Without a game to attend today and with little to do this afternoon in Jo'burg (a large city without a ton of traditional tourist attractions), a friend and I are spending this afternoon watching Ghana versus Australia at a public viewing area in Newtown, near the heart of the city. This is my first true look at the heart of an African city - over 95% of the people watching around us are black, and virtually everyone is rooting for Ghana to represent the continent and take down the Socceroos. The viewing area has a ton of security people walking around, which is probably good because Newtown is an urban sprawl filled with narrow alleys and dark corners.
Watching at a Fan Fest like this is a fun experience - people watch the games with passion, and the square is surrounded by tents under which food, jewelry, clothing and other souvenirs are being sold. There's also a small walled soccer field where local kids are playing behind us. While I came to Africa to go to World Cup games with fans from around the globe and see some of the continent's beauty (this morning's trip to a lion and rhino preserve an hour outside Jo'burg was a good start to the latter), I think it's important to spend time watching alongside hundreds of native South Africans.
Tomorrow night we head back to Soccer City for a highly-anticipated late game between the Ivory Coast and Brazil, which is probably the best matchup of any game we're attending and one of the best of the entire first round. Stay tuned for a Monday AM South Africa time posting on that game. Until then, enjoy the next phase of round one.
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