Grand Canyon - day 2

Written Wednesday 28 May

After being rudely awoken at half past 3 in the morning, I grumpily declared I was looking forward to my afternoon nap more than hiking in the Grand Canyon at sunrise. I might have actually meant it at the time but once I'd shaken off the sleepiness I changed my mind! It didn't take much - once we'd made it down to checkpoint 1 I was blown away by the beauty, sheer drops and contrasting colours. The only thing that could possibly have made it better was blasting The Circle of Life from someone's phone which was dutifully carried out just as the fiery orange sun emerged from behind the mountains. 

Hiked 3 miles down into a sauna-like canyon and obvs the 3 miles back up which was hell. So glad we got up early to do this, cannot imagine hiking in the midday sun. There was light relief at the top, however - one of us alerted a random man to the fact that a squirrel was eating out of his bag of nuts and when he looked down he got such a shock that the bag went flying out of his hands and sailed across several rocks scattering nuts left right & centre. It was hilarious (and the squirrel must have been thrilled). Anyway, was v proud to have made it there and back, especially as there were a couple of moments when I thought I wouldn't be able to carry on - so steep and so, so hot. Also impressed I made it out alive - one of the boys thought it would be funny to push me when I was standing on a rock at the edge of a drop looking at the view, scare the shit out of me for a second (felt like WAY longer) and then grab my backpack to steady me. My heart was racing SO fast. My dying words would have been something along the lines of 'feck off' (give or take a letter) yelled incredibly loudly - one of the reasons I'm glad he pulled me back to safety!

Got back to camp at 10am and bedded down immediately for a nap - knackered is an understatement!

 

 

Grand Canyon - day 1

Written Tuesday 27 May

Exhaustion aside, the day didn't start off brilliantly. We did our first group food shop for the next 5 days which took like 2 hours, blah - such a waste of time. I don't know why we're not just buying cheap meals near the campsites...I hate spending so much time on these things when we're in such incredible places for just 1-2 days. This also meant that when we stopped off on Route 66 for lunch, there wasn't even time to take a quick snap with the signs, grr! Sometimes it's just so rushed which is not cool when you're somewhere so famous/amazing. We were also sitting at the back of the van which happens to have no air vents so we were sweltering - ended up taking our tops off and sitting in our bras! Needs must...no regrets.

Crossed the State line from Nevada to Arizona and finally made it to Grand Canyon land. Most of the group went on the helicopter tour which I purposely avoided because it's a) expensive and b) dangerous - Tom told me that the pilots aren't very experienced and there are a fair few crashes... Went for a walk instead through a National Park south of the Canyon which involved inhaling trees that smelled like vanilla and almost walking straight into the path of a massive male elk. Was so excited, I've never seen one before and it was really close. Didn't realise at the time that they're known for being aggressive (although mostly in the fall) but it strolled across the path in front of us so it obviously wasn't too fussed.

We all went to the Grand Canyon rim trail together to watch the sunset (I told a friend we were going to the rim and she nonchalantly replied 'We're going for a what?' No, no...!). Lots of rimming jokes ensued of course, endless entertainment. I've been waiting for my first glimpse of the Canyon since February and it didn't disappoint. I wish I could load up some pics from my camera (got a couple of crappy phone snaps) but I'm not going to have access to a computer until like June 8 argh! Not sure photos would do it justice anyway, I was just standing there mesmerised. The sunset was gorgeous, what a place to see the sun go down. We were whisked off shortly after it disappeared...rushed as usual...and went back to camp to cook dinner for 14 people, my worst nightmare! Apparently meals have to be 'nutritious and delicious' so pasta and cheese is literally off the table, darn. Luckily I'm in a team with a budding chef (ah fate) so we dished up an epic stir fry. Success!

Got to bed at half 11 with alarms set for half 3 to go for a hike into the Canyon...only way to beat the scorching desert heat. That'll be 8 hours sleep in 2 days then, eeek. Missing the posh hotel room in Vegas, degrading from a squishy double bed to a mattress of rocks and orange dust in a scabby campsite is truly depressing. Sigh. Excited for tomorrow though!

 

Vegas - day 2

Written Monday 26 May

Oh my god. Had the BEST day today, we lucked out massively. The first awesome thing to happen today was we got an invite to a private pool party at the Mirage. Get in!! We'd initially gone to have a look around - the taxi driver from the hotel said there were tigers inside! - and were being proper tourists taking photos when a guy who worked there asked whether we wanted one altogether. Always - et voila, invitation secured, it's as easy as that! It was pretty sweet inside (people sporting nipple tassles and little else aside) and we got plied with free drinks - score & Bud Light now has a new fan - in addition to free entry! Felt very exclusive for the hour we stayed and then left to try our luck on the slot machines where I won a grand total of 25 cents. Think the winner's luck went to my head because the next thing I knew I'd lost $40 on roulette. Whoops...

Taxied back to the hotel before we blew any more cash and spent a very lazy late afternoon by the pool, which is incidentally the coolest I've ever seen - as in the adult water slide goes through a shark tank. Say whaaat - whoever designed these hotels are truly innovative people. Because we crashed out early last night we decided tonight would be our big one out in Vegas. Our tour leader managed to wangle us free VIP entry to a renowned club called XS in Encore to see Zedd DJ!!! Having recently gone through a phase of having that Stay the Night song permanently in my head, I was SO excited, and the evening didn't disappoint. This was despite the fact that I was starting to get tired before we even left (the 40 degree heat takes it out of you) and so prelashed on water. Very cool I know. Had 2 free drinks at the club so was practically sober but I was going MENTAL - the music was epic, the atmosphere was electric and it was ridiculous amounts of fun. Plus they played Bastille twice, making me one very happy lady. Screamed so hard I'll be surprised if I have a voice tomorrow. Stumbled back absolutely shattered at half 3, bed at half 4...a whole 3 hours of sleep and then a 5 hour trip to the Grand Canyon, oh dear. When our tour leader first said to us to bear in mind that we would be leaving at 8 when we rolled in at 4am the night before, my first thought was what idiots would do that to themselves? Ahem... So worth the lack of sleep though, it was literally the best night ever - and all for free!

 

Las Vegas - day 1

Written Sunday 25 May

Even just driving down the strip you can see Las Vegas is a place like no other. From the Sphinx to Venetian gondolas, it has shrines to tons of famous destinations all over the world, slightly scary looking people parading down the strip sporting Mohawks and ridiculous amounts of tattoos and...drive through weddings! (Would you like fries with that?)

I can tell this is going to be a long term love affair - fell for Vegas the instant I locked eyes with the fabulous hotels, bright blue skies and neon signs advertising all sorts of craziness. Wasn't massively fussed on going before - was more excited for the Grand Canyon and Yosemite - but now I'm totally psyched to be here. 

Bursting at the seams with glamorous hotels and glitzy casinos, the strip stretches for miles and is one of the coolest places I've ever visited. Teeming with life 24/7, I've travelled from one city that never sleeps to another - and I love it!

Arrival day was a bit of a mad rush to check in, buy booze and eat dinner before the party bus arrived but made it on board for 2 hours of awesomeness. Cruised down the strip drinking wine out of the bottle (keeping it classy), sampling Four Loco (think that's how you spell it - an American drink which has the equivalent of 4 beers and 2 energy drinks in 1 can) and dancing like crazies. Hopped off at the Vegas sign on route and made our final stop at the Bellagio to watch the fountains and get our gamble on. Didn't realise you could smoke in the casinos - I guess it's yet another trick to keep you inside as long as possible... We took a backseat and watched as someone else from the group went hard at roulette - and won pretty big - while sipping our free drinks and trying very hard to understand the rules. Had a wander round Caesar's Palace casino before crashing out - need sleep in preparation for tomorrow!

 

 

San Diego - day 2

Written Saturday 24 May

"Can I get a bottled water please?"

*blank stare* "A what, sorry?"

"A bottled water please."

"Sorry, a...?"

"A bottle of water!"

"Oh...boddled warder, sure."

The language barrier between two English speaking countries is tougher to overcome than you might think. I got laughed at for saying "butter" in NYC ("Do you mean budder?" No, no I do not) and after the bottled water debacle I asked for a restroom rather than a bathroom/loo/toilet to avoid further confusion among both parties concerned. Life is hard :P

Americanisms aside, had a nice day today - explored downtown and then hit the beach. Weather has been quite disappointing considering we're on the Californian coast but with a jacket and a fleece on it felt like the sun could have been shining! Some of the group caught a baseball game in the evening but because I only decided I wanted to join really late in the day I had to chance it with tickets and didn't end up getting in, the queues were way long. The evening wasn't wasted though - Saturday night means wine time obvs, so sipped a couple of lovely Chardonnays in an Irish pub (where else) in the Gaslight District, half watched the game on TV and caught some live jazz with our tour leader who also hadn't managed to get a ticket. Fun fun - although this adjective may not be appropriate for tomorrow morning...6am start then 8 hour drive to Vegas...! There will be a party bus waiting for us soon after we arrive though, so swings and roundabouts! Can't wait for a Vegas night out, s'gonna be cray!

San Diego - day 1

Written Friday 23 May

So the road trip has finally come around and our first stop was...Hollywood! Sigh. Luckily it was just a couple of quick stops at the Observatory (panoramic views of LA, meh) and the Walk of Fame (again). Got to San Diego a few hours later, such a pretty place - sea, beach, quaint 'real' American houses decked out in patriotic flags and lush green front yards. Only got to see it from the van (which may hereby be referred to as Gloria) as we headed for the - gulp - campsite. Was quite surprised at the speed we put the tent up - sure, probably spent more time staring blankly at an assortment of sheets and poles than actually working, definitely clipped a few bits into the wrong places and had to ask more than my fair share of questions to get past each stage, but we got there :) 

The plan for the rest of the afternoon was initially to stay at the campsite but persuaded the tour leader to take us downtown to explore. Would have felt weird otherwise, I like dumping my bags and acquainting myself with new places pretty much straightaway. Mooched around the historic quarter which has a very Western, cowboy-esque feel to it. It's Hispanic as well which is cool - people of Hispanic origin actually outnumber Americans around here. Went for one drink which turned out to be a slippery slope...the original intention of hitting the supermarket was to stock up on soft drinks but we came out loaded with ping pong balls, red cups, an enormous bottle of wine and a packet of Cheetos. Whoops? Fajita dinner (we're taking it in turns to cook, oh god. Quite impressed the camping stove managed to produce fajitas for 14 people, although when my go swings around people will be sampling a mean pasta a la cheese) followed by a blazing campfire and playing I have never...excellent way to get to know people you've known little over 12 hours!

The people in the group are awesome and are going to be lots of fun, SO excited for Vegas now. Not 100% sure about the Trek America style though...for example we're staying in a campsite in San Diego which is quite far away from the centre/beach area. Not too sure why we're not staying in a cheap hostel, even more so considering we're staying over a Friday and Saturday night...I'm so used to just being able to leave the accommodation and stroll into the action either on my own or with people from a group but here we have to be shuttled around together to get anywhere...bit restrictive especially for someone who values their independence/freedom. The other thing is that it takes like 3 hours to prep, cook, eat and clear up after dinner, which totally wastes time when we could be out exploring what new places have to offer. I guess it'll be different in the National Parks because once the sun goes down there won't be much else to do but in cities it really sucks - plus it's hard to skip group dinners since there's a rota...again restrictive grr!

Anyway it's only night 1 so we'll see how things progress!

 

Hollywood - day 3

Written Thursday 22 May

Minion madness is the best way to summarise the day! Felt bad about doing nothing yesterday when I should have been seeing Beverly Hills & Bel Air etc so was glad to get my dose of big screen Hollywood today. Universal Studios was amazing - the rides were roller coasters and simulators combined with loads of screens and special effects to make it super cool. Minion Mayhem was obviously my favourite, especially the interactive dance party at the end where you can join a conga line of minions :) Had to resist buying a 'whaaaa?' t-shirt and other such paraphernalia from the various stores but didn't hold back when it came to photos - think we were more excited than the little kids in the queues, disgraceful. 

Happy days! We also did the studio tour which was really cool: saw the Wisteria Lane set where Desperate Housewives was filmed; loads of other sets like War of the Worlds, Bruce Almighty & Jaws; and learnt about the power of cameras that can make model boats look like huge ships in King Kong & turn 50ft buildings into skyscrapers. Really cool day out!

Hot footed it downtown to my hotel for the night - sad to leave my roomies at BB but not sorry to leave Hollywood in the slightest. Although having said that, downtown LA is equally dodgy - popped out for 15 to grab snacks & water and was actually quite surprised I made it back to the hotel alive/with all my belongings. Such a shame as I was certain I was going to love LA but I just don't know...would have been nice to have another day to explore it properly but the tour starts tomorrow at half 7, so for now just going to enjoy being in a comfy bed in a private room - luxury!

In the defence of hostels

The first time I got given bedding when checking in at a hostel my reaction was confusion and then disbelief - I had to make my OWN bed? Was this some sort of joke? Now, after a couple of months on the road, I'm pleasantly surprised - feel spoilt even - if a bed has been made up for me.

Perhaps it's the practical, DIY approach they tend to take, or maybe it's the outdated notion that they're riddled with germs, but there are still people who think hostels are the arse end of the earth. Even I was careful at the posh NYC rooftop bar to talk about our 'hotel' rather than the hostel/budget inn we were actually staying at for the week. A couple of drinks later and I stopped caring what people thought - which is how it should be, hostels are amazing places to stay!

The amount of people I've met who 'don't stay in hostels' is stacking up fast, but why the stigma? I'm not saying it's not nice to have a doorman with a smart hat let you into the building or have a double bed, private bathroom and room service at the touch of a button. Everyone likes to err on the side of luxury sometimes, but for travelling hostels do the job just fine.

I've actually been pretty impressed with the standard so far. I'm currently staying in Banana Bungalow in Hollywood and while Tinseltown itself is a bit of a dump, the hostel has a pretty cool vibe. Our 6 bed dorm is warm, spacious and comfortable and comes with its own kitchen! The private bathroom is huge and even has a tub, and there are shelves and lockers in the room too. In the Milhouse hostel in Cusco there were cubby holes for each bed with a light and plug sockets - so in general they're pretty well equipped. Full length mirrors are few and far between but this is easily overcome by balancing precariously on beds or using windows as temporary replacements and hoping no one walks by as you primp and preen!

BB has laundry facilities (including free powder), free computers/internet/printing, free breakfast, free tacos on Wednesdays, free beer and they refund your shuttle from the airport if you stay 3 nights or more. Plus there's ping pong, billiards, karaoke and organised daytime/evening activities if they take your fancy. There also appears to be free tea on tap, rejoice!

The hostel in NYC was the absolute best though, hands down. I have to be honest, on the basis that it's called the New York Budget Inn I didn't let myself get my hopes up but in hindsight I shouldn't have boxed up my expectations. At check in I got shampoo, conditioner, a towel and even a complimentary pair of slippers! Beds made up, room sparkling clean and spotted a fridge and microwave in the room - epic! Free PCs, printing, water machine and breakfast (not that I ever made it down on time!). All the people were rad too - the reception dudes were hilarious (big up the dream team Daniel, Ronnie and Chris) and so incredibly helpful - and this is also where I met my lovely roomie Sarah who I might meet in Canada after I finish up in the States. People put up posters if they're planning a night out which is how we ended up at Pacha with some cool Argentinians. Hostels are totally centred around meeting new people and you end up making friends from all corners of the globe - it's brilliant meeting such a diverse mix of people. Entertaining in some cases too - someone asked me yesterday what star sign I was and when I pinged the question back at him he casually informed me he was a Scorpion...lol! Almost didn't have the heart to correct him but I was laughing so hard my inner proofreader was forced to make an appearance.

Inevitably there are some downsides to staying in a hostel. Sometimes room sharing just isn't cool when you need your own space, they can be incredibly noisy until midnight which isn't ideal if you want an early night (someone is attempting Evanescense at karaoke as we speak...why would you do that to yourself?) and you might find yourself sharing 4 bathrooms between an entire floor of people. Generally though they're the biz and a godsend for globetrotters - whether on a budget or not.

Hollywood - day 2

Written Wednesday 21 May

There are lots of things that you don't want to hear on a hangover, one of which being that your bank has placed 'restrictions' on your debit card on the basis of suspected fraud. Apparently they had a freakout over a $25 baggage payment I'd made to Virgin America - never mind the cash withdrawals I've been making in Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil! Clowns. I told them I was going travelling before I left and they assured me I wouldn't have any problems...luckily it all got sorted in about 20 mins (thanks mumma!) but still, grrr.

Not really sure what to do today. LA is huge, it sprawls for miles in every direction so the easiest way to get around is by car. Using public transport, the beach is 2 hours away, Beverley Hills is 1 hour away and there's not much to do in Hollywood...might have an admin day of blog and laundry, woop!

Hollywood - day 1

Written Tuesday 20 May

The big screen may paint it as a glamorous place where dreams come true, but as soon as you actually set foot in the supposed land of the rich and famous, the illusion is almost immediately shattered. From the string of persistent tour agents and tacky souvenir shops on the Boulevard to the vast amounts of bedraggled homeless people on the streets, Hollywood is spectacularly underwhelming. One of the first things I saw after leaving the hostel to explore was the Museum of Death - welcome to Hollywood! A place where dreams go to die: you've got aspiring models/actresses working as waitresses, budding musicians test driving their material on uninterested people on the street and a homeless person every 10 paces. I was warned about it being vastly overrated and I'm very glad I took heed and booked just 3 days here. Although in its defence it's pretty cool having the Hollywood sign and walk of fame a 5-10 minute walk away from the hostel.

Mooched around for a few hours then went back to the hostel to meet my roomies - there's another English girl yay! Spent the evening drinking 7% wine that tasted suspiciously like cranberry juice and playing beer pong (for the first time ever!). Think more beer went down my chin than actually in my mouth but all good fun! :)

Virgin America - worst airline ever?

Written Tuesday 20 May

I've purposely avoided flying with Ryanair in the past, but an unwelcome measure of misfortune meant I crossed paths with its Stateside counterpart today - Virgin America. 

The first thing that strikes me as odd is the lack of inflight magazine. What sort of airline flies their customers on a 6 hour journey without some sort of aviation-related reading material? Okay - I accept there's no magazine to read, how about a spot of TV instead? Oh, you have to pay for visual entertainment? Alright, no sweat - I have a book in my bag and an iPod in my pocket. But now I'm feeling peckish so I wait patiently for breakfast on this early morning flight. And wait and wait...until it becomes clear that a box of crappy plane food isn't included in the ticket. Fine - I'll order a snack from one of the members of staff on board. To no avail - apparently you have to order from your seat using the stubborn screen that only shudders into action if you press the buttons in exactly the right way. By now I'm absolutely starving so desperately claw at the screen to make my selection from the virtual menu and attempt to make a payment by swiping my credit card underneath - which inevitably doesn't work.

Cue series of bizarre facial expressions as I try to suppress my inner rage (one is British, after all) and sit glaring at the screen wallowing in my distress & trying to ignore both the hunger pangs and the passenger in the next seat who had the foresight to bring a sandwich onto the plane.

Let's sum up by speculating that if there were an award in the aviation industry for being shit, Virgin America would win hands down. Congratulations - I will not be using your terrible airline again in the future.

New York - day 7

Written Monday 19 May

I meant to see a lot today - the public library, the subway grating Marilyn Monroe famously stood over in that white dress and the rest of Central Park. Ended up doing exactly zero of these things and had yet another lazy day consisting of bagels, juice, tea and chilling in the lobby. The guy in the bagel place - Daniel's Bagels - was super nice, he gave me a free dessert & a free tea to go :) and the guy in the pastry shop across the road slipped an extra dessert into a cake box I put together for my roomie yesterday. People are so nice! 

Can't say the same for the hoards of pushy tourists at the Empire State (finally went - kind of cool that's the last thing I'll do in NY). This sounds horribly British and uptight but some people really don't understand the simple concept of queuing. The next person who stands so close behind me that they're practically pushed up against my back and breathing down my neck is going to get an elbow somewhere unpleasant, I swear to god. Queue took forever but was genuinely worth the wait - the nighttime views were incredible.

Spent half an hour at the Observatory (86th floor) before pootling back to the hostel to pack in the dark (all the other people in my dorm were asleep and my head torch has helpfully stopped working...3 days before a camping trip). Got 3 hours of sleep...New York's notorious insomnia sure seems to be contagious!

New York - day 6

Written Sunday 18 May

Ugh, THAT'S why I didn't want to drink on my travels. Sob. Woke up very late and managed to drag my ass to Katz's Deli which I've heard good things about - plus it's 'that' restaurant from When Harry Met Sally. Everyone seemed to be ordering the pastrami sandwich so I just went with it...not sure whether it was the insane amount of meat, the fact that the pastrami was listed just above the liver on the menu or general hangover bleh, but I never want to see pastrami ever again, it was so grim. And it came with an entire plate of pickles, vom fest. Escaped from the craziness and headed to Brooklyn Bridge armed with my camera and an enormous cup of tea - needs must! Took a long time to walk there from the hostel but it was so worth it, gorgeous views :)

 

 

Walked through the hostel door into complete pandemonium (karaoke and free pizza = lobby completely rammed) and was serenaded by Dirty Dancing guy singing a VERY cheesy song. Everyone was staring eeek but was very cute, how could I possibly say no to drinks afterwards? A date in NYC...not a bad way to end an incredible week! Can't believe it's my last day tomorrow :(

P.S. Think I might have broken my little toe...someone trod on it with their stiletto at the rooftop bar yesterday and it hurts like a bitch...not good when I've got a 3 week tour with Trek America coming up!

New York - day 5

Written Saturday 17 May

After about 3 hours of sleep, a lazy day was very much in order. It was really sunny woohoo so made a beeline for the beach - Coney Island! Felt very American today - had a bagel for breakfast, a hot dog for lunch and worked the subway like a boss. Did very little other than stroll along the promenade and loll around on the beach :)

Need to get my tourist on again tomorrow - still haven't been up the Empire State! Although this plan could well be foiled by another night out, this time to a rooftop bar :) Had an amazing eve - found 12% wine to prelash, totally skipped the massive queue (thanks again British accent) then spent the evening sipping wine & homemade lemonade and mingling with New Yorkers with the Empire State glittering in the background. There were even fluffy red dressing gowns on hand when it started to get chilly - epic! Top night.

New York - day 4

Written Friday 16 May

The torrential rain may not have led to the most interesting of days, despite the reception guy's suggestion that I go skinny dipping in the ginormous puddles (to be fair it is quite warm outside!) but the evening was freaking awesome. Rocked up to Pacha at 12, managed to blag a VIP band with the London accent (seriously works wonders over here, they LOVE it) and got invited into the DJ booth which resulted in free drink tickets all night! Just as well really - the wine over here is like 5% so would have blown my entire budget trying to get anywhere near drunk. Although the barmaids were really off with us...found out why later - apparently we were supposed to tip, which defeats the whole point of free drinks, does it not? The mind boggles... Despite this minor hiccup it was a good night: met lots of interesting people, actually enjoyed tearing myself away from mainstream and entering the world of electro and ended up hanging out on Staten Island with a few guys we met until like 7am. Loving how easy it is to meet cool people in NYC. Mr DJ took a fancy to my roomie and invited us to some club launch night tomorrow - even said he'll send a driver to the hostel! Really cool of him, will definitely be mulling it over...

 

New York - day 3

Written Thursday 15 May

I'm slowly but surely falling under the spell of New York. Which surprises me since I was almost certain I wouldn't like it/find it hugely impressive. I can't explain what it is exactly but I'm just getting good vibes and I feel at home after a mere 3 days - I think the ease of getting around makes you feel like a local quicker than most other places.

Spent the morning catching up on the blog and the afternoon in Starbucks - got to be done! - and walking around doing a few admin bits and bobs. Debuted my new trousers on admin missions and within 10 minutes of leaving the hostel was asked out for a drink by a random on the street! Epic and they are now my official pulling pants, if you will... Love how much more open and confident people are here, it's such an attractive quality :)

Great day then had the BEST evening in Ellen's Stardust Diner which was recommended to me by at least 3 different people. It's your not-so-typical American diner, where budding and returning Broadway stars serve your meal while belting out classic tunes from the stage. Amazing talent with voices that left me picking my jaw up off the floor - so so glad we went!

Strolled back to the hostel through Times Square which looks STUNNING at night. Even at midnight there were people everywhere, loads of stores were open and there were so many lights it felt like daytime! Was a weird but cool sensation and will hopefully be going back tomorrow for a proper night out. Excited!

New York - day 2

Written Wednesday 14 May

And sleep I did - got up at half past midday and didn't feel guilty in the slightest, it was amazing. Just as well too, needed the energy for another day of exploring the city by foot. Between 2 and 9pm I sat down for 15 mins - knackered! Feel great though, it's so good to walk rather than sit in a bus. Probably not the wisest choice doing this in America but I'm trying to detox over the next 10 days - healthy food, walking lots etc. Had a fruit orgy in the evening - my first tomato for 6 weeks!

So...I saw the spit of Leonardo di Caprio today...then Googled whether he has a place here and he does...hmm! Was going to ask for a selfie either way but by the time I'd got over the initial 'woah' he was long gone. Was also just metres away from Obama this afternoon - although he was in a car with blacked out windows so not sure that counts!

My route took me to Bloomingdale's first to have a quick look round - it's just like House of Fraser so wasn't exactly blown away! The next stop on my little self-guided tour was cool though - 5 sections of the Berlin Wall tucked into a quiet lunch spot away from the hubbub of the city.

Hopped on Fifth Avenue (loving the grid system and street names, makes it so much easier to get around) and had a mosey around American Girl, a really quite creepy doll store where there's even a doll hair salon and ear piercing boutique. Madness! Skidaddled out of there and sauntered through Times Square. Tom's gf (yes, a lot has happened since I've been away! My godmother also had a baby yesterday, so exciting!) recommended the Toys R Us store which was a good shout. It's like London's Hamleys only - dare I say it - better? From the Ferris wheel at the entrance to a giant Lego Empire State Building and a life size moving T-Rex, there's so much going on you don't know where to start. Although I have to admit, I think it was probably the giant minion that swung it...

Walked for ages to High Line park - constructed on a former elevated freight railway built in the 1930s. Drizzly but nice and got to see the less 'touristy' side of NY.

Wanted to do the ESB in the evening but it got really foggy so I think I'll leave it til the weekend. Actually quite relieved the forecast for the next couple of days is cloud/fog/rain - means I can have some lazy days without feeling too guilty!

New York - day 1

Written Tuesday 13 May

Being awake for almost 40 hours straight does funny things to you. Aside from the fact that I can barely keep my eyes open, I've just sprinkled salt onto the courgettes on my plate because I thought they were potatoes. Consequently disappointed in the lack of potatoes and that the courgettes - keeping in mind I haven't seen a nice looking vegetable for about 6 weeks - are covered in salt and looking rather shrivelled. I want bed! Although a bit scared to go back to the hostel now - when I got there to check in at 8pm the karaoke was in full swing in the tiny reception area and the manager decided to put on Dirty Dancing, make me run towards him, jump and put my hands on his shoulders and let him lift me ridiculously high in the air in a sort of planking position while I screamed like a crazy. First time I'd met him and all the other people in the lobby including my roomie...! Interesting welcome, looks like I'm going to have fun here/get coerced into embarrassing episodes on a daily basis. 

Managed to escape for dinner and a quiet sit down, much needed after a busy day flitting between tourist attractions - did Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, walked along Wall Street, went to the 9/11 memorial site, strolled through Central Park (saw a red-tailed hawk and its chicks in a new nest), stood in the middle of Times Square and popped into Grand Central Station on the way back. Roomies asked whether I wanted to do Top of the Rock with them tonight which was really sweet but I'm totally spent - need sleep!

  

Rio - day 2

Written Monday 12 May

One and a half days is NOT enough in Rio. Why this thought didn't strike me during the booking process perplexes me and am seriously gutted that I have to leave this evening. I think a part of me thought that I'd want to scarper to the safety of the States after 6 weeks in South America when actually I could quite happily set up camp here for a long while. I'm already planning my return - 2016 will be the year of Argentina, more of Brazil and Carnaval! Apparently Jan and Feb are the best months to hit Rio weather wise and it just so happens Carnaval falls into this period... Would like to do it in 2015 but I want to be in Asia/Oz around that time, it's a toughie! Although love that this is the most difficult decision in my life at the moment!

Had a gorgeous day today, spent the vast majority of it sunbathing on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches with a couple of people from the group and some of the tour CEOs - was lots of fun! Really can't emphasise enough how much I want to stay. Even looked into changing my flight but it would have set me back £900! Night flight to New York it is...

Rio - day 1

Written Sunday 11 May

Crazy busy Sunday, managed to squeeze 5 hours of travel, Christ the Redeemer, Santa Teresa neighbourhood, Escadaria Selaron (the famous steps!), Sugarloaf and a farewell dinner all into one hectic day.

Catching my first glimpse of Rio was really exciting; unlike Machu Picchu when I was worried I'd feel like I'd seen it all before, I was dying to see what I've seen in pictures/media/movies for real. Within about 10 minutes of arriving at the hotel we were whisked away on a city tour of all the key tourist stomping grounds, starting with C the R - or the Jesus statue as I appear to keep saying, makes me 'seem' embarrassingly uneducated (I later asked whether the Colosseum was in Athens...it's not). Jesus statue or modern wonder of the world (it was officially debuted to the public in 1931), it was really cool seeing it up close, especially when you stand right under it and look up, up, up at a never-ending Jesus. We were really lucky that the sun came out just as we started the tour, giving us nice blue skies for the pics.

However, not being religious in the slightest meant that I personally appreciated the AMAZING view more - deep blue sea, lush greenery, sparkling white buildings and Sugarloaf wowowow. Could have stayed there for hours.

Had a very brief walk in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood before strolling down the famous and beautiful Escadaria Selaron which was awesome. Wish we could have had more time to browse the tiles but our tour guide was keen to get to Sugarloaf...

Think the plan was to get us there for sunset but a timing fail meant we ended up watching it from the van instead :/ but...this did mean we got to see Rio at night, in all its sparkling glory.

Rio is SUCH a beautiful city from above, by day and by night <3

Managed to make it out for dinner with my faves but my stomach did not take kindly to the wine (or the food, come to that) so instead of joining the others in drunken merriment I had to go home - on our last night together! Was so gutted I actually cried! Not sure whether I was sadder about saying goodbye after over 3 weeks together or not being able to drink! I'm getting really bad stomach pains every time I eat still - and I'm prone to the same when I go a long time without eating. Win...!

Despite this, I LOVE Rio. In fact, I love Brazil. Don't ever want to leave!!