The bags are packed

The bags are packed, the passports photocopied, and the neighbor kid lined up to bring in the mail and newspapers. She will also water the grass if it gets dry, though there's no sign of that being necessary. I had my final meeting with Jody the travel agent, also our first meeting, since our transaction had until today been conducted entirely by email and telephone. Jody had good things to say about Madikwe, the game reserve we will visit. "Very beautiful," she says.

This morning Abby and I watched World Cup game 1, South Africa v. Mexico, to get ourselves psyched up. Mexico had a goal called back by an offside call, which did not seem correct at first, but the anouncers pointed out later that the keeper had run out past the 6-yard line, putting the would-be goal scorer offside when the ball was passed to him; there was only one defender, and no ball, between him and the touch line before the pass. Good call, ref. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The announcers said that the host country has never lost an opening game. Well done, South Africa.

We have heard the adage that most people take too many clothes and not enough money. Neither of us is a big spender, so we are not worried about the latter. The former is possible, so we have limited ourselves to packing only small roller bags that will easily fit in overhead bins. Abby's bag is only 20 inches long, and mine just two inches longer. In spite of the careful packing, it's a comfort to know that we really only need three things: passport, credit card and medicine. We are ready for South Africa.