Home

Home. Most would consider home as a solid entity, a place you base yourself and feel safe enough from which to go out and explore the world. But I'm not most people. 

Home. A more fluid concept. I've been saying it for the last few months, but it occurs to me that home has been a fluid concept to me since I was a teenager. 

I grew up in a family rich suburb, in a 'typical' family home - three bedrooms, big back yard and pets. 

I stayed at home while I studied for a three year degree, it was the cheapest and easiest option.

My first stray was when I got my first job and I moved a couple of times, never staying longer than 18 months in one place. Home was still Mum & Dad's house, the place I grew up. We had family dinner every Sunday night. 

In my mid-twenties I moved home. My job was driving me to depression and I was desperately saving money to go overseas. I knew I had home to fall back on and luckily my parents. 

After a year I'd found a great new job and saving was less and less of an importance. It was at this point that my parents seperated and I was living at home - awkward! Mum moved out and I stayed another few years at home with Dad. Although, now home, was no longer the family home, but a home I shared with my new flatmate - my Dad. 

Dad made a leap of great faith and moved to Auckland for greener pastures. Of course, this left me flatmates less and I got my best friend to move in. Now I was living in the home I had grown up in, but it wasn't the family home, but my home with my friend. We always knew that it wouldn't be forever, one (or hopefully both) of us was going to find someone and we'd move on. We would have lots of fun and enjoy our home while we had it. 

Two and a half years later we moved out of the house. Dad made the tough decision to sell the home and we did so in just four weeks. We sold for a good price, but we had to be out in three weeks. Have you ever packed up 30 years of a families history and attic storage space? It's a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. I grieved for the loss of the house, the family home. The house was full of nearly 30 years of my life, my memories and my family, who were now scattered around the country and the world. 

John and I moved into a quirky flat in a suburb much closer to the city. This time we knew it was for just a year. We had to sign a lease that long and while not quite ready then, John was going to move in with his girlfriend sooner rather than later. I unpacked my things, knowing that I'd be packing them up again in a years time. I'm not sure that I ever really settled there. I knew I'd be moving again before too long. 

I made plans to travel for a few months and took advantage of the lease expiry, wonderful landlords and John's great friendship, to stay an extra few months in the flat. I packed up my belongings and stored them in my friends garage. For the first time ever, I was homeless. I had no home of my own, no family home to fall back on, just the wonderful friends that opened up theirs to me before and after I went overseas. 

As the weeks until my return 'home' twindled I began to think of home as a fluid concept. I was returning 'home' to Wellington, the city I had always lived, where my friends were, some of my family, my job and where I knew I wanted to live. But I had no home. More than once I was asked 'Are you looking forward to going home?' and I always answered with an 'eh, um, ah. . . ' How do you answer that when you have no home?

I arrived 'home' to the generosity of three friends that opened up their homes and more specically their spare rooms to me, to stay as long as I needed. This generoristy and support allowed me to settle back into work and back into life at 'home'. I don't do post-holidays too well. I can get a little grumpy. I was able to take my time searching for a new home. It took me four weeks and 10 flat viewings to find the perfect little flat to move into. 

I counted the days - 115. 115 days of living out of my suitcase, of constantly thinking about how much stuff I had, was it enough, was it too much, would it get through customs, would I be able to heave it up stairs, would I have all the clothes I needed, where was the deodarant, did I really just have one shoe of the pair, could I wear this again without washing it, could I be packed and ready in 10 minutes, perhaps I don't really need as much 'stuff' as I think I do. And, if I don't have a physical 'home', where is my home?

I've been here for two weeks now and I've emptied every box and every bag. I've bought new couches, a new bed and so many new kitchen utensils that Briscoes can afford to have another sale. Tonight as I was unwrapping the bubble wrap off my photo frames I wondered when I might move next. For the first time in a very, very long time I have a home that I don't have to move out of any time soon. I don't imagine I'll be here forever, but at the moment, it's my home.

Living on my own for only two weeks has so far been eye opening (that's for another blog post), but it's shown me that I can totally take care of myself and that I enjoy it. 

But, while I am enjoying unpacking, unwrapping and rediscovering all my things and treasures, I realise that they don't make up the total of my home. My home is my 'things', my treasures, my belongings yes. My home is whereever my wonderful family are, no matter if thats when we're together in one place, or spread out across continets. My home is my amazing friends that offer to help, that insist on putting me up and that genuinely love me. 

I am my own home. Home is wherever I am. 

What was your favourite place?

This has been the most common question I've been asked about my holiday, followed by "are you glad to be home?" To which the answer is "No! Are you stupid?!". However, the first question is alot more difficult to answer. But, I do have an answer, which is this (a little long winded but honest):

I have so many favourite places for so many different reasons. I loved both San Francisco and Los Angeles because I explored them on my own, in my own time, at my own pace. Both places had a lot to see and do that I was never bored and I felt safe exploring on my own. I did hop on-hop off sightseeing tours in both cities which were a great way to explore. 

I loved Chicago and would move there tomorrow if I could. I felt a real connection to Chicago that I couldn't really explain. Maybe one day I will live there, or perhaps I lived there in past life? Chicago reminded me a lot of home - windy, on the waterfront, full of art and friendly people. 

New York was amazing. It's New York, of course it is! Its such a compact city of awesomeness. So much to see, do and experience. It's not somewhere you'd go to relax, because every street has something new. But we did take an opportunity to relax a little with a picnic in Central Park. I was there during a heatwave, making New York a hot and sweaty experience. I have to go back to New York, to explore more of the city that never sleeps. 

In Boston I went to Fenway Park to see the Boston Red Sox play the New York Yankees. It was a real quintessential American sporting experience and I loved it! Boston was already a pretty interesting, old, classical city and this made it even better. 

Dallas was a city that caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting such a fascinating, welcoming, historical city. Everything is bigger in Texas and damn hot! Such a diverse city that just begs to be explored. It's huge and yet it's not pretenious. It just is a big, hot city with lots to do, or not do, whatever. 

I loved New Orleans. I had been dreaming of going to New Orleans for a long time. I enjoyed the culture - the party atmosphere, the jazz and the food! Oh my god, the food was fantastic - Gumbo, Jumbalaya, Pralines, Crawfish! sooo yummy. 

Savannah was another city I looked forward too but was much better than I thought. It was a typical southern city, full of city parks and quaint cobblestone paths. It had great inner city bars and cheap beer, you can't go wrong with that! 

I also loved Washington D.C. I was blown away with the amount of monuments to dead presidents and war heroes. I developed a respect for America's respect and honour of their history makers and those that had died for their country. I spent two full days exploring the cities hundreds of museums. I heard a stat that if you spent one minute in front of each exhibit in each museum, including all the exhibits in storage, it would take you 89 years to see everything in Washington museums. And because of that fact alone, visiting Washington D.C. will always mean you'd never be bored! 

Oh and I went to Canada too! Toronto was a great city to visit, it was like New York - huge, compact and so much to see and do. Quebec City meanwhile was perhaps one of the most 'different' places I went too. It's the french-ist city I've every been too (given I've never been to France), the architecture was French, the people were French, the culture was french. It was a wonderful city to walk around and feel inspired by. 

So there you have it. My favourite places. Honestly, I loved the whole trip and so many of the places I went were my favourites for so many reasons. Just wait till I find my next place to live and I have to make a decison on what pictures to frame, now that's going to be a long disucssion!!

Los Angeles

The end of my amazing adventure was three days in Los Angeles. I had decided to do LA at the end of the holiday seeing as I had to go back there to fly home anyway. After leaving Ottawa I was fairly tired and this is what I expected. Most people I spoke to about LA had said that it wasn't the most interesting of places and a day would do it. So, I figured three days would allow me to sleep in, potter around, do some sight seeing and head home. 

But, turns out, LA is actually pretty cool. I stayed at a hotel in West Hollywood and had the biggest room, with the biggest bed ( I tested it out - I could sleep lengthwise or widthwise without any limbs hanging off any end). It was a great, central location to stay. About 6 blocks away was a stop on the hop on - hop off sightseeing tour that I booked. The tour was great, stopping at many of the places I wanted to go.

After a sleep in on the first day I ended up packing in a lot of sightseeing and holiday activities before heading home. Heres what I squeezed in:

- A tour around downtown LA, seeing the financial, fashion, jewellery districts. 

- A tour around Hollywood, seeing the hollywood sign, paramount studios, rodeo drive and the sunset strip.

- Lunch at the Farmers Market. Sampling the Gumbo at a Southern stall and the Laksa at the Singaporean stall a second day. 

- A visit to the La Brea Tar Pits. 

- A visit to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). 

- A tour around Santa Monica. 

- Walking along Santa Monica pier. 

- Shopped at Tiffany & Co. on Rodeo Drive. 

- A tour through the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills to stalk the homes of movie stars. Seeing the homes of Bruce Willis, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Sasha Baron Cohen, Jason Statham, Al Pacino and Jackie Collins just to name a few. 

- Had a pamper evening with a manicure and pedicure. 

- Walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

- A movie at a theatre on Hollywood Blvd. 

- Souvenir shopping. 

Thats a long list. 

I was pleased to have the time in LA that I did and would definelty enjoy going back to see more. I didn't get to Disneyland in the end, so thats on the list of things to do next time too. If you're not much of a movie person, or into celebrities, then I can see that LA wouldn't have a heck of a lot to appeal to you. The tours are really focused on it's famous history and celebrities, but it's LA, so you'd kinda expect it. It was a great place to explore on my own and I enjoyed having the wind down (or wind up perhaps) to the holiday. 

I left LA on Thursday night on a 12 hour flight to Auckland. I left knowing that I had done everything, seen everything, and taken full advantage of everything my time in North America had offered me. Not to mention, spent enough money to make a small man cry. My credit card adores me right now. 

Ottawa, Canada

When I was planning my holiday I knew that I had to make some time to visit Ottawa, the capital of Canada. 

My good friend Ele moved to Ottawa a year and a half ago with her partner Dave and their son Luke. Dave is an Ottawa native and they wanted to make sure their son grew up knowing both sides of the family and both of his heritages. While I hope that one day they will return to New Zealand (either briefly or more long term) I knew that visiting them in Canada would be a great time. 

I flew directly to Ottawa from Chicago and was so pleased to see Ele and Luke greet me at the airport. The comforting thing about seeing a best friend after a year and a half is it doesn't feel like it's been that long. It could really have been a day and a half, it's all the same. 

Ele lives in a family friendly suburb about half an hour out of Ottawa. It's a nice area with lots of parks for two year olds to play in and bars for Mum's and their friends to enjoy on nights off. 

I throughly enjoyed being off tour, having no timeframes to stick too and being able to sleep in (much to Ele's annoyance - no more 9.30am crack-of-dawn calls when you have a two year old I guess - haha.) We spent lots of time catching up on life, talking with the freedom that being in the same place and the same time allows, and that alchohol allows. Yep, we drank Ele's house dry on the first night and turned to her neighbour Erica for drinking assistance. 

During the day we entertained Luke, a sweet and energetic two year old. He's not much of a talker, but boy can he move. He's fast, he climbs like a monkey and he's a pretty good boy to boot. His Grandmother took him one day so that Ele and I could go to the local water park. She talked me into trying a rather tall and fast ride, which I actually enjoyed. I especially enjoyed the long rides through the 'Kongo'. Ele and Dave showed me around downtown Ottawa and the parliament buildings, in the pouring rain. And we decided that a trip to the local Zoo would be not only touristy, but a great way to entertain Luke. Only, it took several stops at petrol stations to find it at 70 kms out of the city. Once there, it wasn't quite what we had expected. Rather than a commercial zoo like Wellington (and what we were expecting) it was more of a family run farm park (kinda like Lindale farm). Not that that was bad, just different. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Dave's best friend Adam, his wife Darlene and their six month old daughter Brynn at a BBQ on my last night in Ottawa. We stayed the night at Dave's parents place (they were away in Toronto for the weekend) which really is in the middle of nowhere. 

To be honest, there isn't as much to Ottawa as any of the other Canadian cities I've visited and I can see why it's bypassed on the commerical tours. But Ottawa wasn't about Ottawa for me, it was about visiting my great friend and having some down time with her and her gorgeous family. 

I was sad to say goodbye after four wonderful days and head off for a full day of flying to LA via Toronto. That update yet to come. . . . 

Cleveland & Chicago - My new favourite city!

Once back in the states we headed west towards Cleveland, Ohio and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This place was a tribute to all forms of Rock & Roll over the last 4 or 5 decades. I'm not such a music fan, so some of the exhibits were a bit lost on me. What wasn't lost on me was the talent one of my fellow contiki travellers displayed on the free-for-all piano sitting outside the front doors. Murray sat down and demonstrated his amazing piano skills by playing all forms of music, including an impromptu duet with a random stranger. They drew quite the crowd and we were like proud mama bears of our Murray. 

Back on the bus we were informed that our hotel had been double booked by a group of senior citizens in town to compete at the senior Olympic Games (or something to that effect). Rather than kick the seniors out, our tour manager and driver managed to find us an alternative place to stay and this place was cool! Out in the middle of no where they had found a hotel that had all rooms around the outside of a big atrium that had a pool, ping pong tables, mini golf course, arcade games and much more. We had so much fun playing games all evening, that we didn't care that we weren't where we were supposed to be. 

Chicago was the next city on the list, and the last place on my grand Contiki tour. It was one city I couldn't miss on this adventure, and even though I was getting off the tour at this stop, I was looking forward to it nonetheless. 

Chicago city itself is very beautiful with lots of public art everywhere, surrounded by water (Lake Michigan) and tall buildings. But rather than feel like New York - a concrete jungle, it felt cam and epic somehow. I felt a real connection to the city, pushing it to the top of my 'fave places I've visited' list. 

We did an architecture cruise along the river. It was a great way to see the city and learn about this history at the same time. Following the cruise we walked along Navy Pier, a tourist attraction on the waterfront. My friends did a bike cruise while I took a stroll along the waterfront and through the parks. I enjoyed some time alone to soak in the city and photograph all the statues and artworks I came across. Back from the bike ride, the girls and I went shopping. Well, they went shopping and I tagged along. After rounding the girls up from the various stores on Michigan Ave, we headed back to the hotel via Millenium Park and Grant Park. Millenium Park is where The Bean is. The bean is just that - a giant bean. It's made out of a mirrored metal, meaning you can get some pretty awesome reflection photos. I could have spent hours there photographing The Bean, especially if there had been an awesome sunset. I might have to get back to Chicago one day just to do that! 

Our last night on tour was at a Pizza place famous for their Deep Dish Pizza. Think a pizza that looks like a pie. I'm not a big pizza fan and the size of the one slice made me feel rather unwell so I stuck to the salad instead. We followed the pizza with a local blues club. The band playing was pretty good and we enjoyed the from the second floor while playing pool. Seeing as a group of us were ending our tour in Chicago, it was a great chance to have one last great time with our new friends. 

There were tears the next morning when we got up to say goodbye. The rest of our friends were (and still are) still on tour, heading off to their next destination. Hugs and many 'you better come visit' coversations later saw them get on the bus. I was rather surprised when our tour driver managed to pick me up and throw me in the air to say goodbye. The bus pulled out and off down the road, leaving us on the pavement contemplating what to do next. 

I spent the rest of the morning packing my bag, saying goodbye to my roomie and heading off to the airport. I was on a late morning flight back to Canada. It was an odd feeling being on my own again. Even though my time with Contiki was finally over (44 days on tour!) I was excited about the next bit of this adventure - seeing my friend Ele again after a year and a half. 

Would I do a Contiki tour again?! hmmmm, good question. I might be to close to such a long time on tour at the moment to give a realistic opinion. I think I'm probably too old - not mentally, but in terms of the amount of partying and drinking that goes on definetly. I really enjoyed making new friends, and I definetly did way more on these tours than I could possibly have done on my own. So maybe I would yes. I'd definetly do more tours, maybe not necessarily with Contiki next time. Yay, more adventures ahead! 

Toronto

Wow, I'm getting a bit behind on the blog updates here. For a while my ipad had a bit of a hissy fit, but  the dude behind the counter at some Canadian tech shop managed to turn it on and off, restoring it to it's former glory. And now for the latest update:

We had a three night stop in Toronto. Get this, 6 million people live in Toronoto. 6 million! That's a lot. Apparently a third of the Canadian population live within five hours of Toronto. I considered it to be the New York of Canada. 

I still had a bit of a cold, so took it easy on the drinking while in Toronto. Probably a good plan seeing as I was getting worried about flying the following Wednesday with blocked sinus'. 

Our hotel was very central to the city centre, making it a walkable distance to our dinners and sight seeing. We walked down to the CN tower, one of the worlds tallest buildings. The view from the top was stunning, I hadn't realise how BIG Toronoto really was. In every direction there was blocks of high rises, houses, more high rises, more houses, more high rises, you get the picture. I guess I should have expected it given the population! At the bottom of the tower was our next stop - a brewery tour around the Steam Whistle Brewery. A boutique brewery housed in an old train turnstile building. 

My next stop after the brewery was the Canadian Postal service. My bag was 10kg overweight, and I was getting grief from our bus driver about how heavy my bag was. So it had to be posted home. A piece of advice for you - it costs twice as much to send a box home to NZ from Canada as it does from USA. But it was fast, home in under a week! If you're counting, that makes 5 boxes I've posted home so far, and now that I'm in LA, I probably have another box to send too. Shopaholic much?! 

The third day in Toronto was a day trip to Niagara Falls. I had always heard that the Canadian side was much better than the American side, but I didn't know what that meant and now I do. There are two major falls - the American falls that are wide with lots of rocks at the bottom and the Canadian falls that are a horseshoe shape. They sit side by side, but from the Canadian side of the river you can see both falls front on. To view them from the American side, you'd only see the side of the falls, not such a great view. We dressed as smurfs in the blue condoms and boarded the Maid of the Mist boat cruise. It rained at this point, but it didn't matter, the mist from the falls meant you got wet regardless. 

The American National Park Society(?) has been set up to preserve the natural wonderment that is the parks, and to avoid what has happened at Niagara Falls. The Falls themselves are beautiful and awe inspiring. unfortunetly, you turn around to find miles of shops, restaurants, kids amusement rides, icecream shops and enough neon lights to rival Las Vegas. It was actually kind of depressing to see such an obvious cashing in on a natural wonder. 

I was feeling much better as we left Toronoto and headed back into the USA. 

Quebec City & Montreal - French Canada

The drive from Boston through Maine and New Hampshire heading towards the Canadian border was beautiful. Very lucious and green, which reminded me of home. We crossed the border into Canada with minimal fuss. While some of my fellow travellers were asked lots of questions about their stay in Canada and their travels, all I was asked was "Do you like birds?" as he looked at my Pukeko tattoo. Go figure. 

This might sound naive, and I'll be honest, it is, but I didn't realise how French the Quebec province was. I knew they spoke French, but I didn't expect there to be no English signage, or for the cities to be so visiably French in style. And the most surprising thing to me was that they have French accents, not Canadian accents. They really are so seperate from the rest of Canada in terms of culture, it's not hard to believe it when we were told about how the province has in the past attempted to seperate from Canada to become it's own country. I can imagine that they would try again at some point in the future. 

Quebec City was our first stop, and it's been one of the most beautiful so far. The architecture, the style, the 'feel' of the city is very old and very French/European. I loved the old city, still walled in, making it the only completely walled city north of Mexico. It was also where we had the most amazing non-included dinner on tour - very well done duck and veges. 

The trip from Boston to Quebec City was the day of the Wellington earthquakes. While I was very confident knowing that my family and friends would and were keeping me updated via txt on the situation and their safety, I didn't like being out of touch with the internet. At every stop I'd get on the wifi and read more news about more earthquakes, and by the end of the day I wasn't handling it very well at all. I was very lucky to have a calm and understanding tour manager and a roommate that understood and was able to make my laugh so much I thought I'd pee my pants. 

This day was also my brothers 30th birthday, so I enlisted the help of my fellow travellers to help me sing happy birthday on speaker phone at 8am in the morning (midnight at home). They loved it, my tour manager thought it was awesome and they asked me for ages about the birthday awards our family has started. And I think Lexi enjoyed 55 people from Germany, Belgium, USA, Australia and New Zealand singing to him from Boston. 

Canada is cooler than the States. It has been a welcome change to wear long sleeves and pants (pants!!), and not sweat so much that you have have a serious conversation with yourself about whether you have or have not actually wet your pants while sitting in the sun. 

We left Quebec City and arrived in Montreal. It was a short drive to the city nearby. While still French, it was not as French as Quebec City. Our first stop was down by the wharf for a group photo, then while the rest of the group went on a terrifying jet boat ride along the river, I had poutine (Fries, gravy and cheese curd - a Canadian favourite) and wandered around a beautiful little area of cobblestone shops, small alleyways, all filled with beautiful jewellery stalls, art stalls and souvenir shops. It was so nice to have some time to myself to just go at my own pace and explore. 

The next day was completely free in Montreal, so guess what I did?! I slept in. It was blissful. Every single day on tour has been an early start - usually between 6.15 and 7am every day, and those of you that know me well, know that I hate doing early mornings. So a sleep in was definetly what I needed. Only I as coming down with something - inevitable on a contiki tour I'm told. With a sore throat and feet that have been swelling in the heat this whole trip, I decided to have a lazy day at the hotel. There wasn't too much I wanted to do in Montreal as it was so it didn't take much to convince myself. 

In the late afternoon my friends returned and we started playing games in the hotel room before having a late dinner in the hotel restaurant. Montreal was hosting an international fireworks competition, with Croatia competing on this night. We had a prime spot on the hotel balcony for the half an hour show. 

We said goodbye to Montreal very early the next morning, heading to Toronto and out of Quebec province and into English-speaking territory. 

Boston

Tour number three started just as quickly as the last one ended. I was lucky enough to have five friends from the previous tour and the same tour manager and driver on this tour. It felt like welcoming family back for this tour, so I was feeling very comfortable for this tour. 

Before arriving in Boston we had lunch in Providence, Rhode Island. It's a small city in a small state. That's about all I have to say on that one really. 

Boston is a very old city, one of the oldest in the United States, which you can really see in the architecture of the city. 

In Boston we went to a restaurant called Dicks Last Resort where they give you a paper hat with a rude comment on it (mine was "Ask me about my rash"), throw straws and napkins at you and are generally just dicks. This probably sounds familiar because this is not the first time I've been there. We also went to a Dicks Last Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida. After dinner a large group of us went to the Bowling alley across the street from the hotel and bowled for a few hours. It was a great way to get to know some of these new faces and have some fun at the same time. 

We got up early the next morning to take a walking tour of Harvard University. We had a great student guide that told us about the history and about student life on campus. Afterwards the day was our own, so I took a trolley ride around the city for some history before getting off at Fenway Park. I had lunch here with one of the other girls and bought some Red Sox fan souvenirs. I had to look the part seeing as we had tickets to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox. You know when you see baseball games on TV or in the movies and they play the ball game songs, there's a party atmosphere, there's action and there's men selling hotdogs?! It's REAL! A group of about 15 of us had great tickets and we soaked up the atmosphere as best we could. I fell in love with my foam hand, it was all so much fun. The Red Sox didn't win, but it didn't matter, now I'm a Red Sox fan forever. It was the best experience in Boston, I loved it! 

New York

I'm starting to get a wee bit overwhelmed with the amount of things that I've done already on this trip and even more so when I realise there is still more to go. This has been a dream come true this trip. 

New York marked the ending point of my first tour - the Grand Southern - with Contiki and with my new Contiki Family. I have made some new friends and some new family on this trip. 

When we left Washington D.C. we headed north to Philadelphia. Our first stop was lunch, and when in Philadelphia, you have to try a Phillie Cheese Steak. It's a french stick sandwich with roasted meat and melted cheese, plus mushrooms, capsicum and onions if you want. It was goooood! 

After Philadelphia we hit the road north again to New York and the end of the tour. As you can imagine it was mixed emotions on the bus - excitement for finally being in New York and sadness at leaving our new friends. But, with such wonderful technology as Facey-book we have stayed in touch while in the big city and now that we have gone our seperate ways too. 

In New York I had a new roomie - Zoe and a new tour. This was the New York Uncovered tour, still with Contiki, but a little different, as it was all in the one city and only for a few days. Rather than a coach bus to travel from place to place we walked or caught the subway. And, New York was having a heatwave - high 30's/40's every day with high humidity. I don't think I've ever sweated so much my life. Plus I was tired. So very tired. After 26 full on days on tour, I wanted a sleep in. 

Alas, the tour of New York started the very next day and I didn't get my sleep in until the third morning. It might seem slightly silly to waste half a morning in NEW YORK on sleep, but I needed it, desperately. And here's why. You tell me you wouldn't need a sleep in after doing all this in the heat after a 26 day tour:

 - Did a city tour on a coach bus

 - Visited a church in Harlem

 - Dropped by the Apollo theatre

 - Had lunch at Grand Central Station

 - Paid my respects at the 9/11 Memorial

 - Took a 25 minute Helicopter around the island of Manhattan

 - Had dinner at a pub in Times Square

 - Soaked up the atmosphere in Times Square at night

 - Caught yellow taxi cabs

 - Rode the subway

 - Cruised out to the Statue of Liberty

 - Did a food cart tour around Downtown, Manhattan

 - Saw 'Newsies' on Broadway!

 - Ate at Red Lobster

 - Had a picnic in Central Park

 - Shopped at Tiffany & Co on 5th Avenue

 - Walked through Rockerfeller Centre

 - Experienced a typical Jewish dinner at a local kosher deli

 - Went up the Empire State Building at night

New York felt a lot safer than I thought it would and despite the warnings of unfriendly Americans, I didn't really experience that. The island of Manhattan is so packed in it's crazy. Every inch of the island is jam packed. It's also fairly well labelled - it's chronological for the most part, making it way to navigate for tourists such as myself. There is so much to do and see, you'd need several weeks at the least to see everything you could, but that would cost a fortune! So, the tour around the city was a great way to see as much as possible, and make the most of the few days I had there. 

I'll have to come back though, there is so much more to see and experience. Mark my words, I'll be back to this amazing city! 

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. was everything I thought it would be and more. My aim was to see as much as possible, monuments and museums galore. 

This was the final stop on the Grand Southern tour and was the longest at a 3 day stint. On the final night we had one final blow out party to commemorate the trip and to start the goodbyes. While we travelled together the next day through Philadelphia on the way to New York, this was the last time we had to drink and party together. We had a t-shirt signing party. Everyone bought white t-shirts and we spent the evening writing notes, drawing pictures and saying goodbye. And did all of this while drinking, so you can imagine the comments that were being made! I also managed to face off against 4 Aussies in a battle of Flip Cup and won! It was probably my crowning moment. Needless to say I did NOT feel like a box of fluffy ducks the next morning on the bus!

While we were in Washington for the weekend so were 30,000 Boy Scouts for their National Jamboree and 10,000 African-American woman from a National Sorority for their conference. You'll no doubt see numerous geeky scouts, and beautiful black woman in my photos!

Meanwhile here's what I did and saw in Washington during daylight hours:

Arlington Cemetery. 

Arlington is in Virginia, on the other side of the river from Washington D.C. Arlington Cemetery is where America bury anyone that served in the military service, or during battle, and their spouses too. Presidents are buried there too. It was a very somber place and seeing rows upon rows of white marble headstones, up and down the hills really showed the toll this country has taken during conflicts. We visited the site of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onassis then went to the changing of the guard at the gravesite of the unkown solider. 

Marine Memorial.

I feel a little bad that I don't remember the name of this site, but you'll know the statue when you see it. It's a dedication to all Marines that have given their life in the name of USA, with a large statue of 6 men erecting a large flag in Iwo Jima. It was here that I came to respect the level of respect and honour that American's show their armed forces and those that gave their lives in battle. 

Nighttime tour of Washington City

On this tour we had a local guide that talked about living in Washington, the diversity of the city and showed us the highlights of the sites. We stopped at the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument (which is currently covered in scaffolding and wrapped in plastic for maintenance work. Locals already thought it was fellic looking and now that it's covered in plastic you can imagine the jokes!), Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. All of these were very big and very well done, true dedications to the heroes and presidents and the great work they did. 

Smithsonian Museums. 

Get this, if you were to go to each exhibit and spend one minute at each item on display at each museum and did this until you saw everything in the storage facilities too, it would take you 89 years to see everything in the Smithsonian collections! Needless to say I compromised on what I saw! The Smithsonian Museums are numerous Museums dedicated to various things. They line the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. On the first day I went with a small group to the Holocaust Museum (almost made me cry), the Natural History Museum (where I went in the butterfly house and saw the National Geographic Nature Photography winners for 2012), the Sculpture Garden (New Zealand does Sculpture art better!) and the National Museum of modern Art. 

On the second day we went to Newseum (a relatively new museum dedicated to the Press, with exhibts on famous headlines like the Unabomber, 9/11, JFK, etc) Did I mention that some of these Museums aren't in the Smithsonian Museum cluster, so heaven knows how long it would take to see EVERYTHING in Washington?! I missed seeing the Spy Museum and the Air & Space Museum, along with numerous Art Galleries and Museums. Oh well, guess I'll have to come back!! 

The White House.

We walked in the blistering heat (I've honestly never sweat so much in my life!) to both sides of the White House. It's a giant White House. With large lawns. And that's honestly about it. It is much smaller than it looks in the movies, or shorter I should say, it always seems so long in the movies, like Buckingham Palace long, but it's not. 

Savannah, Georgia to Raleigh, North Carolina

Over the last few days we have covered a lot of miles. And I mean a lot. One night stops are hard work, you arrive mid to late afternoon, sometimes in the evening and get back on the bus early the next morning to do it again. For those following along on the map, in this stretch we've gone from Miami to Cocoa Beach, to St Augustine, to Savannah, to Raleigh, and end up in Washington D.C. tomorrow for a luxiourous 3 night stay. 

Savannah was a beautiful city, very obsessed with park squares. Have you watched Forrest Gump? The park where is sits waiting for the bus and narrates his story is in Savannah. In fact here it is:

The actual park bench is at the visitors centre. I have a picture of that too somewhere. Savannah is a place I wanted to visit as it really captured the 'South American' culture that I wanted to experience. I definetly want to come back here and explore it more. It's on my 'return to' list. 

We arrived in Savannah around mid day and promptly lined up at 107 West Jones Street. This is a normal home on a normal street, with an amazing history. Mrs Wilkes Boarding House is an institution in Savannah and in the USA. You line up for about an hour and when you get to the door you sit at a dining table with other customers. In front of you is a table covered in about 18 dishes of homemade southern food and the biggest plate of the most amazing fried chicken you can imagine. You dig in and when you empty a bowl or plate they replace it. At the end of the meal you take you dishes to the kitchen, pay and attempt to roll yourself back your hotel. It was quite honestly one of the most amazing meals I've had here and real quintessential South USA culture experience. We ate so much food that i'm pretty sure we were 'food drunk' on the walk to the hotel, where we proceeded to curl up in the foetal position on the reception floor (that's no joke - the rooms weren't ready and we were about to go on a tour of the city). 

After the tour we went out to a local pub for a few drinks and a few rounds of pool. The majority of the group moved on to another pub after an hour or so, but a smaller (and cooler ;) ) group stayed behind. With $2 beers and pool tables to play can you blame us?! We had a ball and spent a bit of time flirting with a group of local boys, whom were enamoured with out accents. 

The next morning more sick bags were passed out on the bus than throughout the rest of the tour combined. It was going to be a very long and messy drive to Raleigh. 

We stopped in Charleston, South Carolina, another very pretty and old city on the East Coast with a lot of history, in fact it was the site where the Civil War began. 24 hours after Mrs Wilkes, a lot of beers and not much sleep we needed food, and pronto. After a brilliant steak, we finally managed to appreciate the Charleston city and visited the markets. 

We spent a total of 7 hours on the bus today, which is a lot for one day. You can't move much, there's constant chatter or music, or movies playing and it's hot. Oh and smelly. Anyway, we arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina around 6pm. To be honest not many people have had much positive things to say about Raleigh. Based on my experiences so far there is something very awesome and different about each city and place we visit, so I'm sure there is something about Raleigh. Unfortunately we won't really get to find out as this stop is really just a stop for a stops sake. We are back on the road tomorrow to Washington D.C. I can't wait, there is so much to see and do there! 

Florida; Reality nothing like Expectations

Day One, Panama City Beach

My expectation: Arriving for the first day/night at a super hot, sunny Panama City Beach and going for a swim in the ocean. 

Reality: Arriving for the first day/night at a cold, wet, flooded Panama City Beach and going for a swim in the pool where I can see the ocean. Not able to swim in the ocean because of the weather and the red flags. 

My Expectation: Finally being able to do some laundry after 10 days. Only one pair of pants left. 

Reality: All washing and dryer machines broken. Still only one pair of pants left. 

Day Two, Orlando

My Expectation: Short drive to Orlando, followed by an afternoon at Disney World. 

Reality: Torrential downpour made the drive slow, arriving in Orlando at 5pm. No time for Disney World. 

My Expectation: Fourth of July, would be epic, lots of festivities, lots of cheeriness and fireworks. 

Reality: Tour manager is decked out in USA flag gear, but not one other single American we've met is or shop is decorated. Muppets in the hotel are setting off fireworks that sounds like gunshots and there's smoke everywhere. And it's still raining. Having a party in the laundry room. 

Day Three, Orlando

My Expectation: Go to a theme park, maybe Universal Studios because it's a Contiki 'optional' that we can get the tickets for easily enough. Not too fussed. 

Reality: Freakin loved it! Three of the girls and I went off together to explore and do the rides, spending about 7 hours there in total. Did Transformers, The Simpsons, Men in Black, Cat in the Hat. Bought Minion merchandise from Despicable Me and had a ball in Suess Land. Visited Harry Potter Land and Jurassic Park. Have made a new travel decision - visit the Gold Coast theme parks next year, (who's keen to join me?!) oh and visit Disneyland in LA seeing as I couldn't get to it here in Orlando as planned. 

My Expectation: TGI Fridays would be another typical fast food place (despite going to one in Dubai 4 years ago). 

Reality: Had a bloomin good steak and a delicious desert. 

Day Four, Miami

My Expectation: The same good food, good service and cheap prices. 

Reality: Good food, terrible, rude service and expensive prices. 

My Expectation: The beach would be like beaches at home, but better - white sand, lots of room, not many people and cold water. 

Reality: White sand, no room, way to many people and warm, but strong weather. 

Day Five, Miami

My Expectation: Cuban food from a Cuban restaurant would be amazing and a real cultural experience. 

Reality: After waiting 40 minutes to be served we walked out. A block down the road was a Brazilian place, that had the most wonderful Brazilian food ever. I had a seafood stew/laksa - without the curry - type meal. It was chocka with shellfish and so delicious. 

My Expectation: Bubba Gump Restaurant was a rip off of the Forrest Gump movie in name only. 

Reality: It was, but it was a homage to the movie. Of course I bought some souviners. 

Day Six: Cocoa Beach

My Expectation: A small beach stop on the way to the next one. Potentially the beach would be covered in cocoa, not overly sure on this, but the name suggests it. 

Reality: Had a great night by the pool with the BBQ going. Even had smores for dessert. The beach was beautiful, huge and sandy white with a long pier. And evidently, no cocoa on the beach. 

Day Seven: St Augustine

My Expectation: Kennedy Space Centre would be a cool stop, with some astronaut stuff and some souviners. 

Reality: A very cool stop, with several 45 min documentarys to watch and seeing inside the Atlantis Space Shuttle. I even met a real astronaut! Very cool. 

My Expectation: Yet another stop along the way. Another boring beach town. 

Reality: A beautiful Spanish influenced town. Architecture, a town square and a cool shopping strip all with stunning and quaint 'old town' charm. 

After a week in Florida we leave tomorrow for our next stop at Savannah, Georgia. I'm looking forward to getting out of this state and heading north. Overall, this state has hardly matched my expecatations. Some has been way better than I thought and lots has not, my first time being disappointed with my trip. But, I'm still glad I went, don't get me wrong, I just don't need to come back, well to Orlando maybe. 

New Orleans, Louisiana

Like every other place we've been so far New Orleans is completely unlike any of the others. The biggest difference personally is that New Orleans was number 1 on my priority of places I wanted to go when planning this trip.

We left Memphis, travelled down through Mississippi, into Louisiana and arrived in New Orleans late in the afternoon. Sadly 11 of our little Contiki family were getting off in New Orleans, including a couple of my new friends that I'd been hanging out with :( So to celebrate, or commiserate, we had a costume party. 50 people did pretty well to pull costumes together in 2 hours (mainly from a great costume place around the corner from the hotel) and we walked down the river to get on the Paddlewheeler that took us on a dinner cruise along the Mississippi River. For the first time in weeks we were the ones having photos taken of us by strangers as opposed to the other way round. 

After the cruise we went down Bourbon Street, looking for somewhere to hang out for the evening. I decided to head home around midnight. I wasn't feeling 100% and I really wanted to get up in the morning and enjoy the day exploring the city. 

The next morning a group of 10 of us went to a cooking school class in the French Quarter. It was brilliant. The tutor was a local Grandma, really funny and so good at teaching. She demonstrated Gumbo, Jambalaya, Pralines and a desert. Not only did we get copies of her recipies, but we got to eat what she was cooking. We got to here her secrets and methods. My roommate Sarah is a chef, so Im hoping she'll practice and invite me over to her place in Masterton to sample when we get home. Hint hint. 

After the cooking school Sarah and I walked around the French Quarter - the touristy friendly part of the city. We shopped at the local markets and checked out some local restaurants for a dinner venue. We had already decided that we didn't want to get stuck into having dinner at the hotel with the rest of the group, we were in New Orleans for gods sake and wanted to try as much of the local cuisine as possible. A group of 8 of us met up and went to a local place and had a wonderful meal of alligator and crawfish. Delicious! 

With so much of the tour and holiday left to go, and a travel day tomorrow, no drinking tonight. Pacing oneself is so important on this long trip! Tomorrow we head to Florida. We are doing a grand tour of Florida, so will be there for several days in total. Looking forward it, as we as Fourth of July. These Americans sure know how to celebrate I can tell you that much!

Memphis, Tennessee

After the scorching heat of Dallas, Texas we crossed the state of Arkansas into Tennessee for a two night stop over in Memphis. It was a jam packed few days;

1. A quick sight seeing tour of the city.

2. Crossed over the Mississippi River. 

3. Went to my first American Baseball game - Memphis Redbirds vs. Albuquerque Isotopes. Go Redbirds!

4. American hotdogs at the Baseball. Because, well, you kinda have to don't you?!

5. Went for a tour around Graceland and paid our respects to the King of Rock n' Roll and Elvis' grave. 

6. Toured the Rock n' Soul Museum.

7. Ate fried chicken at Gus' Fried Chicken place. A small, off the beaten path, local chicken place, that has officially ruined KFC for me forever. 

8. Visited the site that Martin Luther King was assassinated.

9. Drank Pina Colada slushies in a park on Beale Street. Listened to an amazing Blues band play for hours. 

10. Celebrated Canada Day at a Canadian restaurant. 

Memphis was the first city in USA where I felt like we were really seeing the raw side of the city, the not-as-touristy side of the city. As we left LA much of the western states much of the history is about American Indians and now as we are getting into the south alot it's about civil rights. Our tour manager is very good at giving us little speals about the history of the place we're going to, trivia, lessons on history etc. It's so worth doing a tour like this just for that I reckon.

Dallas, Texas

Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, is bigger in Texas. The state is huge and so is their soul, not to mention thier portion sizes!

On our way from Amarillo to Dallas we stopped in Santa Fe. Santa Fe is this gorgeous wee town/city that has some gorgeous architecture - very Spanish and Mexican in origin. We stopped here for lunch and to pick up some cowboy gear for the Rodeo in Dallas. The town centre was one of those quintessential American town squares you see in the movies. We even tried the Fajitas from the vendor on the street. Four us were wandering the city together and all four of us spent over $200 on one item. I'll tell you more about that in person, but at least I wasn't the one that spent $650 on a pair of cowboy boots!

I hadn't given to much thought to Dallas, I knew this was where JFK was assassinated in 1963 and that is was part of Texas, so I was pleasantly surprised with how amazing Dallas was. This was our fourth day on the road without a break, and everyone was hanging out for the 2 night stop over. The bus rides have been good and the stops frequent, but theres only so much bus one an handle after a few days. 

On the first night we went to Gators, a restaurant/bar that did a big Mexican Fajita type meal and cheap beers. A large group of us went down the road to the Haunted House. Now, most of you will be surprised to hear that I went to this. To be honest I wasn't going to go, until our tour manager said that the actors can't touch you and so in a fit of some ridiculous courage and 'yolo' (I hate myself a little bit for using that right now) I signed up for it. In groups of 5 we walked through the haunted house and it was actually very good. I mostly got scared by the people that jumped out of the darkness as opposed to the scenes. But I was at the back to the group and lots of the actors would follow very closely behind me. Thank god for Dylan, a very sweet guy wearing a white shirt that illuminated in the dark and didn't mind me grabbing on to it the whole way round. 

After the haunted house we spent the night back at Gators. It was here that people watching became a very fun sport. Some of us more 'mature' travellers had great fun watching some of our group flirt with each other. Hilarious! 

On the second day in Dallas we went down to the JFK Museum which is on the floor of the building from where the assassinator shot JFK. It was a very in depth tour of JFK's life and his presidency, and a lot of detail about the events of the fatal day in which he was shot there in Dallas. It was definetly a little emotional. We also went over the Grassy Knoll where it happened and had a look at the 'X's' that mark the spots where he was shot. I must say that so far in my experience with the USA, they do their touristy stuff very well. They really take their history seriously and are proud to show off what they know and share it with everyone. And that's meant to be a compliment, just in case it sounds like it's not. 

Later on that afternoon we did a tour of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Again, not something that you'd probably expect me to be interested in, however it was pretty impressive to see a stadium that cost over a billion dollars to build. This thing was so flash, it felt like a 5 star hotel instead of a sports stadium 

Then it was on to Fort Worth for BBQ ribs and the Rodeo. At this point I should mention that the whole time in Texas it's been in the late 30's temperature wise. This night is was 39 degrees! 

We had 18oz (half a litre) beers for $3! and the biggest and tastiest ribs I've ever had. 

The Rodeo was a huge cultural experience that I'm glad I went to, but probably won't do it again. There was bull bucking (is that the right name?!), calf wrangling, and all the kids chase sheep and calfs around for fun. I'm sure it's all humane, but I couldn't help watching thinking that these animals were either very pissed off or very scared and it just didn't seem right to be making them that way for sport. That being said, there were some serious skills involved in this sports they were doing, and they did let the animals go as soon as they were 'caught' or finished with. 

Dallas was pretty cool and interesting, and offered so much more than I had expected. 

Durango, Alburquerque & Amarillo

After the Grand Canyon we did a whirlwind trip from Arizona, detour through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and finally into Texas. 

On the way to Durango, Colorado we detoured through Monument Valley in Utah and stopped for a photo op at the point Forrest Gump stopped his cross country run. I'm loving that every day we go through some place or it's specifically detoured too by our tour guides, because they want to show us where some famous site is or a movie was set. It's very cool. 

Durango, Colorado is a small town in Colorado, which really is a beautiful and rocky as it's portrayed. It's also 7kms above sea level and my feet are really suffering in the heat and altitude. 

In Durango we went to a Brew House for a good dinner, with vegetables even! Then we headed over to a local bar and proceeded to drink our body weight in beer. The next morning while the majority of the group went off to do rafting and horse riding, I joined a few girls for an indulgent manicure/pedicure. My feet sure did need the attention. 

Then it was back on the road to Albuquerque. We had a so-so meal at the hotel and an early night. Our wake up call was 4.30am, for a 5.15am Hot Air Balloon ride over the city. 

We helped with the set up, boarded for an amazing hour flight, then helped with the pack down once we landed. I had wanted to do a Hot Air Balloon ride since I was about 10 years old, and it was on my bucket list. It was much smoother than I had expected, all though I wasn't prepared for the heat. Afterwards we enjoyed a glass of champagne (a Hot Air Balloon tradition) and even got certificates for the rise. 

Later that morning we drove to Amarillo, Texas. Stopping at Cadillac Ranch just outside of the city. Some Farmer bought 10 different era cadillacs, cemented them in to the ground tail down and called them art. When people started graffiting them he made it part of the artwork. So naturally we got spray cans at took to work graffiting cadillacs in the middle of the desert. (Who thinks up this shit?!)

Once in Amarillo we stayed at the Big Texan, which is a quirky side of the road motel with cool facades and is home to the '72 oz Steak Challenge'. Four of our group attempted the challenge in a battle of nations. Braden (USA & our tour manager), Tiaan (South Africa), Gary (Australia) and Nathan (New Zealand) were the brave souls to attempt it. Although, to be fair Braden only did it because our group bribed him in to it. They had one hour to eat a 72oz (2kg) steak, Shrimp cocktail, roll, salad, baked potato and a beer. If they did it they got it for free. The whole group chipped in so that they didn't have to pay for it all if they didn't. They sat up on a platform in the middle of the restaurant, being on a live webcam and had the largest hall of Texans watching too. While none of them finished, they made a pretty good effort of it. Tiaan got the furtherest with only a small portion of steak left at the end. 

After dinner and few drinks we hopped on over the pool for a midnight swim. With the temperatures in Texas averaging in the late 30's a swim was in desperate need. The boys got rowdy and we called it a night. 

After 3 days on the road with only quick stops in cities, we were all hanging out for our 2 day stop in Dallas up next. 

Grand Canyon

We left Vegas and headed to the Grand Canyon for an evening peek at the Canyon itself.

We spent two nights in the National Park lodges, just a three minute walk from the south rim of the Canyon. We had a whole day there and my roommate and I took advantage of that by walking along the rim and checking out the gift shops, art galleries and of course, take lots of photos. 

The morning had started with a 45 minute Helicopter ride over the Canyon. It was spectacular! 

*Please note that these photos are completely unedited! 

That night our entire group grabbed a picnic dinner and bused about 2 kms up the road to a beautiful spot on the rim. From here we had champagne and watched the sunset. It was a very magical evening. 

Las Vegas Baby!

My San Francisco flight was late and I barely made it to my pre-Contiki meeting at the hotel in the lobby, but I did and managed to meet quite a few of my fellow travellers. 

We left LA early on Thursday morning, heading across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas, Nevada. Of all the places on this tour Las Vegas was not a big deal for me, but it seemed to be a huge deal for most of my fellow travellers. That's ok, I'm old enough and ugly enough to not really mind to much what others do and what they think of me, so I rolled with it. 

Once we arrived in Las Vegas we went straight to the famous Las Vegas sign for a photo op. This was another of my "see, I really am in Las Vegas" photos :) 

Our hotel rooms weren't ready yet so we had three hours to kill and I made the silly mistake of deciding to walk down Las Vegas Boulevard (aka "The Strip") in the 40 degree heat. Luckily I recognised the signs and got myself inside to eat something and drink a bottle of water before I fainted in the heat. It was pretty brutal. 

Turned out that I'm sharing a room with a girl from Masterton, whom was joining our tour here in Vegas and I could have come up to the room when the bus arrived anyway. She's a cool, like-minded chick and already we get along really well. Yay :) 

That night we had a family style Italian dinner followed by a tour of the strip. Call me and oldie, or a geek, but I'm really loving the history and info about each place we visit. Meanwhile, the lights in Vegas are beyond amazing, I can't even begin to describe them. Our tour manager told us a story about how he'd accidently gotten married on a boozy boys night and did we want to see his photo on the wall of the chaple?! We all piled into Graceland Wedding Chapel on the Strip - yep, it was definelty one of those small chapels you see on all Vegas bound, drunken movies. Next thing you know, Elvis is sereanading us all and pulls up the only couple on our tour to 'Contiki Marry' them. Turned out it was a stunt by Contiki and we loved it! 

After the chapel we went to Fremont Street. I'd never known anything about Fremont street so I was awestruck by the giant LCD screen that covered the entire street (above the buildings), for four blocks. Along the street were people dressed in every kind of costume you can imagine, and for a tip you could pose with them for photos. On the hour they placed a Queen Montage on the LCD screen, it was incredible. Las Vegas does nothing by halves that's for sure. It was after this that everyone headed to the clubs and I headed home. I know my limits and I just wasn't fussed with a club. 

Friday was a good day for exploring. Sarah (my roommate) and I went down to the Bellagio Casino and Hotel. We went to the Andy Warhol exhibit and checked out the amazingly beautiful art instillations in the foyer, lobby and all over the hotel. This time I was smarter and bought a pass for the Monorail, rather than walking in the searing heat. Smart huh!! In the afternoon we chilled out and I wondered around our hotel checking out the shops and the Casino. 

Tonight we went to see the fountain show outside the Bellagio before seeing a Variety Show at the V Theatre. The host was a juggler - he juggled ping pong balls out of his mouth and played the keyboard with juggling balls. Embarrasingly he called on me to stand up as one of four people in the audience to throw a ring to the stage for him to catch. Of course you all know I have terrible aim and managed to throw it everywhere but to him. Needless to say it was damn hilarious and everyone in the group was laughing at me or with me, I'm not sure which, but it was fine by me  :) 

Tomorrow we have a late meeting time for the bus as we head off along Route 66 to the Grand Canyon. I have booked a helicopter ride which I'm looking forward too. Should be yet another amazing  experience. 

I arrived in Las Vegas not fussed at all with the city, but it's won me over a little. The shear opulance and granduer of this city is crazy. The people are crazy. And for those things alone, it really is pretty impressive. I can really see why people come here for boozy, crazy weekends. Anything goes here. You can do anything, see anything, wear anything, drink anything, be anyone you want to be. Basically, you can go crazy and that's ok, in fact that's encouraged. 

Although, why people bring their kids here for family holidays I'm not too sure. It's a little sad to see small children wandering around the casino floor at 11.30pm at night. There are some cool things for kids to do during the day, but really parents, casinos at night? Come on! 

Las Vegas is something you just have to do and see, at least once. I don't really need to come back, I'm not really a Las Vegas girl, but I wouldn't say no either. :) xxx

San Francisco - I'm a little bit in love.

I'm so pleased I decided to go to San Francisco first. I was nervous as hell about doing it alone,about getting used to tipping, about navigating a totally foreign city and about being in a country alone, so far away from home and all you guys. But it was totally worth it. 

Firstly, American's are way friendly, cheerful and so willing to help. Sure there are the odd few that are jerks, but you get that everywhere, lets be honest. They fact that everyone was willing to help a stranger, a foreigner at that, and do it with a smile, made my experience in San Francisco so much better. 

San Francisco has been a city that I've dreamed about going to since I was a teenager. The city itself, it's touristy icons and the artistic vibe really appeals to me. And now, I can honestly say that it was everything I had thought it would be - I wasn't disappointed. My only one gripe is that I wasn't there long enough! 

I bought tickets with a Sightseeing company that did four different loops around the city. They covered all the major sites and had great commentary along the way. I cashed in my tickets on the second day there as I arrived at 6pm the night before, but the company had booked me on the Alcatraz tour for the day before, so I was placed on standby for Alcatraz the next day. A word to the wise, book ahead! The next available tour wasn't till the end of June. I did three of the four tours that day, seeing all the major sites. 

Two of the tour guides pointed out the best chowder place on the wharf, so I tried it that night. Holy shitballs, it was amazing. I had a class of wine and New England Clam Chowder in a Sourdough bread bowl. It was soo good I had to have a second bowl, didn't finish it mind you, but it was amazing. 

I checked out Pier 39 where the sea lions live as well as being a tourist meca for California. I bought souviners, and so many of them in fact that I had to post a box home before flying back to LA! I also had to buy a jersey. Here's something I didn't realise about San Francisco - it's bloody cold in the summer! One guide told me that it's the water and fog coming in through the bay, yarda yarda yarda. Basically it's cold in Summer and warm in Winter, go figure. 

On day two I did the second tour again, cause I just hadn't had my fill of the Golden Gate Bridge and I wanted to stop at the Walt Disney Family Museum, only it turns out that it's closed on a Tuesday, and what day was I there? Tuesday of course. In the afternoon I got on the last boat to Alcatraz. Alcatraz fascinates me, I'm intrigued by it's history and the many stories you hear of it. It was surreal being there and walking down the halls and listening to the guided tour (which in itself was full of history and details and really, really good!). I could have stayed there listening to the tour several times, but I had to get that last boat back. I stopped myself from buying several books about Alcatraz, on the proviso that I order them from Amazon when I get home. 

That night I wanted to check out The Cheescake Factory which was at the top of the Macy's across  the road from my hotel. It's the second largest Macy's in the country- an entire city block and 9 stories tall. Anyway, The Cheescake Factory was so packed that I had a 2 hour wait for a table for one, so I left. And FYI, it looked nothing like it does on The Big Bang Theory and the waitress uniforms are not the same either. 

Day three I went shopping at Macy's, buying quite a few clothes. Mainly because I'm not entirely sure when I can get some washing done next, and the variety is amazing. 

After the shopping I managed to quite easily get everything in my bag (more shopping to be done it seems!) and was time to head off to the airport. 

I already know I'll be back to San Francisco, hopefully as part of a West Coast adventure, but I'll definitely have to be there for longer than a few days next time. There was still so much to see and explore. I managed to see the main touristy things and see alot as it was, but not to any great detail like I would like too. Oh what a shame that I'll just have to come back!

24 thoughts on the first 24 hours in the USA.

(in no particular order):

1. Why are the hamburger buns soooo yellow?

2. The currency notes are the same colour and size. Who's stupid idea was that?!

3. The toilets are different shape, but I can't work out if the water swirls the other way or not. 

4. Tour companies are cheesy, but an awesome way to see a lot and learn a lot too. 

5. Clam chowder is amazing. I like New England Clam Chowder in particular. 

6. Fried Eggs are 'sunnyside up eggs'. 

7. Tipping is not as difficult to grasp as I feared. Besides, they can't make you tip, but somehow you want too to show your gratitude. 

8. American's are friendly and really helpful. 

9. San Francisco is like Wellington with it's dedication to public art. 

10. The Golden Gate Bridge is really as amazing as I thought it would be. 

11. I was corrected on my pronunciation of my own last name. I'm told American's would say it as 'Brownie'. Ummm, no. . . 

12. Wellingtonian's love San Francisco. Everyone I talk to says they've met lots of other Wellingtonian's here and the other Kiwis on my tour today were from Wellington too. Small world.

13. The price on the sticker is not the actual price. They add GST on once you go to pay. 

14. They bring the cheque to the table. 

15. Taxi's are wayyy cheaper than home. 

16. There are lots of art galleries in San Francisco - with some amazing modern art and photography. 

17. America is not nearly as far away from home with modern technology. 

18. How do they make their Strawberries so sweet and succulent?!

19. There are homeless people on every street. 

20. Pre-book your Alcatraz tour - or at least book for a day you're in the city, not just the country. 

21. The TV adverts are almost more interesting to watch than the TV programs. 

22. I'm proud of me for coming all this way alone and enjoying my own company as well as getting out and doing the things I wanna do. 

23. I become really patriotic when I'm away from NZ. I love my home. 

24. I'm a little bit in love with San Francisco and will definetly be back one day. 

Rarotonga, The perfect Island holiday

After a blissful week I sit by the pool, just a little bit lonely. Most of you will think that's ridiculous, to be on a tropical island on a saturday afternoon with the warm sun beating down and endless hours with nothing to do but read and play on my ipad. But, it didn't occur to me until it happened that having spent this last week with some of my very best friends, and made many new ones too, saying goodbye to them and staying for an extra day would make this magical place lonely. We've shared so much while here, always in somones company. And when you got tired of one activity or one person, another was just around the sandy corner. 

Over the last few days since the wedding I have made the most of sitting on the beach, reading, cocktail hour, exploring the island and hanging out with friends. Paul and I drove around the island, stopping at art galleries and souviner shops. The whole trip takes only 40 minutes, but we stretched it out to an afternoon, even exploring some of the inner roads where the fruit and flowers grow. 

It rained heavily on Thursday, rain that the locals were so greatful to see. After 3 months of no rain they were nearing crisis point, luckily for them it is no longer a concern. But this meant we spent a couple of days doing non-beach activities. 

This morning at 6am all my friends met in reception to board their bus to the airport. I padded out in my PJ's to say goodbye. They were all on the same flight home to Auckland and most flew on to Wellington. They should be walking in their front doors around about now as I type this. Meanwhile, I slept in, relocated to the beach for a smoothie and then lunch. It was slightly windy on the beach, but I stayed there for several hours. Seeing as the room charges hadn't been nearly as high as I thought I splurged on a little internet time and loaded blog posts and photos. I also managed to chat to my sister, brother and best friend back home, which was just what I needed as I thought about being all alone on a tropical island. Again, I imagine sympathy is not forth coming at this point and in the grand scheme of things it's not at all warranted. I'm just excited and a little nervous, ok, a lot nervous, about my next part of this grand adventure, and it seems so strange not to have someone even remotely close to share it with at this point. 

Right now, I'm sitting in the sun beside the pool, watching children jump in and the sunlight scatter between the palm trees to dance across my feet. I have my sunglasses, book and water handy, along with my camera, passport and the credit card I thought I'd lost, but turned out it was only in a super safe place. My bag is packed (with plenty of room to spare thanks to Paul for taking my wedding and souviner items home with him) and I'm ready to go. My bus to the airport will pick me up at 9.30pm and my flight to LA is at midnight. Now the question is, which book do I read next? and what should I do for dinner? It seems so very close, but so far away, I'm just dying for this next part to get started! 

I think I'll definetly be back to Rarotonga, it really is the most amazing tropical island getaway. I highly recommend it to anyone even remotely considering a holiday away. The weather is beautiful but not unbearable, there are things to do for those that need them, and the beach is the most amazing thing you've ever dreamed. I'm already wondering when I can come back.

Once you read this I'll be in the USA somewhere. I arrive in LA at 12.30pm Sunday (local time) and fly to San Francisco a few hours later, to arrive their at 5pm (local time). Being terrible at maths as I am, I assume this is around 11am on Monday NZ time. Please comment on my blog and or on FB, or send me an email. Despite the amazing adventure, I am all alone, so any friendly thoughts are warmly appreciated. 

XXX

PS: If I wait till I upload photos to my ipad, these posts will be few and far between. Please check out my Facebook and Instagram pages for photos to go along with the posts :) 

PPS: I've arrived in San Francisco. I'm pretty sure I was in the same clothes for 36 hours. I didn't see any of LA, just the airport before I flew up here. Once I finally made it to the hotel and brushed my teeth (if felt so good!) I went for a walk around the area I'm staying in. Just down the road is Macy's, Cheesecake Factory, Tiffany's and about 20 Pizza places. I knew San Francisco was hilly, but the map is flat, nevertheless it was good to go for a long 45 minute walk up the crazy hills after spending so much time sitting on airplanes. I wanted to see the harbour, but I also didn't want to get caught out late and in the dark when I didn't really know where I was, so I turned around and got some dinner. It was awesome to chat with John, Rach and Lu over Skype when I got back to my room. It was nice to share the things I'd seen and actually have a conversation with people I knew. In saying that, almost everyone I've spoken to so far has been really friendly and helpful. Let's not mention the immigration officer that couldn't get her head around the idea that I would willingly travel overseas on my own. Yep lady, I'm an adult and not afraid of the world. Bite me, I'm here to travel! Note, I didn't actually say that, cause if I had, I doubt I'd be here right now. hehe. 

Tracy and Candy's Wedding

The 11 June came and went, faster than any of us would have liked. It's the day that we have all been planning for, saving for and looking forward to for nearly two years. It was the perfect, tropical day for Tracy and Candy to get married. 

The evening before Jo and I babysat Ginny so that Ness and Chris could have a romantic dinner together. Ginny was very good for us, even waiting patiently while we spent 15 minutes trying to work out how to get the pram up. We gave up and carried her in the capsule to dinner. 

Wedding day started for us girls in the Salon across the road from the Resort. With plenty of time we all had our nails redone as well. While the mani/pedi the day before was relaxing, the paint job had left a lot to be desired. But, the wonder that is Shellac saved our nails for the wedding. 

I was slightly concerned when the hairdresser teased my hair so much that I thought I might end up as Marge Simpson for the ceremony. Needless to say, I didn't of course. 

The champagne started flowing and I started on my duties as the bridesmaid that will drink twice as much as the bride so that should she fall or embrass herself at all during the day, I would fall twice as hard or embrass myself twice as much, pulling focus from my friend. It was a sword I was willing to fall on, but I'm pleased to say I was not called on to perform such tasks. A debate has since be had about whether I would have done so if required. I say yes of course I would, but now we'll never know. . . 

Lunch was the only hiccup in the day, having ordered room service, it took it's time getting to us, missed a meal completely and as a result we had hungry bridesmaids and no one in dresses when they should have been. 

Once the photographer arrived we got Tracy into her dress, taking about three of us to get her in and tie her up. 

At this point I should mention that Tuesday was the hottest day on the island so far at 30 degrees. Being wedged tightly into dresses, full makeup and running around like blue arse bridesmaids made for a hot and sweltering day. 

Tracy was beautiful. She looked simply stunning and I was so proud to be her bridesmaid. You'll have to see the photos to see what I mean, because there are not enough words to express what a gorgeous bride she was. 

Candy's nieces Selina (9yrs) and Johanna (7yrs) were flower girls. They were incredibly well behaved and so very sweet. They loved getting ready with the big girls and watching their Aunty Tracy get into her dress. They didn't mind being told to jump out of the way, as long as they got to be part of the special day they were happy. 

The ceremony was beautiful. I watched Candy watch Tracy come down the aisle and I'm sure there were almost tears. I myself had a few tears when they exchanged vows. Not only was it one friend getting married, but two amazing and close friends getting married. 

The wedding photos were a laugh, with all four of us girls attempting to eat without spilling and everyone trying to stay hydrated in the heat. The Photographer and his assistant were very good at pointing everyone at ease. We tootled around the island to various locations and once again found ourselves climbing into weeds for dramatic photos. We ended up in the water and jumping on the beach. I won't even mention the mankinis the boys wore as a result of a dare. Tracy's face was priceless. 

On a side note, check our Nior Photography on Facebook for a few sneak peeks of the beautiful Wedding Photos. I have no photos of my own - for had I had my camera handy I would have spent all day behind it rather than enjoy the day and be the best bridesmaid possible for Tracy. 

The reception was lovely, amazing food and great speeches. I was most impressed by Selina's welcome to Tracy to their family and by Candy's speech that had him and everyone else in tears. He spoke so eloquently about his love for his family, friends and Tracy. I've never heard such beautiful words expressing the love he feels for Tracy and it really did make me cry. Tracy is lucky to have found such a wonderful man that loves her so much. (Candy, that's the last time you'll hear me say that, as we can't have you getting a big head now - I'll never hear the end of it!)

After the music stopped and the tables were packed away the bridal party finally walked back to our rooms, but the night was not quite over. We headed down to the beach and went for a midnight swim. After the hottest day, in the hottest makeup, tightest bra, fitting dress and about 75 jammed in hairclips, a midnight swim was the perfect ending to a fairytale day.