still thinking...

NZ

loundyl — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:25:00 GMT

The North Island.

New Zealand is amazing. It is beautiful. It is friendly. It is cheap. It is definitely a favourite of ours amongst all of the places that we have been to on our trip. We tried to cram far too much in as there was just so much to do but we still had a brilliant time. We started off by flying into Wellington and hiring a car for a few days on the North Island. The flight from Oz is only about three hours so it's a doddle. As we are leaving Oz going through the security checks I get pulled out of the queue to see if I'm a terrorist. Luckily I don't have anything on me so I'm allowed on my way. We visit the Te Papa museum in Welly but unfortunately don't get to see much else there as we are shooting off up North to the Tongariro National Park. What we saw of Welly though, was quite a laid back trendy place very picturesque and affluent might not be a bad place to hang out for a couple of days. On the way out of town we eat 'scoop n' chips', which is pronounced in a very strange way that at first we cannot understand. The NZ accent is very different to Oz and we like it. So anyway we have a long drive up to Tongariro and it's funny as the major roads are oftentimes just a single road with a passing place every few miles. One has to be quick in the passing lanes as otherwise may well end up stuck behind a big lorry or camper van for a good stretch. For the first couple of hours we see lots of hills and mountains and sheep. Then it gets dark and there are lots of dead things at the side of the road like rabbits, hedgehogs and squirrels. We arrive at the motel rather late - it has taken about 5 hours in total. So it's straight to bed in a decent one bed place called Adventure Motel, as we plan to do the famous Tongariro crossing the next day. Unfortunately when we wake we are informed that the weather forecast is dire, and not suitable for doing the crossing. We are gutted as we have picked this walk out of the LP specially. However there are plenty of other walks and we do a 5 hour walk to the Tama Lakes, which are huge turquoise things set amongst a mad volcanic landscape, that is completely other wordly. Scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed around here, apparently. As a result the number of visitors to this area have increased manyfold. On the walk we encountered a fair few other hikers (or trampers, as they say in NZ). Still it is dead compared to Landan on any day so we appreciate the scenery and peace when we can. Ah. Back to the Adventure Lodge for a well earned shower and dinner. It is a nice family run place with good home cooked food however woe betide you if you are late for dinner or breakfast as you will be talked about!

The next morning we TO BE UPDATED...

The South Island.

On Sunday we drive back down to Wellington to catch the ferry across to the South Island. It is a drive with fabulous scenery so it is not a chore at all. We have heard so much about the South Island so we are very excited. There is a ridiculous amount to do there and we are going to have to be very strict in terms of what we decide to actually do as otherwise we will not get a moment of peace! The ferry is at 1825hrs so we do not get into Picton until about 2230. The journey across is rather slow and we are very tired so the chattering, dippy woman sat behind us drives us potty. Not to mention every time her and her family get up they grip heavily onto the back of our seats so we just can’t relax. Bloody eejits.

We have pre-booked a hostel in Picton and there wasn’t much on offer so we went for cheap and cheerful. And it certainly is. We are rather hungry so drive around the tiny picturesque town centre but everything is closing so we can’t get anything to eat. So we give up and drive to the hostel and are met by an English lady who is very friendly and nice. She is apologising for the room before she has even showed it us ha ha I think she can see that we are a bit older and better dressed than the average backpacker. It is perfectly adequate though for those who want somewhere decent for a very cheap price. There is a communal area where a bunch of yanks are playing cards but we do not feel like being sociable so we turn in. We are only charged £20 for a 4 bunk room and it reminds me of the kind of place one went to with church groups or the like in the summer holidays. This is the first time that we have stayed in a bunk room and it is very basic and shock horror we do not even have our own bathroom. Eek. So we fill up on energy bars and go straight to bed, hoping to get an early start as we are off to the wineries tomorrow – woo hoo!

Marlborough Wineries.

We have a leisurely start with breakfast at a cool cafe recommended by LP overlooking the picturesque Picton Bay. Then it’s a 1hour drive to the Marlborough Wine Region, where we are staying in a motel in Renwick, which is a tiny town about 3 miles from Blenheim, which is a bit closer to the main wineries and consequently this is where most people stay. However, D and I being as we are, we are looking to go to the smaller less well known places and therefore Renwick is perfect for us. We stay in a cottage that is attached to a pub on the main drag – the cottages are great - very snazzy and spotless, unlike the pub. However we are not here for the pub when there is free wine tasting to be had, so we hire some bikes from a place down the road and set off .

It is a very hot sunny day and we feel like a scene out of an old Renault Clio advert, cycling about with our helmets on the dusty road in amongst the vines it’s brilliant. We start off at Mahi, where we meet a rather snooty English lady, who is very knowledgeable about the products. The place is empty and it’s a little off the beaten track but worth going to, although we are not that impressed with the wines themselves. We then head off to Grove Hill, which is a more commercial winery that sells stuff in Sainsbury’s, but they have good ethics in terms of their production and waste disposal. Additionally some of the wines are fantastic, most notably the sticky, which is an amazingly gluggable Gewurztraminer. The hostess was great, telling us all about the place along with some of her own history. We vow to return and make a purchase the following day. Next it’s off to Te Whare Rae (sp?), a place that we are very impressed by. The guy who owns it is incredibly amenable and chatty and the wines are absolutely gorgeous. We are in love with the Riesling, and a very unusual Pinot Blanc, as well as a Pinot Noir. We also plan to come back here the next day and purchase some, as although we have saddle bags on our bikes we just don’t want to risk breaking the bottles! By this time we are feeling rather merry and want to fit one more winery in before we head back. So we wobble off on our bikes and head to some organic winery that is due to close imminently and we just make it by the skin of our teeth. The wines here are decent but we have been bowled over by the previous place, so it’s time to call it a day. We cycle back to the hire place, drop off the bikes and then head back to the motel to freshen up. We are going to meet Jo and Brett in order to spend the evening with them, so they meet us in some pub around the corner and we polish off some revolting shooters, beers, cider and wine. We are pretty drunk. Then we get a cab back to theirs, which is a lot more quality but also more expensive than ours. Pretty pointless really as we are all very drunk and Jo and D are having another heated debate, which seems to happen a lot as D likes to wind Jo up and she is even easier to wind up than I am. So we get a cab back to our motel as tomorrow we are driving to a town called Kaikoura, where we are hoping to see some whale fish.

Kaikoura.

We wake up with hangovers but kick out is not too early so we take our time then set off for the whale town, which is not too far away anyhow. We are booked into Kaikoura Cottage Motels and they are completely fabulous. They have thought of everything in the design of them. They are very compact and an absolute bargain for what you get. There is a lounge, small kitchen, double sleeping area, and separate bedroom. Everything is modern and spotless and the owners are absolutely lovely. Jo and Brett have booked into the same place and from our cottage we can see the mountains. We are still hung over from the day before so we opt to go to the supermarket and stay in for food that night, as the next day we have booked onto a whale watching trip. The town is tiny, and very touristy but in a very relaxed and friendly way. That night it is very windy and rainy there is a right storm blowing and it’s pretty scary. This does not bode well for whale watching the next day as the boats do not sail if the weather is bad. We head to the office anyway, crossing our fingers. All boats are off (they go approximately once every half hour) and there are gale force winds and high seas, so there is no whale watching today. Boo hoo. We decide to stay in Kaikoura another night as that is the main reason we have come here, although as it stands we are having a good time.

We go to the tourist information office trying to find something to do that we all fancy. We are all a bit sick of drinking but it would be so easy to just go into a pub and start. We are told that there is a lovely walk to do around the cliff edges that takes about 4 hours, so we opt to do that. It is a busy walk to start with, but soon quietens down, and is very picturesque and enjoyable. Until the last bloody hour when we are knackered and it is just walking along the road to get back to the car. Grrr. We finally arrive back and start a game of golf at a course that is far inferior to the one we played at in Sydney. This time we have the added bonus of a bottle of wine though, and no-one else on the course. But then it starts pissing down and we have to abandon our game. Later on we are going to go to one of the places in town to eat. Jo and Brett went there the night before and were impressed however when we go it is ok but nothing spectacular. The next day Jo and Brett want to set off early as they are driving all the way across to Franz Josef Glacier. However D and I are desperate to see whales and so we have booked onto another boat and we turn up and yes we are going! At first we watch a short film about the history of whales and their awful persecuted past. They are fascinating creatures absolutely stunning and we really hope that we get to see one. We spot a group of certain people and ask to check their rucksacks in case they have brought their harpoons along accidentally on purpose – ha ha not really. Then we all set off on a huge catamaran, it is a very bumpy ride and reminds us of the Archipel II in the Galapagos. Every seat is full it is a popular thing to do. We sail out for about 50 minutes, and on the way we are given a talk by the crew, who are very amenable. Nice job! We can also hear the little planes flying overhead that are also spotting whales – we did consider taking a plane as it is supposed to be better for seeing the whole whale but they do not get as close and we did fancy a boat trip anyway. At the first stop nothing is spotted so we go a bit further out and then hear the cry of “ there she blows”! So we all rush up on deck and sure enough there are two whales on the surface, taking a spot of air together, as we break into song...whale fish whale fish whale fish, and the whale was in full view. Well maybe not completely in full view but we could see the blow hole, a big dark shape, a big fat head, and then, the ultimate, the big flip and the disappearing of the tail as the whale dives back into the depths below. It was a sight to behold and we are awed by it. So pleased to have seen them. Apparently their heads are so big as they are full of oil, which changes consistency when they dive back down. Whales also send out some sonar that can cause serious damage to any creature nearby in the water. Truly remarkable creatures. Anyhow after that bit of excitement the boat goes on a bit further and we see another one. We manage to get some footage of this one but unfortunately he doesn’t do the amazing tail flip when he goes back down. In the meantime there is a dolphin playing around the boat and he is brilliant doing back flips and racing along at the side they are so cute. The guides inform us that we are very lucky as the two boats that went out this morning did not see any whales at all. Lucky us it was worth waiting for and we head back to land properly satisfied. Next we have a rather long drive to Mount Cook so it’s quick smart grab a coffee and on the road.

Mount Cook.

The drive to Mt. Cook takes longer than we thought it would, what with the limiting A roads and traffic and kamikaze small furries along the way. We have pre-booked a hotel in the village and it’s a good job as we don’t arrive there until around 2130hrs and it’s very dark and we are shattered. On the way we drive around mad winding roads in and out up and down, which makes the journey a lot longer. We see two huge beautiful lakes that are an insane turquoise colour. We stop for pizza on the way. The view from the lounge is spectacular we are right in front of the mountain and it’s huge and imposing and beautiful. However we are disappointed with the room it is quite pricey and very basic and we can only just see the mountain from our room. Ah well it’s just a place to sleep anyhow and we get up bright and early as we want to make the most of the day and go on a walk before it gets too hot. We opt for a walk that goes up a mountain where there should be spectacular views of Mt Cook. It’s pretty steep and rocky and involves a lot of climbing as well as walking. Memories of the Inca Trail come flooding back and I am struggling somewhat but eventually we arrive at the viewpoint. It is great but rather crowded, as was the walk, considering it is out of season we are surprised. NZ is clearly country of the year right now to visit but it is so vast and spread out that it seems to be working ok. We finish the walk in about 5 hours and we have certainly earned our lunch but there is no time to hang around we are off to Queenstown. We have heard so much about Queenstown from different sources it has a good reputation so we are excited, especially as we will be hooking up with Jo and Brett whilst we are there.

Queenstown

We arrive in Queenstown around 6pm we are staying in a motel recommended by the LP and it overlooks Lake/River something or other sorry I’m a disgrace I cannot remember the name of the beautiful setting but then I am writing this over two months later than when we were there! The motel is basic but ok and very cheap and it is only a few minutes down the road into the town. The town centre is tiny and absolutely full of backpacker types and very young. It has an air of cool that can come across as slightly pretentious but we love it for a few days. The first night is pretty tame then the next day we go into town and book up some jet boating, white water rafting and sky diving. We walk around the bay and there is lots going on there is a very friendly atmosphere and it is nice and sunny. That night we go to a very nice restaurant that I cannot remember the name of then to a gay bar. The gay bar is hilarious there are little side rooms with red curtains and the manager does not know how to make any cocktails despite the fact that there is an extensive cocktail menu. He tells us he is going on a cocktail making course before the big opening night in a week. Good luck. Brett gets into the music and is doing sexy dancing to cheesy tunes he is so funny but Jo is not amused. The next morning we go on the jet boat down the river something it is great fun and then we go rafting. I am terrified of this I am not confident in the water and after the experience falling in on the North Island I am praying that we do not go in. It is therefore with some relief that when we meet our guide, Kyle, the most hilarious Yank I’ve met yet, he lets us know that he has no intention of going in either. Phew. We put on our highly flattering wetsuits and boots, in a communal changing room with barely enough room to swing a cat let alone a load of self conscious women vainly trying to hide their modesty whilst donning the awful gear. We are soon out in the sun and getting a brief summary of what will happen along with some instructions on how to raft. Not much health and safety going on but I don’t care as long as we don’t fall in! We get put into groups of around 8 apart from our group which is us four and a couple from the UK. They guy is nice but the woman is a right miserable cow at first I feel sorry for her as I think she is scared and this is how I feel, but after all of us making an effort with her and not getting much in return we just think she is bye. So we set off and Kyle tells us that the rocks in the river are sharp and so if we fall in we need to float on our backs and kick our legs up. The natural instinct is to put one’s feet down on anything solid but this would be extremely painful. Eek. We push off and there are about 6 rafts altogether, which look like giant inflatable dinghies. We manage to get through the first rapid with no problems, although people from the other boats have fallen in. Whenever this happens a whistle is blown and each guide sees if they are able to help or advise. So it is all very well organised and does run like clockwork. At the same time the guides are constantly bantering and smacking each other with the water it is incredibly funny. There is water in the raft and our feet are freezing, which only reinforces the thought that we really don’t want to fall in the chilly water! Then we get to the second rapid and there is a huge boulder in the middle of the river. Kyle is shouting at us to paddle to the left but it's all too late – we are being pulled to the right and end up wedged partly onto the boulder whilst the rapid is trying to suck us in and under. Kyle jumps out and tries to move the raft but it's jut not happening. Every now and then we have to jump to the left or to the right or back paddle. We are laughing but absolutely terrified at the same time I really don't want to fall in and it looks highly unlikely that we wont. Kyle keeps shouting stuff at us to do whilst he tries to get the raft off the rock without tipping us all in and after a few minutes we do it – yes! We are paddling away again and sighing and laughing with relief. Kyle says we all did brilliantly and can't believe that we didn't go in it has been most amusing for the other rafts to watch. After that major scare we are filled with optimism and head into another part of the river where it is likely that we may go in. We have to duck and get right into the boat taking care not to knock someone else in or whack them with the oar – which is harder than it appears – someone had their nose broken the day before! There is a dark tunnel and when we come out of the tunnel there is a massive rapid that we saw from the other end of the river earlier on when we were jet boating. This turns out to be not as scary as it looks and we arrive back at base elated and proud. We have hot drinks and talk about our experience – it is not something I think I will be doing again in a hurry but at least I did it. Anyway, tomorrow we are going sky diving so white water rafting is nae bother! We say our goodbyes to Jo and Brett – we will see them back in Oz. Now I am starting to feel nervous about isky diving but trying not to think about it too much - we have paid so we are going!

Sky-diving.

We are picked up from the town centre by a guy in a white van he is from Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands and is on a temporary work visa in NZ ha ha small world. We and another woman are driven for 45minutes to the place where we will be doing the dive it's called Paradise and the drive is very scary up and down windy narrow roads with lots of potholes. Great fun on a hangover whilst feeling absolutely knackered! We arrive in Paradise and are met by our instructors, who are all very friendly and amenable. First we are shown a short video and given some instructions on the different positions we need to adopt when diving. Then we are kitted up and asked if we want our experience filmed – nooooo! It all happens pretty fast and we think this is a tactic they use to stop people changing their mind. Then a cute little cesna lands and it is so cool we want to fly it ourselves. Getting onto our flight are a trainee sky diver, a camera man, the three sky diving virgins and our instructors – it's all very crammed in! I am feeling very nervous now and trying to be ok about it but I'm thinking ah what the hell am I doing? It will be over in minutes so just get on with it. At no point are we asked if we are sure about this or want to change our minds and this is a good thing as no doubt one would start contemplating it! So we get up to 15,000 feet, and the other woman is first to go, but first out goes the cameraman. I look out of the plane and see them drop away and it all happens so fast and I can see the ground and it's very far away and then D is going and I watch him fall away and I'm absolutely terrified then I'm sitting on the edge of the plane then pushing off and we are free falling and the air is rushing past us and my ears are really hurting and the view is spectacular and my mouth is open and my eyes are streaming. Then the designated seconds are gone and the guy pulls the cord and our parachutes open and we are falling a lot slower now down to land. I can see the beautiful river and the spectacular mountains and green in between. My instructor asks me if I'm ok but I'm just speechless. D is waving at me from below but I can't get it together to signal back. It is without a doubt the scariest and most cool thing I've ever done but I am in serious pain from the pressure build up in my ears and head. Landing is good fun with a sense of relief and a sense of wow let me do that again! These guys have done hundreds of jumps what a job certainly beats the 9 – 5. Just get me some earplugs and I'll be back!

Te Anau – Milford Sound.

Having read the LP I decide that Milford Sound is a must see in NZ, despite us only having a very limited time left in which to fit it in. It's a rather long drive and I opt to do it as D has done most of the driving and is rather tired. So we set off to a place called Te Anau where we originally planned to do some kayaking. However by the time we got there it was getting late, so we decided to drive straight to Milford Sound instead as apparently it is the most beautiful at sunset. The drive from TA to MS reminds me of the UK as it is a tree lined route down narrow roads. Most people are coming back the other way so it works out quite well as I can put my foot down and we get there in no time. Milford Sound is an eerie huge place and was worth making the effort to get to, although we are a bit miffed that we don't have time to take a boat trip out on the water. Massive darkest green mounds that rise out of nowhere surround vast amounts of water that is deep and seemingly endless. We watch the sunset and then drive back to our motel in Te Anau, very tired and craving sleep as tomorrow there is another huge drive way up to the Glaciers. We really have packed stuff in and are feeling fatigued. The good thing about NZ is driving there is a pleasure as it's so beautiful however part of that is that one is often stuck behind a camper van going at half the speed you want to go at, and that's the ones who are not taking pictures out of the window as they are driving along! The motel is decent and we watch a scary film then get some sleep.

Franz Josef Glacier.

A full day drive gets us to Glacier country, where we have booked to go on a Franz Josef Glacier walk the following morning. There is also Franz Fox Glacier but we don't have time to go there too. We have booked into Gloworm Cottages, which are completely not what we expected form the description in LP. They are dingy and grubby and completely geared towards backpackers being very cheap. We are only going to be crashing here though so we think about the cost savings and grin. The next day we go for a fantastic breakfast in a cafe on the high street then meet our group for the walk. It is a mixed group and we are split into 3 – slow, medium and fast – we opt for medium as I am having a lazy day. We are on the ice for around an hour and it is a surreal experience. We have to wear crampons and follow our guide and it is rather treacherous. The glaciers are an interesting phenomenon but I can't remember how they are formed. Huge cave like structures formed from ice that is a dirty grey colour for the most part. The guide told us that they are affected by the change in climate and can be dangerous – a couple of years previously the town had to be evacuated as there was a massive ice avalanche! Our guide is excellent – a proper enthusiastic posh bird in the style of Mallory Towers. D is irritated but I like a bit of posh. The guide hacks away at the ice with a pick then we all have to tread in the footsteps she has marked out. We think it is a bit extra but it looks good. One can visit the glaciers without actually going on the ice but it really is madness not to go on the ice. So if you are going there then book one of the walks it is well worth the money. After the Glacier walk it is a massive drive back up north to Picton as the next day we are taking the ferry back to Wellington for our flight to Melbourne – boo hoo. [As we are going through security to catch our flight to Melbourne I am once again pulled out of the line to check that I am not a terrorist. Later on I tell Jo that it has happened twice - coincidence? Then she tells me that she was also pulled out of the line on two occasions when going to NZ to be checked! None of our partners were - is this paranoia or are a lot of Aussies stuck in a different decade when it comes to bigotry? Discuss.] We arrive late but knowing Picton will be deadsville at this time we have eaten on the road – delicious local fish and 'scoop o chips'. We stay in a fabulous apartment block in Picton called Jasmine House - it is near the harbour and beautifully kitted out with a spa bath and luxurious toiletries. It is a fitting end to an amazing time in NZ. We adore the place and want to return and spend a lot more time there as soon as possible but it's goodbye for now to the most beautiful island in the world.

Oz

loundyl — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:44:00 GMT

Australia - Sydney

We arrive in Australia after a 13 hour flight from San Francisco, which was actually not as bad as we thought it would be. We were sat in the middle 4 seats along with two guys, which is always worse as it feels as though there is no privacy or space of one’s own. However there were no noisy or horrid people on the plane and as it was Qantas there was plenty of food and drink and choice of entertainment so it really wasn’t too bad. As it was a night flight many people were asleep for long periods of time too which is always preferable. We land in Sydney around 9am and it is quite bizarre as we have completely lost a day due to the time difference between the US and Oz. We walk through the arrivals and spot Brett and Jo almost immediately. It is so good to see them again we have really been looking forward to it. We don’t actually feel too bad but we know from past experience that the jet lag can kick in later, especially with the humidity and heat so we opt to go back to the house to relax.

As we exit the airport the humidity hits us in our faces like a wet cloth...yuk. Apparently the previous week has been rain and pretty chilly for the time of year and before that it was around 45 degrees. We are praying that is does not get back to that whilst we are around how on earth can one function in such an atmos it’s ridiculous. We drive back to Jo’s house in Balmain and the memories come flooding back of when we were last here as we spot the pretty harbour and surrounds. Balmain is more of a residential shopping area than where Jo lived before at Coogee, and it reminds us of London somewhat. We catch up briefly with Jo and Brett before they go off to do domestic stuff and we have a lie down as the plan is to go out in the evening. Nothing has changed it is just like old times it doesn’t matter how far or how long one is apart from certain people if the special bond is there then it remains.

In the evening we had to a restaurant in the area called the Harvest, a place we visited last time when we were in Sydney - it is a vegetarian restaurant with a very good menu and quality food. We are not disappointed at all and special mention goes to the desserts, most notably the most amazing date (sticky toffee) pudding we’ve ever tasted. We manage to down a good three bottles of wine and head back to the house.

The next day we go for a walk around Balmoral and one of the many bays that Sydney has. We encounter a fair few people doing the same thing and it strikes me that last time I was here I recalled it being very friendly and warm but for some reason I am not getting the same vibe this time. We sit for a while on a beach and observe. Some little blonde kids are chasing the gulls up and down the beach it is very funny to watch. Suddenly though, two of them are running off way out of sight of the carers and Mummy proceeds to walk down the beach shouting “Molly and Sebastian” very loudly numerous times with no response from the tykes whatsoever. Eventually she catches up with them and they are running back, at which point the delightful Molly half squats and pees right there and then through her knickers on the beach. We are all in stitches how very dignified of her Mummy must be so proud. She does see the funny side I suppose you have to when you have them but who’d have them ha ha. That evening we go to another local restaurant called Thai Nood, which is very cheap and has a lot of good dishes but also some mediocre ones (cheap chicken – really what do you expect). Back at the house we polish off yet more wine – Jo and Brett have stocked up the fridge as well as a huge wine rack – there must be over 30 bottles in total! We indulge in a bit of Wii playing – a first for D and I and it is great fun. Tennis, bowling, golf, and dancing are just some of the things to do in the comfort of one’s home. We are a bit sceptical as to the value of the Wii in terms of social interaction, however with four of us taking turns it is a good laugh and very sociable. The next day we all wake up with terrible hangovers but this is going to be the standard for the next two weeks. One night we stay in and play drinking games which involves a game of cards called ‘Dirty Minds’ it is filthy and hilarious. One day we drive to Wanda beach which is absolutely gorgeous and very remote. That same evening we go to an Italian restaurant in Balmain called Fico. It is way over-priced and the food is very average these people do not know what they are missing.

[Oh I forgot to add, afterwards we went to some of the pubs in Balmain and witnessed a horrible scenario involving the Australian police. We were outside in a beer garden and some uniformed cops came in with sniffer dogs and started going around all of the tables and getting the dogs to sniff customers's bags. This isn't news to anyone that has been out in a busy town centre on a Saturday night but this pub was really not the place one would expect to encounter this. Of course the cops are doing their job and respect to that, however, their attitude absolutely stank. People were genuinely surprised and asked (nicely) what was going on, as the dogs went around once, twice, even three times by some people. One guy about 60 was out with family and he asked the young male cop what the crack was, to which he was told that if he did not leave the pub immediately, he would be stung with a $500fine for disturbing the peace, or similar. Absolutely dreadful. This young officer must have been no more than 21, clearly far too much testosterone, and no respect whatsoever for the customers in the pub. To respond in this way was just pathetic and does no favours for police reputation. This reminded us of the olden days when SUS laws were in place in the UK. So we head to another pub in Balmain and we are actually laughing, as the same cops come in (there are about 5 of them) and head off with the dog to sniff out any crim's. Good job we left our stash at home ha ha. The attitude of the cops is the same, dirty looks to anyone who dares to query anything, stony faced the rest of the time, obnoxious. Later on as we are walking home they are standing on the pavement with the dogs (no crim's though), posturing and looking 'ard. Look five o, we know you have a job to do and it's thankless but be nice to nice people and don't treat everyone like a scumbag or people wont like you. Doh!]

The Hunter Valley

On Thursday as a treat for my birthday Jo has booked us into a cottage at Tatler’s in the Hunter Valley. The place is beautiful and it is great having our own space and Brett offers to be the designated driver which is very kind of him. We proceed to have tastings at Tatler’s (wonderful – great staff) the same place where Jo had her hen night and the guy remembers her as she was dressed in hotpants and knee high boots and had a whip! We also visit Tempus II and a couple of others that I cannot remember the name of. We go to another winery restaurant called Chez Pok at Peppers, which is quite pricey with ok food. Not recommended. Especially as the next day we get a phone call accusing us of not paying the bill - when it was actually the incompetence of their staff that meant there was a mix up with the receipts, and then information was not relayed to the manager to state that we had indeed called and settled in full that very morning. Useless idiots. Lastly we head to an Irish pub called Harrigans, which is horrid and full of vacuous townie Aussies, so we have just the one drink then scarper. By the time we return to the cottage we are completely smashed and behaving like utter dickheads, playing football with a wine cork (I win), several games of Connect 4 (I win) and fighting using unsuitable weapons (hot embers from the roaring real fire)! It is the most hilarious night and the next morning we pay for our sins – it’s a good job checkout is not until 12. We have lunch at Tatler’s – great food and service although a bit slow on the actual cooking, then drive out to a golf course at Nelson Bay, where Jo and Brett have been to before. It is a perfect day for it the sun is blazing although with hindsight we should have gone for the carts. I have never played golf and my first few shots are misses, with chunks of the green flying all over the place. Brett and D are way ahead of Jo and I to start with, and we are very slow, kindly letting anyone who is close behind us go through. Well we don’t want them to see how shit we are. It is a lovely green with the added bonus of kangaroos and wallabies leaping about everywhere you could not make this stuff up. They are not phased by the golfers at all and I can’t believe none of us actually hit one. We play eighteen holes and by the end of it Jo and I are catching up and actually playing better than the boys. They are not amused girls can’t play golf! We finish off with a drink in the club, which is full of grannies playing bingo, then drive out to the seaside and eat the most delicious fish (gem fish) and chips, before heading back to Sydney. It is quite a long drive so we pass the time by singing along to Jo’s ipod, which holds delights such as Mark Morrison and really old Kylie stuff, which impresses D no end.

On Saturday we are all shattered so we stay in and the next day we go to Darling Harbour and have a walk around with the tourist masses. We visit the Orbit bar, which is a fabulous revolving bar 49 floors up showing amazing views of Sydney. The next day is my birthday but it’s rather tame as we have done so much drinking recently that it’s just one of those days when it’s just not the right time. D and I go and watch The Reader (good) at some hole of a cinema called Hoyt’s that takes us hours to get to, then go into town. We have a couple of drinks and some food but it’s just not happening for us so we head back. It’s the tamest birthday I’ve had for many years. The next day we stay in as we are going to New Zealand the following day and we have a plan to formulate. We have read up on NZ in the LP and something tells me that we are going to love it!

Melbourne

Two weeks in after NZ, D and I go to Melbourne for a few days and it is very disappointing. Melbourne is a lot bigger than we expected apparently it is the size of London and it sits around a lot of water although it isn’t half as attractive as Sydney. Drivers are rude and people are less polite than anywhere else we have been in Oz it kind of reminds us of London how sad. Our original plan was to go for 5 days and stay with a relative of D’s for a couple of days but we end up staying with them for 4 nights. Matt who is a second cousin of D’s, who he has not seen for 20 years, and Vicky, his wife, are a friendly chatty couple who are still mad on English football. They kindly invite us to a movie night at the kids’ school on Friday but we are not keen. D and I are not getting on particularly well and this does not add to the general opinion of Melbourne. It is clear that our tolerance levels have peaked and it’s really no surprise after spending 6 months together. The next day we head to Chapel Street which is supposed to be a cool part of the city and window shop in boutique type stores and cafe bars. It is a very busy area but it is rather touristy. The weather is so hot and humid and we make the mistake of taking public transport. Live and learn. We head back to Matt and Vicky’s pad, which is a huge place all on one level in a very nice green suburb of Melbourne. Matt has cooked fish and chips and we meet the kids Lucy and Thomas. They are very nice kids and help out with dinner we are impressed. The next day we hire a car and do the Great Ocean Road drive, which is spectacular and well worth the effort. Parts of it are frustrating as there are slow coaches that will not let people overtake and it’s highly annoying. The road is very windy in places and on day one it is rather overcast so not so great. We stop in a little town and have lunch as the drive is around 4 hours. On day two the sun is out and the sea is a gorgeous turquoise and it is stunning. We view the 12 apostles (now only 8 as some have fallen into the sea) and stay in a town called Port Campbell. We have a smart motel room with a balcony and eat some great food in a restaurant around the corner. Next day we drive down to Point something or other as Matt and Vicky have invited us to the parent’s house near the beach. By the time we get there they have finished their activities and so D goes for a quick dip before we head back for a few beers and meet Vicky’s dad, Brian, who compliments me on my nice tan. Ah old school Aussies they’re just so enlightened and progressive. Later on we go to a restaurant nearby, which has rave reviews, and the food is stunning, it’s just a shame the clientele is like something out of an episode of Footballer’s Wives. Back to the house and Steven (Vicky’s brother) has been looking after the kids and they are running around like deranged demons how funny. The next day we go for a walk on the pier then D and I head back into the city to watch a movie. We see the Watchmen and it’s brilliant a very complex and dark movie better than Sin City very long but we got sucked in so didn’t really notice the time. We go back and spend the final evening chatting to Vicky and Matt then the next morning we are woken up to the sounds of the mighty Liverpool thrashing Aston Villa (Matt has recorded it). Although I want the Reds to beat Man U and take the Premiership crown, I don’t want them to do it at the expense of Villa but that’s football. It’s only a game. Grrr. So we say our goodbyes to our hospitable and generous hosts then drive to the airport for our flight back to Sydney.

Back to Sydney

As we have rather overspent we resign ourselves to the next two weeks being quiet and doing activities that don’t cost much. We are painfully aware that we are going to be back in the UK very soon and therefore we have to start looking for jobs, updating CV’s and the like. We also have to plan our trip to Thailand, which we are doing as a last stopover before landing in the UK. Unfortunately we are having to fly there via Japan as some muppet insisted on including Japan on the itinerary despite the obvious fact that it was going to be far too expensive to include. With the RTW tickets, the original destination order has to be stuck to otherwise the price of the ticket has to be re-calculated with extra fees. Given that we have already been screwed by BA we are not up for another beating. So we have a 10 hour flight to Japan with 2 hours to wait for our flight to Thailand. Whoopee-do.

So we chill out at Jo and Brett’s whilst they go back to work. I do lots of research for Thailand and D sees his old mates. On the Friday we head out into town and visit the ‘upmarket’ bars – Loft (gorgeous decor – shit cocktails), Establishment (dreadful cattle market), and Ivy (huge, pretentious, full of gorgeous specimens but also lots of wannabes). We round off with a visit to City Cafe a 24hour place famous for ‘Up the Duff’, a delicious dessert come cocktail. On the Saturday D and I head off to Castle Craig to see Emma (sister of Matt) and her husband Jason, and their completely soppy dog, Kite. Emma is a lovely friendly lady and we feel instantly relaxed and chat away to her and Jason about loads of stuff. It is interesting to see the contrast between the relatives and hear about their different takes on Oz. Emma and Jason are quite scathing about Oz in general and we wonder why they want to live here, especially when we hear tales of finding Huntsman spiders in the car! It’s all about the weather apparently. Anyhow we say our goodbyes to them the next day after taking the obligatory photo’s to show the folks back home, and head off back to Balmain.

The next couple of days are spent doing job stuff then I whinge to Jo that I have not spent any time with just her so she books a couple of days off. We go and watch ‘He’s just Not that into You’ (excellent) in Gold Class, which is fabulous with reclining seats and table service we are very impressed. We go shopping in town – Sydney has a variety of great shops but the prices are extortionate and some of the staff are a bit uppity they could learn a lot about service from the Yanks (stunted, you’ve been tango-ed bitchy blonde bird in Bally take note – you work in a shop. Well done. You’re an inspiration to us all). Later on we go to the Ivy Bar, which has a very different vibe from when we were there at the weekend. A much older crowd full of suits but we don’t mind some of them are very handsome. Live jazz is playing and there are discount cocktails ah this is the life. The next day we go to Birkenhead Point, which has more reasonably priced clothes, and we go a bit mad in the underwear shop on Elle Intimates. Jo buys me a lovely yellow dress as a birthday present how kind. It is great to catch up with Jo there is stuff I can’t believe I never knew about her before what a shocker she has had a hard time and I feel bad as I wasn’t really there for her when she was having a shit time growing up especially in her teens. If you’ve ever been crap like me then read ‘Parents...They F*ck You Up’ by Oliver James and just ring your sibling/s now and have a chat – trust me you will feel so much better. Then in the evening we meet up with the boys and head to Thai Nood and drink far too much wine. Jo and D have a bet on song lyrics to a Tom Jones song and D gets it wrong so he has to wear a dress for the night. He seems to like it rather too much and we are quite perturbed. The next day everyone is feeling rubbish yet again and we feel sorry for Jo and Brett having to go to work.

On our penultimate night we go to Lunar Park in the daytime and go on a few scary ish rides but frankly nothing beats sky-diving. We have a lucky escape on the Pirate Ship style ‘Ranger’ ride, as two shrieking teenagers ask us to swap seats so they don’t have to sit at the end, then the poor young tweenie who they sit next to proceeds to vomit pastel pink sick everywhere at the end of the ride. Tee hee. Later on go to the Strike bowling arena on Darling Harbour. We were a bit thick and did not book a lane but they manage to squeeze us in so that we can have two games. It’s absolutely hilarious I am absolutely shit at it and Jo is brilliant Dylan gets the take its as he is very competitive. We also indulge in some karaoke as we are able to hire a private room for the occasion. It sounds dreadful and tacky but the room is great with plush furniture and low lighting as well as a large variety of music to choose from. None of us can hold a tune particularly well but Brett cannot even keep in time with the lyrics for his songs. It is so funny we are all trashed and make a right fool of ourselves. We also play three games of pool during which D and I beat Jo and Brett in all so some English pride is restored. Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly drink any more wine...we venture out about halfway through the night for some food to George’s – a Mediterranean bar and grill that we went to in our first week. The food is fantastic quality as are the drinks and the ambience there. It is a stark contrast from many places in this area – full of slappers and macho townie dickheads all aggro and bitchy and obnoxious. We stagger out around 2.30 and D and Brett want to go dancing but it is clear that we have all had enough so we hail a cab and go back home. The next day everyone is a bit worse for wear and Jo can barely talk so she clearly wins the prize for best effort at the karaoke. In the evening Brett very kindly cooks us a fabulous barbeque and we manage to have a glass of wine with it - it would be rude not to it’s our last night don’t you know. We are all shattered though and the talk is very subdued why do we inflict this pain on ourselves! Time for a movie then beddy byes as tomorrow we finish off our packing and leave Oz for Asia. Boo hoo. Jo and Brett have been marvellous fun and excellent and generous hosts thank you so much guys you are a fantastic couple and I am going to miss you a lot – see you in NZ at the earliest possible opportunity!

USA part 3

loundyl — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:44:00 GMT

Guys I'm so sorry I'm so crap now back in the UK and only just uploading this clearly not my thing to write after all! I just hope you can be @rsed to read it still!

Los Angeles

We get a taxi to our hotel which is one of the Super8 Motels in Downtown LA. Prices for hotels in LA are absolutely extortionate so we have really had to scrape the barrel in order not to spend too much. If the place is going to be mediocre anyway what is the point. When we turn up some muppet has allowed someone else to check into the room we booked so we have to wait around for ages whilst they get another room ready. It is the worst I have felt for a long time we really did not have more than two hours sleep and it's horrible. We finally get into a room and it is really vile it is a smoking room and absolutely reeks. However it is the only thing available and we have been told that we will only be charged for one night instead of the two that we have booked so just deal with it. We sleep for a few hours then head into Echo Park, which is a typical just outside of the main area district, a bit run down but with some character and decent small businesses. It is absolutely p1ssing it down not what we expected form LA. We go to a very decent restaurant that serves up good food and great service. Unfortunately this is about as much we are going to see of LA on this trip. We are really having to watch the budget and so venturing into the main bit is not conducive to this. Also it all sounds glam and ott and we are just not in the mood for this we are so over cities at this point and fancy some peace. Saying that we are off to Vegas tomorrow! In any case the next day it is still raining so we are not concerned with beautiful beaches or star gazing. So we head to pick up our hire car from Budget, which is an absolute bargain of a price - $200 for a medium size car for one week including insurance. We pick up a massive Chevrolet Malibu it is certainly not my perception of medium sized but what the hey - we be goin to Vegas baby!

Las Vegas

It takes a long time to drive to Vegas from LA but we are looking forward to the place we have heard so much about. The freeway is busy in parts but after a good couple of hours it is just straight through all of the way no hassle. We know we are going in the right direction as every half mile or so there is an advert for some casino or club in Vegas. We drive past lots of highly uninteresting looking towns and then hit lots of mountainous and desert like vistas. We are in a different state now it is crazy how changeable this place is within miles of the last destination. We get to our hotel called Circus Circus around 6.30pm. The place is absolutely massive and there are kids and teenagers everywhere. Oh dear. The hotel was recommended by a guy in Miami as well as the LP, and it is certainly considerably cheaper than anywhere else in Vegas and I am beginning to understand why. No matter we are booked in now and the rooms are big and spotless, decorated a bit garishly but we will cope. We freshen up and head down to the main area, which is on the ground floor. First we need to eat but there is a huge queue for the restaurant, where the menu looks decent. However for us the food is only the preliminary so we slum it at some fast food burrito place it is pretty dire but we cannot be bothered to head out and find food. The place reminds me of a BK or KFC type place you might find in somewhere like Turnpike Lane in London. Unsavoury looking characters hanging about looking shifty and annoying teenagers. Anyhow out of there and we head to the casino.

It is a cacophony of lights, colours and noise. It is not that busy as parts of it are roped off it is clearly out of season and it seems anything goes. We stand and watch the action at the roulette table. We cannot help but be impressed even though it is so low key and un-glamorous compared to what we expected. There are a bunch of guys all drinking and smoking and they are well into it. They nonchalantly hand over $100 dollar bills in exchange for chips. We gulp - money to burn! The hotel has provided a book of vouchers that we can exchange for chips and discounts of other stuff so we cash in the chips. D is first to go for it on the roulette table and he loses all his massive $15 worth in about 3 minutes flat, betting on a column at a time. The table has a $20 minimum bet and one has to bet a minimum of $4 a time so it isn't that hard although it seems like very bad luck. We stand aside for a bit and watch the other lambs to the slaughter. D swaps some cash for chips and goes for it again - good on him. He soon loses it though and we head off to the bar for a drink. The drinks are quite expensive but if one sits at a table for long enough and spends money then the hostesses come along and take a drinks order. The hostesses really do look rather dreadful as they are massively tarted up but in a completely tacky way with too short skirts and cheap blouses and far too much make up. Circus circus is clearly the ryanair of casinos. We watch a bit of black jack at another table then head out as this place is really not doing it for us. We buy a bottle of brandy from the off licence and mix it with some pepsi that we walk along drinking out of huge plastic staying is at the far end of where it's at and it is beginning to look far more exciting. There are a fair few people about and everyone looks pissed. Hooray! We head into a casino called the 'Venitian'. Wow. It has gondolas on water, huge pillars, goddesses and everything. We are amazed. The casino itself is certainly a lot more glamorous than the one we have visited already. This is more what we expected in Vegas. We saunter about and check out the tables. Bets here are a lot higher and there are people in fabulous dresses and guys in tuxes. Sigh. It is far too pricey but it is still fun to be around. By this time we are starting to feel the effects of the brandy and head to some more casinos. We go to Casino Royale (cheap and nasty), Caesar's Palace (ok), Paris (sacre bleu tres tacky!) and Treasure Island (har har me hearties!). The strip is a lot busier now and it is clear that it is a bit of a cattle market. Also every few feet there are calling cards for the clubs that really don't leave much to the imagination. Interesting. However we are not here for t+a so we carry on drinking and gambling. D is very chuffed to win $30 on the slots in Treasure Island and prints out a voucher so we can return tomorrow and make more. Having consumed 2 half bottles of brandy and some wine and spirits, we are now absolutely trashed and return to our hotel about 4.30am.

We wake feeling absolutely dreadful - it is too late for breakfast and the hotel only does room service until 12pm. How ridiculous. We are in no fit state to leave until about 2pm but we want to see a show later and we need to get some tickets also hunger drives us out. We feel so wounded and sorry for ourselves but we only have ourselves to blame. We go to a cafe on the ground floor but before we can get there we have to walk through the main precinct that has a huge shopping area. It is a nightmare full of cheap clothes shops and sales people demonstrating plastic shite. Also full of teenagers and people that do not have hangovers. I hate them. We eventually get to a cafe that sells breakfast wraps and coffee and indulge. The wraps are delicious it's a shame they fall out everywhere. Feeling slightly more human we feel that we can now go and face the streets. We speak to a lady on reception who tells us that tickets for the Cirque de Soleil show La Reve (the water show) are available for that evening at a discount price of $75 (usual price $125). Hmmm, we think, can we get them cheaper? Probably not but being stupid and hung over we go out for a walk to the discount tickets place that is 15mins walk down the strip. There is a massive queue though so we walk a bit further our heads were clearly not on right. We go a bit further down and I am feeling really awful and time is pushing on so we decide to head back. There is now not much of a queue at the ticket place so we wait and ask the guy what is available. There are a few shows still left including the one we had already been told about. I have been told that the water show is the best one but this guy us selling the tickets at a higher price so we go back to the hotel and buy them there. DOH! What we should have done is bought them earlier and gone back to bed. After a few soft drinks and some food we are still feeling bad so decide that hair of the dog is the only way forward. We have found a hookah bar on the outskirts of the city that also serves Lebanese food. Sounds perfect. We grab a cab and head out there. We walk in and inform the server that we want a hookah pipe but would like to eat first. We then order a bottle of Riesling and a tableful of food of which we clearly will not be able to finish. It is lovely just what we need although the wine is not going down too well. We head for the hookah section, which is at the back of the restaurant. We are informed that there are no tables available and that we will have to wait 45 minutes. We are not pleased. We clearly told them we wanted a hookah and we have to leave in 45 to go to the show. How bloody disorganised and unacceptable. However in true English style, instead of complaining in an assertive and acceptable manner we have a bit of a whinge and head off grumbling. We are very disappointed but we have other plans so we call a taxi and head to the Wyn Hotel which is a huge place with a casino attached. The hotel is very opulent certainly a lot classier than ours and we take our seats in the theatre for the show - La Reve. The theatre is massive and appears more so as it is not packed and in the middle is a stage surrounded by water. The lights dim and out walks a frosty looking woman with a fabulous body in a great red dress. Also out comes her lover in tight pants also with an amazing body. They get into bed and are clearly really happy and stuff as they are accompanied by lovely music. Then an evil demon comes along and steals her away and she is trapped in some underworld. Next comes lots of dancing and amazing acrobatics hanging from ropes by lots of fit young people in and out of water it is pretty spectacular. Although I enjoy the spectacle I am a bit disappointed as I wanted some lyrics and talking but it is all just dreadful cheesy music I suppose the main thing is the dancing however $75 a ticket is a bit steep it is clearly just not my thing. D really enjoys it maybe the girl in the red dress had something to do with this. Afterwards we head back to the casino at our hotel and lose some money playing Blackjack and Roulette. The night before has wiped us out and it takes a lot to feel merry again oh the life of an alcoholic is not a fun one. Then it's off to bed as tomorrow we have a massive drive ahead as we are heading back across to California for our drive up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Our overall opinionof Vegas is that it's incredibly tacky and absolutely brilliant. We would love to return in a bigger group and tart it up it has to be done. If you're going just fork out for one of the better hotels.

D drives for 7 hours and we end up in a hole called Taft that symbolises everything bad about small towns. It is freezing and the locals are all excited as it has not snowed or been this cold here for 10 years, which we find highly amusing. We really are bringing the British weather with us. A night in a motel there and then it is across to Santa Barbara to start the drive - one of the best drives in the USA apparently and one of the top things that I have been looking forward to on the trip. Shame we did not have a convertible for the occasion but we could not justify the cost given our budget is already screwed.

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is very pretty and surrounded by hills and greenery. It has a rep for being minted and popular with celebrities so we are expecting a lovely place. The sun is shining although is is rather windy and we head for the main beach. There is a main pier that one can actually drive right down almost to the end of - no need to exit the car just to see the sea! There are not too many people it is clearly well out of season. We walk down the main high street and it is full of boutique and cafe style places and lots of young spoiled looking teenage type brats. There is something a bit fake and wannabe about this place we do not like it at all and we are glad that we have opted to stay in a place called Carpenteria about 10minutes out of town in a perfectly decent hotel that does not charge the premium of being in SB proper. We order Chinese food and retire early - tomorrow is the main part of our trip up 'Big Sur' - supposedly the best part of the PCH drive.

Pacific Coast Highway drive

We set off later than we plan up the famous coast drive and it is a great drive. The road winds in and out hugging cliffs and looking out onto the great Ocean and it is beautiful. We stop at a beach that is populated by huge ugly Elephant seals, whose noses look like funny shaped penises. They smell horrid and make a lot of guttural honking type noises. It is funny to hear and we take lots of pics of the huge bloaters. We carry on driving and stop in a tiny place that I do not recall the name of, which has a great looking restaurant and hotel. However it looks pretty pricey and we want to get closer to San Fran, so we drive on. Unfortunately the sun has set and it is rather dark as we continue our journey so it is no longer possible to observe the fabulous scenery. Oops - plan an amazing drive for a year or more then leave late so that you miss a large part of the fantastic scenery - a bit of poor organisation there. It is getting late so we stop in a town called Monterey, famous for it's canning industry apparently. We buy some Lebanese take out then stay at a motel in the centre it is really just a stopover as we want to get going in the morning to Yosemite National Park before we go to San Francisco.

Yosemite

Ater a massive drive across freeways and down winding roads we arrive on the outskirts of the Yosemite National Park. It's rather colder than we expected it would be and I am slightly concerned as I ditched my holey and well used boots back in Flagstaff as Cali is supposed to be all sunny and warm. Live and learn. We book a room in the Yosemite Bug hostel, a cute rustic little place with patchwork quilts and wooden beams. Also lots of spider webs...eek! It's late afternoon and we want to get to the DOC centre for walk information so we get back in the car and drive there. It takes approximately 45mins and once we have been driving for around 20mins we re shocked to see that there is snow everywhere and parts of the road are quite treacherous. At the sides it is very deep snow in parts it is very weird. We arrive at the entrance to the Yosemite and pay the entrance fee to the Mounties in the hut. They look just like one would expect them to like something out of Fargo and are very friendly. Anyhow we get to the DOC centre and pick up some info then go to the supermarket for some supplies. By this time it is dark already and it's like being on a different planet. We are told that the forecast is lots more snow for that evening so some routes will be closed. We go back to the Hostel and decide to eat there as the LP has stated that meals are very good. And they are - we eat some delicious soup and main courses and are stuffed. Then it's off to bed for some sleep although I keep waking up thinking about spiders so not the best night's sleep I've ever had.

The next morning we lie in so we miss breakfast but luckily we have plenty of stuff to keep us going so we get some lunch from the hostel, hire some snow shoes, then drive into the park. It is absolutely spectacular it has snowed lots and there are 3 - 4 feet of it in parts although the roads are not too bad. We are completely surrounded by huge trees, sheer cliff faces and waterfalls. It is very sunny so beautiful and peaceful too as it is out of season so there are not too many tourists about. The tourists that there are seem to drive a few hundred metres, get out of the car and take pics then drive to the next point. Are you serious! This is good though as it means the walks are going to be less populated. The one we want to do is closed off so we head to an easier one and put on our snow shoes. All I have on my feet are sealskins (waterproof socks) and ballet style pumps - just he kind of footwear one needs when walking in 3 foot of snow! What a dipstick but once I put the snow shoes on I feel like a proper hiker. We set off on the trail and it is going uphill to a view where one can see amazing views of two of the mountains. There is no-one else about and it is so funny walking in the shoes like Mr Soft it is really hard work. We see a sign that states 'you are now entering the wilderness, you may encounter wildlife' [bears, mountain lions, inter alia] - how exciting! It is absolutely still the sun is blazing and everywhere is covered in snow. There is only one path - nowhere to run if one does encounter a hostile! About an hour in we are starting to get tired and it is a fact that we are not going to make it to the 1st viewpoint, as the estimated time is 4hours without dodgy weather! We have had an absolute ball throwing snowballs, building snowmen and looking out for scary creatures, which we unfortunately did not encounter.So we are happy to head back - the feet are starting to ache with the cold as there is only so much a pair of sealskins can do. We get back down in less time and are very glad that we made the effort to come all of the way here as the place is outstanding and so very different from everywhere else that we have been. We vow to come back for a longer period this amazing state really does have it all. We have around a 4hour drive ahead of us across to San Francisco.

San Francisco

We arrive in San Fran around 7pm. As we get within a few miles of SF and drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, it strikes us how much faster people are driving compared to the rest of the US and how many more flash cars there are. It reminds us of Landan - wahey! We drive to Lombard Street, where according to the LP there are supposed to be lots of motels. We drive down it and hit a dead end. The streets are so steep it is ridiculous brakes here must have to be replaced every 6months. We drive back onto a main road and opt for a hotel that is pricier than what we wanted but we are knackered and don't fancy going on a mission to save a few dollars. The area is buzzing and reminds us of student type places from Uni days. The hotel inside is much nicer than we expected and we are very pleased. I doubt there'll be any spiders in here! We head across the road to a curry house where we are served average food by apathetic Eastern Asian staff. There are pool tables in the place and it is full of pissed young people who seem very excited to be out. Being over 30 we head back to the hotel for a nice relaxing night and sleep. We are woken in the early hours by piss heads shouting outside, and other guests obtaining ice from the ice machine which is right outside our room. Still the bed is huge and comfy and we are right in the town centre so peace and quiet we were not expecting.

The next morning we have breakfast in Starbucks and head to a place called Fisherman's Wharf, which is a famous bit of SF where all the tourists go to. It is shit. Trashy cheap shops and annoying large groups of people taking photos of themselves standing under the sign indicating that they are in one of the tackiest areas that SF has to offer. Well done tourists. Later on that day we go to Kevin's house. Kevin is a guy we met in the Galapagos and got on very well with. He kindly offered us the flat to stay when we went to SF but way back in time so one can never be sure whether an offer like that is genuine, but it turned out to be and was an amazing experience. The flat is beautiful and absolutely huge, with hard wood floors and a show home kitchen. We have our own bathroom and are free to come and go as we please. We meet Susan, Kev's gorgeous wife, and Stuart, their soppy giant dog. The first night we head out to a local Italian restaurant, where K&S are regulars. It is quite pricey but the service is good however the food is not that great. Funny but we have not had great Italian food since we've been away yet in the US we would have expected to be the best. K&S live in an area called Pacific Heights and it is lovely very much like Hampstead in London, with boutique type shops and lots of eateries. Afterward we go to a bar on the high street called Henry's. It's pretty quiet considering it's a Friday night but it gets packed later on. It is ok it reminds us of London a bit nothing special with way over priced drinks. We get pretty drunk and head back to K&S's, they are in bed as they have proper jobs and everything and are Friday night tired. Haven't felt that for a while.

The next day D and I go to the big famous park in SF. We have a map and it all looks very green and fabulous but when we get there we find that there are roads all the way through it. These yanks really don't like walking. It is quite busy and there is an exhibition on in one of the buildings but the queue is massive and it's not free to get in. The park has many other attractions too such as a Japanese garden, plant warehouse and boats for hire. Everything is a ker-ching moment though and we are not impressed. We are going to take out a boat but then it starts raining so we sack that one off. According to LP a cool area of SF is called The Haight, which is not far from the park so we head there. It reminds us of Camden in London, as it is alternative with loads of indie/goth types walking about. The place is packed and we struggle to find a bar that isn't standing room only. We have decided that this is the only way forward as we have hangovers that are not going away. Eventually we find a pub that is blasting rock tunes and sells beer so we have a couple in there and walk further on. We go into another bar that is a bit more sophisticated unfortunately it is Valentine's day so the place has been decorated in hearts and roses and the like but we are not staying. We chat to he bar woman, who is from Glasgow and has lived in the States for many years. She still has a very strong accent and gives us extra shots in our drinks as we are from 'back home'. Very nice of her but we are now a bit pissed and have a spat over when to leave. Kev is cooking for us and D wants to get there at precisely the time he said we would be back for but I think taking it easy is the way forward. So we leave the bar and get a taxi back. Kev cooks a lovely white wine sauce dish and we finish off a few bottles of wine. It is great to catch up with Kev he really is an awesome guy - very entertaining but intelligent too - and married to a completely fantastic woman too don't you just hate them!

On the Sunday Kev drives us all to the famous wineries of SF - Napa and some other one I can't remember the name of. All of the wineries charge for tastings - around $10 - $15, and this money is not refunded even if one purchases some wine. We had a good day it was a laugh but with hindsight the whole charging for tastings is a big rip off. The amount of wine given is paltry and the wineries must make huge profits from it. At the time we did not mind but after visiting the Hunter Valley in Oz, and Marlborough in NZ, where wineres do not charge, it seems like a massive tax on genuine enthusiasts. Boycott the rip off swines!

The next day we take a walk down to SF Bay, and see some Sea Lions begging for food at the pier. They are very cheeky and know how to entertain the stupid tourists in order to get food. Later on we go to a veggie restaurant as recommended by LP but when we get there we see that it doesn't have booze it is a zen type place. Tsk. So we go to an Irish gastro pub instead and have some great food there. Walking through this part of town we notice that there a a lot of mad people about it is rather unsavoury and a rather different side of SF than we have seen from where we have been so far. It seems to have a large abundance of people begging and hanging out looking up to no good it is certainly no worse than NY for instance, but because there are not many other people about we feel a bit intimidated. We head over to a comedy club but unfortunately it is almost at the end of the show we have left it too late as earlier on our priority was cider and good food. Darn. So we head back home and watch a couple of films instead oh the exciting life on the road we are leading. The next day we go to the cinema in town and watch the re-make of Friday the 13th. It is absolutely dreadful. We were kind of expecting it not to be great but it really does tick all the cliche boxes - gratuitous t+a - check, horror porn style violence - check, complete lack of intelligent film making - check. It doesn't help that there are some drongos sat nearby, and every time a 'scary' bit is building up, one of them repeats 'uh oh' like a frightened three year old. Anyhow the joke is soon over and we leave the cinema slating the diabolical film clearly made for over-sexed teenagers and ole pervs.

The next day we go to a part of SF that has a number of boutique shops but we are only window shopping having completely blown our US budget into oblivion. We cook curry for Kevin & Susan it is to be our penultimate night farewell as the next evening we are flying out to Sydney. It has been a great end to our time in the US it has been so relaxing to be able to stay in a wonderful flat and cook our own food and we are very grateful to Kevin and Susan for this. We are also very sad to be leaving SF as it means an end to our time in the US and we have really loved it here. The Yanks have been so friendly and helpful and entertaining and the place is just indescribable in terms of its beauty and variation. We vow to come back and spend more time here - there are many more states that we have not been to yet and one could easily spend a year here travelling around. We will just have to pray for a stronger pound! We say farewell to our hosts and we get a taxi, driven by a knob who does not know what he is doing, to the airport. (One annoying thing about SF is that most of the taxi drivers are idiots who drive dangerously and grunt a lot.) Although we are sad to be leaving the US we are very excited to be going to Oz to spend time with Jo and Brett - hasta la victoria siempre!

USA part 2

loundyl — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:09:00 GMT

Chicago

We arrive in Chicago at 9.15am having spent the last 10hours or so on the Amtrak train. We didn't sleep much as the train was a bit chilly and there were a lot of restless people about. We are slightly concerned as check in is not until 3pm and in the interests of economy we have not booked the night before at the hotel. So we arrive fully expecting to have to dump our bags there and meander around the town on a freezing cold Sunday morning. However we are in luck as the very nice man on reception informs us that the room is ready and we can go in - yippee! We are staying at the Ohio House Motel as recommended by Lonely Planet. The location is right on the loop, which is where it's at in Chicago apparently. Also it is very cheap considering how central the location is. It is a very basic hotel but it is clean enough the rooms are a good size and we just want to rest. So we sleep for a few hours then head out to get some food. Chicago has a great vibe it is very modern and there seems to be loads going on. We get some booze and food from some nearby local places and as we still feel a bit spaced we head back. We have been warned about the hideous cold in Chicago and the ground is indeed covered in snow but it is not as cold as it was in Pittsburgh so we are relieved. I am very excited to be in Chicago I have always wanted to visit and we are on a mission to find Gil Scot Heron, who we love and admire greatly. D does a bit of research online and unfortunately Gil is locked up not only that he is HIV+ and we are very sad to hear this. However Gil would not want this to stop us sampling his hometown so we indulge the next few days accordingly. We go for a walk around Lake Erie it is massive and magnificent it is also full of icebergs and the wind is freezing as we take our walk. The sun is shining though so it is a beautiful day. We then go to the Freedom Museum on the Magnificent Mile and this is a very good museum full of interesting facts and history. We spend a long time here and later go to a restaurant called 'Kitsch'n', which has been advertised in the Lonely Planet as having pies for dinner. D is craving pies so we walk for ages to find it and it is a supercool huge venue very retro and 70's style. However there are no pies which is very disappointing and we question the waitress on this and apparently the pies are specials which they only have about once a month - grrr. We have some decent food there though and a few cocktails and also get some free muffins to boot. The next morning we go for a walk down to the Navy Pier, which is mostly closed due to it being out of season and all. However we go into the funhouse, which has the usual strange mirrors and shifting walkways it is a laugh but doesn't last long enough for the price it costs. Afterwards we go to the John Hancock (or is that John Footpenis - ha ha Family Guy) Tower, which has stunning views of gorgeous Chicago and very decent cocktails. Later we head to a Lebanese restaurant near the hotel which has ok food though it is overpriced and has a useless waiter. Doh! The next day is a bit rubbish as we have some forward planning to do for the next part of our trip and so we spend rather a long time in internet cafes. In the evening we go for a big fat burger then to a place called 'Ed Debovic's' for a drink as it looks like a retro diner. When we walk in the hostess is rude, as is the waitress that serves our beers. We are not impressed and sit there bitching - we have been used to fantastic service in the US and it is really apparent when it is bad. However the waitress overhears us and asks us if we have ever been there before and we say no and she informs us that bad service is part of the theme there. Apparently staff are very rude to customers and sometimes they just get on the tables and start dancing etc. We would like to return with some equally loud obnoxious types and have a face off - it's easy to be rude! Later on we go to an excellent blues club - it is a little place nothing special but the band and accompanying singer are outstanding. They have real character and are proper old school talking to the crowd and making lewd suggestions it is thoroughly brilliant - an excellent last night in the windy city and the next morning it's all aboard the Amtrak train to Kansas City.

Kansas City

The journey to Kansas City on the train is pretty special as we are seeing more and more scenery of the great mid west. The weather is sunny and the train is busy and we sit in the viewing car for a long time, drinking extortionately priced rum and colas. We arrive in Kansas about 9pm which isn't the best time to arrive in a strange place that can't decide whether it is in the state of Kansas or the state of Missouri. We take a taxi to the hotel which is on some business park way out of town yet more genius planning by us in an attempt to save some cash - when will we ever learn. Anyhow the hotel is ok - big rooms and friendly staff. We fill up on crap from the vending machines and retire to bed - daytime drinking is such a killer. The next day we head to 18th Street and Vine, which is famous for its jazz history, being an area where the brilliant Charlie Parker used to play regularly. We visit two fantastic museums - the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the Jazz Museum. Although baseball is not something I am particularly interested in, the museum is very good indeed, well laid out and fascinating. It is shocking what went on in the US not so long ago in terms of segregation and inequality and this museum really brings it home. There is lots of memorabilia and footage and individual case histories we are very impressed and end up spending a long time in there. Next it's over to the jazz museum and wow it is also a top rate museum with loads of history on all of the greats. This incorporates the social side of the era and there is also a big section where one can listen to loads of music and play about with the tunes as if in a recording studio. The museum also has a jazz club attached which we are tempted by, but we are worried about getting back as it really is quite far from the main bit of town. So we reluctantly head back to the town centre and go to a veggie place for dinner. It is all a bit religious not what we expected but the food is hearty and gives us enough energy to face the grim cold outside. We want to go to a bar before our train, which is due around 11pm, but there is a complete lack of places to imbibe on the road that we are on - lots of restaurants but we are stuffed. It is hideously chilly and raining and we just want to get out of the wind so we admit defeat and hail a cab back to the amtrak station. There is a bar in there but it's an oyster bar (bleurrrgh) and it's full of people with rosy cheeks and weak chins so we hotfoot it into the waiting room. We have a two hour wait for our train and there is some horrid ranting old man in there who keeps shouting and swearing at his grandson who keeps running around to us being friendly. Whooppee do a two hour wait in this hole - we unfortunately do not have a great view of Kansas City. Great museums but not a whole lot else going on seemingly. Maybe if we had a little more time there we would have thought differently but we were very happy to leave. We hope that we will not be sitting next to the horrid man on the train. We are off to Dodge City next and we are very excited as cheesy though it is we love all that shoot em up cowboy stuff. The train journey is pretty uneventful there is not much to see as it is dark and we arrive bleary eyed into Dodge around 6am. I have been clever enough to reserve the hotel for the night before and it's a good job as there is nothing happening here at this hour and it is absolutely freezing. We get chatting to a local lady as we step off the train and it's a darn good job as there are no taxis and she kindly offers us a lift in her 4x4. A very good result and incredibly generous as we would have been stood around for ages waiting for a cab. The wind is howling it must be below 0 apparently the weather was fine and warm the previous week what is going on we expected to be in a warm state by now. We get dropped off at the Thunderbird motel and go into our room it is very basic and really cold so we stick the heater on and dive under the covers and pray for sleep asap!

Dodge City

We wake up about 11am after a few hours of restless sleep. It has finally warmed up a bit and we are ravenous after not eating much in the past 12hours. D goes to get food and I stay in bed - really can't see us doing much today! We cannot believe our luck when we turn on the TV and Tombstone is on - how very coincidental! We watch this followed by two more films with Clint Eastwood in - what a brilliant way to spend a Saturday! There isn't that much to do in Dodge if one does not have a car as walks and sites are pretty far away so we decide to do touristy stuff the next day and just chill out that evening. We have some noisy neighbours who sound like they are calling to each other from different apartments and are very pissed. No matter we can sleep tomorrow! So on Sunday we are heading into town and are lucky enough to get chatting to the owners of the motel. They are a lovely couple and she in particular has an amazing story. She is from Lau and has lived in the states for 20 years, but first arrived as a refugee, having escaped persecution in her own country. She tells us how she walked for 7 days with her 4 children, only moving at night as it was too dangerous during the daytime. Anyhow she has done very well for herself and it was great to hear a genuine tale of the American dream. We get dropped off in town by the husband as we are informed that it is too far to walk. We have begun to realise that the average American's perception of what is too far to walk is very different from ours. It is really not that far but as it is rather chilly we accept the lift graciously it would be rude not to. We go to Appleby's for lunch great vanilla milkshakes and ok food, then it's off to the Boot Hill Museum for some history of the 'wickedest little town in the West'. It is a brilliant museum - more of a town really - with loads of information and we are very impressed. There are specific case studies of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, etc, along with other people who existed in the town at that time. It also provides history of the Native Americans and the people who drove them out, and the incredibly sad tale of the extinction of the buffalo in that area. There is a whole street of stores called Front Street, which are almost exactly as things would have been back in the day. There is hardly anyone else around so it is somewhat lacking in atmosphere but it is still great. In the summer they stage gunfights and other entertainment it would be a sight to behold. The OK Corral sight itself is actually in Tombstone though so we don't get to see this unfortunately. There are some great staff though who are up for a chat it is a pity we did not arrive earlier as we could have had drinks and bought some tack. There are a serious lack of bars in Dodge so we head back to the hotel with some beers. We have a 6am train to catch so it's an early night for us - we are hoping that the noisy neighbours have gone. Dodge has been a brilliant little place to visit it is well worth going out of the way to see but tomorrow we are off to Albuquerque it should be a good journey with spectacular scenery.

Albuquerque

We arrive in Albuquerque after a rather long journey of around 10 hours. The scenery has been spectacular with lots of colourful plains and fabulous views of the rockies. Albie is supposed to be a very studenty town with lots going on and we are staying downtown is a boutique style place called Hotel Blue, which is a bargain for the price. We walk onto the main high street which is just around the corner, but the place is deadsville and has a rather seedy edge to it. There are a lot of cafes and shops but most of them are shut we get the impression that this is not the place to hang out at night. We are approached a couple of times by people asking for money and there are also a few crazies about. We go to an Italian restaurant that serves very good value food we could do with more places like this to fill up in! Afterwards we find a hookah cafe, which to our disappointment does not serve alcohol but we enjoy some nice coffee and a plum flavoured pipe not bad. The next day we wish to be a bit cultural and all that so we set off to the Albuquerque museum which is a lot further to walk than we had anticipated but it's a nice sunny day so we don't really mind. Yet again it is clear that Albuquerque is one of those places where one needs to have a car to get about it really is rather frustrating. We walk past office after office in a very green neighbourhood and a lot of them are lawyers, or have signs indicating that they deal with 'amigo bail bonds'. We find this highly amusing Albuquerque is in New Mexico which is of course very close to Mexico and lots of people clearly do originate from Mexico talk about comedy material. So anyway the museum is very disappointing it's rather formulaic and lacking in order and imagination. We leave there and head back to town we have done a bit of research and it seems the number one thing to do in Albuquerque is the Sandia Peak Tramway, a cable car that goes up the mountain and has spectacular views of the area. We grab a cab and head out of the city...and keep heading out...the meter is ticking...good god...by the time we get there we have to fork out $50 for the fare - $50! I am not amused. The preliminary fact finding mission seems to have brought out incorrect information, whereby the destination was thought to be a lot nearer than it was - doh! We are there though so we are going to do it - or we wanted to anyhow but the problem is there were some rather high winds that day. So there are lots of people sitting about waiting to see if the darn thing was even going to operate. We cannot believe our luck - everyone else has clearly driven out here it is not even possible to get public transport right to the site! We cannot believe it and go to the bar to drown our sorrows. In there we encounter the manager of the restaurant which is at the top of the peak, and he informs us that some staff were on their way up there and the car was swinging violently from side to side up to 2metres. Apparently this does not make for a fun journey. So the Tramway is definitely off the agenda and we are going to have to fork out another $50 to get back! To make matters worse we get chatting to a Texan in the bar who has hired a car for 2 days for $70. D is ultra chatty with him in the hope we may get offered a lift but the guy is staying well out of town so no joy. Grrr. We eat in the restaurant there, which is a very good standard, and then take a taxi back to the hotel. The taxi driver is a great, chatty guy who is training to be a pilot. We have a good laugh with him on the way back - $100 dollars down the drain so what it's only money ha ha. He even tries to give us a discount that has to be a first for a cab driver but of course we are having none of it. The next day we have some boring stuff to do and a few hours to kill as our train is not until 4pm but we go for a walk to the other end of town then go to get the train. The other end of town is no more impressive than where we were staying and it's a shame but we are not sorry to be leaving Albuquerque at all. Roll on Flagstaff we cry, we be heading to Canyon country and we cannot wait!

Flagstaff

We arrive in Flagstaff around 10pm and get a cab to the Highland Country Inn, a budget motel about 10mins walk from the centre. It's a good choice it is spotless and spacious certainly a bargain for the price. We are very tired not having slept well the last few days, and hope for some deep uninterrupted sleep. No such luck. Flagstaff is a major throughway for trains, commercial and non, heading all over the country. They power through this town blasting their horns all night long. It is highly amusing but also rather sleep busting. It sounds like a competition sometimes with one blasting away then another will start seemingly to go one better. Wherever one stays in this town near the centre the noise is audible though so it's a case of grin and bear it. The next day we wander into town it is a very attractive little place it reminds us a bit of Brighton, UK, with boutique shops and cafes in abundance. In the background are snow covered mountains and the sun is shining brightly it is pretty special. We get some food and investigate hiring a car. We have worked out the cost of taking a bus to the Canyon, and Williams, but the cost for two is prohibitive compared to the cost and convenience of having a car. So we arrange to pick one up the next day and have a quiet night in. We are laying low in Flagstaff in the interests of economy and tiredness! We pick up a Subaru Outback the next day - this is classed as a 'small' car here. It is a great car for petrol consumption and looks pretty good too. We have done well and it is great to have some freedom and do our own thing without having to adhere to timetables etc.

Grand Canyon

Day 1.

We set off for the Grand Canyon it is a very scenic drive and only takes a couple of hours. We drive into Canyon Village where we eat some food served by some very strange people in one of the restaurant hotels. We purchase a pass that allows us to park in the Park for the next 7 days and it is a bargain. There is a good visitor centre that provides information on conservation, flora and fauna, and the various trails that can be done. There are lots of warnings and alerts about the dangers of the canyon. Many people die here yearly as they over exert themselves in extreme heat. Apparently it has hit 50 degrees here before. One can hike to the bottom of the canyon but then it is a lot harder to hike back up - this should not be attempted in one day! There is one hotel and some campsites at the bottom and one can take a mule ride down too. This effort is rewarded with a view of the Colorado River where rafting, etc can be done. It all sounds amazing but this stuff costs so we will just be doing a hike and and we opt for one that we hope will be less busy. We have already stopped at one of the main viewing points and are surrounded by other people and we just know that we need to get away from them. Most people opt for the 'easy' Bright Angel or Rim walk, so we head out on the Hermit's Trail, a 'moderate' but jarring walk. It is a twisty path down into the Canyon and we only encounter one other couple on the way. It is around 3.30pm and we anticipate that we can return to the top to catch the sunset in a couple of hours. The sun is shining and as we descend it gets hotter and hotter and we end up taking layers off. As we round each corner we see right across to the other side of the Canyon and every half hour we can hear the helicopters that frequently go through. It is not enough to spoil it though. This is without a doubt the most jaw droppingly spectacular place I have ever been in my life. I was looking forward to this destination anyhow, but of course one never knows how one is going to feel until arriving there. It's so big and red and breath-taking I am literally stuck for words. There are cacti everywhere but it is mostly just red rock and dust but it is so beautiful. We sit at the bottom for a while - we have descended quickly - and take it all in. I am a bit concerned about how long it will take to ascend so we head back up but we need not have worried as we do the walk in the shortest time according to the guideline information at the beginning of the trail. We drive along to a spot that looks good and sit and watch the sunset. Unfortunately there are a bunch of pissed idiotic teenagers and it spoils the ambience somewhat. Even so it doesn't matter we are over-awed by the place still and plan to do another hike tomorrow. We drive out of the Canyon Village and back towards a town about 10miles out as we are staying at the Holiday Inn there as all of the hotels near to the Canyon are a lot more pricey. It is pretty standard but decent although we are not impressed by the breakfast as everything is plastic tasting as well as all of the utensils and plates etc being disposable. How convenient.

Day 2.

We leave mid morning for the South Kaibab hike. It's another sunny day and a bit warmer so we leave the fleeces in the car this time. The trail is supposed to be more challenging and does eventually lead to the bottom of the Canyon if one wanted to go that far. We start off and it is very icy at the top to begin with but as we descend it gets hotter. We encounter a lot more people on this walk as it is quite early in the day but it is not too busy to ruin the views. Again we are overwhelmed by the vast quiet and beauty of the place. We walk for 2hours and come to a viewpoint where we break. The next stop is another 2 hours away so this is as far as we will go today. This is only one hike out of many at the South Rim and we will not be seeing the North Rim on this visit as it is closed until around May. We vow to return to the Canyon and visit the North Rim, and also to trek to the bottom next time. A mule ride looks like fun and one could easily spend a few days here doing the various hikes. It is definitely my favourite scenic place that we have visited so far and we leave the place very satisfied that we have been somewhere most unique and special.

Williams

We have read about a town called Williams near Flagstaff that sounds quite fun as it is described as being a two road town like going back in time. So with fond memories of Dodge in our minds we drive to Williams and take a look before booking a motel. Good job as there really isn't much going on here it is out of season and there is hardly anyone about. There are a few cafes and restaurants and a couple of bars but it really doesn't look that attractive so we chicken out and head back to the dependable place in Flagstaff.

Back to Flagstaff

We have another quiet night in as tomorrow it is the Superbowl and we are going to support the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though it is the final and they are playing the Arizona Cardinals. Every other car we see has Arizona flags hanging from it and it's a very good atmosphere - there is real hope that the Cardinals will bring home the trophy. If they do it will be the first time in their history so we do have sympathy and cheer for them but our hearts lie in Pittsburgh - it doesn't have much else going for it! We go to the local theatre, which is putting on a special event for the final including free entry and food. There are not many people there so we have our pick of seats and get some drinks. Before we have left the motel we have already drunk a very stiff rum and cola and are feeling a bit tipsy. D makes the wise decision of filling up on the free food but I don't like the taste of much of it so refrain. Big mistake by the 3rd quarter I am hammered and having trouble focusing on the game. D is drunk but in control. The game finishes with the Steelers just clinching it we are a bit sorry for the Cardinals they really gave their all - but ecstatic for the Steelers. We leave straight after we have had enough to drink and luckily have the next day to recover before heading to Sedona.

Sedona

Sedona is rated as one of the top 25 things to do in the USA by Lonely Planet. The drive down from Flagstaff is great too. It twists and turns around a huge cliff face that at times is rather scary especially as every now and then one will see big rocks on the road and signs stating to look out for these rocks. Like it would be possible to easily avoid one if it came flying down onto the road at that particular point anyway! There is snow on the roadside as we go in the places where the sun has not quite reached yet and the temperature is still fairly cool although in Sedona we are told that it will be a lot warmer. And it is when we get there it must be about 25 degrees people are walking about in t-shirts it is bizarre. We visit the information centre to get a couple of maps and information on hikes. There are lots of different trails of varying difficulty and we opt for the Soldier's Pass trail, which should take us up to a viewpoint and loop back around. The sun is blazing as we set off and the scenery is like something from an episode of Star Trek. There are tens of different shades of red and brown rocks and hills dotted with green trees and bushes. Some of the rocks are gigantic and many of them are formed into weird and wonderful shapes and look like heads or body parts. We walk for a couple of hours encountering only a few other people. At points we can see the town of Sedona completely - all low rise and lots of brown it is not as attractive when looked at from a distance but this is in keeping with the landscape of the area so as not to ruin the scenery. The signs for the walk are few and far between and we get a bit lost for a while it is irksome as it is very hot and we need refreshments! However a kind local points us in the right direction and we eventually get back to the car having had to disappointingly walk part of the way back on the road. We go to a cafe, where the lady tells us that the rocks in the area are believed to contain special healing qualities. When we drive back out of town we notice that there are a fair few spa and hippified shops dotted about it's all peace and chakras. There are not that many people around but it is still quite busy so we are glad that it is out of season as the tourist element would no doubt spoil the peace and ambience of the place. We head to another site that is a bit higher up and sit for a while taking in the peace and quiet. Ah. Sedona is a beautiful place well worth making the trip out to. It would be great to stay here for a weekend in a spa maybe as there are lots of little cabins and the like nestled in the hills. For us though it is back to our budget hotel in Flagstaff as tomorrow we are off to Los Angeles. On our last night we have dinner in the Irish pub then board the Amtrak for the last time. It is all a bit surreal our carriage is full of Amish people having a right crack together in a strange dialect that we don't recognise but it sounds Germanic. (Later we find out that it is of Dutch origin). They all fall asleep at around 11pm but we are unable to rest so we head to the viewing carriage so as not to disturb anyone. Also there is some huge man mountain snoring away it is revolting he sounds like a drain and a hippo combined. Anyway we manage to laugh about the hideous monstrosity and neck a couple of rums and vodka. Then we plug in the ipod and bop away for a couple of hours looking at nothing in particular from the viewing carriage. We are very drunk and it is quite surreal. Every now and then a guard or passenger will walk through and it is sobering. Eventually we feel a bit tired and go back to our seats and by this time it is around 4.30am. The Amish have roused as they are getting off at Fullerton which is a couple of stops before LA. D and I would be able to sleep now if it was all quiet and dark but typically this is not the case. Anyhow it all gets rather rowdy and before we know it we are in LA feeling like absolute sh1t having had hardly any sleep.

U.S.A.

loundyl — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:48:00 GMT

USA

Miami

Oh I love Miami. Admittedly it was always going to be good after our nightmare ordeal in Mexico, but it really was an amazing tonic following the previous 7 weeks which although were amazing, were also stressful and tiring. People speak English. People drive safely. Taxi cabs are big and don't smell horrid. The streets are clean. Men aren't lechy. Hurrah! Miami is over-run with attractive people and it is very young, although it does have its fair share of bloaters. Shops stay open really late - even on - shock horror - christmas day! It's not right I tell you it just isn't cricket ha ha.

We stay in an absolutely amazing hotel called the Cadet which is in a fantastic location in South Beach. The place is just what we need - the staff are wonderful and the room is lovely with a gigantic bed and boutique decor. We are here for christmas so we hoped it would be good! We are not disappointed. We stroll down Lincoln Road, which is a pedestrianised road full of restaurants and cafes and shops. Some of the people trying to lure you in are rather annoying but we don't care what we want are cocktails, good food and good times! The first night we go to a very nice place called Sibilla where we try the mahi mahi and salads along with great cocktails, the Godiva being especially great. Afterwards we visit a fabulous hookah lounge called Divine and partake in a melon flavoured smoke. Yum.

We discover a fabulous place called Presto Pizza - Presto Pizza in my vast although admittedly predominantly veggie experience of eating out I hereby would like to put you forward as a contender for Best Veggie Burger in the World...that I have ever eaten so far! It's big, it's meaty (not that kind of meaty you idiot), it's smothered in salad and sauces (ok I put the mayo and ketchup and mustard on myself), it's in a delicious bun, and it comes with waffle fries (fat things with flavour not those skinny pathetic efforts served far too much everywhere else!) in abundance. Oh my word D and I thought we were in heaven if these burgers are in heaven then I don't mind going very soon. That's how good they are and the fantastic guy with real personality serving them added to the experience. Accompanied by a beverage in the form of proper old school cream soda mmmmm! Entertainment is also provided in the form of the resident crazies popping into this place often (and we know because we went there 3 times in 4 days ha ha). Expertly dealt with by the sweet staff. Oh their pizza is pretty good too but go for the burger. If you don't like it I'll buy you a beer. Fool.

It has to be said that we did nothing remotely cultural when we visited Miami. We used the time to chill out and be a bit extravagant. Oh it was difficult. We took a walk up Ocean Drive on day two and the place is a bit tacky and overpriced but of course it has to be done. We ate here on Christmas day on the front at an ok place I can't recall the name of a bit overpriced but fabulous food in massive portions. D then went for a swim in the sea whilst he was hammered. Dipstick.

On Boxing Day we went for a boat ride on the 'thriller'. Hmmm. It wasn't that thrilling but it was certainly good fun! The hair looked fabulous after being whipped around at 90kph(?). We saw the houses of the rich and famous, we pretended we were Don Johnson - not really - but the place - Miami - it is so rich and pretty and ostentatious - the skyline is amazing - and I saw a dolphin! One is supposed to visit the everglades but we didn't really have time. The weather was good too nice and sunny and a bit warm probably around 22 celsius which isn't bad for December for a Brit. I would definitely like to come back here and do more stuff like going out to the green bits and snorkelling in the lovely warm waters but that will have to be another time. Miami you are truly great, thank you for being you and I look forward to seeing you again!

NOLA

We arrive in New Orleans on 27th December and I'm sorry but I am going to have to break into song here, sitting on a sack of beans, sitting down in New Orleans, you wont believe what I've seen, sitting on that sack of beans, lunatics on pogo sticks, another southern fried freak on a crucifix, hicks don't mix with politics, and people on the street just kicking to the licks (?)...unless you're a chillies fan you'll think I'm crazy but for the the rest of you heathens go and get Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Sp.?) right now and listen in, unless you're easily offended then please don't. It is brilliant though. Anyhow I digress... NOLA, also known as New OrLeAns, is fantastic. It's a bit dirty and ruffian but it all adds to the charm. People are really friendly in the main and the accent is fantastic, how are y'all doin'? y'all want some more coffee? y'all want another beer? Oh it is so lovely!

We stayed in a hotel called La Pavillion, real old school luxurious place that was so apt for nola (but not pricey). Cedric the doorman is fabulous. They serve hot chocolate and peanut butter and jelly sarnies in the foyer every night - can you believe this place? Room service was very good too we ordered omelette for brekkie with potatoes daily (one was enough for two!) and it was heaven. The place is just bursting with old school charm and opulence ah I want to be there now. Such an amazing contrast from Miami I've wanted to visit this place for so long and when Katrina hit, omg, but more about that later. We saunter into the famous French Quarter and it is highly brilliant. It really is a case of a band on almost every corner just playing their blues or ragtime or jazz in the street. So many bars in one place all really chilled out and enticing you in with offers of 2 4 1 etc. The streets are dirty and a bit stinky especially Bourbon Street which has a high proportion of interesting characters and clubs advertising breasts and arses. Lovely. A lot of the folks visiting are Southerners themselves it is clearly a major destination for the surrounding states Louisiana, Alabama, etc.

We were lucky with the weather too when we were there...apparently it was warm for the time of year and it was very sunny in the day although a bit cold at night but that's all good the goodwill keeps one warm don't you know! So we had a bit of a struggle with food everywhere was serving up gumbo and shellfish, which I am not a fan of. We discovered a burrito place near the river that was ok for lunch but we did struggle a bit with evening stuff. One night we tried to find a curry house listed in the local paper but it wasn't open until mid Jan. Another place was closed for the holidays. Lazy swines. So we took a walk down Royal Street it is lovely and eventually one comes out of the main part of town and it's oh so pretty and the houses are lovely and the drunkards and crazy people are left behind. So we quickly turned around and went back to where the real action was at ha ha no we didn't we found a lovely little place called the Marigny Brasserie, which was a bistro type place serving up traditional food but a bit more contemporary like. D ordered gumbo for a starter...when in Rome...ha ha... if NOLA people throw up a few hours later after eating this then I guess that's how it goes! Poor D, some people just don't seem to learn. He didn't expect it to come with Andouille sausage but it did. It also had some mussels in and a big crab claw sticking out of it. It was also the colour of shit water. Warning bells should have been firing somewhere but anyhoo he tried it bless him. Also had some wonderful pumpkin and sage pasta in here as well as mahi mahi. We then walked back into town and encountered 3 ghost tours on the way. We had actually been contemplating doing one of these things but we changed our mind it just seemed a bit tacky touristy.

The next day we went on the Steamboat Natchez an old school paddleboat from back in the day. It was rather crowded and a bit dry (the scenery and spiel not the water obviously) but it had to be done sailing down the ole mississippi true tourist style. The next day we went on a Grayline Hurricane Katrina tour, which was extremely poignant and interesting indeed. We were a bit apprehensive at first as we certainly did not want to be voyeurs, but the tours are taken by someone who is a NOLA resident and has some knowledge of the storm, whether through personal experience or through close friends. Our particular tour guide lived right on the edge of NOLA but was still affected by the flooding as his flat was ruined, even though he did manage to escape the city with his mum when the warning came. He had so much information to impart it was a 5 hour day and he did not stop talking the whole time and it was fascinating. We learned about the history of NOLA and its inhabitants, the social and economic issues affecting the city, and how lack of funding and previous alteration of the river and surrounding wetlands all combined to achieve the absolute devastation that Katrina raged on NOLA. We visited affluent and poor areas that were being restored. In the lower 9th ward celebrities like Brad Pitt have invested 5million pounds to build green homes for residents. The population of NOLA is still massively affected by Katrina, with many thousands who left not planning to return. Some were given one way tickets to other states and did not even have the funds to return. On the Saturday following the initial impact of the storm people were trying to leave the city but were prevented from doing so by state troopers at the border. Panic spread and the whole thing was extremely badly organised by the authorities. It was very sobering to see houses with holes cut in the roof from where people had escaped from as the waters rose and trapped them in the highest part of the house. Additionally much funding promised by central government was not forthcoming and NOLA has a long way to go before it returns to its previous carefree state. If you visit NOLA be sure to do the Katrina tour as it is very informative and gives a much more fascinating insight into the place than any drunken sordid street ever could (mentioning no names Bourbon ha ha)!

Originally we had planned to only spend up until New Year's Eve in nola however a big bad wolf called BA told us no that wasn't going to happen as we double booked you on a flight to New York, even though you booked the flight back in July, and so we have cancelled your flight and now you can go to New York on the 6th of January instead. I think you can imagine what colour the air was in the room D and I were when we were told this information. We had planned to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve. So the 6th wasn't really going to help us in this regard. We therefore were lucky enough to be able to book an additional night at La Pavillion and spend NYE there and it was great. With hindsight this was probably better anyhow as getting to the NY hotel was bound to be a royal pain in the ass given that we would not be arriving in NY until the afternoon and were staying so close to where the action was at. So on NYE we joined the crowds thronging the whole of the French Quarter in cheery mood. We had no particular destination in mind but as NOLA has a drink on the streets policy it was all good. This means you can go into a bar buy a drink and go out onto the street to make merry - hurrah! So we did we started off in one bar where there was a jazz band playing, and we had a cocktail in there to begin with, but the waiter was a drunken arsehole demanding tips and bringing the wrong drink so we soon got out of that hole. Then to another place where it was complete deadsville to begin with but the host had so much energy and was jumping about and shouting and singing trying to get the punters in. We ordered drinks in there and it soon started filling up (we should get commission) and it is full of people from Alabama singing along to ZZTop with the host working the room getting everyone to join in it is absolutely hilarious. Onto a couple more bars where bar people are ripping off the tourists and football fans are abusing each other across the bar (''Utah - you who? - we got pussy over here you aint even got no pussy'' [this from an Alabama female!] oh wow these Americans can really insult!). Then we head down to the river as there are going to be fireworks unfortunately they are shit and it is quite clear that the people down by the river have not had enough to drink as they look miserable so we head back up to Bourbon St as we are trashed ha ha. Back to our group singalong type bar but we have had enough so back to our fabulous hotel to crash out and be kicked out far too early the next day for our flight to NY via Dallas - BA you are dreadful I despise you what alcohol loving person would choose to travel on New Year's Day before 5pm at the earliest? No-one I tell you - no-one - you have a lot to answer for and we will try and make you pay. But we had a fabulous time in New Orleans - NOLA I salute you you filthy stinky gumbo loving swine!

NEW YORK NEW YORK

On our flight to NY via Dallas we encounter the funniest pilot ever he is so funny with a sexy southern drawl. He warns parents to put the oxygen mask on the child with most potential should there be a problem, and advises us that the best crew in the world work for American Airlines (AA) but unfortunately it is their day off today, amongst other gems. The whole of the plane is in stitches we love it a bit or personality goes a long way [as an aside having now flown with a number of airlines AA staff are the most polite and nicest we have encountered for sure]. We arrive in NY on January 1st and stay in a hotel at the airport as it is far too late to be checking into our apartment at 11pm. (La Guardia airport hotel perfectly fine for a one day stopover.) Good god it is absolutely freezing though when we exit the airport and await a shuttle bus to the hotel. We have been used to temperatures of pretty much 20 and above for the last two months and we do not have proper coats it is horrid.

The next morning we put our thermals on and get a taxi to our apartment at 436 West 49th Street the location is in Midtown very central indeed. The apartment is a bit manky though the photos on the website are obviously the Chelsea Suite or something as a lot of updating needs to be done the sofa is stained and old and the fridge smells - in the top 10 of Nooooo! for places to stay! The maid informs us that we should not turn the heating in our room more than halfway off as this means that the rest of the block will not have heating. Previous guests have turned it completely off and we realise why when she turns it back on and the radiator starts steaming like a choo choo train. Interesting. Anyhow we are pretty tired it is our first day and I can't really remember what we did probably not much I will have to consult D's blog...so the first night we traipse the streets looking for some food but it is quite late and we end up walking about for ages before we just get take out food and go back to the apartment. That night we wake up feeling like we are being cooked alive - the radiator is steaming away like a pressure cooker and it is boiling hot we can barely breathe it is hideous. We turn the radiator off and open the windows but are woken up throughout the night by people coming back to their rooms in the block (it is 5 floors with about 5 apartments on each floor). The sound proofing and security are poor the water pipes make a racket and we can hear the neighbours chatting away - one would have to be quiet as a mouse in order not to disturb others. Despite this we decide to spend a couple more days in NY as we can't be bothered to move and the location is great.

Next day we are on a mission to buy coats as it is so cold and although we have thermals a big coat is essential. So we head off to the bargain basement that is Century 21 which has great deals but the worst customer service we have ever encountered in the states apart from Ed Debevonic's but more about Ed's (see Chicago!) later. The sales staff are surly and rude but what price a fantastic deal eh so D and I part on the ground floor and head to our respective departments to hunt down a coat. The place is packed and people are dreadful, shoving and pushing and not saying sorry or excuse me it's just like being back in London I can't handle it I am still tired and longing for the friendly hospitality of the South again. So I go down to meet D I have given up I will have to try and find something another day. D has picked up a fabulous smart coat that is 50% off but unfortunately it is not the best fit so I give him my advice and we go on the hunt for more coats. After a few tantrums and swearing and visiting of other shops D gets a classy number from Zara (good ole Zara) and we head back.

Over the next couple of days I am on a mission to find a coat but do not have much luck and end up getting lost a lot. NY is full of Ruskies who have lots of money and I don't have any so I'm resentful. I trek down Madison Avenue and it is not half as much fun as when I did it before - never go back. I go into Max Mara but the prices are just too high even though they have a good sale on when not working I cannot justify buying anything from there fabulous though the clothes may be. Boo hoo. Eventually I do get a bargain of a coat from the C21 store yes I went back desperate times call for desperate measures and that's it no more shopping for us we cannot do it we are already massively over budget. We have re-assessed our budget and the USA is turning out to be a lot more expensive than we anticipated and the exchange rate is dropping all of the time grrr.

Still we have a reservation for the Gramercy Tavern, a high end restaurant that we visited a few years back and it was our favourite place ever. Never go back it was a huge mistake error number one we were sat next to an annoying couple (everything was positively ''YUMMY'' and snogging between courses was especially classy) and the tables were far too close together so there was no privacy. Secondly our server was not a patch on our previous guy we must have had the head waiter before he was faultless but this one was a bit fake and stereotypical for this kind of establishment. Other staff were mediocre the bread guy was dopey and seemed unable to converse and the water lady was angry! The decor was great old school opulence but it's not enough when the food is as disappointing as it was. We had the vegetable tasting menu and it was a joke. Last time we had this it was amazing the best food we have ever had and I don't know if they changed the chef or just couldn't be arsed but it was a poor excuse for a meal for the prices they charge. If someone was to do a comedy sketch in a poncey restaurant then the food we had here would be it. It was a 6 course menu and the only delicious things were the dessert (pear something) and one other dish which I can't even remember. Boring boring boring this was a set menu we should have gone with the a la carte these places should not pretend to offer these dishes at the same level and price as meat dishes if they cannot deliver, and they can't. Stick to foie gras and veal you pretentious idiots and don't waste my time in future.

Good restaurants we do visit in NY - Candle - great menu and massive wine list with lovely staff but your tables are too close together! Bonobo's - outstandingly healthy food with friendly staff and a mean pina colada (non-alcoholic though - boo!). Also Counter in the East Village - wonderful food and great waitress although bar woman a bit blase. Before this we have a hookah pipe in a great little bar called Karma. In the East Village it is so much nicer and chilled out than the rest of NY it reminds us of Crouch End back home. Next time we visit NY we shall certainly stay here it is much more our kind of place. Other places we visit in NY are the Broadway Comedy Club, which is a bit hit and miss as the room is full of tourists like us and it is hard for the comedians to pitch their stuff well we are disappointed as we wanted to see some proper NY stuff but what did we expect from a place in Midtown - doh!; a jazz club called Garage where we have some lovely cocktails and see a good band for no cover - hurrah! Also Fat Cat's, which has pool tables, table tennis, games and music for $3 but rubbish drinks. Still it is very chilled out and un-pretentious a nice place to finish on our last night in New York. I love NY - the subway is a nightmare and the place is a confusing impatient touristy rush but it's still my number one favourite city.

Boston

We take the Amtrak train from NY and have a great few days in Boston staying in a gorgeous big flat in a suburb with D's mate Karen how very generous thank you Karen. [The Amtrak train is brilliant I highly recommend it - it's an absolute bargain we paid $579 dollars for a pass that lasts 30 days and up to 12 segments across the USA. The seats are big and comfy there is a dining car and snack car and most staff are very friendly and helpful. One gets to look at scenery and let someone else worry about the driving. One can even have a sleeper carriage but this is much more expensive.] We met some of Karen's extremely likeable mates in a local pub which had a quiz night on it was very entertaining I wish I was clever and knew more stuff I think we came about 4th out of 12 teams. Boston was absolutely freezing cold worse than New York but we still had fun. We attempted to do the Freedom Trail but it was just too chilly brrr our faces were hurting from the evil wind biting us. So we visited the State House it was free to go in and my it was spectacular. Beautiful building and lots of historical info. we were very impressed considering we only went in to get out of the cold ha ha. Boston is really pretty kind of reminded us of old school England in the nice areas where people don't have net curtains and don't steal stuff. Lovely cobbled streets and lamps and friendly people too we are so impressed with these yanks and their politeness. We visited Harvard Square and a great veggie cafe attached to a nightclub and some cool boutique type shops just window shopping though of course boo hoo. We went to an Ethiopian Restaurant which had mediocre food on horrid spongy bread but nice Riesling. Also visited a tiny jazz club with a real cool band no cover charge but a bit too squashy for my liking - next time we will get there early to get a table. So next on our way to Philly and to be frank we were glad to leave it had to be warmer going West right? Right?!

Philadelphia

Philly you are nicer than a willy because you are lovely to look at. Yes lame I know but it's true Philly is a cute place and when we were there the sun was shining all day. We stayed in a great hotel right on the edge of town called the Independent - highly recommended there was free hot chocolate and wine and cheese every night in the reception area now that's how to treat guests! Also D was a dipstick and left our camera battery and charger in the room and the staff very kindly posted it onto a further destination in a different state for us - thank you so much! We went and saw Rocky Rocky and D ran up the steps...when in Rome. We went for a very long walk along the Schuylkill river to the huge giant that is Fairmount Park there was a lot of renovation stuff going on but it was still nice. Philly is small enough to get around without too much hassle which is useful when one has left the baby (car) at home don't get me started (snivel sob). Philly has a massive gangster past with Capone and all that malarkey but we didn't get to see any of those sights unfortunately. We visited the South Street area which is supercool and has loads of little bars, clubs and eateries. There are also loads of murals and glass mosaic art work by a guy called Isaiah Zager we went to his 'Magic Garden' it was brilliant I hope the detail shows up on the pics. We go to Chris's Jazz Cafe it is good we eat some ok food with nice cocktails and the band are ok. We did not want to leave Philly we should have stayed longer especially with hindsight but ah that's how it goes next onto Pittsburgh and everything people say about this place is true! We had some excellent specimens on our train to the Pitts who had just been let out of jail and could not stop talking for the whole journey. One was especially excited he rang his mum to tell her that he was on the 'choo choo train talking on someone's cell phone and the train has doors that open when i press a button and everything'! telling some poor lass he kept talking to about his crime, and awful jokes that were only really funny to the man himself. Still it was very entertaining.

Pittsburgh

We arrive in Pittsburgh about 6pm and there are no taxis and no staff and it is freezing cold and the jailbirds are staring with what can only be described as desperation they have to spend the night in the station as they have missed their last bus to Beaverville or somewhere that sounds just as apt. I don't care I just want out of the horrid place things are not looking good so we go and hail a cab and the driver looks like everything you imagined an in-bred red neck scary chainsaw massacre type from Shittsburgh to look like. He is very nice and friendly however how very rude of me. As we drive out it is all grey and dark and horrible it looks like a dive and we go through a massive main road this is not a place to walk in for sure it will be cabs everywhere so much for saving money! We get dropped off at our hotel which is called the Comfort Inn it can only be in irony ha ha but it is very cheap and having re-assessed our budget recently we need cheap as much as possible. It is so cold we turn the heater up full blast and head down to the bar. We sit at the bar and the football team the Steelers are playing and we get chatting to the other few customers and the bar woman there and they are the most lovely people. A guy questions us as to what us Brits eat apart from fish and chips and I have gone blank ha ha I forget all about roast dinners! He buys us a drink which is very kind and then we go back to our room which is a bit grotty but what do we expect for that price as long as it's warm and not dirty... . The next day we head into town and go to the Science Museum it is full of dinosaurs and sciency stuff it is very interesting and funny. After that we walk into 'town' and my god it is sooooo cold and it is snowy on the ground it is really horrible we duck into the nearest dive bar just to escape the cold people tell us that the weather is freaky it has not been this cold for a decade it is about -10 degrees or something. We then head to a diner style place where we get chatting to a Virginian lady who is out for a breather her daughter is in the hospital after being ill for years and having a relapse recently - it is a poignant moment a complete stranger opening up like that. We find that as soon as people hear us speak they want to know where we are from and it just opens up conversation it is great. We are megaly p'd off though this place is no good without a car things are far too spread out and it is too cold to walk around it is awful we consider bringing forward the next bit of the trip as we are here for 3 days but decide to grin and bear it. The next day we do not even venture out we just cannot be bothered we are told that the temperature will be going up the following day so we just stay in the hotel bar and meet a sweet barwoman from Shepherds Bush in Landan she married a yank and has lived in Pittsburgh for 8 years - small world! There is karaoke in the bar some 80 year old geezer does a wild version of Pretty Woman it is very impressive. Every person we meet and get talking to asks us what on earth we are doing in Pittsburgh it is hilarious and we understand why. And the next day it is better it is still cold but bearable so we take the cable car up the side of the hill and admire the views well we would if it was nice to look at but it isn't really it probably is very lovely in the summer with the bridge and the river all blue but right now it is grey and dull and depressing. We meet yet more nice people though in a cafe in Station Square and discuss the hopes for the Steelers who are playing the Philly Eagles the next day we want them to win there is nothing else to do or think about here we will be in Chicago but will be rooting for the Steelers. We visit the Senator John Heinz History Centre which is combined with the Sports Museum and it is very interesting the main museum has an exhibition on the slave trade it is very informative and honest and shocking Pennsylvania was right at the crosspoint of the divide between North and South so for many runaway slaves this was a place to get to to get to safety. The sports museum is good too with lots of clothing and history on the teams for 'football', baseball and basketball Pittsburgh has a good record for these sports. Pittsburgh is the home of the 'terrible towel', which means that this place is the originator of the flapping the towel scenario at a football game. The towels have comedy logos on. That night we go to a veggie place called 'Quiet Storm' it is a right trek out of town and we are told afterwards that the area we walked through is a bit ropey but we did not encounter any problems just saw a few shifty characters hanging about just like being back in Hornsey ha ha. The food in Quiet Storm is fabulous we eat far too much and even have some stuff to take back that will be our breakfast! We finish off with some mexican hot choc which has cayenne pepper in it just perfect for the freezing journey back. It has started snowing so we duck into the nearest bar in downtown it is a gay bar with a hilarious bar man who proceeds to dance with a broom whilst singing the soundtrack to Hairspray which is on the jukebox. We chat to him and a few crazies for a while and get more drinks bought us not bad at all and tomorrow we are off to Chicago - hooray! We have met the friendliest nicest people here but it's just too cold and everyone smokes and so the bars stink and it's too spread out I'm afraid but we have adopted the Steelers as our NFL team - GO STEELERS!

Meckiiiiiiiiico

loundyl — Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:58:00 GMT

Well as is my usual rubbishness at updating you all I am sitting writing about Mexico in an internet cafe in Midtown Manhattan! And there is a whole lot to write I tell you, but I have to be careful what I say as we are making a formal complaint to a certain company called BRITISH AIRWAYS, or BA, or Biggest @rseholes, or Blatant Arrogance, or Behaving Appallingly, oh there are so many more words I could use to describe these useless idiots but I'm sure you would rather hear about Mexico. We shall come onto BA later. I recommend a name change to CA and add an additional NT on the end and adopt a very strong London accent and I think you know what I'm getting at. But enough of that. Back to Mexico, which is in Central America but comes under North America but should actually be in South America if you know anything about Mexico!

So, first of all let's begin with the food rant. Before I went to Mexico my favourite food was Mexican. Now it isn't. I was so disappointed with the food in Mexico now I know that any country that is Spanish speaking is going to have a fixation with eating our porcine friends, and I accept that and I know you're probably sick of me talking about it, but really there are other things to eat, like vegetables for instance! Apart from guacamole, and limes, we really struggled to find many vegetables in a lot of places we visited, and we are not the type to stick to the beaten path we do make an effort to search out those places that are supposed to be special.I got really fed up with food in Mexico, and I know that this is culinary blasphemy but I am going to say it anyway - I preferred the 'Mexican' food I have eaten in the UK to any I had in Mexico proper! Well stuff me into a quesadilla I don't care it's true! I still love guacamole but if I ever have to eat another bland uninspiring dish like the enchiladas and soups I had in Mexico then I would rather go without! And oh my god please please 'sin jamon' or I'm going to kick off! Everything comes with pig. Just because it doesn't say pig on the menu it will still come with it, and even if you ask for it without, it may still come with it. Both D and I tried a few dishes with fish/chicken but none were spectacular. If I visited Mexico again I would be looking to stay in a place with a kitchen so I could cook some decent healthy food - that's if I can find any vegetables anyway.

Our time in Mexico was very hectic and we knew it would be so. What we didn't plan on happening was losing two days of our limited time there due to incompetence on the part of BA(h!) We tried to fit a lot in - there is so much to do in Mexico it is absolutely huge and has tons of sites and varied places - one could easily spend six months travelling around here. And it is cheap - hurrah - a place we could finally be a bit more extravagant and still be within budget. Or at least we would have been if we had not have been screwed over by BA. Are you sensing a pattern here? Good. SO yes it is very cheap here or it was it is about 200 pesos to ten pounds. Getting a taxi about is no problem we read and were told lots of horror stories about taxis in Mexico - don't hail one, only go in a huge expensive yellow one, etc etc, but actually we had no major problems apart from some of them trying to rip us off and this even happened at the airport but by this stage we were wise to their canniving ways. Just know approximately how much it should cost and set a limit and that's what we stuck to. Also the driving is absolutely crazy there the funniest and scariest we have experienced on our travels so far.

Ok I have another confession to make I am only just continuing the rest of Mex blog sitting in a hotel in Flagstaff good old USA but things have just been rather hectic I'm sorry also D hogs our laptop a lot so I can only get to go on it when he has finished. I will have to keep the rest of Mex summarised for now but I will update accordingly! So...I've had a rant about food now onto the trip. We started off in Mexico City staying in the district called Centro Historico which is the old town full of huge picturesque buildings and divey shops. It is a very busy area always packed and not a lot of tourists - we got stared at a lot. It got rather irritating but it's just one of those things one had to try and ignore. We stayed in Hotel Catedral which was a basic budget hotel a bit divey but clean and friendly. There really wasn't as much as we expected going on in this district most places were shut by 9 or 10pm but we used it as a base to do the tourist stuff. We went on an open bus tour which took about 3 hours it was very good it gave a really good history of the city driving about to all of the different areas like Condesa and Polanco. We also visited the Teotihuacan Pyramids a bus ride away from the city which were rather nice but unspectacular compared to the other places we went to on the Eastern side of the country.

Right I am afraid i just cannae be arsed with Mexico for now there is just too much to write please see the link below D has written loads on it I will try and update as I go along but I just can't bear it I want to forget it. Sorry.

http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Distrito-Federal/Mexico-City/Plaza-de-la-Constituci%F3n/blog-356954.html

Brazil

loundyl — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:27:00 GMT

We have just finished ten days in Brazil, most of which was spent in Rio. Rio...it was not what I was expecting at all. I really didn`t like it at first it's a bit stinky and dirty and it seemed rather pretentious, with lots of wannabes walking about in inappropriate clothing. We looked for the beautiful people but found ourselves looking rather hard! There are no more better looking people here than in any other cosmopolitan city we have visited and there are lots of trashy types from Eastern Europe behaving as though they are royalty - newsflash - you can`t buy class! There is a horrid seedy side to Rio, with the whole sex tourism thing quite obvious. Lots of older bloater type guys walking about with attractive younger women who are clearly well out of their league. Also sex workers on Avenue Atlantica from early evening which runs right along the front of Copacabana beach. However, by the time we came to leave Rio I wanted to stay a bit longer...there is just something about the place that hooks you in that I can`t quite define. There is a lot to do there - we took the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, the train to Christ the Redeemer (I wanted D to adopt the required pose for a photo but he wouldn`t the chicken), Maracana stadium, a couple of Favelas and a few eateries. So many places we didn`t make it to like museums and nearby hotspots. We also went on a boat trip to some `tropical` Islands which was pretty forgettable - apart from our guide - JB you are fabulous - especially in the hot pink speedo`s ha ha. What is it with Speedos in this place anyhow? SO many guys wearing them they look positively repulsive - it`s not the 80`s anymore people! We stayed in a great hotel right on the front called the Orla - definitely worth the extra cash for the view and the magnificent breakfast! Best things about Rio: Acai (it`s an Amazonian berry) - get to the juice bar and drink one of these - it is now in my top 5 foods ever!; football - the atmos at the Maracana was great and it wasn`t even a 1/3 full - we watched Flamengo play their penultimate match of the season and it was great fun,{loads of Carioca`s have VW Golfs, and have scratched off the logo so it reads `GOL` instead - comedy, when someone scores in South America, the commentator shouts `GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL` for about 30seconds and it`s hilarious!}; the favelas - we went on a brilliant tour organised by Marcus Armstrong (ref: Lonely Planet) and it was fascinating. Life in these places is not always how it is portrayed in the media there seemed to be a real sense of community in parts and the group we went with donate to and fund projects in the favelas. This was more of an insight into Rio than the overcrowded and sanitised tours to the other big places. Definitely highly recommended. Also recommended is a fabulous Lebanese Restaurant called `Amir` - we were craving some good healthy food and this place delivered ten fold.

The beaches were crowded all of the time even when the sun was not out - a sense of optimism pervades this place despite the obvious disparity in wealth. We were approached quite frequently by really destitute looking kids (filthy, no shoes) asking for money. However it has to be said we were not accosted at any point by a mugger or the like and felt that we were made rather tense by the constant watch out advice that we read before we arrived. D said the sea was really rough but great fun - a surfer`s paradise. So overall I was sad to leave - visiting Rio was not cheap but if you`re prepared to splash the cash you can have a great time here. And on that note I would highly recommend that one waits until getting there to book any tours etc. We booked a 5 day intro tour with GAP Adventures which contained the boat trip, the trips to Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer and also transfers to and from the airport. However we could have organised all of this much cheaper ourselves and it wasn't that well organised anyway. The first day we were supposed to be met for the boat trip the guide did not have our names and so we missed it. Luckily we had an extra couple of days when we could fit it in. Also I suspect we were well ripped off for the prices we paid for the tickets to Maracana. The agents clearly make a fortune out of the gringos, I get that they have to get a cut somewhere but there are limits so in future we would certainly try and do more oursleves.

Halfway through our time in Rio we went on a trip to Foz du Iguacu (Iguassu Falls), which is 24hours away by bus - which we took. The journey was not as bad as we expected - there is more room on these buses - called `leito`or `semi-leito`, which means you can put your seat right back and try and sleep. More comfortable than cattle class on a plane anyhow. We certainly got to meet more working class Brazilians - we were the only Gringos on the return journey! These buses stop every 3-4 hours at some roadside cafe, which often provides a very generous buffet lunch very cheaply. Good value for those who eat everything (some rather `ìnteresting` looking cuts of meat!) not so much for me but then if we will take the almost cheapest mode of transport available! On the return journey the bus was stopped twice at military checkpoints and some rather camp looking cops got on looking for dodgy types and goods that apparently are often smuggled in from Paraguay. It was kind of scary but a bit funny as they looked like some extras from the Village People with their tight jodhpurs and shiny boots. We had our own guide in Iguassu called Edson (iguassufallstour.com) who was very good and knowledgable our only complaint would be it`s nice to do one`s own thing in such places especially when all of the viewpoints are rather crowded. The falls were an amazing spectacle our favourite bit was on the Argentinian side when we went in a boat right under the falls and got absolutely soaked! We also saw some animals in the forest there - coati`s, humungous insects, and some comedy birds. We stayed at the Mecure Hotel on the 13th floor and had great views of the town of Iguassu, on the final night eating in the fancy French restaurant on the 18th floor which was fabulous. Also had the biggest bed ever even bigger than a Superking size bed, and great room service, D ordered a Margherita pizza and a guy turns up at the door five minutes later with a Margherita cocktail! Highly amusing - the Brazilians speak their own version of Portugese and it is not easy to learn! Sometimes it sounds a bit French other times it sounds a bit Oriental as a lot of words are said through the nose and they don`t like pronouncing `r` or words ending in `ion`! We had a phrase book and our Spanish helped a bit but boy was I glad to hear a yank accent when we got on the plane to fly to Mexico via Miami! Speaking of which, we had to transfer at Miami and this meant we had to collect our baggage and go through check in all over again due to the US security measures. OMG it was ridiculous it took 1.5hours to get from one plane to another we were not amused it really did feel ott especially when some stupid jobsworth bint told me I even had to take my cardigan off to walk through the metal detector - what? Slightly ott but just smile sweetly at the sad idiot and then swear profusely at one`s partner ha ha. So now we are in Mexico and yippee I`m up to date hopefully now I can put a few pic`s on for you all to admire or laugh at - missing some of you lot but I`ll cope!

Chile

loundyl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:02:00 GMT

Well now we´re in Chile for a two day stopover so we only get to spend two days in the capital - Santiago de Chile. It´s a lovely place - very affluent modern centre surrounded by gorgeous mountains and the wine valleys which we will not have time to visit - boo hoo! We are staying in a lovely hotel with all mod cons a wonderful break from having damp salty clothes from the boat! Unfortunately we missed our driver at the airport (organised by the hotel) so we have had a bit of an issue with the hotel staff - they have handled the situation very poorly which is a shame. On our final day the hotel has redeemed itself though as we encountered two lovely members of staff - Hector on the front desk, and a lady (Sara?) in the restaurant who was great - keep up the good work! Nevermind we are enjoying it here we went on a city tour yesterday which was entertaining if a bit pricey. Lots of huge shops mixed with gorgeous old buildings and modern tall blocks. Today we visited Museo des Belles Artes which was quite modern, but we are hoping to visit another museum with more information on the fascinating history of Chile. The currency here is crazy for us Brits - 10,000 pesos is ten pounds and we didn´t understand the exchange rate at first which has led to some rather generous tips! Our final night we ate at a `traditional`Chilean restaurant but don`t ask me to tell you what a trad Chilean meal is - we had some conger fish (ok) and some lovely wine. Also visited a cocktail bar which had the worst cocktails we have ever had - mine was a Brazilian monk which turned out to be the colours of the Brazilian flag made with the nastiest cheapest spirits ever instead of the lovely sweet concoction I was expecting. We soon moved onto Johnnie Walker Black label. Ah. So unfortunately for us our time in Chile was short lived but we shall definitely be looking to return in the future - it would be rude not to!

Ecuador & Galapagos

loundyl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:52:00 GMT

Hurrah I think this is actually the most up to date that I have been so far - I am still in Ecuador and actually writing about Ecuador! We get picked up from the airport by a driver organised by the hotel - just what one needs after a flight! We are staying at the Hostel Santa Barbara and it is a gorgeous b&b style place in absolutely pristine condition. Wooden floors and a real fire on the go it is a wonderful contrast to the dive we stayed at in Lima! D and I head out for a walk unfortunately lots of places are closed and we are a bit sad to have to go to another hotel for dinner as hotels are rather over-priced and not so local. We have a gorgeous thick soup containing potatoes and cheese with avocado apparently this is an ecuadorian speciality. We are so full the main course is rather un-necessary but it would be rude not to! Then back to the hotel to prepare for our trip to the Galapagos next day.

We arrive at the airport very early and there isn´t really much to do before our flight to San Cristobal Island and the flight is delayed by an hour. There are lots of Gringos about a big contrast from Peru but finally we board and are very pleased to be in business class with the extra leg room that this entails! The requested ´special´ (veggie) meal on the plane is carrotts, sweetcorn, and peas which we find hilarious it is definitely a contender for joker veggie option of the year! We land and meet our guide who is called Sara, a bubbly attractive lady with a very distinctive voice. We also meet Kim, a South African, a Dutch couple, and a loud mouthed yank called Kevin, who I just know we are going to get along with. Also in our group are six older people, 3 couples, two Austrians and 4 Germans. Another yank called Michael (looks like Robert de Niro!), a French Canadian lady called Odette and another couple - a guy called Karsten and his gorgeous young girlfriend Marie who is way out of his league. He must be rich ha ha. The next few days are spent snorkelling and swimming and visiting the islands. It is a fantastic exerience - we swim with sea lions, turtles, sharks, and tons of beautiful bright coloured fish. On land we see marine iguanas, pelicans, flamingoes, albatross, blue footed boobies and giant tortoises. The sea lions are definitely the highlight - the females just lie about looking gorgeous (they really smell though!) whilst the bulls swim around their harems barking their status.

On day 5, 11 of the group are finishing their tour and we find out that Michael is writing for none other than Lonely Planet - how cool is that! The rest of us discover that we are going to get 11 new tour mates. We are a bit disappointed as we were hoping that there would be more food to go around as the food so far has been somewhat lacking in quantity and quality. Ah well who needs food when there´s a bottle of $6 rum on board! A few of the group have unfortunately been rather ill from both dodgy food and sea sickness - not me though I have found my sea legs and am wise enough to avoid any meals that seem a bit suspect - must be my EH training I knew it would come in handy someday!

We say goodbye to the anti-social (you know who you are!) types and meet the newbies after lunch. It is a much younger crowd and it ends up being much more fun on the boat with this lot. The final night is brilliant as we have an 11 hour sail back to San Cristobal Island and the sea is quite rough. A bunch of us go on deck and we are thrown about all over the place with the boat bunny hopping the waves and the spray hitting us in the face. It is highly hazardous and the best night on the boat by far.

On the final day we visit the Darwin Interpretation Centre which gives a history (turbulent) of the Galapagos. It is very interesting although would have been more useful to visit on day 1 perhaps! Overall our experience on the Archipell II has been fabulous - the crew were great and our guide was a real character with great knowledge. The only major downfall was the food and so we were looking forward to going back to Quito and eating out in a highly rated restaurant called Zazu. Kevin very generously paid for the meal and it was a really good nosh up after the mediocrity on the boat. Service, decor and food were top notch and I highly recommend this place if visiting Quito. The next day D and I take a ride on the Teleforica, or cable car, which goes up Mount Pinchincha and had great views of Quito. Or it would if it was not cloudy! We also walk around the old town, which is very different to the more touristy affuent Mariscal area. There is clearly a lot more to do in Ecuador than our short lived visit allows us. The mountains surrounding the capital look spectacular however unfortunately we do not have time to explore further as our flight to Chile is the next day. We would definitely return to Ecuador for a longer visit but that will have to be another holiday!

10 days in and still in Peru...

loundyl — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:24:00 GMT

Well there is so much to say that I don´t quite know where to start. We are currently in Cusco in Peru having just completed the Inca Trail - without a doubt the hardest thing i have ever done in my life.

We flew into Lima on the 30th October and had two days there before embarking on a tour that has included a boat trip down the amazon and staying in an eco-lodge in the jungle. We visit Monkey Island and learn about the various fruits and medicines of the jungle. We also tease tarantulas out of their hidey holes by pretending to be prey! They are blackest black tarantulas not half as cute as Polly my Mexican red kneed friend from London zoo. However the fact that I can stand there and watch them come out is a step forward in my arachnophobia.

Machu Pichu was amazing but it took a lot of energy and determination to get there - it involved a 3 day trek with high altitude walking and camping in places with very grotty facilities - no hot showers or proper toilets for 4 days! No pain no gain I suppose. The scenery of huge mountains, lush vegetation and lakes is absolutely breath-taking. We have also been lucky with the weather. It has been warm and sunny for most of the time with a welcome downpour on the penultimate day. Our guide - Julio, is hilarious and extremely knowledgeable - he himself is descended from the Inca´s. we learn lots about the Conquistadors and their exploitation of Peru, and of course a lot of information about the building of and the significance of the site itself. There is far too much to take in but it is fascinating stuff.

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Titicaca and Puno where we are to stay with local Indians and ride on reed boats down the river. We have met some excellent people our group has been diverse and hilarious. Special mention goes to Paul and David two lads from Cork who are absolutely brilliant - get your spare room ready guys we are coming over as soon as we can when we get back to the UK. Also Max and Ben from Oz - you are insane! Any of you fancy a trip to London then you have a place to stay.

I am writing this next part from a cafe in Quito so you can see that I have managed to keep well up to date with everything! This really is a summary of our last days in Peru. We took a boat ride across Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world, and it was very pretty. We sailed to Amantani Island which is where some Peruvians live a very old style way of life with traditional costumes - photos will explain all! Next we sail to Taquile Island which is where we are to stay with local families for a night. We are all introduced to our ´Mama´ who is supposedly looking after us for the evening. Ours is called Vanessa and she is only 14 which shocks us at first as we thought that she was married with two kids but no she is the daughter of the family who we stay with, which consists of 5 women and 3 guys, we have no idea what they are to each other as they do not bother to introduce themselves, apart from the head of the household. Before dinner we head up to the communal area where the gringos play football against the locals. The rest of us go into the cafe for some delicious hot chocolate with Baileys - yummy! After this we spend a cringey hour or so in the smoke filled (from the stove) front room of our family, sitting at a table whilst they all sit on the floor and talk amongst themselves. The food is very basic and bland as apparently they rarely eat meat and fish which we find hard to believe as none of them are exactly thin. After dinner we give our gifts to the family, which we have purchased this morning to say thank you for letting us stay with them. Then it´s play dress up in their multi-coloured clothing and off to the dance to laugh at how stupid we all look. The next morning it´s another cringey bland meal before we head back to the boat - phew thank god that ordeal is over! Next we sail to Isles du Uros, which are flaoting islands made entirely of reeds upon which there are more trad Peruvian types selling their wares. Unfortunately the overall impression of this part of the tour is that it is one opportunity after another to make money out of the gringo and many of us are not amused. It doesn´t help that the guide is rather annoying and condescending in the way that he speaks to everyone. He clearly has the knowledge and is a nice guy but many of the group are highly irritated with his manner. Oh dear we are all looking forward to going back to Puno and I suppose it takes the shite to appreciate the really good stuff!

We fly back to Lima the next morning and this is where much of the group say goodbye, as some are going on to Bolivia whilst for the rest of us the tour ends here and we are on our own in Lima for a couple of days - yippee! A bunch of us head into Miraflores, which is a much nicer part of Lima than where we are staying although it is rather touristy. Lots of big department stores and hotels. Still very Peruvian though with the crazy driving. We find a great cafe where we stay for hours drinking cocktails and admiring the excellent views over the cliffs. We are all very tired following the last two weeks and head back for an early night. The next day we return to Miraflores and kill a few hours more as all of us have flights pending and don´t want to go crazy. So next morning D and I fly off to Ecuador and I am happy to be leaving Peru. We say goodbye to the others and we hope to keep in touch as we feel very privileged to have met some fantastic people already. Bring on the Galapagos!

Pre-arrival update...

loundyl — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:43:00 GMT

Wow the last minute rush to actually get ourselves going was horrendous. A special thank you to Jamie and Sophie for being so brilliant putting us up and clearing the bedlam we left behind! Needless to say we were still packing at midnight when our taxi to Heathrow was at 3am. Backpacks and daypacks stuffed to bursting we finally set off after hardly any sleep at all and flew to Madrid for our connection to Lima. Whilst waiting to check in at Heathrow we realised that we had left our tickets for our Copper Canyon trip in Mexico back at the flat, along with the internal US flight tickets - genius! Anyhow after a few frantic phone calls we can get the tickets replaced but it will cost us a bit of cash - what a start to our trip!

The flight to Lima from Madrid was hideous - 12 hours sat between two spoiled brats who were amusing at first but after hours of lack of sleep cramped in to tiny seats with no entertainment (avoid Air Iberia!) I wanted to inflict pain. One lovely young girl kicking the back of my seat for hours on end, and another young boy who thought that all the other passengers wanted to be entertained by him singing and showing off constantly. Parents please control your children or don´t let them fly long-haul.

Anyway enough of that back to the trip! We arrived in Lima rather late and got absolutely ripped off by the airport taxi rank - a tip - always have a rough guide to whatever country you´re going to if you don´t know what the score is and don´t speak the language fluently! Anyway the Hotel Kamana in downtown Lima - very basic but ok - has two guards on the door. First impression of Lima - dirty polluted place with absolutely crazy driving. Beeping is the order of the day to let other drivers know that you are going to perform a manoeuvre - what that manoeuvre is is anyone´s guess however. Also beep beep to tell everyone else to move - comedy. People are short and stocky and stare a lot but then to them we are giants so I suppose it´s to be expected!

We spend the first day walking around Lima - there is some great architecture here buildings are huge and imposing and come in all shades. We try out some of our Spanish on the locals and this gets a good response in the main albeit a rather amused one. We find some very cheap places to eat - veggie places too - portions are absolutely huge here so much food is wasted. Best discovery of the day: POTATO is the Peruvian national dish of which there are thousands of varieties - hurrah! Potatoes come with everything and are cooked to perfection - I am in culinary Heaven - Viva la Potato - Viva Peru!

Finally - we've bought our tickets!

loundyl — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:48:00 GMT

After months of stressing we have finally purchased our OneWorld round the world tickets from BA. Our itinerary has had to be varied somewhat from what we originally planned but we're not complaining! We were surprised to have to specify our exact route before travel, as we only had vague ideas of where we would be at a particular time, but now we have done this it's great to know where we are going to be as we can relax more and plan things better. An itinerary will be attached soon but to summise, we leave on 301008 for south america, head for mexico then the usa then to oz in feb, japan and thailand in may then back to the uk (?)!