Well Done South Africa!
 

Congrats to South Africa for being chosen to host the 2010 World Cup. The revenue and exposure this will bring the country is incredible.

I had a premonition that SA would win as I live directly I front of FIFA headquarters and saw a parade of police escorted Mercedes and BMWs full of, I am guessing, South African dignitaries on Friday morning and Saturday. Security was high. This is unheard of in this quiet residential neighborhood. Fun to witness and be part of the excitement!

Better reserve your accommodations now.

Thank you Queenie. We are really glad and proud about this. Having done the Rugby and Cricket World Cups as well as the World Summit and a few other larger international conferences, we knew that we could do it but you never know...

But, if I looked at the Bid Committee's body language and stressed faces on Friday afternoon and the tension in general on Saturday morning, the country was on the verge of a collective nervous breakdown.

If we start quick enough with the planning, etc, we can walk it and the longlasting benefits in additional sport stadiums and infrastructure but also the more short/medium term benefits of increased tourism, etc should benefit everybody.

(Speaking of which, maybe I can rent out the small shed in our garden for US$10000 per day during the games. What an excellent idea.....;-o )

Greetings from SA! This country is sports-crazy! Everyone working at the airport in J-burg yesterday was grinning about it (we flew in on our way from Maun to Capetown). When we arrived in Capetown last night, the "Stormers" rugby team was on the same flight and crowds had turned up to cheer them (they'd just lost a semi-final match in Australia). There were so many people cheering! Our host at the Avenues (Stellenbosch) was picking us up and was worried we might not see his sign! I found it quite refreshing -- these guys were picking up their own luggage and carting it out just like us. But, everyone really is happy about the World cup soccer news.

2010
We are all so very ecstatic about it. Its about time our country shone with bright lights.
I am PROUD TO BE SOUTH AFRICAN and thank you to the world and FIFA

Congratulations to South Africa and all of the South Africa residents or expats on this board!

I can see it now...fly into South Africa in late June...catch some "Round of Sixteen" games, fly off for six nights at Chichele Presidential Lodge and Singita Luangwa (Singita expands their operation into South Luangwa, Zambia!), return in time for the semifinal games, hanging around Cape Town? for a week, engaging in occasional fisticuffs with the random European hooligan, ;) while defying father time and my (then) nearly 40 year old body! :)

Day 1 - Arrive Joburg. Round of 16 games. Three nights. A Room With A View (of street festivals and occasional hooliganism!)

Day 2 - Joburg. Round of 16. USA knocks out France, further adding to France's disdain for the USA!!! :)

France appeals to the U.N. for a rematch, but U.N. members are nowhere to be found, but suspected to be in the bars of Cape Town and Joburg, causing a failure to produce a quorum. Motion denied due to lack of quorum. Sacre bleu!!! ;)

Day 3 - Joburg. South Africa, in a major upset, beats Brazil!!! O-lay, O-lay, O-lay, South Africa, South Africa!!! :)

Day 4 - Drag myself to the airport. Transfer to Mfuwe, by way of Lusaka. 3 nights at Chichele Presidential Lodge to nurse my throbbing head and get away from the millions of hooligans in South Africa.

Day 5 - Chichele Preisdential Lodge

Day 6 - Chichele Presidential Lodge

Day 7 - Singita Luangwa. What a deal!!! Even with the World Cup, Singita Luangwa is only $5,800 USD per person per night sharing!!! :) 3 nights.

Day 8 - Singita Luangwa.

Day 9 - Singita Luangwa.

Day 10 - Transfer to Cape Town for seven nights. Stay at the only hotel in town that has not pre-screened for hooligans and has managed to setup a roadblock at Camps Bay to keep them out. Twelve Apostles Hotel, 7 nights.

Day 11 - Semifinals. USA knocks out Germany to send all the Germans home, allowing me to enjoy the rest of my vacation! You cannot fully appreciate Germans until you have been forced to take a 10 hour tour with them through the Atacama Desert in Chile, stopping every 15 minutes to take a picture of wildflowers, yet being yelled at in German when you take 5 extra minutes shopping! ;)

Day 12 - Semifinals. South Africa knocks out England for the worst beating since the Zulus handed the British their majestic heads on a platter! This sets up a final game for the ages...South Africa vs. USA!!! :)

Day 13 - Three rest days before the final game of the World Cup. Hang out at the Twelve Apostles pool, and have waiters bring me rotten fruit and eggs, to toss at the occasional hooligan that gets past the roadblock at Camps Bay and tries to rush up the hillside to the Twelve Apostles swimming pool area! :)

Day 14 - Twelve Apostles Hotel. Aaaaahhh, the most comfortable beds in the world, that is when I am not napping on my balcony, listening to the nearby waves crashing below, far away from the hooliganism that has overtaken the Cape Grace and Table Bay Hotel, now firmly under the control of Hooligans! :)

Day 15 - In preparation for the big day tomorrow, spa treatments galore. While others are celebrating their drunkenness, I will bask in a full day spa treatment, and finish the day with a little hike in the trails behind the Twelve Apostles Hotel that offer an amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding mountain range.

Day 16 - After a heavenly sleep in the peace and quiet of the Twelve Apostles, its World Cup time. USA vs. South Africa!!! While I am having fun with this itinerary, I will let everyone draw their own conclusions as to the results! :)

Day 17 - Private charter to Victoria Falls. Not quite sure why all those South Africans are throwing themselves over the edge of the falls. ;)
Two nights at Chuma House.

Day 18 - Chuma House. I must say, my stay has not been as pleasant as possible. Fortunately, the water is low this year, and every single South African has survived his/her plunge over the falls, although most do not seem too happy about this fact.

Day 19 - Finish up with three wonderful nights at Little Mombo in Moremi, Botswana. First time in the last three weeks that there will only be 10 other guests. My luck would have it that one of the guests would be former President George Duh Bya Bush (2000 - 2004) and a few secret service agents. Can I get a voucher for next year???

Fortunately, after discovering that this is NOT a hunting lodge, he packs his bags and departs on the very first day, leaving scaredtodeath and I with the entire Little Mombo camp for ourselves!!! :) :) :)

Day 20 - Little Mombo.

Day 21 - Little Mombo.

And that's exactly the way it happened. :)

Thanks to all - we are so very proud and WILL meet the challenge! I was on a flight to PE at the time of the announcement, which the pilot relayed to us - cue spontaneous jumping up and down and cheering.

Yes, SA is sports mad as normal things go - but this will send us over the edge!

For all international visitors to our shores here's a shortlist of skills you will need to become an honorary local:
Learn to play the vukuzela (sp?), that's the long trumpet shaped horn Ngconde Balfour was blowing in the background at the announcement;
Develop a taste for the music of Mandoza and Bongo Muffin AND learn how to dance to it!;
Learn how to scream: Laduuuuuuuuuuma!

And while Roccco's dream trip has a veiled USA victory, do not discount Bafana Bafana on home ground. To paraphrase Francois Pienaar from 1995: "We did not have 60,000 supporters - we had 40-million!"

Ok, so I know this is off-topic, but Rocco mentioning the 12 Apostles above (again!) reminded me that I thought of his preference for this hotel when I read an article in yesterday's The Star newspaper (J'burg). It was a favourable review ("puffery"?), that ended in quoting a Winter Special rate (until September 30) of R795 per person a night, sharing. I don't know if that includes breakfast or anything else, probably not. And I don't know it compares with rates you've got elsewhere.

The link is at http://www.star.co.za/index.php?fSec...amp;fSetId=148, but it's one of those annoying subscriber-only links. I'm a subscriber, but if you want to read the article I don't know what I'm permitted to do here. I could paste it, it's about 670 words, or I could just give you my subscriber # and password. And change it some time later to try and (to some extent!) observe "the rules".

Sorry, didn't proof-read before posting. (Again!) I mean "I don't know HOW it compares".

Arthur,

795 Rand pppns compares VERY favorably. I would gladly stay at The Twelve Apostles for only about $250 USD per night. That is a steal. Even Luxury Link has a 3 night package up to a starting bid of $845 USD ($422.50 pp sharing), compared to last year when I got four nights in a seafacing suite for only $570 USD ($285 pp sharing).

I do think that most everybody would LOVE the Twelve Apostles and find it a very exclusive hotel with a perfect setting, unless you actually want 20,000 people walking around right outside your window everyday, as you get on The Waterfront.