The US of A

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Lots of security even for the domestic flight from Hawaii to LA and no individual TV screens - boo! The TV programmes were so unsuitable for little ears that Joe even tuned Charlie's headphones into the country music channel!

After finally picking up the rental car and negotiating the LA streets, we stopped for dinner at a Burger King drive thru and had a really funny time trying to make the girl understand what we wanted to drink - Joe got nowhere asking for "water" in both his usual L"ah"ndon and a very forced posh accent, so I gave him a look that said "you know you've just got to do it" before he reluctantly requested "wa da" a la American.

Next day was DISNEY! The kids were so excited, Charlie kept saying he couldn't believe it! Used the Fast Pass system to good effect and managed to fit in lots of rides and the excellent evening parade. Back again for a second dose the next day, although this was interrupted by a small earthquake (disappointingly didn't feel anything but was strong enough to close down all the rides for a bit while the engineers checked them out). Enjoyed the fireworks and caught the last bus back at 12:30am, tired but happy.

Struggled to get out of LA the next day, ending up on the wrong highway out to Vegas. Arrived at the Luxor Hotel in the evening, but it was very easy to spot with it's long beam of blue light shooting up into the sky. The hotels in Vegas are amazing, unlike anywhere else. Each one is a mini resort on its own, with casinos, theatres, exhibition centres, shops and food courts. Explored the rest of The Strip the next day, starting with the medieval themed Excalibur Hotel next door which has its own Spongebob Log Ride and Dinosaur 3D ride. Bellagios was as sumptious as it looks on Ocean's Eleven, and the fountain show was very pretty. Paris was Joe's favourite, with a scale version of the Eiffel Tower (not much smaller than the original), and Caesar's Palace even had its own Colliseum! Not many places in the world you can spend 12 hours walking in a day but not make it more than half way up the one street!

Two nights in Vegas was enough for me however, and I was ready to head off the next day. It was really hot when we arrived at the Hoover Dam and so I was the only one who got out to take photos. We picked up Route 66 and stopped at a real American diner, before heading up to the Grand Canyon. Our first sight of the Canyon the next morning was simply breathtaking. There's a reason why it's regularly on the list of Top Ten Places to See Before you Die. It is just so huge, it is impossible to comprehend the sheer scale and photos don't do it justice. Went to lots of the view points, each one showing a very different but equally magnificent view - wow!

Monument Valley the next day was also pretty stunning and the 17 mile dirt loop around the monuments took us 2 hours because I had to keep stopping to take photos! The Visitor Centre was also very interesting - we learnt about how the Navajos were code-talkers during WW2. I drove the two hours up to Page (must have been my first spot of US driving as it was noteworthy enough to put in my diary!)

More US to follow...

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