12/04/12-14/04/12
Having seen Washington I was moving on again this time back to Pennsylvania to visited one of America’s first cities – Philadelphia. After my long bus rides with Greyhound this trip would only take 3 hours to make the journey eastwards. I arrived in the afternoon so only went out to take a quick look around the town. Having missed lunch because I was stuck on the bus I made for one of the local street vendors to try out the local Philly Cheese Steak, literally a roll filled with little cuts of steak covered in cheese. It turned out to be very filling, back home I guess we would have a bacon roll instead.
Out early the next day I was going to stick to the old town part of the city, the area which contains a variety of important sites relating to the establishment of the United States. I first made for the visitor centre to pick up my ticket to visit the Independence Hall and to watch the short film ‘Independence’ about the creation of the founding documents. After the film I walked a short distance across the road to see the grave of Benjamin Franklin. He was a local man who played a prominent role during the war of independence. Next it was time for me to join my tour of Independence Hall. Inside this building the founding documents were debated and revised before being formerly adopted an act of treason at the time. The first governments also operated in buildings on this site before they were moved to Washington DC in 1800. Next I joined the queue to see the famous cracked Liberty Bell, luckily the queue moved quickly so it wasn’t long before I got to see it with my own eyes. The bell has more meaning to certain campaign groups who used it as a symbol in their struggle of equality. After I entered the Second Bank of America to see portraits of all the famous figures that had a role in creating the United States. I then followed the road all the way down to Penn’s Landing which runs along the nearby river before working my way back to see the site where Franklin had his property in the old town, a ‘ghost’ house now stands on the site, steel beams outline where the house would have stood. As it was still early I made a quick visit to the city hall in the downtown area before retracing my steps back to the hostel.
Picking up where I left off the day before I head back to the city hall before bypassing it to continue further west to the museum district of the city. Following the straight road it took me all the way to the steps of the Philadelphia art gallery, the steps are being known for being the ones the character Rocky runs up in the original film which I was tempted to repeat. Seeing that the gallery had a Van Gogh exhibition on I couldn’t resist purchasing a ticket to see some of his artwork up close. I spent the main part of the morning and early afternoon looking round the gallery before heading out into the sun to take a walk down by the riverside to check out the various boat houses sat on the bank of the river. I was surrounded by locals out jogging and riding bikes, it made me look forward to when I could play sport again back home. Heading back to the city centre I made a division to first check out the notorious Eastern Penitentiary Prison that held some of America’s most famous prisoners but only walking around the outside I didn’t get much of a view due to the imposing surrounding wall, it looked more like a medieval castle rather than a prison. Back in town I walked round the Chinatown area before taking my last tour of the old town.
16/04/2012
15/04/2012
Washington DC
08/04/12-11/04/12
I arrived in DC in the morning having passed through the state of Maryland in the early hours. As I couldn’t check in till the afternoon at my hostel I went for a quick wonder of the local area to get my bearings. As I was walking I came across the National Achieves so with time to kill I joined the line to pass through security. This building holds all of America’s most important documents, none more so than the original founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They are housed within the buildings Rotunda so after joining another queue I finally got my chance to get to see these incredibly important documents with my own eyes. The major shock is how faded the Declaration of Independence is, it is almost ineligible to read or even see the signatures at the bottom of the page; years of sunlight damage have taken their toll. The other documents are thankfully in a much better condition, you cannot deny the important role they played not only America’s history but also their impact in the wider world.
On my first full day I headed immediately down to the Holocaust museum to take up my place in the line to get free tickets for the museum’s main exhibition. Luckily I didn’t have too long a wait till I could enter the main area so I quickly wondered around an exhibition of Nazis propaganda – that took me back to my secondary school days. When it was time I entered the main area of the museum that documents the Holocaust from the rise of the Nazis party through to the end of the war and the discovery of the camps. You cannot help but be moved by the images and films on show, from the footage of mobile execution squads and the conditions of camps to the pictures of those involved in ‘medical’ experiments, no matter how many times you have seen them they are still as shocking. In the afternoon I moved outside to explore the many memorials DC has to various individuals and wars. In the centre of the mall, a huge national park stands the Washington Memorial. It has a look out platform at the top but due to recent earthquake damage it is currently closed off to the public. West of it lays the World War Two memorial which stands at the eastern foot of the Reflecting Pools, though they weren’t reflecting much due to the fact that they were dry because of upgrade work. At their western end stands the Lincoln Memorial, an impressive tomb-like structure that houses a sitting statue of the former president along with some of his famous addresses. In the grounds nearby is the Vietnam memorial, a simple V shape line of black facings listed with the names of the dead. On the opposite side lays the Korean War memorial that has a series of white ghost-like statues of a unit out on patrol. Instead of names the memorial displays faces in various situations. Further around is the Martin Luther King memorial and the impressive Roosevelt memorial which displays various quotes from the former president in chronological order of his three terms. On the other side on the lake sits the circular Jefferson memorial. North of all this stretching off of the mall is the office of the current president – the White House. I headed there to try and get a picture of the front but due to a ticketed Easter event the whole front was blocked off so I had to settle with the view of the back of the building.
My second day consisted with museums. In the morning I made my way up to the top of the Post Office tower to get an overview of the capital before venturing down to the Air and Space museum, reportedly the most visited museum in the world. It contains a wealth of exhibits from the Wight Brothers plane that made the first powered flight in history to the Apollo 11 command module, there’s even a moon rock you can touch. After exhausting all the exhibits I made my way up the mall to see the mighty Capitol building where the senate is housed. It is an impressive structure, I joined the queue to visit but was refused enter because I was carrying a water bottle on me! Denied entry I instead popped into the Library of Congress to check out the impressive classical interior and Franklin’s book collection. On the north side of the mall I checked out the West Art museum quickly following the highlight guide they provided. With my attention span running out of patience I only took a quick tour of the Natural History museum next door seeing the massive Hope diamond in the process before retiring back to my hostel for the evening.
At the Air and Space museum the day before I had hope to see the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic weapon in history but I discovered it was housed at the museum’s sister site in neighbouring Virginia. Not prepared to miss one of the objects that I had always wanted to see I set out early on the third day to catch the first bus I would need to visit the site. After a lengthy journey consisting of two bus rides I eventually made it to the other site. Inside was the Enola Gay as well as hundreds of other important exhibits that simply cannot fit into the main site on the mall. It was certainly worth the journey and I had finally seen the plane I had always wanted to see. Back in Washington in the afternoon I visited the American History museum to see the original star spangled banner among other artefacts. After dinner in the evening I made one last visit to the mall to finally see the front of the White House as well as to see some of the memorials lit up, the Lincoln one in particular was quite spectacular under floodlights.
I arrived in DC in the morning having passed through the state of Maryland in the early hours. As I couldn’t check in till the afternoon at my hostel I went for a quick wonder of the local area to get my bearings. As I was walking I came across the National Achieves so with time to kill I joined the line to pass through security. This building holds all of America’s most important documents, none more so than the original founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They are housed within the buildings Rotunda so after joining another queue I finally got my chance to get to see these incredibly important documents with my own eyes. The major shock is how faded the Declaration of Independence is, it is almost ineligible to read or even see the signatures at the bottom of the page; years of sunlight damage have taken their toll. The other documents are thankfully in a much better condition, you cannot deny the important role they played not only America’s history but also their impact in the wider world.
On my first full day I headed immediately down to the Holocaust museum to take up my place in the line to get free tickets for the museum’s main exhibition. Luckily I didn’t have too long a wait till I could enter the main area so I quickly wondered around an exhibition of Nazis propaganda – that took me back to my secondary school days. When it was time I entered the main area of the museum that documents the Holocaust from the rise of the Nazis party through to the end of the war and the discovery of the camps. You cannot help but be moved by the images and films on show, from the footage of mobile execution squads and the conditions of camps to the pictures of those involved in ‘medical’ experiments, no matter how many times you have seen them they are still as shocking. In the afternoon I moved outside to explore the many memorials DC has to various individuals and wars. In the centre of the mall, a huge national park stands the Washington Memorial. It has a look out platform at the top but due to recent earthquake damage it is currently closed off to the public. West of it lays the World War Two memorial which stands at the eastern foot of the Reflecting Pools, though they weren’t reflecting much due to the fact that they were dry because of upgrade work. At their western end stands the Lincoln Memorial, an impressive tomb-like structure that houses a sitting statue of the former president along with some of his famous addresses. In the grounds nearby is the Vietnam memorial, a simple V shape line of black facings listed with the names of the dead. On the opposite side lays the Korean War memorial that has a series of white ghost-like statues of a unit out on patrol. Instead of names the memorial displays faces in various situations. Further around is the Martin Luther King memorial and the impressive Roosevelt memorial which displays various quotes from the former president in chronological order of his three terms. On the other side on the lake sits the circular Jefferson memorial. North of all this stretching off of the mall is the office of the current president – the White House. I headed there to try and get a picture of the front but due to a ticketed Easter event the whole front was blocked off so I had to settle with the view of the back of the building.
My second day consisted with museums. In the morning I made my way up to the top of the Post Office tower to get an overview of the capital before venturing down to the Air and Space museum, reportedly the most visited museum in the world. It contains a wealth of exhibits from the Wight Brothers plane that made the first powered flight in history to the Apollo 11 command module, there’s even a moon rock you can touch. After exhausting all the exhibits I made my way up the mall to see the mighty Capitol building where the senate is housed. It is an impressive structure, I joined the queue to visit but was refused enter because I was carrying a water bottle on me! Denied entry I instead popped into the Library of Congress to check out the impressive classical interior and Franklin’s book collection. On the north side of the mall I checked out the West Art museum quickly following the highlight guide they provided. With my attention span running out of patience I only took a quick tour of the Natural History museum next door seeing the massive Hope diamond in the process before retiring back to my hostel for the evening.
At the Air and Space museum the day before I had hope to see the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic weapon in history but I discovered it was housed at the museum’s sister site in neighbouring Virginia. Not prepared to miss one of the objects that I had always wanted to see I set out early on the third day to catch the first bus I would need to visit the site. After a lengthy journey consisting of two bus rides I eventually made it to the other site. Inside was the Enola Gay as well as hundreds of other important exhibits that simply cannot fit into the main site on the mall. It was certainly worth the journey and I had finally seen the plane I had always wanted to see. Back in Washington in the afternoon I visited the American History museum to see the original star spangled banner among other artefacts. After dinner in the evening I made one last visit to the mall to finally see the front of the White House as well as to see some of the memorials lit up, the Lincoln one in particular was quite spectacular under floodlights.
Chicago
04/04/12-07/04/12
On my first full day in Chicago I stuck to exploring the downtown area of the city near to where my hostel was. I first followed Grant Park along to the modern Millennium Park at its northern end. The park contains a variety of different public art installations; one which was closed for the winter period was a fountain that projects different films of local people’s faces onto a huge screen, from the month water is occasionally jetted out but unfortunately I didn’t get to see it in action only the faces showed on the screen. The main one in the park that has become the new unofficial icon of the city is the Cloud Gate, or as the locals refer to it the ‘Bean’ due to its shape. The bean sculpture has a smooth reflective surface that acts as a mirror so it encourages you to of course take reflected pictures of yourself with Chicago’s skyline in the background, a fantastic interactive public artwork. Every city should have its own bean; hours could be wasted trying to take the most unique photo. The park also houses an outdoor theatre that holds various events throughout the year. Moving on I continued north till I hit the river that divides the city and followed its course west for a time being all the time checking out various famous buildings. I concluded my downtown tour by taking in the views from North America’s tallest building the Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower). From the top you could see nearly four different states, it was a great view. The tower also had glass sections that extended out of the main building so you could walk over the street below.
The next day I crossed over the river to the north side of the city to a street called the Magnificent Mile to once again do some sightseeing. The street has all the designer shops you could expect running along it. I made my way up to the Hancock Tower to see the city skyline from an alternate perspective. Once again you cannot be but impressed by Chicago’s architecture, every building although different definitely adds to the city, all the different forms seamlessly blend together it’s a real treat to see. In the afternoon I headed down to the lakefront to visit the attractions on Navy Pier, site of the world’s first Ferris wheel. The pier has all sorts of attractions ranging from an amusement park to a stain glass window museum!
On my last full day I once again headed north to check out Lincoln Park which is home to the cities zoo, which is free to get in to. It houses an impressive array of animals from lions and tigers to even a polar bear; it has a better selection than some of the pay zoos I have been to. I spent a few hours looking at the animals and had a Chicago style hotdog (no ketchup allowed!) before I took one last stroll back through the city checking out the old town part. In the evening despite the cold I ventured back into Grant Park to watch the sun set behind the city skyline.
Time to move on again further east, this time my destination was to be the capital Washington DC. Once again I would have to spend nearly one whole day on a bus to get there back on the road with Greyhound. On route that day we passed through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Like before the land is extremely flat and mainly consists of cornfields and barns though to my surprise a lot of these seemed to be white instead of red in this part of the States – a break with tradition!
On my first full day in Chicago I stuck to exploring the downtown area of the city near to where my hostel was. I first followed Grant Park along to the modern Millennium Park at its northern end. The park contains a variety of different public art installations; one which was closed for the winter period was a fountain that projects different films of local people’s faces onto a huge screen, from the month water is occasionally jetted out but unfortunately I didn’t get to see it in action only the faces showed on the screen. The main one in the park that has become the new unofficial icon of the city is the Cloud Gate, or as the locals refer to it the ‘Bean’ due to its shape. The bean sculpture has a smooth reflective surface that acts as a mirror so it encourages you to of course take reflected pictures of yourself with Chicago’s skyline in the background, a fantastic interactive public artwork. Every city should have its own bean; hours could be wasted trying to take the most unique photo. The park also houses an outdoor theatre that holds various events throughout the year. Moving on I continued north till I hit the river that divides the city and followed its course west for a time being all the time checking out various famous buildings. I concluded my downtown tour by taking in the views from North America’s tallest building the Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower). From the top you could see nearly four different states, it was a great view. The tower also had glass sections that extended out of the main building so you could walk over the street below.
The next day I crossed over the river to the north side of the city to a street called the Magnificent Mile to once again do some sightseeing. The street has all the designer shops you could expect running along it. I made my way up to the Hancock Tower to see the city skyline from an alternate perspective. Once again you cannot be but impressed by Chicago’s architecture, every building although different definitely adds to the city, all the different forms seamlessly blend together it’s a real treat to see. In the afternoon I headed down to the lakefront to visit the attractions on Navy Pier, site of the world’s first Ferris wheel. The pier has all sorts of attractions ranging from an amusement park to a stain glass window museum!
On my last full day I once again headed north to check out Lincoln Park which is home to the cities zoo, which is free to get in to. It houses an impressive array of animals from lions and tigers to even a polar bear; it has a better selection than some of the pay zoos I have been to. I spent a few hours looking at the animals and had a Chicago style hotdog (no ketchup allowed!) before I took one last stroll back through the city checking out the old town part. In the evening despite the cold I ventured back into Grant Park to watch the sun set behind the city skyline.
Time to move on again further east, this time my destination was to be the capital Washington DC. Once again I would have to spend nearly one whole day on a bus to get there back on the road with Greyhound. On route that day we passed through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Like before the land is extremely flat and mainly consists of cornfields and barns though to my surprise a lot of these seemed to be white instead of red in this part of the States – a break with tradition!
14/04/2012
Greyhound
01/04/12-03/04/12
My next destination was Chicago but to get there I would first have to spend nearly two full days travelling on buses across the States, this of course meant travelling with Greyhound. Now Greyhound has a mixed representation, mainly it is negative so I was a bit apprehensive as to what to expect. Boarding my first bus in the afternoon we were soon on our way through travelling through Utah in the evening where I encountered snow for the first time on my trip, I had finally experienced all the seasons. We had several heavy snow showers that night but luckily they didn’t hinder us.
I woke up the next day to discover we had crossed over into rocky Colorado where I was to catch my next bus in Denver. This all went smoothly so that afternoon I found myself in the agricultural state of Nebraska, the view out of the window repeatedly was either of cornfields or barns. Mile after mile the view never changed but the time went by quickly enough as I eventually made my last transfer in Omaha that evening. The next state Iowa was much the same, a continuation of the flat cornfields and barns.
Early on my third day of travel I finally made it to Chicago, Illinois. I was super tried after two nights of little sleep on the buses but I couldn’t check into my hostel till later in the afternoon so I had almost 9 hours of waiting time. I ventured out only for a little while to quickly see nearby Grant Park where all the major museums are located before heading back to check in and crash out for the evening.
My next destination was Chicago but to get there I would first have to spend nearly two full days travelling on buses across the States, this of course meant travelling with Greyhound. Now Greyhound has a mixed representation, mainly it is negative so I was a bit apprehensive as to what to expect. Boarding my first bus in the afternoon we were soon on our way through travelling through Utah in the evening where I encountered snow for the first time on my trip, I had finally experienced all the seasons. We had several heavy snow showers that night but luckily they didn’t hinder us.
I woke up the next day to discover we had crossed over into rocky Colorado where I was to catch my next bus in Denver. This all went smoothly so that afternoon I found myself in the agricultural state of Nebraska, the view out of the window repeatedly was either of cornfields or barns. Mile after mile the view never changed but the time went by quickly enough as I eventually made my last transfer in Omaha that evening. The next state Iowa was much the same, a continuation of the flat cornfields and barns.
Early on my third day of travel I finally made it to Chicago, Illinois. I was super tried after two nights of little sleep on the buses but I couldn’t check into my hostel till later in the afternoon so I had almost 9 hours of waiting time. I ventured out only for a little while to quickly see nearby Grant Park where all the major museums are located before heading back to check in and crash out for the evening.
Las Vegas
28/03/12-31/03/12
Splitting up our time in Vegas had at least one added bonus in the fact that it allowed us to stay at two different complexes on the strip. Having stayed at Circus Circus our first time we had booked four nights at Excalibur this time, a nice stretch of time to relax and not worry about the hassle of moving around as we had experienced for most of our road trip. Our first full day was mainly spent wondering along the length of the strip, the road that rounds through the middle of all the casinos. We first headed to the iconic Vegas welcome sign at the start of the strip to grab some snaps before we proceed up the west side to check out the complexes. The one that most impressed me on the outside was New York New York which was made up in the style of several of the city’s famous skyscrapers as well as having a miniature Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge; it had really captured the essence of the city including the infamous fire escapes on the side of the buildings. But for interior the Venetian’s shopping mall was spectacular, the clever trick it had was the lit painted ceiling made out as the sky so it felt like you was outdoors even though you were inside, confusing for the brain. It also had an indoor canal which offered gondola rides. That evening we had dinner in the Luxor before hitting the casino floor back in the Excalibur.
Having covered one end of the strip the day before we headed to the other end to go up to the top of the Stratosphere, the highest structure in Vegas. At the top is indoor as well as outdoor viewing platforms, also there are several theme park attractions. The attraction I had always wanted to do was the Big Shot, the world's highest amusement ride. It is basically a tower on which you sit on a platform that is shot up and down several times, scary on ground level let alone on top of a tall structure. After a bit of persuading I managed to encourage my sister to join me on the ride. Take off was fine as we were shot 40 miles an hour straight up in the air, on hitting the top we experienced weightlessness for a few seconds before dropping back down. The drop back down for me gave the biggest thrill as your stomach felt like it had been turned inside out, the added height of being on top of the tower making the drop seem endless. With our feet back on solid ground afterwards, I think everyone had shaky legs! In the afternoon we hit the outlet stores to see what discounts we could get on famous brands, I was most interested in getting a new pair of Converse after I had worn out my favourite pair during my travels – I ended up getting two new pairs. In the evening we hit the strip again to see the famous shows that several casinos hold outside including the fountains outside the Bellagio. Later back at the resort we were treated to a really good rock cover band as we drunk the night away.
On our last full day together we done some more shopping in the morning before retreating to the hotel pool in the afternoon to spend some time relaxing. We had dinner that night in New York New York before having our last goes on the slot machines; I ended up being in debt, no such luck for me.
Time to move on again as another chapter of my travels had come to an end, over the course of two weeks and nearly 2000 miles we had travelled all the way from chilly San Francisco to the bright lights of Vegas. I never would have been able to see half the stuff we did if I had been travelling by myself. After a final walk along the strip I was dropped off at my overnight hostel to resume my travels by myself. To be honest I was glad to be moving on from Vegas its dazzling effect quickly wears off, the casinos are full of cigarette smoke, hundreds of people walk around with alcoholic drinks in their hands and on the strip you are constantly harassed by people trying to hand out call girl adverts – but it was fun!
Splitting up our time in Vegas had at least one added bonus in the fact that it allowed us to stay at two different complexes on the strip. Having stayed at Circus Circus our first time we had booked four nights at Excalibur this time, a nice stretch of time to relax and not worry about the hassle of moving around as we had experienced for most of our road trip. Our first full day was mainly spent wondering along the length of the strip, the road that rounds through the middle of all the casinos. We first headed to the iconic Vegas welcome sign at the start of the strip to grab some snaps before we proceed up the west side to check out the complexes. The one that most impressed me on the outside was New York New York which was made up in the style of several of the city’s famous skyscrapers as well as having a miniature Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge; it had really captured the essence of the city including the infamous fire escapes on the side of the buildings. But for interior the Venetian’s shopping mall was spectacular, the clever trick it had was the lit painted ceiling made out as the sky so it felt like you was outdoors even though you were inside, confusing for the brain. It also had an indoor canal which offered gondola rides. That evening we had dinner in the Luxor before hitting the casino floor back in the Excalibur.
Having covered one end of the strip the day before we headed to the other end to go up to the top of the Stratosphere, the highest structure in Vegas. At the top is indoor as well as outdoor viewing platforms, also there are several theme park attractions. The attraction I had always wanted to do was the Big Shot, the world's highest amusement ride. It is basically a tower on which you sit on a platform that is shot up and down several times, scary on ground level let alone on top of a tall structure. After a bit of persuading I managed to encourage my sister to join me on the ride. Take off was fine as we were shot 40 miles an hour straight up in the air, on hitting the top we experienced weightlessness for a few seconds before dropping back down. The drop back down for me gave the biggest thrill as your stomach felt like it had been turned inside out, the added height of being on top of the tower making the drop seem endless. With our feet back on solid ground afterwards, I think everyone had shaky legs! In the afternoon we hit the outlet stores to see what discounts we could get on famous brands, I was most interested in getting a new pair of Converse after I had worn out my favourite pair during my travels – I ended up getting two new pairs. In the evening we hit the strip again to see the famous shows that several casinos hold outside including the fountains outside the Bellagio. Later back at the resort we were treated to a really good rock cover band as we drunk the night away.
On our last full day together we done some more shopping in the morning before retreating to the hotel pool in the afternoon to spend some time relaxing. We had dinner that night in New York New York before having our last goes on the slot machines; I ended up being in debt, no such luck for me.
Time to move on again as another chapter of my travels had come to an end, over the course of two weeks and nearly 2000 miles we had travelled all the way from chilly San Francisco to the bright lights of Vegas. I never would have been able to see half the stuff we did if I had been travelling by myself. After a final walk along the strip I was dropped off at my overnight hostel to resume my travels by myself. To be honest I was glad to be moving on from Vegas its dazzling effect quickly wears off, the casinos are full of cigarette smoke, hundreds of people walk around with alcoholic drinks in their hands and on the strip you are constantly harassed by people trying to hand out call girl adverts – but it was fun!
Grand Canyon
26/03/12-27/03/12
Having only spent the night in Vegas we were once again on the move eastwards towards Arizona. As we were approaching the border just a short distance from Vegas our first stop off for the day was at the mighty Hoover Dam. Built to provide water for the west coast the dam is right on the border, on one side lays Nevada on the other Arizona. Parking up we first got a view of the dam from the bridge built so traffic can bypass going over it. Looking down on it only gives you a small sense of the scale of the construction; it is only when you actually walk across the top of the dam that you fully appreciate how much water it contains in Lake Mead stretching through the canyon behind it. Without the dam settlement in states such as California would have been impossible without the vital water supply it provides, a true wonder of engineering in the modern world. Crossing the bridge we found ourselves in our second new state in two days – Arizona. Our destination was to be the Grand Canyon National Park, to get there we would only have to make two left hand turns in total over a course of 250 miles. Arizona is a vast state but practically empty and you really get a sense of this emptiness when travelling along the straight desert roads. Mile after mile the landscape around you stays the same, mountain ranges seem follow you, the road just keeps dragging you along. To break up the long drive we stopped off at the town of Kingman to have lunch. There we discovered part of the longest surviving stretch of the historic Route 66 road left in the States. Over 100 miles of the original road still exists in Arizona, the modern Interstate that lead to the downfall of the route practically follows the same route today. Moving on we eventually got to our overnight accommodation just outside of the national park, tomorrow it was the turn of nature to cause us wonder.
Having done the major part of the driving yesterday we only had 9 miles to cover to get to the Grand Canyon National Park. After paying the entrance fee and finding a place to park we watched the brief introductory film at the visitor centre, it was one of those typical patriotic American films you expect and as I predicted a hearty round of applause erupted at the end. With a view in our head of what to expect we followed the path to get our first actual view of the Grand Canyon and upon arriving at the edge a sense of speechlessness overcame all of us. The statistics themselves make for impressive reading, the canyon is a mile deep and at its widest it is 10 miles across from one side to the other. When you see this with your own eyes the numbers go out of the window, the scale and size is just too much of your brain to register properly. It’s huge and unless you see it with your own eyes you cannot remotely know what it’s like to be witness to this natural vastness, and to think it has all been created by the process of erosion. The thing that most surprised me was how quiet it was, I thought we would be continually hearing the wind roaring through but there was nothing, it was like being near a vast vacuum – the canyon just consumed noise. We drove along and stop off at several viewpoints but the canyon’s effect was just the same, a true wonder of the natural world and a sight that cannot be matched elsewhere on this planet. Eventually we made our way back to the strip of Vegas following the same route we had taken the day before, I hoped we would arrive in time to see the strip lit up but the sun just held out long enough to deny me this wish.
Having only spent the night in Vegas we were once again on the move eastwards towards Arizona. As we were approaching the border just a short distance from Vegas our first stop off for the day was at the mighty Hoover Dam. Built to provide water for the west coast the dam is right on the border, on one side lays Nevada on the other Arizona. Parking up we first got a view of the dam from the bridge built so traffic can bypass going over it. Looking down on it only gives you a small sense of the scale of the construction; it is only when you actually walk across the top of the dam that you fully appreciate how much water it contains in Lake Mead stretching through the canyon behind it. Without the dam settlement in states such as California would have been impossible without the vital water supply it provides, a true wonder of engineering in the modern world. Crossing the bridge we found ourselves in our second new state in two days – Arizona. Our destination was to be the Grand Canyon National Park, to get there we would only have to make two left hand turns in total over a course of 250 miles. Arizona is a vast state but practically empty and you really get a sense of this emptiness when travelling along the straight desert roads. Mile after mile the landscape around you stays the same, mountain ranges seem follow you, the road just keeps dragging you along. To break up the long drive we stopped off at the town of Kingman to have lunch. There we discovered part of the longest surviving stretch of the historic Route 66 road left in the States. Over 100 miles of the original road still exists in Arizona, the modern Interstate that lead to the downfall of the route practically follows the same route today. Moving on we eventually got to our overnight accommodation just outside of the national park, tomorrow it was the turn of nature to cause us wonder.
Having done the major part of the driving yesterday we only had 9 miles to cover to get to the Grand Canyon National Park. After paying the entrance fee and finding a place to park we watched the brief introductory film at the visitor centre, it was one of those typical patriotic American films you expect and as I predicted a hearty round of applause erupted at the end. With a view in our head of what to expect we followed the path to get our first actual view of the Grand Canyon and upon arriving at the edge a sense of speechlessness overcame all of us. The statistics themselves make for impressive reading, the canyon is a mile deep and at its widest it is 10 miles across from one side to the other. When you see this with your own eyes the numbers go out of the window, the scale and size is just too much of your brain to register properly. It’s huge and unless you see it with your own eyes you cannot remotely know what it’s like to be witness to this natural vastness, and to think it has all been created by the process of erosion. The thing that most surprised me was how quiet it was, I thought we would be continually hearing the wind roaring through but there was nothing, it was like being near a vast vacuum – the canyon just consumed noise. We drove along and stop off at several viewpoints but the canyon’s effect was just the same, a true wonder of the natural world and a sight that cannot be matched elsewhere on this planet. Eventually we made our way back to the strip of Vegas following the same route we had taken the day before, I hoped we would arrive in time to see the strip lit up but the sun just held out long enough to deny me this wish.
11/04/2012
Hollywood
23/03/12-25/03/12
Before leaving San Diego we drive around the bay to the headline on the other side to take in the views of the city as well as the distant coastline of Mexico. Moving on we hit the Interstate to take us back north to Los Angeles where we have another two night stopover. Our hostel is located right on Hollywood Boulevard so after arriving in the afternoon we quickly hit the streets to walk down towards where I stayed nearly a week before hand. Only a few blocks away from our accommodation we pick up the start of the Hollywood Walk of Frame and followed it right down to its conclusion nearly 2 miles down. Of course most of the walk was done with our gaze fixed firmly at the ground as we periodically shout out the names of stars we recognise even if we can’t remember what they had actually been in. We do the same on the other side whilst stopping off to grab photos at the Chinese Theatre of all the famous hand prints in the concrete.
To make the most of our one full day in LA we book up two tours so we can see the most of the Hollywood area. The first one is on an open top bus as it dashes us around the nearby streets to see all sorts of famous buildings connected with the stars, our guide doesn’t have time to pause for a breath as he continuously feeds information to us. Our next tour in the afternoon is around the Beverly Hills area, this is where all the famous stars have their big Hollywood mansions. It is like entering a completely different universe; expensive cars line the streets and each building is bigger and more flasher than the one next to it. We see various homes of big stars but unfortunately we don’t get to see any of them in the flesh, but it is a real insight into the lives of others.
The next day we wake up to dull skies as light rain drenches the city, despite the weather we make our way up to the Griffith Observatory to try and get views across the city but with the rain visibility is heavily reduced, the Hollywood sign can only just be seen in the distance. Leaving grey LA and California behind us we make our way east towards our next state – Nevada. Almost as soon as we join the Interstate going eastwards the scenery completely changes, we are now in desert country. Barren stretches of vast sand spill out either side of us, before man ventured over to the Pacific Coast the whole of California use to be the same terrain. To break up the journey for lunch we stop off at the ghost town of Calico, a former silver mining town in the desert. Much of it has now been reconstructed apart from the five original buildings that remained but to me it all felt very false, almost like a theme park done in an old western town style – interesting none the less. Later on we finally crossed the state border to Nevada to be instantly greeted by a large casino complex. That evening we finally made it to our destination for the night, Circus Circus hotel and casino complex rooted in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Instantly we were thrown into the chaos of Vegas as hundreds of people where making their way through the casino. After checking in for the evening we grabbed some food before having our first gamble on the slot machines, after making our money back we happily retreated back to our room for the night. Vegas would have to wait; we had another grander sight to see first.
Before leaving San Diego we drive around the bay to the headline on the other side to take in the views of the city as well as the distant coastline of Mexico. Moving on we hit the Interstate to take us back north to Los Angeles where we have another two night stopover. Our hostel is located right on Hollywood Boulevard so after arriving in the afternoon we quickly hit the streets to walk down towards where I stayed nearly a week before hand. Only a few blocks away from our accommodation we pick up the start of the Hollywood Walk of Frame and followed it right down to its conclusion nearly 2 miles down. Of course most of the walk was done with our gaze fixed firmly at the ground as we periodically shout out the names of stars we recognise even if we can’t remember what they had actually been in. We do the same on the other side whilst stopping off to grab photos at the Chinese Theatre of all the famous hand prints in the concrete.
To make the most of our one full day in LA we book up two tours so we can see the most of the Hollywood area. The first one is on an open top bus as it dashes us around the nearby streets to see all sorts of famous buildings connected with the stars, our guide doesn’t have time to pause for a breath as he continuously feeds information to us. Our next tour in the afternoon is around the Beverly Hills area, this is where all the famous stars have their big Hollywood mansions. It is like entering a completely different universe; expensive cars line the streets and each building is bigger and more flasher than the one next to it. We see various homes of big stars but unfortunately we don’t get to see any of them in the flesh, but it is a real insight into the lives of others.
The next day we wake up to dull skies as light rain drenches the city, despite the weather we make our way up to the Griffith Observatory to try and get views across the city but with the rain visibility is heavily reduced, the Hollywood sign can only just be seen in the distance. Leaving grey LA and California behind us we make our way east towards our next state – Nevada. Almost as soon as we join the Interstate going eastwards the scenery completely changes, we are now in desert country. Barren stretches of vast sand spill out either side of us, before man ventured over to the Pacific Coast the whole of California use to be the same terrain. To break up the journey for lunch we stop off at the ghost town of Calico, a former silver mining town in the desert. Much of it has now been reconstructed apart from the five original buildings that remained but to me it all felt very false, almost like a theme park done in an old western town style – interesting none the less. Later on we finally crossed the state border to Nevada to be instantly greeted by a large casino complex. That evening we finally made it to our destination for the night, Circus Circus hotel and casino complex rooted in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Instantly we were thrown into the chaos of Vegas as hundreds of people where making their way through the casino. After checking in for the evening we grabbed some food before having our first gamble on the slot machines, after making our money back we happily retreated back to our room for the night. Vegas would have to wait; we had another grander sight to see first.
Highway One/San Diego
19/03/12-22/03/12
Time to hit the tarmac as our road trip officially began, for the next two weeks that my sister was out for we would be making our way from San Francisco to Las Vegas. That morning we cruised across the golden gate bridge to check out the view points on the other side of the bay looking back at the city. While there we also visited a local national park which unknown to us contained a rescue centre for sea lions which are taken to the centre to be treated so they can be released back into the wild. The highlight of the park though had to be the Hawk Hill lookout alongside the road that follows the coast round. The views of the bridge and city from there where stunning, you couldn’t have imagined a better view, it was almost like the city had been built just to accommodate the view from this point, I will definitely be recommending it to people as my number one thing to do in San Francisco. Heading back to town we made a quick stop off to pick up some last minute bits before we drove down the road with the most curves in the world, eight in total each one directly after the other, before we hit the road south out of town to make a start on Highway One – the road that follows the Pacific coast from San Francisco all the way to San Diego. Our first nights stop off was to be at Monterey only a few miles south of San Francisco so along the way we took a quick break to check out Santa Cruz, a traditional seaside town complete with an amusement park and a boardwalk and pier. Once again we were confronted with sea lions sleeping under the pier. Our brief stint on the Highway One had only gave us a glimpse of what we would be treated with the next day.
The next day we said goodbye to Monterey as we followed the 10 Mile Drive coast road through the grounds of the famous Pebble Beach golf course. The coastline was dwarfed by ragged rocks and plenty of wildlife including sea otters. The next 120 miles south on Highway One has to be one of the most stunning driving roads in the world. The first 40 miles takes you over an hour to cover as the road twists and turns through the mountains until it once again re-emerges by the coast to some of the most spectacular scenery as the deep blue Pacific Ocean stretches out into the distance. At one point we stopped off to take in the view only to be greeted by the distance stray of water of passing whales as they migrate north for the summer. Later at Morro Bay we stop to take photos of a volcanic cone just off the beach. That night we stop off at the edge Santa Barbara.
In the morning before continuing on we pay a quick visit to Santa Barbara beach, the town has a very Mediterranean look and feel to it. The beach gives you the first hints to the warm climate enjoyed by Californian coastal areas with the amount of palm trees growing alongside the road. Moving on we soon hit the outskirts of Los Angeles as we follow the road through the coastal towns of Malabo, Saint Monica, Long Beach and Orange County. We stopped off at Saint Monica for lunch and to see the start/finishing point of the historic Route 66 at the edge of the pier as well as Long Beach to see the famous Queen Mary ocean liner in its new home. In the afternoon we finally reached the end of Highway One as we enter the city of San Diego for a two night stay. It had been a wonderful journey on Highway One; we had seen some spectacular scenery, interesting wildlife and pretty towns along the way.
With a full day in San Diego we made our way straight to the world famous zoo located in the cities parkland. The zoo was one of the first in the world to house animals in open landscaped exhibits instead of behind solid bars, a practice that is still continued today and its example is followed by zoos around the world. We spent most of the day wondering around exploring the animals which include pandas and polar bears. Later in the afternoon we quickly popped downtown to explore the old Gas lamp Quarter which is full of historic buildings, apart from that there isn’t much else to see in the city.
Time to hit the tarmac as our road trip officially began, for the next two weeks that my sister was out for we would be making our way from San Francisco to Las Vegas. That morning we cruised across the golden gate bridge to check out the view points on the other side of the bay looking back at the city. While there we also visited a local national park which unknown to us contained a rescue centre for sea lions which are taken to the centre to be treated so they can be released back into the wild. The highlight of the park though had to be the Hawk Hill lookout alongside the road that follows the coast round. The views of the bridge and city from there where stunning, you couldn’t have imagined a better view, it was almost like the city had been built just to accommodate the view from this point, I will definitely be recommending it to people as my number one thing to do in San Francisco. Heading back to town we made a quick stop off to pick up some last minute bits before we drove down the road with the most curves in the world, eight in total each one directly after the other, before we hit the road south out of town to make a start on Highway One – the road that follows the Pacific coast from San Francisco all the way to San Diego. Our first nights stop off was to be at Monterey only a few miles south of San Francisco so along the way we took a quick break to check out Santa Cruz, a traditional seaside town complete with an amusement park and a boardwalk and pier. Once again we were confronted with sea lions sleeping under the pier. Our brief stint on the Highway One had only gave us a glimpse of what we would be treated with the next day.
The next day we said goodbye to Monterey as we followed the 10 Mile Drive coast road through the grounds of the famous Pebble Beach golf course. The coastline was dwarfed by ragged rocks and plenty of wildlife including sea otters. The next 120 miles south on Highway One has to be one of the most stunning driving roads in the world. The first 40 miles takes you over an hour to cover as the road twists and turns through the mountains until it once again re-emerges by the coast to some of the most spectacular scenery as the deep blue Pacific Ocean stretches out into the distance. At one point we stopped off to take in the view only to be greeted by the distance stray of water of passing whales as they migrate north for the summer. Later at Morro Bay we stop to take photos of a volcanic cone just off the beach. That night we stop off at the edge Santa Barbara.
In the morning before continuing on we pay a quick visit to Santa Barbara beach, the town has a very Mediterranean look and feel to it. The beach gives you the first hints to the warm climate enjoyed by Californian coastal areas with the amount of palm trees growing alongside the road. Moving on we soon hit the outskirts of Los Angeles as we follow the road through the coastal towns of Malabo, Saint Monica, Long Beach and Orange County. We stopped off at Saint Monica for lunch and to see the start/finishing point of the historic Route 66 at the edge of the pier as well as Long Beach to see the famous Queen Mary ocean liner in its new home. In the afternoon we finally reached the end of Highway One as we enter the city of San Diego for a two night stay. It had been a wonderful journey on Highway One; we had seen some spectacular scenery, interesting wildlife and pretty towns along the way.
With a full day in San Diego we made our way straight to the world famous zoo located in the cities parkland. The zoo was one of the first in the world to house animals in open landscaped exhibits instead of behind solid bars, a practice that is still continued today and its example is followed by zoos around the world. We spent most of the day wondering around exploring the animals which include pandas and polar bears. Later in the afternoon we quickly popped downtown to explore the old Gas lamp Quarter which is full of historic buildings, apart from that there isn’t much else to see in the city.
05/04/2012
Stateside
15/03/12-18/03/12
Ever had one of those days when it seems to stretch on forever? Well for me the 15th March 2012 was literally the longest day of my life. My flight to Los Angeles was at 10pm that night so I had a whole day to wait for my flight at my hostel; taking off on time I was for the first time in my life to cross the international time line. After a 10 hour flight taking off at 22.00 on March 15th from Fiji, I landed at LAX at 13.20 on March 15th – I’m now officially a time traveller! Tired and with my body clock firmly out of sync, I made my way to my overnight stay at my hostel located directly on Hollywood Boulevard, exactly opposite the Kodak Theatre and right on the Hollywood walk of fame! Knowing I would be back in a few days to explore the area properly I only had a quick look round before retiring back to relax; after all it had been the longest day of my life.
No time to wait around in Los Angeles as the next day I boarded a bus for San Francisco, I had an important meeting with someone I hadn’t seen in over a year to keep to. I arrived in the city later that evening after an eight hour journey to find it was pouring down with rain – not the best introduction to what many people refer to as the best city in the world. That night I grabbed a free beer and went to bed early as the jet lag had caught up with me.
With the morning to kill as I waited for my VIP guests to arrive I headed straight down to Fisherman’s Wharf by the water’s edge to get my first look at the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz. This was no simple walk as I discovered just how hilly San Francisco is; you walk up very steep streets to only be greeted by more steep streets further along. In the afternoon I was finally reunited with my sister and her boyfriend after having not seen either for over six months, the most surprising thing was that it felt like I had only seen her a few days before, the length of time apart instantly disappeared the moment I saw her. It felt so strange that I was actually standing alongside her and on the other side of the world of all places! Reunited that evening we went out to do some exploring and to take in the manic atmosphere as it was St Patricks Day, it seemed like the whole city was out on the streets celebrating.
Our first full day was spent down at Fisherman’s Wharf; in the morning we hopped on a ferry to jump over to Alcatraz Island to visit one of the most iconic prisons in history. Alcatraz lies out in the middle of the bay with the city and the golden gate bridge in full sight. It closed a few years ago due to the failing conditions of the buildings but has since reopened as a national park. In its day it used to house some of the most violent gangsters including Al Capone. Today you take an excellent audio tour around the former prison and surrounding grounds. When it was a prison a lot of guards families used to live on the island at the same time and you can instantly see the appeal in living out in the bay as you graze back at the city – what a place to live. Back on the main land we walked across to Pier 39 which has been transformed into a pleasant tourist attraction, it is filled with a variety of shops and food outlets including a shop dedicated to selling left handed items . Off to one side you can see the local Californian sea lions relaxing in the sun on some special jetties. We continued to wonder along the remaining piers before heading back to our hostel via some of the steepest streets in the city.
Ever had one of those days when it seems to stretch on forever? Well for me the 15th March 2012 was literally the longest day of my life. My flight to Los Angeles was at 10pm that night so I had a whole day to wait for my flight at my hostel; taking off on time I was for the first time in my life to cross the international time line. After a 10 hour flight taking off at 22.00 on March 15th from Fiji, I landed at LAX at 13.20 on March 15th – I’m now officially a time traveller! Tired and with my body clock firmly out of sync, I made my way to my overnight stay at my hostel located directly on Hollywood Boulevard, exactly opposite the Kodak Theatre and right on the Hollywood walk of fame! Knowing I would be back in a few days to explore the area properly I only had a quick look round before retiring back to relax; after all it had been the longest day of my life.
No time to wait around in Los Angeles as the next day I boarded a bus for San Francisco, I had an important meeting with someone I hadn’t seen in over a year to keep to. I arrived in the city later that evening after an eight hour journey to find it was pouring down with rain – not the best introduction to what many people refer to as the best city in the world. That night I grabbed a free beer and went to bed early as the jet lag had caught up with me.
With the morning to kill as I waited for my VIP guests to arrive I headed straight down to Fisherman’s Wharf by the water’s edge to get my first look at the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz. This was no simple walk as I discovered just how hilly San Francisco is; you walk up very steep streets to only be greeted by more steep streets further along. In the afternoon I was finally reunited with my sister and her boyfriend after having not seen either for over six months, the most surprising thing was that it felt like I had only seen her a few days before, the length of time apart instantly disappeared the moment I saw her. It felt so strange that I was actually standing alongside her and on the other side of the world of all places! Reunited that evening we went out to do some exploring and to take in the manic atmosphere as it was St Patricks Day, it seemed like the whole city was out on the streets celebrating.
Our first full day was spent down at Fisherman’s Wharf; in the morning we hopped on a ferry to jump over to Alcatraz Island to visit one of the most iconic prisons in history. Alcatraz lies out in the middle of the bay with the city and the golden gate bridge in full sight. It closed a few years ago due to the failing conditions of the buildings but has since reopened as a national park. In its day it used to house some of the most violent gangsters including Al Capone. Today you take an excellent audio tour around the former prison and surrounding grounds. When it was a prison a lot of guards families used to live on the island at the same time and you can instantly see the appeal in living out in the bay as you graze back at the city – what a place to live. Back on the main land we walked across to Pier 39 which has been transformed into a pleasant tourist attraction, it is filled with a variety of shops and food outlets including a shop dedicated to selling left handed items . Off to one side you can see the local Californian sea lions relaxing in the sun on some special jetties. We continued to wonder along the remaining piers before heading back to our hostel via some of the steepest streets in the city.
Fiji
09/03/12-14/03/12
Time to move on as I boarded a half empty plane to make the short hop across the Pacific Ocean to the islands of Fiji. I ended up having the whole row on the aircraft to myself resulting in me having two lunches as well. I landed in Nadi at mid-afternoon and was promptly picked up by my hostel, on arriving I discovered that the dorm was full so I was instead upgraded to a private room, I was certainly having a nice introduction to Fiji. The journey from the airport revealed that I was no longer in a first class country anymore, pothole roads and the shabbiness of local buildings instantly brought back memories of South East Asia but without the cultural shock I first experienced out there. I took a quick dip in the pool before relaxing for the evening as I had an early start in the morning.
Waking up just past 6 o’clock in the morning I had an early pickup down to the local harbour to board my ferry which was to take me to my island paradise. With only 6 nights in Fiji I decided instead of doing a series of quick island hops I would instead just stick to one for an extended stay. My destination was to be Waya Lailai, part of the Yasawa Islands group. The reason I choose Waya was because the resort was completely run by the locals, no foreign partners were involved, and all the profit went back to the villagers. Setting off from the harbour it wasn’t long till we started dropping off passengers at various islands, some which only take 3 minutes to walk around others hours. It took just over 2 hours to reach Waya, on arriving a small stream of launches come alongside the ferry to drop off and pick up passengers and luggage. As we neared the beach to be dropped off the song of some of the staff grew louder as they welcome as to the resort, when they finished we shouted Bula (hello) to them, my stay had officially started. All the islands are much the same - sand, sea and palm trees, though Waya Lailai is rocky in the middle. This led me to join in the afternoon’s hike up to the summit of the rocky outcrop. The views from the top where stunning, you could see islands stretching out into the distance as the sun started to set.
As it was Sunday the locals where having a day of rest so there was no planned activities apart from going to the morning’s church service at the village next to the resort. On arriving we took off our shoes before entering into the church to await the start of the service, the local kids sung hymns as we waited. This was to be a taste of the stuff we were later to hear when the adults took their turn to sing during the main service with their beautiful and powerful chorus singing, it was very moving. After a few fire and brimstone readings by the priest we were finally able to escape the heat of the church, I spent the rest of the day mainly lounging in a hammock.
The start of a new week meant that all activities where available again so in the morning I jumped on a boat to be taken out to the local reefs to do a bit of snorkelling. Diving over the side of the boat I was instantly surprised how shallow the ocean floor was, it was only a couple of meters deep. There was reefs everywhere, all covered it a variety of coral and brightly coloured fish all shades of the rainbow. The main treat though was the friendly reef sharks which patrol the waters around here, the day before they saw no sharks but luckily for me three had decided to come and investigate what was happening. Compared to most sharks they are quite small but still impressive creatures. With food being provided by the locals who took as us we spent an enjoyable hour exploring the reefs and watching the sharks, though I was glad to get out of the mask at the end.
Having made friends with two British couples the night before today we decided to do a visit to the village on the other side of the island where most of the resort staff families live. The first thing we checked out was the sand bank that connects our island with the neighbouring one; this can be crossed during low tide. After we were taken to the school to visit the children who attend, we were eagerly grabbed by different children who took us for tours of the classrooms. I was amazed at how many pupils there were, must have been over a hundred kids. The highlight definitely was seeing the youngest kids singing songs as they learned. Next we were taken for a tour of the village to see how the locals live and to be introduced to some of them. It was a pleasant trip and a real cultural insight into everyday life for the people who live out on the islands.
My last day on the island resulting in me just making the most of the weather as I had to wait until the afternoon to be picked up and transferred back to the main land. On leaving a few of the staff sung as off, it was a fitting end to my island stay. The locals always had a smile on their faces during my stay, all the time you could hear them either laughing or singing, a very relaxed cultural. Everything as they say is done to ‘Fijian’ time – it will happen when it happens.
Time to move on as I boarded a half empty plane to make the short hop across the Pacific Ocean to the islands of Fiji. I ended up having the whole row on the aircraft to myself resulting in me having two lunches as well. I landed in Nadi at mid-afternoon and was promptly picked up by my hostel, on arriving I discovered that the dorm was full so I was instead upgraded to a private room, I was certainly having a nice introduction to Fiji. The journey from the airport revealed that I was no longer in a first class country anymore, pothole roads and the shabbiness of local buildings instantly brought back memories of South East Asia but without the cultural shock I first experienced out there. I took a quick dip in the pool before relaxing for the evening as I had an early start in the morning.
Waking up just past 6 o’clock in the morning I had an early pickup down to the local harbour to board my ferry which was to take me to my island paradise. With only 6 nights in Fiji I decided instead of doing a series of quick island hops I would instead just stick to one for an extended stay. My destination was to be Waya Lailai, part of the Yasawa Islands group. The reason I choose Waya was because the resort was completely run by the locals, no foreign partners were involved, and all the profit went back to the villagers. Setting off from the harbour it wasn’t long till we started dropping off passengers at various islands, some which only take 3 minutes to walk around others hours. It took just over 2 hours to reach Waya, on arriving a small stream of launches come alongside the ferry to drop off and pick up passengers and luggage. As we neared the beach to be dropped off the song of some of the staff grew louder as they welcome as to the resort, when they finished we shouted Bula (hello) to them, my stay had officially started. All the islands are much the same - sand, sea and palm trees, though Waya Lailai is rocky in the middle. This led me to join in the afternoon’s hike up to the summit of the rocky outcrop. The views from the top where stunning, you could see islands stretching out into the distance as the sun started to set.
As it was Sunday the locals where having a day of rest so there was no planned activities apart from going to the morning’s church service at the village next to the resort. On arriving we took off our shoes before entering into the church to await the start of the service, the local kids sung hymns as we waited. This was to be a taste of the stuff we were later to hear when the adults took their turn to sing during the main service with their beautiful and powerful chorus singing, it was very moving. After a few fire and brimstone readings by the priest we were finally able to escape the heat of the church, I spent the rest of the day mainly lounging in a hammock.
The start of a new week meant that all activities where available again so in the morning I jumped on a boat to be taken out to the local reefs to do a bit of snorkelling. Diving over the side of the boat I was instantly surprised how shallow the ocean floor was, it was only a couple of meters deep. There was reefs everywhere, all covered it a variety of coral and brightly coloured fish all shades of the rainbow. The main treat though was the friendly reef sharks which patrol the waters around here, the day before they saw no sharks but luckily for me three had decided to come and investigate what was happening. Compared to most sharks they are quite small but still impressive creatures. With food being provided by the locals who took as us we spent an enjoyable hour exploring the reefs and watching the sharks, though I was glad to get out of the mask at the end.
Having made friends with two British couples the night before today we decided to do a visit to the village on the other side of the island where most of the resort staff families live. The first thing we checked out was the sand bank that connects our island with the neighbouring one; this can be crossed during low tide. After we were taken to the school to visit the children who attend, we were eagerly grabbed by different children who took us for tours of the classrooms. I was amazed at how many pupils there were, must have been over a hundred kids. The highlight definitely was seeing the youngest kids singing songs as they learned. Next we were taken for a tour of the village to see how the locals live and to be introduced to some of them. It was a pleasant trip and a real cultural insight into everyday life for the people who live out on the islands.
My last day on the island resulting in me just making the most of the weather as I had to wait until the afternoon to be picked up and transferred back to the main land. On leaving a few of the staff sung as off, it was a fitting end to my island stay. The locals always had a smile on their faces during my stay, all the time you could hear them either laughing or singing, a very relaxed cultural. Everything as they say is done to ‘Fijian’ time – it will happen when it happens.
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