Gorgeous South Africans, Diving Italians, and a whole lot of photos

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Wellllllllllllllllllllllll since we last chatted we were still in awe of Monte Casino, my how that has changed!

After a 4 hour drive we arrived in Pilansberg national game park. Here we did a whole lot of game viewing and we saw everything but the cats! We got up close and personal (within a few meters) of Giraffes, Wilderbeest, Hippo, Rhino, Elephant and Zebra. It was an amazing experience but we're all very excited by the prospect of Krueger showing off some cats and some unhinged baboons!

As Pilansberg came to a close a day in Sun City beckoned. We spent some time there checking out all the different areas and relaxing by the waterside. As early afternoon hit we headed down to the wave pool and bench football arena. We sent Tricky off to purchase a ball to play with, and while he was doing that some Americans and Kiwi's came and got amongst it and we soon had a game going. Sure enough some pasty Brits came along and suggested "English vs all". So after the Kiwi's conquered the South Americans the brits came on and were destroyed quickly. Their ego's shattered they headed to the bar, and we to the pool because beach football is hard work hey?!!

The day after Pilansberg was the first game against Slovakia, and DAMN was it COLD! Rich had his Kathmandu down jacket, scarf, and a couple of layers underneath and he was FROZEN! Turning up 3 hours early didn't help as we tried killing time in a VERY cold area!!! However when the game arrived MAN what an atmosphere! Sorrounded by a bunch of kiwi supporters we were very vocal and BOY did we celebrate Winston Reid's goal! The celebrations at full time were immense! If you watch carefully you can see us on TV! See Facebook for more info! A massive day in NZ sporting history and we got to be there LIVE! After the match we all stayed in one section and celebrated with the All Whites in front of us and the NZ Football team beside us. Absolutely MASSIVE!!!

Post match celebrations were limited and the trip back to Jo-Burg the next morning was rushed! We left Pilansberg with a final drive through the park seeing all the usual suspects, before catching some extra rest before packing and getting to the airport to Capetown!

Capetown was a massive highlight of the trip, and 2 full days wasn't enough! The night we arrived we watched Bafana Bafana get trouned by Uraguay but it was amazing being amongst it all. Rich found himself educating some Rugby supporters on the offside rule we Steve got split up and ended up in a tent that was nothing short of a boiler room! The next day we dominated the shopping in Capetown's waterfront, before spending the late afternoon on table mountain. This was spectacular as we experienced the sunset up there, and between some jump shots, some cools videos, and some amazing photography we really enjoyed the experience! The next day was spent at Cape Point. An early start got us there in time to enjoy it. It's quite cool having been to the southern most tip of Africa hey! In the evening we dominated some more shopping and dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. 2 nights and 2 dinners in Capetown taught Rich you can't buy just a glass of wine, they serve you 2 glasses in a 250ml caraffe which is often cheaper than beer! Very enjoyable! After dinner we headed to the England vs Algeria game to be very disappointed! The Algerians were diving tossas, the English didn't play with passion, and the Algerian fans kept launching some fireworks into the CROWD! Not cool. It was especially disappointing when security nabbed the prick and let him stay in the game...GRRR!!!

After this match and 4 hours sleep we dropped the rental car back to the Airport and returned to Jo-Burg. We killed some time in the airport by doing some emails and phone calls before heading off to Nelspurit! This quiet and sleepy little town has been amazing! We've been accomodated in style by Steve's Aunty and Uncle (Penny Jane and Linsay) through some very nice beds and the use of their twin cab covered ute for getting around up here! We caught up on emails after arrival, went for a kick around and some juggling with some locals, before crashing and burning! Then it was game day, NZ vs Italy. We spent the morning on the hunt for some wigs, facepaint, white pants, and some flag poles! We then Braied for lunch before heading to the game!

Attending the game we arrived in style, standing on the back of the ute looking like right pillocks waving our flags! We then hoped on a bus and ended up chanting away with some blokes from Nelson. In the stadium we were treated like celebrity's with everyone wanting a photo from us! We then dominated the game with some amazing chanting, especially after Smeltz scored. We were then all fairly vocal toward the Italians and their supporters for being diving dick heads. After the game finished we again celebrated like animals! We ended up down the front row and made the Stuff Website for going mental. Rich also scored one of Aaron Claphams sweaty socks. He'd have preferred a shirt, but what a bit of memorabilia!!! After the game we went to a street party where Tricky and Steve watched the game. Rich meanwhile was awarded loose unit of the day for making his way around the bar talking to gorgeous South Africans and networking us into some sweet hook ups. We'll fill you in when it all happens!

The trips been amazing so far, but there is heaps more to go! Hopefully our appearances in the NZ media is enough for you all to believe these tales we're telling. Can't wait to get back and show you all the photos etc.

CMON NEW ZEALAND!!!

Rich, Steve, and Tricky (Chris).

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