept my eyes on him. When he got to be about 30 feet away I could tell it was an old white man who looked somewhat haggard. Just when it looked as if he was going to walk right by us he turned up the beach in our direction, now only about 15 feet away. I quickly buried under the sand beneath me what we were just planning to get rid of (sorry I'm teasing you). I put on a super fake smile, looked up at him and said hello. He did not reply with another friendly hello, rather than that he warned us that we should not be on the beach alone at this hour. He put it as my responsibility since I was with a lady. Turns out it was a "sign". There was an actual sign and also this man, who warned us the thing that Ashley was JUST speaking about. Obviously we quickly took his advice and left, then Ashley got the fear that perhaps he would scare us, follow us home, then give the info to someone who might take advantage. Great, my fear had now escalated 10 times over. I thought, no way, not him. But I really didn't know for sure. Rather than go directly home we decided to combine all the change in our pockets (all the money we had on us) and we had just enough to get an ice cream at the only restaurant that was open, KFC (ironically there seem to be more KFC's than McDonalds in South Africa). It was great feeling like a little kid again, adding up all those loose bits of change and having barely enough to split an ice cream. It was great and I was feeling calm again. Then, as we were walking home after we were done, I playfully offered up a solution to run to lose our tail. But Ashley was already on guard before I could speak and that got me back on guard as there seemed to be multiple sketchy people on a road that is usually empty. We were even asked once again from a sickly looking homeless person for money right outside our house. We ignored him and hastily went inside (and locked the security gate and front door).
"God damn it, why?" I thought to myself. Why had just when I began to feel free of fear from this beautiful country is it all put back in. I will listen to the "sign" and be much more careful from here on out. But why, damn it, why do I have to be on guard again? It fucking sucks to be put into fear, I'm fucking sick of it in the states and its here too. Its getting harder to tell the difference between bullshit fear used for control and realistic fear. Is the world really that dangerous? Enough locals here have told me to abide by the fear and not to take chances. Good advice sure. But in the US, most people who feed me information that lead to fear are morons who are easily convinced by what they see on TV. I think its the same here but I can't be sure. So for now, "The dude abides." Even if it's something I hate, it's something that should be respected. I could never forgive myself if something happened to Ashley. I have told myself repeatedly, but keep forgetting, to not only listen to my instincts but hers as well.
All will be well. Don't let this story fill you with any more fear than you already have. It's poison and its up to us (Americans and others who have the means) to break its control over everyone before we kill ourselves. Its one of the two final outcomes of the human race. Its a very complicated task to beat fear, but it starts with what happened earlier today, talking with new people and creating new friendships. If everyone did just that, the world would be much more loved, rather than feared.
Go to top
07.07.10 ]
Hup Holland! I saw one, count it one, Uruguay supporter in Cape Town yesterday, and I saw A LOT of people. The city streets were filled with people by the time we got into town at about 2:30pm. We found our way to the very cheap internet cafe that we spotted a few days prior (Ash used their pay phone to call her parents for her b-day). Man do I love the internet in the states and man do I hate the internet here. So inconsistent. Nothing seems to ever work and non of the workers ever seem to care. I got a bit bothered by the situation (paying for 30 minutes of internet when I could only use it for 10) but once again, Ash finds quick ways to chill me out. I'm mad at something I cannot control and that's just stupid.
The one thing we were able to do is to find the address of the sushi place we were all going to meet up at. Apparently its was happy hour till 6 and all sushi and cocktails were 50% off. It was a bit difficult to find since it was in the center of a small plaza surrounded by a building. But we found it and it was a very cool place, hard to believe they had such a deal. Ash and I sat ourselves down because there was no one to do so (once again, people not really caring about their job), then the owner came out of nowhere and began to yell at one of her employees for sitting us. Ashley had to try and interrupt her and tell her that we just sat ourselves and it wasn't his fault, even though she was saying to him that everyone said it was his fault. Weird. I can understand not wanting to do your job under a bitch like that. A white bitch scolding a bunch of underprivileged blacks, jesus. But then I thought the opposite argument, perhaps they NEED to be told what to do. Don't get me wrong, we've met a lot of South Africans with good heads on their shoulders but we have also met an equal amount of unintelligent punks who need some serious guidance. And I'm not one who is ready to give an honest opinion about how situations such as this need to be dealt with. I should be focusing on getting my own shit straight before I can even attempt to truly understand others. I just hate to see people who aren't at fault having blame put on them.
"Tank" as the restaurant was named, was a huge success. We got a new table with enough room for our friends, ordered some cocktails and appetizers and just when we were about to give up half of our table so that they could use it, our friends showed up. I can understand being late, the trains are getting CRAZY. Apparently people were holding onto the outsides of the train in order to get a ride because it was so crowded.
So we all had a big meal and then headed out to find a bar two hours before the match started (between the Netherlands and Uruguay). All the people who decided that they should drive around downtown Cape Town at this time on this day I think were insane, and there were a lot of insane people. I think it was faster to walk around Cape Town then drive. Cars honked at gigantic crowds as they walked in front of them on a green light. I'd be frustrated to! We went to our favorite pub, The Neighborhood, which for the first time had a bouncer with a list outside. I, halfway drunk, attempted to look at the list for someone with 6, but he quickly pulled away. I laughed, he didn't. So we left and headed to Baran's, the hookah lounge we went to on Ashley's b-day. Once again, for some reason, it was one of the few places that wasn't packed. I'm curious to why, its got a huge red tent attached to their building for outside viewing of the game. We went upstairs and unlike any place in all downtown, we got a table right up next the the TV. Perhaps it is unpopular because most people don't like Kurdish food (I'm not really a big fan myself). But we staid there. Ashley bribed a waiter for a hookah even though he had said that they weren't available (no smoking sections to try and draw a bigger crowd I guess). She finally talked him into it so we smoked right before the game at a separate table downstairs (away from the TV).
Shortly into the first half of the game it was finally packed. It was a great game and the Netherlands controlled the pace of the game (possession got as high as 63% to 37%, which is big for a soccer game). Us Netherlands fans were rewarded quite quickly by probably the very best goal scored and that will be scored in this world cup. The Netherlands captain fired a shot from well outside the goal box and the keeper had all but the very corner of his goal covered. The ball just touched his fingertips and hit the inside of the post just below the crossbar. Talk about upper V! By the second half, Robben sealed the deal with a great header. At 3-1 I thought the game was over for sure. But right into the 90th minute Uruguay put on in and made it 3-2. I think there was only supposed to be 3 minutes, and as Uruguay got closer and closer to the equalizer, the ref gave a whole other minute. Ever time we thought the game was going to be over, there was another play, and another! It was crazy, I wanted so bad all of a sudden for Uruguay to come back and score a 3rd goal and put the game into Extra Time (two half's, 15 minutes each). Sadly they didn't. Its best for the ref, had they scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time and had it somehow led to an Uruguay upset... well, lets just say none of us would want to be him.
After the game we headed home, back into the crowded train. Actually it really wasn't too bad this time, the people who were near the doors did a good job of convincing others that our car was full when it clearly could have fit another 10 or so people. I found it funny that our group was the only group to say, "We still have more room. Let more people on." I was for some reason proud of that. At long last we made it home,(on busy game days it takes about an hour and 15-30 to get back) took a shower, and went to bed.
Go to top
07.10.10 ]
Quick recap on the 7th and 8th, Ash and I mostly went shell hunting and beach exploring at the beaches north of Fish Hoek. There are some amazing shells here, which is surprising because there is just a tons of big rocks and just a little sand. There are mussels galore, just like everywhere else I've seen. Ashley and I joked about a person who is fascinated by mussel shells and goes crazy ever beach they go to. All in all we had a couple of great days together, we travel very well on our own.
Yesterday (9th) we decided to go on our first real adventure. Without a car or vehicle of any kind we were going to head to Cape Point, the southern most tip of the peninsula we are on. The bus only went as far as Simon's Town which its still a good 30-40 minute drive from there. I thought it would be fun to hitch-hike. Ooooh, hitch-hiking, dangerous right? That's what you're thinking isn't it? It was AWESOME and we met some great people.
So we set our first alarm at 9am to ensure that we had enough daylight to get there, explore and get back before dark. We packed up just the necessities into a backpack and headed to the train station. I don't know why but Fish Hoek is its last stop even though there are tracks that lead to Simon's Town, you have to buy a train ticket and get on a tour bus. So we did and we got on the bus and sat down only to hear that it didn't leave for another 40 minutes. We decided to get off and go to the Pick n' Pay to get some breakfast. We got out and still 35 minutes remained. "Want to just start hitching?" I asked my partner in crime. Ash was a bit nervous but excited, she agreed so we walked up to the point on the highway that is a direct rout to Cape Point. We stuck our thumbs out and smiled at about 10 cars that passed, including one cop who I thought was going to pull over and tell us not to hitch, but he didn't. Not five minutes into it an older man named Doug with a Range Rover style vehicle (not sure what the car brand was) pulled over. We told him where we were going and he decided since he wasn't working that he would drive us all the way to the entrance of the park. Very generous considering he had recently be laid off by Shell (the gas station) and he had a non-fuel efficient car. Turns out he was already hosting an American from Boston who was part of a "World Teach" program. So we made some good small talk and he pointed at different notable places we might want to check out. He also warned us, like we had been warned before, about the baboons and not to have food out because they are very aggressive. Ashley and I both were hoping for something like this, even though we know it would have been dangerous. Luckily/unluckily we didn't see any baboons on the trip. Doug dropped us at the gates of the park which is another 5-6 miles till you get to the point.
There was a short line of cars waiting to pay and get in, two taxis and a small van. We let the taxis passed and then I stuck out my thumb and gave a too cheesy smile to the people in the van, they smiled back and drove past. I decided to get a bit more personal and as the next car pulled up in line I stood outside the passenger side window (on the opposite side it would be in the states). He rolled down his window and I saw a german flag in the back, I was wearing my spain outfit, uh oh. I thought they may be German and not even speak English. I asked if we could get a ride to the point. He gave me a quick hard time about supporting Spain to which the driver playfully argued back, turns out they were American, one from New York (Germany fan) and one from California (Spain fan). They had just met a couple days back and were sharing a car together. Pretty cool. They took us the rest of the way and as I walked up to the foot trail that would take us all the way to the final point I looked down at my watch, "Hey Ash, the bus is probably just getting to Simon's town now." Hitch hiking turned out to be even more successful than I thought. It wouldn't have been much faster had we owned our own car!
Cape Point was beautiful and such a beautiful day to match. The hike to "as far as you can go" was supposed to be 1.5 hours round trip, I think because it was mostly uphill. It must have been for old people because it only took two out of shape Americans about 20 minutes to get to the end. The view was spectacular! Pictures and video will not do it justice, as always. We took pictures lots of pics of us and pics for other travelers. We even met a woman who may be our travel companion after the tournament is over. She has a car and seemed interested in heading east/north. I need to email her after I am done with this. I took advantage of my youth and climbed the locked gates and fences and ran to the very point just past the second lighthouse. It wasn't dangerous but it wasn't for the feint of heart. The stairs I had to descend were as close to vertical as stairs can be before becoming a ladder. But there were two strong handrails so no problem. The entrance to the final lighthouse was of course armed with lots of razor wire (like everywhere in this country) but to my luck there was a hole where others had managed to push it aside big enough for a person to fit through quite easily. I took some video and ran back, very winded when I got back to the tourist end of the line. We sat down on a cliff side at stared at the wide ocean to the south and ate our lunch.
We made it back in another 20 minutes and realized that we still had over 4 hours till the sun was going to set, so we set off down another trail to the amazing beach to check out some gigantic waves. Once again, "1.5 hour roundtrip hike", took us 20 minutes (although it was all downhill this time). Then we had the Cape of Good Hope all to ourselves. It was quite romantic to say the least. The waves were even bigger then they looked from the cliff, and the sound they made as they crashed down was like thunder. They would have been ideal for a very experienced surfer. We wandered the entire beach for an hour or so, had a bit more food and drink and then decided it would be a good idea to start to hitch a couple hours before the sun was supposed to set.
Once again it only took about five minutes before a truck pulled over and asked where we were going. They said they were going to the west side of the peninsula which was further away from Fish Hoek than we already were. They said they'd give us a ride to the gates so we accepted. A red headed guy hopped out of the truck to help us take off the truck bed cover and we sat with our feet near the end of the gate. We moved about 100 feet when they pulled over and the red headed guy (whose name was Michael) hopped out again and said, "We decided to have dinner in Fish Hoek so we'll give you a ride there." What luck! So we took off the entire tarp and the three of us sat in the bed of the truck and talked about South Africa, our experiences, and couch surfing all the way home. He looked our age but it turned out he was a senior in high school. They dropped us off right near the Fish Hoek train station, just a few blocks away from our house. So awesome, so many nice people here. But I think a bit fearful, same as the US. But its more obvious here, I've been wanting to mention this in my blog if I haven't already. Almost all the news papers have printed in large black letters on the front page, "WAR" "ATTACK" "KILL", twice I've been fooled into being overly fearful from headlines like, "Foreigners Not Safe After World Cup" or something to that extent. Both times I read that the foreigners they were refereeing too were the Zimbabweans. Its like a more extreme case of Mexicans coming to the USA in search of better work. Apparently there are "lots" of extremists who will pull Zimbabweans out of their homes and slaughter them. And yes I mean slaughter, not with a gun but big blades. I haven't gotten the opportunity yet to ask locals if they have personal witness one of these serious crimes or if its just what they have heard from the news (like fearful Americans who are fed this bullshit everyday). The world is violent sure, but not nearly as violent as people think. When all you hear is negative then its easy to just think only of that negativity.
Perfect example, this one coming from the Australian girl, Tam, who has been staying with us for the past week. She asked Ashley, "Weren't you afraid of being murdered?" Hmm... no, we weren't, or we wouldn't have done it. People let fear control them in insane ways. I can't stand it. Alright, I know I've already wrote about this.
Back to the romantic day. We finished it off by having a meal by a local beach side restaurant and then went to bed early to catch up on some sleep.
Today (10th) we awoke after a good 11 hours of sleep to the sound of pouring down rain outside. After yesterday it was too hard to stay indoors so we almost immediately got up and headed a couple blocks away to a place that Ashley saw was selling apple strudel and tea/coffee for cheap. It was a very small shop named Krauts (like sour kraut). Guess who was running the shop? An intimidating German woman came from the back and closed the open door and I think started a heater. It looked like she didn't get much business even though she was in a very good area for it. She was very German, pretty big, muscular with a deep voice (for a woman). She was quite forward and just began talking it up with us. We talked about the fear in South Africa and how much she despised it as well, she had been living in SA for 9 years and never had a bad run in. My mind came to the conclusion that perhaps she was not the right person to ask about, out of all the woman I've seen thus far, she would be the last I would want to mess with. So she stands less of a chance of danger then a petite girl like Ashley. I decided to be forward back and change the subject. I wanted to know about her past coming from Germany. She looked over 50 (but good for her age, like my dad) so I asked her if she was a child during World War II and what it was like. As her eyes rolled to the back of her head I did the quick math in my head and thought, 'Shit'. I knew it was coming but the blow was still strong. "Typical American." she said. I find this to be an insult and I will never forget it. The conversation went the opposite way I intended. Ashley tried to defend my stance because she knew I was thinking she could have been my dads age and had some experience with the crazy times back then. Had I given myself 5 more seconds I would have asked, "What was your childhood like post World War II?" She was the oldest German person I've ever met so I thought it would be interesting. I think she was a bit offended, but she was so tough looking it was hard to tell. I felt very belittled as I sat there trying to enjoy the tasty strudel and tea. She trailed off and got on her computer behind the counter and started calling up people she had made plans with later in the week (I think). We left soon after. I totally fucked up the conversation and now it felt awkward. As we were about to head out the door I decided to tell her with a small smile, "That was the first time I've ever been called a 'Typical American', I will never forget it." She retorted with, "And I'm the oldest German you have ever met." At least that's what I think she said. She had an accent that I could easily recognize as having the South African English accent with her German accent combined. It was hard to understand some of the things she said. Well, a slap on the wrist. I learned my lesson and I will not be so quick to say what comes into my head.
After we left we went on a walk just around the neighborhood in the rain and changed the subject to the positive ness in store for us when we got home (work-wise). Ashley and I are looking forward to some work in having a goal to go to Australia next winter (so we can catch up on the summer time we are losing). But first we have to enjoy and make good use of the last 11 days we have here.
Go to top
07.12.10 ]
Pretty crazy last couple of days we had. So I wrote somewhat into the 10th, but later that afternoon I received an email from a Seattle Couch Surfer named Eric who wanted to take a trip up to Namibia, which is the country north of the Western Cape. There were two spots available and we would be gone for 8 days, from the 12th-20th (ish). We looked up the places they planned on going and asked Ashley what we thought and then shot him a message back saying we were in. We decided on a meeting place in Observatory (just south of downtown Cape Town) for 10:30am on the 11th and we would leave late morning on the 12th. It all seemed a bit last minute but we were excited, Namibia, an unknown country. Our adrenalin began to flow. So much so that I couldn't sleep much.
We got up fairly early to give ourselves enough time to take the train in and find the cafe in time. It wasn't much of a problem. The group seemed pretty cool, I had checked out their CS profiles and they seemed like totally decent people. The one I wasn't able to look up, Jan (pronounced 'Yan') was a German guy, a bit older than us, who seemed very experienced as far as world travel went. He was coming from Tasmania to South Africa, went to school in Switzerland, and was only joining us for half of the trip before heading into other African countries. Eric seemed a bit new to last minute planning and random traveling. He and Morganne seemed like good people, but I was thinking there may be some sort of commotion of some sort on the trip. He wanted to be super prepared, much unlike Ben and I who plan big road trips literally days/hours before we leave. It was all good, we all had jobs to do during the day, Ashley and mine being to pick up the camping gear we all needed (or at least they said it was all needed).
Long story short. We spent all day getting the gear, not being able to contact Eric (at 3:00 from a pay phone, just as I requested of him) or get any help in contacting him from Morganne ("I'm not in a position to help at the moment. Maybe try and phone someone else.") Red flag. If she had enough time to pick up her phone, then she could have spared 30 more seconds to call Eric. We tried Eric at 2:50, 3:00, and 3:20. No luck. Red flag #2. We tried to get on my email at an internet cafe, guess what? Didn't work. The internet is so sketchy here. Even at the internet cafe, where you PAY to have internet. The internet in Mexico was less frustrating. It was slower, but it worked at least.
We gave up trying to contact our travel companions and headed to the bar that we were going to meet the rest of the gang at. Every table had a sign saving reserved. So we left and instead of going to bar #2 where we said we would meet had the first not worked out, we just decided to go to Baran's, the hookah place we visited multiple times before. It didn't make sense why it was never crowded, I guess people just don't like Kurdish food and hookah smoke. Just as we suspected it was almost empty so we got the best seats in the restaurant and began our 4 hour wait till game time. Ash called Jam and Dave saying where we were and they joined us 30 minutes later. Luckily the TV had lots of different World Cup specials on so we weren't too bored for our long wait.
Finally the game started. Spain vs. Netherlands. Each have never won the world cup ever. Our entire group was rooting for Spain. It was a very exciting match even though it was scoreless the entire 90 minutes. Although Spain looked like world champions and the Netherlands were struggling to keep up. They had a few breakaways to which the Spanish goal keeper shut down. Very amazing game. And a amazing closing ceremony before the game. It made us all think about if they had had closing ceremonies at previous world cups because we had never seen any prior to this one. Nelson Mandela even made an appearance at the end. I'm very glad he did, and that he didn't pass on during the tournament. Speaking of Mandela (ish) we were talking about getting the World Cup 2010 DVD when it came out and wondered who would be narrating it this time (Pierce Brosman narrated the 2006 DVD) and we joked about it being Morgan Freeman (who recently starred as Mandela in the movie Invictus). Soon after we mentioned that the TV showed him at the game, and with Spain gear on! Ha ha, awesome. Good omen.
Back to the game. On and on Spain attempted at achieve that one perfect strike, just one goal. The Netherlands looked as if they would be pleased to go to make it through scoreless through the 30 minutes of extra time and go to penalties. Spain refused. On and on they pushed and finally, with only 4 minutes left in the game, Iniesta (I think that's how you spell it) was in the right place at the right time and finished the ball. Then revealed his shirt underneath that he and his teammates were probably all wearing, which dedicated the goal to another Spanish player who had died in 2009. Pretty awesome. The Netherlands had the fire under them now but it wasn't enough. They collected a couple more yellow cards (lots of cards at this final) but no goals. The amazing Robben was powerless against the brilliant Spanish defense. All in all, Spain was quite obviously the better team. Even though they only scored one more goal then the amount of games they played during the tournament (8 goals in 7 games). Really impressive. We were the last people out of the restaurant. We watched the screen, seeing both teams receive their medals and the Spaniards raise the trophy high above their heads. Such a beautiful moment. What every true soccer player dreams about, but very few ever get to experience. I was very happy for them, but I envy them so much.
We had our last crappy train ride home (packed shoulder to shoulder with many people who are very inconsiderate of others). I was so happy that this was going to be the last packed train ride.
We got home at about 1:30am and began to pack and stress. Finally when everything was packed up, we realized how much stuff we had actually acquired on this trip. It was going to be a huge pain to get it all to Observatory (we didn't want to leave it in Fish Hoek in case we were running short on time when we got back). Then we stressed more, about Ashley being sick, about getting our luggage around, about being unsure of our travel companions (by the way, they had sent a ton of emails with crappy grammar and spelling saying nothing important enough that could have been so much more easily said with one 60 second phone call, Red Flag #3), about begin unsure about making it back in time to catch our flight, etc. We both weren't going to be able to get the 4 hours sleep that we desperately needed. So I made the decision of canceling, after time and time again of telling myself and Ashley that it would all be alright and work out I now knew that it might, and very possibly, would not be. So I got up, borrowed Dave and Jams cell, called Eric, left a message, then emailed the group. We apologized and felt bad, but I think that the trip did not depend on our coming. It probably meant just one less car and less supplies. Eric's 'budget' for the trip was $700 for the 8 days. That would last me an entire month. Anyway, the pressure was off, I turned off the alarm and we slept very soundly.
Go to top
07.14.10 ]
Sorry, all my energy has been used up today from climbing a mountain so this will be fairly short.
Yesterday, Ashley and I headed to the Two Oceans aquarium for the day. We caught a 'mini-bus' right outside the train station for R5 each. We both wished we would have realized how cheap they were earlier but were still happy that we had walked most the time. We brought all the stuff along that we bought for the Namibia trip that we didn't need anymore and I wanted to return it. Right before we got to the store we met a man, who recently turned 21, named Nigel. At first our guard was up but we gave him a chance because he seemed like a well mannered person and he didn't ask for money. After a short talk we found out that he was raised an orphan at an orphanage and I shared with him that I was lucky because I was adopted. He was very happy and he said so, for meeting 'such nice people'. He gave us hugs on multiple occasions and we hugged him right back. I sought to encourage his going to school and eventually making it to my country, or wherever he could be given opportunity. He said he had no family to provide for but I told him that eventually he would make his family and want to give them the best opportunities. We said that we were very fortunate to have our relatives make it to the USA so that we could have a life full of opportunity. Nigel is the first person I've ever said that to. After a short walk we reached our store. He insinuated that he didn't have money for food but still did not ask for anything. So we gave him the food we had on us, a bag of baked chips and a Chewy Smores granola bar. He smiled, thanked us, one more hug and I told him to email me and I would tell him all about Couch Surfing and if he could make it to Oregon that we would be more than happy to host him. I felt like I would see him again. And we did, but only 10 minutes later as we found the right way to the aquarium. But 5 minutes prior, when we asked a police officer which was the right way, Ashley commented on his World Cup pin and where he got it. He told her she could just have it. Ashley couldn't believe it. I could. That was a moment of instant Karma. And when we saw Nigel 5 minutes later I told him about it. He smiled, gave a fist pound and was on his way.
The aquarium was really nice. The highlight was marching with the penguins, literally. Ashley noticed a line of about 10 of them, lots of Rock hoppers and one King Penguin. It was cool to be side by side as they waddled up a path they had taken many times before, their little claws clicking on the tile all the way. They didn't seem very nervous at all about the group of people they had acquired along the way. We walked with them all the way back to their pen. Then we got to see the African Black-Footed Penguins feeding time.
All in all a very rewarding and happy day. Today we decided to pay up and join the rest of our group for a safari next week right before we leave. I tried hard to find a couch surfer who would take us on our own custom, and much cheaper, safari, but had no luck. I figured it was going to be worth the $170, how long will it be till our next opportunity to see real African wildlife?
Go to top
07.--.10 ]
------------
Go to top