USA! Last Blog

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Good morning the UK!! Ok, i am cheating here- i got back to Brum on Sunday, but as the states was a rush, i didn't get time to add anything to the blog, so i am doing it today!!

Its good to be back!!

Day 36
Last night was another pool and beer evening with Andy and i managed to avenge the drubbing i got previously with a surprisingly tactical 4-3 win!! Afterwards it was just chips for me, but Andy's bravado means he has to have another kebab!! Not surprisingly, he doesn't finish it and feels all the worse for trying!!

I got up at about 11- i know its seems that all i have done on this trip is lie in, but seriously, i have always been a light sleeper and have suffered from that and the fact your body clock gets completely walloped going from continent to continent!!

My day consists of arranging my airport transfers and washing, but for the third and final night, Andy and me decide to pool it to decide who is the champ (the UK or the Isle of Man!!). By this time we have both adopted a Spartan attitude to pool- one of 'death or glory', so there are numerous unintentional trick shots, smashing the cue ball off the table and such like!! But as it is, there is no substitute for experience!! I win 5-1 and the crowd go wild!! Well, ok, i do!!

For some reason, i decide that having a box of 10 spicy KFC chicken wings is the best way to celebrate!! (Needless to say i pay the price for that the following day!).

Day 37
this is my last full day in Oz!! And its freezing!! I decide to counteract the damage i have done to myself with last night late tucker by getting a fruit shake!! Its then packing time!! I have to say, i have gotten pretty good at that!!

The rest of the day is taken up by reading the autobiography of Lawrence Dallaligio (it was just sitting on a table in the room) and its actually quite entertaining! I manage to read 300 pages during the day (but whether that is my increased ability to read quickly or the books prose, i don't know!). I decide to break up the reading by grabbing a Starbucks, but my gosh its cold out today!! I am quite happy to be moving on tomorrow!!

When i get back to the room i come in on a conversation about the various dangerous animals that frequent these shores- i have to say that Oz have more than there fair share!!

I cook my own dinner- pasta- and hand the rest of the bag over to one of the other room mates as there is still loads left!!

Unfortunately, i don't see Andy today. He has one of his best friends coming to meet him today and they are going on a madcap tour of the east coast from tomorrow. I think i have influenced him in a way, as he feels he is too old to party every day for the next two weeks (i remind him he's only 20!!). Still, it was a pleasure to have met him and through the wonder of Facebook i can stay in touch with him!!

I hit the hay at 10 due to my 7am start tomorrow!!

Day 38- The Longest Day- Pt 1
This is going to be a very strange day. I get up and shower, finish case and the airport shuttle arrives early.
The shuttle bus driver is a really nice guy, but i can't understand a word he says- i think he has put his teeth in upside down!!

I have to say this- Sydney Airports Departures is a fricking joke and even though i am there nearly THREE hours before the flight takes off- it still takes me nearly two hours to check in!! To finish this off, the flight is delayed by and hour due to an engineering problem (which makes me start thinking about Flight 815 from LOST again.........). To be honest it doesn't matter much as i will still be in L.A before i left Australia!!

I have to say i am very tired at this point. The adrenalin/nervousness compounded it all so i think i get 3 hours sleep. The weather as i leave Oz is typically grey, overcast and cold!!

Whilst waiting, i work out (quite sadly) that there were 35 people who came through room 207, whilst i was there!! That is a lot!!

The flight eventually gets going!!


The Longest Day- Pt 2

I work out whilst flying that my June 15th 2008 will actually last 29 hours!! And i will see 8am in the morning twice!! Now that is a major headf***!!

I sit next to a really nice Bangladeshi woman who is travelling the world doing research into Islamic youth (pretty apt for the UK!!). She has lived in Australia for the last 20 years, but has strong ties to her country of birth. We have a really good chat about multicultralism and i tell her the perspective from the UK (i used to work for the LSC on projects involving asylum seekers/refugees) and tell her to get over to the UK to continue her research!! She is heading to Montreal for a speech!!

This flight is 13 hours long and i manage to get 3 meals out of it!! I also watch There Will Be Blood, Vantage Point and Charlie Wilsons War (which is very good). I decide i would only sleep when i feel tired tired, but i didn't....I also watch yet more episodes of Family Guy, which i now regard as better than the Simpsons!!

I arrive in L.A. about 8ish- loads of mist over the city, so you can only see the mountains out to the east!! Had to fill in two documents for U.S and had photo AND fingerprints taken!! Case arrives quickly and head off to change money and get phone card!! I get talking to a large fella who is there collecting money for underprivaliged youth and i impress him with my knowledge of U.S basketball (i am in L.A. and they are playing my favourite team the Boston Celtics in the finals whilst i am here!!).

Get the shuttle bus that is driven by a very cantankerous Russian!! The hostel is about 30 minutes away from LAX and i am now completely shattered!! I get to reception and i frankly if first impressions are anything, the English girl manning it easily wins the award as 'The Rudest F***ing Jobsworth- 2008' by quite some way!! I am also surprised to have to hand over $40 dollars as a security deposit!! CRAP!!

My room looks nice, it even has a veranda, but has even been cleaned!! I put my stuff away as best i can and check out the rest of the hostel, but once i get back to the room, it still hasn't been cleaned!! I decide to go for a wander and if aint done by the time i get back, then 'TRFJ- 2008' is going to be spoken to!!

Melrose is made up of a lot of boutique shops and its very quiet today with all of them closed. I also note that its very warm- even for mid-morning- and that everything is very low lying in L.A. I can just about see some tall buildings in the distance!!

When i get back i call Shell and there are no phone problems!! A FIRST!! I also have to call an earlier time as i am now 7 hours BEHIND the UK going from 9 hours ahead!! AARGH!!

I head back to my room (which WAS cleaned when i was out!) and grab some kip for an hour or two! I decide to get some food and watch the Lakers/Celtics game. I do try and find the Hard Rock Cafe, but get hopelessly lost (which becomes a running theme in the U.S......). I decide to cut across to Santa Monica Boulevard and eventually decide to head into a bar/eatery called Molly's (its showing the game!!). I get an $8 beer and splash out on a $16 Kobe Burger (thats a burger made from Japanese Kobe beef!) Its very nice, but so filling that i feel positively sick when i leave!!

When I cut back through to hostel, i pass loads of really nice houses- all Spanish influenced villa's with the road lined with palm trees!! The game is on in the hostels TV room when i get back and its packed!! Despite the fact the Lakers won, the Celtics can win it all in two days time as they are 3-2 up in the best of 7!! Come on Celtics!!

I decide to then retire to MY room!! I like the sound of that!! Plus i have 500 channels of TV!! Good start to LA life!!!

Day 39
I honestly didn't think this Monday was going to arrive you know!! The jetlag still got me though and i really struggle to sleep and probably get about two hours initially!! A bit of Zero 7 music helps at about 8ish and i sleep through 12! I was going to get up earlier!! Find some odour spray for my trainers (seriously, they need it!!) and decide to also wear shorts (for the first time since the early part of Oz!!). I go downstairs and watch the golf. Now normally i would steer well clear of it, but Tiger Woods is on fire- its only later i learn that the guy played 91 holes on a bust up knee injury!! Unbelievable!!

Head the opposite way up Melrose. Lots more clothes shops! An Italian bloke stops me as i pass his shoe shop and attempts to get me to buy a pair of $200 Italian loafers!! Ha ha!! Even his overly botoxed Russian assistant has a go at getting me to buy the shoes i don't want or need!! I explain the best way i can that $200 is still £100, more than i would consider on a pair of trainers!! I leave in a hurry!! Cheeky feckers!!

Continue to the end of Melrose head left and find a 99c store, so stock up on essentials!!

The Most Famous Person I See Whilst On My Travels- in the 99c store, i was heading round to the checkout when i noted a bloke who i recognised, but it wasn't until he spoke i knew he was!! He played Dylan Timmins in Neighbours and is called Dylan Brodie!! Wow!! I can spot 'em!!

Continued back across the road and begin to head back. its now really hot and my trainers are really beginning to rub!! A southern fried chicken sandwich from Maccy's helps!! You can also fill up your drinks as often as you want!!

Get back to hostel and chill out in room!! Its too hot outside to do anything!! I use the internet facilities they have there- $1 for 12 mins- but no USB ports, so i can't do anything else!! I book my shuttle bus to LAX and from JFK and it costs me $40, which i think is a bargain!!

I decide to stay in tonight. I have enough snacks to keep me going and TV will keep me going!! I have also brought Shell the first of some gifts, a PEZ candy toy!!

Day 40
Get up at 9am. Although i am essentially awake from 5am onwards!! Today i am gonna get loads of pics!! I get breakfast for free as well!! It might only be Cheerios and coffee, but its the first breakfast i have had since Thailand!!

Already its warm!! Its also one hell of a walk and a lot of it is up hill! I find Sunset Blvd, but there is nowt on there!! Suddenly, i see the starts on the floor and its the walk of fame! I follow the road round and am then on Hollywood Blvd!! By this point i am pretty faint!! The heat and hunger playing there part!!

Just then a break in the buildings reveals the Hollywood sign nestled in the hills!! Whoo!! I stop at a Roman -ampitheatreesque shopping area and grab a turkey sandwich with gravy to dip!! Delicious!! Get some pics from the third floor of all the surrounding area and head off further up the road. Next door is the famous Chinese Theatre, where lots of famous people have signed their names in concrete (but noone from Neighbours i bet!!).

I decide to head back after this. Its really blazing and i feel like i have really caught the sun across my forehead and arms (essentially a 'golfers tan'). I eventually get back and chill out- i decide to watch the basketball tonight with a 6 pack of beers!! Yee har!!

And the Celtics win!! Its about time a team i like wins something, it doesn't happen often!! I manage to get through all 6 beers and to be honest, they will help me sleep!!

Day 41
I have a good sleep (it was all the beer!), up at half 7, shower and have to apply moisuriser to my burnt forehead and arms!! Doh!! Another Cheerio breakfast and get ready to leave!! My shuttle bus driver arrives early, but the reception area is closed!! What the hell is wrong with this place!! After ten minutes a bloke ambles along at his own speed and i can finally check out!!

LAX is pretty plain sailing and in general the flight to New York is ok- by only bug bear is that there is no food on this flight that is free!! And it costs minimum of $10 for a sandwich!! I did watch a show i have never seen before called 'How I Met Your Mother', which is like Friends in a way!!

At one point we are actually ahead in our flight schedule, but storms in and around JFK delay us by 45 minutes!! Finally get off plane and i shoot myself in the foot getting a phonecard! I put $20 in the machine, but it doesn't issue change, so i have to get two $10 phone cards!! My case arrives quickly, so i go looking for the shuttle bus at the travel desk. There's an bloke who notices me and asks where i am heading to. After I say i heading to Manhattan and the YMCA, he reveals he can take me there and he's the shuttlebus driver!! He wants a voucher, but as the hostel in L.A. didn't have any printing equipment, i only have the booking reference!! He is a bit cheeky about it, but still drops me off there after 20 or so minutes. His biggest concern is whether i paid the tip and how much!! There is NO WAY i am giving more cash away so i say i paid what ever was the minimum amount and get on my way!!

Now the facilities at the YMCA are second to none- brilliant gym, weights room, swimming pool etc, but the room is the worst i have stayed in!! Its about 5' by 9' and i have to use the communal toilets/shower rooms!! Oh well!!

After getting in, i need food!! Its about half 10 in the evening and the first thing i run into on the walk up the road is Maccys!! Hmmm, this trip has certainly been a tour de force with fast food!! Once i get back i finally feel sleepy!!

Day 42
Indifferent sleep- wake at 8ish and due to call Shell at 11am (East Coast time!), so decide to use phone at end of the hall and stay in till then. Plus i am on the 10th floor, so going to another phone sounds a bit silly!! Not surprisingly as is custom on this trip, my phonecard doesn't work and when it does, it rings out!! Shell isn't in and i find out she is going to be another half an hour or so!! So i decide to head out!!

I head to the Rockerfeller Plaza and i get my first view of one of the massive skyscrapers that makes up the main part of the plaza!! I call Shell just round the corner from this area and we both realise i will be back in three days or so!! Whilst talking to her- i let her know i am not far from Central Park- but when i head off, its in the wrong direction and the greenery i thought was the park is something else (see, i told you i would keep getting lost!!)

Eventually i get to Central Park and its very impressive and beautiful!! And for 1pm on a Thursday its packed!! There are loads of families out walking about, people sunbathing, there is a separate bike path, play area and its quite surprising!! In a way its very much like London's Hyde Park (although its a lot bigger!!) and having this green area in the middle of a city like New York is a brilliant idea!!

I watch baseball being played on 5 pitches and is a league set up by all the cast of all the local Broadway shows!! So you have the cast of Lion King taking on Mary Poppins!! Who would have thought of it!! Although i fully admit, baseball is my least favourite American sport, the players here have a brilliant New York attitude and a very funny!!

I decide to head to a local pub for some lunch and decide to also watch the footy!! Now i am on the east coast, there is only a 5 hour time difference so i can finally watch some of the Euro's!! A Guinness and some chicken wings do the trick and the game is good (Germany vs Portugal).

I head off towards Times Square briefly, before deciding to head back to my room freshening up (i am still burnt from L.A!!). This time i decide to head to Madison Square Gardens!! Its a huge cultural landmark for me- its housed huge concerts, boxing, ice hockey, basketball (and WWE!!). I find it after a long walk, but can't check it out as R.E.M. are playing and its packed around it!! I decide to get some subway info from Penn Station, which is underneath MSG and then head to Times Square!!

I am not sure how best to describe Times Square. I have some pics for it, but i think you really need to experience it for your self!! There are so many people here and mixed in with that you have other strange folk asking for $1 to buy a hot dog and a 70 year old woman in burlesque attire having her picture taken with startled Japanese tourists (i didn't understand that at all......).

I decide to scope out the subway station near the YMCA and after another long walk, it isn't that far away!! I finally head to the local supermarket for some supplies to last the evening and head back to rest by exhausted body!!

As i haven't really eaten three meals a day since i started this trip, factoring in the heat, i am quite impressed i have managed to walk around for 7 hours today!! I literally eat and fall straight asleep!!

Day 43
I decided today to head to the World Trade Centre site. And i was going to walk there!! I get up at 8am, get an early start on packing my case (as i am coming home tomorrow!!) then am off out at 9am!! I get going at a brisk pace - manage to get pics of the Empire State Building (i initially take pics of another skyscraper that i think is the Empire, but isn't!!) and the Flat Iron Building (which is just weird!!) and stop off to get another postcard for my grandad. Now, whilst i am paying for the card and stamps an amazingly rude woman throws a notebook on the counter and demands to know how much it costs, then complains about how much it costs, then hands over her cash, says she will never come here again, then grabs her money off the bloke behind the counter and storms out!! Thank you and f*** you!!

As an aside to that, New Yorkers aren't shy about throwing F-bombs about- whether in conversation with each other or on the phone- and is delivered in a typically brash and loud style!! They also don't care who walks past at that time- young, old etc! Maybe thats why i like them so much!!

The sun is now high up in the sky- but today i prepared by putting sunscreen on!!

The first thing that hits you about the WTC site is the size of it. Even though they have these enormous cranes there, seemingly hundred of workers it really is massive and it becomes slightly surreal when you consider what happened here 7 years ago.

Its actually quite difficult to picture the two towers here, especially as the surrounding building look so intact. They have also bordered the worksite, so you can only see it from certain locations.

There is also a very visible police prescence around the whole site although the mood actually seems quite good. I head around one side of the site and head into the WTC Financial Building and out to Battery Park, the southern most tip of Manhattan and right next to the water. This also allows me to see the Statue of Liberty!!

I continue round the remaining sides of the ground zero site before grabbing a wrap from Burger King. Strangely, one of the clearest views of the excavation site can be viewed from the second floor of Burger King and as it was the only empty table, i have to endure a procession of tourists clamouring to get a picture. There is a morbid fascination with this i guess- my reason was because it was such a huge cultural event that really hit you when it happened and i have mixed views about the decision to build the new 'Freedon Tower' on the site instead of a lasting memorial. Still, i would be interested to come back in 2012 when they expect to finish it.

After this sobering part of the day i decide to grab the subway and head up to Times Square. I have to head partially back the way i came as the line from WTC is still out. I am surprised how cheap it is- $2 for any stop on the line!! I have now decided to use the subway tomorrow when i head back to JFK.

When i get to Times Square i buy my new Puma's which at $60 (or £30!!) are frankly a bargain!! It means i am now leaving my manky other Puma's here!! On my way back to the YMCA i decide as this is my last night of the trip i am going to have one last meal at TGI's, which is just round the corner and also get some more souvenirs for the other half!!

I then manage to get lost on the way back!! I then finish packing and decide to go out and post the post card back to the UK- it means i get to wear my new footwear!! The post box is just round the corner so I hope it gets back ok!!

I chill out for few hours (it was half three, when i wrote this). I find ESPN on the TV and watch the Turkey vs Croatia footy match and was a very good game with an amazing ending!! Decided to have a shave (the beard idea never really caught on with me!!) and head out about 6ish!!

Guess what i did then? I GET LOST AGAIN!! For the love of all that is good in this world!! For the life of me i can not remember where TGI and the souvenir shop is!! It takes me 45 minutes to find them!! Got two more little gifts and head to TGI's!!

To be completely honest its a real anti-climax!! I have prawns on skewers on a bed of broccoli, quite possibly the healthiest meal i have had, but it doesn't even touch the sides and at $25 is very expensive!! Plus the air-con makes the place freezing cold, so i get going as soon as i finish my food!! Still its the LAST time i ask for a table for one!!

I head back looking forward to tomorrow and the trip home!!

Day 44
Broken sleep yet again!! For some reason i keep having a recurring dream about not being able to get my suitcase through the subway turnstiles and have to leave it there!! Leave air-con on as the room is quite stuffy, but lots of doors banging (i lost my earplugs in Oz!!) and additional noise!! I have to bathroom it up at 5am as the BK wrap, which had spicy chicken has done some damage!! Manage to drift off again, but woken by workmen drilling the road outside at half 7!!

Decide to watch TV from 9ish, grab a shower and complete the packing process!! My case feels heavy, but i guess that could be because i have weakened myself by not eating properly!! I know the case is emptier as for a start i have left my boots in Oz and my trainers here!! Various books also didn't make the cut (except Shells, cos she wanted them back!!

I leave the YMCA at about half 10, It doesn't take me long- case and backpack on as well- to get to the subway and only $2 to Jamaica Station, where i will get the AirTrain to JFK! Kind of guess which side of the platform i need to stand on and the train arrives soon after. Now i have been on the subway in London and frankly its pedestrian to the speed this thing gets up to!! It also bounces all over the tracks, but only seems to bother me!! Its also at this point that i realise my forehead is peeling from the burning it took earlier on the week!! Fantastic!! I look like a guy who needs sleep and has bits of skin falling off him!!

I get off at Jamaica Station by luck rather than judgement. The drivers voice is so quiet and i think he's talking Mexican!! It was just that i briefly caught a view of the Air-Train sign!! Struggle up the stairs, but its a relief to get here!!

The Air-Train station is very new and shiny and will cost me $5 to get to Terminal 7! If i had known that it would cost me $7 in total to get from the YMCA to here, i would have done the same when i arrived instead of spending close to $25 for a shuttle bus!! Well, you live and learn!!

The Air-Train is an unmannned monorail, two carriages long and only takes 15 minutes to get to where i need to!! As i get to the terminal its very quiet for 12ish!! Now my flight isn't till 10pm tonight, so i am preparing myself for a long wait!! The woman at the BA desk though says i should look into getting an earlier flight from ticketing instead of waiting!! And they manage to do so, so my flight is now at 6pm!! Security is a breeze for a change and let me parents know i am coming home earlier (as they are picking me up!!).

I wander round the terminal's food places but they are all expensive and i only have $7 on me and for some reason, none of my cards seem to work!! I settle on a bag of Japanese rice crackers and a Dr. Pepper (NOTE: On the 23rd June i would find $25 in my shorts!! HA HA HA!!).

I settle down for the wait and realise i haven't thought about this trips impact on me (and those who know me!!) yet. Of course i have some views on it already, but i think the rest will settle once i get back. I have taken over 350 pics, bout 7 vids and managed to keep a journal updated for 44 days, so i will have a lot memories to look back over this.

All i know right now is, i am ready to go home!! After what seemed like an eternity- i had the footy to watch to keep me sane- the plane set off on time and took just under 7 hours to get back!!

Day 45
Just a little bit really- Terminal 5 at Heathrow is a real joke!! So many escalators, lifts etc just to get your baggage (and they managed to smash someones goods on the carousel!!). Still the weather is good amazingly and its good to see my folks!!

Now I just have to hope we can get home on the UKs motorways ok...............................................






POSTSCRIPT
Ok, i am writing this on Monday and been back in UK for two nearly three days!! Since i have got back i have heard that my early blogs probably trashed Thailand and Oz a fair bit, but i only wanted to be as truthful as i could being a 30+, single traveller, who had left his girlfriend at home!!

I would really recommend going to both places!! My experiences are my own and my opinions are my own!! It is my blog!!

The one thing i realised whilst i was gone is that i really missed the UK!! We are viewed pretty uniquely by the world and i guess until you are out of the country, you don't really see it!! I have had a very rare opportunity to experience that and although i have had some very tough emotional times on this trip (and i am not afraid to say that!!), i still appreciate the fact i was able to go!!


I just wanted to finish off with a Hall of Shame and Hall of Fame!! These are the people/places/events that really wound me up or kept me going!! Now i apologise if you don't see your name down here, but thems the breaks!!

HALL OF SHAME
- The woman on the flight to Oz- seriously, how could you not realise YOU were the one turning my reading light on and off, adjusting the volume on my TV screen???????
- The 3 English girls who stayed one night in the hostel in Oz- Turning on the lights at 4am because you are too pissed is not the way to make friends!!
- The price of food and drink in Sydney
- Thai vendors- you may be trying to earn a living but if i have to do that again..........
- The weather is Oz- Raining 8 days out of 9 and finding out from local news that 'hilariously' its the worst weather Sydney has had for years.
- PHONES!!!!! I am not saying anything else about them..........
- Bank cards!! Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't!!
- The bloke whose suit shop Scott and me DIDN'T want to go!! Thats no way to do business!!
- The cleaners at the hostel in L.A. - How long does it take to change ONE bed????
- The woman in the NY shop with the notebook!! You are gonna get an ulcer with that anger love!
- The receptionist at the hostel in L.A.- You + people skills course = better person.
- Me and sun cream- Yes, i managed to burn myself again!!
Finally- the English bloke on reception at the hostel in Oz- what are you employed for?? Andy and me asked you loads of questions and you didn't know the answers to any of them!! Eventually, you are gonna wake up and realise 'I can't live like a student backpacker for the rest of my life!!'.

Man i needed to vent that..............

HALL OF FAME (in no particular order!!)
- Shell- My other half!! Straight to the point every time and i really respect and love you for it, plus i didn't make it easy being away. And yes you were right!!
- My uncle Gary- Seriously, i knew you were a top bloke before, but without you i would have lost my mind in Thailand!
- The taxi driver to Phuket airport- The roads were flooded. There was lightning. You only had a normal car, not a mini bus. You just kept turning to me and sticking your thumb up and smiling. You are a crazy SOB, but darn it, you got me there!!
- The Thai bloke in BK- You saw i was seriously struggling with that phone and gave me your phone card. An absolute gent.
- The woman at Qantas in Sydney- was kind, understood my plight and managed to not only sort my flight to L.A, but also got me a ridiculously cheap flight to New York!!
- The suit bloke on the Khao San Road, BK- You saw me 4 days in a row, always asked if i wanted a suit and even though i didn't, would still want a chat. Very funny guy and it still makes me laugh when i think that you always greeted me with your own bit of English cultural language which was 'LOVELY JUBBLY!!'. Priceless!!
- Room 207, hostel Oz- 35 odd people I saw stay in that room in two weeks!! Pretty much everyone spoke English better than me AND there own language, put me to shame!!
- The woman at BA, LAX- Thanks for helping me get an earlier flight home!!
- Scott- Loved your attitude to travelling, despite your beach accident that split your foot open, you were just playing it by ear until your cash ran out!! Thanks mate!!
- Andy S- Top bloke!! I hope the rest of your tour went well and you still have a kidney left from the drinking!! Enjoy Sheffield Uni mate!! And thanks for partially explaining why the Isle of Man flag has three legs on it................
- Zero 7- Seriously, one of the best bands i have ever listened to and kept me going through the tough times!!


Well, thats it!! Its been a pleasure to share all this lot with you all and thanks to those who wrote messages, read them!!

I am sure i will see you all soon!!

D

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