June 24
After a great night out in Pretoria we headed up to Rustenburg to see what awaited the great Yankyland team. Got back to the town with nothing in it. Pretty must just hung out at the hostel and watched the soccer games for the day. However, that evening there were some guys in the bar who were up in Rustenburg for business. Got to talking to them and they invited us to come stay with them in Welkom in the Free State along with buying us many drinks. They kept insisting everything would be free and they would plan all sorts of stuff for us to do there. Got there numbers and planned to call them once we left Rustenburg. Got a good night's rest that night on the solid ground in our tent, partly to do with the free Jager.
June 25
Next day we had nothing to do, but Jeffrey as always was keen to get up. Slowly got moving and had the English breakfast that was such a great deal when we were at the Traveller's Inn before. However, this time it was no longer a deal. Price had gone up by 50%. Greatly bummed. Went for a nice little run after that. Bubbleboy as hurtin. He looked like death at the end of the run. Went back and got showered in the cool outdoor showers there again. They are pretty neat. Walked around town even though there was nothing new to see. Ate at Nando's which is a chian pretty popular outside of the States. The food was alright, but we had no clue what we were ordering when we went to the counter. Do to Jeffrey not feeling well and me not feeling the best and nothing to do but drink. We went to bed for an early night.
June 26 - Round of sixteen game day
Went for a run the next morning. The air up there is terrible because there are a lot of mines around and at night they just pump the air from the mines out into the atmosphere. Certainly was taking a toll on bubbleboy with no inhaler. Have to turn around and make sure he is still there every now and then. Got back and took possibly the coldest shower of my life. We must have just gone in after the rush or something because it was a first for the place we were staying. It was quite nippy though. Went back to Nando's to try something that we knew what it was. A half a chicken. Quite tasty. Got back to hostel and watched the Uraguay vs. S. Korea game. Made friends with a few people who were headed to the game as well. Quite a few cocky Brits who had bought tickets for that game assuming that England was going to win the group. Pretty funny. Anyway the ones that were there were pretty cool. Pooled together with three Brits and one other American. Walked to park and ride to get to the game that Jeffrey and I had ran by earlier that day. They had shut it down. We ran by at twelve and it was still open. Had to come up with a way to get to the game. Jeffrey and other American hopped in car to go somewhere. Can't remember where. The others and myself began to walk to see what we could find. Ran into where Jeffrey and the other guy had been taken. They had arranged a ride. We were waiting for a ride from someone then another guy showed up. We asked him to take us. The one lady was only going to take us to another park and ride. This guy ended up taking us to the closest bar just outside of the stadium which is actually something like 13km, 8 miles, outside of town. The whole way he kept talking about how we were going to have to find another way home, but we got his number anyway. Once he dropped us off, we gave him a tip and as he was turning around he shouted call me after the game and I will come pick you up. The tavern was pretty neat. Beer was cheap and we certainly stood out. They loved us though. One guy had us sign his jersey. There were some people there doing traditional dancing in some get ups. They were charging people if they saw them taking pictures. I snagged a couple when they weren't looking. Walked into the game for the disappointment I hope you all witnessed live since it was a Saturday. It was a pretty cool atmosphere to be in, but there where a lot of Ghana supporters who I am sure were not from Ghana. I guess life goes on, but now we have tickets to the Ghana vs. Uraguay game. At least it is in Soccer City. Looks like a pretty sweet stadium. Went back to the tavern after the game. Got a couple brews to console the loss. Called Ellis I think his name was and he said he was on his way. Picked us up right where he had dropped us off. Got transport to and from the stadium for R60. The hostel was charging R250. It worked out in our favor.
June 27 - Reality of the loss sets in
Woke up and due to the drinks the night before and the reality of the loss. We weren't feeling the best. Decided we should get on the road even though we had no clue where we were going as our planned trip had expired. Decided we would go to Jo'Burg to try and get tickets to the Mexico vs. Argentina game. Two of the British guys we were with the night before had two tickets they were trying to sell. Only wanted face value. Then told us to make them an offer. We hesitated because they were Cat 2 tickets and didn't want to pay that much. They sold the tickets shortly after. We regretted the decision. Didn't find any tickets although we didn't look all that hard, but we couldn't find a place to stay either so we had to reroute. Decided to call Chris who we had met in the bar at Rustenburg. Surprised he remembered us. He said sure no problem. Arrived at his house less then three hours later in Welkom southwest of Jo'Burg. They have a pretty nice house. Jeffrey and I had our own room with our own beds. First time in South Africa. Hung out and just talked to them while we watched that night's match. They ordered pizza and we devoured it. They didn't want but a couple pieces. They told us to set out our dirty laundry and the maid would have it cleaned by tomorrow afternoon. We hadn't done laundry in a couple weeks. They weren't lying.
June 28
They allowed us to sleep in our first day there because they knew we had been sleeping in a tent for the last three nights. All three of them work full time but Chris is a Director at Galison Manufacturing so he can pretty much come and go. He came and picked us up about eleven or so after a great night's rest. Best since we have been down here. He took us to where he works along with the other two guys we met up in Rustenburg, Gary and Johan. We went into Gary's office and talked to him for a bit. He is Managing Director for one side of the company and Chris is for the other. We got a full tour of Galison Manufacturing. They make mining equipment for people pretty much world wide. It was pretty cool for the tour. I actually got some practicle application of all the mumble jumble I had been learning about at Loras. I am sure that I found the tour much for interesting that Jeffrey. Got a full tour of all four of the factories and showed us what each one of them did. They treated us to some pretty good currie and then we headed out to go to a game reserve where Chris knows the owner. Neat tour. Got some up close shots of some of the animals. Went back to the house and met some more of Chris' family and then headed out to go to a local Rotary meeting which Chris is a member. They put us on the spot, but Jeffrey did most of the talking. The power went out of the place as the meeting was ending. The real South Africa. Then met up with the rest of the fam at Mojos for what I was told would be the best steak I've ever eaten. It was pretty good and certainly the largest steak I have ever been served. Watched the Brazil vs. Chile game there and tried some of the local drinks. Pretty tasty but I am sure not that strong. The dessert was great as well.
June 29
Had to get up early this morning so we could get in a round of 18. They had arranged us clubs and complimentary round of golf since Gary is the President at the local club. Great deal! Played with Chris' brother/son-in-law and Louie who was the chef/bartender at Mojos. A fun round of golf but not well played. Almost lost Gary's four iron. Left it up against a fence. Went back after about nine holes and it as still there. Thank goodness. He wouldn't have cared anyway. Spent the afternoon just hanging out. Chris and Madaline? had invited some people over for ox-tail and drinks. It was a good time. They ox-tail was great. Very tender. Felll right off the bone. Tired now and going to go pass out in my wonderful bed all to myself!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
We are going to the round of sixteen!
Well we have done a fair amount since the last blog post. We left our comfortable home in Hartbeespoort and headed back to the hostel life. The hostel we headed to wasn't exactly in Jo'Burg, but we didn't have a problem getting to the game from there. The Slovenia game was a bit of a disappointment with the disallowed goal. We didn't see a replay or anything, but have come to find out it was bogus. We are continuing on anyway after finishing top of our group so all is well. We had a good time at that hostel. Hung out with some English guys for the France vs. Mexico game. Had a wager on first goal scorer to it made the game more interesting and good times followed. Needless to say a rough morning. The hostel was quite cold. It was warmer outside than it was where we were sleeping. Along with it being cold there was yet another bird to wake us up in the morning at this place. This time it was a rooster that sounded near death.
From there we headed up to Sabie. We didn't have a place to stay or anything, but were looking forward to doing some hiking and getting out of the city. Found a cheap little backpacker place. We went to our room and were the only ones in the building. We were looking forward to the good night's rest we were about to get. We went to bed early with the plan to wake up early, go for a run and get out and do some hiking. That was the plan. About 23:30 a rather large and loud group made its appearance. A bunch of Afrikaaners celebrating someones birthday. The good night's rest went out the window. We probably would have joined them had we not been recovering from a couple rough nights previously. We were mad all through the night, but in the morning when we talked to them they were pretty cool. A couple of them gave us their numbers and said to call if we were in their respective cities. We did our run and showered before we headed on a hike. We opted for the one that you didn't have to get a permit to do. We had no map and no real clue where we were supposed to be going. The lady said the trail was marked, ha. There were some markings but it was not clear where we were supposed to go. Had trouble figuring out which way to go, but eventually found the two waterfalls that we wanted to see. They were disappointing. After the run and a good hike we had worn ourselves down and thought that we might get a good night's rest tonight. No such luck. We pitched the tent in a campground and got a fire going. It was a little chilly but warm next to the fire that I was able to start with the strike of one match. I was impressed with myself because I was not expecting it to be that easy without Grandpa's special potion. The teepee method works. Well we climbed in our tent, got down to our skivvies and listened to the calmness around. Fell asleep, but not for long. It had to have been the coldest night since we have been here. Woke up freezing! Put on the jacket but that didn't help with my feet that I couldn't feel. Hardly got any sleep at all. It didn't help that we were sleeping on the ground with no pad because we opted to save space. It was terrible. The next day we had planned to do a hike that we read about that said it was for fit hikers only. Not the best idea after a night of basically no sleep. We had to pay to park the car, pay per person in the car and then pay for a permit to hike. An ordeal just to get some exercise. It was a great hike though. Some amazing views and finally an awesome waterfall. It was better labelled than the hike the day before. It was a pretty strenuous hike that drained the energy. We went and saw the Three Rondavels. They are pretty cool to see. Optimistic that tonight we were finally going to get a good night's rest. We slept in an old train car. It was pretty cool. Just the little sleeper bed with plenty of blankets. It was a great deal. R100 for the bed and breakfast. It was a pretty good night's sleep especially compared to the last two. Those beds just aren't that comfortable, but more comfortable than the ground and freezing cold.
The next day we headed up to check out God's Window. Understand why it was his window. A pretty cool view. Stopped at a few waterfalls that we could basically drive to. One of them was pretty cool. Still optimistic that we will find better because I like looking at waterfalls. Headed back to the city. A bummer after being out in the open in the mountains. The ride back saw more of the same view. They just have fires to burn the grass. Just wherever. No control. Just let it burn. Quite bizarre. Took picture of hijacking hot-spot sign. They have them all over. Made it to Pretoria no problems. Anticipating game verse Algeria. Apart of a cool pregame that turned into an American march to the game stopping traffic without a care. The game was quite intense if you didn't watch it. However, YOU SHOULD HAVE and YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS NEXT ONE! I was getting tired of putting my head down after what should have been a goal. Finally in extra time they did it. Thank goodness. We finished top of the group and then headed to Hatfield which is the party/bar area in Pretoria. Ran into one of the guys that we met up in Sabie that lived in Pretoria. The night turned out to be a good time. He was sure to show us a good time. Knew the owner of the bar where we were drinking. His brother was a bartender there. Ended up in VIP. Did hand grenades. Got a great night's sleep! Heading back up to Rustenburg. That is unfortunate because there isn't much there, but we will be watching the US so that is a great plus. Hopefully we can beat Ghana. Greatly looking forward to the game!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Zebras, Giraffes and a Rhino
I figured there wouldn't be any use to me repeating everything Phillip said. It must be said that it was his second attempt at posting that particular post. The first was less rushed, more descriptive and sounded better but I think he got his points across. I'm currently listening to the parrot he spoke of laugh at either myself or the dogs. Can't tell for sure. Besides the squawking at 7 am it is a pretty cool parrot. I also figure I should post something because Gramma called me out for Phillip doing all the typing. I was getting to it!
Anyway, Phillip hit most of the major points of the last few days. I must reiterate how before the South Africa game I had never seen a sight quite like it. Streets were a sea of yellow with vuvuzelas the only thing audible over the car honks that filled the roads. The only scene to top this one was the South African goal. You'd have thought time stood still. Anyway, the only other thing to add to his daily record is an addition to our world wide TV tour. Since we've been here we've been on ESPN, BBC and apparently an Egyptian station or so I was told. We were just walking by and they grabbed us and by the time our segment was over they were gone. I'll leave you with the events of today and we're back off to Joburg tomorrow!
June 16 -
7:30 am could have been the earliest we've been up this whole trip but well worth it. Today we headed up to Pilanesburg National Park. Went up there with Nadia and Annalien because today is a public holiday, National Youth Day. Upon entrance to the park we saw an elephant right away. Throughout the day we saw a collection of animals including plenty of zebras, giraffes and a rhino by the water. Pretty cool to see those animals just hanging out in nature rather than a zoo. Drove around the park for a good 4 or 5 hours but there were no lions or cheetahs to be seen. Headed back, ate supper and now awaiting the Bafana Bafana game. Also must say the parrot can be annoying at 7 pm as well. Off to read some more but we'll try and get some pics up soon.
Anyway, Phillip hit most of the major points of the last few days. I must reiterate how before the South Africa game I had never seen a sight quite like it. Streets were a sea of yellow with vuvuzelas the only thing audible over the car honks that filled the roads. The only scene to top this one was the South African goal. You'd have thought time stood still. Anyway, the only other thing to add to his daily record is an addition to our world wide TV tour. Since we've been here we've been on ESPN, BBC and apparently an Egyptian station or so I was told. We were just walking by and they grabbed us and by the time our segment was over they were gone. I'll leave you with the events of today and we're back off to Joburg tomorrow!
June 16 -
7:30 am could have been the earliest we've been up this whole trip but well worth it. Today we headed up to Pilanesburg National Park. Went up there with Nadia and Annalien because today is a public holiday, National Youth Day. Upon entrance to the park we saw an elephant right away. Throughout the day we saw a collection of animals including plenty of zebras, giraffes and a rhino by the water. Pretty cool to see those animals just hanging out in nature rather than a zoo. Drove around the park for a good 4 or 5 hours but there were no lions or cheetahs to be seen. Headed back, ate supper and now awaiting the Bafana Bafana game. Also must say the parrot can be annoying at 7 pm as well. Off to read some more but we'll try and get some pics up soon.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Finally Leaving Jo'Burg
June 10
We finally headed out to leave today. Got everything packed and as we were loading up the car this boy that we called leech kept following us in and out. He wasn't saying anything to us, but when we finally got in the car to head out he came up and asked for our number. We were quite depressed because all though this guy was an American he was quite depressing and we also called him morose boy. Anyway we stopped at the mall to get a map and made our way out of town. The map we had wasn't the best for the area, so it was quite an adventure navigating out of town. We only missed one turn, and it was quite a tricky one. It wasn't on our map, and it was fairly well hidden. However we discovered it quickly and were able to take appropiate action. Made it to Rustenburg with no real problems. Once we got there we set up our tent. Our new home. Went for a run to explore the city. Needless to say there wasn't much to see. Hung out with some people from New Zealand that night. Pretty cool people.
June 11 - The World Cup Begins
Didn't get the best night's rest on the hard ground. It doesn't rain this time of year. Also there were vuvuzelas being blown all night and between 5 and 7 people felt the need to go crazy with them. Eventually rolled out of the tent and had a pretty tasty breakfast and walked around town for a bit. Everyone was just blowing vuvuzelas and laying on there horn as they were driving. It was quite crazy. Lots of noise and the people were excited. Pretty much everything closed down at 2 so the people could watch the game. Everything closes early here anyway. We went to the Rustenburg fan park to watch the game. We were the minority there for sure, but that was not a problem. Great atmosphere. There were people walking around the big group in smaller groups, dancing, singing and making noise. It was pretty cool. Everyone was happy and in a nice mood. Everyone was standing but once the game started it was like clock work. They all sat down. Quite impressive. If you didn't sit down, they threw bottles at you. When Bafana Bafana scored the first goal in the first World Cup in Africa the crowd erupted. I got hugged by pretty much everyone around me, high fived many others and just jumped around for a while with everyone. It was a great time at the fan park.
June 12 - US vs. England
Got a better night's rest since it wasn't Bafana Bafana playing, and the people weren't making as much noise all hours of the night. Finally got up and was excited to go to my first World Cup game ever let alone a US vs. England game. Ate breakfast and had a few brews before we headed out to the stadium. We booked a taxi/bus thing from our hostel. It wasn't the cheapest way to get there, but it was by far the least hassle. It worked out quite well in the end because we got back at like 11:30 and some people didn't get back until 3. The game was awesome. People were excited. Tension was high. We had been receiving negative comments about how the US was going to do from the Brits for awhile. Even though Jeffrey and I want the US to get second so we have a better route that would take us to more of South Africa. We still wanted to beat England. When they scored the first goal out of the gate it was quite a let down, at least we got one back. Doesn't matter how it goes in as long as it goes it! It was quite weird watching the game at the stadium. There were no jumbotrons to see replays or anything like that. There was also no scoreboard or thing to tell us the time. It was different. Jeffrey had to use his watch, so we knew the time in the half. The vuvuzelas weren't too loud from where we were sitting. Could have been because we were three rows from the top. However, we had a pretty good view. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house.
June 13
Woke up to people getting interviewed by BBC but didn't feel like getting up yet so just laid there. Jeffrey ended up getting interviewed twice, and they talked to me since I was cleaning up the tent right next to where they were interviewing people the second time. We headed out for our first couchsurf in South Africa. Stopped at a mall to bring them some flowers and an American flag. Had a little trouble finding there place, but arrived no problem. It is locked down. Takes three keys and a remote just to get in the front door. They are paranoid, but very nice people. Probably because we are white. They have a pretty nice house and Jeffrey and I have our own room. They have a African gray parrot that makes all kinds of cool noises. Took us for a drive to show us the area. Some great scenery. They took us to Monte Casino. A pretty cool place. An indoor town that is like an ancient city replica.
June 14
Didn't do much today. Slept in. It felt great. Had an amazing night's rest. Didn't do anything all day really. Just watched all three of the day's soccer games. Hung out and relaxed. It was a great feeling. Had a traditional Afrikaan dinner. Pretty tasty.
June 15
The parrots noises weren't as amusing when I'm trying to sleep and not dead tired. Woke up and went for a pretty decent run. Took a lot out of me because it was quite windy. Then we headed to the Cradle of Humankind. It was pretty neat. Cool cave tour. Some pretty old fossils, possibly supplying evidence for evolution. We had a little trouble finding the place because it was poorly labelled but eventually got there. Headed home and made fajitas for Annaliena and Nadia. They tasted pretty good but not near as good as Big Mom's.
We finally headed out to leave today. Got everything packed and as we were loading up the car this boy that we called leech kept following us in and out. He wasn't saying anything to us, but when we finally got in the car to head out he came up and asked for our number. We were quite depressed because all though this guy was an American he was quite depressing and we also called him morose boy. Anyway we stopped at the mall to get a map and made our way out of town. The map we had wasn't the best for the area, so it was quite an adventure navigating out of town. We only missed one turn, and it was quite a tricky one. It wasn't on our map, and it was fairly well hidden. However we discovered it quickly and were able to take appropiate action. Made it to Rustenburg with no real problems. Once we got there we set up our tent. Our new home. Went for a run to explore the city. Needless to say there wasn't much to see. Hung out with some people from New Zealand that night. Pretty cool people.
June 11 - The World Cup Begins
Didn't get the best night's rest on the hard ground. It doesn't rain this time of year. Also there were vuvuzelas being blown all night and between 5 and 7 people felt the need to go crazy with them. Eventually rolled out of the tent and had a pretty tasty breakfast and walked around town for a bit. Everyone was just blowing vuvuzelas and laying on there horn as they were driving. It was quite crazy. Lots of noise and the people were excited. Pretty much everything closed down at 2 so the people could watch the game. Everything closes early here anyway. We went to the Rustenburg fan park to watch the game. We were the minority there for sure, but that was not a problem. Great atmosphere. There were people walking around the big group in smaller groups, dancing, singing and making noise. It was pretty cool. Everyone was happy and in a nice mood. Everyone was standing but once the game started it was like clock work. They all sat down. Quite impressive. If you didn't sit down, they threw bottles at you. When Bafana Bafana scored the first goal in the first World Cup in Africa the crowd erupted. I got hugged by pretty much everyone around me, high fived many others and just jumped around for a while with everyone. It was a great time at the fan park.
June 12 - US vs. England
Got a better night's rest since it wasn't Bafana Bafana playing, and the people weren't making as much noise all hours of the night. Finally got up and was excited to go to my first World Cup game ever let alone a US vs. England game. Ate breakfast and had a few brews before we headed out to the stadium. We booked a taxi/bus thing from our hostel. It wasn't the cheapest way to get there, but it was by far the least hassle. It worked out quite well in the end because we got back at like 11:30 and some people didn't get back until 3. The game was awesome. People were excited. Tension was high. We had been receiving negative comments about how the US was going to do from the Brits for awhile. Even though Jeffrey and I want the US to get second so we have a better route that would take us to more of South Africa. We still wanted to beat England. When they scored the first goal out of the gate it was quite a let down, at least we got one back. Doesn't matter how it goes in as long as it goes it! It was quite weird watching the game at the stadium. There were no jumbotrons to see replays or anything like that. There was also no scoreboard or thing to tell us the time. It was different. Jeffrey had to use his watch, so we knew the time in the half. The vuvuzelas weren't too loud from where we were sitting. Could have been because we were three rows from the top. However, we had a pretty good view. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house.
June 13
Woke up to people getting interviewed by BBC but didn't feel like getting up yet so just laid there. Jeffrey ended up getting interviewed twice, and they talked to me since I was cleaning up the tent right next to where they were interviewing people the second time. We headed out for our first couchsurf in South Africa. Stopped at a mall to bring them some flowers and an American flag. Had a little trouble finding there place, but arrived no problem. It is locked down. Takes three keys and a remote just to get in the front door. They are paranoid, but very nice people. Probably because we are white. They have a pretty nice house and Jeffrey and I have our own room. They have a African gray parrot that makes all kinds of cool noises. Took us for a drive to show us the area. Some great scenery. They took us to Monte Casino. A pretty cool place. An indoor town that is like an ancient city replica.
June 14
Didn't do much today. Slept in. It felt great. Had an amazing night's rest. Didn't do anything all day really. Just watched all three of the day's soccer games. Hung out and relaxed. It was a great feeling. Had a traditional Afrikaan dinner. Pretty tasty.
June 15
The parrots noises weren't as amusing when I'm trying to sleep and not dead tired. Woke up and went for a pretty decent run. Took a lot out of me because it was quite windy. Then we headed to the Cradle of Humankind. It was pretty neat. Cool cave tour. Some pretty old fossils, possibly supplying evidence for evolution. We had a little trouble finding the place because it was poorly labelled but eventually got there. Headed home and made fajitas for Annaliena and Nadia. They tasted pretty good but not near as good as Big Mom's.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wrapping up Joburg
Well tomorrow we leave Joburg. We've done just about everything I've wanted to do while we've been here and met some interesting people along the way. A couple differences I've noticed so far between Africa and the US. First, driving on the left side of the road really isn't that difficult. Getting used to driving like a South African is. Yesterday, on what I would assume was a two-lane road, it was turned into a four lane road. Cars are inches from each other where ever they go. There is also less order in changing lanes, avoiding other traffic, making turns, etc. You just have to be paying attention at all times. I've never heard so many hoots (honks) in my life either. Not the American kind where you slam on your horn because some idiot cut you off. No, these white vans, the informal taxi service, that fit about 15 crammed people honk at every person walking down the road. Then the person gives a hand signal as to where they need to go. If the bus is going there, he stops. If not, he keeps driving.
To go back to where I left off after the USA-Australia game, we'll start on Sunday. Sunday we went into the one of the posh suburbs, Sandton, and walked around the shopping mall and got our match tickets. One of the few places where we don't really stand out all that much. Tried a butter naan. Tastiest 50 cents I've ever spent. Pretty much a dull day.
On Monday, we took a tour of Soweto, where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have lived. Also the site of the Soweto Uprising where thousands of teenagers and younger staged a march against learning strictly in Afrikaans. Makes me want to go back to DC to check out our museum and history again. Tried chakalaka and pap, both traditional African foods. Very tasty and eaten with your hands. Our tour guide also took us to a shebeen which is basically a bar in the back of someone's house. Comparable to a speakeasy would be my guess. Took a tour of Alexandra, a suburb that consists of informal housing and formal housing where there are 1.3 million people in a 1.5 square mile radius. As we drive by one of the kids yelled out 'White boy!' in African and we had a laugh about that.
Starting to run out of time on the hour I paid for the internet. Tuesday got up and took a couple guys from Spokane to the car rental place. Then headed to the Apartheid Museum. Pretty moving stuff. There for about 3 hours and feel like I need to relearn more about our own history.
Today was more of an fun learning experience. We went down into Joburg again to a restaurant and ordered chicken livers as an appetizer and a couple things I can't pronounce as a main meal. Turns out it was the main dish was cow liver. It was tasty at the time but not sure if I could chow it down again. Then it was off to the SAB World of Beer. Took a tour that went through the history of beer from all over the world and naturally had to taste a couple of them.
I'm out of time on the computer. Good day!
To go back to where I left off after the USA-Australia game, we'll start on Sunday. Sunday we went into the one of the posh suburbs, Sandton, and walked around the shopping mall and got our match tickets. One of the few places where we don't really stand out all that much. Tried a butter naan. Tastiest 50 cents I've ever spent. Pretty much a dull day.
On Monday, we took a tour of Soweto, where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have lived. Also the site of the Soweto Uprising where thousands of teenagers and younger staged a march against learning strictly in Afrikaans. Makes me want to go back to DC to check out our museum and history again. Tried chakalaka and pap, both traditional African foods. Very tasty and eaten with your hands. Our tour guide also took us to a shebeen which is basically a bar in the back of someone's house. Comparable to a speakeasy would be my guess. Took a tour of Alexandra, a suburb that consists of informal housing and formal housing where there are 1.3 million people in a 1.5 square mile radius. As we drive by one of the kids yelled out 'White boy!' in African and we had a laugh about that.
Starting to run out of time on the hour I paid for the internet. Tuesday got up and took a couple guys from Spokane to the car rental place. Then headed to the Apartheid Museum. Pretty moving stuff. There for about 3 hours and feel like I need to relearn more about our own history.
Today was more of an fun learning experience. We went down into Joburg again to a restaurant and ordered chicken livers as an appetizer and a couple things I can't pronounce as a main meal. Turns out it was the main dish was cow liver. It was tasty at the time but not sure if I could chow it down again. Then it was off to the SAB World of Beer. Took a tour that went through the history of beer from all over the world and naturally had to taste a couple of them.
I'm out of time on the computer. Good day!
In Jo'Burg for awhile
June 6
Today we went out to get food and booze because the liquor stores here close quite early. Got that taken care of. Then headed back and found some people that wanted to go into Sandton, and we headed off. The city was pretty neat. We went to the mall there which was basically like a mall in America, and we did not stick out at all. There were all kinds of races and what not, so that was different. After that we went to go pick up our tickets. Quite exciting! Got the tickets to our first three matches. Walked around the city some more. Seemed like a pretty safe place. Then when we got back Jeffrey and I went for a run. The air in the area is terrible. Bubble boy aka J-bone was having a little trouble breathing but we made it about an hour. We stuck to the main roads as the sun was coming down upon our return to the place we are staying. Made a pretty good dinner with a spice we bought down here. Not quite sure what it is but it tastes quite good!
June 7
Headed out about ten today on this tour we arranged the night before with the guy who gave me a ride from the airport to the hostel. We went to Soweto to see all the history there. We went to the Regina Mundi church, the Hector Pieterson Museum and the Nelson Mandela house. We saw the slums, informal housing, of the areas and the elephant houses as well. It was quite an eye opening experience. From there we went to Alexandra where Raymond was from. We drove by where Nelson Mandela lives now on our way. It was a pretty nice house with lots of security. We stopped to get some food. It was pretty good. Ate chakalaka and pap along with some tasty meat at this little restaurant/butcher. He showed us around the city and where Nelson Mandela lived when he was in college. Saw more slums, more housing built by the government in an attempt to get rid of the informal houses. We got to go into one of the houses and we went to a shebeen, bar without a license to sell ligquor in a house, in the area with some locals. Shot some pool there. We were the only white people that we saw in all of Alexandra, but it was a neat experience. One girl we drove by shouted ahh something in zulu that meant white guy. We asked Ray what she said and he said white guy because they are not used to seeing white people in this area. It was quite a different place. 1.3 million people live in 1.5 square miles and you could tell.
June 8
We went to the Apartheid Museum today after giving a couple of American guys a ride into Sandton to pick up there rental car. The museum was pretty neat and I learned a lot but it seemed like it went on forever. That was pretty much the whole day. Stopped and had some pizza on the way home that was quite tasty.
June 9
Woke up today and went for a pretty good run. The air was a lot better for some reason. After the run and a good warm shower we headed out for Newtown. We parked in a gated parking area and walked through what seemed like not the best part of town. Found a nice looking resaurant and sat down to have some food. We had chicken livers for an appetizer and cow intestines. They were both pretty good. The liver was better though. Then we went to SAB world of beers. Probably the best tour ive been on in awhile. Got a beer during the tour and then two after the tour all for R30. Pretty good deal.
Today we went out to get food and booze because the liquor stores here close quite early. Got that taken care of. Then headed back and found some people that wanted to go into Sandton, and we headed off. The city was pretty neat. We went to the mall there which was basically like a mall in America, and we did not stick out at all. There were all kinds of races and what not, so that was different. After that we went to go pick up our tickets. Quite exciting! Got the tickets to our first three matches. Walked around the city some more. Seemed like a pretty safe place. Then when we got back Jeffrey and I went for a run. The air in the area is terrible. Bubble boy aka J-bone was having a little trouble breathing but we made it about an hour. We stuck to the main roads as the sun was coming down upon our return to the place we are staying. Made a pretty good dinner with a spice we bought down here. Not quite sure what it is but it tastes quite good!
June 7
Headed out about ten today on this tour we arranged the night before with the guy who gave me a ride from the airport to the hostel. We went to Soweto to see all the history there. We went to the Regina Mundi church, the Hector Pieterson Museum and the Nelson Mandela house. We saw the slums, informal housing, of the areas and the elephant houses as well. It was quite an eye opening experience. From there we went to Alexandra where Raymond was from. We drove by where Nelson Mandela lives now on our way. It was a pretty nice house with lots of security. We stopped to get some food. It was pretty good. Ate chakalaka and pap along with some tasty meat at this little restaurant/butcher. He showed us around the city and where Nelson Mandela lived when he was in college. Saw more slums, more housing built by the government in an attempt to get rid of the informal houses. We got to go into one of the houses and we went to a shebeen, bar without a license to sell ligquor in a house, in the area with some locals. Shot some pool there. We were the only white people that we saw in all of Alexandra, but it was a neat experience. One girl we drove by shouted ahh something in zulu that meant white guy. We asked Ray what she said and he said white guy because they are not used to seeing white people in this area. It was quite a different place. 1.3 million people live in 1.5 square miles and you could tell.
June 8
We went to the Apartheid Museum today after giving a couple of American guys a ride into Sandton to pick up there rental car. The museum was pretty neat and I learned a lot but it seemed like it went on forever. That was pretty much the whole day. Stopped and had some pizza on the way home that was quite tasty.
June 9
Woke up today and went for a pretty good run. The air was a lot better for some reason. After the run and a good warm shower we headed out for Newtown. We parked in a gated parking area and walked through what seemed like not the best part of town. Found a nice looking resaurant and sat down to have some food. We had chicken livers for an appetizer and cow intestines. They were both pretty good. The liver was better though. Then we went to SAB world of beers. Probably the best tour ive been on in awhile. Got a beer during the tour and then two after the tour all for R30. Pretty good deal.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
First post!
Internet service. A luxury. Phillip and I are both together in South Africa. Staying at a hostel in Randburg just outside of Joburg. Made it to the USA-Australia friendly today. We won 3-1 and didn't look too bad. Defense looked a little shaky but hopefully it'll look better in a week's time.
All the South Africans we've met so far are friendly people. The same can be said of the others we've met from the US, Mexico, Chile and Australia. It's an eclectic group staying at the hostel. Haven't done much else yet over here besides that. When we get some pictures and stories we'll be sure to post them. These posts will probably not quite equal the depth or length of Phillip's but oh well.
Cheers!
All the South Africans we've met so far are friendly people. The same can be said of the others we've met from the US, Mexico, Chile and Australia. It's an eclectic group staying at the hostel. Haven't done much else yet over here besides that. When we get some pictures and stories we'll be sure to post them. These posts will probably not quite equal the depth or length of Phillip's but oh well.
Cheers!
First Post
I got to Africa with no problems. Flight went well although I didn't sleep but an hour because there were plenty of movies to keep me entertained. When I got to Jo'Burg I just found a bench and went to sleep. Eventually got up and walked around, ate and then went to check when my brother's flight was supposed to arrive. Board said delayed fourteen hours. I didn't believe it, so I went and took another nap. About four when his flight was supposed to get in at 4:45 originally I went to try and find a computer with internet access. Found one then it was confirmed that he would not be arriving until the next day. Hostel was already paid for so now I had to try and get there. Eventually found a private cab. Negotiated the price before we left, which I was at a disadvantage because I didn't know where we were going. However, as it turned out I got a decent deal. Well relatively speaking. I paid about 400 rand and the others I talked to that took a cab paid about 700. The guy I rode with was quite nice and informative. Was a little worried when we got to his car and there was no taxi sign or anything, but it was all good. He invited me to come to the area where he lives and he would take me around and introduce me to people in the area and I could talk to them, go in their houses and have a few drinks with them. Jeffrey and I might do that. First night was pretty tired and went to bed after watching the Mexico vs. Italy game.
Got up on June 4 for the free breakfast at the hostel. Consisted of bread, jam and tea. Enough to keep me alive I suppose. After hanging out and reading for a bit I decided I would go explore the area alone. Walked around, found a mall and got some food for dinner and beer for the night. Shortly after I got back Jeffrey finally arrived. Went out and walked around with him. There are black people everywhere and felt quite out of place. However we didn't have any problems. It was quite neat seeing everything and the area seems like it has this merky haze over it. I assume from the ten million people that live in the area. The sunset is pretty cool and we don't go out at night unless with a group of people. That night we hung out and mingled with people in the hostel and drank some beer. People from all over but for the most part we talked to some Mexicans and Australians. Fun night.
Woke up after a pretty good nights sleep. Then we tried to find a way to get to the Australia vs. USA game. Turned out to be quite a hassle but there were a lot of people from our hostel who wanted to go. Eventually we negotiated a ride at a pretty good price. The driver didn't know how to get there but the guy we got the van from had a friend lead us there. After some time we made it to the game with no tickets. The tickets were free but we didn't have any, so we just went around asking people for extras and trying to get in. Eventually all the people we came with got into the game. We got there about five or ten minutes after kick-off and missed one of the US goals, but we had pretty good view and it was free apart from the cab. I hope the US plays better against England. They seemed pretty lazy. Looking forward to what the rest of our trip has in store.
Got up on June 4 for the free breakfast at the hostel. Consisted of bread, jam and tea. Enough to keep me alive I suppose. After hanging out and reading for a bit I decided I would go explore the area alone. Walked around, found a mall and got some food for dinner and beer for the night. Shortly after I got back Jeffrey finally arrived. Went out and walked around with him. There are black people everywhere and felt quite out of place. However we didn't have any problems. It was quite neat seeing everything and the area seems like it has this merky haze over it. I assume from the ten million people that live in the area. The sunset is pretty cool and we don't go out at night unless with a group of people. That night we hung out and mingled with people in the hostel and drank some beer. People from all over but for the most part we talked to some Mexicans and Australians. Fun night.
Woke up after a pretty good nights sleep. Then we tried to find a way to get to the Australia vs. USA game. Turned out to be quite a hassle but there were a lot of people from our hostel who wanted to go. Eventually we negotiated a ride at a pretty good price. The driver didn't know how to get there but the guy we got the van from had a friend lead us there. After some time we made it to the game with no tickets. The tickets were free but we didn't have any, so we just went around asking people for extras and trying to get in. Eventually all the people we came with got into the game. We got there about five or ten minutes after kick-off and missed one of the US goals, but we had pretty good view and it was free apart from the cab. I hope the US plays better against England. They seemed pretty lazy. Looking forward to what the rest of our trip has in store.
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