Football's for Pansies - 11/17/12

Ben with Storm

GABBY - We woke up very sluggishly and began our daily duties of stocking the bar, feeding Fergie (Fluffy/Fergeson) and cleaning up around the backpackers.  Adrian came down around 9:00 after we had finished checking our e-mail, Facebook, and blog.  He was going into town to sort out some banking issues and told us that we could hang some posters of other backpackers on the walls inside.  There were also a couple pictures of Steve that he wanted hung somewhere.  Ben and I organized the posters geographically starting with Cape Town and ending with Joburg.  Adrian has been a bit of a backpacker’s mentor when it comes to this place.  He has told us our duties as volunteers and is always available for questions.  Today is Adrian’s final day at the backpackers because he has let his visa expire.  He has to leave the country by Monday, so he has booked a flight to visit his family in Hong Kong, which leaves at an absurdly early hour tomorrow morning.  Ben and I are essentially running this backpackers after being here a grand total of 4 full days.  We are definitely getting the hang of it, but it will be very strange not having him around as a lifeline.  Lulu and Steve stopped by on their way to Drakensburg.  They were going to deliver some of the water that they bottled for a company called Drakensburg Gardens.  Lulu gave us a couple of tasks to keep us busy, which included trimming the hedges, cleaning rain gutters, and moving some things down off the porch and out of the way.  Our day was spent sprucing up the backpackers with posters and pictures of Steve, while completing the jobs Lulu laid out for us.  

The terror herself: Smeagal

When Adrian came back, he invited Ben and me to go watch Rugby with Steve, Lulu, and him around 4:00 at the Trout Hatchery Restaurant right down the road.  We excitedly agreed and prepared for our big night out on the town.  I went with Lulu and Steve around 4:15, while Adrian and Ben stayed behind to try and fix the fax machine for Adrian.  The poor guy has had such a rough time trying to fly out and get everything squared away in preparation for his departure.  The three of us (Lulu, Steve and me) walked into the restaurant and sat on bar stools, waiting for the game to start.  I ordered a glass of red wine and cheered for South Africa as if I knew the game of rugby inside out and was a diehard fan.  I must say, football at home doesn’t seem quite as hardcore when you’re watching men hit each other with no padding whatsoever.  In the first 10 minutes of the game a guy was knocked out cold for a couple seconds, shook it off, and setup for the next play.  These guys have some serious cohunes.  When Ben and Adrian arrived we ordered two rounds of chips (fries), which were crispy and delicious with some All Gold ketchup (not quite Heintz, but closest thing to it here).  South Africa won, which was good considering there was a rather aggressive, rowdy fan nicknamed Johno who was getting riled up over anything and everything.  After the game, we decided it was probably best to get back to the employee-vacant farm/backpackers and check on the German couple staying the night.  They had hiked the whole day, so they were already in bed when we got back.  Adrian, Ben and I joined Steve and Lulu at their house for a family TV dinner.  We watched Manchester United play Norwich in football (soccer) and chowed on Lulu’s delicious concoction of lentils, rice, Greek yogurt, carrots, and other veggies.  I always feel very full, but healthy after eating her food.  Ben and I said a final goodbye to Adrian, since he was leaving early the next morning.  It is a really unfortunate situation and blows considering Adrian is the only person our age here on the farm.  I think we really could have gotten along great if given a month and a half together.  Anyway, we walked home and finished the night with 3 rousing episodes of “Friends”, which I have to admit, were pretty funny.