http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Smudge/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Smudge en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:52:03 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:52:03 +0000 Well well well it's almost home timeFirstly Apologies for signing off with an appaling title for my final blog but it just came into my head and i couldn't resistMy final port of call on my travels is that finest of ports San Francisco. I arrived from Santa Barbara on the Train the trains over here are brilliant so comfortable with lounge rooms to watch movies in a nice change from the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-94008.html Oi OiAfter San Diego I went upto Santa Barbara for a couple of nights staying at the Santa Barbara Tourist hostel. It is picturesque little place with a biggish a student population with most activity in and around State Street. I done a bit of walking up and down the pier the beach and down town but all in all nothing excitingThe Youth Hostel had a really good atmosphere it had loads of st http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Santa-Barbara/blog-93057.html Hey Hey My MyJust had the pleasure of spending 4 nights in San Diego the setting of the film Anchorman and Top GunSo it seems fitting to quote Ron Burgundy on the meaning of San DiegoSan Diego nobody knows what it means anymore scholars maintain the translation was lost hundreds of years ago People claim it means Saint Diego but i think i'll agree to disagree.Anyhoo i arrived quite la http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/blog-91383.html Oi oiI arrived in Vegas on 18th September. I was staying at the USA Hostel on Fremont street which is about a bus ride away from the main Casino strip. The first thing i did when arriving in Vegas was to book a Grand Canyon tour for the next day.I was up at 7 the next morning for the long day ahead we were going to visit the West Rim of the Grand Canyon also going to the Hoover Dam on the wa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Las-Vegas/blog-90933.html Hey Folks just thought i'd quote the opening lyrics from Sheryl Crow's most famous song to point out the fact that i've just been to the City of Angels LA.I arrived late on the 14th of September the hostel USA Hostels Hollywood was on a side street off Hollywood Boulevard aka where the Walk of Fame Kodak Theatre and Chinese Theatre are. The next day I went on a tour of Beverley Hills which http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Hollywood/blog-89643.html HeyFlew over to Kona on the Big Island from Honolulu on the 9th September on the tiniest Plane ever. By the time we arrived it was getting pretty dark so we had the option of hiring a car or paying for a Taxi to the hostel we'd earmarked to stay in Kona. After muchos hanging around the Car Rental companies we found out that because we were both under 25 there would be an extra surcharge of nearl http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Big-Island/Kailua-Kona/blog-88458.html AlohaArrived in Honolulu in the morning of the 5th of September after leaving Fiji at 11.59pm on the 5th September Groundhog Day I had just crossed the international dateline meaning I had the pleasure of having the 5th September all over again.I met three people from the Motherland England as soon as we landed in Honolulu Hawaii Gemma alex and Leafy real name Aleathea We got booked int http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Oahu/Waikiki/blog-88265.html Hey hey My MyFor the past week or so we've been doing the Feejee Experience a bus tour around the main Fijian island VitiLevu. We stopped off to do loads of activities whilst travelling between our destinations. On Day 1 we left Nadi and headed to a nearby Beach apparently one of the Top 5 in the world and then we visited a Fijian village. We had to wear a sarong whilst walking through the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/Viti-Levu/Coral-Coast/Mango-Bay/blog-85244.html I'm gonna slow it right down the days moving just too fast for me...Bula my friendsWe arrived in Nadi Fiji on 14th August and quickly sorted out a Youth Hostel halfway beween the airport and Nadi town. Our first two days were spent trying to organise what we'd be doing for the next 3 weeks which involved getting the bus from our hostel into Nadi. Nadi is relatively small containing a lot of http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/Yasawa-Islands/blog-83999.html Ey UpDuring our last week in New Zealand we've been upto all sorts of activities making our way from Taupo to Auckland via the Waitomo Caves Hamilton and Hobbiton. The weather has been pretty shocking many places have been flooded in Taupo it rained constantly while we were there. Me and Jonny had planned to do a Sky Dive in Taupo but unfortunately it was too cloudy so it was cancelled two http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Waitomo-Caves/blog-81589.html BonjourThe first thing that you notice upon arrival in Rotorua is the smell it has loads of thermal activity with bubbling mud pools gurgling hot springs and gushing geysers Lonely Planet which gives the whole area a horrible eggy smell. Maybe it should be called Rottingrua eh Ha Ha Ha sorry again about the Sprigsy styled puns.Our hostel Hot Rock Backpackers was quality we had our own http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Rotorua/blog-79822.html HeyWe visited Napier after Wellington it is apparently the Art Deco Capital of the World. An Earthquake destroyed most of the place in 1931 and it was rebuilt with the help of some of the best contemporary architects of the period basically they pimped up the place incorporating a lot of styles from Art Deco. On our first night we went to the Hot Spas in the city everywhere in New Zealnd se http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/East-Coast/Gisborne/blog-79359.html Kia OraOur Ferry trip from the South to the North Island took just over three hours so by the time we arived in our hostel in Wellington it was getting pretty late aka early night The next day we wandered aimlessly around New Zealand's Capital City before heading to the Botanical Gardens. The city's population is about 4 times smaller than Auckland but it boasts quite a large city centre. The http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-79354.html After leaving Dunedin another textbook long drive awaited us we were heading to Mount Cook the highest Mountain in Australasia. The drive was very scenic we realised we were getting close to our destination as the greenery started making way for the Snowy White hills. We stayed in Mount Cook Village at the YHA which looked like a huge wooden cabin from the outside. The first afternoon and n http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Kaikoura/blog-77896.html HiyaAfter Queenstown we bombed onto Milford Sound a place in which Jonny's sister described as the most beautiful place she's been to ever so expectations were high. The drive was as scenic as we've come to expect in this country at one stage we were held up by a hurd of sheep over a hundred of them walking down the middle of the road Get a photo Get a photo Will screamed so we did.A http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-76140.html Hey HeyArrived in Queenstown from Lake Hawea and it's been pretty hectic since then. New Zealand is the home of the Bungy Jump made popular by A.J Hackett after he jumped from the top of the Eiffel Tower in 1988. On the car journey to Queenstown we stopped off at Kawarau Bridge to watch some people Bungy Jump the Kawarau Bridge Bungy is the oldest Bungy site in the World with a drop of just o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-74268.html After leaving Punakaiki we bombed on to Glacier country. On the West Coast of New Zealand there are two huge glaciers Franz Joseph and Fox. Compared to other glaciers in the world these ones really motor they can move upto six metres a day which is a collosal amount in glacier terms so i've heard indeed there have been days when the Cookmeister would struggle to move 6 metres in a day The http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/West-Coast/Fox-Glacier/blog-73676.html Hey we arrived in Christchurch New Zealand on Monday 3rd July and stayed for three days. Our hostel was right beside the main square in which there was Christchurch Cathedral the centrepiece of the town. Christchurch was founded in the nineteenth century apparently the immigrants wanted to live in a place that reminded them of jolly old England it seems that they achieved this especially a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Christchurch/blog-73655.html HowdyQuite a lot has happened since the Neighbours Night some of it I could control but alas some of it I couldn't.Me Wilson and Bully went for a tour of the Rod Laver Arena the place where the Australian Tennis Open is held in January every year. Outside the stadium there are a few statues of Australia's greatest ever players including unsuprisingly Rod Laver who done a grand slam of the Gr http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Great-Ocean-Road/blog-71443.html It's official World Cup fever is in full flow down under. We arrived in the Sports Capital of Australia Melbournians would suggest the World on 20th June and a lot of our time has been spent watching the beautiful game at crazy o'clock in the morning. Our first day involved a lot of sleeping due to the fact we'd been on a night bus from Canberra and were absolutely knackered Me Bully and wil http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/City-Centre/blog-69343.html