World Cup - Arrival & Opening game

A South African fan with vuvuzela

Packing my stuff before heading out to SA

As I sit to write this blog, my favorite team is heading back home and the world cup is nearing its end with only the semi finals and final left.

For the entire time I was at the world cup I was somehow incognito with no communication via either phone or email which also means that I did not write a blog every day while I was there. In these blogs I am going to retrace my steps and list down some of my most memorable moments.

O R Tambo airport in Johanessburg

The airport had these cool game ticket dispensing
machines

It all started with packing for my trip which actually takes a lot of planning since I was only carrying a backpack. I made sure to carry my Argentina jersey but not being sure how far the team would go with Maradona at the helm I made sure to also pack a Spanish jersey.

Ride from Airport to the city. All the participating nations
had their national flags lined on the side of the freeway

World cup fever gripped Mexican fan

I had to fly from Monrovia to Accra and then take a flight to Johannesburg (also called Jo’burg or Jozy). After disembarking from the plane as we the passengers made our way to the arrival gate we were greeted with a festive atmosphere with team jerseys everywhere, vuvuzela’s blowing and all around and I could see people from many different countries with a wide grin on their faces. It was as if everyone knew as they entered the country that they where about to take part in the biggest parties in the world which comes every 4 years. Needless to say I had a wide grin on my face too.

The crowd making its way to the Fan Fest

A cacophony of vuvuzelas

A little fan

When I got to the hostel though, I have to admit ii felt miserable. There were multiple things that made me feel so.
- I had not had a good nights rest the past 2 days.
- I could not check in to get some rest. Check in was 6 hours later which was stupid on the hostel’s behalf.
- Everyone at the hostel advised me not to go out of the hostel alone or walk around…i.e. felt like a prison
- It was extremely extremely cold (I felt it more now that I live close to the Equator)
- Was in a foreign land all by myself (Its natural for the brain to long for the daily comforts of the life like a car, warm shower, a bed, etc which we take for granted. Its take little time for the brain to adjust to new surroundings)

I remember I was so tired I just dozed off on the couch in the cold. When I woke up an hour and half later I felt much better. I asked for a taxi ride to the closest shopping place so I could buy some thermal wear. That’s when I met Fabian who was at the same hostel and wanted to go to the FIFA Ticketing center to purchase some match tickets. Fabian in from Panama but now works in England and just like me he was traveling along (atleast for a couple days until he would hook up with his brother in Pretoria).

The crowd went berserk when SA scored the equalizer

With some Bafana-Bafana fans

We went to Sandton, a suburb of Jo’burg where we ran a few errands and then decided to go a FIFA Fan Fest (a public open air place with giant screens to watch the games) to see South Africa take on Mexico in the 1st game of the cup. Since Sandton was a wealthy neighborhood we were told it would be safe to walk there. We got there early to catch all the opening ceremony and the crowd was still trickling in.

A few drink at the F bar in Sandton

Festive atmosphere in the bars of J'burg

The scene was spectacular with more than 30,000 fans clad in yellow and green, blowing vuvuzela’s, dancing and waving their flags. That party lasted almost 5 hours and only 45 minutes of which I think we were able to sit on the grass. The rest we spent either moving to the beats of the crowds or seeing the game with bated breath. The match ended in a draw with each team getting one goal. Here's a link to a video i took with the crowd grooving to the beats.

Most South Africans were disappointed their team conceded a late goal but even then they were in a party mood so we went to a local bar after the game to continue the party before checking into the hostel later that night to head to bed amid the loud revelry of some Chileans through the whole night. Even though the day started off looking bleak, it ended very well and I felt much better about the next day.