Advertisement
Published: June 23rd 2010
Today, we made our way to the airport at 8am and caught our flight to Cape Town. The flight was delayed an hour, so we landed at 1pm. We took a shuttle to our hostel, which is a 5 minute walk to the Green Point Stadium, site of our game on the 24th. As we drove into the city, we were instantly impressed by this beautiful city...WOW!!! You drive around the left side of Table Mountain (if you’re looking towards it) and stumble upon a super clean, well maintained city that reminds me a little bit of San Francisco (because of the inclined streets), with a waterfront that is breathtaking (yes, I just used that word :hehe).
Our shuttle driver sort of knew where our hostel was, so it was kind of neat to drive up and down and around that tiny streets on the hillside that faces the stadium and ocean as we got lost a few times. It took us about 10 minutes of driving around, calling the shuttle company until we found it. Our hostel is great...brand new and they do have some beds available for when we come back here for the semi-final. We checked in
and went for a walk. We wanted to walk downtown to go into the Fan Fest to watch the South Africa vs France game. I decided to wear my Brazilian flag around my waist as I have always done on these trips, and Janel was amazed at how many cars were honking and people talking to us as we walked by. South Africans love Brazil, no question. At one point, we were stopped by 5 policemen asking us if we thought Brazil was going to go all the way. By the way, cops are everywhere here in Cape Town, and are super friendly.
When we arrived downtown, we quickly realized that the Fan Fest was full, and I had read prior to our trip about some security problems here in Cape Town at the Fan Fest. At the beginning of the tournament, people were frustrated at not being able to watch the games at the Fan Fest. Well, nothing to see here, all is well in Cape Town. So we decided to make our way to the Waterfront, which is a beautiful area by the ocean, close to the port, that has lots of shops, restaurants, hotels, etc... As
we were walking, this guy on a taxi-tricycle asked us if we wanted to use his services. We thought it would be a neat way to see some of the city, so we agreed. It was an awesome, slow ride through downtown Cape Town. Took lots of pictures, but I am confident my pictures are not going to give this city any justice, because you have to see it for yourself to appreciate it, no question. Along the way, a car full of kids drove by and waved, and when we caught up to them at the next traffic lights, they were super excited when I took their picture.
At the Waterfront, we found a place to eat and watch the South Africa game. The Bafana Bafana needed to win by a few goals and hope that Uruguay would beat Mexico by a few as well, and although South Africa won the game 2-1 and Mexico lost 1-0, it was not enough. South Africa became the first host nation to not advance past the first round, which is a shame considering the excitement over here. From what I can tell, Brazil is their favourite team now. Some will still root
for other African nations, but most are on their way to going home after the first round.
After the game, we walked around, checked out some shops and took some more pictures. We didn’t really cover the whole area, we’ll have to do that during the day time on another day. The nightlife there is super cool, lots of little bars, but we were so tired as we watched the first half of the Argentina game that we decided to head back to the hostel.
We are now getting ready for a busy day. We hope to rent a car, drive to Stellenbosch and visit the wine country. Yes, this is a Janel day so-to-speak. Hehe If it all works out, we might try to drive down the coast to Boulders Beach (where penguins hang out...maybe Crosby's there...ok, bad joke) and to the Cape of Good Hope, which is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. Looks like we are going to have another beautiful day here, with 20 degrees and no clouds.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.233s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 62; dbt: 0.0551s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Jen
non-member comment
Day 4!!!
Rob - You are too funny. Thanks for keeping all of us back here at home up to date with the stories. I sit here and giggle to myself as I read them. It sounds like you and Janel are having a fantastic trip so far!!! Can't wait to hear after you get to go to your first game. :) Love you guys!! Jen