Durban

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We woke up today to rain and wind, lots of it, so that pretty much put an end to our plans of walking around Durban alongside the beach. We had a nice breakfast at Ushaka Marine World, backed up my camera memory card on a DVD and decided to go to Gateway Mall, a massive new mall just north of Durban.

FIFA has set up shuttles not only to and from the stadiums; they have also organized shuttles to popular destinations, and Gateway Mall is one of those places. Workers are all over the place to help you find the right shuttle. The only problem with the shuttle service, is that we found out about them AFTER visiting Gateway Mall...so let’s say that we had a little adventure today. Hehe

So here’s how it went...we got on a nice bus at Ushaka Marine World and asked the driver how we could get to Gateway Mall. He said he would tell us when to get off, and that we would have to cross the street to get another bus to Gateway. So we got off the bus in Central Durban and crossed the street like he said and did not see another bus stop. So here we are in Central Durban, right at the City Hall, it’s somewhat dark, rainy, and a few shady characters here and there. It took 30 seconds for someone to ask for money. We asked a local about getting to Gateway, and she said we need to go to the Market to get the bus, so we continued walking. A few minutes later, we stumbled upon a bus full of policemen and asked for help again and we were told to go to the market. So we continued walking until a few minutes later, 2 of the policemen we talked to came running after us. They strongly advised us NOT to walk to the Market, but to take a taxi or "people mover" (which is a little van that works like a taxi, they pack 16 people into it and it just drives around dropping people off where they need to get off). They said it was a little dangerous for us to be walking in that part of town, so we got on a people mover to the market. The people mover took us to the Market, where we needed to get on another people mover to Gateway. We got on another people mover with 14 other locals, and squished like sardines, drove towards Gateway. We safely arrived at the massive mall after the 30 minute ride, and Janel was relieved. Hehe Looking back, I can see why the cops advised us not to be in that part of town, but now that things worked out for us, I'm happy we took that route, because we got to see a lot of Durban and see what life is like for locals. I told Janel that none of the fans we meet have this kind of experience, and I'm happy we got to see it.

At Gateway, we just walked around, visited some stores and bought a few things: a Brasil top for me, a track suit for me and 2 vuvuzelas!!!!!!! Yes, we are now joining all others in blowing those stupid things. Watching games on TV and hearing them is annoying...at the stadium, it gets REALLY loud, but not loud enough for earplugs though. We sat down for lunch and watched the Round of 16 England - Germany game, 2 powerhouses going at it (well, one powerhouse really). We were cheering for Germany obviously, who went up 2-0 in the first half. Just before halftime, England got one back, and then a minute later, scored another goal that hit the top bar, bounced in the net then out. Play kept going as the ref did not call it a goal. In soccer, there are no replays, no reviews, so England was robbed, just as bad as the US were robbed the previous week TWICE: once against Slovenia, another against Algeria. Anyway, in the second half, England started out better, and I warned Janel that now that England had to push, Germany would be dangerous on the counter-attack...and that happened soon after. The game finished 4-1 , and the perennial under-achievers were sent home. YAY!!! For those that don't know, English fans think England will win each competition they enter (European Championships and World Cups), but they always bow out and everyone is so shocked. I have seen this movie many times already, and it always has the same happy ending. Hehe Even though they were robbed, Germany was superior, too fast for the sorry defence. I would have preferred to have seen the game at 2-2, maybe next time.

Now that we were done at Gateway, we found out about the FIFA shuttles, so we took one back to Durban. In contrast to the people mover that took us to Gateway, Janel and I were the only ones in the 60-seater...go figure. We were dropped off at the Transport Hub and were helped onto a bus to Ushaka. We would need to transfer to another bus though we soon found out, and that transfer was going to take place in the same place we were dropped off this morning, so I was not happy about being in Central Durban again at night. We again were the only ones on the bus and the bus driver eventually stopped at our transfer bus stop and waited there for about 3 or 4 minutes. I didn't know what was going on, but he was waiting for a security guy to approach the bus to instruct him to stay with us until our next bus arrived. That was very nice of him, but just as we got off the bus, our new bus arrived. We were happy to be on our way after a long day.

At the hostel, we watched the Argentina - Mexico game and there was another refereeing controversy. When the game was 0-0, Messi chipped the ball to an offside Tevez, who headed the ball in. The linesman did not see it correctly and the goal was allowed to stand. Argentina advanced after a 3-1 win, and will face Germany. 1 day, 2 games, and 2 HUGE blunders by refs...FIFA needs to fix this somehow.

Tomorrow is game day for us in Durban: Holland against Slovakia in the Round of 16. Looking forward to it.

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