Day 7 – Tuesday 15th June [Flying to Durban]

Up early to finish packing & leave for Airport. Lucky for us our hotel is also shared by many of the international media, which means we are sponging of their free shuttle service – today we get a free ride to the Airport – still cost cutting even in South Africa. Oh check out the mascot in the lobby Zakumi – which I understand translates to Sth Africa 10 – cute guy.
We are on a 12pm flight out – sorry to say goodbye to Capetown, but I will not miss the cold. Its two hour flight to Durban & the climate is meant to be sub-tropical [bit like gold coast] so low to mid 20’s – finally.
On the plane I spend some time chatting with Chris [a maintenance team member from Body Shop PM Shift – yep a Toyota boy – are you kidding me] & Fabian & Andy two young lads from Switzerland. They are going to the Spain v Switzerland game tomorrow like us – they are quietly hopeful but understand the challenge against a giant like Spain.
At the airport we are warmly greeted by our driver & coldly greeted by the weather. Yep its bloody cold here as well. Apparently been high 20’s low 30’s until today – we are shit out of luck.
Anyway at the hotel we settle in before going to settle in at the bar to watch Portugal v Ivory Coast – the game finished 0-0 & in the rain. Whilst at the beer we met Sean & Kellie, a couple from Canberra also out here following the Socceroos. Sean the lucky bugger is younger than me & at his 4th world cup – two more rocking individuals – never ending friendship & kindness on this trip. We chatted for about an hour getting to know a bit about each other – they have also introduced us to “Bunny Chow” a local dish which is basically a loaf of bread with the middle clawed out & filled with meat. We have reached an unsubstantiated conclusion that its rabbit – hence bunny, but who knows. I am going to try talking Sash into having a crack.
It’s our first night in Durban so we do not venture too far. We are about 300 metres from the beach so we go down to the beach & a place called Joe Cools, sort of club/bar style – it’s a modest night of drinking before we go home, but during the night we bump into Robbie Slater – he is hammered - & many of the Fanatics [one of several Australian supporter groups]. The music in this place is more clubby so I am not enjoying it as much as Cape-town pubs especially with live music.
Sash also bumps into some of his Macedonian mates from Keilor Downs [Peter - family mate - great seeing u bro, Laz & Ollie who are also travelling on their own - driving around Sth Africa - you legends. The streets walking back to our hotel [although short distance] feel eerie. The place is baron & I get slightly uncomfortable until I realise the only people I see are police, they outnumber civilians 10 to 1 at night.
Time to go to sleep.