So we’re a LOT behind on blogging… so much so we’re now back home, only just though…kinda! Yes we have been busy since our last blog and for those following this we should tell you what we have actually been up to. We last left you hanging in suspense… we were supposed to be throwing ourselves out of a plane the next day, in Taupo, New Zealand! Well, sadly, we didn’t due to the rain. However that day we did go to the natural springs near by and boy were they hot! We also wandered down to the world’s largest volcanic lake, Lake Taupo and it is HUGE! From Taupo we headed to a place called River Valley, aptly named because of the river right next to it. Normally you could white water raft down this river, of multiple grade five falls, but again due to too much rain the day before the river levels were to high and dangerous. We then headed to Wellington for a one night stopover, in the most bizarrely coloured hostel of the trip; the whole of the outside was zebra striped, and the Wellywood hostel was not small! The next morning we got the ferry to the South island, with some small entertainment from a hilarious street dance group, and arrived in Nelson. Rob and I decided to pay for a roast dinner at the hostel and it was well worth it, with a tasty desert too. Although we’d only seen rain the last few days, we woke up the next morning with some sun! So I said “Hey Rob… shall we try sky diving here?”, and early afternoon we found ourselves on the way to a sky diving centre right by the Able Tazman, excited but very nervous too! After watching a ‘taster DVD’ so you’re aware of the stupid thing you’re about to do, we got into our gear and started on the accent to 13,000 feet. The plane, if you can call it that, was TINY, just big enough for me, Rob, our tandom men and a camera man each, all sat on the flood squished. We got some amazing views though, especially from where I sat, as I was by the transparent door! Once dangling from the side of the plane it’s easy… just scream! Seriously though it truly was amazing, the free fall was just insane. I think we were freefalling for about 30 seconds, then you have a nice ride down to the ground with the parachute up. Well… it’s nice until your tandom man makes you spin around or upside-down with your parachute. So sky diving… do it! As we got on the bus to leave Nelson, who turns up to get on but Alex, Becky and Rach, my uni mates! After a scream of delight and hugs we get on the bus and head to Westport. That evening we made some cheesy pasta and the girls bought Rob and I our first ever anniversary card from someone else! It was our 6 year anniversary that day! We all then went for drinks and an old guy bought Rob a drink, just for being with ‘4 gorgeous girls’! From Nelson we headed for Lake Mahinapua, AKA the Poo Pub (the Kiwi name as its easier). Here everyone pays for their room and meal, and Rob and I somehow end up paying half the price as everyone else, for the best ‘room’: our own caravan! Fully equipped with a heater (very important), fridge and twin beds! It was also the night of the Kiwi Experience fancy dress party, our theme was a ‘P party’. So after our home made meal by grumpy santa the hostel owner, we got ready! We had the 3 little Pigs from Alex, Bex and Rach, Rob was Popeye, I was Pam Anderson. Other notable people were, Penguins, pubes, Pippy Longstocking, picnics and a Pint of Guinnis! So from the Poo Pub we headed to Franz Joseph, where our hostel had a Jacuzzi! On our full day there, the girls, Rob and I did a full day hike up the Franz Joseph glacier, which was fun and definitely the most exciting place to go to the toilet! The hot tub was bliss when back in the hostel, along with a nice meal in the bar. We then headed to Wanaka which was a nice small down, a bit like a ski resort with a large lake near by. After one night there we went to Queenstown and that night we all decided to go out. So the girls, Rob and I had a few drinking games in the hostel and then went to ‘World Bar’ where you could get cocktails from teapots! An excellent night had by all, thanks to the teapot cocktails and the many free drinks from the offer the bar had on. The next day we all went luging at the top of a hill overlooking Queenstown, with some great views. In the evening we all made a roast dinner, which was lovely, even though it took so long! The girls were leaving the next day so we said our goodbyes. Rob and I went out to Milford Sounds the next day, which is said to be one of the most naturally beautiful areas of the world. It was pretty spectacular, even though it chucked it down most of the day. The rain however, made hundreds of small waterfalls down the rock faces, which were very pretty. We then left the next day for our long trip to Christchurch. Rob and I just had some food and chilled out that evening as the next day was our flight to LA! So the day after, we got up and caught a shuttle bus to the airport and flew back up to Auckland to catch our longest flight of our travels, 12 hours to Los Angeles. Los Angeles Through our flight to America we crossed the date line, and so went back in time, even though we’d been travelling for 12 hours! Once at our hostel in Hollywood, we had a small walk around Hollywood Blvd and went bed early. The next day we had a better explore, and properly looked at the stars on the street down Hollywood Blvd, went to the Chinese theatre to see the handprints on the ground. Mine are a lot smaller than Will Smith’s! I also spotted the Harry Potter threesome’s prints which was cool! We got the metro into the centre of LA, experienced some form of Spanish festival and wandered around. It wasn’t very busy actually but we thought we’d go. The next day we went to Universal Studios, which was great! Some fab rides, such as Jurrasic Park, the Mummy and the new Simpons 4D ride. In the evening we met up with one of Rob’s colleagues and had ‘juicy’ burgers in Johnny Rockets. We had an early start the next day as we went to DISNEY!!! It took a long time getting there, but was well worth it. The Indiana Jones ride was just AMAZING and the rest were really good too. We did spend a fair while queuing for autographs for characters, including Mickey, Tinkerbell (who was Rob’s choice) and some princesses. The parade at the end of the day was great too, and highly energetic! After a lie in the next day, we went back to Universal as we had a free days pass so went and did some rides and shows we didn’t do the other day and went on some rides again. Las Vegas On the next day we got our flight to Las Vegas! We checked into our room in the Stratosphere hotel and went straight to the pool on the roof as it was hot! In the evening we went on all three rides at the top of the Stratosphere, which involves trying to make you think you will fall off the building in three different ways. From there we got the bus down to the other end of the strip and wandered back up. We watched the Billagio water fountain display, ate in the Mirage and went in Caesars Palace for a quick look around. Early the next morning we got on our coach to go the Grand Canyon. It was a long journey there but it we got some lovely views from two different points around the South rim. Even though we got back late, we hadn’t actually gambled yet, so we took our chance on some roulette in our hotel and beat Vegas!!! Yes… we started with $20 and finished with…. wait….$30! Okay so not a lot, but still, we came away with more money! Trek America Very early the next morning we got a flight to New York City. This was the meeting place for our trip with Trek America. In the afternoon we walked most the length of Central Park to the Apple Store, wandered up to Columbus circle and had dinner in Hooters! Though the food wasn’t amazing it was still an entertaining meal. We then went to see Times Square, which was bright to say the least! Again, the next day was an early start as we were meeting our fellow Trek America’s at 7.30am. After a slightly disastrous journey there, thanks to the change in the bus timetable, we arrived late but got there. Our group of 9, plus our trek leader, then headed off a good few hours North-West of NYC. Once we’d set up camp in our first campsite of the trip, we went to a couple of wine tasting places, surprisingly good fun! We all headed back to camp, had our burrito dinner and a relatively early night! The next day we drove to Niagra falls, where we went on the Maid of the Mist boat tour and got wet! We then crossed the boarder into Canada and stopped on the other side for a wander around. Once done there, we headed towards Toronto, camping up about half an hour away from the city. This night was also my first cooking night for the group, with my job partner, Fiona. So yes I helped make food for 10 and didn’t poison anyone! So the next day we all went into Toronto city, popped up the CN Tower for some views, then had a wander around, including China town. The China town in Toronto is supposed to be one of the biggest in the world! After some sushi with a friend, we headed back to the campsite. In the evening we all went out for a drink into town, and had a short but funny night, which culminated in Fiona and I racing around a bar in chairs with wheels on. However I did knock over someone’s drink in the process… all good though! The day after, we left for Algonquin park. When we arrived we went a short walk to a view point then headed down to a lake for a chill and bit of a sunbathe! For our full day in Algonquin, we went canoeing and it was a memorable day! To cut a long story short (if possible) me and Rob ended up capsizing, loosing our camera and damaging valuables, and being rescued by our friends. After we all had lunch on an island, we were then all rescued due to the choppiness of the lake. (However we must thank Adam, Rob and our tour leader Grant for canoeing for another hour, and capsizing themselves, to get the rescue men!) Next up was Ottawa, a brief stop there just for an afternoon. We went on a tour of the parliament building after a little walk around the city, which had lots of old buildings. The morning after we popped back into the city to go to the market in the morning and have pancakes. That day we then headed to Montreal, arriving mid afternoon, and wandering up to a lovely square not far from the port. In Montreal we got to stay in a hostel rather than camp, so we checked in and chilled. Rob and I set off to explore the next day, walking up Mount Royal and came back down to a huge ‘organised jamming session’! Hundreds of people just came to a big park with an instrument (mainly bongos) and made music! In the evening we all went to a restaurant called O’Noir, this is a place where you eat completely in the dark in order to experience the sense and taste of food more. It is also a place where you experience how blind people would feel in a restaurant. All the waiters were actually blind to make it even stranger but interesting! Quebec was the next place we visited, this was ‘more French than France is’ according to Rob! It was one of those quaint towns, with cobbled streets, little shops and cafés everywhere. However, it’s on two levels and it does take the breath out of you going up the stairs! Up top, Rob and I walked around the citadel, then went into a small museum and learned about Canada’s past. After a nap in a park and a walk around we headed back. We headed back into the USA the next day, Rob getting through even though his passport was canoe damaged! Once into the US we drove through rain to Acadia National Park. Once we put our tents up in the rain, and discovered how wet they are, we chickened out of camping and found a cheap motel! Once this was sorted we had some good food in a place called Geddy’s. The next day we went on a long bike ride around the National Park, luckily it didn’t rain though it was forecast too! In the evening we went for a meal at a restaurant with free second pasta courses, where Rob finished off 4 other meals! We had a very long drive to Rhode Island the next day, luckily the rain still held off in the evening, in which we has a huge cooking session. This was because we’d bought food for the other 2 nights we ate out in Acadia. After our last night campfire, many smores and some drinks we went to sleep. The next morning our lovely camping neighbours decided to allow their children to wake everyone up by bird calling, but after this we sadly packed and then counted all cutlery, tent pieces etc, then set on our way back to New York. Most of us did manage to get to meet up in the evening though, and got to have some tasty food in the Hard Rock Café. We also got within a few hundred metres of the Obamas that evening, as they were watching a Broadway show just off Times Square… and we could SEE the theatre! After a final goodbye for most, we headed back to our places. New York The next day Rob and I got on a boat to Ellis Island, getting some pics of the Statue of Liberty on the way. We went on an interesting tour about what happened through the immigrant process when they arrived on the Island back in the day. Once back, we had a wander around the downtown area and then decided to get the sub across to Brooklyn, and walk back over the Brooklyn bridge! Got some nice views when going over there! The next morning we got up and Rob found us a lovely place for breakfast that he’d been in when he was there a couple of years ago… MAN they did good pancakes! We then had a trip up the Rockefeller, which had some amazing views. There was also a funky room at the top, where areas of the floor, ceiling and walls lit up in different colours where you were standing. Technology these days! Afterwards, we popped into Macy’s for a little look, then Madison Square Gardens, then headed back to Times Square and the M ‘n’ M store! Yum! After a little waiting, our friend Kairo finally arrived! We had a wander around Central Park and then went and got some food from Hooters (again), clearly a favourite with the boys… no idea why though! Here we also met with Kairo’s brother, Chad! After some greasily good food, we wandered around, went into the Trump building, wandered around some more then found a bar. We had a great chilled out night… rollin’ four deep for the most of it! ;) Thanks to Kairo and Chad for showing us some Manhattan night scene! On our last full day we pottered about the city, went to see Grand Central station in all it’s glory, then had a big walk through Central Park. We sat down and Rob idolised some 5 year olds that were learning the skills of American Football and baseball, until it started to rain pretty heavily. In our short stay under a big posh tunnel, with about 60 other people, we saw 2 brides having their picture taken! Tunnels in Central Park must be the place to be! We finished our trip with a HUGE pesto pizza and got an early night as we had to be up early the next day. So up we got at 4.30am, and made our way to JFK to fly back to Heathrow. So there you have it, three months of travelling is noted for you all to read! We really did enjoy ourselves, and there were so many great things we saw and did. If anyone actually read all of this, I’m very impressed! Keep a look out for another one, because I wanna go again, maybe Africa, South America, the North Pole… Ciao for now!
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