My World Cup experience plan includes not only going to the stadiums but also visiting the fan parks,watching the games in 3D at the cinema's, attending soccer themed parties etc. The aim is to soak in as much of the atmosphere, euphoria and spontaneous friendships as I can for this month.
On the 16th of June Bafana Bafana was playing against Uruguay and I decided to go and watch the game at the Indawo fan park which was based at St. Stithians College, which also happens to be a very expensive, top-notch school. I went to Computicket to buy two tickets for my boyfriend & I and you can imagine my shock and horror at discovering that a ticket is R195 per person!! This is when I decided to utilise my boyfriends credit card, with his knowledge of course, to purchase these pricey tickets. Now, you're probably wondering but why buy them at all, other fan parks are only R50?
Well firstly Monte Casino fan park was sold out, secondly I didn't want to attend the free fan parks because of the stampede rumours and thirdly, Bafana was playing so I thought some company would be awesome especially if they won. I was also quite curious as to what it is that this fan park offers for it to be so expensive.
The afternoon of June 16th was freezing but we had paid R390 for tickets and there was no ways we were staying home! We arrived at the fan park with our camp chairs, blanket & vuvuzela's and set up camp. Being black we noticed that we were a minority here and upon entry we did get a few funny looks but because as South Africans we all currently have a cause that unites us, the looks didn't last long...
Indawo fan park had a very relaxed vibe, very family-friendly and safe. People were leaving their belongings without the fear that someone would take what wasn't theirs, I guess you have to pay a lot of money in this country in order to feel safe, which is very sad :( The facilities are also very clean and there is a kids zone that keeps the kids entertained.
We watched the Spain vs Switzerland game and when it ended we bought some food, which wasn't too expensive either. In between the 4pm game and the 8:30pm game is a 2&a half hour gap so they had a stage set up and called kids to the stage to have a dance competition. It really was so cute and they even asked one little boy, that won the competition, what his favourite team was and he said "Bafana Bafana!", a country united I tell you, melts my heart! Then Jozi performed quite a few of their songs and had us on our feet dancing which also helped us warm our frozen toes. Then Locnville performed and all the girls went crazy! Personally I think the boys are good-looking but their singing talent especially live is not so great or maybe I am getting old, either way I didn't understand what the fuss was about. The line up of artists that perform everyday is also worth the trip, just make sure that you like the artists on the day that you choose to go.
Their performance ended at 20:00 and the Bafana game was due to start at 20:30 and by this time we were frozen to the bone and didn't care how much money we had paid but we were leaving. When we got into the car the temperature gauge read 1.5 degrees and we were more than happy to head home at the thought of a heater and an electric blanket!!
Besides the cold, even paying R390 wasn't enough for us to stick around, we really had a good time and may just be going back soon!
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