Fortunately, my online travel agent had not processed my booking from Cuba to Los Angeles. I did not thank them at the time. The refusal to let mw board the plane led to frustration, complaints and a lot of running around terminals in humid heat to try and get a replacement. The task was not aided by the lack of internet connection that is only available past security. What I hadn't realised was that Mr Trump had just strengthened rules pertaining to entry form Cuba so they probably would not have let me in. As it was, I retuned to Havana, spent an extra night and booked a flight to Cozumel and from there on to San Fransisco.
San Francisco is a great city to visit. Alcatraz was booked up solid but i enjoyed my boat trip past the Golden Gate Bridge. My hotel was right in China town and in addition to the sights, sounds and tastes of this district I also enjoyed visiting the Japanese Town, attending church and meeting a retired pastor with links to N Korea. It is the oldest Japanese Church in San Fran and probably the US. The street car was ridiculously expensive but enjoyable, and I enjoyed seeing Maceys and other great shops downtown. I was surprised by the quality of the Japanese garden in the massive San Fran park, and enjoyed walking along Haight- Ashley - home of the Summer of Love - and which is getting ready for its 50th anniversary. To cap it all, I arrive on Pride Day - so there was a lot of colour in evidence and a few weird sights.
The cheapest destination en route to New York turned out to be Denver, the mile high city which was established to service the 19th century gold rush but which has a modern feel. Its infamous claim to fame is as the first location to legalise cannabis in the US - and within a few years 30,000 people are working on cannabis making it the 6th largest industry. It's weird to see cannabis cafes all over the place and many inhabitants are busy stoning themselves, no doubt oblivious to mental health harms. It was pleasing to discover a huge worship concert is scheduled and that Pete Grieg and other global leaders happended to be in town at some event or other.
The real draw of Denver though (not withstanding the view of my fellow passenger on the flight to Denver that the best thing to do is to smoke dope) is the Rockies. The $85 tour was well worth it - less so for the visit to the monumental hotel featured in The Shining which held marginal interest for me - than for the beauty of the pine clad mountains. The Americans were impressed by seeing rams but i was more taken by the elks, marmoots, chipmunks and colourful birds. Sadly, a beetle disease is taking many of the trees so goodness know what impact this will have on the wildlife that includes bears.
Another flight onto New York where i stayed in buzzy, liberal Greenwich Village which was also celebrating Pride. I love New York - especially the stunning and recently completed memorial to 9-11 which is overlooked by a huge new World Trade Centre building. America really is divided - it is tengible. Watching the competing channels is an interesting experience since they have such strong and opposing views on President Trump and tend to select commentators accordingly. During my stay, the President garnered further controversy through his personal and somewhat abusive tweets about a couple of anchors and then compounded the felony by posting a spoof cartoon of him punching a CNN anchor. Queue further TV programmes about his unsuitability for office.
The amazing Smithsonian Museum with its extensive collections of impressionist and other paintings, took my mind of politics, and i particularly enjoyed the visiting exhibition of Teracotta treasures which incliuded an amazing suit made of jade for one deceased king.
I spent my last day in the USA taking an Amtrak train 2 hours up the Hudson River to Hudson town which was stacked with US flags ready for Independence Day and antique shops and galleries. I had gone to visit a Japanese specialist holding more than 350 screens but enjoyed the great 3/4 story old style US houses. It was also refreshing to ride a train company that refuses to allow passengers to stand - perhaps Southern could learn a trick or two!
I need to go back to American and see the conservative heartlands and Bible belt. I had unwittingly taken a tour of the liberal enclaves and need to see the other side.
