Oppikoppi Virgins speak

Yes, I know, Oppikoppi 2013 is a distant memory… Heck, I’ve even managed to get all the dirt out from under my nails, tents are clean and we are all buzzing bout new things to come (such as the MASSIVE band announcement RAMfest made yesterday).

I am however going to do just this one more ‘koppi post, seeing as I only heard back from my designated virgins now.

I had a chat with my mate, @LekkerCharlie (he was still @Ch2rlie when we recorded this) while driving home after this year’s awesome Oppikoppi. It was his first time, so we talked a bit about losing his ‘koppi virginity and how his expectations matched up to reality… You’ll spot Charlie in the video below this post, he’s the beard with the man attached behind it.

(Warning: It is mostly Afrikaans)

 

Here’s another ‘koppi-virgin experience, as shared by my friend @BronSutcliffe:

After weeks of preparation it was finally here, Oppikoppi Bewilderbeast 2013. With the car packed to the brim, we started on our first Oppi journey. Wanting to do it right, we got there on the Wednesday to experience all that Oppi has to offer. After getting slightly lost in the city that is Northam we finally found our way to the farm. We got our blue bands and followed the cars in front of us to the infamous Mordor. Driving past Kreef hotel was very confusing because one would think it was an actual hotel and not just a bunch of pre-pitched tents that all look the same. Needless to say we were glad we weren’t staying in the Kreef hotel because there would be 100% chance that we would climb into the wrong tent. We then spend 20 minutes trying to find our campsite but eventually we found it, pitched the tents and cracked open the soon to be warm beers.

One thing that has to be said about Oppikoppi, you meet the most weird and wonderful people that tend to stick with you once you leave. We definitely made lifelong friends from the first day and ended up spending more time with our new friends than with the people we planned on going with. Having a prime camping spot proved how spoiled we were for Oppi virgins. Camping right by the toilets and entrance to the stages, we did a quarter of the dreaded walking that everyone warned us about. One thing is for sure though, people weren’t lying when they said wet wipes would become your best friend.

Table tennis, kings and card tricks kept us entertained for during the day before and in-between the bands we wanted to see. Bands like Fokofpolisiekar, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Crash Car Burn, Jesse Clegg, Arno Carstens, Koos Kombuis and Mango Groove proved just how talented South Africans can be and were shows that left a beat in your head and a song in your heart. As for our guests Yellowcard and The Deftones were also a treat except for the fact that Yellowcard loved reminding us between each song how great it was to be in South Africa for the first time. Never the less the bands were amazing and definitely shows why Oppikoppi is an event on everyone’s calendars from the day they get there until the next years one.

Everything else that Oppikoppi had to offer such as the naked mile (yum), food stalls, bars, bull riding, amazing stages, a view from the top bar that would melt even the hardest of hearts and even the dust helped to make it the most amazing weekend of our lives. The only thing bad about going is the Oppi blues that stick with you the following week. When you can’t sleep at home because your house is too quiet you know you’ve got it bad.

Oppikoppi is what it is and what it is just happens to be absolutely mind-blowingly awesome. There must be something in the dust that keeps us coming back for more, so till next time Oppi we say in the dust we trust.

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Thanx Bronwyn!

Now, in case you haven’t seen any camp-footage of Oppikoppi, or even if you just want to experience a bit of what we experienced, here’s a quick video I took on the Saturday morning:

Lastly, as we were driving back, one of my friends sent me this video… Now if you don’t  think that this is super cute, you probably also hate puppies and love and have no friends… Thanx for sharing Dadine!

Well ladies and gents, that’s it. If you want listen to a podcast I recorded with other mates, where we discussed (mostly) Oppikoppi, check out The Whistle on Running Wolf’s Rant

Can you still remember your first Oppikoppi? Share your memories below and you could win a hi5 when I see you…

(all pics thanx to Henno Kruger Photography )