It’s also Australia’s first match at the world cup in 30 years, kick off 8pm against Japan. We’ve got our plans - we’re heading to a beer garden with a cinema screen/projector, we even have alternate destination in case it’s rains. The game’s being shown on Thai domestic TV, as are all matches, nothings on Thai cable.
Bangkok’s quiet all day as it’s a public holiday and most people have gone to the river or away on holiday. Excitement builds amongst my friends and I, before we rendezvous in the beer garden at 7.00. We grab a couple beers, grab a table at the front and are glad to see a few Japanese tables around us – it’s always better to have someone to heckle.
7.50 rolls around, and the TV’s still showing the King’s ceremony. 7.55, still the King. 8.00, still the King, OK panic. At 8 everyday there’s KingTV on one channel – a half hour update of what the royals did that day, this is different, it’s live from the ceremony. We call the waiter over, he flicks through the Thai channels, the ceremony’s on all of them. AAGGHH! 8.15 rolls around, the ceremony looks like it’s got a long way to go.
We bailed out of the beer garden, heading to the Irish pubs 2 train stops away. A policeman stops us entering the skytrain station, all traffic on the road is stopped. They’ve blocked off the area for dignitaries leaving the ceremony, and we’re trapped without access to the pubs. Shit, what to do? Where to go? Come on think?
Got it! The Bus Stop, a girly bar 2 streets away, has cable from Papua New Guinea! We got in 30 mins late to find the game on. Yes! It was even the Australian SBS feed so we got to see the Australian soccer nuts talking about how happy they were to be in the world cup after years of being marginalised by Australia’s other sports.
We’re down 1-0, 5 mins left. We equalise, yelling! We take the lead, jumping up and down! We score again, pandemonium!
If only I didn’t have an exam tomorrow I’d be getting in a round of shots.
AUSTRALIA: 3
JAPAN: 1
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