Sunset Limited

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Now, where was I?

Hello all! Now as you may recall my last update was about a month and a half ago...but sadly I haven't died! No, instead I'm very much alive, tearing up the United States as my world tour continues in North America, and I update now from comfy quarters in my great-Aunt Avril's house in the South of the Country - the home of SoCo and Southern Hospitality, Louisiana.

Now when you left me I was in Auckland, still with Mr Andrew Richards, enjoying the last few days of our time together. The morning we left the country was cool but tinged with sadness, like the trooper he is, and despite us both having raging hangovers, AJ cooked us all brekkie (all being a third party, Matt, who we met at the hostel) before we grabbed our bags and headed out the door to the bus.

Needless to say our farewell was an emotional one, and we got one last photo together and a ginger beer before AJ went through departures to catch his flight back to Sydney. I, on the other hand went upstairs and had a good view of him heading off to his destiny.

So this is where our stories veer off any away from the parallel of the previous three months. The date was the 13th February 2009. The time was 10am.

So what have I done in the month an a half in which Andrew has been herding and all that jazz? Well probably less exciting things, but nonetheless I've been having fun!

When I landed in Los Angeles I was at first aware of the sudden drop in temperature. Damn. Oh yeah - I was back in the Northern Hemisphere...which meant I was reliving the day. The date was 13th February 2009. The time was 10am.
This was a bit of a Groundhog Day moment, I can tell you. I'd gone back in time, but travelled forward...what a mindscrew!

Standing at the airport doors was the one and only Mr Nick Wayne, ex-pat and my generous host for the week, who was even wearing a Cardiff Blues jersey to meet me.

Only one word can describe the man - LEGENDARY.

First off we went back to his place so I could dump my bags, and he offered for me to hang out at his while he went back to his store. Through some small miracle I'd actually slept through the entire flight, having left a number of hours after Andrew and not getting into the air until around 8pm. By the time I'd watched a film and eaten airline dinner, I was ready for bed...and as a result had a great nights sleep! This meant that I was raring and ready to go, so we headed back to Santa Monica to do some work and for me to start earning my keep! I met Aay, his girlfriend, and the two treated me to lunch before we did some furniture moving and I watched his dapper salesman side convince a Beverly Hills-type to buy an expensive chair. It was a cool chair, don't get me wrong...and if you have money to burn...
In the evening we went back to their place and I was introduced to Ice Hockey - the coolest sport EVER. Every 10 minutes there is a massive punchup, which ends when the guys are so tired they fall over on the ice.

Oh yeah, it's quite a good sport too...

The rest of the week kind of followed suit, with me either lazing it up at home or going to the shop to help out. After the seemingly non-stop travelling to put my feet up and watch That 70s Show every day felt like a bit of a dossy holiday, and I decided to make the most of it. After all, I was off work for a reason!

I managed to take in some of the sights though, and on one day spent the morning in a 5 million dollar mansion helping move furniture, the afternoon in Hollywood and the evening lost in Los Angeles.

Did I say lost? I meant exploring. Yeah. Exploring. That's what it was...

Nick was an absolute gent, who basically let me treat his home like my own. Such a cool guy!! One night all of his mates came round and he cooked a KILLER spag-bol...was really cool to hang out with them all. We talked a lot about travelling too, as Nick had done a similar thing to me and AJ when he was in his 20s. I decided that I was REALLY going to miss him and Aay, who had effectively become my West Coast parents for the week, so I'll be checking in with them on my way back through!

At the end of the week I packed my bag again and headed to Union Station. I was back on the road...or rails this time.

Now don't for a minute get me wrong, the train is a massive undertaking. The trip from LA to New Orleans doesn't look that big on a map but when you consider that I was on the train for 48 hours straight and crossed 2 time zones you get an idea of the size of the place. It adds to the diversity of the country. I literally stepped off the train twice on the trip - once for a breath of fresh air in El Paso, the middle of the desert, and once in San Antonio. Both of these were Texan cities.

Texas is huge. China huge. That's quite big.

The journey was just long, with the only highlights being a massive debate about racism, Obama, GWBush and John McCain in the Observatory car and a man in the seat in front of me giving me the website of a religious nut and the warning that 'the shit was gonna hit the fan in N'awlins...terror attack with bioweapons and all that shit...'

At 2am this is the last thing you want to hear. Great. Didn't sleep much that night!

I rolled into New Orleans the next afternoon, and getting off that train I vowed never to ride one again. Damn. Like that was happening...

A familiar, happy sight greeted me at the station - Avril Font/Aunty Avril/Avril...whatever you call her it was awesome to see her face after 48 hours of hell in a carriage, and she led me over to the Brown family tank, where I met Sedley, Gwen, Gareth, Wiliam and Mr Douglas Brown, who shook my hand then placed a beer in my palm. We drove straight over to Saint Charles Avenue and went to a Mardis Gras Parade.

My timing, I kid you not, seems to be impeccable. Not one moment after disembarking the Sunset Limited Express I was in the midst of a New Orleans tradition, catching beads and drinking beer and eating Popeyes chicken. Highlight was when Gwen wandered off and I went off looking for her, finding her almost in tears with the policemen a couple of blocks up the road...and thus Mr Rob became popular in the eyes of the Brown kids...

It was good fun, and the next day, after sleeping for hours and getting settled in at Avril and her husband (Uncle) Bill's place, we did exactly the same thing again, only without kids wandering off. Again, this place must've known I was coming because for the first time in Mardis Gras history the parade had a Welsh theme! Weird, huh?

Doug hooked me up with one of the girls that worked in his office, Amanda, who is a sophmore in SLU, the local college. She and her friend Colleen took me to New Orleans for real Mardis Gras with her family and their friends, and it has to be said that it was AWESOME! They were all really cool and really welcoming, treating me like one of their own and refusing to let me finish a drink without having another ready. Southern Hospitality personified is Amanda Worthy and her familia!

I spent the next couple of weeks in a cycle of spending some mornings helping out at Sedley's Elementary school, where she introduced me to her kids as "Mr Rob". It is a sign of respect down here to use Mr or Miss when addressing a figure of senior or equal authority (though I get away with it because I have an 'exotic' accent :P) which is one of the things I've found quite contentious for me, just because I'm not used to it. I sometimes have to carefully consider it's use.... The other days I'd explore Hammond or Ponchatula nearby, and as Avril is off work she's been showing me around. I've hung out with Amanda, Colleen and their mates a few times as well, checking out the Frat House, which is the main haunt of the majority of New Orleans college kids from Tulane and surrounding. All really cool people...though theres a point where you get tired of explaining that the US isn't really that different from the UK...I mean after all we do kind of just steal everything Yank...

Food is a great talking point here as well, as I've now tried Gumbo (which is AMAZING), crawfish (which are AMAZING) and Po'Boys (which DEFINE AMAZING). Google them, I don't want to go into detail cos I'll end up craving them and end up in the kitchen and not finally doing this ruddy update!

Ok, we're almost there!

Last week I spent a few days in New Orleans on my lonesome, checking out the sights and staying at the India House youth hostel. It was a really cool, laid back place and I met some cool people there, and ended up hitting the infamous Bourbon with Woody from Illinois and Dan and Josh from Michigan. All three were well cool, and I extended the obligatory invitation to crash with me if they ever visit the UK. I'm sure they'll take up the offer, and I was offered the same! I took in the aquarium and the World War 2 museum on my own as well as exploring stuff like the French Quarter and the French Market. Good stuff.

And now I'm back in Hammond with the family and having a nice continuation of my chilled out 'holiday' bit of travelling. After such a hectic year its nice just to relax, sleep late and watch baseball. I've also explored the local uni as well, looking at the differences, and been allowed into the sanctuary of Bill's lab, which is like something out of a film! It's pretty cool.

So overall I'm having fun experiencing another culture in a less shocking way that stuff in New Zealand. For all the similarities between the UK and the US its amazing how different the places are. Especially down South, it's really something down here!

Peace out, and take care till the next time!
Love to your mothers
xxxx

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Photos

Sunrise Limited
The sun rises in Texas on day 2 of my cross country journey.

Tinseltown
If you're in LA you've gotta do it!

Santartsy Monica
Getting emo in Santa Monica Pier

Tracks in the Sand
Heading South on the Sunset Limited

Mardis Gras
Welcome to N'awlins

St Louis Cathedral
At the heart of the French Quarter

With Amanda and Colleen
My two chaperones!

India House
My home from home from home in N'awlins

Oh, Streetcar!
On the St Charles Ave line

Josh and Woody
Two of India House's cool guests!

Sunset on the Sunset Limited
Sundown in the desert