Sunday
We had been told that there was a good outdoor market in Rosebank on Sunday’s so we headed there early Sunday morning to get souvenirs. They had all kinds of handmade crafts, food, etc. Almost anything you would want. It was a great place. I saw some bags this lady had. They were made with the vinyl billboard material from last years Confederations Cup. She mentioned how she was negotiating with the City to get the billboards from the World Cup. Today, I realized I should have gotten her info so I could have gotten one later when she had those made. Oh well, will search the internet later. We all got some cool stuff.
After that we headed back to the hotel. Kevin and I went back to the mall to get stuff we couldn’t find at the market…but the mall was packed and everything was picked over. We had very little luck. I was frustrated because I had seen numerous shirts, etc earlier in the trip that I wanted to get for people and now they weren’t available. L
We went back to the hotel and then quickly got ready to go to the Brazil vs. Ivory Coast game. We took the shuttle from the hotel to Gold Reef City and then hopped on the park and ride to Soccer City. The trip was pretty quick and I was able to hit the Fan Store at the stadium before the game started. I was mildly successful in finding a shirt there…just one. The place was a mad house. We then headed into the stadium and settled in for the game. I took a few pics…but not many. The atmosphere at this game wasn’t what I was hoping for or expecting. Compared to the Argentina game…this crowd was boring. They got excited when Kaka did something or was announced, but that was about it.
Not much else to report from that game. We left and hopped back on the park and ride and found our shuttle. We got back to the hotel and we were asleep pretty quickly. Even falling asleep with the lights on. That’s how tired we were.
Monday
Monday we woke up and headed to the SAB World of Beers brewery tour. It was a unique tour compared to other breweries that I have been to. It had its low point and its high points along the way. My favorite part was towards the end where the showed some recent commercials for their beers. There was a commercial for Castle Light featuring Vanilla Ice. The tour ended up in their Tap House and we each got 2 beers. They had a patio and served food but also had free chips and peanuts. We at a LOT of the chips. Here in South Africa the popular brand of chips seems to be Simba chips….with a pic of a lion on the bag. I am interested to know if the chips came before or after The Lion King. The flavor of Simba chips we had was Mexican Chile and they were very good. So good that Sean went and bought some this afternoon.
After the brewery tour, Kevin and I went to Melrose Arch. It is a pretty high end shopping center but we heard there was a place you could make/buy the traditional South African helmets that they wear at games. I really wanted one…but the ones they would make had to be picked up later and we wouldn’t have time. You could paint your own, but I was not ready to sit there and use their stuff. I started thinking I would make one myself at home. Then I could really take my time and do what I wanted rather than rushing to finish at the store. We had lunch and watched the Portugal game at a restaurant there in the center. We walked around a bit more looking at stuff, but didn’t see much so we decided to head back to the hotel.
We went back and rested and started discussing dinner. We wanted to go to a South African restaurant but couldn’t really come up with a place. Another friend came by and he had a few friends that were at the watch party area at Melrose Arch. Despite having to get up at 6 am tomorrow morning for the safari, we decided to go. We first went to a bar that is the official US Soccer Bar in JoBurg then at halftime we headed to a restaurant for some food. I had some delicious chicken stuffed with camembert cheese and wrapped in ham. It also had a cranberry type relish on top. Very yummy. We headed back to the hotel after that…and I decided to finish up and get this posted since tomorrow will be a long day. We leave at 6:30 to head to the Rustenburg area for a short safari and should be back in the afternoon. I am pretty excited about it…but need to get to bed. Enjoy some pics HERE. Not too many this time. Next time should be more!
Time here is starting to wind to a close. I have to admit…I am ready for my own bed!! Till next time! Cheers.
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