Jim and Mary's blog

Photos: Grand Canyon

jimandmary — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

And now the end is near

jimandmary — Sat, 6 Apr 2013 23:06:00 GMT

Sorry for the lack of up dates on our time in NY but the level of activity has been quite frenetic and we have tried to use every available moment to do things. New York allows that because there is something to do whatever the time of day or night. This has left us quite exhausted at the end of the day and too tired to write the blog. Often we have not got back until after midnight or 1.00am. The next day we ate quickly on to the next thing. Last night we visited the Empire State Building at about 11pm and did not get back to the flat until 1.15am. Well this our last day and as usual on our travels the weather appears to be kind to us. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of days we have had rain, and even then for just a few hours.We will attempt to maintain the same standard when we return tomight. Howwever I should not bank upon it.

Today we are attempting our last to visit the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Two vast collections. We then take a flight from JFK at 18.20.James is on a seperate flight soon after. We will spend the night at Dorothy's, who has kindly allowed us to adjust to being back in the UK before driving back to Devon. We are anticipating that our cat is either going to be quite angry with us for abandoning her for 9 weeks or she will give us the cold shoulder. She has been looked after by neighbours Heather and Jim and looks from the photos, very spoilt by Lyn and her family. Alison is giving her the final preparation for our return. We have had a wonderful time and will enjoy our return to the familiarity of things in the UK and will no doubt start the planning of our next abventure.

New York, New York and more New York

jimandmary — Wed, 3 Apr 2013 23:30:00 GMT

Having only a week here and trying to make up for a life time of not visiting NY we are trying to do everything. 3 days gone and only 4 to go. As you can see from the photos we managed to get to the first game of the season between the Yankees and the Red Sox from Boston thanks toJohn and Kagi's strenuous efforts. My team the Red Sox won. They became my team because of the perverse reason we were in the Yankee stadium surrounded by Yankee fans. We also went to a jazz club thr Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village. Some tremendous playing. Probably the best live playing I have heard. That is saying something as I am a fan of the Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra and Brian Moore's Wind Machine. Managed to get tickets to see a play called My Name is Asher Lev. We were recommended to read the book a friend Sally . Despite good intentions we did not get round to it so it was fortunate that we could see it. Itvhad 3 actors playing the many parts. It seems to be the way these days and it makes great demands upon the ability of actors to change characters very quickly. Very good production. We have also visited the Ground Zero monument which was very moving. It consists of two pools on the footprint of the two towers. Each has a waterfall that cascades into a void. Feels quite unsettling which I suppose is the intention.

We will continue to look at all the usual sights over the week. Today's highlight is Placido Domingo in La Traviata at the Met.

New York or how not to run an airline

jimandmary — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 22:43:00 GMT

Sorry to start out with a moan but we had a bit of a shock when we tried to leave LA. Apparently it is part of the practice of US airlines to over book on the expectation that a certain number of people will not turn up. If everybody turns up then someone will be "bumped". How they choose the passengers they bump is a mystery that I have not been able to solve. The facr that you booked the flight over 7 months beforehand apoears to be irrelevant. The fact rhat you have timed your flight to meet someone arriving on another flight is also irrelevant. Mary and I were the only people who were bumped. It was quite distressing to us both as we were meeting James on his flighr from the UK. He has been included on last leg of our jaunt around the world as a 21st birthday present. Anyway, as is often the case, things turn out ok in the end. James patiently waired at JFK for our arrival 4 hours later, and was not the distressed little boy, feeling abandoned and lost that we expected to find. In fact he thought it a good outcome as we got to travel business class and were compensated.

Well we have arrived in NY in our hastily reorganised accommodation. It is in a flat which we share with thw owner. It is quite comfortablr but the furnishings look a bit tired. It is well located on the east side a few blocks from the middle of Central Park. We havw met up with Mary's brother John, wife Kagi and sons James and Oliver. I'll up date you on what we have done later. Again I apologise for the orientation of some of the photos.

Photos: New York

jimandmary — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 22:31:00 GMT

72 degrees and no leaves on the trees.

jimandmary — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:50:00 GMT

As you can see from the photos the weather is perfect for walking.However it gets below freezing at night sometimes. Snow fell here a couple of weeks ago and some is still on the ground. I think spring depends upon as much on daylight as temperature. Must say I am missing the daffodils.
We did a walk today along a creek of from the river which goes through Sedona, called Oak

Creek. We did see some greenery though and this consisted of tiger grass. this is what we have in our pond at home. There was also copious dogwood, the cultivated form of which we have in the garden. Sadly this will be the last rural walk we do on this holiday. Tomorrow it is off to LA and then to NY. Skyscrapers I am afraid will domonate the next few blogs. Have a nice day.

Second day in Sedona

jimandmary — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:44:00 GMT

I must apologise to some of our readers who are desperate to hear about the beer in the USA. I am currently enjoying a local beer called Jacobs Creek. The is a village nearby of that name as well as the river. Most of my experince of US beer until now has been Budweiser and Millar. These are poor representations if what is available from what I have seen in Arizona and California. In fact in Cali I saw the most exiting liquor store ever. Nevermind the range of wines but the whiskies,bottled beers were unsurpassed by anything I have ever seen. Many of the beers arr available on draught but are gas fed rather than hand pumps. There are plentiful brown ales and stouts. So don't feel sorry for me not having access to Jail and Doombar.

We had a bit of a shock yeserday when the ownerof the property we had booked since lastbOctober said that we could only have the property for 3 of the 7 we had booked. He needed it for s sick relatve who was coming from Spain for medical treatment. When I said this was unacceptable he thought I was lacking. Seeming to think I had a moral obligation to his relative.I only found this out 4 days before we were due to arrive in NY and then only when I contacted him about the airport pick up. To cut it short we have found somewhere else in a better location. However it has cost us s few dollars more.

Photos: Sedona

jimandmary — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:20:00 GMT

Psychic Sedona

jimandmary — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:45:00 GMT

We were advised about Sedona by our friend Dorothy. The Dorothy that accompanied us to Sri Lanka. She said it was a good place to visit but we had our doubts after the Grand Canyon as anything after that was bound to be a disappointment. Well Dorothy you were not wrong. I am sure this will be borne out by the pictures. They are the classic mountains you see in cowboy pictures. We saw another ronantic sunset and I got anorher smack in the mouth.

Mary has described Sedona as Arizona's Totnes. I think it makes Totnes look like Newton Abbot. You can quote me on that if I ever stand for Teignbrdge Council. There is a psychic reader on

every corner and there are therapies available you'll never get in Totnes, yet. Did you know there are 7 vortexes emanating powerful spiritual rnergy. It was declared the heart-chakra of the planet by Page Bryant. We can offer myofascial release . Look up the web site "Therapy on the Rocks".

This afternoon we walked up the Cathedral Rock. Acording to our guide book in native american mythlogy it was the birth place of the first man and woman and it the most photographed scene in Arizona. I woder whether Adam and Eve would ever be described as mythology?

Grand Canyon 2

jimandmary — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:11:00 GMT

Or how many superlatives can you take? We went on our last walk in the grand Canyon and I will not try and describe what we saw .I'll upload some photos but the artistry and equipment that I possess will not do justice. All I can say is that if you like hiking then this is the place to come. Give yourself as much time as you can spare. A bit of research will be a good idea beforehand depending upon what you might want to do. For instance if you want to complete some of the trails then you will need to organise camping, for which you will need permits beforehand and they are taken up well in advance. Donkey trips will need 2 years booking in advance. Well the walk we did today was one of the less popular trails and it was non the less enjoyable because of that. In fact the isolation you felt enhanced the experience. we did the Hermit trail today with a diversion to the Drippiing Springs. After the walk we went round the rim for a romantic view of the the sunset. Mary thought it was romantic and I asked her for her evidence for this. What double blind trials can she quote to support her assertion that it was romantic. I said that I thought it was culturally determined and that in itself it could not objectively be called romantic. She gave me a smack in the mouth and said that was her evidence. I did not disagree. Regarding my rant about Creationists yesterday I discovered some evidence that might support their beliefs. It is significant the increase in temperature that is experienced as you get lower into the canyon. This is probably that you sre getting closer to hell. You re all in bed (or should be) whileI write this. Just a fascinating thought as to how the world works.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

jimandmary — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:54:00 GMT

Or going down is optional and going up is compulsory.

Creationists should be compelled to visit the Grand Canyon. Due to a particular friek in geological history the GC has a casm about a mile deep with overlaying stratas. This provides a unique timeline of the the progress of natural history as well the more obviios geological formations. Creationists believe that God created the world in one go and that was about 6000 BC. They would then need to explain the complex overlay of rocks of many different types and placed at different angles. Many have preserved images of of animal life through the fossil record. The creationists have a lot to explain. I would not bother to give time to such a bizarre explanation of the origins of the world. Unfortunately our current education ministe Michael Gove has made it possible that such frieky ideas will recieve a state subsidy in their propagation with the free schools policy. They will have agreed to teach the "theory" of evolution. This will be set against the "fact" of creationism. In most modern democracies religions have to provide their own schools and religious bias is not allowed to pervade the carriculum.

Enough of my rant. My first view of the GC took my breath away. I am not a one for hyperbolie but the pictures you have all seen do not lie except they do not provide the changes of texture and light and colours that seeing them be does. We have done a couple of trips into the canyon. Unfortunately we wil not be able to get tobthe bottom. It is strongly advised that it is not possible to do it in one day. Overnigbt permits are required if you want to camp and these need to be organised well in advance. The alternative is to go by donkey but there is a two year waiting list. The park is well.organised with good information and well maintained tracks. They tend to get quite busy but not on Ben Nevis standards so are quite pleassnt. The climbs back are not too are made at a comfortable incline.

I wish to again apologise for the orientation of some of the pictures but the correction on this web site does not seem to work too well.

Bottled out in Las Vegas

jimandmary — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:04:00 GMT

I have often wondered how I would cope with the temptations of mammon in Las Vegas. I thought that the way it would go would be that we would gamble a pre-determined amount, say $100 and then stop. If I was lucky then I might make modest profit. Unfortunately I could not overcome a 40 year reluctance to gamble. For instance I have never bought a lottery ticket. I hoped the atmosphere of LV would help me get over my prudish disdain. Well LV and we failed. However there were many thris to be seen This included the pirates battle in front of Treasure Island. The highlight for me was the synchronsed fountain and music outside Belligio's. Imside all the hotels there were wonderfull displays of art work. Belligio's had a display of the work of Chuilly. Natasha will be able to tell youbthe correct spelling as she took us to an exhibition of his in Kew Gardens. The only down side was the offers of girls to your room in twenty minutes.

We stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel which had a tower from which we had a great vantage point of the Strip. They also had people paying good money to jump from the tower with a wire to control the speed of drop. There was another ride which looked as if it was going to tip you over the side of the building.

Photos: Las Vegas

jimandmary — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 11:07:00 GMT

An aquarium to remember

jimandmary — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:21:00 GMT

As an event the aquarium in Long Beach was something that will be well remembered. We saw some amazing sea creatures and corals that the pictures on the blog will not do justice. It was also possible to touch some of the fish who seemed little worried by the human contact.

We have seen some wonderful scenes in our round the world trip and there are a few more on the agenda with the impending visits to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and New York.However I think the highlights will be the human contacts we have had along the way. However one of the best evenings we had was this evening when we were entertained by Cathy and Bob with aunty Mary, cousin DJ with his wife Willa and son Reilly. Remember Mary has not seen them for 35 years but I could have been yesterday. Memories were swapped and laughed over with the perspective of maturity. Shame our son James was not there but we were able to see his taiko performance at the Albert Hall which was on utube. Mary and I were also able to tell them about our exposure to there culture and our knowledge of Appalachian clogging which is very popular in the UK amongst folkies like us. We even have a friend Kathy who dances it in and around Totnes. We look forward to Willa coming to the SW in 2014 when she is going to Cornwall. What would be wonderful if Cathy and Bob could find their way to England. There be no shortage of places for them to stay but the best place is in Devon.

Getty Museum and Hollywood

jimandmary — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:33:00 GMT

It's their loss they weren't there to see us.

Desperate for sone culture Cathy took us to the Getty museum in LA. It was a wonderful building in what seemed to us to be in a modern art deco style. The buildings were surrounded by beatifully arranged gardens full of colour.

Hollywood was a bit of a disappointment. We walked up and down the boulevard but the talent scouts must have been away. They were no where to be seen. The Hamlet speech I had rehersed was a bit wasted. In desperation to get attention Mary threw a cup of hot chocolate over herself, but failed to impress. Particularly the coffee house staff who had to clear up the mess. Probably used to such antics and have eternal hopes they themselves will be discovered.Cathy was more successful as she got herself a screen test shooting a couple of baskets. Doubt it will lead to anything though

Photos: California

jimandmary — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:19:00 GMT

Arrival in Huntington Beach

jimandmary — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:13:00 GMT

Or I have got myself a chevy but I can't find a levy.

This is the first trip to the USA for both Mar.y and I

We had ordered a Toyata Corrola but ended up with a Cheverolet Cruze. I was quite worried about this but was reassured by the lady on the desk, who wangled a few extra dollars out of for something I am sure we did not need, that it was not a monster. The thought of driving an american car on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side was quite intimidating. We have seen pictures of multi-lane freeways with masses of cars travelling at speed. Well they are just like we see on the movies and there are lots of them. It is a good idea to know where you are going because the signage is not designed for the traveller who ha no idea where they are going. I was hoping my smartphone would navigate me there but I could not get an internet connection. Eventually after a few asks a lass managed to point the way.

The whole point of coming to LA was to see Mary's cousin Cathy and her husband Bob. We were also hoping to see Mary's aunt also called Mary. Well we have been made most welcome. Mary had not seen Cathy and aunty Mary for about 35 years so there was a little apprehension beforehand. However our fears were soon proven to be groundless.

We were made most welcome and soon a good raport was established. Aunty Mary, who is 91 came over and memories were swapped in a very relaxed way. It was helped by sampling a few local beers and also a very nice Smethwicks from Ireland. It tasted a lot better than the stuff you get in the emerald isle. While on the subject we managed to celebrate St Patricks day in NZ and in Orange County due to crossing the International Date Line. Bob and I shared what turned out to be a cloudy beer and I tried to introduce the concept of "bottle conditioned". It made little sense to him particularly when the beer in question was supposed to be cloudy.

I'll put up some pictures tomorrow.

Tangariro Northern Circuit

jimandmary — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 07:27:00 GMT

Or the long and dusty road.

This the last of our walks in NZ and the only one in the north island. It was a complete contrast to all the others as it was like walking in a primitve landscape where there was no visible sign of life. That is except for humans of which there were many at some points that were accesible to day trippers. However they needed to get up early to find a place in the car park which we heard was full by 07.00. The terrain consisted of solid lava and dust where the lava had eroded.This made walking difficult and even hazardous at some points, particularly when trying to descend slopes. This slowed us down considerably and made us quite tired. Over the 4 days we accumulated more and more dust with no opportunity to shower it off. It was interesting to see how life manages to take a grip as time goes by. The most recent recent lava fows were in 1975 and 1952. As you came away from it primitive forms of life such as lichen and mosses took hold until eventually there was tree growth and bird life.

Again we were sleeping in multiple occupacy beds which were unisex. This time we had more consistancy in our bed fellows. Our walk synchronised with a mother Beth with her adult daughter Holly. and niece Liz. Her husband came from Ivybridge and they have relatives in Ugborough. One night we were joined by a contingent of army personel. I thought they were a load of softies sleeping in a hut, but I didn't tell them to their face. I might have upset them. On the walk in one of the huts we met a german gent whom we had met on 3 previous occasions in NZ in different locations. Once wading across an estuary and the other in a hostel in Wellington. Who was following who?

The weather on the walk was warm and sunny with a spotof rain on the last day. However this soon cleared. We have heard thereis a cyclone due on Sunday the day we leave. NZ is desperste for rain.

We are hanging around at the moment waiting for a bus to Auckland and then tomorrow to California.

Photos: Tangariro Northern Circuit

jimandmary — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 05:45:00 GMT

4 day walk

Abel Tasman Coastal Track

jimandmary — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:19:00 GMT

Or The Most Pointless Walk in History. I only say this because you walk from one bay with golden sands and a torquoise sea to another. You might have saved the effort and stayed in the first bay. Seriously though it was probably the nicest walk so far, and that is sayimg something. We spent 4 nights sleeping in huts which consisted of minimal facilities. We had to take all our own food and cooking equipment. The beds were for multiple occupation and were unisex. The advantage is that one night I slept in the middle of 5 women and a man at the end. There were 3 fraulines, a male and female kiwi and the most beautiful of them all next to me, an anglo irish italian mongre. The disadvantage was that we were kept awake most of one night with some chap snoring. Even his wife or partner could not stand it and found somewhere else to go. We worked out, but too late that you should avoid sleeping with older people who seem to be the more likely snorers.

We saw lots of wildlife such as stingrays that came in close to the sea shore. Numerous birds of which we do no know the names. They seem to be more trusting of humans than elsewhere. This includes the fantail that seems to delight in displaying itself along the. The other remarkable feature of these walks is an almost total absence of litter. Overnight access to the park is limited to an alloted number of spaces, either camping or staying in huts which must be pre booked. Access to the beaches is by walking, kyak or water taxi. There is an army of wardens to enforce the rules. They seem to do it with a smile and are a mine of information about the park.

We were favoured at our last hut of the walk with our own room. They still had multi occupancy beds but there were so few people staying we could spread ourselves in a bed for six. As the light began to fade this man appeared with nothing on but his flip flops. Well Mary ang I and the german couple also in residence were determined to play it cool and no be shocked. Fortunately in the fading light the view was mot too difficult to cope with. Apparently he had just been on a nudist bike ride with hundreds of other people in protest at our dependancy on fossil fuels. He decided that he would continue in his naked state on the path. The cloak afforded by the dusk the night before was not available the next morning when the sun was up and he joined us for breakfast. All I can say is the if I was the sort of person that was envious about certain parts of other peoples anatomy then there was a lot to be envious about and I suspect he knew it. Fortunately he joined us at the table on the opposite side fairly quickly. I wonder what the reaction will be at the more crowded huts. Mary made the astute observatio that we are all naked under our clothes!!!.

We are back at the hostel having had our first shower for four days and have have had a pint of the local brew and wine and also fish and chips. Tomorrow we make our way to Wellington im the north island and then on to walk the Tongeriro circuit round an active volcano..