Travel day to Port Elizabeth (Jeffrey's Bay)

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First, just want to make a comment regarding internet access the last few days. The hostel in
Umzumbe did not have any wireless connection and last night we just went online to pay some bills and try to find a hostel. When adding a blog, it does take some time for us to add the photos and arrange them in order. So although we have been writing the daily blog and taking some photos, we have not been able to post them every day.

Today, we drove from Cintsa to Jeffrey's Bay, stopping in Port Elizabeth to retrieve our Brazil - Holland tickets. The drive was long, as we left around 11am and arrived at Jeffrey's Bay around 7pm. The weather was really nice, quite warm, and the drive was neat once again because we had to traverse through a mountain range. We also drove the wrong way at one point after driving into a small town. On the way out, we missed a sign and drove 20km north when we should have been going west. Our little co-pilot Janel got us back on track nicely, so no major harm done. You see, we don't have any maps really other than what FIFA has in their little booklets and pamphlets. We go by the road signs and by asking people, and it has worked out for us other than this one time.

We drove by a few game reserves and at one point I saw some zebras. Since it was a game reserve, it felt as if I drove by a zoo, so I guess it wasn't that cool. I also have noticed different signs on the road, like watch out for crossing cows, or elephants, or wild boar, etc...
In Port Elizabeth, we drove to the airport to retrieve our tickets. Once we got there, we were told that we had to go to another office because the PE airport does not print tickets. The guys handed us a Google map printout of where the office was and away we went. What was supposed to take 10 minutes took half an hour because the guy's map was off, add that to the fact I was getting hungry and you get the picture. Hehe Oh, and when I called the FIFA office for directions, they weren't helpul and I found out my cell phone was out of minutes. So yeah, not a fun few minutes for my co-pilot. After we got the tickets, we got some groceries not only to "cure" me but also for tonight and tomorrow. This way, we have something to eat for dinner and breakfast.

We finally arrived in Jeffrey's Bay around 7pm like I said. This beach town is full of hostels and Bed & Breakfasts mainly for surfers. I did see 2 or 3 "Brazilian" vehicles once we arrived, so they also found a shortage of beds in PE like I did. One of the Brazilians was from Florianopolis (the capital of my home state in Brazil), and his brother lives in Blumenau (my hometown in Brazil). He was telling me that this was his first World Cup, but that he won't miss a single one from now on. I remember thinking the same thing in France in 1998, and so far I haven't missed any. The funny thing to me is that the guy has been here for only 3 days, and hasn't seen anything yet really, but he did get to go to 2 games while in Johannesburg.

Our double room is nice as it has a kitchen and bathroom. The people next door are a group of Dutch fans, very nice guys. They were BBQ-ing outside, drinking some beer and wanted to make a bet with me. If Holland beat Brazil, I would have to paint the building orange, and if Brazil won, they would have to paint it yellow and green. They said they already had the paint, but I wanted nothing with that bet. Hehe I actually felt bad for the guy that owns the building.

So the plan tomorrow is to get up and drive to Port Elizabeth (75km) around 11am and go to the stadium really early. Since the game starts at 4pm, I want to head to the stadium at least 3 hours early hoping to meet my Brazilian friends that I met in South Korea and Japan in 2002. We saw each other in Germany 4 years ago, so I am hoping to find them tomorrow. I know they are here because we have exchanged emails, but until now, we have always been in different parts of the country.

I also found out that we have unlimited internet access for the next 2 days while we stay here in Jeffrey's Bay, so I am hoping to catch up on blogging and emailing while we are here.

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Comments

[T-dawg]

Dutched!
So sorry to hear about the Brazil-N'lands game. Who are you rooting for now?