Escape from the freezer

Ahh, it's the start of a new week and we are all looking forward to it. Considering that we have left Cape Town for good, I'm happy. At least there's relief from the rains! Brr, it was so chilly in the evenings. Today we practised from 10am to noon outside our hotel and on the grassy areas on the 32nd floor, on the rooftop of our hotel.

During our stay in Durban we have met some of the local cheerleaders, who are cheering for some other teams. They are really nice and we plan to meet up with them again this week, as the mother of one of them owns a local salon, and some of us are in desperate need of a haircut - and possibly a manicure and pedicure if we have time! Two weeks on the road, and you can imagine the rest. We desperately need some pampering of our skins and toes and hair. We actually have two days off in Durban this week and are super excited. We are planning and co-ordinating many sightseeing outings, safaris etc.

We ate the coolest new food at the stadium during our last match: thin potato rounds spun around a kabab stick - soooo good. Forget the additional pounds and the waistline, this was really yummy. We are really getting a hang of this South African cuisine.

We were also lucky to have met a ton of the cast and crew who are staying at our hotel shooting a new TV show called The Philanthropist, starring Neve Cambpell, for NBC. I really like Neve. She's got kind of a cool attitude and a funky look.

One of the coolest things that I have started to like while cheering in the matches are those inflatable banger/clapper sticks. The crowds love using those. And during our last match we also wore RC spirit tattoos on our faces. Between you and me, I think many of the cheerleaders signed more autographs than the players did! It's so much fun to interact with the crowds during a match.

I do not think I have ever enjoyed anything more than this whole sojourn. New countries, new people, and a new sport. It's been hectic, exotic, and thankfully there is more to come.

The weather in Durban has been good and we are hoping to get a tan after the freezing cold of Cape Town. Once a beach gal, always a beach gal - and a mischievous one at that.