USA and England played Friday night in Rustenburg. The game was fun. Eventually I'll upload pictures. I promise. In the mean time, let me bitch about something that is truly worth bitching about.
It took THREE HOURS to get out of the parking lot. THREE. The game ended at 22:30. We were 110 km from the hostel. And we weren't home until a few minutes before 04:00. How does that happen?
Well simple: there's a parking lot with 15,000 cars, and the brilliant minds for the planning committee and FIFA thought that one exit out of the parking lot would be enough to funnel out 15,000 cars at the same time, 14,999 of which would be heading the same way on a two-lane highway back to either Jo'Burg or Pretoria. And in the one long year since Rustenburg's Royal Bofakeng Stadium played host to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, it seems like they did nothing at all to figure out the logistics of something that the Dallas Cowboys had no problem doing for a stadium that seats and stands 100,000 on the first try.
But I digress.
The disaster that was the postgame was inexcusable. Even the local police had no idea what was going on and struggled mightily to control traffic or even control anything at all. The busses that were supposed to transport everyone from the stadium to the parking lot were turned in the wrong direction, causing jams and gridlock that was not solved for hours. I was on one of the first busses to get back to the parking lot, and even still I was sitting on the bus for more than an hour before the bus did as much as turn a wheel. In the parking lot, for 90 minutes, not a single car moved in the row we were parked in. A bunch of people, myself included, just decided to sit back and open a few brews and tailgate. Others just sat in their cars, heat turned up, listening to music or the complaints of other drivers on 1600 AM. The host on 1600 AM went as far as to pull a Sarah Palin, saying this disaster would confirm many people's ignorant beliefs that “Africa is a third-world country.”
Every caller had his or her own simile to give, but none could sum it up. One person compared it to a new neighbor (or neighbour in metric spelling) moving in, inviting you over, and after a lovely dinner having a huge fight right at the doorway as you tried to leave.
Nonetheless, at about 01:30, we got out of the parking lot, and by 04:00, we were back in Pretoria and I was able to get some sleep.
That said, Tim Howard is the greatest American since George Washington, or at least James Polk.
Some cheers from the game:
London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
London bridge is falling down on John Terry.
If the queen's not on your money, clap your hands
If the queen's not on your money, clap your hands
If the queen's not on your money, if the queen's not on your money
If the queen's not on your money, clap your hands
America... FUCK YEAH!
1950 (clap, clap.... clapclapclap)!!! 1950 (clap, clap.... clapclapclap)!!!
Next blentry when I feel like it.
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Tim Howard was good but the MVP of the game for the states was Robert Green or the new fifa ball.
ReplyDeleteThey should of had the world cup somewhere where you can get around easier. Like Rice University. Teams could stay on the north side, fans on the south side, and everyone could take the inner loop bus to the stadium to and from games, etc.
"Busses" are kisses.
ReplyDelete"Buses" are what you ride in.
Also, from a previous entry, it's "effect" and
not "affect".
Otherwise, you're doing just fine.