Watch our Road to the World Cup video!!! You read about us all summer, now you can see us in action across Africa!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBxqezGnthQ
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Zambia and our Last Days in Africa
Blog By: KZ
Oh my God! Wait, what happened? We’re suddenly back in Dar es Salaam?! Our Africa trip is over??? Noooooooooooooooooo!
SYKE!!!
Aly and I may be leaving the Dark Continent, but we’re headed to the Promise Land, literally--- Israel, to visit fellow Gonzaga alum and friend, Jason Koch, who was with us in Johannesburg during the first part of the World Cup. Jason has spent the past couple months working for Boeing in Tel Aviv and easily convinced Aly and I to make the trip over to Israel. So get ready Israel, here we come!
As for Jen and Danny, they are headed north to the little town of Moshi where they’ll spend five days volunteering and reuniting with the little ones at Light in Africa Orphanage whom Jen sees a couple times a year, and whom Danny met three years ago during our first trip to Africa.
Willy and Stan will make their way back to the starting point, Nairobi, where they will jump head first into Safari season in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru with Jen and his company, Poa Travel and Tours.
But first, before we all part ways, I have to blog about the last week we spent in Zambia! If there is one place that you must visit when you make it over to Africa, it is absolutely imperative that you come to Livingstone, Zambia, and visit Victoria Falls. Not only is it one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but, to some, it is said to be a sight that changes lives. Now, over the past few months, we’ve seen dirty, ugly, beautiful and breath-taking, but experiencing this one and a quarter mile of natural beauty is truly indescribable. In total, we spent two days at the falls. Our first day was spent facing the falls, seeing the powerful overflow of the Zambezi River crash 160 meters to the rock bottom. When facing the falls, the water is so commanding that it is impossible not to get soaking wet. Willy, Jen and I chose to wear Zambia’s most stylish and popular form of rain protection, a poncho, while Aly and Danny wore their bathing suits and welcomed the mist and rainfall with open arms. At the falls there were different viewpoints where you could stop and take pictures or just stand in awe of what was in front of you. It was a cloudless day, which to me, translated as a spectacular photo shoot for the falls, but the water was in such enormity and fell with such might that it created a foggy mist which made it virtually impossible to capture the beauty of the falls. This was one of those moments where you just had to stand back and take in the beauty solely with your own eyes, surrendering to nature and leaving all technology behind. At one of the viewpoints we were able to see where people bungee jump off the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe. As we watched people one-by-one fall forward off the bridge, any desire that I once had to jump vanished. I bungee jumped in Thailand two years ago off a 50 meter platform and that was a high enough jump for me. This jump, however, was more than three times higher than the jump I did making it a very easy decision for me to remain a spectator and not a player. Aly and I spent the rest of the afternoon bargaining our money away at a Zambian market for none other but salad tongs, shelled bracelets, wooden bowls and tribal figurines while the rest of the group prepared for the night’s event, a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi.
On our second day at the falls we all decided that we’d like to have a different view, so that led us to none other than being single passengers on a microlight plane flight over the falls. A microlight plane is an open aired plane which functions like a hang glider, but with an engine. After receiving our ‘boarding passes’ from Botaka Sky Airlines, we zipped up our blue jumpsuits and one by one took our flights. The flight lasted 15 minutes, and at first, that seemed too short for the amount of money we were spending, but looking back on the experience, 15 minutes was the perfect amount of time to spend in the air over the falls. All of our flight experiences were different, but after we all touched down, everyone was raving about the utter beauty that we just experienced from above. Our pilots were extremely informational, telling us how July is one of the best months to see the falls, contrary to October where the river runs dry and there is nothing to see. Aly and Danny even were able to fly the plane themselves. Danny described his piloting experience as feeling like at any point the plane could be ripped out of the sky. Even though you had complete control in the air, the strength of the wind made it feel like you had no control. The plane I flew in did not have handles for the passenger to drive, but to be honest, I was quite content with locking my arms to the back of the pilots seat, breaking away only to take pictures with the camera that was secured on the plane’s left wing. Even Willy, who had trouble driving up and down the sand dunes in Namibia because of the height, loved his experience. Between you and me though, he secretly whispered to Aly and I that he would never do anything like this ever again. The microlight flight was definitely a highlight of all of our trips. To be above the falls and to see everything below, including the Zambezi River, all the animals that lived in and around the river; hippos, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, etc., the multitude of rainbows that formed in and around falls and flying over Zambia or over Zimbabwe in a matter of seconds was something that will forever be on all of our top ten lists.
The days remaining after Victoria Falls were mostly spent driving. We dropped Robin and Bobby off in Lusaka and continued our drive back to Tanzania, stopping only in the evenings for food and sleep. The days were long, but we passed the time playing Yahtzee, Catchphrase and Scramble.
It’s hard to believe that this month and a half has come and gone. After literally years of planning this trip it is finally over. We came, we saw, we conquered, and we had a whole lot of fun doing it.
To recap, here is a top ten list of the coolest things we did on this trip of a lifetime:
TOP TEN COOLEST THINGS DONE IN AFRICA 2010
10. Visiting Cape Point, the southernmost point on the African continent
9. Hiking Table Mountain, Capetown, South Africa
8. Wine tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa
7. Sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi River, Livingstone, Zambia
6. Hiking up Dune 45 at sunrise in Sossusvlei, Namibia
5. Walking through the mist of Victoria Falls Livingstone, Zambia
4. Quad biking through the Namibia desert, Swakopkmund, Namibia
3. USA vs. Algeria match (6/23/2010) when Landon Donovan scored the winning goal in the 91st minute! Pretoria, South Africa
2. Microlight plane flight over Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia
1. Traveling 10,500 miles through 7 countries in 4 weeks!!!
Oh my God! Wait, what happened? We’re suddenly back in Dar es Salaam?! Our Africa trip is over??? Noooooooooooooooooo!
SYKE!!!
Aly and I may be leaving the Dark Continent, but we’re headed to the Promise Land, literally--- Israel, to visit fellow Gonzaga alum and friend, Jason Koch, who was with us in Johannesburg during the first part of the World Cup. Jason has spent the past couple months working for Boeing in Tel Aviv and easily convinced Aly and I to make the trip over to Israel. So get ready Israel, here we come!
As for Jen and Danny, they are headed north to the little town of Moshi where they’ll spend five days volunteering and reuniting with the little ones at Light in Africa Orphanage whom Jen sees a couple times a year, and whom Danny met three years ago during our first trip to Africa.
Willy and Stan will make their way back to the starting point, Nairobi, where they will jump head first into Safari season in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru with Jen and his company, Poa Travel and Tours.
But first, before we all part ways, I have to blog about the last week we spent in Zambia! If there is one place that you must visit when you make it over to Africa, it is absolutely imperative that you come to Livingstone, Zambia, and visit Victoria Falls. Not only is it one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but, to some, it is said to be a sight that changes lives. Now, over the past few months, we’ve seen dirty, ugly, beautiful and breath-taking, but experiencing this one and a quarter mile of natural beauty is truly indescribable. In total, we spent two days at the falls. Our first day was spent facing the falls, seeing the powerful overflow of the Zambezi River crash 160 meters to the rock bottom. When facing the falls, the water is so commanding that it is impossible not to get soaking wet. Willy, Jen and I chose to wear Zambia’s most stylish and popular form of rain protection, a poncho, while Aly and Danny wore their bathing suits and welcomed the mist and rainfall with open arms. At the falls there were different viewpoints where you could stop and take pictures or just stand in awe of what was in front of you. It was a cloudless day, which to me, translated as a spectacular photo shoot for the falls, but the water was in such enormity and fell with such might that it created a foggy mist which made it virtually impossible to capture the beauty of the falls. This was one of those moments where you just had to stand back and take in the beauty solely with your own eyes, surrendering to nature and leaving all technology behind. At one of the viewpoints we were able to see where people bungee jump off the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe. As we watched people one-by-one fall forward off the bridge, any desire that I once had to jump vanished. I bungee jumped in Thailand two years ago off a 50 meter platform and that was a high enough jump for me. This jump, however, was more than three times higher than the jump I did making it a very easy decision for me to remain a spectator and not a player. Aly and I spent the rest of the afternoon bargaining our money away at a Zambian market for none other but salad tongs, shelled bracelets, wooden bowls and tribal figurines while the rest of the group prepared for the night’s event, a sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi.
On our second day at the falls we all decided that we’d like to have a different view, so that led us to none other than being single passengers on a microlight plane flight over the falls. A microlight plane is an open aired plane which functions like a hang glider, but with an engine. After receiving our ‘boarding passes’ from Botaka Sky Airlines, we zipped up our blue jumpsuits and one by one took our flights. The flight lasted 15 minutes, and at first, that seemed too short for the amount of money we were spending, but looking back on the experience, 15 minutes was the perfect amount of time to spend in the air over the falls. All of our flight experiences were different, but after we all touched down, everyone was raving about the utter beauty that we just experienced from above. Our pilots were extremely informational, telling us how July is one of the best months to see the falls, contrary to October where the river runs dry and there is nothing to see. Aly and Danny even were able to fly the plane themselves. Danny described his piloting experience as feeling like at any point the plane could be ripped out of the sky. Even though you had complete control in the air, the strength of the wind made it feel like you had no control. The plane I flew in did not have handles for the passenger to drive, but to be honest, I was quite content with locking my arms to the back of the pilots seat, breaking away only to take pictures with the camera that was secured on the plane’s left wing. Even Willy, who had trouble driving up and down the sand dunes in Namibia because of the height, loved his experience. Between you and me though, he secretly whispered to Aly and I that he would never do anything like this ever again. The microlight flight was definitely a highlight of all of our trips. To be above the falls and to see everything below, including the Zambezi River, all the animals that lived in and around the river; hippos, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, etc., the multitude of rainbows that formed in and around falls and flying over Zambia or over Zimbabwe in a matter of seconds was something that will forever be on all of our top ten lists.
The days remaining after Victoria Falls were mostly spent driving. We dropped Robin and Bobby off in Lusaka and continued our drive back to Tanzania, stopping only in the evenings for food and sleep. The days were long, but we passed the time playing Yahtzee, Catchphrase and Scramble.
It’s hard to believe that this month and a half has come and gone. After literally years of planning this trip it is finally over. We came, we saw, we conquered, and we had a whole lot of fun doing it.
To recap, here is a top ten list of the coolest things we did on this trip of a lifetime:
TOP TEN COOLEST THINGS DONE IN AFRICA 2010
10. Visiting Cape Point, the southernmost point on the African continent
9. Hiking Table Mountain, Capetown, South Africa
8. Wine tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa
7. Sunset booze cruise on the Zambezi River, Livingstone, Zambia
6. Hiking up Dune 45 at sunrise in Sossusvlei, Namibia
5. Walking through the mist of Victoria Falls Livingstone, Zambia
4. Quad biking through the Namibia desert, Swakopkmund, Namibia
3. USA vs. Algeria match (6/23/2010) when Landon Donovan scored the winning goal in the 91st minute! Pretoria, South Africa
2. Microlight plane flight over Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia
1. Traveling 10,500 miles through 7 countries in 4 weeks!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A Desktop Wallpaper Background
Blog post by Aly
I think there are many times in our lives when we look around us and wonder – what’s going to happen next? For many of us on this road trip we are in a time of major transitioning. I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing this next year, let alone what I’ll be doing at the end of the month; Danny and KZ both have seasonal jobs in the mountains this winter; Blake is switching jobs and moving to the opposite coast when he gets back next week. Both Andrew Engel and Jason Koch, who were added to the mix for a little while in S. Africa, are also in a sort of a transitioning period. Jason’s currently living in Israel for about a 6 month period with his job, and was able to come over for the weekend; Andrew is nearing the end of his Peace Corps experience in Tanzania. Robin’s friend, Bobby, who joined us in SA and will be in the van for the rest of the trip, is also transitioning to a new home and a new job when he gets back. Maybe it’s a coincidence that we’re all going through a similar stage, or perhaps it’s just easier to pick up and leave for a month or two when you’re going through a period of transitioning… either way, the question has come into my mind many times… so what next? Here we are on this amazing journey and I can’t help but think about what I’ll do when I get back to Hawaii. Part of me thinks I need to just forget about it until I’m back, but part of me is grateful that it’s on my mind – it makes it that much more poignant that this experience is one that really is ‘once in a lifetime’. We can plan for Brazil 2014, or any other trip, but like KZ talked about before, and she’s right, the reality is that we’ll be at such a different stage in our life – hopefully we’ll be able to go, but for 7 weeks? So while staring out the window for hours at a time, I’m not really that worried about what I’ll do next… but I am so grateful to be able to experience this now. It’s been amazing. We have felt the way this single sport has brought together an entire continent, and although Ghana lost to Uruguay and was the final African country to be eliminated, it’s pretty incredible to see how proud South Africa is of being able to host such an extraordinary event; that pride seems to resonate throughout the rest of Africa as well.
The two weeks in South Africa went by in a blur; being able to spend the time together in Johannesburg and Cape Town with so many close friends was incredible. KZ captured the essence of the World Cup phenomena perfectly, and that was only part of what was so great about being there. It’s not often that you’re able to take so much time to experience something amazing with people you love to be around.
It was sad crossing the border over into Namibia knowing that our journey back to TZ had begun. If you’ve never heard it from anyone before, let me be the first to tell you – you have to come to South Africa! Cape Town is now one of my favorite cities. It’s in such a beautiful location and has so much to offer. As you drive East down the coast line the countryside just gets more beautiful. Their wine country is never-ending, and the different points (like Cape Point) have so much natural beauty, it’s unreal. Most of us agree that this is a place we could live for a few years, and if nothing else, we are all planning to come back.
Namibia. As I looked out through the backseat window of the van at the desolate, dry countryside we were driving through, I questioned how we wound up here. We drove for hours without seeing one other vehicle or human being on the road. Literally, there was NOTHING. An animal ran across the dirt road in front of the van which caused Blake to slam on the brakes, but the surprising thing is that I don’t think any of us even flinched. After driving for a few days on bumpy dirt roads, there’s not much that can rattle us in the van. Our heads hit the windows, our butts hurt, and sometimes, when we’re feeling a bit adventurous, we throw our hands in the air and pretend we’re on a roller coaster. I will never again take paved roads for granted.
This place is different. Often when I travel, I find myself comparing one countryside to another that I’ve seen before; it’s an easy way for us to make connections and link our experiences together. The hike out to the lighthouses at Cape Point reminded me of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, the drive along the coast has a few times reminded us of Cinque Terre in Italy, we recalled both the Tuscany region and Napa Valley while we were wine tasting around Stellenbosh, and many times during our drive through Mozambique and zimbabwe someone would comment “wow, I feel like I’m driving through Idaho right now…” (Yup, there have been some boring parts of this drive!) But looking out over the countryside here is different. It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. I hadn’t ever been told I needed to come to Namibia until we started planning this trip. I heard “there is an amazing canyon that has to be seen”, “the dunes are unbelievable”, and “the country is just beautiful – you will love it.”
Beautiful. When I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time a few years ago I was in shock – it’s stunning. The surrounding area is filled with life and beauty and the canyon itself is stroked with vibrant colors all about. I guess I had an idea that this canyon in Namibia would be similar. It’s not. The beauty from this canyon is much like the beauty I’ve seen all over this country. I’m not even sure that beautiful is the way I should describe it. It’s so desolate, dry, vast, and empty, but even with all of that there is a sense of amazement that we have all been struck with. How does anything survive here? How can we drive 250K and not see a single soul, and then all of a sudden come to a lively area with hot springs and people everywhere? Where did they come from?!? What is this place?!?! Where are we?!?! I think each one of us has actually asked one of these questions out loud at different points in the last few days.
The dunes are a huge part of the Namibian landscape. Again, I wanted to compare them to something; maybe they’re like the dunes we saw in Tunisia. I had this idea that once you see one dune, haven’t you kind of seen them all?? I was wrong. We woke up at 4:30 and drove the van out for sunrise on the dunes. All around us were these dunes, but all we saw were light forms in the far off distance that were more like rolling hills – these are not dunes, I thought. As the sun came up, sure enough we were surrounded by sand and more sand and huge mounds of sand! The dunes were everywhere. And they were unbelievable. We decided to climb to the top of one that was near us, and watch the sun rise. Each minute as the sun was rising, the dunes around us were changing color; as the sun shone brighter the dunes became a more vibrant red… I probably could have stayed there for another hour – it really was incredible.
The drive from the southern part of Namibia up through the desolate countryside and 100’s of Kilometers of dunes has been bumpy, dusty (really, REALLY dusty), and a little ‘twilight zone’ at times. As we got closer to the coast I was expecting the dunes to go away and there to be some sort of vegetation and life before we came to the water. But there was nothing. In Lonely Planet it said “this is the place where dunes meet water”. It really is. The waves literally crash into the rolling sand dunes. As we drove on the highway toward Swakopmund we all just kept looking out the left window towards the ocean, only feet away, and then out the right window towards the desert, sand dunes for miles, way past how far we could see. It was bizarre.
KZ and Blake went sandboarding (like snowboarding but on the dunes) and they, along with Willy, Jen, and Bobby went Quad biking. Robin went on a ‘living’ tour through the desert, and Danny and I have spent the time trying to just relax – we’ve walked through the city a lot, seen the markets, and gone to the freezing Atlantic ocean (but, not in it!) I still haven’t gotten used to the surroundings in the couple of days we’ve been here, and wonder how and why there’s a town here anyway?!?! With our time in Namibia coming to a close, I’m still at a loss of descriptive words to try to explain what it’s like here. It was said many different times that a lot of the places we've been here are identical to different desktop wallpaper backgrounds...maybe that's the only way to explain it!
So, Blake leaves the day after tomorrow – we’ll miss him!! He’s been a great addition these last few weeks. After that we’re off to Livingstone to go to Victoria Falls for a couple days (so excited!!), and then we trek back up to Dar. We looked at a map yesterday and it’s pretty crazy to see where we are on the West coast of the continent and where we have to be in ten days on the complete opposite coast - take a look!
Until next time...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Feel It: It Is Here
Blog By: KZ
“Feel It: It Is Here” is one of the slogans of the World Cup, and after being here just about 10 days, the intense and crazy madness of this tournament is not only felt, but forever embedded in our minds and hearts. I think aside from being able to be a spectator at one of the most highly acclaimed sporting events the world offers, what has been equally inspiring has been to experience the sense of pride and unity this tournament has given to South Africa and the entire continent of Africa. Another slogan that you see on most World Cup commercials is “Once in a Lifetime,” and this rings true for most of the people who have been involved in this tournament. South Africa is probably the only country in Africa that will be able to host an event like this. Unless other countries are able to strengthen their economic sectors, organizational systems and overall infrastructures, no country will be able to host something of this magnitude any time soon. For all the non-African residents, “Once in a Lifetime” also has great meaning. Take our entire group, for example; by the grace of God we all have been able to have the time and finances to take this great trip. Although we all talk about reconnecting in 2014 in Brazil for the next World Cup, the truth is, we will all be in different points in our lives and possibly have to factor in year-round jobs, spouses (who knows?!), finances and maybe even children (dear God!). So when reflecting on what this year’s World Cup means to Africa, as well as the impact it has on myself and the rest of the group, I think it’s pretty darn amazing that we are here and able to experience the madness and wonderfulness of this event.
Yesterday (June 26th), USA lost to Ghana. Myself, Aly, Jen, Blake and Willy sat for four hours glued to the TV in a Spur restaurant (which is like Red Robin back home). Although it was sad to see the US lose and end their time here in South Africa, there was something bittersweet about Ghana’s win. So, yes, the US lost and we won’t be able to cheer for them in any more games, but the flip side of it is that Ghana, Africa’s last remaining team, is now advancing to the quarter finals. I don’t think it is a lack of patriotism for why I feel OK with Ghana advancing, I think it is the realization of the bigger picture. Unfortunately, Bafana Bafana did not advance to Stage 2, but because Ghana did, all of Africa is behind them with full force. Africa is one step closer to winning the World Cup and to see the unity of this continent and the immense support they have for their last remaining team is incredible.
My experience here has been incredible. Can’t you tell? So far, I have been able to go to three games: Mexico vs. Uruguay, USA vs. Algeria and Honduras vs. Switzerland. Because all of our tickets were won in a lottery, we really didn’t have much choice when it came to games. But regardless of if the game was the best so far in the tournament (USA vs. Algeria) or, quite possibly, the worst (Honduras vs. Switzerland), my experience hasn’t been slighted. One of the best parts of the World Cup is meeting fans from all over the world. It was so fun at all of the games to come together with people and celebrate soccer. Rarely was there a case when rivalry got in the way or when fans turned ugly. On the day of my first game (June 22nd, Mexico vs. Uruguay), Aly and I decided to have a sign made with the hope that we would get on TV. Since I am from Hawaii and she has been living there for the past two years it was fitting that our sign read, “We Swam Here From Hawaii.” To enhance our sign and blatantly call more attention to ourselves we bought neon green snorkel gear and fins. When you walk into a soccer event wearing a snorkel mask and carrying a single fin you don’t get the most positive looks. But the instant you unroll a 4ft. by 4ft. sign that claims you swam to the game from Hawaii, people go nuts. In three games time, Aly and I have become instant celebrities and we like to say that we experienced not 15 minutes of fame, but 15 hours of fame(this includes game time and before and after tailgating). Making this sign was a genius idea because everyone has thought it was hilarious. I’m not going to toot our horns too much, but we’ve taken probably over 1000 pictures with Mexicans, Americans, Algerians, Hondurans and the Swiss, have appeared randomly in many people’s Facebook albums who we don’t know and we were filmed twice for South African TV!
One of the best experiences of the trip, and probably one of the top ten best experiences of my life, was being able to see the USA vs. Algeria game where in the 91st minute, my love (receding hairline/widow’s peak and all) Landon Donovan, scored the winning goal to advance the US to the next round. The game was an intense, back and forth brawl of close shots on goal, amazing saves and painful fouls (or good acting if you weren’t actually hurt). In the last minutes, US had so many shots on goal, but none of them were making it in the net. It was so frustrating, until we got the break of the tournament and scored in stoppage time. Aly and I were sitting next to each other and when Landon Donovan scored we, along with every other US fan, went nuts. Let me tell you, she and I were producing noises that I had no idea we could ever produce. I’ve always thought I had a mid to low sounding voice, but the pitch that I was getting would rival Mariah Carey’s highest notes. We jumped, we screamed, we waved our fins from side to side … so much that for the next two days I had extreme shoulder pain. After the game the group rode back from Pretoria to Johannesburg blaring one of the songs of the tournament, Shakira’s, “Waka Waka: This Time for Africa.” What a great slue of moments that day.
The past few days have been a whirlwind for every one of us. Aly and I headed off to Bloemfontain to watch Honduras vs. Switzerland. Jen, Blake, Willy and Jason went to Italy vs. Slovakia and Spain vs. Chile, and Danny, Andrew and Robin scalped tickets to yesterday’s heartbreaker USA vs. Ghana. In any case, win, loss or nil-nil, it’s been a fantastic ten days here. Today, we are heading to Cape Town. The van is doing well, minus the two speakers that were blown due to playing the Waka Waka too loudly. The next few days have a ton in store for us: wine and champagne tours, Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, climbing Table Mountain, driving the beautiful coastal road called the Garden Route and most importantly, continuing to master the words and dance to the Waka Waka.
So until the next blog: FEEL IT.
“Feel It: It Is Here” is one of the slogans of the World Cup, and after being here just about 10 days, the intense and crazy madness of this tournament is not only felt, but forever embedded in our minds and hearts. I think aside from being able to be a spectator at one of the most highly acclaimed sporting events the world offers, what has been equally inspiring has been to experience the sense of pride and unity this tournament has given to South Africa and the entire continent of Africa. Another slogan that you see on most World Cup commercials is “Once in a Lifetime,” and this rings true for most of the people who have been involved in this tournament. South Africa is probably the only country in Africa that will be able to host an event like this. Unless other countries are able to strengthen their economic sectors, organizational systems and overall infrastructures, no country will be able to host something of this magnitude any time soon. For all the non-African residents, “Once in a Lifetime” also has great meaning. Take our entire group, for example; by the grace of God we all have been able to have the time and finances to take this great trip. Although we all talk about reconnecting in 2014 in Brazil for the next World Cup, the truth is, we will all be in different points in our lives and possibly have to factor in year-round jobs, spouses (who knows?!), finances and maybe even children (dear God!). So when reflecting on what this year’s World Cup means to Africa, as well as the impact it has on myself and the rest of the group, I think it’s pretty darn amazing that we are here and able to experience the madness and wonderfulness of this event.
Yesterday (June 26th), USA lost to Ghana. Myself, Aly, Jen, Blake and Willy sat for four hours glued to the TV in a Spur restaurant (which is like Red Robin back home). Although it was sad to see the US lose and end their time here in South Africa, there was something bittersweet about Ghana’s win. So, yes, the US lost and we won’t be able to cheer for them in any more games, but the flip side of it is that Ghana, Africa’s last remaining team, is now advancing to the quarter finals. I don’t think it is a lack of patriotism for why I feel OK with Ghana advancing, I think it is the realization of the bigger picture. Unfortunately, Bafana Bafana did not advance to Stage 2, but because Ghana did, all of Africa is behind them with full force. Africa is one step closer to winning the World Cup and to see the unity of this continent and the immense support they have for their last remaining team is incredible.
My experience here has been incredible. Can’t you tell? So far, I have been able to go to three games: Mexico vs. Uruguay, USA vs. Algeria and Honduras vs. Switzerland. Because all of our tickets were won in a lottery, we really didn’t have much choice when it came to games. But regardless of if the game was the best so far in the tournament (USA vs. Algeria) or, quite possibly, the worst (Honduras vs. Switzerland), my experience hasn’t been slighted. One of the best parts of the World Cup is meeting fans from all over the world. It was so fun at all of the games to come together with people and celebrate soccer. Rarely was there a case when rivalry got in the way or when fans turned ugly. On the day of my first game (June 22nd, Mexico vs. Uruguay), Aly and I decided to have a sign made with the hope that we would get on TV. Since I am from Hawaii and she has been living there for the past two years it was fitting that our sign read, “We Swam Here From Hawaii.” To enhance our sign and blatantly call more attention to ourselves we bought neon green snorkel gear and fins. When you walk into a soccer event wearing a snorkel mask and carrying a single fin you don’t get the most positive looks. But the instant you unroll a 4ft. by 4ft. sign that claims you swam to the game from Hawaii, people go nuts. In three games time, Aly and I have become instant celebrities and we like to say that we experienced not 15 minutes of fame, but 15 hours of fame(this includes game time and before and after tailgating). Making this sign was a genius idea because everyone has thought it was hilarious. I’m not going to toot our horns too much, but we’ve taken probably over 1000 pictures with Mexicans, Americans, Algerians, Hondurans and the Swiss, have appeared randomly in many people’s Facebook albums who we don’t know and we were filmed twice for South African TV!
One of the best experiences of the trip, and probably one of the top ten best experiences of my life, was being able to see the USA vs. Algeria game where in the 91st minute, my love (receding hairline/widow’s peak and all) Landon Donovan, scored the winning goal to advance the US to the next round. The game was an intense, back and forth brawl of close shots on goal, amazing saves and painful fouls (or good acting if you weren’t actually hurt). In the last minutes, US had so many shots on goal, but none of them were making it in the net. It was so frustrating, until we got the break of the tournament and scored in stoppage time. Aly and I were sitting next to each other and when Landon Donovan scored we, along with every other US fan, went nuts. Let me tell you, she and I were producing noises that I had no idea we could ever produce. I’ve always thought I had a mid to low sounding voice, but the pitch that I was getting would rival Mariah Carey’s highest notes. We jumped, we screamed, we waved our fins from side to side … so much that for the next two days I had extreme shoulder pain. After the game the group rode back from Pretoria to Johannesburg blaring one of the songs of the tournament, Shakira’s, “Waka Waka: This Time for Africa.” What a great slue of moments that day.
The past few days have been a whirlwind for every one of us. Aly and I headed off to Bloemfontain to watch Honduras vs. Switzerland. Jen, Blake, Willy and Jason went to Italy vs. Slovakia and Spain vs. Chile, and Danny, Andrew and Robin scalped tickets to yesterday’s heartbreaker USA vs. Ghana. In any case, win, loss or nil-nil, it’s been a fantastic ten days here. Today, we are heading to Cape Town. The van is doing well, minus the two speakers that were blown due to playing the Waka Waka too loudly. The next few days have a ton in store for us: wine and champagne tours, Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, climbing Table Mountain, driving the beautiful coastal road called the Garden Route and most importantly, continuing to master the words and dance to the Waka Waka.
So until the next blog: FEEL IT.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Game On"e"
The first three days have been a blast. Seeing everyone, driving on the left side of the road, and for some of us going to our first World Cup game!
June 20th, 2010
I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday night realizing that I needed to find out how to get to Fourways, which is about 30 minutes to an hour drive when the taxi driver doesn't know where to go. I got to the the restaurant that the group was at and I met Stan (the van). It was a relief to see everyone. We watched the game and then went to bed.
June 21st, 2010
This is the day I learned how to drive on the left hand side of the road. Jen, Willy and I had a several tasks to do so that we could drive the van and go to the games. First we had to go get tickets for the US vs Algeria. It should have taken us about 30 minutes but after two wrong turns and an hour later we found the hotel that the tickets were at. Next we had to go and get the tires balanced and wheels aligned. After two hours and about 300 Rand ($40) we were on our way to the garage to get the brake lights fixed. That only cost about $22. On our way back I finally stopped trying to turn into the right hand side of the road. Then we went back and got the rest of the group from the apartment and went to Sandton to get the rest of the tickets from FIFA and to check out the Nelson Mandela Square. At the square, there was a 3D theater where Sony showed clips from the game and the best of all the Music Video called "Waka Waka" by Shakira. It is the official theme song for the World Cup 2010. (If you haven't heard it make sure to watch the video. If we don't hear it at least 10 times a day something is wrong.) The next day is our first game.
June 23rd, 2010
Game Day! We took off around 8 am to go pick up Jason Koch, who is living in Tel Aviv and went to Gonzaga, to go to Rustenburg for our first game, Mexico vs Uruguay. After about 2 hours we arrived in the city and found a shopping center and a sign shop. KZ and Aly had a sign made and hopefully you see it on TV! Look for "We swam from Hawaii!" and two girls in snorkel masks and fins. After that we started our trek to the stadium. Aly, KZ, Jason, and I walked into the stadium and found some Budweiser and Hot Dogs. Tried some Vuvuzela which I couldn't do. We met some really nice people from the city that we are staying in and they invited us to a party on Saturday night. Then Robin and her friend Jamie were going to take us to Jen, Willy, and Stan (the van) who were at Fan Fest, but traffic was too much and so we told them to go ahead. After 4 hours crammed in back of a Corolla, Aly, Jason, KZ and I got back to the apartment. Jen and Willy went to Johannesburg and got back an hour and a half after us. Then the best part of the night was Seeing Andrew Engel who is staying with us until Saturday. He lived with most of us in Gonzaga-In-Florence and is living in Tanzania. It was a great day and I couldn't be happier to be here with all my friends in South Africa.
Blake
June 20th, 2010
I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday night realizing that I needed to find out how to get to Fourways, which is about 30 minutes to an hour drive when the taxi driver doesn't know where to go. I got to the the restaurant that the group was at and I met Stan (the van). It was a relief to see everyone. We watched the game and then went to bed.
June 21st, 2010
This is the day I learned how to drive on the left hand side of the road. Jen, Willy and I had a several tasks to do so that we could drive the van and go to the games. First we had to go get tickets for the US vs Algeria. It should have taken us about 30 minutes but after two wrong turns and an hour later we found the hotel that the tickets were at. Next we had to go and get the tires balanced and wheels aligned. After two hours and about 300 Rand ($40) we were on our way to the garage to get the brake lights fixed. That only cost about $22. On our way back I finally stopped trying to turn into the right hand side of the road. Then we went back and got the rest of the group from the apartment and went to Sandton to get the rest of the tickets from FIFA and to check out the Nelson Mandela Square. At the square, there was a 3D theater where Sony showed clips from the game and the best of all the Music Video called "Waka Waka" by Shakira. It is the official theme song for the World Cup 2010. (If you haven't heard it make sure to watch the video. If we don't hear it at least 10 times a day something is wrong.) The next day is our first game.
June 23rd, 2010
Game Day! We took off around 8 am to go pick up Jason Koch, who is living in Tel Aviv and went to Gonzaga, to go to Rustenburg for our first game, Mexico vs Uruguay. After about 2 hours we arrived in the city and found a shopping center and a sign shop. KZ and Aly had a sign made and hopefully you see it on TV! Look for "We swam from Hawaii!" and two girls in snorkel masks and fins. After that we started our trek to the stadium. Aly, KZ, Jason, and I walked into the stadium and found some Budweiser and Hot Dogs. Tried some Vuvuzela which I couldn't do. We met some really nice people from the city that we are staying in and they invited us to a party on Saturday night. Then Robin and her friend Jamie were going to take us to Jen, Willy, and Stan (the van) who were at Fan Fest, but traffic was too much and so we told them to go ahead. After 4 hours crammed in back of a Corolla, Aly, Jason, KZ and I got back to the apartment. Jen and Willy went to Johannesburg and got back an hour and a half after us. Then the best part of the night was Seeing Andrew Engel who is staying with us until Saturday. He lived with most of us in Gonzaga-In-Florence and is living in Tanzania. It was a great day and I couldn't be happier to be here with all my friends in South Africa.
Blake
Saturday, June 19, 2010
We Made It To South Africa!!
Blog posted by: Aly
Well the last four days have been spent entirely on the road – we’ve been getting up early and arriving late; had to make a few changes in routes along the way and we’ve been to 4 countries in 4 days – wwwoooaahh!! We hadn’t planned on doing this much continuous driving but between border crossings, police road blocks, animals crossing the road, pee breaks, and other unforeseen obstacles, we haven’t had a choice. We’ll make it to Johannesburg by Sunday and then we’ll have some time to relax. Although it’s been a ton of driving, I must say we’ve seen a ton of beautiful countryside, met some great people and mastered the immigration process – clearly an important accomplishment... We’re all excited to finally see some soccer matches and be able to stay in one place for more than 10 hours!
Here’s a quick recap of where we drove each day – the others may add some thoughts later, but for now this will do!
Day 1
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to Makambako (Tanzania) [750 Kilometers]
Tuesday 15th 8:30AM – 7PM
We started driving a few hours later than expected because Willy’s trip from Nairobi took much longer than we all thought it would – he was driving through the entire night!!! When the van (Stan) rolled into the parking lot at Jen’s place, we were all waiting by her gate with our stuff packed and ready to load – we were so antsy and couldn’t wait to finally hit the road. Poor Willy barely had time to go inside before we were off! As soon as we left Dar I felt a sense of relief and a weight lifted off our shoulders that had been building up over the weekend. That’s not to say we don’t have a huge haul ahead of us; it just felt good to get going. Willy’s a great driver and we all feel really safe with him. Danny even took over for a couple hours and did wonderful, even in first gear driving up the mountain! I’m still embarrassed that I grew up on a farm and never learned how to drive stick… I’ll blame that on my brother and dad. Thanks guys.
Other than the giraffes and baboons along the side of the road (it was like our own safari!) the drive was pretty uneventful through Tanzania. We barely stopped at all and didn’t make it as far as we had anticipated; pot holes, speed bumps, and random officers pulling you over tend to slow down the time a bit ;) We stayed in a nice little guest house in a small town, had a hot shower, and one toilet seat to share between the three rooms – we couldn’t have asked for a better place!!
Day 2
Makambako to Lilongwe (Malawi) [1050 Kilometers]
Wednesday 16th 5:30AM – 7:30PM
Today we wanted to maximize our hours on the road so we took off bright and early. We had Stan packed, fueled up, and on the road by 5:30 – still pitch black outside and not even a hint that the sun was going to come out. It finally popped up around 6:45 – still a few hours from the Tanzania/Malawi border. The last part of our drive through Tanzania was gorgeous. It was beautifully green, with banana trees all about, and small towns scattered through the countryside. It’s been my favorite part of the drive so far. It was so jungley and lush – I loved it! Crossing through the borders is something we’ve all been dreading a bit – between making sure everything with Stan is okay in terms of registration, insurance, etc., as well as getting each of our Visas and being able to do it in a reasonable amount of time. The TZ/Malawi crossing was relatively painless until the man at the immigration counter on the Malawi side said he had to go to a quick meeting (2 minutes he said) with the big boss – we tried to talk him into stamping our passports first – EVERYTHING else was already finished! He left… and 25 minutes later we were back on the road – hah. We drove along Lake Malawi for a large portion of the drive and it was beautiful – we’re planning on coming back here and staying a few nights on our drive back – but who knows, considering how well our plans have held together thus farJ! The people here have been the nicest and we’re excited to come back!!
Day 3
Lilongwe to Chimoio (Mozambique) [800 Kilometers]
Thursday 17th 5:00AM – 5:30PM
Today was a little rough – we’re tired of this driving thing and aren’t getting quite as far as we’d hoped. Plus I don’t think we’ve eaten a real meal – thank god for all the snacks we brought along with us. We got to the border around 6:15, and everything went pretty well… Mozambique hasn’t been all that pretty, the people weren’t as nice as in Malawi, and it’s pretty expensive. But, their beer is good, and their roads are nice. Jen heard that the beaches in Mozambique are the best, and that Maputo (pretty far South) is awesome. Our plan was to make it there by Friday evening, spend all day Saturday there, and then drive to Johannesburg on Sunday. We arrived in Chimoio and needed an oil change on the car – we wanted to get it over with today so we don’t have to worry about during our precious driving time tomorrow… next time you get the chance try figuring out how to ask where you can get your oil changed in a Portuguese speaking country… between the six of us we were throwing out some Italian, Spanish, French, Swahili and English and then the few Portuguese words from the back of the travel book (why would they NOT have the translation for ‘oil change’!?!?)! Anyway, we found a place and they had just closed; just our luck. Jen begged, and Tago (Tiago) hopped in the car, took Willy to the place to buy the oil, came back and changed our oil – he was our angel for the evening!! While the boys were figuring out the car, the four of us girls walked across the way to the supermarket and picked up a few bottles of wine – turned out to be a great decision. (But when is that not!?!?) We drove around looking for a place to stay for a while, and in desperate need of food. We never got our food, and instead ate the PB & J from the back of our van, watched some soccer, finished the wine, and did some major discussing about the route we had planned. It turns out that the road from Chimoio to Maputo is not a well kept road at all. The people Jen and Danny had talked to told us our plan was a bad one, and if we did drive to Maputo we wouldn’t spend any time there because we would have to wake up early the next day in order to get to Johannesburg by the time we need to. With Jen’s dreams of Maputo crushed, we decided to take the alternate route through Zimbabwe down into South Africa.
Day 4
Chimoio to Messina (South Africa) [600 Kilometers]
Friday 18th 5:00AM – 5:00PM
Another early morning for us!! Maybe it’s because it had been hyped up so much, but we all agree that Mozambique sucked! Plus they tried to charge us another $75 for road tax at the border (we already paid $125!) Although we only drove through, we all really liked Zimbabwe. We stopped in a little town and ate some lunch (our first ‘real’ meal in 4 days – it was heavenly!)… and the roads were all pretty good. We made great time, passed through the South African border fairly quickly – they’re definitely the most efficient of the countries!! And then we drove to Messina – we didn’t think we would be here in time to watch the USA match, but we made it for the second half!! We were actually able to sleep in today, which was GREAT! It’s a relatively short drive to Johannesburg now… we’re thinking that we’ll split it up into two short days, and get there early tomorrow. There we’re meeting up with Blake, and our good friends Andrew Engel and Jason Koch. We’re staying in an apartment between Johannesburg and Pretoria for 6 days and going to our first World Cup matches – we can’t wait!!
Well the last four days have been spent entirely on the road – we’ve been getting up early and arriving late; had to make a few changes in routes along the way and we’ve been to 4 countries in 4 days – wwwoooaahh!! We hadn’t planned on doing this much continuous driving but between border crossings, police road blocks, animals crossing the road, pee breaks, and other unforeseen obstacles, we haven’t had a choice. We’ll make it to Johannesburg by Sunday and then we’ll have some time to relax. Although it’s been a ton of driving, I must say we’ve seen a ton of beautiful countryside, met some great people and mastered the immigration process – clearly an important accomplishment... We’re all excited to finally see some soccer matches and be able to stay in one place for more than 10 hours!
Here’s a quick recap of where we drove each day – the others may add some thoughts later, but for now this will do!
Day 1
Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to Makambako (Tanzania) [750 Kilometers]
Tuesday 15th 8:30AM – 7PM
We started driving a few hours later than expected because Willy’s trip from Nairobi took much longer than we all thought it would – he was driving through the entire night!!! When the van (Stan) rolled into the parking lot at Jen’s place, we were all waiting by her gate with our stuff packed and ready to load – we were so antsy and couldn’t wait to finally hit the road. Poor Willy barely had time to go inside before we were off! As soon as we left Dar I felt a sense of relief and a weight lifted off our shoulders that had been building up over the weekend. That’s not to say we don’t have a huge haul ahead of us; it just felt good to get going. Willy’s a great driver and we all feel really safe with him. Danny even took over for a couple hours and did wonderful, even in first gear driving up the mountain! I’m still embarrassed that I grew up on a farm and never learned how to drive stick… I’ll blame that on my brother and dad. Thanks guys.
Other than the giraffes and baboons along the side of the road (it was like our own safari!) the drive was pretty uneventful through Tanzania. We barely stopped at all and didn’t make it as far as we had anticipated; pot holes, speed bumps, and random officers pulling you over tend to slow down the time a bit ;) We stayed in a nice little guest house in a small town, had a hot shower, and one toilet seat to share between the three rooms – we couldn’t have asked for a better place!!
Day 2
Makambako to Lilongwe (Malawi) [1050 Kilometers]
Wednesday 16th 5:30AM – 7:30PM
Today we wanted to maximize our hours on the road so we took off bright and early. We had Stan packed, fueled up, and on the road by 5:30 – still pitch black outside and not even a hint that the sun was going to come out. It finally popped up around 6:45 – still a few hours from the Tanzania/Malawi border. The last part of our drive through Tanzania was gorgeous. It was beautifully green, with banana trees all about, and small towns scattered through the countryside. It’s been my favorite part of the drive so far. It was so jungley and lush – I loved it! Crossing through the borders is something we’ve all been dreading a bit – between making sure everything with Stan is okay in terms of registration, insurance, etc., as well as getting each of our Visas and being able to do it in a reasonable amount of time. The TZ/Malawi crossing was relatively painless until the man at the immigration counter on the Malawi side said he had to go to a quick meeting (2 minutes he said) with the big boss – we tried to talk him into stamping our passports first – EVERYTHING else was already finished! He left… and 25 minutes later we were back on the road – hah. We drove along Lake Malawi for a large portion of the drive and it was beautiful – we’re planning on coming back here and staying a few nights on our drive back – but who knows, considering how well our plans have held together thus farJ! The people here have been the nicest and we’re excited to come back!!
Day 3
Lilongwe to Chimoio (Mozambique) [800 Kilometers]
Thursday 17th 5:00AM – 5:30PM
Today was a little rough – we’re tired of this driving thing and aren’t getting quite as far as we’d hoped. Plus I don’t think we’ve eaten a real meal – thank god for all the snacks we brought along with us. We got to the border around 6:15, and everything went pretty well… Mozambique hasn’t been all that pretty, the people weren’t as nice as in Malawi, and it’s pretty expensive. But, their beer is good, and their roads are nice. Jen heard that the beaches in Mozambique are the best, and that Maputo (pretty far South) is awesome. Our plan was to make it there by Friday evening, spend all day Saturday there, and then drive to Johannesburg on Sunday. We arrived in Chimoio and needed an oil change on the car – we wanted to get it over with today so we don’t have to worry about during our precious driving time tomorrow… next time you get the chance try figuring out how to ask where you can get your oil changed in a Portuguese speaking country… between the six of us we were throwing out some Italian, Spanish, French, Swahili and English and then the few Portuguese words from the back of the travel book (why would they NOT have the translation for ‘oil change’!?!?)! Anyway, we found a place and they had just closed; just our luck. Jen begged, and Tago (Tiago) hopped in the car, took Willy to the place to buy the oil, came back and changed our oil – he was our angel for the evening!! While the boys were figuring out the car, the four of us girls walked across the way to the supermarket and picked up a few bottles of wine – turned out to be a great decision. (But when is that not!?!?) We drove around looking for a place to stay for a while, and in desperate need of food. We never got our food, and instead ate the PB & J from the back of our van, watched some soccer, finished the wine, and did some major discussing about the route we had planned. It turns out that the road from Chimoio to Maputo is not a well kept road at all. The people Jen and Danny had talked to told us our plan was a bad one, and if we did drive to Maputo we wouldn’t spend any time there because we would have to wake up early the next day in order to get to Johannesburg by the time we need to. With Jen’s dreams of Maputo crushed, we decided to take the alternate route through Zimbabwe down into South Africa.
Day 4
Chimoio to Messina (South Africa) [600 Kilometers]
Friday 18th 5:00AM – 5:00PM
Another early morning for us!! Maybe it’s because it had been hyped up so much, but we all agree that Mozambique sucked! Plus they tried to charge us another $75 for road tax at the border (we already paid $125!) Although we only drove through, we all really liked Zimbabwe. We stopped in a little town and ate some lunch (our first ‘real’ meal in 4 days – it was heavenly!)… and the roads were all pretty good. We made great time, passed through the South African border fairly quickly – they’re definitely the most efficient of the countries!! And then we drove to Messina – we didn’t think we would be here in time to watch the USA match, but we made it for the second half!! We were actually able to sleep in today, which was GREAT! It’s a relatively short drive to Johannesburg now… we’re thinking that we’ll split it up into two short days, and get there early tomorrow. There we’re meeting up with Blake, and our good friends Andrew Engel and Jason Koch. We’re staying in an apartment between Johannesburg and Pretoria for 6 days and going to our first World Cup matches – we can’t wait!!
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