Day 3: Let the games begin

First day with a game, lots of French people in town. Green Point Stadium is in an amazing setting, between the mountains and the ocean.

As we walk through the city to the place where we pick up all our tickets, there is a commotion and shouting, and a young black guy is running through the traffic, moving like an athlete. But he is pursued by an equally agile and fast security guard. He seems to be shouting 'hamburger', and it does look like the thief is holding a brown paper bag. Must be one heck of a burger. At an intersection, a policeman jumps out of a car, and grabs the young guy, puts him on the ground, and gives him a couple of solid jabs to the body. The security guard joins him and they drag the guy out of the traffic.

The city where we are staying and the stadium are joined by a 'fan walk' of about 2.5 km, an up hill stroll along a mall with stalls along the route. It's a great idea, rather than struggling with transport, and there are lots of police en route, so it feels safe. It is a crisp and cold night.

The stadium is full and incredibly noisy. FIFA wanted to ban the vuvuzela, the plastic trumpet that seems to be everywhere. It really makes a lot of a noise - a big one can produce 135db, while businesses are not allowed to exceed 85db. It will be one of the features of this World Cup, but pray it does not catch on. It does add to the atmosphere, and it's hard to hear the person next to you. The game itself is lively but there are no goals, with the Uruguayans producing a highly defensive performance.

And earlier in the day, the South African team drew with Mexico, and although they should have won, the locals are delighted, and walking back from the France v Uruguay game, there are thousands of South Africans still celebrating. What will they do if their team wins?