Durban back to Joburg to Pretoria

GOT OUT OF JOBURG AND CONTINUED MY MONTH LONG BENDER IN DURBAN FOR A FEW DAYS. ENJOYED THE SUN AND WARMER WEATHER AND CHILLED WITH SOME LOCALS. IT WAS A MORE RELAXING ATMOSPHERE AND CHEAPER TOO. FINALLY GOT TO SEE SPAIN PLAY AND WAS STUNNED ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE CROWD WHEN THEY LOST. THE FIRST GAME RARELY MEANS ANYTHING THOUGH AND IM SURE THEYLL PULL IT TOGETHER. HAD TO CATCH A FLIGHT FROM DURBAN EARLY ON THE 17TH TO GET TO JOBURG IN TIME FOR THE ARGENTINA VS S KOREA GAME. THIS SERIES OF GAMES STARTED SOMETHING LIKE 8 GAMES IN 10 DAYS THAT I WAS GOING TO. I GOT MY BAG, GOT A CAB, AND MADE THE LAST TRAIN TO SOCCER CITY BY LITERALLY LESS THAN A MINUTE. SOCCER CITY WAS AWESOME AND THE GAME WAS A GOOD ONE TOO. AFTER THE GAME WE WENT TO A AFRICAN RESTAURANT WITH SOME LOCAL GIRLS AND SOME OTHER AMERICANS AND WENT OUT TO SOME BARS. AT THIS POINT IM AT THE 10 DAY MARK AND THERES MORE ALCOHOL THAN BLOOD IN MY SYSTEM. THE 18TH BROUGHT THE USA VSA SLOVENIA GAME AT ELLIS PARK STADIUM WHICH IS IN A SHITTY AREA OF JOBURG. WE GOT THERE SUPER EARLY WITH SOME AMERICANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS FROM MY HOSTEL AND FOUND A HOLE IN THE WALL BAR THAT HAD A GATE OVER THE COUNTER AND SOLD CHEAPASS 32 OZ HANSA BEERS. IT WAS GREAT. WE WERE PREGAMIN WITH SOME CRAZY DRUNK SLOVENIANS THAT WERE DANCIGN AND FALLING ALL OVER. THIS WAS ABOUT 4 HOURS BEFORE THE GAME. AND HOUR CLOSER TO GAME TIME WE HAD TURNED THE BAR IN TO AN ALL AMERICAN PARTY. DURING THE GAME WE WERE ROBBED BY THE REFEREE AND SHOULDVE WON. IT WAS DARK BY THEN END SO I WENT TO A BAR IN ROSEBANK AND WATCH THE ENGLAND GAME WITH SOME AUSSIES AND BRITS. I RAN IN TO THE NEW ZEALANDERS LATER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WENT BACK TO THE BAR AFTER THE GAME IN ELLIS PARK AND THE COPS CAME IN TO THE BAR AN HOUR LATER, PUT THEM IN THE CAR, AND DROVE THEM OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TOLD THEM, "WHEN THE COPS LEAVE, THE WHITE PEOPLE GOTTA LEAVE". I GOT A TICKET TO THE AUSTRAILIA VS GHANA GAME TO NEXT DAY AND DROVE UP EARLY WITH ABOUT 12 AUSSIES. AGAIN, WE GOT A GRILL, MEAT, AND A TON OF BEER AND WENT UP TO RUSTENBURG TO TAILGATE AND WATCH THE GAME. I WAS AN HONORARY AUSSIE FOR THE DAY AND IT WAS A GOOD TIME. AUSSIES SCORED FIRST AND I WAS SITTING IN CATEGORY 1 SEATS WITH ALL THE AUSSIES, IT WAS INSANE. I WAS GIVEN AN AUSSIE SHIRT SO I COULD FIT IN WITH THE SECTION. I GOT HOOKED UP CAUSE THEY HAD AN EXTRA TICKET IN CAT 1 AND I WAS IN CAT 3. SO I MY CAT 3 AND TOOK THEIR CAT 1 AND GAVE THEM WHAT I GOT FOR CAT 3. SO I BASICALLY PAID LIKE HALF PRICE FOR BETTER SEATS. I SOLD MY BRAZIL VS IVORY COAST TICKETS BECAUSE I NEEDED A DAY OFF AND SOCCER CITY WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS TO GET TO AND FROM. WE WENT OUT WITH THESE LOCAL GIRLS WE HAD BEEN CHILLIN WITH FREQUENTLY AND THEY TOOK US TO THE JOLLY ROGER WHICH WAS A BAR THAT WAS CHEAP ENOUGH FOR US BUDGET TRAVELERS. SEEMS LIKE ALL THESE SUBURB JOBURG LOCAL GIRLS ARE RICH. ONE HAD A SHIRT THAT READ, "COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, ME...SOME THINGS ARE BETTER RICH". I THOUGHT THAT WAS HILARIOUS. GOTTA RUN. TO BE CONTINUED.

Joburg World Cup 2010

Got to joburg on the 8th and it was already goin crazy. Got to my hostel late and went out with a large group of people to a couple bars. Its cold at night in joburg and I didn't have the right clothes. I was able to get some good cheapish stuff to keep warm and got a locker at the hostel for the month so I could keep my warm weather stuff there and not need to carry it around. I'd be in joburg before I go to croatia so I can get it then. On the 10th joburg really started to get crazy. There was a concert at soccer city to start it off. I went to nelson mandela square with a couple people and had a few drinks in the insane atmosphere. Mexico had a mariache band playing with a huge crowd of mexicans right around us. In the other area there were south africans gathered singing, dancing, and blowing those obnoxious vuvuzelas. The vuvuzelas are just loud and annoying. Originally I thought it was part of their tradition but its actually relatively new. They blow em all day and everywhere. On the 11th we went back to nelson mandela square to watch the opener. We thoguht there would be more tvs but it wasn't very organized along with a lot of the stuff in south africa. We found a nice spot and shared a table with a few south africans. The place was really buzzin. When tshabalala scored the goal the place was nutsss. After the game we called these local girls who picked us up and took us to a packed bar somewhere. There, I had an epiphany. Use the vuvuzela as a funnel. For beer. A much better use for it. Then next morning was a horrible hangover but we had to make moves early. I went over to the bakery to get some food before we went to pick up the rental car. I was crossing the street when so old lady literally ran me over. I have tire marks on my shoe. She rolls down the window and has the nerve to blame me. I give her some good old disgruntled new yorker shit and she drives away. Even the secruity guard was yellin at her. we scooped some meat and the rental car and were on our way. In the wrong direction. After about 20 minutes heading south we turned around and passed the netherlands team bus. We also found a liquor store and scooped 2 cases of castle. Now we were on our way. We headed up to rustenburg for the game in our mini hyundai 3 americans and 1 brit. We even got a cheap bbq so that our tailgate was complete. We arrived in rustenburg at around 330. 5 hrs before game time. The place was packed with english and american fans. We set up our grill and started the day. At 7ish we headed to the buses to get to the game. Our seats were 3 rows behind the net that the english scored on. At halftime I got some beers and while I was waiting in line. A big old english guy cut in front of my. So I tell him, hey I'm next. He pushes me and says no your not. I feel a grab on my hoodie and a younger englishman tells me not to mess with that guy and just let him go. So I jump back in line behind him and let it go. I'm guessing he was prob some hooligan I shouldn't fuck with. He apoligized after he got his beer for pushing me and I shrugged it off. A 1-1 draw was a good outcome and hopefully we can score more goals than them in the next 2 games. We got back to the car and tailgated some more. We were the last car left in the lot by 230ish. We still had to drive 2 hrs. So far joburg has been really expensive and disorganized. The public transport is not what it should be. They need atleast another year before they are ready. And sony fucked up nelson mandelsa square so fuck sony right now. Coulda been a lot better there. I'm off to durban for a couple days and then back to joburg on the 17th.

End Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana

My last day in Pongwe i walked around to the area where the staff stayed and came across my bar man from the night before. He showed me their "gym" which was just a too-narrow weight bench with some coffee cans that were filled with cement for weights. I showed him some exercises and finally got my blood pumping. Forgot how necessary it was for my day. I also managed to get him to trade me a Pongwe staff shirt which is my new favorite shirt and very hard to get according to the manager. I left Zanibar a few hours later on a 8 seat plane in which i was sitting almost directly behind the pilot. it was kinda cool and kinda scary at the same time. I had a night in Dar that was restful and then caught my 730 am flight to Joburg then 1125 am flight to vic falls, Zimbabwe. I landed in vic falls and got in an argument with a power trippin immigrations officer that i shoulda put in his place, but i was tired and just wanted to get settled so i left it alone. My first day i was at shoestrings hostel which looked like a nice laidback place to rest after full days off doing shit. Turns out they blast music right outside the rooms till 12 am and the fuckin kids that stay they dont know hostel etiquette. anyway, i switched places the next night cause im not here to party, i have like 2 months of that ahead of me. I took a day tour to Chobe Game Reserve in Botswana and started it off with a river cruise through the reserve. this was a nice new way to get up and close to the animals and we saw some great stuff. like 12 foot long crocodiles and heards of hippo and elephant. after the cruise we did a game drive in a safari truck and saw more of the same. I went back and check into a new spot and watched the sun set. i also hit up this thing called Boma which was a huge bbq and african drumming. i ate warthog, ostrich, buffalo, and impala. The next day i went to check out the falls. I got fuckin soaked on the bridge in zambia and enjoy a nice drizzle on the zimbabwe side. words cant explain the falls so ill post pics soon. later that day i went on a sunset cruise down the zambezi above the falls. The lady at shoestrings said depending on who goes it will either be a relaxing sun set cruise or a booze cruise. Mine was the latter. We had an overland truck safari of youngins about 27 of them, plus me, and 4 guys from joburg. by the end of the 3 hour cruise i had my shirt off along with almost everybody else and had ochestrated a successful shotgunning circle on the bottom deck. Oh i forgot to mention it was all you can drink. After the cruise we all went back to shoestrings to keep it going. I woke up the next morning at 6am for my walk with the lions and to a headache. The lion walk was incredible and i got to pet the lions and chill with them. they were 13 months old and being released back into the wild for good at 18 months. they werent being kept in captivity and had a whole park to roam in. the only defense i had was a stick and the word NO. It was a real sweet experience. I went back and took a nap and got scooped up by a guy to go on a helicopter ride over the falls. I really didnt skimp on my itinerary here, theres just too much good stuff to see. I had a 15 minute ride over the falls in a small helicopter and it really was worth it. im leaving for Joburg tom and the Nigerians are already starting riots. Just my luck British Airways goes on strike from the 5th to the 9th of july. I got lucky and was able to rebook through South African Air. Just gotta get to Joburg.

ZANZIBAR

GOT ON AN EARLY MORNING FLIGHT FROM NAIROBI TO ZANZIBAR THAT GOT ME IN AT 9 AM. ZANZIBAR IS KNOWN FOR ITS SPICES AND ITS MAIN TOWN CALLED STONE TOWN WHICH IS THE ONLY ACTIVE TOWN IN AFRICA PROTECTED BY UNESCO. THIS FRENCH LADY ON MY SAFARI HAD THE SAME FLIGHT AS ME AS WELL AS THE SAME SCHEDULE AND WAS EVEN STAY IN THE SAME PLACE AS ME THE 2ND NIGHT. SHE HAD ALREADY PAID FOR TRANSPORT TO 2 PLACES AND A SPICE TOUR ON THE ISLAND SO I JUMPED IN HER CABS AND WENT ON THE TOUR. ALL I HAD TO PAY WAS LIKE 50,000 TSH, WHICH IS LIKE 30 BUCKS. I SAVED LIKE 150+ DOLLARS IT WAS AWESOME. STONE TOWN WAS SUPER TOURISTY AND I WAS NOT IN TO IT. AFTER THAT TAXING SAFARI ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS RELAX. I WALKED AROUND THE TOWN, WHICH WAS UNIQUE AND COOL BUT DIRTY AND RIDDLE WITH ANNOYING TOUTS THAT SAW ME ONLY AS A WALKING DOLLAR SIGN, AND ATE SOME LUNCH ON THE BEACH. ON THE WAY TO THE BEACH A MAN CAME UP TO ME AND STARTED WALKING WITH ME. I KNEW HE WANTED TO SHOW ME AROUND SO THAT I HAD TO TIP HIM LATER BUT I WASN’T HAVING IT. I TOLD HIM I WAS HEADING TO PONGWE TOMORROW AND HE LEFT WHEN I SAT DOWN TO EAT. WHILE I WAS EATING ANOTHER ANNOYING GUY CAME UP AND TRIED TO TELL ME ABOUT HIS VAN THAT HE WAS BRINGING TOURISTS TO OTHER BEACHES ON THE ISLAND. I LIED TO HIM AND TOLD HIM I WAS STAYING IN STONE TOWN. I RAN IN TO HIM OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY PROBABLY ABOUT 5 MORE TIMES, THE LAST BEING THE FUNNIEST. AFTER LUNCH I TOOK A NAP AND AWOKE JUST IN TIME FOR THE NIGHT FISH MARKET. THERE WERE AROUND 30 TABLES SET UP ON FORODHANI GARDENS RIGHT ON THE WATER WHERE LOCALS HAD FRESH FISH DISPLAYED AND READY TO EAT. I TOOK A LAP AROUND THE TABLES AND THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE SMART OFR MY STOMACH BUT IT WAS ONE OF THE FAMOUS THINGS TO DO IN ZANZIBAR. THE FISH WAS FRESH NO DOUBT BUT IT WAS JUST SITTING OUT ON THE TABLE AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT DID NOT LOOK TOO CLEAN. BEHIND EACH ROW OF TABLES WERE A FEW GRILLS. ONE OF THE GUYS FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY SHOWED ME HIS TABLE WHICH HAD A FEW PEOPLE EATING AT IT SO I SAID FUCK IT AND TRIED THE PRAWNS AND SLIPPER LOBSTER. THE FISH TASTED FRESH AND WELL COOKED/SPICED. I GAVE SOME LEFT OVERS TO A CAT SITTING BESIDE ME. THEN I RAN IN TO THE GUY WHO I LIED TO, AND HE TOLD ME HE SPOKE TO THE OTHER GUY AND ASKED WHY THE MAN THOUGHT I WAS GOING WHEN I SAID I WAS STAYING. I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW SMALL A TOWN IT WAS UNTIL I WAS CAUGHT IN MY LIE. I LOOK AT BOTH THE MEN, TURNED, AND WEASLED MY WAY THROUGH THE CROWD. I GOT A FEW BEERS ON THE BEACH AND GOT SOME REST. THE NEXT DAY I MET GAELLE, THE FRENCH LADY FROM MY SAFARI. WE WENT ON THIS SPICE TOUR THAT SHOWED US ALL THE FRESH GROWING SPICE PLANTS AND FRUIT PLANTS ON A PRIVATE PLANTATION. WE ATE SOME FRESH FRUIT OFF THE TREES AND SMELT ALL THE FRESH NUTMEG AND VANILLA AND EVEN LEARNED THAT CHEWING ON CARDAMON SEEDS WILL DESTROY ALL TRACES OF ALCOHOL ON YOUR BREATH. AT THE END OF THE TOUR GAELLE WAS BUYING SOME SPICES AND I DECIDED TO TALK TO THE GUIDE. THE GUIDE WAS ABOUT 25 YEARS OLD AND IT WAS HIS FAMILIES PLANTATION. HE TOLD ME ABOUT SOME PAPAYA ALCOHOL THAT THEY MADE FROM PAPAYA AND MANDARIN ORANGES. OF COURSE, I HAD TO TRY THIS CONCOCTION. HE BOUGHT OUT A SMALL DIRTY WATER BOTTLE HALF FULL AND A DIRTY 5OZ GLASS AND POURED ME A SHOT. THE SMELL WAS STRONG LIKE 151 RUM. THE SHOT HIT ME JUST AS HARD AS THE SMELL BUT THE AFTER TASTE WAS PLESANT AND FRUITY. HE GAVE ME THE REST OF THE BOTTLE TO HAVE FOR THE BEACH. CRAZY MZUNGU. WE LEFT THERE AND WENT OUT TO PONGWE WHERE ID BE STAYING FOR 2 NIGHTS. I GOT A GREAT VALUE HOTEL ON THE BEACH FOR A GREAT PRICE AND AT PERFECT TIMING BETWEEN THE SAFARI AND THE WORLD CUP. THIS PLACE IS UNREAL, JUST PARADISE, AND VERY CHEAP FOR WHAT IT IS. THE FRESHEST SEAFOOD AND CHEAP DRINKS AND IN CRYSTAL CLEAR OCEAN. THERES NOTHING BETTER. I FINISHED MY BOOK, THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR AND NOW NEED A NEW BOOK. I FOUND ONE AT THE TAKE A BOOK/LEAVE A BOOK IN THE LAST HOSTEL. CROSS COUNTRY BY JAMES PATTERSON. IT WAS A SHORT 412 PAGES AND I FINISHED IT IN LESS THAN A DAY RELAXING ON THE BEACH IN A HAMMOCK. I KAYAKED TWICE AND FINALLY GOT MY BLOOD FLOWING A LITTLE BIT. I HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL IDEA TO START IN ZANZIBAR ON A STRIP OF BEACH AND IT WOULD BE AWESOME. LET ME KNOW IF YOUR INTERESTED I DON’T WANT TO GIVE AWAY THE IDEA. I THINK WHEN I START MAKING SOME MONEY IT WILL BE MY FIRST INVESTMENT.ANYWAY, TOMORROW I FLY TO DAR ES SALAAM WHERE I WILL BE FOR THE NIGHT BECAUSE MY FLIGHT IS AT 730AM TO JOBURG, THEN A 1125 AM FLIGHT TO VIC FALLS.IN VIC FALLS I WILL GET TO SEE ONE OF THE WORLD WONDERS IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST WATERFALLS IN THE WORLD.I WILL BE IN ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE.I WILL ALSO PROBABLY DO A GAME DRIVE TO CHOBE IN BOTSWANA TO SEE SOME MORE LION AND MAYBE A RHINO.JUNE 8TH I ARRIVE IN JOBURG TO START MY WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA.