NZ best place in the world??????? I am loving reading these blogs! I am so glad you enjoyed NZ! hope to catch up with you somewhere in the world one day!
My last day in L.A today!!!
Good times Hi Mate, I was starting to worry that some of the experiences you'd been writting about of late were a little less than ideal. I was relieved to read this entry ( I think your blog to me is becoming what soaps are to others and I don't like it when my favorite two characters are left somewhere unable to sleep being messed around by big old airline companies ). Glad to hear you seem to be having the time of your life again - once again I feel almost jealous, but in a nice way...
I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart. Greetings from across the pond. Firstly, thanks for the cards, Vernon was really excited and amazed that he got a card that had been delivered on an aeroplane, and the post card made my day even if it did suggest I was dead inside. You were right you had drunkenly agreed to send me stuff, but not a postcard. You were supposed to send me tat. Costing under a pound, displaying the name of the place it was bought in, and utterly useless i.e. no key rings, fridge magnets etc. Remember the heady days of the tat shelf heaving with painted pebbles and freeze dried fish. Now only a few oddments remain the rest having been ruthlessly culled by the nicknack nazi that is my wife. You were supposed to breathe life back into my collection, but no too busy enjoying yourself. Secondly, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, where are the goddam photos? I'm sensing money has become a bit of an issue on your travels. You seem to have compiled an exhaustive list of public transport costs, museum entry fees, and subsistence rates in middle America. It's changed the feel of the blog from 'wish you were here' to 'down and out in London and Paris'. It seems to suit the places you've seen and stayed in and has made absorbing reading. I've really enjoyed the last few entries, and this will confirm your impression of me as being heartless, but I still find it easier to picture you with some tension in your life. Your frustration, and more importantly your need to share your suggestions for improvements to the Albuquerque museum genuinely made me laugh out loud. There does still seem to be an ounce of compassion left in me though as the Tramway fiasco made me wince.
I can appreciate that the less you pay the more places you get to see, but your tactic of staying in out of town motels in a society dominated by the car seems to have added an expeditionary element to your travels, and seems a far cry from your time on the boat in the Galapagos. I'm not sure if you watched the Alan Partridge series, but I can't help picturing the episode with him tramping up the side of a dual carriageway to a service station each time you mention venturing out to look for food.
The big news over here is it's snowed. The press have had a field day. As you can imagine there has been 'travel chaos', schools closed and public outrage. It started on Sunday night and the BBC ten o'clock news has several reporters in different locations who, one after another, confirmed that it was indeed snowing where they were, and then showed live footage of snow falling. Monday night after London had ground to a standstill questions were asked as to why we couldn't cope with a few inches of snow. We were then treated to a feature on how the people of Moscow dealt with snow including special machines to clean the snow of the roads, cars with snow tyres, and unbelievably screenwash that worked at sub zero temperatures. Some bloke did point out that this happened once every ten years and it made more sense just to put up with a bit of disruption rather than invest millions in the same sort of equipment used in a country that spent most of it's time under snow, but he only got 5 seconds at the end.
Keep enjoying the ride.
K xxx
changes in style down to technology? I guess the reason for the improved spelling and grammer is due to me buying a PC with a word processor and spending more 'free' time on the PC rather than spewing everything out in a internet cafe quick as possible. I am taking more notes and keeping flyers for reference. I hope the detail does not get too boring I'll try and include more of my reaction to stuff. Enjoyed you tales of mississipi. I'll add more photos soon bit of a delay as we left the camera battery in philadelphia and are awaiting its arrival via post. The book may have been Well by Matthew McIntosh. off to catch a train now x dylan
user error ..because if not the level of detail you retained was prodigious. Have you taken some travel writing course since you've landed in N. America? The earlier stuff read like a single stream of consciousness whereas the last three seem a lot more polished. It may be my hugely unreliable memory, but there now seems to be more about what you are seeing than your reaction to it. I guess being in large English speaking Western cities you are in much more familiar surroundings at the moment and perhaps that has changed your take on things. It doesn't explain the immaculate grammar and spelling though. I promise it's not a complaint merely an observation and I really enjoyed reading them all. If I'm honest I'm just missing the rants about B.A.'s incompetence.
Thanks for the email although it wasn't White Tiger I was after it was the book before that.
I haven't really got any news from the UK as I've stopped listening to any sort of news programme as it's all gloom and doom and I'd rather bury my head in the sand. Oh I've grown a beard, to be fair though that didn't make the national news, although I'm assured it was discussed briefly in the Midlands Today newsroom.
It's Vernon's birthday at the end of the month, he wanted to send you an invitation and despite my attempts at explaining the difficulties and expense of intercontinental travel he's still not given up on the idea.
Hope you are both enjoying your time in the frozen north.
K xxx
“Originality is nothing by judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.” Look I realise you're supposed to be enjoying yourselves, but there is still a distinct lack of photgraphic evidence for your travels. I loved your description of New Orleans it was much more positive than my memory of the place, have you got any photos from inside the bars you went to?
My trip on the Mississippi reminded me of a stag do where we were couped up in a canal boat that chugged around central Birmingham for four hours. We were treated to views of disused factory walls and abandoned railway sidings. The booze ran out after a couple of hours, we were told we couldn't smoke and the novelty of throwing the buffet at people on the tow path wore off soon after. The mood was lifted towards the end, however, as a lucky shot with a mushroom volauvant prompted a low speed escape, lasting several minutes, from a man brandishing his half drunk bottle of strong cider and shouting obscenities. It was touch and go at first as it looked he could catch us and possibly attempt to try and get on board, but fortunately he had to stop quite often to get his breath back giving us a precious few seconds to widen the gap. To give him his due he kept going even when it was clear he was never going to catch us.
Why we ever went to New Orleans as we both hate jazz is beyond me. We saw the cemetery and a 'voodoo temple' which were both interesting, but didn't really justify the 17 hour traveling time.
We went on a tour to a plantation that was really beautiful, but the whole slavery aspect had been almost completely erased and questions were brushed aside leaving an awkward silence and a hurried move to the next point of interest.
You've really honed your writing style over the last few weeks. I was worried after the Boston blog entry as you seemed to have turned into a guide book writer. Did you use one to when you wrote it, because if
Thanks for the email about the book unfortunately it wasn't white
“Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy.” Kafka Happy new year! I loved the photos. Still not enough of the two of you, I can't help feeling your selection is over edited, not a grimace or a half closed eyes shot amongst them. Perhaps I'm judging you by my own poor grotesque Channel 5 freak show standards. You both look really well, Lou looks as unruffled and photogenic as ever and you seemed to have run the whole gammet of emotions from deeply concerned to wide-eyed enthusiam. My favourites are Lou looking slightly sneery at the summit of sugar loaf mountain and you looking like a low rent traffic cop from Deliverance at Igassu falls.
It's probably not a very sympathetic point of view, but your tangles with the administration of B.A. have definitely added a whole new dimension to your blog. I know it must be deeply frustrating for the pair of you, but for some reason I find it easier to picture you drunkenly ranting about 'striving for excellence' and compensation than quietly sipping a beer and admiring the view. It's heartening to see that your surroundings and other experiences seem to be far outweighing these logistical 'opportunities'. Christmas sounded fantastic and I trust New Year was good. I'm guessing you've already left New Orleans so any suggestions such as have a go on one of those boats that look like a tea tray with a big fan on the back and take a drive over to where the plantations are/were are pretty much redundant.
City are out of the bottom three and we seem to be attempting to kick start the world economy single-handed by offering the GDP of a small European country for any big-name player. It's all speculation and rumour, but it's given me something to do at work. Vernon got to ride in the front seat of a car (no back seats) for the first time today. I didn't get to see it myself, but Karen's description makes me wish I was three again, although the incontinence and disapproving looks whilst drinking and smoking would probably get me down after a while.
The book you recommended last time doesn't seem to exist anywhere on the internet, could you try again and this time conform to those pedants and nitpickers who insist on spelling names and titles the way the authors do, rather than how you think they would be spelled if you were in charge.
Hope you are both still wallowing in your own good fortune. K xxx
More!? I so feel for you both and seriously cannot believe the problems your having with flights. I suspect a rather stern letter could be heading to BA upon your return. Good job I didnt get that flight out by the sounds of it then :)
GO BACK!!!!!! For 45 years I've traveled Mexico on the cheap. By train, by bus, by air, by taxi, by car, and by thumb! I go twice a year now for two or three weeks in my truck - Ford f-150. I never, ever had a bad experience. My wife and I stay in the hotels that the locals stay in. We travel lite and even at 60+ still travel by bus without hotel reservations. The only thing we do to get ready is plan where we want to go and in general how much time we want to spend getting there and back, and what we want to do when we get there. Your story excited me enough to move up our spring trip by several weeks.
Nice post Mexico reflection!
I cant believe the problems you had with flights it must be so annoying when you're on a schedule. Not as if you went with Peasant Airways either! I think a letter to them when you return wouldn't be out of place.
Hope you're both having an excellent time and enjoy NYE in the Big Apple.
Much love xx
Obrigado! Brill blogs Dyl - 'tis great to hear all your news + be able to imagine where you are (not quite so bothered personally with the football commentary). I read Layla the Paddington Bear stories whilst you were in Peru so she could get an idea of where you were! Also thrilled to know I win the spelling test competition as well as the race to the top of Macchu Picchu Love + hugs to you both Tamsin xxx
"In Manchester you are either Blue or Red... there's no two ways about it." Andy Gray Apologies for not 'commenting' for a while, but I've been down in the smoke on a course. I know you've just left there to go round the world, but what a great place to visit. Went to see the Capa (war photographer) exhibition at the Barbican, saw loads of films and a trip to the Potrait gallery, all of which were fantastic. I can't recommend 'Waltz with Bashir' highly enough. It's the best thing I've seen in a while.
Life in the Galapagos sounded idyllic, it's the part of your trip so far that I'm most jealous of. Living on a boat really appeals to me especially if if you don't have to clean up after yourself. Although Karen and my attempt at scuba diving was farcical so I'm not sure I'd be able to appreciate the marine life as much as you clearly did.
I'm afraid I enjoyed your Santiago taxi debacle story, largely because it wasn't me. I was imagining myself in the airport, in the dog house, because the one thing I was supposed to do was organise a taxi, and I couldn't even get that right. I can't believe you complained to the hotel abut the taxi not turning up and ended up paying for it. That said I'd probably have done the same if confronted. I'd never have complained in the first place though.
I'm guessing the flamengo game was a culture shock from the flamboyant and cultured football you're used to at Kiddie. I'm intrigued to know how they would throw piss. The whole process would be fraught with danger. You'd have to either piss into a bottle and throw it, tricky for a bloke bearing in mind we struggle to hit the bowl, and surely impossible for a women, or piss into a glass and throw it which would surely result in covering yourself and neighbours in it.
By the way we lost the derby and you've got Coventry away in the third round of the FA cup.
I've has a quick look at the photos, but there are none of you and Lou, there must be some of you looking worse for wear by this stage.
K xxx
better future for Peru Hi, End corruption, bring on democracy, enforce human rights, free education for all children to 16, listen to the people - where have we heard these calls before?!? Unfortunately the poor are exploited world wide! Keep safe - love Celia
Mitali Gandhi
non-member comment
NZ best place in the world???????
I am loving reading these blogs! I am so glad you enjoyed NZ! hope to catch up with you somewhere in the world one day! My last day in L.A today!!!