bout 360km east of Johannesburg to watch our beloved Socceroos take on the might of Serbia – it should be a cracker & we cannot wait. There is a bit to get through first so let’s start at the start. It is checkout day in Durban & Sash is still feeling the effects of his fever. As expected I am a tower of support & i reckon I am the single biggest reason he is getting better – I think Sash just grows an extra inch when he is around me.Watching him finish his packing though is painful – he is lumbering a bit like Justin Madden used to for the blues. After checkout I
talk Sash into exploiting the Media Shuttle for a free ride to the Airport – it sounded like a good idea at the time. Get this, we have been in the bus travelling for just over 20 minutes when the driver passes our hotel again – there is less than an hour now before our plane leaves & I am sure there is steam coming from Sash’s ears – I think he may be less than impressed with my idea about the shuttle – as he said taxi is a to b, shuttle is a to b to c to d back to b skip to g & all cos its free. The driver assures us “no worries” we will be there in 20 minutes. Well let me get to the end of this 
because there is a bit to get through. We managed to make it the airport with minutes to spare & were the last ones on the plane – the day is off to a shaky start & it gets even more entertaining.The flight is a shocker for me – I hate take-offs & landings – anyone have remedies – I am constantly getting nauseous & it pisses me off. Anyway we get to Joburg Airport & now we have to find a way to get to Nelspruit [360km away]. The good news is there are heaps of Car Rental Companies – the bad news they are all booked – travel tip “plan ahead”. We walk into the last place &
someone above is smiling – we get the last car in the airport – are you kidding me. It was looking shaky for a moment. The drive to Nelspruit was awesome. Not sure if you have ever driven on South African Highways but wow. After an initial hiccup [freeway accident blocking traffic – but a local helped us out] we are on our way. Before long we are doing 140kmh......yeah 140kmh [speed limit is 120kmh though]. If you are thinking I was speeding, mate there were blokes & sheilas going past me like I was standing still, yet felt safe at all times – no bull [check photo of speedo]. 
We get to Nelspruit at about 6pm & we need a place to stay tonight – not driving back – no way. Once again we have no reservation so we start exploring – suddenly Sash spots a Formula 1 Hotel Chain. He starts proclaiming “let’s go there I have seen them on the internet they are cheap”. Well all I am going to say is they were asking $160 a night & have a look at the photo – that is the whole room & yes I got the top bunk – not a privilege let me assure you. Haggling got us about a $20 discount, but the manager told us they usually charge $60/night but its World Cup so we can
charge what we like – welcome to South Africa 2010.Time to get to the game, put all the shit behind us & give the Aussies everything we have. Sash is doing a Lazarus. After some pizza & coke he is fired up & moving again – well slowly anyway. Our hotel has one positive, it is a short walk from the shuttle taking people to the stadium –yes the shuttle is free & its my idea. After a short ride we are there – Mbombela Stadium, more akin to a true football stadium, compact & close to the action. This is the fifth & sixth live game we are watching so we feel lucky, but
nothing can compare to watching your country – we are stoked. A big thank-you must go to all the Australians who travelled to show their support & there were thousands as evidenced by all the yellow in the photos - & shit can they make some noise.The Socceroos did us proud winning 2-1 with classic goals from pin-up boy Tim Cahill & Brett Holman. We did not qualify for the next stage but we stood tall & proud & it felt great to be an Aussie. We even got to bump into some old friends [check the photo of one Ron Barassi]. All in all a trip well worth it even though we did not
advance – we would not have missed it for the world - & as for the Serbs [consisting of Ivanovic from Chelsea, Vidic from Manchester United & Stankovic from Inter Milan to name a few], well they missed out advancing thanks to us[ha ha suffer in your jocks B1 & B2 – you know who you are]. Been a huge, huge day & with all manner of chest colds pounding Sash & I it is time to head back to our jail cell, I mean Hotel & get some sleep. Another long drive back tomorrow.Bye for now
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