Saturday June 12th

Flight OK, delayed about half an hour. Uncomfortable seats, sausage and mash, 2012 (disaster movie – quite good), plus James Taylor on the iPod to encourage fitful sleep. Plane full of Hondurans, strangely.

Tambo airport a FiFa –themed zoo, fans everywhere. Huge rabble of a queue for tickets so I missed that, preferring the queue at Avis. Took possession of my Kia (I think) setting off the burglar alarm only twice, much to the consternation of the underlings.
Embarked on a map-less drive across Jo-burg in order to get the feel of the car and the traffic, and most definitely not because I was in any way lost. Oh dear me no. Hey, here’s a good thing, they drive on the left! Which is good except that because you are abroad you tend to think you should be on the right. Traffic is actually quite sparse and surprisingly cautious: lots of middle-lining, which suits me fine. There’s a strange thing at traffic lights where they sort of inch forward on green as though they don’t have hand brakes or are expecting something to hurtle across.
Joburg is like downtown Pittsburgh: big ware houses, massive overpasses, and that chainlink fencing they have on cop shows. And roads sort of peter out into sort of industrial estates even though you are in the middle of the city.
Anyway found me way easily to Melville, not getting in the least bit lost. Melville is more like Berkeley: quiet tree-lined streets, not many people about. Some widely separated shop-y bits, with everything a bit more than walking distance away. Hotel is like a Motel, everyone very friendly, they made me a cup of tea when I arrived and showed me to a sort of out house where they have a massive screen. (Like the shed at the back of the Cuckfield)
Watched some of both matches, while sorting myself out, then drove into the ‘Campus Mall’ where I had a coffee at the Woolworth’s (really) Bought a map (handy.. ) and had another practice on the Motorway, prior to my trip tomorrow. I have to pick up the tickets in Sandton, then off to Pretoria.

Getting set for the England match, already nervous and I haven’t logged on to Radio 5 yet