It started sometime around eleven this morning, the honking sound bouncing around the neighborhood, rising and fading in Doppler-esque effect.
I decided to head to Rosebank to measure the mood of our adopted nation, and was greeted by further vuvuzela blasts, this time from the mall interior. Today marked the first day of school holidays, and (as kids are prone to do) they hit the malls, decked out in vibrant yellow and green like everyone else. I felt a bit like an old fuddy-duddy giving them dirty looks (durn whippersnappers!), but those horns are not intended for indoor use. As one restaurant advertised on its marquee: Vuvuzela Free Zone Inside.
If one random vuvuzela blast is enough to jar your fillings loose, a few thousand is like a grenade going off by your head. Thus: earplugs. Unfortunately, a situation like this presents a typical South African dilemma. Here you have a product that any sane person attending a World Cup match wants, one they will happily pay for, and no one had the foresight to stock up. Pharmacies and hardware stores have all sold out, my remaining option being swimmer’s ear plugs from the sport shop at ten bucks a pop.
If they remember nothing else, visitors to this country will remember those blasted horns. Bring on the cotton balls.
I decided to head to Rosebank to measure the mood of our adopted nation, and was greeted by further vuvuzela blasts, this time from the mall interior. Today marked the first day of school holidays, and (as kids are prone to do) they hit the malls, decked out in vibrant yellow and green like everyone else. I felt a bit like an old fuddy-duddy giving them dirty looks (durn whippersnappers!), but those horns are not intended for indoor use. As one restaurant advertised on its marquee: Vuvuzela Free Zone Inside.
If one random vuvuzela blast is enough to jar your fillings loose, a few thousand is like a grenade going off by your head. Thus: earplugs. Unfortunately, a situation like this presents a typical South African dilemma. Here you have a product that any sane person attending a World Cup match wants, one they will happily pay for, and no one had the foresight to stock up. Pharmacies and hardware stores have all sold out, my remaining option being swimmer’s ear plugs from the sport shop at ten bucks a pop.
If they remember nothing else, visitors to this country will remember those blasted horns. Bring on the cotton balls.
I hear that toilet paper works well also.
ReplyDeleteThe horns made the news this morning (Monday) on the Today show. Apparently, there's a movement to try to ban them at the games. Good luck with that.
ReplyDelete