Freezing

This country has taken up a ban against heat for some and I am sad to inform that even Mother Nature has joined in the strike. It has been near freezing in Johannesburg for roughly a week now which is far colder than I planned that it would be. Other than the temperature, things are awesome here and the culture is quite different than in the States: smoking is permitted even where it is not permitted, hot water is generally cold and cold water is generally cold, and they drive on the wrong side. We have now arrived in Johannesburg and surprisingly located in a nice enough area to walk on the streets, sparingly at night. The hostel unfortunately does not mirror its affluent neighborhood and is cold, like everywhere else, and not so clean. We all should go to the clinic after two nights in those beds.

We ventured to the Apartheid Museum yesterday and were overwhelmed with the amount of detailed information that was provided. There was a bonus Mandela exhibit which was approximated at 15mins time to go through. I was there for at least an hour and still didn't read everything available. We then went to the neighboring casino which was like being in Vegas. Paul and Pan decided to donate their R100 each to the house via the Blackjack Foundation, which I thought was very altruistic of them.

Today, USA v Slovenia, is the second match that we will have attended and, like all group games, will have a great impact on how the rest of our trip plays out. So make sure that you are awake at 300pm GMT and cheering the USA on to victory. We'll see how the post-match celebration goes.