We set off early hoping to arrive in Harare before nightfall. We have two border crossings to go through and the group of death plays today. Mozambique is a challenge both with immigration and crossing the bridge at the great Zambezi River, it sets us back on our schedule. We learn that Coca Cola is a fine bribe.
Pictured: I and O with some local vendors waiting to cross the Zambezi River in Tete, Mozambique (we're really hot at over 40 degrees celsius)
There's palpable excitement for today's games in Mozambique, partially due to the group of death but also the Portuguese-speaking nations do have some camaraderie around the globe. We watch New Zealand tie Slovakia in a restaurant. The Portuguese owner is a wench; we politely ask her to put the game on, but she insists there are no games at this time. Sure, the Portuguese team isn't on for a few more hours but indeed there is a game on right now. And, she's yelling at her Mozambican employees. Someone needs to tell her colonialism is over.
We're running late and need to cross the border to Zimbabwe before it closes. We pass many establishments with the Portugal vs Ivory Coast game showing on their small TVs. There are crowds around the TVs but we can't stop and we can't get the game on the radio.
We get a room at Pumpkin Hotel just across the Zimbabwe border in the town of Pumpkin- a rural rural establishment which makes good money on folks crossing late into the country. We catch the last three minutes of the Portugal v. Ivory Coast game. We're super tired so we curl in bed and watch Brazil battle North Korea. Very fun game and I'm sure North Korea can beat Portugal if they play like this.
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