2010 World Cup: The Scene in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Stateline.org reporter John Gramlich will be traveling through the states of Jalisco and Nayarit in Mexico for the first two weeks of the World Cup

I’ve been in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for six days. This, of course, is to coincide with the World Cup, which six of my friends and I—all Americans—are watching here with rapt attention. As Americans in Mexico tend to do, we’ve been drinking cervezas, tequilas, and margaritas at every stop, probably too often.

Puerto Vallarta is right on the Pacific, on the banks of a sweeping inlet called the Bay of Banderas, or the Bay of Flags. Dark mountains rise up from the greenish-blue, very salty water. Rickety buildings perch perilously over a steep hillside. Friendly people are on every corner, hanging out along the cobblestoned streets of downtown, or Centro—usually offering taxis, tequila or sombreros. Margaritas cost $5; beers cost $2.50 or less. It’s probably much less if you’re not American.

Much of this place is what you’d expect of a beautiful but touristy Mexican resort: There’s a Senor Frogs, a Hard Rock Cafe, a McDonald’s, and a Subway, along with Mexican bars cloaked in myriad American themes, like the U.S. military or Predator,  the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Jesse Ventura flick where the jungle comes alive and nearly takes out a group of hardcore American commandos (and which, incidentally, my entire group can recite almost flawlessly).

Here’s what I didn’t expect: Puerto Vallarta–even in the parts where there aren’t often gringos like us—was pretty much silent for five days of the World Cup.

South Africa: Six Travel Tips From a World Cup Veteran

Text by Korena di Roma, reporting from South Africa; Photograph by Kyle Vermeulen, World Vision  
 
You start to hear the vuvuzelas as soon as you step off the plane. When we arrived in Johannesburg from Nairobi the day of the World Cup opening match, the atmosphere at the airport had transformed from when we had left it a week earlier. In the arrivals area, Bafana Bafana supporters and groups of Mexico fans in sombreros were united in their love of the vuvuzela hours before the two teams were scheduled to open the games.

Keep reading to get World Cup travel tips. 

South Africa: Reporting From the World Cup's Opening Match

By Korena Di Roma, reporting from South Africa; Photograph by Kyle Vermeulen, World Vision  

Pack your earplugs if you’re headed to the World Cup. Before leaving Johannesburg, we had become used to the trumpeting of the ubiquitous vuvuzelas, and many of the local papers have addressed the issue of noise during matches, with visiting teams apparently in horror over the racket.

We picked up a couple of vuvuzelas ourselves, and it’s not as easy to produce the sound—which is like a low-pitched buzzing on TV—as you might think. But after a little practice, I got it down, so I’ll be contributing to the inhospitable atmosphere when South Africa takes on Mexico during the opening match in Johannesburg, the first World Cup match to be played on African soil.

The country is currently a sea of Bafana Bafana yellow and green, but as fans begin to arrive from all over the world, more colors and chaos will be added to the mix. We won our tickets through the FIFA lottery and received confirmation and pick-up instructions by mail. Tickets can be picked up at collection points around each city. In Durban we collected them at the Suncoast Casino. The ticket center was a little difficult to find in the large complex based on vague instructions from staff to “go to the right,” but once there the cashiers were efficient and friendly.

What you’ll need: your passport and ticket confirmations. Guests don’t need to be present and I was never asked to produce my payment card. I was collecting the tickets relatively early, and I’ve been told by a South African friend that at this point it would be smart to plan for time spent waiting in long lines.

In Nairobi World Cup coverage has been dominating the newspapers and broadcasts. I’ll be leaving for Johannesburg in a few hours to catch the opening match and will report back on the experience on the ground in South Africa. I hear it’s madness, and I can’t wait.

South Africa: Giving Back Locally With World Vision

By Korena Di Roma, reporting from South Africa

I've been traveling with Team World Vision following their success at the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. After the race, we spent time at one of World Vision’s development areas in the Drakensburg mountains. Afterward, a group of us flew to Kenya to meet some of the children who benefited from the runners’ sponsorship efforts.

Now we’re back in Nairobi after nearly a week spent high above the Rift Valley in western Kenya. Just days after finishing Comrades, three team members, including Hannah Landecker and Andy Baldwin, ran a breezy 5K with a group of marathoners who train in Eldoret. At around 6,500 feet and just north of the Equator, Eldoret is an ideal training ground for professional runners looking to train at altitude year-round, according to Josh Cox, who trained there for seven weeks in 2001. A squat outpost with plenty of flat terrain, Eldoret is home to many of the world’s most decorated runners. Members of its native Kalenjin tribe have earned 31 Olympic and World Championship medals, 12 of them gold.

South Africa: 56-Mile Comrades Marathon - The Results Are In

National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here. Photographs by Korena di Roma

Single-leg amputee Paul Martin lifts his sponsored child—born without arms—at the 60-kilometer point near Field's Hill. Martin completed the race in 10 hours and 30 minutes.

For months I’ve been preparing to be in South Africa to see Team World Vision run the Comrades Marathon, and I admit that I had no idea what to expect. But of all the possible outcomes, seeing all 18 team members cross the finish line before the 12-hour cutoff was unforgettable.

South Africa: In Durban, Comrades Marathon and the World Cup Take Center Stage

 
National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here. Pictured: A Team World Vision training run in Durban; photograph by Andrea Peer/World Vision

I’m at the hotel in Durban, South Africa, a seaside city that’s buzzing with the energy of both the Comrades Marathon and the World Cup. Since stepping into the South African Airways boarding area at JFK, I’ve been wondering what decorated walls, magazine covers, and complimentary packets of airline toothpaste before the World Cup came to South Africa. Writing from a hotel across the street from the Comrades finish line and within sight of the city’s nautical Moses Mabhida Stadium, I’m thrilled to be here to witness it all.  

South Africa: The World's Oldest Ultramarathon Meets the World Cup

National Geographic Digital Media's Korena Di Roma will be traveling to South Africa to report on the Comrades Marathon, the start of the World Cup, and World Vision's humanitarian efforts in the country. Follow her dispatches here.

It’s been called the greatest footrace on Earth—56 miles through the brutal, hilly terrain between two South African cities. It’s a race that rivets the sports-loving country each year, and this spring it will take place for the 85th time just two weeks before the inaugural match of the 2010 World Cup.

The Comrades Marathon began in 1921 as a living memorial to South Africans who fought in World War I. That year, 34 runners took on the course between Pietermaritzburg and the coastal city of Durban. Today it’s the world’s oldest ultramarathon and, with nearly 17,000 runners set to participate, it’s also the world’s largest.