Springbok beach weekend (part 1)

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After hitting the dizzy heights of seeing so many sightings of rhino on the way out of Kruger, within half an hour we came down to earth with a bump, or to be more specific a speeding fine ! Unbelievably, after just turning onto the main road out of Kruger (well, main road - in the broadest sense of the word - the R40 is appalling) we were pulled over by a "policeman" and issued with an on-the-spot 40US dollar fine (as, apparently, we were only doing 96kph - I wonder how much Dad was fined for doing 160kph ????). Owing to this unscheduled rap on the knuckles, the shocking state of the road and the obtuse signage around Nelspruit, we made it to Mpumalanga airport 5 minutes later than our scheduled time for handing over our filthy, scratched up hire car - they didn't issue us with another fine - bless their little cotton socks !!

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After a huge Wimpy burger and milkshake, we were ready to get onto our tiny plane (front row seats) to Durban ! Arrived in the middle of rush hour - a far cry from the relative tranquility (apart from the psychotic elephants) of Kruger. Got a taxi to our impressive guesthouse(mansion) which was at the bottom of an obscenely steep hill, which acted as a deterrent to going out - it was an absolute killer to climb. Great rooms and breakfasts - lashings of cereal, fruit, toast, juice, tea and scrambled eggs and bacon - good stomach lining for our severe beer/vodka drinking rugby days ahead !!!

'you were doing 96, so you only get a 300 Rand fine, Mister Justin Sellers from Hong Kong' - wahey !!!

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First night, we had dinner in a video shop ?! Extremely spicy chicken, which rendered it inedible (forgot about the potency of peri-peri sauce; rather have monkey gland sauce any day of the week!) The following two nights we staked out (aha ha ha) The Butcher Boy steak restaurant on Florida (Flo-Rida) Road- fabulous dinners (which became a common theme throughout our holiday - we certainly didn't go hungry !!!) The bar next door, which was supposed to be a Springbok fan hangout - The Filler Bar was a bit of a damp squib. Taxi back to the guesthouse, as the hills around this area of Durban (Berea) were incredibly steep (or were we just incredibly lazy?) our figures seem to suggest a tad more exercise wouldn't have hurt !

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During the daytime, we ventured into the city, firstly to pick up our tickets from the 'Shark Cage' (the Absa stadium's quaint name for its ticket office) and then went mad in their shop, filled to the brim with Springbok paraphernalia. Could have spent all day trying on various outfits - even Sam had to sit down on the steps (in an effort to hurry me up !) Then off to the beach (which was under renovation/construction ??) - huge concrete pipes lay strewn across the sand as far as the eye could see :( However, after going past the curio market area (near North Beach), we found a clear part of beach with a beach cafe beautifully laid out sofas on the soft white sand !! Rude not to sit down for the afternoon, order some lunch and lubricate ourselves in the Durban sunshine - nice !!!!

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On the morning of the game, I did walk to Flo-Rida Road on a mission to change some money (I had forgotten my passport - well done, Just), to get some exercise / fresh air and to soak up the Durban atmosphere before the big game. Jesus, that hill was steep. I came back an hour later gasping for breath: Berea isa pretty place, but one couldn't live there without a car!! So we started walking down the hill towards the stadium with the aim of playing on a driver's conscience and getting a friendly lift all the way there. After all Sam and I were decked out in Springbok paraphernalia ( Springbok cowboy hats, Springbok tops, a Springbok flag and a Springbok mascot !!!) Amazingly, we had only been walking 2-3 minutes and a kind couple picked us up and drove us to the braai area right outside the stadium. They even asked us if we wanted to join them for their family braai, but we thought that would be pushing it a tad too much - very hospitable people, the South Africans. The weather started to take a turn for the worse - the skies were leaden, the outlook ominous - time to hit the bar inside the stadium!

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After getting drinks (easier said than done - I had never felt so tiny), we went to find our seats to soak up the atmosphere. The skies resembled the opposition - all black! The first spots of rain started to fall, but just a few - we were still able to enjoy New Zealand getting slaughtered for the second straight week. This time Morne was the hero (and so was I for being able to pronounce his name correctly - South Africans are easy to impress) I tried (in vain) to get some drinks at half time - big poweful scrum inside the bar. I considered crawling between their legs, but I would have got trampled on - but a fellow Springbok fan very kindly gave me one of his beers. Just as the game finished, it started pouring down. It had held off just long enough for the game to finish, so we jumped into a taxi and headed back to the superb Butcher Boy restaurant for our last dinner in Durban. Fantastic meal yet again !!

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Next morning, we woke up to pouring rain, which was fine, because we were flying out back to Kruger Park (southern section) - after a hearty breakfast, of course !