Re: the soccer WC in SA

– it was bloody awesome and we should be VERY proud as South Africans. It was the best WC ever and it was flawless and it gave the finger to MANY people who doubted SA and their ability to pull of this amazing feat. I went to one game (England v Algeria in CT) and I can tell you as critical as I (and Boris I guess) am, the organization was flawless bordering on spectacular. I never heard a bad thing about ANY of the soccer; and this from many people. I left Hermanus at just around 3PM for an 8:30 PM kick of and I arrived at the stadium at 5:00 PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I parked at CT airport; asked on of the many obvious helpers where I could print my ticket; walked 20M to the FIFA kiosk’ slid in my Credit Card that I had purchased my ticket with; ticket spewed out; asked where I could catch a shuttle to the game; politely directed to a waiting shuttle bus; brand new and clean (brand new of course) and had many helpers around; paid R50 one way for shuttle to the Civic Center in town; we left 5 minutes later; arrived at Civic Center 15 minutes later; asked where to catch shuttle to the stadium even though there were many helps/volunteers around; arrived 5 minutes later just outside stadium and because it was so early I mooched around the cafes and the street which were closed off with SUCH a vibe and THOUSANDS of people (English mainly) milling about the sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The vibe was AWESOME. I had a bite to eat and the prices were REALLY reasonable. I watched a game on the sidewalk on one the many TV’s and when it was finished I walked down to the stadium past all the vendor stands. There were police EVERYWHERE and cleaners and dustbins and toilets – it was SO well organized and so safe and so clean it was unbelievable. The queue at the stadium was not long and it took about 5 minutes to get to the police manning the entrance lineup. I was ushered (politely) to the one booth were I was x-rayed and welcomed and passed through into the stadium. The major sponsors had stands with entertainment which I had a look through. When done I found my way to my seat in the AMAZING stadium – a true masterpiece as I believe all the stadia are. It was enormous and VERY impressive. I waited 1.5 hours for the game which went like 5 minutes. The teams came out early to warm up and then the main game starts EXACTLY on time. The crowds went wild and of course and the much talked about vuvuzelas were there in there thousands. It was certainly not as bad as heard on TV but I can tell you that without them, there would be very little vibe. It was truly amazing and vibey. The game was KAK – England SUCKED BIG TIME – besides FIFA, the game was REALLY REALLY KAK as was every other England game – they were 2nd rate and pathetic and deserved to go home early. There were volunteers and police and helpers wherever you looked. And of course, only the sponsors were allowed to sell anything in the stadium. Beer (Buds) cost R30, Coke R20 for a tin and R30 for a small packet of biltong. Those prices were steep. I left 5 minutes from time and did the reverse to get back the airport. I was home at midnight. What an experience. The English foreigners and Algerians were overheard saying how KAK England played but how great the organizing and the country is. The option of me parking the airport was one of a few options I had. I could have parked at a park and ride closer to the stadium but they were generally busier and you know me – NO LIKE BUSY…………………..I could also have caught the train from Strand or Somerset West but I opted for the airport and I am not sorry. The services (bus etc.) are apparently going to be used from now on for daily use. So, in a nutshell SA did exceptionally well in organizing the WC and it will be remembered for years to come. Brazil has a HUGE show to fill which I doubt they will as they have MAJOR hassles already by their own admission like no money for stadia etc. I can also see SA hosting the 202- Olympics in Durban because of how well we did now.

Coming back to FIFA; I had been trying to go to ANY game in CT for months now and tried to book online – WHAT A JOKE. Their website is KAK. Totally user UNFRIENDLY. Also, NOWHERE did they say WHY one could not book when I tried. I heard from Lauren that they only release x amount of tickets at this and this interval. Besides many other issues on the website and lack of information and even the process of obtaining the physical ticket, the whole FIFA communication (via emails) was laughable. They released a large amount of tickets only in SA online for the “masses” her only to learn AFTER the fact that the masses do not have computers or internet………………………WHAT AN OVERSITE by the idiots at FIFA hey. THEY ARE PATHETIC. They hence acknowledged there lack of foresight and then made the tickets available at “FIFA ticket counters” – only in the BIG cities. So God forbid anyone not living in the big cities who wanted to lay hands on a ticket. So, even when you have booked and paid (R1200) for your ticket, you get an ambiguous email saying you have a ticket with a reference # – wow. NOWHERE does it say you have to physically go and insert the card you used to pay for the ticket into a machine ONLY at select locations and then get your ticket – this I found out from my daughter………………………I cannot begin to tell you how feeble and pathetic the FIFA experience was.

Anyway, that was it – lifetime experience indeed.

I will soon be telling you about Brazil and Panama…. In another 3-4 weeks approximately …

I have travelled to Belize and I must say I was very impressed with the friendly mentality of the people there in general. The cost of living in Belize is definitely cheaper than where I live in Vancouver Canada, bearing in mind that the Belizean dollar is at 2:1 against the $US (2 $B = 1$US).

I discussed this with a number of locals that we befriended and all seem to agree that a good salary there would be $B4000- $B5000 per month. That is the equivalent of $US2000- $US2500.

Incidentaly this is the declared monthly income figure that’s required when applying for a retirement visa in Belize.

I sincerely believe you can live very well in Belize on that income as the lifestyle is not dependent at all on Hi-Tech stuff (TV, iPod, PC’s etc…) and what’s really attractive about that country is the fact that their first language is English. In other words, all the legal documentation from purchasing a car to real estate is all in a language that I am comfortable with.

As far as groceries and daily expenses are concerned, I found that buying the local products was much cheaper than buying the imported good from the US or even Mexico. The local products are good and I could comfortably live with the typical diet of beans, rice and fruits..

I have some reservation as far as health services are concerned in Belize, but I was told that Mexico just over the border has everything you need. However, Mexico is Spanish speaking and that is a bit worrysome to me should it come to legal matters or complex procedures etc…

The link below has a lot of information on Belize, but my recommendation is really to go and see for yourself and assess exactly how you would feel in that environment. It is a wonderful place to visit anyway…

http://www.belize.gov.bz/

In November 2009, my wife and I took a trip to South Africa to “discover” the hidden gems of that country. We know South Africa from 10 years ago when we lived there. A lot has changed since and I must admit, I was pleasently surprised with the standard and general outlook of the country.

We started in Johannesburg which is not the best city to visit in South Africa by a long shot. However, it was relatively clean and pleasant enough. There is a tense vibe that reflects in the aggressive driving habits and the sense of hurry that most people seem to experience. Johannesburg has a world class infrastructure and is definitely not one of those 3rd world typical african cities. Here you will find everything that you would expect from a major city like New York or Toronto and in some instances even better.

I was extremely impressed by the international airport which I would
rate as good as any other major airport. Beautiful architecture and exquisite murals and decor.

The traffic however was horrific, partially due to the road works for the 2010 world cup hosted by this country.

We stayed at the Balalaika Hotel in Sandton for a few days. This hotel is in the suburb of Sandton. It is top class and very well appointed with an old colonial charm. The whole area of Sandton is very modern and 1st world with magnificent office park buildings and hotels. The Mandela square and Sandton City mall is a must see !…

Properties in this area are pricey but not unreasonable when compared to North America or Europe for the same standards.

We then flew south to Cape Town, and again were very impressed with the airport facilities which were still under construction for the final touches for the world cup. The city of Cape Town is truly beautiful with breathtaking views. The people are friendly and happy. There is a vibe of content in that city that we did not sense in Johannesburg. I assume that the stress level in Cape Town is not as acute as in Johannesburg.

Cape Town is vibrant and feels Mediterranean to a certain extent. I could easily live in Cape Town. It has a unique blend of African and European mix which is very pleasant indeed. We had a glimpse of the new magnificent stadium for the world cup, a real tour-de-force from an architectural point of view.

From Cape Town we drove the “Garden Route” North westerly towards George with a stop over in Hermanus and Mossel Bay.

Hermanus is actually my favorite little town in South Africa. It is small enough to be labelled a town rather than a city, but it really has a special appeal with gorgeous views and beautiful beaches. Here you can spot southern right whales on their migration. They come very close to shore and it is a wonderful site to watch. Many world class golf courses in the area, and generally quite affordable green fees and memberships.

The climate of Hermanus is moderate to hot although the wind can blow for days at times. Here people are well dressed and generally seem to belong to an upper class of South Africans. This town is very popular with tourists and a lot of the properties have been purchased by overseas visitors. I personally like the setting of this area very much. It is only 2 hours drive from Cape Town on a multi-lane world class motorway. There is a continuous holiday vibe typical of a beach resort type village.

We then continued our journey to Mossel Bay which is a bigger town than Hermanus and more industrial. Again beautiful beaches and nice suburbs. Downtown Mossel Bay is sadly too industrial for my liking, and as far as I am concerned it is a pity, as this city has the potential to be a really nice spot. Property here is somewhat more affordable than Hermanus. There is an off shore oil rig a little south of the town and depending on the winds, the smells can drift over the city for a while…

George about 40 minutes from Mossel Bay, was our next city to visit. I was again impressed at the cleanliness of that town. It has an absolutely exquisite golf course designed by Gary Player named “Fancourt” . There is also an adjacent development for a golf estate named Kingswood that we visited. Both those golf courses have beautiful golf estate properties that would be on a par with the best in the world. This is a pleasant city situated inland, but only about 30 minutes from the beach. It has an international airport and well appointed hospitals. It is not as big as Cape Town, but has all the expected amenities of a big city.

If I was to retire to South Africa, it would be either George or Hermanus.

I agree wholeheartedly. I have some friends that have decided to pack it up and move down to Mexico. They have been there for 2 years now and seem very happy. Personally I would prefer somewhere else. Maybe Panama or even Belize.
You mention your trip to Belize. What is the economy like in that part of the world ?… Can you elaborate of their cost of living if you have an idea ?… What about health care in Belize ?..

Great post !…

Thank you.

First, you have to realize that there is a big difference between Belize south (Stann Creek, Placencia), Belize City, Belize North (Corozal), Belize West (Cayo, San Ignacio) and Ambergris Caye and other islands.

Let’s start with Belize South. The drive from Belize City to Balmopan and eventually to Stann Creek was very pleasant with little traffic and good roads. Again, the people were very courteous and observed traffic rules graciously. No unnecessary honking or agressive driving at all. It took about 3 hours to get to Sanctuary Bay where we met with our very obliging host “Johnny”.

Johnny owns a massive piece of land (+- 4000 acres) bordering the sea front. He is in the process of developing a residential resort community there with a huge marina for big game fishing. This is a splendid area in literally virgin indigeneous forest. I am confident that it will be extremely successful, but for my part, I suggested that he includes a golf course as that is one of my passions. Unfortunately this is not going to be a priority and the marina is the real focus of the development for a few more years.

The beach is not as nice as the one on Ambergris Caye and there seem to be quite a few bugs, like sand fleas and other insects to make the visit fairly uncomfortable. I guess you would need to spray some good repellent of some sort all over regularly.

Going back to Belize City, we decided to drive through to San Ignacio and the Cayo district from Balmopan.

The region is pleasant enough and like the rest of the mainland, somewhat third world, although clean and tidy. Having lived in Africa, I can easily draw a parallel between the two but there are some obvious differences. For one, the Belizean people come across as very friendly and there is no sense of threat or danger when travelling around. This is not the case in Africa where you are on a constant vigil when travelling through the country side.

The other BIG difference is the cleanless of the environment in Belize. Very few mounds of garbage piled up on side streets. People and children are well dressed and seem to be very proud and conscious of their attire which is in no way fancy at all, but neat and proper.

San ignacio was a very small town, rather a big village with a few streets and a big open market. Again, one would need to accept the fact that there is just a basic infrastructure, no malls, movie houses etc… Just small shops and street vendors.

We then drove back to Belize City and although we were told not to bother going through the actual city itself, we decided to drive through anyway. Belize city has a number of run down buildings and many stray dogs all over. Stray dogs seem to be a problem throughout Belize, but fortunately they seem to be in reasonable good health. One can only assume that the people feed them left overs etc…

The city is comparable to the better African towns, but again much cleaner and pleasant. There is a very nice seaside boulevard with beautiful colonial residences with styles that would adequately fit on the French Riviera.

Belize City does not appeal to me as a permanent destination to retire and neither does San Ignacio. The one is too busy and chaotic “African” style, and the other seems to be too remote with no basic infrastructure in place.(ie: reliable Internet connections, Health care etc…). So far Ambergris Caye is still the best of the lot…

Our next destination will be Corozal in the North.… stay posted…