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29th - 1st July, Cape Town, Olay olay & Canada Day
Tuesday started pretty tamely, we wandered down to the waterfront to book our trip to Robben Island and had a leisurely lunch at an all you can eat buffet which was terrible ( though we did get to eat impala and springbok!). The action really started in the evening as we were due to see the first of two planned games in Cape Town - it was the round of 16 match between Spain and Portugal.
We wandered down to the stadium from our hostel with one guy who was also staying at our place and going to the game. WHilst venturing to the stadium we witnessed a disorientated looking African man carrying two loads of shopping wander into the road and get hit by a car! We all looked round at each other as if to say did that really just happen!?!? Some members of the public picked up the man and his shopping and got the motorist off the road. The motorist in the car behind was beeping its horn trying to move the car that just hit the man out of the way! The car must have been doing about 30mph b ut the man seemed relatively ok he dusted himself off and went about his business!
The queue to enter the stadium was big and long so much so it deteriorated into more of a crowd. We eventually got in and found our seats. They were high up but smack bang on the halfway line. The game was a dreary affair completely Portugals fault...again. The spainsh set up with a strange formation with Villa on the left which we didnt like but the man came up trumps late on the secure a 1-0 victory for the SpaNish Olay!
After the game we met up with Canadian Chris. He introduced us to Tyler an American Havard graduate, and a couple by the names of Nina Chris's fellow Canadian and school friend and Duncan an Aussie living in Canada (Canadians everywhere!). We decided to walk with them and the crowd to Long Street the main party/backpacker street in Cape Town. We arrived and the street wasn't as busy as I expected but it definately was long. We briefly entered penthouse-on-long to puick up Tim, RAchel, and Katy who we met in Johannesburg and then we went to a bar across the road called Ivory room! Upon entering they stopped Silver and asked in a puzzled tone if he was with the rest of us! Furthermore at the bar thye bar staff seemed to ignore him and we all arrived at the bar after and got served before Juju! We sat and planned the week ahead as it was an important week! We learnt Canada day falls on the 1st of July, whilst my birthday was the day after on the 2nd, and the Americans among us reminded us of July 4th! After making plans we partied I spent most of the remaining night dancing with Rachel. Silver and Scott actually ditched me and went home without me - who needs enemies! The others were there though so it was cool!
The following day was relatively incident free. I lost the 2nd attempt at a Durban blog at an internet cafe. On the way back we had a laugh as nature was knocking at my door halfway from the hostel meaning we had to up the pace much to Scotty doggs amusement. We arrived back at the hostel to find Silver in the same spot we left him reading. He thinks he walked about 30 paces that day not bad effort at all! When we arrived he was rocking on two legs of a garden chair at the front balcony hands in a gun shape pretending to shoot birds that were flying past. We mocked him for about 5 minutes before joining in - I had a shotgun whilst Scott opted for a machine gun!
July 1st - CANADA DAY! This was one of my favourite days on the trip! In the morning we decided to go up Table mountain. I think the mountain has that name do to the flat nature of its peak! It was more like the afternoon by the time we arrived at the base. There were two options either we could trek up to the top or take a $25 cable car up and one down for the same price. So we trekked laughing at the hords of [people wanting to get in the cable cars. What we failed to realise is that for the past 6 weeks we had been sat around drinking lager/cider! Lots of alcohol and little exercise makes Daniel one unfit man! The three of us struggled up! The climb was supposed to last 2 and a half hours but we managed it in an hour and a quarter! Good going but we definately felt the burn! I have a fear of man made objects at great heights (the bungee terrified me!). Things like high up bridges, steps or cable cars freak me out! The boys couldnt get over it and Silver especially was teasing me high up on the viewing platforms. The views were definately worth the climb and we stayed on the top for a good hour or so before going back down. The highlight was possibly Scott doing pressups between the mountain itself and another rock which had a visible gap with a massive drop he actually drew a little crowd!
Whilst up the mountain Canadian Chris called us to inform us about where we would be celebrating Canada day. We were again in Long Street at a bar named the Purple Turtle! Furthermore it was Karioke night at the bar and due to the lack of copyright laws in Africa you could pretty much sing what you like! They had everything from Elvis to Eminem (rap karioke also a first!). So we settled in and began to drink. A half South African half Angolan man tried to buy us drinks he claimed that it didn't matter about the money because he was far richer than we were as his father owned a diamond mine (hmmm...). Afterwards he was trying to get me to talk to the barmaid despite my protests - she was actually half British (from Luton) and had lived in South for 11 years. We politely declined the Angolan diamond funded drinks and found a booth! There was Myself, Scott, Silver, Tyler, Tim, Chris, Duncan, Nina, and James. Duncan went straight up which was unusual - in my experience you need to bee hammered or very good at singing. Duncan was the latter and he rattled off a very good performance of the Killers - somebody told me! I don't know if it's because we were in Africa or it was just by chance but everyone who got up had great voices. Especially one girl who sang Whitney Houston - I will always love you and smashed it (I swear she was better than Whitney!). In fact later that night once it turned midnight, and hence it was officially my birthday, the girl dedicated a rendition of a Lauren Hill song to me after I told her how good her voice was!!
Before midnight arrived the Canadians in the bar (aswell as American James!?!?) got up on stage and sang the national anthem acapella! Throughout the night I noticed shifty looks and James dissapeared out of the booth for a while and came back and nodded at Scott and I knew something was up! Scott and Silver have a tendency when drunk to try and stich me up (e.g. volunteering me to play guitar infornt of a group of American students at the chimpanzee reservation in Zambia - b******s!). So I asked and they wouldn't tell me and uber paranoia kciked in. I knew they had put my name down but I didn't know what song or when! Sure enough on the stroke of midnight my name was read out. But rather than push me up on stage and force me to murder Gloria Gaynor the qwhole group got up. The DJ/host asked me to come up and he proceeded to tell the bar it was my birthday. The whole bar joined in singing happy birthday to me whilst the DJ poured Apple Sour tasting drink out of a full shot bottle down my throat for the duration. Afterwards he started playing the song the group had decided to select and sing to me. The song they chose.... Afro Man - Because I Got High! Why? I don't know (I definately don't smoke weed so that wasn't it). I later found out it was becuase its very hard to do badly! So we performed the song together and it was very cool and I thanked the group for making my birthday. After this point we all got rather drunk, toasted Canada Day/My birthday numerous time and performed Coolio's Gangster Paradise absolutely smashed! Amaqzing night thanks to that Cape Town crew they made it a good night!
DC, Silver, Scott xxx
- comments
Martin (Dan's Dad) Fun times!! Birthdays back in England will never be the same. Glad you had a great time. D x
Di (Dan's mum) Oh to be 22 and having the time or your life! Glad you celebrated in style. It will be hard for us to match that one in future! Take care mum xx
skips haha love it!!! would love to hear you murder cuz i got high, i believe it can be done by you n scotty!!! :) xxx