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South Africans know how to do lots of things well, but they really know how to do pancakes right.
Syrup? Nah. It's all about ice cream. Alfie, Carin, Tanya, Gianna, Leigh, Mia and I went for pancakes at Hartebeerspoort Dam. I got the same as last time - caramel banana - because it is incomparably delicious. Tanya and Gianna dug the South African way of eating pancakes. But seriously, can you go wrong?
Afterward we roamed the flea market. Tanya negotiated like a champ; Gianna felt a little guilty. I totally understand; I felt guilty when I first started bargaining, too. But then when I realized that the price for Americans is probably double what it is for locals, I felt a lot less guilty about negotiating. We got lots of good stuff for Vilakazi and I made a fantastic purchase for our house. I bought a wood carving of three warthogs. It's absolutely beautiful! And I negotiated from R1,500 down to R500. I think I'm getting better at bargaining. :)
We stopped off to pick up some snacks at a grocery store, and Leigh caught Mia on video learning this nifty trick:
We dropped off Gianna at the airport, which was a total bummer. I wish she could have stayed longer, but I'm so glad we got to meet her and that she came.
We decided that after the madness of Friday that it would be best to watch the U.S. take on England at home. We ordered pizza and stayed in. It was fantastically calm. The U.S. scored one goal, and of course it was when I went to the bathroom. The game was a draw but it was still really exciting.
Showing posts with label gianna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gianna. Show all posts
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Feel it! It is here!
Today's Leigh's birthday and in keeping with Jacobs family tradition, Alfie served Leigh breakfast in bed. I also got to enjoy the fruits of that labor, even though it wasn't my birthday. Hooray!
Aside from Leigh turning 29, it's World Cup time.
The city has gone insane. Today is the day.
The vuvuzelas are playing nonstop. We heard them when we woke up with Mia this morning about 7. People are congregating on corners and blowing the horns as loudly as possible. Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the mall today to have breakfast and visit some of the local shops. The mall - the mall! - was too loud for a baby. Everyone was shopping at Big Blue, one of the best shops around, and I decided to take Mia out into the mall so she could crawl around on the floor. I left the store and the sound of vuvuzelas was too loud for her. Since when is a mall too loud on a Friday morning for a baby? Crazy.
We met Alfie at home and headed out to watch South Africa take on Mexico somewhere out in public. Leigh and I asked Sonja to babysit in case it would be too loud for Mia. Thankfully we left her home because everywhere - everywhere! - we went was too loud for a small child. We settled on a seafood restaurant in a large shopping center in Joburg. The vuvuzelas didn't stop in the hours before the game and during the entire match.
Watching Bafana Bafana play in the opening match made me realize why Americans don't do soccer. It's 45 minutes of concentration before halftime. Other sports have, like, 10 seconds of focus before a break. It was so intense! Everyone in every restaurant cheered the whole time. It was unlike any watch party I've ever been to. It was exhausting and awesome. South Africa drew with Mexico, 1-1. I can't wait to go to the games in person. It's going to be nuts.
We went out to dinner for Leigh's birthday at a fancy-pants Italian restaurant inside Monte Casino, a massive, Vegas-style casino in Joburg. The food was absolutely outstanding. I ate every single bite of my chicken and pasta and made a move on my creme brulee. I was too full, though, and Carin told me, "It's OK to give up, Carrie." I did. For those of you who know how much I love sweets, you understand how truly full I was if I couldn't finish desert.
While eating at this restaurant, the vuvuzelas didn't stop. Everyone walking around the casino played them continuously. I have a feeling that we'll be hearing vuvuzelas until we get on the plane.
After that Tanya, Gianna, Leigh and I went for a drink in Melville, which is kind of like a big Paseo district in Joburg. The streets were packed with the young and trendy. The district is full of hip bars, fancy bakeries, hole-in-the-wall dives and local shops. It's the cool place to be, especially on weekends. Leigh was so pumped to go out here for his birthday.
We went to a great club called Six and met four college girls who taught us how to dance. Well, to be honest, they danced, we mimicked them and they laughed at how white we are. Leigh just drank his beer and watched us make fools of ourselves. We had such a great time! We also learned that, in addition to the thumbs-up sign, spirit fingers are universal. A couple of guys from Durban hit on us and bought us drinks, which was nice. No need to worry: I mentioned that I was married about a thousand times. We also met Roy, a Duke college student from North Carolina, who was traveling alone. What a great age - when you're old enough to do stupid stuff and not old enough to know it's stupid.
After Six we moved on to a bar called Ratz. We met some cool folks from Texas. As the bar closed down Gianna and I left to find a cab while Leigh and Tanya paid our tab. We found a cab about a block down and turned to make our way back to the bar. Then we saw a fight - so scary. One guy slammed another into a parked car, and the injured guy's friend smashed a beer bottle over the attacker's head. It was pretty scary. The two friends tried to get away and the attacker pulled a 2-by-4 out of a trash barrel, snapped it in half and charged. He smashed the other guy silly while the friend could only watch. Within moments a private security force, carrying guns longer than Mia, pulled up. The police arrived shortly after.
The fight only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed like forever. Gianna and I stood frozen, trapped on the corner. The fight was between us and the bar where Leigh and Tanya were. We couldn't decide whether to stay or try to slip past the chaos and back into the bar. We decided to stay put. A local guy standing next to us told us it was just drunk idiots acting stupid. Melville was packed with locals and foreign visitors, and I think he was trying to tell us that drunk people are stupid everywhere - not just South Africa. It was sort of comforting. He was right. I've seen bar fights in the United States. I guess it just was more frightening because we were so far from home.
The police were still sorting things out when Tanya spotted a cab - someone took the one we originally found! - and we left Melville. I was so bummed that Tanya and Gianna had that experience in Melville. It's really a fantastic place. But stupid drunk people tend to ruin things worldwide. It's as universal as the thumbs-up sign and spirit fingers.
Aside from Leigh turning 29, it's World Cup time.
The city has gone insane. Today is the day.
The vuvuzelas are playing nonstop. We heard them when we woke up with Mia this morning about 7. People are congregating on corners and blowing the horns as loudly as possible. Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the mall today to have breakfast and visit some of the local shops. The mall - the mall! - was too loud for a baby. Everyone was shopping at Big Blue, one of the best shops around, and I decided to take Mia out into the mall so she could crawl around on the floor. I left the store and the sound of vuvuzelas was too loud for her. Since when is a mall too loud on a Friday morning for a baby? Crazy.
We met Alfie at home and headed out to watch South Africa take on Mexico somewhere out in public. Leigh and I asked Sonja to babysit in case it would be too loud for Mia. Thankfully we left her home because everywhere - everywhere! - we went was too loud for a small child. We settled on a seafood restaurant in a large shopping center in Joburg. The vuvuzelas didn't stop in the hours before the game and during the entire match.
Watching Bafana Bafana play in the opening match made me realize why Americans don't do soccer. It's 45 minutes of concentration before halftime. Other sports have, like, 10 seconds of focus before a break. It was so intense! Everyone in every restaurant cheered the whole time. It was unlike any watch party I've ever been to. It was exhausting and awesome. South Africa drew with Mexico, 1-1. I can't wait to go to the games in person. It's going to be nuts.
We went out to dinner for Leigh's birthday at a fancy-pants Italian restaurant inside Monte Casino, a massive, Vegas-style casino in Joburg. The food was absolutely outstanding. I ate every single bite of my chicken and pasta and made a move on my creme brulee. I was too full, though, and Carin told me, "It's OK to give up, Carrie." I did. For those of you who know how much I love sweets, you understand how truly full I was if I couldn't finish desert.
While eating at this restaurant, the vuvuzelas didn't stop. Everyone walking around the casino played them continuously. I have a feeling that we'll be hearing vuvuzelas until we get on the plane.
After that Tanya, Gianna, Leigh and I went for a drink in Melville, which is kind of like a big Paseo district in Joburg. The streets were packed with the young and trendy. The district is full of hip bars, fancy bakeries, hole-in-the-wall dives and local shops. It's the cool place to be, especially on weekends. Leigh was so pumped to go out here for his birthday.
We went to a great club called Six and met four college girls who taught us how to dance. Well, to be honest, they danced, we mimicked them and they laughed at how white we are. Leigh just drank his beer and watched us make fools of ourselves. We had such a great time! We also learned that, in addition to the thumbs-up sign, spirit fingers are universal. A couple of guys from Durban hit on us and bought us drinks, which was nice. No need to worry: I mentioned that I was married about a thousand times. We also met Roy, a Duke college student from North Carolina, who was traveling alone. What a great age - when you're old enough to do stupid stuff and not old enough to know it's stupid.
After Six we moved on to a bar called Ratz. We met some cool folks from Texas. As the bar closed down Gianna and I left to find a cab while Leigh and Tanya paid our tab. We found a cab about a block down and turned to make our way back to the bar. Then we saw a fight - so scary. One guy slammed another into a parked car, and the injured guy's friend smashed a beer bottle over the attacker's head. It was pretty scary. The two friends tried to get away and the attacker pulled a 2-by-4 out of a trash barrel, snapped it in half and charged. He smashed the other guy silly while the friend could only watch. Within moments a private security force, carrying guns longer than Mia, pulled up. The police arrived shortly after.
The fight only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed like forever. Gianna and I stood frozen, trapped on the corner. The fight was between us and the bar where Leigh and Tanya were. We couldn't decide whether to stay or try to slip past the chaos and back into the bar. We decided to stay put. A local guy standing next to us told us it was just drunk idiots acting stupid. Melville was packed with locals and foreign visitors, and I think he was trying to tell us that drunk people are stupid everywhere - not just South Africa. It was sort of comforting. He was right. I've seen bar fights in the United States. I guess it just was more frightening because we were so far from home.
The police were still sorting things out when Tanya spotted a cab - someone took the one we originally found! - and we left Melville. I was so bummed that Tanya and Gianna had that experience in Melville. It's really a fantastic place. But stupid drunk people tend to ruin things worldwide. It's as universal as the thumbs-up sign and spirit fingers.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Kudus and concerts
For the second time on our trip, we drove within reach of some of the largest animals in Africa.
Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve outside of Joburg today for a drive-through. Leigh and I went there in 2007, and it's a small, private reserve with kudus, boks, water buffalo, warthogs, cheetahs, rhinos, lions and lots of other animals. We took plenty of photos, but I have to say, it was a whole different vibe from Pilansberg. Animals on the reserve are managed; it's not the open wild. It was cool, but it wasn't the same thrill. Then again, there really aren't any places like it in the U.S. Any rhino up close is a cool rhino - unless it's angry.
We wrapped up our day safari and headed to Soweto for the official opening ceremony concert. It was the best organized concert I've ever been to. We saw dozens of bands and the music never paused. Something was happening on one of the three stages up front the entire night. We saw the Kn'aan, Black Eyed Peas, Blackjacks, Big Nuz, The Parlatones, Freshly Ground, John Legend, GoldFish, Alicia Keyes, Leera and a bunch of uber-famous South Africans. We rocked the hell out.
And just FYI: Shakira is a lip-syncer. Yeah. That's pretty sad when you're set is only three songs long. Lame, Shakira.
And the coolest part: we saw Desmond Tutu! Yes - in real life. He came out and spoke and even danced a little. It was so neat seeing a peace prize winner in real life. It was definitely a moment I will never forget.
We parked on one side of the city and rode buses to the stadium. It was awesome because our cars where safe and we got to the stadium in just a few minutes. The process was absolutely efficient.
But getting back was a different story. A bunch of people parked in front of the buses outside of the stadium, so there was no way for those buses to go forward and leave. They were trapped. Therefore, we were trapped. We waited and waited and waited. Occasionally we saw buses that were already full of concert-goers pass by. Then the masses started walking away from the stadium and into Soweto. We waited some more and decided to go ahead and walk with the crowds. We asked security guards and police along the way where we were supposed to go and what was happening. No one knew. We just kept walking further into Soweto. One empty bus pulled to a stop near us and it was mobbed. People sprinted and pushed each other to board. This wasn't a good situation. We kept walking, blocks and blocks and blocks.
Eventually we arrived at a gas station that appeared to be an impromptu loading zone. As fans walked away from the stadium, buses were filling up further and further away from the official loading site. So this gas station had become the new loading zone. We finally got onto a double-decker bus. Hooray! When the driver pulled away, everyone clapped. It was about 12:30 a.m. - an hour and a half after we first left the stadium.
It was officially the first day of the World Cup AND Leigh's birthday! I made an announcement that Leigh had turned 29 and asked everyone to sing him happy birthday. They did! It was awesome! Leigh got pats on the back and loads of embarrassment. Excellent!
Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve outside of Joburg today for a drive-through. Leigh and I went there in 2007, and it's a small, private reserve with kudus, boks, water buffalo, warthogs, cheetahs, rhinos, lions and lots of other animals. We took plenty of photos, but I have to say, it was a whole different vibe from Pilansberg. Animals on the reserve are managed; it's not the open wild. It was cool, but it wasn't the same thrill. Then again, there really aren't any places like it in the U.S. Any rhino up close is a cool rhino - unless it's angry.
We wrapped up our day safari and headed to Soweto for the official opening ceremony concert. It was the best organized concert I've ever been to. We saw dozens of bands and the music never paused. Something was happening on one of the three stages up front the entire night. We saw the Kn'aan, Black Eyed Peas, Blackjacks, Big Nuz, The Parlatones, Freshly Ground, John Legend, GoldFish, Alicia Keyes, Leera and a bunch of uber-famous South Africans. We rocked the hell out.
And just FYI: Shakira is a lip-syncer. Yeah. That's pretty sad when you're set is only three songs long. Lame, Shakira.
And the coolest part: we saw Desmond Tutu! Yes - in real life. He came out and spoke and even danced a little. It was so neat seeing a peace prize winner in real life. It was definitely a moment I will never forget.
We parked on one side of the city and rode buses to the stadium. It was awesome because our cars where safe and we got to the stadium in just a few minutes. The process was absolutely efficient.
But getting back was a different story. A bunch of people parked in front of the buses outside of the stadium, so there was no way for those buses to go forward and leave. They were trapped. Therefore, we were trapped. We waited and waited and waited. Occasionally we saw buses that were already full of concert-goers pass by. Then the masses started walking away from the stadium and into Soweto. We waited some more and decided to go ahead and walk with the crowds. We asked security guards and police along the way where we were supposed to go and what was happening. No one knew. We just kept walking further into Soweto. One empty bus pulled to a stop near us and it was mobbed. People sprinted and pushed each other to board. This wasn't a good situation. We kept walking, blocks and blocks and blocks.
Eventually we arrived at a gas station that appeared to be an impromptu loading zone. As fans walked away from the stadium, buses were filling up further and further away from the official loading site. So this gas station had become the new loading zone. We finally got onto a double-decker bus. Hooray! When the driver pulled away, everyone clapped. It was about 12:30 a.m. - an hour and a half after we first left the stadium.
It was officially the first day of the World Cup AND Leigh's birthday! I made an announcement that Leigh had turned 29 and asked everyone to sing him happy birthday. They did! It was awesome! Leigh got pats on the back and loads of embarrassment. Excellent!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
How South Africans parade
Today we went to a parade for Bafana Bafana. This was my first time to go to a South African parade.
The parade started an hour late, lasted about two minutes and was so loud I think people in Botswana heard. Oh, cultural differences.
We picked up our friends Tanya and Gianna at the airport today. It was pretty cool because we arrived on the right day this time. The airport is the loudest, craziest airport I've ever been to. I think everyone from Argentina and Mexico is now in South Africa. Everybody. They're all here. And they brought fancy drums and hats. We saw Germans in Leiderhosen. We saw Italians, Chileans and lots and lots of Brazilians. The energy in this city is awesome. I can't wait for the World Cup to actually start.
We drove from the airport to Sandton, where we picked up our FIFA tickets. The parade was set to start at noon, and of course, the soccer team only left their hotel to start the parade at 1 p.m. The crowd didn't mind one bit - all the more time to dance and play vuvuzelas. When the parade actually started I took Mia a block away and stood behind a wall. It was far too loud for babies.
We left the parade and came home for a braai. It was South African through and through - tons of meat. Alfie grilled up ribs, chicken and two kinds of sausage. Carin stepped in and intervened with potatoes and a lovely salad, making sure that the Americans had something green on their plates.
Later the loudness continues when Mia discovered her diaper. Of course, she's been wearing diapers for the past eight months, but tonight she discovered that she's wearing one while I was putting her pajamas on. She'd look down, notice her diaper, tug on it and then squeal with joy. She was quite excited and shared the good news with everyone.
Tanya and Gianna were pretty tired from their travels, so we stayed home and visited. It was a quiet ending to the loudest day of our vacation so far.
The parade started an hour late, lasted about two minutes and was so loud I think people in Botswana heard. Oh, cultural differences.
We picked up our friends Tanya and Gianna at the airport today. It was pretty cool because we arrived on the right day this time. The airport is the loudest, craziest airport I've ever been to. I think everyone from Argentina and Mexico is now in South Africa. Everybody. They're all here. And they brought fancy drums and hats. We saw Germans in Leiderhosen. We saw Italians, Chileans and lots and lots of Brazilians. The energy in this city is awesome. I can't wait for the World Cup to actually start.
We drove from the airport to Sandton, where we picked up our FIFA tickets. The parade was set to start at noon, and of course, the soccer team only left their hotel to start the parade at 1 p.m. The crowd didn't mind one bit - all the more time to dance and play vuvuzelas. When the parade actually started I took Mia a block away and stood behind a wall. It was far too loud for babies.
We left the parade and came home for a braai. It was South African through and through - tons of meat. Alfie grilled up ribs, chicken and two kinds of sausage. Carin stepped in and intervened with potatoes and a lovely salad, making sure that the Americans had something green on their plates.
Later the loudness continues when Mia discovered her diaper. Of course, she's been wearing diapers for the past eight months, but tonight she discovered that she's wearing one while I was putting her pajamas on. She'd look down, notice her diaper, tug on it and then squeal with joy. She was quite excited and shared the good news with everyone.
Tanya and Gianna were pretty tired from their travels, so we stayed home and visited. It was a quiet ending to the loudest day of our vacation so far.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Aiport, Take 1
We left Cape Town today at 6 a.m. and landed at Joburg at 8 a.m. All three of us slept the whole time, so the flight was a cinch. But then the real rush was on. We caught a cab back to Leigh's parents' house, picked up the truck and rushed to the other airport in Joburg to pick up Tanya and her friend, Gianna.
We arrived about 9:30 a.m., which was about two hours after their flights arrived. They knew we'd be late because it was the earliest we could arrive. But when we got there we couldn't find them anywhere. We looked all over the international arrivals area and cased the shops, banks and restaurants. Nothing. Great, we though. Our friends have been in Joburg for two hours and we've already lost them. We searched for two hours and couldn't find them. We finally gave up and asked for them to be paged. Turns out, airports don't page people. Fantastic. We decided that Leigh would go to the Internet cafe and email Tanya, letting her know where to meet us. Leigh came back shaking his head.
Turns out, Tanya and Gianna LEAVE on Tuesday. They don't ARRIVE on Tuesday. haha Oh well. We had a good practice run. Tomorrow, when our friends actually arrive, we will be absolutely prepared.
We decided to pick up our tickets for the World Cup games since we then had the day free. We stood in line at the FIFA office in Sandton and then met with a ticket official. We returned our tickets to the France/Mexico game. Hopefully someone who is a true fan of one of those teams will go. If the tickets don't sell, we can pick them up at the FIFA office and use them ourselves. Kudos to FIFA for having such a good return policy.
We got our tickets for the US/Slovenia and Algeria/Slovenia games. It's actually real! Time for the WORLD CUP! YES!
We spent the rest of the day hanging out. After a really busy vacation so far, it was nice to kind of be still for a day. Tomorrow we'll have airport, take 2.
We arrived about 9:30 a.m., which was about two hours after their flights arrived. They knew we'd be late because it was the earliest we could arrive. But when we got there we couldn't find them anywhere. We looked all over the international arrivals area and cased the shops, banks and restaurants. Nothing. Great, we though. Our friends have been in Joburg for two hours and we've already lost them. We searched for two hours and couldn't find them. We finally gave up and asked for them to be paged. Turns out, airports don't page people. Fantastic. We decided that Leigh would go to the Internet cafe and email Tanya, letting her know where to meet us. Leigh came back shaking his head.
Turns out, Tanya and Gianna LEAVE on Tuesday. They don't ARRIVE on Tuesday. haha Oh well. We had a good practice run. Tomorrow, when our friends actually arrive, we will be absolutely prepared.
We decided to pick up our tickets for the World Cup games since we then had the day free. We stood in line at the FIFA office in Sandton and then met with a ticket official. We returned our tickets to the France/Mexico game. Hopefully someone who is a true fan of one of those teams will go. If the tickets don't sell, we can pick them up at the FIFA office and use them ourselves. Kudos to FIFA for having such a good return policy.
We got our tickets for the US/Slovenia and Algeria/Slovenia games. It's actually real! Time for the WORLD CUP! YES!
We spent the rest of the day hanging out. After a really busy vacation so far, it was nice to kind of be still for a day. Tomorrow we'll have airport, take 2.
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