Written by Kurt Henry
It’s been a week since I have touched down in the motherland! Here is my update on how things are going.
It all started on the flight from Toronto, with 3 brothers (aka VP, the Mayor, & Zim) from Toronto on the same flight on our way to South Africa. I had no idea what to expect but I knew it was going to be fun and a little different. We flew KLM (Royal Dutch airline) and for those of you that don’t know, the Dutch make Heineken, it was free and came with everything for the next 20 hours……..! It was an evening flight, so we started off with dinner n’ Heineken…. Then snacks n’ Heineken, then listening to music n’ Heineken, don’t forget the jokes n’ Heineken!
Then we landed in Amsterdam at 7am local time on a three hour layover. Not enough time to get to red light district and back so we tried to have some fun in the airport. It looked like everyone connected in Amsterdam for world cup because there were jerseys and jackets and t-shirts everywhere. With my South Africa Jacket, the Mayor’s Brazil Jacket and Zim’s Holland t-shirt we made some friends. We all sat down and talked over some donuts n’ Heineken for breakfast as we waited for our flights.
We landed in SA after a 9 hour flight and whatever u want n’ Heineken it felt so much like home when we arrived at the airport. I was tired, hungry and ready to get a taste of South Africa. Our host (friends of the Mayor) was waiting and they got us home quickly to a beautiful place in Sandton, a borough in Johannesburg. My ears perked up when I heard, “You boys must be hungry, we will make you some meat to eat….” Mommy, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve been well fed! For those of you that know me well this is a big statement. A freshly cooked meal everyday! First meal was Pap (similar to Fufu) n’ meat. No knives, forks or spoons just your hands and your meal, and I’m lovin’ it. For breakfast we had eggs, chips n’ meat. That’s right, every meal comes with meat.
First there was the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica and then the Soca Boyz of Trinidad and now Bafana Bafana of South Africa and they are driving the city mad. We all just wish they could win a game. Last chance is against France and the hopes are high. Nevertheless, I got me a Vuvuzela and the whole city blows them loud, all day long and into to the night. Be careful if you blow them too much you may develop a case of what’s being called Vuvu lips…... My first game is on Wednesday (Ghana vs Germany) so look out for the next update.
The atmosphere is filled with nothing but love. Despite all the love, this country is cold. Its winter and the weather is consistently below 10 degrees sometime times as low as 0 and I did not bring a winter Jacket. We went to a reggae jam at Baseline to keep warm. Besides the heat, it smelt just like a reggae dance in Toronto and the music was good too. We also visited a lounge called Capello’s that reminded me of Joe Mama’s.
While we were partying we were also planning some other activities for our trip. Look out for updates on:
· Robben Island in Capetown, where Nelson Mandela was held captive. These tickets are limited and hard to get but we are trying. And ofcourse table mountain
· Durban for sight seeing and World Cup Soccer
So much more has happened but this email is getting long. If you actually took the time to read all of this and would like to know more send me an email or get a calling card and call me for live updates at any of the below numbers,
011-27-741-95-2636
011-27-783-71-8585
011-27-721-16-0983
Call anytime because we are hardly getting any sleep around here.
By Kurt Henry
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