The road from Jo'burg to Durban is a fairly decent one. Always at least two lanes and sometimes four. For this reason, without stops, it can be done in a little over five hours. It's about 600 kilometres from memory. We left from Martin's just after 9am. Adam won't be returning there as Monday sees me drop him at the airport en route back to Bryanston, as I head back to the UK two days later. It has been a great stay in the capital, in no small part thanks to our hosts, not least Martin's better half Susie. However, today, being a Thursday, means two weeks of my three week trip have passed. I've seen 11 matches in nine stadiums and have five more to attend - four of those being knockout games.

More stats - as Adam flew to Cape Town last Friday to see England held by Algeria, it meant he did eleven matches in eleven days. No break. I've mentioned before his desire to have done two games in a day last Saturday, which would have made it 12 matches in 11 days. Sepp Blatter could have done it with his police escort, but Rustenburg and Pretoria on the same day proved too much with only two and a half hours in between. That his flight was delayed meant even if we could have made it between the grounds, we would not have got to Rustenburg until about the 75th minute of Australia v Ghana. So, today was his first day without a match since we flew to Durban from Cape Town on Saturday 12th July. He admitted he would probably never repeat such a run in his lifetime. It's the first time he's done a tournament with this kind of intensity, a situation driven by my own desire to sample every stadium. He has enjoyed it though, and has no regrets, including the detour to the England v Algeria match, in spite of the quality of football witnessed. He plans to go to Brazil in 2014, but is more likely to base himself in one location, given the likely large distances between the host cities and the difficulty travelling around. South Africa is big enough, but Brazil is a huge country in comparison. I can't see myself going there in all honesty, but never say never.

There are different ways of experiencing tournaments. At home in front to the television, basing yourself in one area and catching the games in the flesh there, following your team around the country and just travelling around the country watching any feasible game you can. And variations on all of those of course. The way we are doing it of course means there is little time to appreciate the non-footballing aspect of your location. Sure, there are the places you eat, the roads you travel and the places you stay, but ultimately you are passing by a lot of stuff that demands attention simply through lack of time. For example, Adam wanted to see Rourke's Drift today, a famous battlefield. However, it's the kind of place (I imagine) that is only worth going to if you are going to have a tour with a guide who explains everything about the location. So at least a couple of hours and probably more, on top of the time it takes to reach the location. As with so much else, one for the next visit.

After a couple of stops and a Martin suggested detour at Harrismith to take in a more scenic route via Bergville - which included a number of baboons in the road at one point and the impressive Sterkfontein Dam, we reached Ian's near Durban about ten minutes before the 4pm game kicked off. I thought the early pair of games would be the Group E closers (Holland's group), but I soon discovered it was Group F (Italy's). You do kind of lose track here. It was nice to see Ian and Annie again. We chose to watch Italy v Slovakia instead of Paraguay v New Zealand. It was a wise choice, as, after the first half, we witnessed a cracker of a game. No point in doing match analysis here, but overall, there is little question that this tournament has thrown up enough surprises to keep it very interesting. Both the finalists from the previous tournament in 2006 ending bottom of their group is something you'd have got large odds for. And yet, both teams deserved to go home, having failed to play to the obvious potential their line-ups promised.

On one level, it is fine for the top teams to make it through to the latter stages as they can provide classic match ups in the vein of England v Germany. However, that isn't going to happen too often this time around and there will be some unpredicatable names in the last eight. Yet they can still provide some memorable matches. This tournament will be remembered for some surprise results, but some decent knockout round viewing will enhance the memory of it even more. I'm not very familiar with the Slovakian side outside of Martin Skrtl, but if they provide as much entertainment as they did against Italy, we are in for some drama. One thing is certain. One of the semi finalists will come from the quartet of Uruguay, South Korea, USA and Ghana. My prediction is Uruguay due to the strength of their defence, which works hard and seems highly organised. Surprises are good if the tournament is to remain interesting. And let's face it, England were only a goal from going out in their final group game.

As I write, Japan are leading Denmark 2-0 with 17 minutes remaining. Another shock. Two Asian teams will make it to the last sixteen compared to only one from Africa, in spite of the tournament's location. Chile play tomorrow, but four other South American sides have already made it through, and if you added Mexico to them it wouldn't trouble me. So already, less than half the teams that will make the last 16 will be European. And that can only be a good thing in a World Cup, otherwise it's just like a re-run of the Euros with Brazil and Argentina guesting.

Whether it is fatigue or lack of motivation that is doing for the European sides is a question that only those closer to the teams could answer. Possibly it might be a bit of both, but few of them have shone out. Holland have proved resilient, their defensive ability surprising a few, including myself. At some point I will have to count up the number of former Arsenal players that have performed at these finals, but there seem to be a hatful. If Gio van Bronckhorst lifts the trophy on July 11, it will be surreal. Another one that was released a little too soon. I didn't see Portugal's goalless draw with Ivory Coast, but their 7-0 stuffing of North Korea did hint that they might also go a long way. Aside from that though, I am looking outside of Europe for the winners.

Brazil have not surprisingly been favoured by many, and there's been little evidence to contradict that. Argentina though, are far less of a shambles than was predicted, and some feel they too are a decent bet to win the trophy. I still maintain that defensively, they are not quite good enough, so I am sticking with Dunga's men as my pick. There's no great insight there, and it may be shaped by my having seen every minute they have played at this tournament in the flesh. However, they really do look to me to combine the solidity and attacking ability to survive their knockout games. Dare I say that the manager's decision not to bring Ronaldinho looks fully justified?

Tomorrow, we head back into Durban itself to see Brazil play Portugal. Winning the group means a potential quarter final with Holland. Coming second pits that team in the same half of the draw as Argentina, Germany and England (although none will be faced until the semis). No-one knows where Spain will finish, but if they qualify, they will face either Brazil or Portugal in the next round. I think Brazil will go for the win, although a draw will still see them top the group. Let's hope for a cracker before we fly to Port Elizabeth on Saturday morning.