Sao Paulo- The spirit of the World Cup finally seems to have hit Brazil with four days to the start of the most glorious sporting spectacle known to man.
There have been several reports of a lack pf preparedness on most fronts over the past several months but walking in a stream of human traffic at the Garulhos international Airport in Sao Paulo I am under no illusion that many soccer fans are willing to brave whatever adversity awaits in this unique country of contrasts.
The first thing that struck me on arrival was the level of security right from the immigration dock,as several officers of the “federal policia”,toting high powered pistols on their thighs kept an eye on all arrivals.My attempt to take a little friendly photo was met with a stern yet amiable “No photos”.
Clearing that point,all i could see was several groups of people just chomping at the bits to hit the streets and get a feel of the real Brazil including a wheel chair bound man of 67, Andreas. Andreas is an Argentine resident of Dubai who told me this visit was a lifelong dream of his and he had no intention of missing it.
“I cannot miss the moment my Argentian sticks one to these guys in their own country,what better sight would there be “he tells me with a smile.
The enthusiasm is not his alone.
My first bit of trouble though and I have a feeling will be for the entire tournament is the language.I mean I practised a few words but my goodness did i get lost. Very few Brazilian i met,including the volunteers fro the World Cup spoke any English. Hopefully my luck changes in that regard and I meet some English speaking ones.
I did get lost a few times after hitching a ride on a bus with free wifi (yes mu Ghanaian readers,free wi-fi) with no address in mind because I had not planned on an overnight stay in Sao Paulo but there is always a friendly taxi driver to help.I found mine and he has invited me to dinner later on.
All in all I can say my first day’s experience of the World Cup in Brazil has been great.I am yet to explore but boy am I ready for the football to begin.
Follow my adventures on Twitter via @eastsportsman
For more sports news visit allSports.com.gh
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