Audience with a KING

Hooray!!! South Africa beat New Zealand in yesterday's rugby match in Rustenburg. It was Sam's first rugby match, so we think that's why South Africa won :) Thabo had prepared us for a loss, but with only a few minutes to spare, SA kicked in a goal to squeeze by New Zealand by just one point. Amazing. Oh, and rugby players are still HOT with their thick thighs and tight asses. Yum.

Other fantastic news--Sam and I met Leruo Molotlegi, King of Bafokeng, at the game. Because Thabo's uncle was doing the VIP security, we were able to dine in the King's tent, and actually ended up at the table next to him. He is completely proper, handsome, and unassuming, and is the richest King in Africa. He asked us how we ended up in Rustenburg (as we were the only non-South Africans there, and me the ONLY Asian person there) and when we told him we were from Los Angeles, he said he once dated a girl from there, but that she was AWFUL. Nice, eh? Anyway, we shook hands with the King. That's f-cking rad if I do say so myself! Here's a pic of him handing the trophy to the rugby captains of both teams. Even though SA beat NZ in this game, the All Blacks had already secured the Freedom Cup last week in Pretoria, so this faux pas led to the King handing the trophy to the Springbok captain before sorting everything out. Eish. It wasn't the King's fault, though. He can do no wrong in my book. I love him.

This morning Sam and I went to the Apartheid Museum. Extremely well designed and super informative, you have to be prepared for an emotional journey. Even the entrance to the museum, which is divided into 2 entrances--one for whites and one for non-whites--gives you a teeny tiny taste of what apartheid must have been like. When you buy your ticket they give you passes which indicate one or the other. Whether it was chance or not, I got the non-white pass, and as we walked through our separate gates it felt pretty awful to be separated from Sam, who was in a completely white section of the museum. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. An incredible museum.

Finally, we went to a braai at Thabo's cousin's house. Yum! We started with chicken livers and sliced avocados, and everyone was wondering whether the AMERICANS (Sam and me) were brave enough to try them. Ha ha ha. I told them "We've had dog. Livers are for sissies." Not even Thabo or Sue's son wanted to have the livers, which were extraordinarily moist and delicious with the onions they were sauteed with. For the main meal we had steak, chicken, grilled veggies, and salad. For dessert Sue made meringue with fresh berries and cream...delicious. Here's a pic of Sue's two kids and me. I've been camping in their rooms for the past two months, so I'm sure they can't wait for me to leave :) I will miss them dearly.

Tomorrow we're going to Soweto, the largest township in Joburg. After learning all about the Soweto uprisings 3 decades ago, I'm more than excited to visit this historical area. Can't wait!

Buona notte,
Q