I am happy to report that, just in time for winter…
Nando’s is back on the shelves at Park & Shop.
A trip to the shops here in Hung Hom turned out to be a happy one. Ever the scout for South African products here in Hong Kong, I was delighted not only for the Nando’s but that Park & Shop is also still selling the Nederburg 2010 FIFA World Cup selection at a great price no less.
This is how Howzit-HongKong.com reported when the Nederburg 2010 range was first released in Hong Kong.
I stand to be corrected, but it could be selling for around $79 for 2 bottles.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals ended on a high note at Johannesburg’s Soccer City last night.
Not only did a very deserving Spain beat the Netherlands to claim their first World Championships ever, but South Africa sent all the players, visiting administrators and tourists off with a spectacular Closing Ceremony.
After a month of extreme euphoria, heightened nationalism, spectacular football and non-stop partying (not to mention very late nights for those of us who watched from Asia) all that is left to say about the World Cup (very succinctly) is:
Well Done South Africa!
You did us proud.
Here are some of my favourite images from last night’s Closing Ceremony:
The reason? Only one of the biggest games to date at the 2010 Football World Cup back home: Brazil vs. The Netherlands.
The family has really come to the 2010 World Cup Party and embraced the huge South African event. I have to add here that they are not really the sporty kind.
However, the 2010 World Cup is another thing. It doesn’t come around every time especially in one’s own backyard, even though one is not there.
But we are there.
We are there in GEES!
And we’re showing it.
I hope that you Saffas out there in Hong Kong-land will also be showing your African-ness and support Ghana at 02h30 (tomorrow morning) when they take on Uruguay.
Go Ghana.
Make the African Circle BIGGA!
This is how the Ghana flag morfed from the standard to the “Africa-support-Ghana” one:
In an e-mail message inviting South Africans to the South African Association in Hong Kong’s group viewing of the Bafana Bafana vs. France at Wooloomooloo on Tuesday, Bruce Fowler cautions:
“Please note that vuvuzelas are banned inside Wooloo Mooloo.
Confined spaces are not the place to blow vuvuzelas,
Consideration needs to be given to the other guests of the restaurant.”
(No vuvuzelas please, we’re expat South Africans, and we’re inside! Pic: cnngo)
In a city with so many rules, we think Bruce has been living in Hong Kong too long! Where’s your gees, guys?!
During a protest gathering at the Legislative Council building in Central today, protesters blew their vuvuzelas outside the guarded building to register their dissatisfaction with the goings-on inside. Sadly, their vuvzelas were not branded. What a waste of a marketing opportunity!
Fear not Bruce and Wooloomooloo, Gandalf and the Middle Earth also have issues with the horn:
(Please take this article in the spirit of the World Cup. No malice is intended and no animals were hurt in the production!)
Here at Howzit-HongKong.com we make it our business to stay abreast of what’s going on in our fair city. For this reason, we read a plethora of magazines and daily papers to stay abreast of things.
Although not free (you can buy it every fortnight at HK$18) Time Out Hong Kong is an excellent source of information on Hong Kong’s vibrant social life and it’s thousands of restaurants, bars and other interesting places/events to visit and hang out at.
As we are all in the spirit of the 2010 Football World Cup, Time Out Hong Kong refused to be left behind and has a interesting featuring in this week’s edition. They have ”scoured the city” and found one local resident who hails from each of the 32 participating World Cup countries.
The South African representative and long-time Hong Konger is none other but Gary Kitching.
This is what Gary had to say:
“It is an immensely proud moment to be South African and African. The negative commentary has made us even more determined to host the best World Cup ever.”
Well said Gary. We love that you’re representing in a Springbok jersey!
China may not have made the cut as it were for the 2010 Football World Cup Finals back home, but that didn’t stop these Chinese “Doedies” (girls/xiao jie/mei mei/小妹妹) from showing their allegiance to the 32 nations taking part in South Africa.
Maybe I was a little distracted, but I couldn’t put my finger on all the nations portrayed on the SKII-toned skins of our cutesy models. For example, which one represents the Dutch?
Can you help out?
(Click on the the Flickr slide-show below or here and add you selection to the Comments section)
(PS. I normally don’t post what some would consider ‘racy’ pics, but in the spirit of the World Cup, I categorized these as “Moderate” in the Flickr album. For this reason, the slide-show may now be available, in that case go directly to our Flickr-page here)
South Africa is currently experiencing a cold snap of note.
Last night, at the 2010 Football World Cup game at the Cape Town Stadium, visitors were seen huddled where-ever they could hide from the cold and the downpour that hit the city all day long. The experience was exacerbated by the North-Westerly wind as well as by the rule that no umbrellas are allowed at the Stadium.
In the course of yesterday (Tuesday), FaceBook was awash with pictures from back home showing snow-covered mountains, especially those in the “traditional” areas like Tulbagh, Beaufort West and Ceres in the Boland.
However, the extent of the cold snap was noticeable when even Table Mountain in the Cape Town city center experienced some snow fall!
Here are some pictures courtesy of the Table Mountain Cableway:
The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) in Central was painted in Bafana Bafana-yellow last night when South Africans in Hong Kong gathered to celebrate the start of the first-ever football World Cup on African soil.
I was one of those unfortunate souls who wasn’t sporting one. In fact, my own dress faux-pas was putting on black denims and black shirt on a night when humidity in Hong Kong was close to 100%. Yes, I know: Dof-head!
Today the family and I went on a scouting trip and found that the Adidas flagship inTsim Sha Tsui’s Hankow Road do in fact stock Bafana Bafana supporters shirts at HK$476.00 a pop.
Primrose Zwedala from the SA Consulate also confirmed that Sogo on Hong Kong Island sell them as well.
Go get yours now. There’s still a month of football left.
Painting the FCC yellow and kicking up a moerse racket with the Vuvuzelas! Paaarp! (Pic: Mike Jansen)
Later the evening, we saw these supporters partying in Lan Kwi Fong. Apparently, the bloke in the brown pants blew his Vuvuzela so hard, he wet himself! (Pic: Mike Jansen)
(Click here to view more than 130 pictures from last night’s FCC event)
With one day to go before the big official Opening Ceremony of the 2010 World Cup as well as the first-ever World Cup game on African soil (South Africa vs. Mexico), the Soccer City stadium seems to be the picture of serenity, if these pictures are anything to go by (the pictures were taken this morning, Thursday June 10):
If you’re not attending the South African Consulate’s 2010 Opening Ceremony function at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) tomorrow evening, remember that you can join the SA Association at Wooloomooloo in Wyndham Road (Lan Kwai Fong). The Aussie-themed restaurant/bar will also screen the first game between Bafana Bafana and Mexico after the Opening Ceremony.
See you there!
Pictures, Cheers to Kia Motors SA on FaceBook, Kia Motors is an Official Sponsor of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
If you’ve ever been in a hurry traveling to or from the Chek Lap Kok Airport here in Hong Kong, no doubt you would have taken the Airport Express. South Africa now also has a similar train system.
In preparation, but not exclusively for the 2010 World Cup, Johannesburg’s GauTrain resumed operation today.
Fin24.com reported on it as follows:
Gautrain, the multi-billion rand rapid rail service, opened its doors for the first time ever to the public on Tuesday. The commercial operation starts three days before the World Cup kicks off and it follows shortly after the official launch of Gautrain on Saturday. People can now buy tickets and travel on Gautrain the same way they would on any Metrorail train.
Barbara Jensen, spokesperson for Gautrain Management Agency, said on Tuesday there was “huge excitement” this morning. The agency belongs to the Gauteng province and is overseeing the construction of the multibillion rand passenger rail project. Jensen said motorists were parking at the parking bays, getting ready to board the train. There were queues at the ticket vending machines, she said. It was too early to provide accurate statistics on how many tickets had been sold, the spokesperson said.
The first Gautrain commercial train departed from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport at 5:24. The first one leaving OR Tambo left at 5:30.
The Sandton-OR Tambo rail link is crucial for Johannesburg, which will host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Cup, running from June 11 to July 11. This link also forms part of phase one of the Gautrain project.
The start of commercial operation on Tuesday comes after Gautrain was officially launched on Saturday. Other stations that are commercially operational are Rhodesfield and Marlboro stations. The construction on the route from Sandton to Johannesburg Park Station is ongoing. A trip from OR Tambo to Sandton will cost R100 in either direction. There are other ticket fares applicable to trips between stations. A single trip from Sandton to Marlboro will cost R16.50, from Sandton to Rhodesfield R21.00; and from Marlboro to Rhodesfield R18.50. An integrated single train plus single bus trips will cost R22.50 from Sandton to Marlboro, R27.00 from Sandton to Rhodesfield; and R24.50 from Marlboro to Rhodesfield. Parking at any station will cost R9.50 for the first 24 hours.
The agency said commuters would access all services by means of a contactless smart card – the Gautrain Gold Card, which allows seamless transfer between Gautrain’s train, bus and parking services.
Jensen said tickets were sold through vending machines and ticket operators (over the counter).
This is how our friends over at Zoopy.com reported on the GauTrain:
