Trust member Kate Thompson has travelled to South Africa and agreed to give members a flavour of her experience by writing a daily diary. This first article covers Kate’s journey and the tournament getting underway.
Days 1 & 2: Wednesday, 9 June 2010/Thursday, 10 June
Arrived at terminal 5 with masses of time to kill before the flight which loaded promptly, and it looked as if we would leave pretty much on time. However, this didn’t take into account a passenger who had had too much to drink and was sick before we had started our take-off! So we had to go back to the terminal where he was taken off the plane, despite protests, and we then had to wait for cleaners to come on and clear up after him. Great!
Although we left two hours late we managed to claw back an hour and finally landed just after 9.00 am. Then there was a lot of hanging around before we could get on the coach to the hotel. It’s in Camps Bay, which is very pretty. Because I opted for self-catering (cheaper!) I went to buy some essential supplies then had a much-needed shower! We drove right past the Green Park Stadium in Cape Town, where England play their second match. It’s a beautiful day but I can’t be bothered to go up the Table Mountain cable-car today, let’s hope tomorrow is equally nice. As I was warned, it got very cold when the sun set (before 6.00 pm) and there is no heater in the apartment.…..
In the evening Thomson Sport laid on a social event in town, where the most interesting aspect was three former England players (Martin Keown, Gary Mabbutt and Chris Kamara) talking about the team’s prospects. I must be getting old, as I found the music far too loud! I had a wonderful night’s sleep, despite being woken at 6.30 by a strange alarm that I couldn’t identify but which finally stopped.
Day 3: Friday, 11 June 2010
The day the World Cup starts, with the hosts South Africa v Mexico at 4.00, after the opening ceremony. The match is taking place in the stadium in Johannesburg where the final will be played, but there are several large screens where you can watch the games, notably in the ‘Fans Fest’ arena. In the event, there was no chance to getting in unless you arrived incredibly early.
I took an open-top bus on the ‘red route’, which allows you to get on and off at will. After an interesting journey along the coast and past some interesting buildings, etc we arrived at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront, which has had a big facelift and is now very busy and popular. I got off at the tourist office and then walked through to St George’s Cathedral before getting on the next bus. This again went through some interesting parts, including District Six, where blacks were forcibly removed under the apartheid regime.
I got off again at the Table Mountain cable-car station and, despite having pre-booked, still had to queue because there had been a power failure earlier and crowds had built up. It was worth the wait and I spent much longer up there than I intended; my original intention was to get back into the centre to see the opening ceremony and first game.
The Cape Town "Eye"
After stopping off at the hotel I shared a taxi with two of the Thomson reps and then tried to get to see the game – totally hopeless so I got a service bus back to the hotel. The buses are ancient but do the job. I’m typing this while watching the Uruguay v France game. As yet, I haven’t been able to connect to the internet (at least not without paying at the hotel which I rather object to!). One of the other guests has told me that the bar opposite has free wifi if you buy a drink, so I’ll do that on Sunday. The other thing I’ve done is to book a massage [I have a trapped nerve in my neck and my right arm/shoulder is incredibly painful, so I’m hoping a massage will help].
Tomorrow is a very early start (4.45 am) so not much sleep tonight!
Part two of Kate’s diary, covering the day of the first England game will appear tomorrow