Updates and info from on the ground during our 11 week and 5 week Experiences in South Africa
I am writing this in a French restaurant in the middle of the South African Karoo. I have a large hangover after England qualified for the second round of the 2010 World Cup yesterday! This happened thanks to our 1-0 victory over Slovenia – no great feat in itself but after seeing France take an early flight home when Bafana smashed them 2-1(!), it was greatly received.
12 hours soaking up the atmosphere in PE for England’s final group game made this a day to remember – Fabio’s Barmy Army (that’s us by the way) warmed up alongside a lot of other fans, at the beachside bar with a game of kick-ups, which, we found out later, featured on repeat on Sky Sports News! Poor old Slovenia were sent home after Landon Donovan’s late strike against the Algerians but we still enjoyed their chants, even though we had no idea what they were saying it sounded a lot like “I’ve just found an easter egg” – bizarre. Our own post-match songs were dominated by German references and the massive football rivalry and history between us and them, as it’s them who we are stuck with in the next round, after we scraped through the group in second place. We celebrated at Barney’s Tavern, a bar packed with most vociferous and similarly relieved and happy England fans, before a ride home with a wacky taxi driver capped off a fantastic few days.
The journey from Cape Town to PE also needs mentioning. Our half-way stop was the beachside town of Plettenberg Bay where we stayed two nights in a wicked apartment overlooking the sea and the mountains as the backdrop – not a bad sight to wake up to at all. Despite the short stay, Plett had many highlights, including seeing Fatboy Slim live in an underground warehouse ( ), but for me, what I will remember forever is two exhilarating experiences; one at the world’s highest bungy jump and one at Plett Skydive. I did the bungy first and then Mark brought a massive cheer from the crowd watching on the viewing platform by unfurling a St George’s Cross flag while suspended upside down in the gorge! The skydive though, beat even the bungy...it was just awesome, words cannot really describe the feeling – you just have to do it. The best I can do is to say it’s the closest feeling you can get to a late Emile Heskey goal against Germany, or seeing penguins (on a beach obviously).
Fingers crossed for Sunday...
Chris
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