Quarterfinals

After the ENS experience, David and I changed clothes and we all went down to the Fan Fest. Since it was the Dutch and co-favorites Brazil playing, the fan fest was packed. We were all rooting for the Dutch, but by the time we had a spot, the Brazilians were up. Luckily, in an epic comeback, the Dutch triumphed.

Everyone came to play

Sneijder said hello after equalizing.

It was a great environment.

David towers over people.

The Dutch were going CRAZY.

We grabbed a bunch of chicken and went to Nick, Dave, and Michael Jubergs, then went to the Waterfront to watch Ghana v. Uruguay.

We were cheering for Ghana, of course, since they were the African darlings. However, I don't think that the handball which sent the game to penalties was 'cheating.' It was merely a professional foul. If you have an intentional handball, it is a red card and a PK. That is what happened. The problem is that the team which advanced to the group stage only with penalty goals was unable to convert the most important one.

The guys

Everyone was Ghanan

It was intense.

Scott was in one of his moods

The Wheel of Excellence. Not kidding, thats the name.

Right after the game ended, they played 'Another one bites the Dust,' then 'We Don't Need No Education' then 'This is Africa.' Either best or worst DJ ever.

It was a sad night, but we hit the Long Street nightlife. We actually ended up at a club called Assembly. It was loud with house music and a basic impossibility to interact with anyone. Every time I go to clubs I remember why I don't go to clubs.

A strange Law Firm trip.

Since I was back in Cape Town, I am not going to continue numbering the days of my road trip. On Friday, David, Cary, Hirsh and I went to the Cape Town offices of Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs, Africa's largest law firm. One of the partners (and a head honcho for organizing the World Cup) has some connection to Harvard, and he had arranged the firm to be one of the places around the world having mock interviews for HLS students during the summer. We were contacted first by Harvard, then by the recruitment people. It seemed that NO ONE knew what was going on, but they eventually arranged for the four of us to spend the day at the offices with their 'vac students.'

There were 18 vac students- law students from various universities on winter vacation attending a two week internship/job interview with the firm. It was really interesting talking to some of the SA law students about their education, which is varied and much different than ours, the legal market and recruitment.

We went on tours of the municipal courts in Cape Town, including the temporary FIFA courts that were set up for expedient trials involving out of town visitors. With only 170 cases for all of the courts over the course of the month, they ended up being a huge waste of money. Of course this is because there was much less crime than expected, so it is hard to complain about it too much. The courtroom was done in Bafana Bafana colors. Of course everyone was a bit critical--if the trials can be done in four days, then either there is insufficient due process with the quick cases or their is normally incredible inefficiency, since many cases, even simple ones, can take 18 months or more.

They also took us to the holding cells- the jails underneath the courts- and we watched someone called up and plead guilty. It was pretty uncomfortable for everyone.

We went out to see the pro bono office of ENS at a township area called Mitchell's Plain. Every attorney in the Western Cape has to have a certain number of pro bono hours, and one very surly, lonely guy manages the office out there. He led a discussion attempting to rationalize the entire endeavor of pro bono. After hearing the conversation, I will say this: Whatever you think about pro bono- the budding attorneys in South Africa are much more cold than the Americans.

After that endeavor, they took us back to the offices. This office building has a huge tower on it. On the 14th floor there is a restaurant with a 360 degree view of Cape Town. It is one of the best views I have seen, even though it really was not that high up.

ENS puts its label on EVERYTHING. They gave us ENS binders, cards, even cards that just said 'weekend time! time to party! ENS.' We walked on ENS carpet.

They cancelled the interviews for the day, since the practitioners wanted to watch the Brazil Netherlands game. We were okay with that, so we headed back to meet up with my college buddies.

Driving Across South Africa (Days 13-14)

When we originally planned everything, we didn't really take care of our travel plans. We wanted to do a drive where we could see everything, but I realized I 'needed' to get back to work. As such, we had a LONG drive to Mossel Bay, then one to Cape Town. It took about 16 hours the first day, and nearly 5 on the second. Here are some thoughts-

The topography of South Africa is very diverse. In one day we saw a lot of mountains, a lot of beach, and a lot of nothing.

There are townships- poor settlements- EVERYWHERE.

Occasionally the highway would go through these small towns where there were no discernible traffic laws. It was INCREDIBLY different from Cape Town. We called them little Mogadishus, but that was probably a bit harsh. However, even in the most sketch and backwards of these, there was KFC. Incredible.

We got to Mossel Bay after dark and crashed at a beach house. We were up before dawn and on our way to Cape Town. Watching the sun rise over the South Africa winelands is pretty special. Arriving in Cape Town, across false bay, felt like arriving at the promised land.

The guys dropped me off, I went to work (where it turned out that both my bosses were gone), and then they went to the Cape of Good Hope.

Work Sucks (Day 12)

That Tuesday, the 29th, was pretty lowkey for me. We had another breakfast on the terrace, then the guys went to a Seaworld type place in Durban. Apparently, though it is one of the world's biggest aquariums it is not that much different than other aquariums. I stayed behind to do work. The whole scheme of my internship in Cape Town was taking a few weeks off to do the world cup. I had taken on a light assignment before I left so that way I could at least say I was doing something. Internet was not very available, so I am glad I printed off a ton of stuff before I left. The question was how we (America) use the term 'national interest' in law. The answer: not for a lot- only for exemptions for immigrants. So I wrote a memo where I was paying roughly a rand a minute. THAT will make you type fast.

The guys came back and we went to a really cool Mozambiquan restaurant.

I iced Andy with a 24 oz ICE. He was really mad at me.

Two really awesome things did happen as we were hanging out at the hostel. The first is a really really hilarious guy that was higher than I have ever seen anyone. We were in a jovial mood so we kept goading him into philosophizing and telling stories.

There is NO way this guy remembers us.

The other is pretty incredible: There was a tall English girl hanging out by herself (suspicious). She had been following the team (also suspicious- girls don't really follow soccer in UK) but now was travelling by herself. She came to the World Cup watching setup with us for the matches that night. We dropped a few Robert Green jokes (we make quite a few) and she told us that he was her brother. I called bullshit and went upstairs to use the hotel internet to wikipedia Robert Green. She knew his birthday, his whole history, where he was born...everything. The reason she was travelling alone is that her parents flew back with the team that day. In fact, her dad texted her while we were sitting there about Beckham. It was really awesome. I almost felt guilty for all the Robert Green jokes, such as here. Then I remembered the English fans at the USA Ghana game, and really let it cross the line. Like Robert Green.

Andy lost a bet.

Beach and Durban (Day 11- Dutch 2, Slovaks 1)

The great thing about Africa is that most people are pretty low key. The great thing about hostels is that most people are pretty low key. The great thing about beach towns during the off-season is that most people are pretty low key. The best thing about stoner surfer hippies is that most of them are pretty low key. Monkey Bay backpackers was a pretty freakin' low key place. There was an outdoor shower which was the best shower I have ever been in, and possibly the best thing in Africa. They have a relationship with the nearby hotel, so we were able to go get 25 rand breakfast on their terrace overlooking the beach.

From where we had Breakfast. It was the first time we had seen the Indian Ocean.

The hotel we mooched off of.

And the science nerds went looking for tidal pools.

The rocky beach had some serious waves and so some great spots where the waves crashed. It was worth getting soaked.

After chillin at the beach, we headed into Durban for Netherlands v. Slovakia at Moses Mabhida Stadium. It is the chosen stadium.

The entrance walk is special.

You can bungee jump off of the arch.

Andy had a SUPER NEAT money belt. The Dutch honeys were just lining up.

Night view- after the Dutch won.
There were no bad seats...but we were pretty damn close.

These seats will be removed, giving a clear view of the ocean.

After the game we went to a casino across the street fromt he stadium. The food was pretty terrible, but I won 400 Rand on roulette, so that was cool.

Leaving Joburg Behind (Day 10)

The next day was pretty brutal. We tried to remain in good spirits and stay upbeat, but it felt we had just been dumped the night before. We had to wait around for Andy to get his moneybelt that he had left at the Thatchery and the owners were holding on for him, but it gave us an opportunity to chill out on the grounds for awhile.

This is about how we felt all day

There were chicks with awful parents.

We left Joburg. I probably will never return, except for the airport. It is just a city.

We drove to the coast, to Ballito, north of Durban. On the way we listened to the English get smashed by the Krauts. Normally that matchup would make me be all about Winston Churchill. In soccer, after those crumpet-eaters in Rustenburg, I was cheering for the Germans bigtime.

This is in Boston, South Africa.

In Ballito we stayed at Monkey Bay backpackers. The people who ran it were very chill, gave us a tour of everything, and directed us to the hotel bar where there was a good World Cup setup.

Tyler bet that Mexico would only lose by 1 to Argentina. He bet ICE.

Andy ordered Amarula. Scott brought the ICE on the side.

The Round of 16 (Day 9)

This is a sad story. Ignore it if you so choose.

After our Safari was over, we had to drive all the way back to the Thatchery. We were absolutely bushed. We still had a room to the four of us, so we didn't disturb anyone when we came in.

Our plan was to get up and get to Rustenburg WAY before the game. It was the Royal Boefoking Stadium- the same location as the draw against England. We had heard horror stories from US fans that were there that it took 2 hours to get in and about 4 to get out. Our plan was simple: show up before everyone else, party in the stadium after we win until everyone is gone.

The first part went well. We had to park in a remote lot. We were the 7th car there, and hung out with the other Americans drinking beers and kicking the ball around- it felt like a mixture of a pasture party and a tailgate. We took a bus to the stadium.

It was early- we had to convince them to go.

At the stadium we walked as a group through the townships surrounding the Stadium to Luckys.

The Outlaws had planned to meet up there- a township bar and butchershop that had lots of capacity and, until June 12th, very very very few white patrons.

It was certainly the strangest walk to a bar ever.

Despite Ghana being supported by every non-American with a ticket, the township kids were happy to see us. Ghanan visitors did not bring a ton of revenue.

The dirt in Rustenburg is very red, unsurprisingly.

Once we arrived at Lucky's we planted the flag over the bar in one of the backrooms and watched Uruguay beat South Korea while drinking beer. There were a ton of South Africans and English cheering for Ghana, so the vibe was very mixed.

I hid an ICE in our bucket of beers. We added a rule that you must salute or have your hand on your heart while chugging a beer or ICE with USA stuff on.

Scott helped me with the same Stripes as for Algeria.

It was a late game, so it was a night march. Scott's face says 'Liberty For All'

Night march

I don't really want to talk about the game. We lost a game we could have won.

English fans were there in numbers. They assumed they would win the group. Snarky, insulting, terrible fans. Some had shirts that said 'Ghana's Number 1 Fans By Default' and on the back 'Donavans [sic] a D*CK'. Of course the South Africans and other Africans were rooting for Ghana. It is fine even for the English. But they were whistling and yelling during the Star-Spangled Banner and throughout the game. We chanted 'Missus Bridge is going down' and '2nd place' and 'Germany' a bit, but it wasn't worth it. Kingman is a Royalist name, but I will be adopting ABE- Anyone But England- for now on.

Limey Bastards

We could have won the game. But we didn't. The Ghanans flopped and whined like the worst, but we could not finish. Gooch was gone. We needed Chuck Davies. Extra time. We would have won in penalties. It was brutal.

After the match. Bloody but unbowed.

Leaving Rustenburg after losing would be like if the Super Bowl had actually been in New Orleans and you were a Colts fan. Poor infrastructure, obnoxious bandwagon fans (I was rooting for the Saints this Super Bowl, but you should understand) and the general feeling that you need to just get out of their as soon as you can. It felt like a mix of Ellis Island and the last chopper out of Saigon. Drumming, taunting, jeering mixed with long lines, no direction from the lazy and incompetent cops and workers manning the stadium, and a bus ride from hell just to get to the car and wait in traffic. I was the driver for the night. The game was over at 11PM. We did not get to the Thatchery until 2:15. The drive was dangerous, miserable, and our car was silent as the grave. That was a pretty bleak 3-4 hours of life. Based on that- it is clear the money spent on updating stadiums was not used well when it came to Rustenburg.