Jamie (Mac) warned me that it was going to be culture shock. Thoughts raced through my mind that it was going to be like District 9. Full on third world inner city congestion. An array of all the potential threats that were presented to us that would be our ultimate demise by the private security firm that prepped us at the beginning of our trip. I had visions of the worst aspects of Manhattan, Nairobi, Mexico City and few other international cities all rolled together.
We arrived this morning at the Johannesburg airport and were transported to the Sandton Towers but our newest CABS driver Ignacious. Sandton is essentially a walled city suburb of Johannesburg.
Ezra, Street and Jamie (Squire) have told me they spend their days walking from the Towers to the ‘mall’ and today I followed their steps. After just a couple hours I can’t tell you how ready I am to get the hell out of here! Talk about culture shock! The local team members ushered us through the corridors because I would have been lost without an escort. Lars and I met Stuart Franklin and Martin Rose for lunch before they headed to the airport to catch flights to their German homes. It is the biggest, nicest, most crowded mall I have ever seen in the world. I couldn't get out quick enough.
More glitz and glamour and food and goods for sale than one can imagine, especially I am sure more than the kids in the nearby Townships could even dream of. I figure I saw more people in the mall today that live in our retreat town of Fish Hoek. Can’t wait to get back to the lodge.And as for the less than 24 hours on the ground time seems to be lost there as well. Our last day spent in Durban revealed just that. We had a 6:30AM car to the airport after our car delivered us to the Sandton Towers in Johannesburg after 1:00 earlier that morning. We beat traffic and arrived at the Jo’burg airport with enough time to spare to get yet another terminally mediocre breakfast.
Our estimated arrival time in Durban is 11:10AM. We arrive on schedule and our ever faithful driver Welcome has met us with the luggage trailer we requested attached to his 10 passenger van which seats would now be filled with the addition of Ryan and Hewitt. Again we have not enough time to do anything and too much time to do nothing. The Netherlands v Slovakia match up has not drawn a lot of media and therefore tension is low for barging the field at the two hour window prior to the match. I have the Visa tour duties today so I have to be ready to go three hours before the match. This manages to kill a little time for me. After finishing I figure I have enough time to grab some food in the media center. The line is long, 20 people, but I figure I will wait it out so I can have some institutionally prepared cuisine to get me through the match. Exhaustion has set in at this point and locomotion has become automated and my vision fuzzy. As I stand there in my stupor I realize the line is not moving. I glance to the head of the line again and after minutes I realize the same people are occupying the front. Another glance of the time has shown that 15 minutes have passed and the ‘chef’ serving the fodder has disappeared. Word is passed up and down the line that he has run out of food and has returned to the kitchen to find out why the resupply chain has broken down. I decide to cut my losses and cut to the register and get snacks and drinks for sustenance. A grim selection of prepackaged junk food has provided me with a candy bar and a coke. Lunch of champions and the media hoard. I collect my gear and as I head for the door of the media center I see the people at the front of the line being served their mystery meat of the day. I arrive at my seat which is the farthest distance from the field entry today, get my computer and gear sorted and dive into my sugar laden lunch. I washed it down with a bottle of water just in time for the T minus 45 minute Visa tour. I have completed the tour and realized the need to relieve myself of the fluids. No time. The masses are gathering behind the ropes for the escort to the team benches for introductions. The sprinklers have misted Jamie’s remote, so while he wiped the lens I am toting his gear and angling to save two spots at midfield. Not a great crush of media for Slovakia so we are safe. With pressure building during the first half I am meditating on the fact that I will not be able to make the trek to the toilet until after the game. Nothing is simple. My dream job requires about a one mile round trip jaunt to the toilet at this venue. I have my third Visa tour which dominates halftime which will then leave my praying for the game to end after the second half and not be required to go extra time so as to not risk permanent bladder damage. Done and dusted The Netherlands go through and I rush for the media center. All team members collected we make the first available dinner reservation for 8:30PM. A nicely prepared meal at 9th Avenue more than meets our needs and an 11:00PM bedtime looks like a reality! Better yet a 9:00AM car departure in the morning should render more than eight hours sleep! A brief panicked awakening at 5:30AM has let me settle back in for a couple more hours before my 8:00AM alarm. Back to the Durban airport for the last time of this World Cup has found us at the Rhapsody restaurant again and with an 11:30AM departure schedule I feel rested and excited at the realization that we have finally beaten the system and have spend 24 hours and 20 minutes in Durban. Next stop Green Point Stadium in Cape Town for the battle of the border of the neighbors as Spain takes on Portugal for a spot in the final eight. Weather forecast…….rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment