Day 14... The first game...

I woke up at about 12, and had breakfast... The game was being played in the evening and there were 2 earlier games than that... I wasn't all that interested in the others (and I wasn't allowed to watch the early one as a Springbok game was on)... I was here to see one team play, and that's all I was interested in. I was in the bat early as the weather was awful... No chance to climb Table Mountain today...

Zaid asked me if I wanted to play him in pool. I haven't explained Zaid yet. Zaid is a 9-year-old pool shark. Naadia that runs the backpackers and the bar at The Castle. Zaid's Dad runs The Castle's sister hotel, The Kimberley. While Zaid is on school holidays, he has nowhere else to be as both his parents are working... So he is hanging out in the pub...

I had met him on a few occasions, but when I first arrived most of his attention had been taken by the Aussie boys that were there before me. Now they were gone, it was my turn to play him in pool. Of course, the first time I was challenged I didn't want to play him... Because I had seen him play... This kid is a bit special... He plays like a 9-year-old (he doesn't line shots up as well as he should, he doesn't really consider where the ball will end up etc.) but he can hit the ball straight and he can read the table well... We played half a dozen games and I crushed him... Admittedly I got lucky a bit, but I was happy not to humiliate myself as so many before me had...

Before I left the bar, Lionel recommended I buy some sachets of booze, so I wouldn't have to buy anything at the inflated stadium prices. For a pair of plastic sachets, with one shot of whiskey, rum or tequila in each, it was ZAR7.5 (or about A$1.20). Took some rum for me and some whiskey for dad...

Watched part of the second game and then decided that I would need to head toward the stadium... Got a lift to the bus stop and then got on the Stadium Shuttle Bus from the Cape Town Civic Centre... The buzz on the bus could be felt... Everyone was excited, including me...

Arrived at the stadium stop and the short walk to the gate... Flags and vuvuzelas were going crazy... Not only the flags of the participating teams either, but flags of all the participating nations, plus plenty of South African flags... Walked up to the stadium and found the gate (as usual, the furthest one from where I entered)... Walked in and found my seat. Lower level, Row 2 seat 7... The second row from the front... Sweet...

As I sat down, the rain started falling... So I got up and bought a 500mL Coke to mix my Rum with... Tasty! As the game neared I sat down and the ran became intermittent...

Of course, as the game started, the rain got heavier and heavier... Paraguay scored and Italy were playing like shit... I decided that I wasn't going to put up with getting soaked and watching a team play like crap, so I stood up at the back under the shelters...

It was much better there, I started to dry out, Italy scored, and all was well... At the end of the game, I did the fan walk which was marked out through the streets of Cape Town... It was a pleasant and, halfway through, incredibly soaking 25 minute walk... I was supposed to meet up with people for a drink, but when I got to The Castle, SOAKED, I grabbed a couple of beers and decided not to call the people I was supposed to go out with... A quiet night and straight to bed to warm up...