Well, the US pulled through for us! I can't begin to tell you how amazing that game was last night. We thought we were done, then in stoppage time, Donovan scored the most important goal of the cup so far :)

After the game, we met up with a couple we'd met at an earlier match. They picked us up and took us to a proper neighborhood in Johannesburg (no escort or transfers this time, yay!) and we ate dinner at a local pub named Baron's. It felt like we were back in the states with old friends again, a nice change from the Casino we've had dinner at every night in Johannesburg. They lived in a cute little suburb and we ended up going back to their place for drinks. It was such a great night and we made some really great friends. We all went to breakfast this morning (a nice change from our Jo'burg breakfasts where it stays in the 40's in the dining area..) and had a really nice meal.

After breakfast, Johnn and I went to the Lion Park here in Johannesburg where you go on a tour of the lion habitats. It wasn't anything like our safari, but it was still neat to see the lion prides up close. The highlight, however, was the lion cub playpen where you get to pet the cubs. Yes, PET them. It might of been the best thing ever because these little guys were so cute! They have huge paws and stocky little bodies and just the most playful things. I can't decide if it was my favorite part of our trip.... :)

Tonight, we have reservations at a nice restaurant in a pretty trendy part of town. We're trying to get out of our hotel as much as possible as they've been struggling with rolling power outages for 2 days now.. This will be our last night in South Africa. We can't believe how time has flown, it really doesn't seem like 3 weeks has passed. We're sad to be leaving, but it'll be nice to have the comforts of home again. We leave here around 11am for the airport to catch our 2pm flight "home" and arrive in Dallas only 36 short hours later...

It's been a truly amazing trip, from the matches we've gone to (3 total with the US advancing) to Cape Town, with the wine tour and Table Mountain, to the Safari trip, we couldn't have asked for anything better. It's a place we'll definitely have to visit again!

Here are some pics from the game and from the Lion Park today:

we're going through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Safari's Are Cool

Johnn and I just got back from our 3 day safari at the Djuma Bush Lodge at the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve. There really aren't words to describe our experience there. The service was the best we've had here in South Africa and we already can't wait to go back. Our private chalet was our own little house with an outdoor shower looking up at the moon in the afternoons. But, most importantly, the animals were amazing.

We went on game drives every morning at 630-930 and every evening from 4-7. It was extremely cold in the mornings and nights, but got up in the 80s during the day, a pleasant break from all this cold weather. We headed out in jacked up land cruisers with no tops, usually 4-6 per group with our guide, Greg and our tracker Patrick, both extremely knowledgeable and wonderful.

We saw the big five between our first afternoon and first morning drives there: Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo, Lion and Rhino. We also saw Zebra, Ostrich, Warthog, Monkeys, plenty of antelope (kudu and impala), Hippo's, and many more. We witnessed the lions eating their prey (we didn't get to see the kill unfortunately) but I won't post pictures for those with weak stomachs :)

This was by far the highlight of our trip I think, between the viewings, the people and the comforts of the lodge. It really was a once in a lifetime experience. I'll be sure to post all 300 pics for you guys on snapfish when we get home, who knew I could take 30 pictures of a Lion just sitting there. But when he's sitting in front of you 3 feet ahead while we're in an open air vehicle, it's hard not to.
Tomorrow is the game between US and Algeria, the game being played in Pretoria, about 45 min. away from us here in Johannesburg. We're going to a Lion sanctuary on Thursday and then we leave for home on Friday! Can't believe we're almost through. We do apologize for the lack of blogging, but there was no internet in the Bush and it's been spotty everywhere else.

Below is just a tiny selection of our massive library:

June 18, 2009

Well, tonight was the US v. Slovenia match and didn't turn out quite like we'd hoped. We'll take the draw, but really wanted a win. At least is wasn't a loss! Our seats were INFINITELY better: front row, 2nd deck, right in the middle. There wasn't anyone in front of us, traffic was great and we had absolutely no problems, we'll take it! Here's a pic of Johnn and I from our seats before the game.

Johnn and I head to Sabi Sands Djuma Bush Lodge tomorrow for our Safari. From what we've heard, should be pretty awesome! Not sure about the internet connection there, but we'll be back in Jo'burg on Tuesday if we strike out again. Cheers!

We have internet!

Well, it's Friday, June 18th and it's basically the first day in a week that we've had Internet, hence the lack of blogging. Sincerest apologies and we're still alive and well. It'll be impossible to go into detail about the last week here, so I'll try and do a modified recap (without, unfortunately the cool links like Johnn does..)

Johnn and I had a blast at the game in Rustenburg. The US came through with a 1-1 draw against England, something good for us, not so good for England. The traffic getting in and out of the stadium was about the worst traffic in the world. It was a one way road in and out. It took us over an hour to go a little over 2 miles. We ended up parking on the side of the road and walking the last 3 miles. We arrived at the stadium with 15 minutes to spare. The game was great and our seats were in the middle about half way up. The energy in the stadium was incredible! Here is a picture of us at the game. It was freezing outside which is why we're so bundled up (by we, I mean me..)

On Sunday, Johnn and I left Johannesburg for Cape Town, a city we truly enjoyed. The V&A Waterfront was a 15 minute walk from our hotel with tons of shopping and great restaurants, a scene definitely lacking in Johannesburg. We spent all day and night at the Waterfront, enjoying the shopping and having drinks and dinner at a local pub, watching the matches.

We spent Monday in the Western Cape wine country with our tour guide Charl, a very informative guide who drove us through the different wineries. We spent the morning in Stellenbosch, a beautiful little city with many different wineries. We went to a total of four wineries that day for tastings, each one with amazing wines. At one, Dieu Donne, we had lunch, and it was the most amazing view of the mountains. Luck was not on our side, however, because it rained the entire day and was bitterly cold, but we didn't let it stop us from having a good time.

Tuesday morning we went up to Table Mountain, also a bit rainy, but not as bad as the day before. It was bitterly cold up on the mountain, but the clouds cleared just long enough to allow some amazing views and pictures. Here is a picture of Johnn and I at the top of the mountain:

After the mountain, we took a city bus tour of Cape Town and saw different areas of the Cape we would have otherwise missed. After the tour, Johnn and I went for another Spa appointment at the One and Only Cape Town, even more posh than our last spa. Think Ritz Carlton NYC or something, it was truly incredible and we felt like a million bucks. We had dinner at the hotel, at Nobu, which was also fabulous. Our 3 year anniversary was the next day, so we went ahead and celebrated that night at Nobu with a token champagne toast.

Wednesday, we flew back to Johannesburg and went to Sandton (a suburb of Johannesburg) for the night. It was another great area of the city with shopping and great restaurants. We ate at an African Restaurant with a nice buffet, but I still haven't eat anything too crazy. We watched the match between South Africa and Uruguay, but unfortunately, South Africa couldn't pull off a win. We still had a great time though.

We spent all day Thursday on a tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. It was truly an eye opener to see what these people have gone through. Soweto is a township that housed the forced removal of blacks during Apartheid and is still occupied today. Our driver took us to a shanty town and walked us through its streets and the people opened their homes to us. It was an amazingly humbling experience and makes us really appreciate all we have been blessed with. Below is a picture with some kiddos who didn't seem to want to look at the camera :) :

Today we have our second match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg against Slovenia. We hope to post soon to let you guys know how the game went. Go USA!!! 

We're headed to Rustenburg to watch the US take on England!

Bafana Bafana! This is name by which the South African national football team is known here in South Africa. I think the South Africans have to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw with Mexico. Ashley and I watched the first half at a public viewing near the hotel. The South Africans were great and we really enjoyed watching the hosts celebrate the opening match.

Friday, June 11

Today is Friday, our second full day here in Johannesburg. We are getting a little more settled in today. Yesterday, Thursday, Johnn and I went to the Bruma Flea Market, about a 30 minute car ride from our hotel (and I'm sorry, I can't do the cool links like Johnn can...). We spent the whole day there, and had time to walk across the street to the mall there and had lunch at a place called Spur Steak Ranch, pretty typical Indian/Adobe themed restaurant in South Africa. Last night, we went to one of the biggest casino "compounds" I've ever seen called Emperor's Palace, but I've also never been to Las Vegas. There was basically a city within this casino and several very nice restaurants. We ate at the African Tribes Grill, a somewhat upscale restaurant there. Johnn and I are quickly learning that Johannesburg is not like Dallas, and we cannot simply get in the car and go to a fun neighborhood, walk around and just hang out. A little disappointing, but we're learning to be accommodating and realize we didn't come here to find another Dallas.

Today, Friday, Johnn and I had spa appointments at the Octavius Day Spa, which coincidentally, was at Emperor's Palace and we were just there last night! This might have been the most posh, luxurious day spa I've been to. Here is the website: http://www.octavias.co.za/ We had 2 Swedish massages and a 30 minute session in the "Flotation Pool," which is literally a small pool filled with high content salt water where you literally float weightlessly. It was a very weird sensation, but the salt acts as a natural detoxifier, which we found out, can make you sick to your stomach. We cut that session a little short and spent the rest of the time in the Roman Bath, basically a very large hot tub. It was a really nice morning.

After the spa, we came back for a quick nap and are about to head out to a public viewing of the Opening Match of the World Cup, South Africa v. Mexico, airing at 9 am central time today (4pm Johannesburg time). They built huge pavilion grounds for the community to come together to watch. Johnn bought a South Africa jersey, which he'll wear today in support of our host nation.

We will post pictures soon, but they charge us the MB, so we'll have to upload them at another time as my bytes are about to run out...

Tomorrow is the England v. US match, 1:30 central, 8:30 local time, so tune in, maybe you'll catch a glimpse of us!

Until then :).

We have arrived in Johannesburg! Our plane touched down at approximately 425p and by 630p we had picked up our match tickets and traveled to our lodge. We then unpacked, showered, and had dinner at the lodge which was followed by drinks and great conversation with several persons from England and Mexico.

We touched down in Dubai approximately one hour ago. Although it is
just after 9am locally, our internal clocks are still on eastern time
where I believe it is just after 1am. Needless to say, we are
extremely tired. In another 30 minutes we will begin boarding
Emirates flight 763 to Johannesburg.

Ashley and I have boarded Emirates flight 204 to Dubai. Economy class on Emirates is absurd. I have never had so much leg room.

Monday, June 7

Our vacation has officially begun. We left Dallas today, shortly after 5pm and, after changing planes in Atlanta, arrived in New York just prior to 11pm local time. After a short visit to the baggage claim, we took a taxi from La Guardia to the Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the hotel the kitchen had already closed for the evening. However, lucky for us, the hotel is equipped with "The Pavilion Pantry convenience mart which offers offers sundries, an assortment of beverages and ready-to-cook meals bound for the in-room microwave oven or refrigerator." After two bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos, one Hormel's Chicken Alfredo Compleats, a 3" personal pizza, and a Diet Coke, we are off to bed and dreading tomorrow's 14 hour flight to Dubai followed immediately by another 8 hours to Johannesburg. On the brighter side, the HD television in our room is not functioning properly and, in response to this defect, the very accommodating staff here at the hotel offered to pay for tomorrow morning's breakfast and we of course accepted.

Tomorrow:
7a Wake Up/Breakfast
9a Complimentary shuttle from hotel to JFK Airport
1120a Depart JFK on Emirates flight 204 to Dubai

32 Teams: One Dream (ESPN, United States)

in just 6 short days, ashley and i will be on our way to south africa and the 2010 fifa world cup. when on vacation, we generally post to our blog nightly. doing so, however, results in late nights spent recalling every particular detail of the day's events. ideally, we could post from our phones (via text message), eliminating the need for bulky laptops and internet connectivity. this would spread over the course of the day what would otherwise be several hours of blogging in the very late evening. after a matter of seconds spent on the internet, i discovered that the people at google have incorporated this functionality into their freely available blogging tool, blogger. this has been my first attempt at posting via text message and i am happy to report that it was painless. it has certainly caused the commute to pass more quickly than usual. it should be noted that i'm not driving and texting simultaneously. i take public transportation to and from work.