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.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Willy Got His Visa!
Willy finally got his South Africa visa this morning in Nairobi! He's currently making the long drive from Kenya to Dar and once he arrives (likely around midnight or later) we will pack up the van in preparation for the road trip. The plan is to leave at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning and drive as far as we can, hopefully making it to Malawi before stopping for the night.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Oops! I knew I forgot something ... My Patience.
Blog Posted By: KZ
In preparation for my two month trek to Africa, I made sure that my packing process was organized, done with ease and, most importantly, finished well before hand. The last thing I wanted to do was to spend my final days in Hawaii in a chaotic frenzy, scrambling to remember every last detail on my packing list. As a result, I was packed and ready almost two weeks in advance.
Tent ✔
Sleeping Bag ✔
Toothbrush ✔
First Aid Kit ✔
Cheez its ✔
However, in a matter of seconds after touching down on Tanzanian soil it dawned on me that I had forgotten to pack one of the most essential tools for surviving on this continent, patience (and a whole lot of it). To me, having no patience here falls within the same severity category as having no bug spray. Without it, you will be eaten alive. Maybe, physically, you won't develop red, itchy bumps, but mentally, your brain will start sweating, you'll develop an odd back-and-forth pace in your normal step and you might even see steam come out of your ears (but that is only in extreme circumstances).
In Africa, one's patience is put to the test on an hourly basis, and after being here just a week, we've been tested multiple times. Within minutes of exiting our plane after hours of flying (and for Aly and I, literally days of flying), our patience was put to the test. Unlike most other countries that have a somewhat organized system of how to obtain a visa upon arrival, Tanzania literally makes you figure the entire process out on your own. With no direction given, customs and airport officials watch, for what can take up to a few hours, foreign travelers shuffle around confused about how to begin the visa process. You don't just fill out a form, wait in line and hand it to a stern-faced man behind a glass window. Instead, you are put on a hunt for multiple forms, expected to know exactly how much it costs to obtain a visa (each country is different) and then come to terms with blindly surrendering your passport to a foreign official who will take your most important travel document away behind closed doors to be processed. What is happening behind those doors? How will I get my passport back? Is this man next to me going to rob me? There are no answers to these questions, all you can do is wait. If you are lucky, this will be finished within an hour. Meanwhile though, luggage is stacking up outside on a mini conveyor belt, the group of people waiting to pick up their friends and family outside is growing larger and louder and, worst of all, you start to develop that sweating, pacing, steaming syndrome that I talked about earlier. This is Africa.
The author of the quote, "all good things come to those who wait," must not have ever travelled to Africa. I say this because, clearly, the person had no concept that in a restaurant setting, there is nothing ever good about waiting and waiting and waiting. When you are told something will take no more than twenty-five minutes, plan on waiting at least double that for your place setting. I repeat, your place setting. Although, I really can't complain about the quality of the food here which has been extremely tasty and very kind to my stomach (minus the Ethiopian food we had two days ago), the concept of 'time' in most situations is irrelevant. They don't care if you say, "I need this food in 30 minutes" or if you plead, "My stomach will literally start to eat itself and I will become a replica of the meanest and ugliest monster you have ever encountered if I don't eat something soon." The response is always, "hukana matata, no worries." Well maybe my stomach won't in fact eat itself and I won't turn into the spawn of a dragon-killer, but it would help my disposition and sanity. But the system is set in stone. It has never not taken a long time. So we've learned instead of fighting the system to take a swig of water and swallow down a large dose of patience with the bottle of water that *hopefully* has come.
My assumption, "They probably have one there," was my second mistake. I mean, was it too far-fetched for me to assume that the Mozambique Embassy had more than one pen? I guess we all just assumed that there would be that little pen container resting on the top of the desk where people can fill out forms, place requests, or sign important documents. A few days ago, myself, Aly, Danny and Jen drove down to the Mozambique Embassy to fill out forms to obtain a visa. Little did we know, that a seemingly 10 minute process at most other places would take upwards of an hour. The importance of traveling with a pen of your own was instantly heightened for all of us and because of this experience, there are now two things I never leave my new African home without; a Clif Bar and black pen. There we stood, crowded in a little corner at the embassy trying to fill out 4 forms of paperwork to get a visa. Thank God Jen insisted we wait 30 more minutes while the man at the passport pictures store individually cut six 2x2 photos for each of us. If she had listened to me, "The embassy must have a scissors, how could they not?" we seriously would have been screwed because they didn't. In fact, I don't remember seeing any sharp object at the embassy at all. And I know they probably would not have settled for do-it-ourselves passport cut photos. This is Africa. Patience and a black pen are our greatest assets.
I'm writing about my quest for patience because not only have we experienced situations where we've really needed to dig deep to wait or even try to understand why a normally uncomplicated and organized situation is constantly a chaotic mess, but because it's a growing point. Currently, our biggest feat is waiting on our Kenyan friend and primary driver, Willy, to obtain his visa from the South African embassy. Like many of you have already questioned, we were scheduled to leave on June 11th, but because the embassy has not been as timely as we would have liked, Willy has continued to play the waiting game (very gracefully in my eyes) until he is granted a visa. Last we spoke with him he told us that they promised to have the visa ready on Monday morning, June 14th. This pushes back our departure date a few days, but thankfully since we planned to spend a few days traveling through Malawi and Mozambique, we won't be missing any of the action in South Africa. Our trip itinerary has changed slightly now as we are planning to blaze through Malawi and go straight to Mozambique where we will stay for three nights/four days and then enter South Africa. On the way back, we will trek back through Malawi and spend the days we missed here in the beginning then. I think it is safe to say that for all of us, this road trip to the World Cup is not solely about participating in the world's biggest sporting event, but it's about learning and adapting to the ways of a continent that is still very foreign to us. I guess that's the fun of travelling, right? It's not only about destinations, it's about how we get there and what we learn from the experience.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
TZ Match and Zanzibar
Blog posted by: Aly
After KZ and I safely arriving in Dar over the weekend, we spent Monday dealing with logistics for our road trip (border legalities & such), and that night we went to the friendly match between Tanzania and Brazil. Brazil, currently the #1 ranked team according to FIFA, came to Tanzania (one of the worst teams in the world right now!) for a nice little match. Jen got all of us a ticket through her school, so we hopped in the buses on Monday night, not totally sure what to expect. The prices for tickets to this game were significantly raised because it was against Brazil. Because of this, there were a lot of empty seats around the stadium; i was assured, though, that Tanzanians are generally very loyal soccer fans. The man whom I was sitting next to mentioned how sad it was that they raised the prices so much for this game, "This is a once in a lifetime experience for Tanzanians - to see their team play Brazil and to see so many great players."
Tanzania ended up losing 5 - 1, but I must say they put up a good fight and within the first 15 minutes had way more shots on goal than Brazil - but it's all in the finish and TZ was not finishing. It was still fun to watch the game and to see so many famous players. In the middle of the second half some Tanzanian man managed to jump over the fence to the field, run across the track, jump over another fence on to the field and ran up to Kaka' and gave him a hug!! It was priceless - Kaka' even hugged him back and the entire stadium was cheering him on:)
The next day didn't turn out to be as nice of a day - spurts of rain and overcast clouds hung around - and since there isn't much to do on that part of the island except the beach, the day was pretty uneventful (except for the $7 massages that KZ and I got!) We all agreed, though, that it was really nice to just be able to just lay around, hang out, read, talk to the locals (Danny's the best at that!), and check out some of the local art and craft work.
We had already made a deal with our first taxi driver to pick us up this morning and take us to Zanzibar town. We were a little worried that he may not show (and it wasn't like we could just go flag one down on the dirt road in the back) but when we walked out of our room he was waiting for us:)! None of us were all that impressed by the town... we were cutting it close on the only money we'd brought to the island so we couldn't really shop in any of the side walk stores and other than that and the famous spice tours there wasn't much more that was offered. We walked around for about three hours looking (unsuccessfully) for a place which sold hookah... ate lunch at a local joint, and then took a dala dala (the public transportation in TZ) to the airport.
We're planning on hitting the road on Saturday... we'll post an itinerary of the countries we'll be going through soon.
After KZ and I safely arriving in Dar over the weekend, we spent Monday dealing with logistics for our road trip (border legalities & such), and that night we went to the friendly match between Tanzania and Brazil. Brazil, currently the #1 ranked team according to FIFA, came to Tanzania (one of the worst teams in the world right now!) for a nice little match. Jen got all of us a ticket through her school, so we hopped in the buses on Monday night, not totally sure what to expect. The prices for tickets to this game were significantly raised because it was against Brazil. Because of this, there were a lot of empty seats around the stadium; i was assured, though, that Tanzanians are generally very loyal soccer fans. The man whom I was sitting next to mentioned how sad it was that they raised the prices so much for this game, "This is a once in a lifetime experience for Tanzanians - to see their team play Brazil and to see so many great players."
Tanzania ended up losing 5 - 1, but I must say they put up a good fight and within the first 15 minutes had way more shots on goal than Brazil - but it's all in the finish and TZ was not finishing. It was still fun to watch the game and to see so many famous players. In the middle of the second half some Tanzanian man managed to jump over the fence to the field, run across the track, jump over another fence on to the field and ran up to Kaka' and gave him a hug!! It was priceless - Kaka' even hugged him back and the entire stadium was cheering him on:)
Jen won't be finished teaching until tomorrow, so on Tuesday morning Danny, KZ and I took off for Zanzibar. It's only a 20 minute flight and we had heard lots of great things about old town, the beaches, and the island in general so why not take advantage of our time?! After arriving at the airport we successfully bartered for a cheap taxi, which drove us to the other side of the island, through a long dirt road and to three different hotels where we finally settled on a bungalow that suited our price range - $15 a night right on the beach. The first day was beautiful - we swam, ate mangoes
on the beach, sunbathed and just relaxed. One of the guys we met - Haji - told us about a sunset cruise (booze cruise) that he was doing later that evening. We made a deal, he bought our beer, and we met him back there a few hours later. Turns out it was just the three of us, Haji, and three of his pals - on a little sailboat called a Dhow. It was a beautiful sunset and the ride was really nice. We stopped over a reef towards the end and jumped off the top of the boat and went swimming for a while. That night we ate at a hotel a little ways down the beach and had a crazy acrobatic 
show with local Tanzanian guys who pushed themselves through small cylinders, balanced two glass bottles on top of a stick which was being held in someones mouth, and numerous other feats that were equally as impressive and crazy!!
on the beach, sunbathed and just relaxed. One of the guys we met - Haji - told us about a sunset cruise (booze cruise) that he was doing later that evening. We made a deal, he bought our beer, and we met him back there a few hours later. Turns out it was just the three of us, Haji, and three of his pals - on a little sailboat called a Dhow. It was a beautiful sunset and the ride was really nice. We stopped over a reef towards the end and jumped off the top of the boat and went swimming for a while. That night we ate at a hotel a little ways down the beach and had a crazy acrobatic 
show with local Tanzanian guys who pushed themselves through small cylinders, balanced two glass bottles on top of a stick which was being held in someones mouth, and numerous other feats that were equally as impressive and crazy!!The next day didn't turn out to be as nice of a day - spurts of rain and overcast clouds hung around - and since there isn't much to do on that part of the island except the beach, the day was pretty uneventful (except for the $7 massages that KZ and I got!) We all agreed, though, that it was really nice to just be able to just lay around, hang out, read, talk to the locals (Danny's the best at that!), and check out some of the local art and craft work.
We had already made a deal with our first taxi driver to pick us up this morning and take us to Zanzibar town. We were a little worried that he may not show (and it wasn't like we could just go flag one down on the dirt road in the back) but when we walked out of our room he was waiting for us:)! None of us were all that impressed by the town... we were cutting it close on the only money we'd brought to the island so we couldn't really shop in any of the side walk stores and other than that and the famous spice tours there wasn't much more that was offered. We walked around for about three hours looking (unsuccessfully) for a place which sold hookah... ate lunch at a local joint, and then took a dala dala (the public transportation in TZ) to the airport.
We're planning on hitting the road on Saturday... we'll post an itinerary of the countries we'll be going through soon.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Beginning of a Blog and Return to Africa
The idea of creating a blog to document our trip through Southern Africa was first suggested to me by my younger brother, Scott, a few days before I departed the United States on my way to Tanzania, East Africa. Everyone I told of our trip subsequently suggested the same. At first thought, having a blog seemed like a lot of work that I would eventually tire of (and still might), but after being back on the Dark Continent for only a few days, I realized it would be the most efficient way of keeping people in the States updated on our progress. I'm going to try to keep my posts on here relatively short and very informal, using it as a way to keep everyone updated on where we are and what we've been doing rather than as a place for me to share deep thoughts on African life, poverty, politics, etc., unless it's essential to our daily experience. And I do plan to share thoughts after the trip has ended and I have more time to sit down and write. We'll see how it goes...
As of this morning, Aly and I have flown in from the States to meet Jen and Robin in Dar, their current home. KZ flies in from Dubai this afternoon and Willy will be arriving mid-next week from Nairobi. Blake will be meeting us in Johannesburg on June 20th. After attending a Brazil - Tanzania international friendly soccer match on Monday, and perhaps checking out Zanzibar for a few days, we will begin our journey on Saturday, June 12th bound for Malawi. The itinerary includes stops in Malawi and Mozambique before entering South Africa (via Swaziland) for the World Cup. After touring through SA for a few weeks we will begin the trip back north, this time going through Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana, before returning to Tanzania.
Also, the blog will be updated by all members of our group, not just Danny. We will try to post something every couple days with an update on our driving progress, what we've been up to, where we're going next, and any good stories we have to share.
When I say "we" or "our," I am referring to myself, Jennifer Kurdy, Alyson Gamache, Kristen Zodrow, Blake Underriner, Robin Lerosen, and Willy Nderitu. Jen, Aly, KZ, Blake and I became close friends through Gonzaga University, namely Gonzaga-in-Florence, between 2004 and 2008. After traveling together to Kenya and Tanzania in April/May 2007, where we met Willy, a Kenya native who was working as a safari driver on our trip, we discussed the idea of an African road trip centered around the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Robin hopped on board after meeting Jen while teaching together in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at the International School of Tanganyika. There were others interested in the trip that was originally pitched as a "Cairo to Cape Town" excursion, but over the past 3 years they dropped out for various reasons, and the trip was trimmed to begin in East Africa.
After looking into transportation options for over 6 months, we decided the most cost-effective way to make the journey would be to purchase our own vehicle. In October 2009, together we bought a 2000-something Toyota-something safari van, featuring a pop-up roof for easy animal viewing. From that point, the trip planning was in full force. Houses and apartments were rented, packing lists made, and itineraries drawn up, and those who were still in bought their flights one by one; some as early as February and some as late as while standing at the airline check-in desk.
As of this morning, Aly and I have flown in from the States to meet Jen and Robin in Dar, their current home. KZ flies in from Dubai this afternoon and Willy will be arriving mid-next week from Nairobi. Blake will be meeting us in Johannesburg on June 20th. After attending a Brazil - Tanzania international friendly soccer match on Monday, and perhaps checking out Zanzibar for a few days, we will begin our journey on Saturday, June 12th bound for Malawi. The itinerary includes stops in Malawi and Mozambique before entering South Africa (via Swaziland) for the World Cup. After touring through SA for a few weeks we will begin the trip back north, this time going through Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana, before returning to Tanzania.Also, the blog will be updated by all members of our group, not just Danny. We will try to post something every couple days with an update on our driving progress, what we've been up to, where we're going next, and any good stories we have to share.
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