Brazil 2014: Delicious Lizard meal on sale!

We are here for a short time, let’s get all the laughter we can. Because if you dwell on serious issues, you would be a patient for a hungry Doctor. And Doctors don’t know the meaning of mercy even at the point of death. They are like the Eagles, they collect their money upfront.

I am laughing all the way because the language barrier has made people go hungry and eat what they did not ask for. Imagine a supporter who asked for food but because he could not name the particular one he ended up eating grilled lizard? The look on his face forced another to ask what he ordered for. More enquiries and sign languages led to the hotel to bring somebody who understands and speaks English. ‘’He is eating grilled lizard. It is a delicacy from China and very rich in protein”, he said. A bout of vomiting followed in the toilet. How did it happen? ‘’They told me to place my order from a book. There is grass in all of them. I picked the one I saw meat on. I didn’t know it’s lizard”, our man bemoaned, still cleaning his mouth with a white handkerchief. “chei! I don eat alangba! Toilet for Mans, Toilet for Womans ! The Brazilians love their language and do not give a hoot whether you understand or not. Unlike other World Cup hosts who provided interpreters, they are very few here if you are lucky to find one. That has also added to the fun of covering of the World Cup. Imagine you are pressed to urinate and you have a female volunteer to ask for direction to where you can ease yourself. After repeatedly saying toilet, toilet and no response, one used his number six to point to my zip and she roared in laughter and directed me to the toilet. After the relief, I looked back to see a sign boldly written in English ‘’Toilet for Mans” and yet another one ‘’Toilet for Womans”. It made me remember the road sign I saw in Warri in one of my trips to cover Warri Wolves Football Club. It read ‘’Man at working”. And on closer look, there was only one man working on the road. So, it couldn’t have been ‘’Men at work”. Half bread … “Half bread is better than none,” so a popular saying goes..The Brazilian hotels, apparently sensing the high influx of visitors, might have been hampered by bad publicity following the pre-world Cup protests applied the spirit of enterprise in taking in visitors at reduced rates than earlier advertised. They stationed their army of marketing canvassers with mouth watering offers. They offered free rides to such hotels to the new arrivals. It was a win – win situation for all. A draw as bad as a loss The 0-0 scoreless match up posted by the Super Eagles against the Team Melli of Iran was like suffering a defeat to many Nigerians, who turned up in Brazil for the World Cup. The Mundial kicked off on June 12. The fans, who had expected outright defeat to Iran, were virtually deflated after the last whistle, signalling the end of the match. Both teams shared a point apiece. Many of the fans, who had arrived in Brazil for the match, wore long drawn faces after the Eagles were forced to the goalless situation, saying they had wished the Eagles were able to secure the vital three points because they believed the Iranians were on paper, the weak team of group F. “What hopes are there for us against Bosnia, which lost 1-2 to ‘great’ Argentina,” asked Ike Okafor, a fan who had come all the way from Onitsha to cheer the Eagles. A top Nigerian musician, known simple as Wale, said the Eagles, who were pre-match favourites, were embarrassing. “They must do something subsequent matches to stem criticisms and condemnation.” Supporting Eagles without Drums, Trumpets The Nigerian supporters club are here in their numbers. Many Nigerians have been wondering why they did not hear them sing as they always do in their usual manner. They were stripped off their drums and trumpets and allowed them access into the stadium. President General Dr Rafiu Ladipo has been crying over the treatment meted out to a renown club that has won international awards from World soccer-governing body, FIFA. ‘’This is like letting you into the exam hall without your writing materials”, he said. An image made available on June 16, 2014 on the official twitter English-language account of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him sitting on a sofa at an undisclosed location watching the WC2014 football match Iran versus Nigeria on television. Rouhani took to Twitter to praise his country's 0-0 draw with Nigeria, after a lacklustre football World Cup opener for Team Melli in Brazil. AFP PHOTO An image made available on June 16, 2014 on the official twitter English-language account of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him sitting on a sofa at an undisclosed location watching the WC2014 football match Iran versus Nigeria on television. Rouhani took to Twitter to praise his country’s 0-0 draw with Nigeria, after a lacklustre football World Cup opener for Team Melli in Brazil. AFP PHOTO They tried to sing at the Baixa stadium in Curitiba. But they could not do much without their trumpets and drums coupled with the epileptic performance of the Eagles. The power of soccer in ‘Sambaland’ The pre-World Cup protests that nearly marred the image of Brazil as a nation of ever happy people, petered out soon after the kick off of the World Cup. Instead of the protests over the huge financial resources being expended in the provision of the facilities for the Mundial, fans were trooping out in their numbers to catch fun, while the events lasted. The emphasis has now shifted to supporting their national team to victory, particularly after the struggle to ensure a 3-1 victory over hard-fighting Croatia during the World Cup opening game. “It’s been fun galore everywhere,” noted Emeka Odikpo, well-known radio commentator, who had logged on more travel miles since arriving Rio de Janeiro, the main ‘Samba nation’ as Brazil is referred to by foreigners. “You need to be at the Marracana Stadium, a facility that just turned 64 on Monday, after being built for the 1950 World Cup. “You need also to be at the Copacabana Beach, as well as the statue of Christ the Redeemer, an iconic place that took not less than six years to complete,” Odikpo added. Twists and turns The six hour-long trip by bus to catch up with the Super Eagles match at the Arena Da Baixada Stadium, Crutiba, can at best be described as “twists and turns”. This is because of the virtual uncountable breath-taking turnings enroute the city. The route and its surrounding hilly environment were not only challenging, but aesthetic sites to behold for first time visitors. Perhaps the strength has been that drivers in the challenging route are made to drive with regulated speed. “There is no room for speeding and careless driving on the tracks,” said a driver of one of the many operating buses, Viacao Itempemirim, on the route. VANGUARD