I looked out of the window as often as I could whilst on the bus and train journey from L.A. to Yosemite National Park. The landscape changes were extreme and I was leaving the city life behind me to embrace a bit of fresh air. Being on the road as a solo traveller again caused me to grip my pack with more caution than the past couple of weeks. Best to be safe right? There didn't seem to be any dodgy characters in sight, but you can never be too certain. When I finally arrived into the village in the valley, [View Full Entry]

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Having said farewell to the endless esculators in Vegas and the speed chasing cop from the unknown Area 51, Chris and I greeted our venture into California's Death Valley with slight apprehension. It's not every day that I get to tour an area known as the hottest place on earth. Although, being March, I expect we'll be okay. The first scheduled stop hit the heart strings for both of us, as it was known as 'Scotty's Castle'. Chris approached the ticket window with his strong Glaswegian accent, attempting to claim a free ticket for heritage reasons; no luck. I approached the [View Full Entry]

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How the hell did I end up back here? It's hard to pass up an opportunity to cross the border, and the Mexican was the easiest to cross from San Diego, so why not? Tijuana it is. Chris and I met up with Mark in the hostel and hopped into the car moments later. The plan was without a map this time as we figured we could head south until we could drive no further. We had actually read up that it's a better plan to park in the States and walk over to avoid any insurance issues. Unfortunately we missed [View Full Entry]

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I hit the road for Nevada with two lads from the UK. As I have a rail pass, is this a mistake? Will I be excluded from half of the camaraderie as I 'wouldn't understand'? Well, I did have my quiet moment when they showed their gangsta moves to the tunes, and when Joffie wrote a few naughty words in the crusty dirt on the car doors, but apart from that the cruise to Vegas was a blast. The straight open road ahead of us was a contrast to our motorways in the UK, but then absolutely nothing is similar to [View Full Entry]

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Okay...major catch up now! Even though it's still winter, I was apparently quite lucky to get a bed at the hostel in Flagstaff. I continue the trend of not booking ahead and counting my lucky charms I suppose. The staff and surroundings at the hostel were very welcoming, so I booked for a tour of the Grand Canyon for the next morning. Go go go! I joined Aussie Emma, Americans Jen and Eva and a cluster of entertaining Japanese on the bus in the morning. All of us girls inwardly smiled at our tour guide Mike, as he was certainly the [View Full Entry]

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Travelling through America, I kind of define each state as a country on it's own as everything is so darn spread out. My time in New Mexico is without a doubt the quickest visit yet, just one day! I didn't really get a chance to explore, but sometimes one event can trigger a quick exodus. I arrived in Albuquerque at midnight on the bus from El Paso, Texas. In hindsight, perhaps I should have stayed overnight in El Paso but I didn't really get a good vibe there so I kept on moving. Despite having called ahead several times, one particular [View Full Entry]

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As I continue the search for Mr. Right the idea that he might be wearing a cowboy hat is quite appealing. And riding a bull, even more appealing. So when I stepped into Dallas airport full of anticipation, I was quickly jolted back to my senses; transport, accommodation and food. Maybe when I grow up I'll plan these things ahead of time, but who really wants to grow up that fast? I scoured the books, the notice boards, anybody wearing a backpack for a lead towards a hostel in town. It seems that people are still influenced by the tv Dallas [View Full Entry]

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I hadn't read up on anything for my start into America, so as I peered out of the window from Miami's airport shuttle I couldn't hide my pleasure at seeing the abundance of art deco buildings in South Beach. What little knowledge I knew of Miami started to flood in; Miami Vice, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine and CSI. Television and music really didn't sculpt my youth, but at least I have a bit of it to fall back on. I proceeded with checking in at the hostel, and began arguing with the receptionist when she charged me for [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Merida in the wee hours of the morning and was lucky enough to find some decent accommodation immediately. The owner of the hostel was actually hanging out at the bus station at 6am with free rides, so it was an easy decision. I had a moment of doubt when I saw my pack being roped onto the roof of a gas guzzling 1970's jalopy, but after a coughing start we finally made it. I then opted for a bit of a snooze before walking through the central Zocolo area. I quickly learned of the biggest attractions in town; [View Full Entry]

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So a massive blog catch up time seems to be the only routine I've maintained over the last 9 months! But at least I eventually catch up. Procrastinating until the final deadline is a characteristic I've always had, so why change now? I signed up for a day trip to the surrounding sights of Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-hawk-a). It's definitely not possible to see everything without a car as there are markets, ruins and even a 2000 year old tree on the list of things to see. So, joining another clan of tourists it is. Our first stop was to Monte Alban, [View Full Entry]

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