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Published: October 28th 2009
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Firstly, sorry for the lack of communication lately everyone...we are about 4 months behind in the blog, but we are doing our best to get it up to date!
We arrived in LA after an unforgettable 17hr flight & we were ready to jump straight back on the plane & do it all over again… let me explain. 4 months in Asia was amazing, however with some countries having electricity for only 3 hrs a day, you can imagine that they are not exactly up with the latest episodes of Entourage or America’s Top Model…enter Cathay Pacific. Drinks served in abundance, not to mention our own personal TV with an endless supply of the latest TV shows & box office hits ensured that not a wink of sleep was had on the flight. 17 hrs of TV was taking it’s toll with our eyes bulging out of our sockets we drove the three hours down to San Deigo & collapsed in a heap. San Deigo was a great first stop & with places like Balboa Park, The Old Town, Little Italy & being able to sit in a jet fighter where the famous Top Gun was created, who wouldn’t love
it. We drove north towards LA hugging the coast line & how could we resist stopping in Orange County, that’s OC to the locals & where the famous OC TV show was filmed. Laguna & Newport Beach were spectacular, but it was onto LA with Hollywood Boulevard calling our names. I was able to get a photo with my idols (Hugh & The Hoff) & from here headed to Beverly Hills & my God was I scared at what Sarah might do in Rodeo Drive. We proceeded to stroll down the street like we owned it but being on a backpackers budget & not feeling in the buying mood (thank god), we headed for the airport & took a flight to the city that never sleeps.
Vegas was just mind blowing & given the amount of new casino’s going up on the strip, obviously they hadn’t heard of the global recession going on!! Sar & I spent 4 days here & probably could have spent 4 months just wondering the strip & taking in the spectacular sights of casinos such as the MGM Grand, Bellagio & The Mirage. Being tight-ass backpackers, we kept our gambling to a bare minimum &
sniffed out a bargain in the food department. At one of the Casino’s they offered one of the best buffets I have every seen for just $8.99. For 3 nights we ate like kings, then went down stairs & played $1 black jack, while the waitresses brought us whatever drinks we wanted for nothing… love it!! We also entered into our first ever poker tournament with 120 entrants....Sar made it to the top 40, while i bombed out somewhere around 80. It was time for our Vegas trip to end (thankfully not at a Chapel) & it was onto San Francisco via the Big Sur. To say that this drive was breathtaking just would not do it justice. We drove north from LA stopping at all the local haunts including, Malibu, Venice Beach, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica & Santa Cruz. We drank wine in Santa Barbara, watched the sunset in Morro Bay, indulged life as a billionaire at Hearst Castle, druelled at the amazing Pebble Beach Golf course (that was me), & ended our trip driving over the famous Golden Gate Bridge. San Fran was great & the fist day we spent wandering the streets like true tourist taking in
all the amazing sights of the city. The next day saw Sar getting deported to Alcatraz with myself in hot persuit. Alcatraz was awesome & to think that 3 people possibly survived that swim, given the massive currents & water temperature is just unbelievable. They did end up letting Sar & I return to the main land… I couldnt quite hear what the guards were saying but I think it went along the lines of "You 2 are too good looking to be locked up". It was off to the airport for our late night flight to Vancouver & I knew I needed to be up in 6 hours as it was time for Ben Lyon’s bucks party...
After only a few hours sleep it was up at 6am to meet the boys for a day of debortury. The day started like any other bucks party with a beer in the hand by 9am & the waxing of Ben’s back hairs in the car trip to Whistler. It was a pearler of a day & the next few hours had 15 of us lads zip-lining through the trees tops of Whistler & Blackcomb mountains. We had lunch at a
great pub in Whilster (basically lining the stomach) & it was off to hit the night life of Vancouver. I can’t remember exactly the time we finished up, but we had a solid 14hr drinking session ending with Ben throwing up & heading home… got to love a good bucks party. Sar & I stayed with some lovely family friends (John & Marni) & they were just fantastic hosts. They took us for lots of sightseeing all over Vancouver, including the city, Shannon falls, Whistler Mountains & Stanley Park just to name a few.
We had a wonderful time in Vancouver & then it was off to a country ranch in Ashcroft, Canada for us to celebrate the wedding of Ben & Courtney. Courtney’s family had spent many holidays coming to the ranch & thus made perfect sense to have the wedding here. What an amazing setting for a wedding & it felt like us city slickers from Aus had stumbled onto a John Wayne movie set. Sar & I spent the first day getting to know our horses, Gracie & Kojack. My horse was triple the size of me…I know, I know that’s not hard, but let me tell
you the first day I was freaked out at having my head in the clouds sitting on the back of Kojack the beast. Over the next few days, Sar & I became confident & started to trot & even gallop over the undulating countryside of Ashcroft. Days were spent riding through thick forest & creeks, with the nights spent drinking beer & wisky… just how the cowboys & cowgirls like it. The day of the wedding arrived & what better way to get your guests to a mountainous ceremony then to have them ride horses. All of us, including the bride wore jeans & tailored country shirts to the ceremony, before changing into the traditional suit & white dress for the evening celebration. The night kicked on well into the early hours of Sunday morning & I’m not exactly sure what time we headed to bed, but what I do know is that it was a spectacular day & something we will never forget. From here we hitched a ride back to Whistler to catch up with our travelling buddies from Cambodia Drew & Caz. As it turns out they were working at the Bungee centre in Whistler, so we
couldn’t resist having a heavily discounted jump (thanks guys). What a fantastic few weeks in the states & canada, but it was time to say goodbye to another part of our trip & hello to the land of tea & scones.
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Maeve Lewis
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Hey ya flamin galaars!
Hey guys. So good to read your travel updates... omg, Sar - you did not tell me you did a bungie jump!!! How could you? lol, Im so impressed. And check out you horse-riding pros lol! Looks so cool. Reading this is making me jealous.. i wish we were still travelling too u lucky things. Was great to catch up the other week - good luck in Eastern Europe and don't forget about that final party in Belfast when you get back!!! Can't wait. Safe travels guys. Love Maeve x