Ummmmmm I'm only writing this because I MISS having
actual things to write about and I'm hoping some source of
inspiration will come to me as I type.
Oh man, this is gonna be difficult.
My parents have deserted me, and left me alone with a
full time job, a house and a dog. They are in ROME,
which I am highly jealous of, not least because I was
originally invited along, before they remembered they
needed a dog sitter.
It's no so bad, really, seeing as Ella and I pretty much
ignore each other. But this morning I had to get up at
6am because I have to feed her at least an hour before
I walk her (have you ever heard such rubbish? I think
my parents have this mixed up with the eating before
swimming rule) and it takes me an hour to get to work
for 9am.
And then I can't walk her before 5pm (for the same
reason) so it's DARK and I refuse to walk the streets
with her because she's your regular scavenger dog,
and it's a pain in the ass dragging her away from every
morsel of food dropped on the pavements.
So I have to go ON THE FIELD which is pitch dark
and scary! I swear I'm going to die this week, if not by
an axe murderer, then by starvation.
Hurry home parents :(
I don't think I actually have anything else to write, other
than as soon as my dole money comes through I am
buying another one way ticket out of here.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Hadrian's Wall
Soooo I completed all 84 miles of Hadrian's Wall!
I actually feel quite impressed with
myself, mainly because it got
REALLY tough at one point and it
would have been easy to quit.
But I pushed myself through it
and did it!
It sounds a bit lame, I know, cos
it was only like 15 miles a day, but
it wasn't the fact I'm totally unfit
(although that definitely
contributed), it was the evil
weather and my stupid blisters.
On day 3 and 4 we were way up on the hills, literally walking
directly into the clouds. So it meant we got soaking wet and were
walking against really strong winds. My feet were drenched, which
meant my plasters wouldn't stay on my blisters. I had to limp along
like a little old lady with my head down. I was the most miserable
person in the history of the world.
But, I swear to god some guardian angel kept planting puppies along
the route to keep me going.
My favourite night was when we stayed at a farm bunkhouse. There
was a little den with a roaring fire, and other people to talk to! A couple of
lads who were doing the entire 84 miles in 3 days, and another Australian
guy who was also pushing himself pretty damned hard. It was good to know
there were other people with blisters and wet feet!
Plus, the farmer and his wife were the most eccentric people I ever met.
Crazy posh accents and you should see their house!
Plus there was a labrador puppy which kept me amused for about 15
minutes, before he stole my shoes and sliced my arms up.
Annnnnywayy, with this week done and dusted I literally have to start
thinking, now what?
Do I stay or do I go?
I actually feel quite impressed with
myself, mainly because it got
REALLY tough at one point and it
would have been easy to quit.
But I pushed myself through it
and did it!
It sounds a bit lame, I know, cos
it was only like 15 miles a day, but
it wasn't the fact I'm totally unfit
(although that definitely
contributed), it was the evil
weather and my stupid blisters.
On day 3 and 4 we were way up on the hills, literally walking
directly into the clouds. So it meant we got soaking wet and were
walking against really strong winds. My feet were drenched, which
meant my plasters wouldn't stay on my blisters. I had to limp along
like a little old lady with my head down. I was the most miserable
person in the history of the world.
But, I swear to god some guardian angel kept planting puppies along
the route to keep me going.
My favourite night was when we stayed at a farm bunkhouse. There
was a little den with a roaring fire, and other people to talk to! A couple of
lads who were doing the entire 84 miles in 3 days, and another Australian
guy who was also pushing himself pretty damned hard. It was good to know
there were other people with blisters and wet feet!
Plus, the farmer and his wife were the most eccentric people I ever met.
Crazy posh accents and you should see their house!
Plus there was a labrador puppy which kept me amused for about 15
minutes, before he stole my shoes and sliced my arms up.
Annnnnywayy, with this week done and dusted I literally have to start
thinking, now what?
Do I stay or do I go?
Friday, 25 September 2009
Back from Greece
I got back from Rhodes yesterday! I seriously needed
a holiday. This sounds ridiculous, but honestly, you
don't know the half of it!
A week of sunshine was nice. I did drink too much
though, but it was still good to get away again.
We went to a silent disco which was amazing!
Everyone wears headphones and there were 2
DJ's so we could swap channels. It's the funniest
thing ever, taking your headphones off and listening
to everyone singing and dancing along to different
things.
I haven't even unpacked yet and already I have to
pack a different bag and a different set of clothes
for Hadrian's Wall tomorrow morning. I'm really
looking forward to getting away with my dad for
a week and not having to worry about anything.
Except blisters, I guess.
I have about a million things bothering me right now,
and I think walking from one side of the country to the
other might possibly be the perfect cure!
I suppose writing about them could help, but getting my
thoughts into any kind of order or making them
understandable is too much effort right now. Maybe later.
What I will say, though, is that if you worked your ass off
through college and university, if you saved every single
penny you ever earnt since you were 10 years old, with the
single ambition of being able to live a portion of your life the
way you always dreamed, and you go ahead and do everything
you ever said you'd do, or hoped you'd do, or wished you'd do,
then that is an acheivement and no one can say otherwise.
And whatever that dream is, whether it be to have a family,
or become a doctor or lawer, or a hairdresser or a writer or
a mechanic, or to travel, or even just to be happy with who
you are and what you do, then it still counts.
What isn't an acheivement, is settling for what you believe
you've been dealt by some fate, or god, or social unfairness.
If you don't take control, what is the point?
a holiday. This sounds ridiculous, but honestly, you
don't know the half of it!
A week of sunshine was nice. I did drink too much
though, but it was still good to get away again.
We went to a silent disco which was amazing!
Everyone wears headphones and there were 2
DJ's so we could swap channels. It's the funniest
thing ever, taking your headphones off and listening
to everyone singing and dancing along to different
things.
I haven't even unpacked yet and already I have to
pack a different bag and a different set of clothes
for Hadrian's Wall tomorrow morning. I'm really
looking forward to getting away with my dad for
a week and not having to worry about anything.
Except blisters, I guess.
I have about a million things bothering me right now,
and I think walking from one side of the country to the
other might possibly be the perfect cure!
I suppose writing about them could help, but getting my
thoughts into any kind of order or making them
understandable is too much effort right now. Maybe later.
What I will say, though, is that if you worked your ass off
through college and university, if you saved every single
penny you ever earnt since you were 10 years old, with the
single ambition of being able to live a portion of your life the
way you always dreamed, and you go ahead and do everything
you ever said you'd do, or hoped you'd do, or wished you'd do,
then that is an acheivement and no one can say otherwise.
And whatever that dream is, whether it be to have a family,
or become a doctor or lawer, or a hairdresser or a writer or
a mechanic, or to travel, or even just to be happy with who
you are and what you do, then it still counts.
What isn't an acheivement, is settling for what you believe
you've been dealt by some fate, or god, or social unfairness.
If you don't take control, what is the point?
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
What England does to me
When my sister had Max, I told my parents they'd
better buy me a Macbook Pro or a puppy, otherwise
I'd start suffering from jealously and sibling rivalry.
They didn't get me either, so I kicked off.
I didn't, obviously, but recently I started doing some
thinking, about how my life didn't turn out quite as
spectacularly as I'd planned and all.
And how some tiny part of me still believes I might
one day get to grow up on a farm, or learn piano,
or start my own zoo.
So I've selected the three most tragic events of my
23 years, which I think are responsible for my failures.
Truely, this is as bad as my life has thus far got.
My ultimate dream, as it happens, was to own a dog
of my own. As a kid, I really believed that if I was
allowed a dog, my entire life would simply fall into
place. I'd be happy and willing to succeed, because
this simple dream had been granted.
And after much begging and pleading, my wish was
granted! Enter Ella, yellow labrador cross polar bear.
Thus begins life failure part one.
Despite mine and Ella's obvious disdain for each other,
despite the fact that she ripped all my clothes, chewed
on my arms and attacked my face, my parents would not
get rid of her.
Ella is still here, and although she no longer attacks me,
we have NEVER, in her 10 years, got along. For a long
time I went off animals, despite the fact that before this,
I dreamed of being a vet. If we'd never got Ella, that
might have happened.
Life failure part two is a tale of misplaced blame and
mean spirited adults.
When I was 10 I rode my sisters bike down the road. It
was too big for me but I was still going pretty fast. Some
stupid woman a few houses down pulled out of her drive,
at speed, and hit me. My sisters bike and I landed on the
bonnet with a pretty impressive bang.
The stupid woman, evidently full of concern, asked me
where I lived and walked beside me as I slowly, and with
difficulty, pushed the twisted bike home, blood pouring
out of my nose. I mean, she could of helped, right?
My mum cleaned up my blood, thanked the woman for
not killing me, and I was made to feel very bad indeed
for causing inconvenience to the poor witch. She hit ME.
A 10 year old! She didn't even look! Yet this has always,
somehow, been my fault.
The final reason I'm a failure involves the loss of loved
ones.
My ducks; Yellow and Grey. I had Yellow and Grey
from day one. I built an incubator out of a £5 propegater
from B&Q. I attached a light bulb and spent 30 long days
keeping the temperature and humidity perfect. And I
mean PERFECT. One degree off meant death.
Holding a hatching egg in your hand, one that you've
watched over for a month, is literally pretty cool.
Those ducks were my one major achievement, and
I loved them more than anything. They ruined our
garden, but they were mine and they were happy.
Then my parents decided to get an extension, and
having ducks in the garden was no longer allowed.
They went to live with some woman on a farm, and
I don't know how long they lived. They could still
be there, for all I know. I think about my ducks
every day, and I want them back.
I'm actually not a mentalist, I'm just bored.
better buy me a Macbook Pro or a puppy, otherwise
I'd start suffering from jealously and sibling rivalry.
They didn't get me either, so I kicked off.
I didn't, obviously, but recently I started doing some
thinking, about how my life didn't turn out quite as
spectacularly as I'd planned and all.
And how some tiny part of me still believes I might
one day get to grow up on a farm, or learn piano,
or start my own zoo.
So I've selected the three most tragic events of my
23 years, which I think are responsible for my failures.
Truely, this is as bad as my life has thus far got.
My ultimate dream, as it happens, was to own a dog
of my own. As a kid, I really believed that if I was
allowed a dog, my entire life would simply fall into
place. I'd be happy and willing to succeed, because
this simple dream had been granted.
And after much begging and pleading, my wish was
granted! Enter Ella, yellow labrador cross polar bear.
Thus begins life failure part one.
Despite mine and Ella's obvious disdain for each other,
despite the fact that she ripped all my clothes, chewed
on my arms and attacked my face, my parents would not
get rid of her.
Ella is still here, and although she no longer attacks me,
we have NEVER, in her 10 years, got along. For a long
time I went off animals, despite the fact that before this,
I dreamed of being a vet. If we'd never got Ella, that
might have happened.
Life failure part two is a tale of misplaced blame and
mean spirited adults.
When I was 10 I rode my sisters bike down the road. It
was too big for me but I was still going pretty fast. Some
stupid woman a few houses down pulled out of her drive,
at speed, and hit me. My sisters bike and I landed on the
bonnet with a pretty impressive bang.
The stupid woman, evidently full of concern, asked me
where I lived and walked beside me as I slowly, and with
difficulty, pushed the twisted bike home, blood pouring
out of my nose. I mean, she could of helped, right?
My mum cleaned up my blood, thanked the woman for
not killing me, and I was made to feel very bad indeed
for causing inconvenience to the poor witch. She hit ME.
A 10 year old! She didn't even look! Yet this has always,
somehow, been my fault.
The final reason I'm a failure involves the loss of loved
ones.
My ducks; Yellow and Grey. I had Yellow and Grey
from day one. I built an incubator out of a £5 propegater
from B&Q. I attached a light bulb and spent 30 long days
keeping the temperature and humidity perfect. And I
mean PERFECT. One degree off meant death.
Holding a hatching egg in your hand, one that you've
watched over for a month, is literally pretty cool.
Those ducks were my one major achievement, and
I loved them more than anything. They ruined our
garden, but they were mine and they were happy.
Then my parents decided to get an extension, and
having ducks in the garden was no longer allowed.
They went to live with some woman on a farm, and
I don't know how long they lived. They could still
be there, for all I know. I think about my ducks
every day, and I want them back.
I'm actually not a mentalist, I'm just bored.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Max
I have a nephew! He is called Max.
I haven't met him yet, because he only got born
last night. I'm quite excited though, I sure hope
he likes me.
My laptop, which went into a coma in Cambodia,
has been officially pronounced dead. It's the
motherboard, so that means I get to buy a new one!
New baby, new laptop. I don't know which I'm
looking forward to the most.
I haven't met him yet, because he only got born
last night. I'm quite excited though, I sure hope
he likes me.
My laptop, which went into a coma in Cambodia,
has been officially pronounced dead. It's the
motherboard, so that means I get to buy a new one!
New baby, new laptop. I don't know which I'm
looking forward to the most.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Blahh
Hello.
I'm getting really rubbish at this blog thing, mainly
because I'm home now and nothing happens anymore.
I got home last week. On Saturday. I don't particularly
want to be home, but I do want to be here when my
sister has a baby, which will be any day now.
Since my last blog Will and I spent 9 days in Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Seriously, never spend that long in SR. The
temples were nice and everything, but what else is there
to do? Nothing, is the answer to that.
Apart from visit a floating village, get ripped off and buy
tonnes of crap in the markets.
But I saw Angkor Wat, so I'm happy.
Then we spent about 4 nights in Kuala Lumpur. We stayed
in China Town, which is meant to be the cheapest area.
Although in the end we payed a load of money for a nice
hotel because the rest were disgusting. We forked out
18 quid a night for the pleasure of not getting bed bugs.
We met up with Graham, from Samui, one night, and had
Chinese food and lots of expensive drinks until we got thrown
out of the bar.
Other stuff happened. Then I got on an aeroplane which would
drop me off at Stansted 13 hours later.
Will stayed.
I do miss being away. I miss seeing new things.
Kirsten and I have booked a holiday to Rhodes for the
16th September. Plus me and dad are going to maybe
spend a week walking Hadrien's Wall. It's 89 miles long!
Plus I may be going to Italy in October.
So things aren't totally shitty. What's with this English
summer though. I have to wear a coat when I go out!
And SHOES. I hate shoes!
I'm getting really rubbish at this blog thing, mainly
because I'm home now and nothing happens anymore.
I got home last week. On Saturday. I don't particularly
want to be home, but I do want to be here when my
sister has a baby, which will be any day now.
Since my last blog Will and I spent 9 days in Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Seriously, never spend that long in SR. The
temples were nice and everything, but what else is there
to do? Nothing, is the answer to that.
Apart from visit a floating village, get ripped off and buy
tonnes of crap in the markets.
But I saw Angkor Wat, so I'm happy.
Then we spent about 4 nights in Kuala Lumpur. We stayed
in China Town, which is meant to be the cheapest area.
Although in the end we payed a load of money for a nice
hotel because the rest were disgusting. We forked out
18 quid a night for the pleasure of not getting bed bugs.
We met up with Graham, from Samui, one night, and had
Chinese food and lots of expensive drinks until we got thrown
out of the bar.
Other stuff happened. Then I got on an aeroplane which would
drop me off at Stansted 13 hours later.
Will stayed.
I do miss being away. I miss seeing new things.
Kirsten and I have booked a holiday to Rhodes for the
16th September. Plus me and dad are going to maybe
spend a week walking Hadrien's Wall. It's 89 miles long!
Plus I may be going to Italy in October.
So things aren't totally shitty. What's with this English
summer though. I have to wear a coat when I go out!
And SHOES. I hate shoes!
Thursday, 9 July 2009
In case you were wondering
I figured I'd write a blog entry today. It's Thursday, just
in case you were wondering.
Tomorrow morning Will and I are back on the move. We
were meant to be off today but on account of us winning
the pub quiz last night and drinking too much, we asked
Mr T, our landlord, if we could have the house one more
day.
So we're still here. I do not want to leave. At all. I love this
place. Samui, that is. In case you were wondering.
I'll be back though. For sure. Just you wait and see.
So last night we said good bye to the people we have come to
think of as our friends.
Big hugs all round. It made me feel sad. We promised we'd be
back. But probably not together. This is rubbish on a couple of
levels, but the most important one is that I cannot win the pub
quiz without Will.
We won 1300 baht. It sounds a lot, doesn't it.
On this exact day 12 months ago, I was 2 days into a TEFL
course in Chiang Mai.
I had been in Thailand for about 5 days. I wasn't sure if
I liked it. It was too hot and there were packs of dogs
running around the streets. I was convinced I'd get rabies,
or that I'd get trampled by a water buffalo, which, in case
you were wondering, are walked around on leashes like your
regular cocker spaniel.
Going anywhere on your own for the first time is pretty scary.
I mean, I didn't even go away for university. Literally the first time
I ever leave home and I have to choose Asia.
So that was 12 months ago.
I've forgotten my point. But look, the point is, I take being here
for granted. I make myself sick.
I spend my days on palm-fringed beaches, swimming in the ocean,
getting massages, eating good food and reading books.
We don't bother watching the sunsets anymore. I mean, why the
hell don't we watch the sunsets anymore? They're beautiful.
This whole place is beautiful, but we don't see it. Well not everyday,
anyway. But we should. Right?
I was going to just write an entry about what we've been upto
these last couple of months. So I'll do that.
We got to Bangkok, then we went to Koh Chang, which we didn't
really like a whole bunch. It rained tonnes.
So we went back to Bangkok, then took the train upto Ayutthaya.
We spent a night there, and took another train to Lopburi.
Lopburi has zillions of monkeys running round. It was lots of fun.
Then we came back to Samui, obviously.
My sister is having a baby. At the beginning of August, in
case you were wondering. So I'm going home, to be an auntie.
I have a flight booked from Kuala Lumpur on the 25th July.
It cost me 190 English Pounds. That's very cheap, although
clearly I'm not in Kuala Lumpur, which poses a problem.
So tomorrow, Will and I are making our way to Bangkok via
ferry, bus, train, taxi, and any other form of transport they
see fit to delay us with.
(I have organised the whole thing around Chatuchak market;
this place sells everything. I mean everything.
Puppies. Dresses. Everything.)
Then on Monday we're going to Cambodia. Siem Reap.
Basically because I refuse to leave without seeing Angkor
Wat. Then to Kuala Lumpur. Then London.
End of chapter!
p.s. I can go to sleep on the back of a motorbike. I did so last
night, just incase you were wondering.
in case you were wondering.
Tomorrow morning Will and I are back on the move. We
were meant to be off today but on account of us winning
the pub quiz last night and drinking too much, we asked
Mr T, our landlord, if we could have the house one more
day.
So we're still here. I do not want to leave. At all. I love this
place. Samui, that is. In case you were wondering.
I'll be back though. For sure. Just you wait and see.
So last night we said good bye to the people we have come to
think of as our friends.
Big hugs all round. It made me feel sad. We promised we'd be
back. But probably not together. This is rubbish on a couple of
levels, but the most important one is that I cannot win the pub
quiz without Will.
We won 1300 baht. It sounds a lot, doesn't it.
On this exact day 12 months ago, I was 2 days into a TEFL
course in Chiang Mai.
I had been in Thailand for about 5 days. I wasn't sure if
I liked it. It was too hot and there were packs of dogs
running around the streets. I was convinced I'd get rabies,
or that I'd get trampled by a water buffalo, which, in case
you were wondering, are walked around on leashes like your
regular cocker spaniel.
Going anywhere on your own for the first time is pretty scary.
I mean, I didn't even go away for university. Literally the first time
I ever leave home and I have to choose Asia.
So that was 12 months ago.
I've forgotten my point. But look, the point is, I take being here
for granted. I make myself sick.
I spend my days on palm-fringed beaches, swimming in the ocean,
getting massages, eating good food and reading books.
We don't bother watching the sunsets anymore. I mean, why the
hell don't we watch the sunsets anymore? They're beautiful.
This whole place is beautiful, but we don't see it. Well not everyday,
anyway. But we should. Right?
I was going to just write an entry about what we've been upto
these last couple of months. So I'll do that.
We got to Bangkok, then we went to Koh Chang, which we didn't
really like a whole bunch. It rained tonnes.
So we went back to Bangkok, then took the train upto Ayutthaya.
We spent a night there, and took another train to Lopburi.
Lopburi has zillions of monkeys running round. It was lots of fun.
Then we came back to Samui, obviously.
My sister is having a baby. At the beginning of August, in
case you were wondering. So I'm going home, to be an auntie.
I have a flight booked from Kuala Lumpur on the 25th July.
It cost me 190 English Pounds. That's very cheap, although
clearly I'm not in Kuala Lumpur, which poses a problem.
So tomorrow, Will and I are making our way to Bangkok via
ferry, bus, train, taxi, and any other form of transport they
see fit to delay us with.
(I have organised the whole thing around Chatuchak market;
this place sells everything. I mean everything.
Puppies. Dresses. Everything.)
Then on Monday we're going to Cambodia. Siem Reap.
Basically because I refuse to leave without seeing Angkor
Wat. Then to Kuala Lumpur. Then London.
End of chapter!
p.s. I can go to sleep on the back of a motorbike. I did so last
night, just incase you were wondering.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
28 States Later - Grand Canyon & Vegas
On Monday, Leon, Will and I went on a final roadtrip to
Las Vegas, making Nevada our 28th state.
We set off late afternoon, after running into all sorts of
problems picking up our passports from the Thai embassy,
and paying our $8000 into my HSBC accout. You know, the
world's local bank. Yeah right.
In HSBC there was a man with a parrot on his shoulder...
only in LA.
So off we went, driving through endless blackness that we
knew was nothing but desert. I'm glad we hit Las Vegas at
night; the first thing I saw was a thin shaft of light punctuating
the skyline and disappearing into the clouds; this was Luxor,
the casino that was also an Egyptian pyramid, complete with
sphynx.
Las Vegas is crazy. We were staying at Excaliber. A castle!
It was the most exciting hotel experience of my life. It cost
us only 35 dollars for the night! We got showers and went
gambling.
Well, we went on the 1c machines. Gambling makes me
nervous. We wandered up and down the strip, into
New York New York, MGM Grand and Planet Hollywood.
Mainly I liked being outside, looking at all the pretty lights
and big buildings.
But most of all, I liked the whore cards
that littered the floor. Like baseball cards for hookers.
Leon and I traded. My favourite was Flower; she was
wholesome looking.
I played Roulette, which is the only thing I figured I'd be
likely to win on.
I played $10 on either Even, Odd, Black or Red. I like to
live dangerously.
My tactic won me $60, but Will made me gamble it away.
I think he might have a problem.
So anyways, we went to bed at sometime in the AM, in our
castle.
Next morning, Leon suggested we push on for the Grand
Canyon. This had been the original plan for our roadtrip,
but 8 hours drive each way seemed like way too much when
we had a flight to catch the next day.
Being in Las Vegas put us 4 hours nearer. We drove to
Grand Canyon's south rim, stopping for pictures of Hoover
Dam on the way.
By the time we got there, Leon was ready to drop.
Will and I went off the see the Canyon while Leon got some
sleep in the car.
Grand Canyon is awesome. I really didn't know what to
expect. Part of me was worried that it would look similar
to Painted Desert, and that I wouldn't be blown away by it.
But I was!
It's huge. The biggest hole I ever saw! People actually go
down there on mules and camp the night. One day, I'll do
that. It looks like fun.
I've no idea what to write about Grand Canyon. Just like,
go see it yourself.
After a couple of hours getting cooked by the sun, we started
the long journey home. I took over the driving for an hour or
so, letting Leon get some sleep. I was paranoid about getting
pulled, seeing as Leon had been stopped FOUR times on the
way there. So we switched back over and about 10 minutes
later he was pulled again. Phew.
We swapped again about 100 miles from LA, and I drove
us back to Hollywood, and bed.
This afternoon we leave LA for Bangkok!
Las Vegas, making Nevada our 28th state.
We set off late afternoon, after running into all sorts of
problems picking up our passports from the Thai embassy,
and paying our $8000 into my HSBC accout. You know, the
world's local bank. Yeah right.
In HSBC there was a man with a parrot on his shoulder...
only in LA.
So off we went, driving through endless blackness that we
knew was nothing but desert. I'm glad we hit Las Vegas at
night; the first thing I saw was a thin shaft of light punctuating
the skyline and disappearing into the clouds; this was Luxor,
the casino that was also an Egyptian pyramid, complete with
sphynx.
Las Vegas is crazy. We were staying at Excaliber. A castle!
It was the most exciting hotel experience of my life. It cost
us only 35 dollars for the night! We got showers and went
gambling.
Well, we went on the 1c machines. Gambling makes me
nervous. We wandered up and down the strip, into
New York New York, MGM Grand and Planet Hollywood.
Mainly I liked being outside, looking at all the pretty lights
and big buildings.
But most of all, I liked the whore cards
that littered the floor. Like baseball cards for hookers.
Leon and I traded. My favourite was Flower; she was
wholesome looking.
I played Roulette, which is the only thing I figured I'd be
likely to win on.
I played $10 on either Even, Odd, Black or Red. I like to
live dangerously.
My tactic won me $60, but Will made me gamble it away.
I think he might have a problem.
So anyways, we went to bed at sometime in the AM, in our
castle.
Next morning, Leon suggested we push on for the Grand
Canyon. This had been the original plan for our roadtrip,
but 8 hours drive each way seemed like way too much when
we had a flight to catch the next day.
Being in Las Vegas put us 4 hours nearer. We drove to
Grand Canyon's south rim, stopping for pictures of Hoover
Dam on the way.
By the time we got there, Leon was ready to drop.
Will and I went off the see the Canyon while Leon got some
sleep in the car.
Grand Canyon is awesome. I really didn't know what to
expect. Part of me was worried that it would look similar
to Painted Desert, and that I wouldn't be blown away by it.
But I was!
It's huge. The biggest hole I ever saw! People actually go
down there on mules and camp the night. One day, I'll do
that. It looks like fun.
I've no idea what to write about Grand Canyon. Just like,
go see it yourself.
After a couple of hours getting cooked by the sun, we started
the long journey home. I took over the driving for an hour or
so, letting Leon get some sleep. I was paranoid about getting
pulled, seeing as Leon had been stopped FOUR times on the
way there. So we switched back over and about 10 minutes
later he was pulled again. Phew.
We swapped again about 100 miles from LA, and I drove
us back to Hollywood, and bed.
This afternoon we leave LA for Bangkok!
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Sold!
Still sitting in the Thai cafe yesterday afternoon, we heard
a familiar voice shout,
YO TEAM MEMBERS!
Leon was back!
We shared travel stories until a young couple arrived who
wanted to test drive the van, so all 5 of us piled in and I
drove us up the freeway, trying to convince them that this
was the RV for them.
Well, it almost definitely wasn't the RV for them, seeing as
they never phoned us back.
We probably scared them off with the $6500 we had asked
from them anyway!
So we moved back into Leon's house, obviously. Us guys are
his family now!
Finally, we could relax. Forget the fact that we had less than
one week to sell the RV, we were back home in Hollywood!
Anyways, last night we got an e-mail from some guy called
Johnny.
He told us all about his ancestry, and seemed to feel a bond
with us on account of his great-grandfather being English,
or something.
He told us he wanted to turn our RV into a mobile editing
suite, which would have sounded super cool if it wasn't for
the fact he came across like a serial killer.
He was a total eccentric, and each e-mail made us more suspicious
of his intentions.
By this morning, he had basically told us that, without a doubt,
he wanted our home.
He asked us to drive it out to the San Fernando Valley for him,
which was fine for us seeing as he offered to pre-pay for a cab
home.
Not wanting to get our hopes up too much, we took the van
along to George. We met George on Wednesday after deciding
we really needed to get the damage at the back sorted if we
wanted to get anywhere near our asking price.
He told us to bring her back on Saturday, and he would fix it for
us.
So that's what we did. George spent an hour hammering away
at our lovely home.
He did an awesome job. He completely bent the bumper back
in to shape and covered the rest of the damage with a plate.
Basically, he hid it. Which was exactly what we wanted.
His charge? Nothing. Nada. He wouldn't take a tip or even let
us buy him a beer as he's a Mormon.
We headed out to the San Fernando Valley, taking Leon along
for protection! Arriving at Johnny's house, we were faced by his
posse of servants, or friends, or neighbours, or prisoners, for all
we knew.
There was a single chicken running around his suburban garden.
Leon described the chicken as having 'the demeanour of a dog'.
I couldn't see it myself.
One went inside to fetch Johnny, who appeared with an envelope
stuffed with cash. He invited us in to 'close the deal' before even
looking at the van. We insisted he take a look inside, which he did,
briefly, telling us she was 'exactly what he wanted'.
So we headed into his house. This guy obviously had money. The
house was pretty damned nice.
There was a white board in this kitchen which declared 'You
cannot teach someone rehabilitation, it has to come from within'.
This, we later decided, must be for the benefit of Kelly, one of
Johnny's hangers-onners, who looked a lot like a criminal.
We sat down to sign the vehicle over to him, but not before he
showed us ancient photographs of his family. He expects to visit
us when we're back in the UK. His new British friends. As Leon so
delicately put it, it was really difficult not to make fun of him to
his face.
In return, he gave us $8000.
That's a $4800 profit.
HAHAHA.
a familiar voice shout,
YO TEAM MEMBERS!
Leon was back!
We shared travel stories until a young couple arrived who
wanted to test drive the van, so all 5 of us piled in and I
drove us up the freeway, trying to convince them that this
was the RV for them.
Well, it almost definitely wasn't the RV for them, seeing as
they never phoned us back.
We probably scared them off with the $6500 we had asked
from them anyway!
So we moved back into Leon's house, obviously. Us guys are
his family now!
Finally, we could relax. Forget the fact that we had less than
one week to sell the RV, we were back home in Hollywood!
Anyways, last night we got an e-mail from some guy called
Johnny.
He told us all about his ancestry, and seemed to feel a bond
with us on account of his great-grandfather being English,
or something.
He told us he wanted to turn our RV into a mobile editing
suite, which would have sounded super cool if it wasn't for
the fact he came across like a serial killer.
He was a total eccentric, and each e-mail made us more suspicious
of his intentions.
By this morning, he had basically told us that, without a doubt,
he wanted our home.
He asked us to drive it out to the San Fernando Valley for him,
which was fine for us seeing as he offered to pre-pay for a cab
home.
Not wanting to get our hopes up too much, we took the van
along to George. We met George on Wednesday after deciding
we really needed to get the damage at the back sorted if we
wanted to get anywhere near our asking price.
He told us to bring her back on Saturday, and he would fix it for
us.
So that's what we did. George spent an hour hammering away
at our lovely home.
He did an awesome job. He completely bent the bumper back
in to shape and covered the rest of the damage with a plate.
Basically, he hid it. Which was exactly what we wanted.
His charge? Nothing. Nada. He wouldn't take a tip or even let
us buy him a beer as he's a Mormon.
We headed out to the San Fernando Valley, taking Leon along
for protection! Arriving at Johnny's house, we were faced by his
posse of servants, or friends, or neighbours, or prisoners, for all
we knew.
There was a single chicken running around his suburban garden.
Leon described the chicken as having 'the demeanour of a dog'.
I couldn't see it myself.
One went inside to fetch Johnny, who appeared with an envelope
stuffed with cash. He invited us in to 'close the deal' before even
looking at the van. We insisted he take a look inside, which he did,
briefly, telling us she was 'exactly what he wanted'.
So we headed into his house. This guy obviously had money. The
house was pretty damned nice.
There was a white board in this kitchen which declared 'You
cannot teach someone rehabilitation, it has to come from within'.
This, we later decided, must be for the benefit of Kelly, one of
Johnny's hangers-onners, who looked a lot like a criminal.
We sat down to sign the vehicle over to him, but not before he
showed us ancient photographs of his family. He expects to visit
us when we're back in the UK. His new British friends. As Leon so
delicately put it, it was really difficult not to make fun of him to
his face.
In return, he gave us $8000.
That's a $4800 profit.
HAHAHA.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Stuck in LA
Since getting back to Hollywood on Tuesday, Will and I
have been spending every waking hour in our favourite
Thai cafe on the corner of Hollywood and Vermont.
It's only our fave because they have free wifi. We've listed
the RV on Craigslist, Ebay, and approximately 400 other
LA classified websites. We have a couple of leads. None look
brilliant.
We've had a few people come to see it. None of them seem
like they'll buy. We get more interest in the carpark outside
the Thai place.
We're having to consider what we'll do if we don't sell it. We
mentioned it to Will when we went out with him and Audie
for Big Wangs and ping pong last night. He seemed to think
he'd be able to take over when we leave, showing people
round.
We might have to sell it for much less than we hoped.
Last week I ignored my flight back to London. I hope they
don't hold that stuff on record!
We've decided to go back to Thailand for an extended
holiday! This is has meant a number of trips to the Thai
embassy. We finally got it sorted today, and have left
our passports with them while they do our tourist visas,
which will give us 4 months there. Which we probably
won't need anyway!
Busy busy busy.
have been spending every waking hour in our favourite
Thai cafe on the corner of Hollywood and Vermont.
It's only our fave because they have free wifi. We've listed
the RV on Craigslist, Ebay, and approximately 400 other
LA classified websites. We have a couple of leads. None look
brilliant.
We've had a few people come to see it. None of them seem
like they'll buy. We get more interest in the carpark outside
the Thai place.
We're having to consider what we'll do if we don't sell it. We
mentioned it to Will when we went out with him and Audie
for Big Wangs and ping pong last night. He seemed to think
he'd be able to take over when we leave, showing people
round.
We might have to sell it for much less than we hoped.
Last week I ignored my flight back to London. I hope they
don't hold that stuff on record!
We've decided to go back to Thailand for an extended
holiday! This is has meant a number of trips to the Thai
embassy. We finally got it sorted today, and have left
our passports with them while they do our tourist visas,
which will give us 4 months there. Which we probably
won't need anyway!
Busy busy busy.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Santa Monica
Yesterday we made it to Santa Monica, the last stop on Route 66.
Apparently, Will and I are now official roadies. I demand respect.
We wanted to arrive at sunset, making it the perfect ending.
I stressed myself out in the traffic, but we managed to get
parked right on the sea front with about an hour to spare.
We walked along the beach and I dipped my feet in the Pacific
Ocean for the first time!
We both expected to be overcome with relief, pride, happiness.
But it just kind of, didn't happen.
We'd built Santa Monica up to be the solution to all our problems.
Santa Monica meant freedom, money, escape, an easier life.
And the irony has only just hit me as I'm writing this, but I suppose
in some ways those mixed feelings make the trip more realistic than
we could have ever imagined. The migrants, too, had expectations
which evaporated at arrival.
I'm being over dramatic.
My issue was the knowledge that our problems weren't over.
Since Chicago, I've been thinking 'as soon as we get back to Cali,
I'm never driving this RV again'.
But of course I still have to drive it. We have to sell the thing.
Which is also becoming a terrible reality. Who in their right mind
would buy it?
We watched the sunset from Santa Monica pier and walked,
subdued, back to the van. We didn't know where to stay. I
wanted a hotel. With a bath. But no hotels had parking lots big
enough for a 26 footer.
In the end, we decided to drive back into Hollywood, where
we knew we could get parked up, relatively easily, for free.
So once again I battled the crowds on Hollywood Boulevard
and parked up round the corner from Leon's (who is still off
on his travels).
Santa Monica was a bit of an anticlimax. I wanted more
neon signs, ghost towns, shoe trees, Mormons, and dilapidated
Motels. I wanted more Route 66!
Apparently, Will and I are now official roadies. I demand respect.
We wanted to arrive at sunset, making it the perfect ending.
I stressed myself out in the traffic, but we managed to get
parked right on the sea front with about an hour to spare.
We walked along the beach and I dipped my feet in the Pacific
Ocean for the first time!
We both expected to be overcome with relief, pride, happiness.
But it just kind of, didn't happen.
We'd built Santa Monica up to be the solution to all our problems.
Santa Monica meant freedom, money, escape, an easier life.
And the irony has only just hit me as I'm writing this, but I suppose
in some ways those mixed feelings make the trip more realistic than
we could have ever imagined. The migrants, too, had expectations
which evaporated at arrival.
I'm being over dramatic.
My issue was the knowledge that our problems weren't over.
Since Chicago, I've been thinking 'as soon as we get back to Cali,
I'm never driving this RV again'.
But of course I still have to drive it. We have to sell the thing.
Which is also becoming a terrible reality. Who in their right mind
would buy it?
We watched the sunset from Santa Monica pier and walked,
subdued, back to the van. We didn't know where to stay. I
wanted a hotel. With a bath. But no hotels had parking lots big
enough for a 26 footer.
In the end, we decided to drive back into Hollywood, where
we knew we could get parked up, relatively easily, for free.
So once again I battled the crowds on Hollywood Boulevard
and parked up round the corner from Leon's (who is still off
on his travels).
Santa Monica was a bit of an anticlimax. I wanted more
neon signs, ghost towns, shoe trees, Mormons, and dilapidated
Motels. I wanted more Route 66!
Monday, 4 May 2009
Big Bear Lake
After leaving Oatman and heading back down the mountain, we
left Arizona and crossed the Colorado river back into California!
We got a lemon and a lime removed from our fridge at the border,
which was a bit upsetting.
One of my favourite things about this part of America is the trains.
They are well over a mile in length, and seeing them cutting
through the deserts and twisting around mountains is awesome.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a train spotter now or anything, but
everytime I see one all I wanna do is stop the RV and take some
pictures. Out of about 600 attempts, we never got a brilliant shot
of the trains.
Our first stop in Cali was Needles. We ate some overpriced food
served by an overweight waitress, and got the hell out.
After Needles came the desert - traditionally the most feared part
of Route 66. Breaking down or running out of water in the middle
of the desert would have been hella dangerous. Of course, we have
more sense than the migrants and took out AAA before we set off.
Damn Okies.
We made a stop in Goffs, population 23, to visit a tiny museum
which I forget the name of. It wasn't very interesting but the
fact that we were passing on the only day of the month it was
open seemed like a sign. We got chatting to one of the volunteers
who runs it, who warned us there isn't a single thing in the desert
that won't bite you, scratch you or sting you. Thanks for that!
The desert is as hot as you'd imagine. We passed a couple of
cyclists, pulling their luggage behind them on little carts. I have
literally no idea how they made it across there. Or even if they
did. One of them had a little dog trotting alongside his bike,
which concerned me more.
We made a stop at Roy's Motel Cafe, which is no longer either. Roy
now sells Coke and 'Route Beer' and not a lot else. The cafe became
a ghost town, but has a new owner and is attempting a come back.
And then we were clear of the desert! We could have easily
made it to Santa Monica yesterday, but we decided to spend
one more night on Route 66 before Operation: Sell RV began.
From Barstow we could see the San Bernardino Mountains in
the distance. After a day spent in the desert, the snow-topped
mountains looked way too inviting to miss out on.
After driving over 6500 miles, through every kind of weather
and terrain, along interstates, dirk tracks and beach roads,
around switchbacks, through mountain passes and city center
rush hours, we figured we were invincible.
The San Bernardino Mountains nearly finished us off.
We literally chugged our way up there, stopping every 10
minutes to let the engine cool down and let the line of traffic
behind us pass.
We saw no other RV's up there, which probably explains why
people were cheering us as they drove passed (past?). The road
signs warned of road gradients as steep as 16% ahead. I don't
really know what that means, but 1% more and we'd have been
in trouble!
Anyway, we made it up there. The San Bernardino Mountains
are breathtaking. It was like another world. You forget you're
in California, or even in America. It's how I imagine Vancouver
to look.
Big Bear City, sat on the edge of Big Bear Lake, is this cute town
full of rich people who like to ski. You're 7000ft above the dry
desert, but all you can see is alpine forest.
We stayed at a state park set right in some woods; our battery
was all but dead and there was no electricity hook up. We were
probably being watched by hundreds of drooling, snout-licking
bears.
That was last night. We didn't get eaten by bears.
This morning we plan on free-wheeling our way to Santa Monica.
left Arizona and crossed the Colorado river back into California!
We got a lemon and a lime removed from our fridge at the border,
which was a bit upsetting.
One of my favourite things about this part of America is the trains.
They are well over a mile in length, and seeing them cutting
through the deserts and twisting around mountains is awesome.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a train spotter now or anything, but
everytime I see one all I wanna do is stop the RV and take some
pictures. Out of about 600 attempts, we never got a brilliant shot
of the trains.
Our first stop in Cali was Needles. We ate some overpriced food
served by an overweight waitress, and got the hell out.
After Needles came the desert - traditionally the most feared part
of Route 66. Breaking down or running out of water in the middle
of the desert would have been hella dangerous. Of course, we have
more sense than the migrants and took out AAA before we set off.
Damn Okies.
We made a stop in Goffs, population 23, to visit a tiny museum
which I forget the name of. It wasn't very interesting but the
fact that we were passing on the only day of the month it was
open seemed like a sign. We got chatting to one of the volunteers
who runs it, who warned us there isn't a single thing in the desert
that won't bite you, scratch you or sting you. Thanks for that!
The desert is as hot as you'd imagine. We passed a couple of
cyclists, pulling their luggage behind them on little carts. I have
literally no idea how they made it across there. Or even if they
did. One of them had a little dog trotting alongside his bike,
which concerned me more.
We made a stop at Roy's Motel Cafe, which is no longer either. Roy
now sells Coke and 'Route Beer' and not a lot else. The cafe became
a ghost town, but has a new owner and is attempting a come back.
And then we were clear of the desert! We could have easily
made it to Santa Monica yesterday, but we decided to spend
one more night on Route 66 before Operation: Sell RV began.
From Barstow we could see the San Bernardino Mountains in
the distance. After a day spent in the desert, the snow-topped
mountains looked way too inviting to miss out on.
After driving over 6500 miles, through every kind of weather
and terrain, along interstates, dirk tracks and beach roads,
around switchbacks, through mountain passes and city center
rush hours, we figured we were invincible.
The San Bernardino Mountains nearly finished us off.
We literally chugged our way up there, stopping every 10
minutes to let the engine cool down and let the line of traffic
behind us pass.
We saw no other RV's up there, which probably explains why
people were cheering us as they drove passed (past?). The road
signs warned of road gradients as steep as 16% ahead. I don't
really know what that means, but 1% more and we'd have been
in trouble!
Anyway, we made it up there. The San Bernardino Mountains
are breathtaking. It was like another world. You forget you're
in California, or even in America. It's how I imagine Vancouver
to look.
Big Bear City, sat on the edge of Big Bear Lake, is this cute town
full of rich people who like to ski. You're 7000ft above the dry
desert, but all you can see is alpine forest.
We stayed at a state park set right in some woods; our battery
was all but dead and there was no electricity hook up. We were
probably being watched by hundreds of drooling, snout-licking
bears.
That was last night. We didn't get eaten by bears.
This morning we plan on free-wheeling our way to Santa Monica.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Oatman
Yesterday morning we nursed our hangovers with burgers
and fries from Seligman's famous Snow Cap.
The Snow Cap consists of a teeny little hut-type building
with enough room for about 5 customers stood back to back
inside.
Every inch of the walls and ceiling is plastered with business
cards, postcards and letters from visitors and fans from around
the globe.
A hatch in the hut opens on to the kitchen and cafe counter, where
food orders are taken and processed.
What makes the Snow Cap so famous is the crazy comedy act that
takes place consistantly behind the counter.
Every single customer is toyed with.
You want mustard? A mustard bottle is squirted in your face, a
piece of yellow string you can't help but leap away from, despite
knowing the mustard is fake.
You ask for a small something or other, you get a small something
or other. Inch high cones and thimble sized sodas.
You ask for an ice-cream; you are offered a glass full of ice with
cream squirted on top.
The staff are relentless, it's crazy. Not great for a hangover, but
still a lot of fun.
We stood in the tiny shack watching unsuspecting customers try
to make serious requests, laughing our heads off everytime someone
tried to complain about the size of their order. The staff's faces
would eventually break, presenting their customer with a huge, if
mishapen, cone.
We shook off our headaches and left Seligman, stopping for some
snaps at various Route 66 photo opportunities.
Heading west, we could see the Black Mountains looming ahead.
The old route cuts right through them, winding up and down the
mountains via endless switchbacks and narrow, twisting roads.
Not the place for a 26 foot RV, you might think. But I was willing to
risk it, and Will was willing to trust me.
We made a few stops on our way up. The view of Arizona and the
mountains surrounding us was amazing. Right at the top, we
discovered a scattering of crosses amongst the rocks and sand.
Each wore a name, some a photo and a letter. Flowers and toys
were littered at their feet. What a peculiar resting place, was our
first thought.
But the view was undeniably breathtaking. Will decided he wouldn't
mind being buried there. I warned him he might not have a choice,
if the mountains got much steeper. We stood in silence and serenity,
until we noticed a cross bearing the name Jimmy Hoffa...
Nestled inbetween the mountains, at an altitude of about 300 million
feet, lies Oatman. Oatman is an old mining town on the verge of
extinction.
'The ghost town that just won't die', I think the slogan was.
The town is kept alive by tourism; it is a tiny old Wild West themed
place, complete with re-enactments. The town is also famous for it's
wild burros, brought in by the miners all them years ago.
We pulled in at dusk to, strangely enough, cheers.
As it turns out, the Black Mountain switchbacks truely aren't the
place for a 26foot RV. But we'd impressed the locals, which was pretty
cool, especially when they found out it was a 23 year old girl doing the
driving.
We went into the only open bar in town and sat down for a drink and
a game of pool. As we sat there, the story got better and better.
"This girl just drove a 72 foot truck over the mountains!"
It's the only time anyone has ever been surprised by me being the
driver. I never wanted to leave, acceptance at last!
We decided to sleep in the RV right where we'd parked it, figuring
there wouldn't be any traffic to bother us overnight.
Traffic, no. But we weren't counting on the burros. Will opened the
RV door at about 1am and informed me that we were surrounded by
the things.
We crept out and looked up at the stars whilst dozens of donkeys
collected around us.
It was surreal. But awesome.
This morning, we navigated our way around the donkeys and winded
back down the mountains, passing an ancient relic of a car laying
crumpled down a steep cliff edge. I wonder if her passengers made
it out alive.
and fries from Seligman's famous Snow Cap.
The Snow Cap consists of a teeny little hut-type building
with enough room for about 5 customers stood back to back
inside.
Every inch of the walls and ceiling is plastered with business
cards, postcards and letters from visitors and fans from around
the globe.
A hatch in the hut opens on to the kitchen and cafe counter, where
food orders are taken and processed.
What makes the Snow Cap so famous is the crazy comedy act that
takes place consistantly behind the counter.
Every single customer is toyed with.
You want mustard? A mustard bottle is squirted in your face, a
piece of yellow string you can't help but leap away from, despite
knowing the mustard is fake.
You ask for a small something or other, you get a small something
or other. Inch high cones and thimble sized sodas.
You ask for an ice-cream; you are offered a glass full of ice with
cream squirted on top.
The staff are relentless, it's crazy. Not great for a hangover, but
still a lot of fun.
We stood in the tiny shack watching unsuspecting customers try
to make serious requests, laughing our heads off everytime someone
tried to complain about the size of their order. The staff's faces
would eventually break, presenting their customer with a huge, if
mishapen, cone.
We shook off our headaches and left Seligman, stopping for some
snaps at various Route 66 photo opportunities.
Heading west, we could see the Black Mountains looming ahead.
The old route cuts right through them, winding up and down the
mountains via endless switchbacks and narrow, twisting roads.
Not the place for a 26 foot RV, you might think. But I was willing to
risk it, and Will was willing to trust me.
We made a few stops on our way up. The view of Arizona and the
mountains surrounding us was amazing. Right at the top, we
discovered a scattering of crosses amongst the rocks and sand.
Each wore a name, some a photo and a letter. Flowers and toys
were littered at their feet. What a peculiar resting place, was our
first thought.
But the view was undeniably breathtaking. Will decided he wouldn't
mind being buried there. I warned him he might not have a choice,
if the mountains got much steeper. We stood in silence and serenity,
until we noticed a cross bearing the name Jimmy Hoffa...
Nestled inbetween the mountains, at an altitude of about 300 million
feet, lies Oatman. Oatman is an old mining town on the verge of
extinction.
'The ghost town that just won't die', I think the slogan was.
The town is kept alive by tourism; it is a tiny old Wild West themed
place, complete with re-enactments. The town is also famous for it's
wild burros, brought in by the miners all them years ago.
We pulled in at dusk to, strangely enough, cheers.
As it turns out, the Black Mountain switchbacks truely aren't the
place for a 26foot RV. But we'd impressed the locals, which was pretty
cool, especially when they found out it was a 23 year old girl doing the
driving.
We went into the only open bar in town and sat down for a drink and
a game of pool. As we sat there, the story got better and better.
"This girl just drove a 72 foot truck over the mountains!"
It's the only time anyone has ever been surprised by me being the
driver. I never wanted to leave, acceptance at last!
We decided to sleep in the RV right where we'd parked it, figuring
there wouldn't be any traffic to bother us overnight.
Traffic, no. But we weren't counting on the burros. Will opened the
RV door at about 1am and informed me that we were surrounded by
the things.
We crept out and looked up at the stars whilst dozens of donkeys
collected around us.
It was surreal. But awesome.
This morning, we navigated our way around the donkeys and winded
back down the mountains, passing an ancient relic of a car laying
crumpled down a steep cliff edge. I wonder if her passengers made
it out alive.
Seligman
So on Friday night we pulled into the little town of Seligman.
The sign claimed Seligman was the birthplace of historic
Route 66. I don't understand how it can be, when the route
stretches right back to Illinois. But that's what it says!
The town consisted of a single stretch of highstreet. Well
not really a highstreet, just a couple of rows of old-style
buildings. But every single one of them appeared to be
dedicated to Route 66; themed bars and gift shops and
kitsch little cafes. On a normal day, this town would have
been a novelty. Seligman's only obvious income was as a
tourist trap; a curiosity town.
However, this wasn't a normal day. Something was happening.
The town was buzzing; scores of people walked the streets,
dozens of Hells Angels were clustered together around a
darkened bar. Music blared and neon lights lit up the sidewalk.
This couldn't possibly be a regular Friday night in Seligman.
We got ourselves pulled up into the Koa campsite and began
the pitch-dark mile long walk towards the action. We could
hear emergency sirens blaring in the distance, and could see
rows and rows of flashing lights, slowing moving towards us.
It was nerve wracking; from a distance it looked like a parade
of cops were moving through the town. I speculated that some
trouble must have broken out, that they were clearing
everybody out of the town. It must have been the Hells Angels,
I figured.
We walked closer, the sirens got louder and the lights brighter.
I wanted to turn back as the flashing vehicles crawled towards us.
This looked like trouble.
We were wrong.
We had hit Seligman, population 600, on the single biggest day of it's
calendar. The Seligman to Topock Fun Run. Basically a mobile classic
car show.
This doesn't sound all that exciting, but the town went crazy. As we
neared the entrance to the highstreet, a long row of classic cars, led
by old fashioned fire engines, were parading up and down the street.
Groups of people amassed on the sidewalk to watch them. There
must have been more than 100 classic cars in Seligman that night.
Not to mention the newer, pimped cars, the ones with neon bellies,
halogen eyes and multicoloured, dayglow skin.
We grabbed a beer and joined the masses, watching as the cars
paused to create a space, and then, with a roar, crossed the gap
in seconds, causing a cheer to ripple through the watching crowds.
More and more cars drove by, all of them impressive in a way I
know nothing about, nor really cared about prior to Seligman.
The vibe was contageous. We hadn't planned to stay out long, we
needed an early start next morning. But we found ourselves in the
Black Cat bar, drinking with the locals and roadies alike.
The Black Cat was having a full on ho-down. A live band played
outside, and already several couples were swinging each other
around the concrete dancefloor. We spoke to some locals, who
were impressed with our luck on happening upon Seligman on
this night. Everyone got drunker, Will and I got pulled onto the
dancefloor and we reluctantly gave in, deciding we needed to be
at least as drunk, if not drunker, than the rest of this crazy town.
We met Jeremy, somehow, a hick from San Bernadino. He was
driving his dads classic car on the fun run; tradition couldn't be
let down, and his dad was sick.
Jeremy had troubles of his own. Four sons; none his, a new
baby on the way; his.
He shared his problems with us over Coronas and country music.
We met Jenna, from Calgary, Canada. Driving with her boyfriend.
We swapped road stories and danced and drank.
We spoke with countless others, sharing tales and advice; all of
us accustomed to a life on the road. The life that exists away
from the the interstate, the superslab. The small towns, home
to many, are but rest stops to us; each one linked by the 66, the
history of the migrants, and the journey west.
The sign claimed Seligman was the birthplace of historic
Route 66. I don't understand how it can be, when the route
stretches right back to Illinois. But that's what it says!
The town consisted of a single stretch of highstreet. Well
not really a highstreet, just a couple of rows of old-style
buildings. But every single one of them appeared to be
dedicated to Route 66; themed bars and gift shops and
kitsch little cafes. On a normal day, this town would have
been a novelty. Seligman's only obvious income was as a
tourist trap; a curiosity town.
However, this wasn't a normal day. Something was happening.
The town was buzzing; scores of people walked the streets,
dozens of Hells Angels were clustered together around a
darkened bar. Music blared and neon lights lit up the sidewalk.
This couldn't possibly be a regular Friday night in Seligman.
We got ourselves pulled up into the Koa campsite and began
the pitch-dark mile long walk towards the action. We could
hear emergency sirens blaring in the distance, and could see
rows and rows of flashing lights, slowing moving towards us.
It was nerve wracking; from a distance it looked like a parade
of cops were moving through the town. I speculated that some
trouble must have broken out, that they were clearing
everybody out of the town. It must have been the Hells Angels,
I figured.
We walked closer, the sirens got louder and the lights brighter.
I wanted to turn back as the flashing vehicles crawled towards us.
This looked like trouble.
We were wrong.
We had hit Seligman, population 600, on the single biggest day of it's
calendar. The Seligman to Topock Fun Run. Basically a mobile classic
car show.
This doesn't sound all that exciting, but the town went crazy. As we
neared the entrance to the highstreet, a long row of classic cars, led
by old fashioned fire engines, were parading up and down the street.
Groups of people amassed on the sidewalk to watch them. There
must have been more than 100 classic cars in Seligman that night.
Not to mention the newer, pimped cars, the ones with neon bellies,
halogen eyes and multicoloured, dayglow skin.
We grabbed a beer and joined the masses, watching as the cars
paused to create a space, and then, with a roar, crossed the gap
in seconds, causing a cheer to ripple through the watching crowds.
More and more cars drove by, all of them impressive in a way I
know nothing about, nor really cared about prior to Seligman.
The vibe was contageous. We hadn't planned to stay out long, we
needed an early start next morning. But we found ourselves in the
Black Cat bar, drinking with the locals and roadies alike.
The Black Cat was having a full on ho-down. A live band played
outside, and already several couples were swinging each other
around the concrete dancefloor. We spoke to some locals, who
were impressed with our luck on happening upon Seligman on
this night. Everyone got drunker, Will and I got pulled onto the
dancefloor and we reluctantly gave in, deciding we needed to be
at least as drunk, if not drunker, than the rest of this crazy town.
We met Jeremy, somehow, a hick from San Bernadino. He was
driving his dads classic car on the fun run; tradition couldn't be
let down, and his dad was sick.
Jeremy had troubles of his own. Four sons; none his, a new
baby on the way; his.
He shared his problems with us over Coronas and country music.
We met Jenna, from Calgary, Canada. Driving with her boyfriend.
We swapped road stories and danced and drank.
We spoke with countless others, sharing tales and advice; all of
us accustomed to a life on the road. The life that exists away
from the the interstate, the superslab. The small towns, home
to many, are but rest stops to us; each one linked by the 66, the
history of the migrants, and the journey west.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Meteor Crater
This morning we visited Winslow. This towns biggest claim to
fame is it's mention in an Eagles song...
Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Winslow is not letting this go to waste; they have dedicated a
corner of the high street to the song.
You haven't travelled Route 66 unless you've stood on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona!
We got back on the road and found oursleves at Meteor Crater.
The Meteor Crater is privately owned and operated.
Meteor Crater Enterprises or something ridiculous like that.
They charge $15 per person for the priviledge of visiting
'their' crater; the one that was created approximately
27 zillion years ago. It's an outrage! We considered getting
back in the RV and driving off to make a stand, but nobody
would have noticed anyway. We pledged to write damning
remarks in the guestbook, and grudgingly paid our $27
(we got a $3 AAA discount - score).
So the crater was pretty awesome in the end. The museum
section was boring. But the crater was cool. I dared myself
to ask our guide if she had been there when it was created,
but I lost my nerve. She did look a bit prehistoric.
They trained astronauts in there, to get them used to the
terrain of the moon! They sat them on mules and sent them
into the hole. And one of them ripped his space suit, which
would have been fatal if he'd actually been on the moon.
We went on a guided hike around the rim, and in the distance
we could see mini twisters working their way across the desert!
After stopping for tea in Flagstaff, we found ourselves in the
teeny town of Seligman, Arizona. We are staying at a Koa
campsite tonight. Koa costs about $35 a night. It's kind of
like a treat. Our version of a 5 star hotel. Plus, this town may
be the best place I have ever been to in my life.
More on that tomorrow - we are off out tonight!
fame is it's mention in an Eagles song...
Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Winslow is not letting this go to waste; they have dedicated a
corner of the high street to the song.
You haven't travelled Route 66 unless you've stood on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona!
We got back on the road and found oursleves at Meteor Crater.
The Meteor Crater is privately owned and operated.
Meteor Crater Enterprises or something ridiculous like that.
They charge $15 per person for the priviledge of visiting
'their' crater; the one that was created approximately
27 zillion years ago. It's an outrage! We considered getting
back in the RV and driving off to make a stand, but nobody
would have noticed anyway. We pledged to write damning
remarks in the guestbook, and grudgingly paid our $27
(we got a $3 AAA discount - score).
So the crater was pretty awesome in the end. The museum
section was boring. But the crater was cool. I dared myself
to ask our guide if she had been there when it was created,
but I lost my nerve. She did look a bit prehistoric.
They trained astronauts in there, to get them used to the
terrain of the moon! They sat them on mules and sent them
into the hole. And one of them ripped his space suit, which
would have been fatal if he'd actually been on the moon.
We went on a guided hike around the rim, and in the distance
we could see mini twisters working their way across the desert!
After stopping for tea in Flagstaff, we found ourselves in the
teeny town of Seligman, Arizona. We are staying at a Koa
campsite tonight. Koa costs about $35 a night. It's kind of
like a treat. Our version of a 5 star hotel. Plus, this town may
be the best place I have ever been to in my life.
More on that tomorrow - we are off out tonight!
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Petrified Forest
We spent the entirety of yesterday visiting the Painted
Desert and the Petrified Forest.
We had alocated a couple of hours there, but we soon
realised we'd need the whole day; the national park is
huge and there's lots to see!
We had a beautiful sunny day and took way too many photos!
The Painted Desert was full of colourful mountains; my
favourites were the Teepee's, which were all pink and blue layers.
I lack the skills to descibe a desert, so I will just add some
pictures instead.
The Petrified Forest isn't really a forest. It's more desert,
only with Petrified trees scattered around. Petrified trees
are basically stone trees. I'd like to think that nobody knows
why they turned to stone, but apparently there's a reasonable
explanation for it, which I forget.
So let's pretend it's a mystery. Trees turned to stone!! Spooky.
I thought it might be an actual stone forest, but it's just the
trunks laid on the floor. They are all sparkly and shiney.
Millions and millions of the petrified trees have been stolen
over the centuries, which sucks, but the park is now preserving
what is left.
Although you can buy your own bit of tree-stone in the
gift shop for $20...
Desert and the Petrified Forest.
We had alocated a couple of hours there, but we soon
realised we'd need the whole day; the national park is
huge and there's lots to see!
We had a beautiful sunny day and took way too many photos!
The Painted Desert was full of colourful mountains; my
favourites were the Teepee's, which were all pink and blue layers.
I lack the skills to descibe a desert, so I will just add some
pictures instead.
The Petrified Forest isn't really a forest. It's more desert,
only with Petrified trees scattered around. Petrified trees
are basically stone trees. I'd like to think that nobody knows
why they turned to stone, but apparently there's a reasonable
explanation for it, which I forget.
So let's pretend it's a mystery. Trees turned to stone!! Spooky.
I thought it might be an actual stone forest, but it's just the
trunks laid on the floor. They are all sparkly and shiney.
Millions and millions of the petrified trees have been stolen
over the centuries, which sucks, but the park is now preserving
what is left.
Although you can buy your own bit of tree-stone in the
gift shop for $20...
New Mexico
We've had a pretty busy week on Route 66!
After sitting out the tornado warnings and visiting the
shoe tree, we drove out of Tulsa, through Oklahoma City
and into Shamrock, Texas, where we spent the night.
It was an odd little town. Proper hicksville. We ended up
sleeping in a parking lot behind a gas station, before heading
for Amarillo.
On the way we made a couple of stops; first to take a few
snaps of a leaning water tower, which is a famous Route 66
icon, and again for the largest cross in the western world.
It was a pretty big cross, I admit. It made me feel a little
uncomfortable.
We made it to Amarillo by lunchtime, deciding to eat at the
Big Texas Steak Ranch; home of the 72oz steak.
Eat it all and it's free. No thanks!
We got ribs to share and slagged off the waitress for not
bringing us our bread roll. Desperate times!
We got back on the road, driving through the ghost town of
Glenrio. I did not like that place one bit. I'm sure someone was
living in one of the shacks, and a dog came out to bark at us.
Will got out for a cigarette while I sat with my foot poised next
to the accelerator.
We made a few more Route 66esque stops. At a Bug Ranch, and
then a Cadillac Ranch. This is basically where some strange souls
have buried some cars into the ground in a row. People have then
come along and graffitied all over them.
The Cadillac Ranch was my favourite!
We decided to spend the night in Santa Rosa state park.
It was super pretty. I feel so much safer camping out in Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona. I think it's because there are no
forests for people to hide in.
Will and I sat on the RV roof watching a lighting storm rage
in the distance.
I got up at 6am the next morning. I was the only awake person
in the whole park. I don't very often see 6am, but I'm sure glad
I saw it that day.
After Santa Rosa, we headed for Santa Fe.
We picked up some of the oldest stretch of Route 66, which
incorporated parts of the Santa Fe trail. The town was all pinks
and oranges, smooth terracotta buildings, housing art galleries,
jewellry stores and gift shops.
Street vendors layed out their treasures along the streets,
and we wandered around the town square, watching the
tourists haggle in broken Spanish. It was all very pretty.
Totally different from most of what we'd seen of America.
Like a totally different country. Almost like a new Mexico. Oh..
So anyways, after Santa Fe came Albuquerque, which I can
spell without looking up!
The style was similar to Santa Fe. Only it seemed a little less
authentic. Outside of the Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque was as
lacking in character as any other town. Samerica.
We spent last night at some truck stop or other, and this morning
we are making a quick stop in Gallup before leaving New Mexico
for Arizona.
After sitting out the tornado warnings and visiting the
shoe tree, we drove out of Tulsa, through Oklahoma City
and into Shamrock, Texas, where we spent the night.
It was an odd little town. Proper hicksville. We ended up
sleeping in a parking lot behind a gas station, before heading
for Amarillo.
On the way we made a couple of stops; first to take a few
snaps of a leaning water tower, which is a famous Route 66
icon, and again for the largest cross in the western world.
It was a pretty big cross, I admit. It made me feel a little
uncomfortable.
We made it to Amarillo by lunchtime, deciding to eat at the
Big Texas Steak Ranch; home of the 72oz steak.
Eat it all and it's free. No thanks!
We got ribs to share and slagged off the waitress for not
bringing us our bread roll. Desperate times!
We got back on the road, driving through the ghost town of
Glenrio. I did not like that place one bit. I'm sure someone was
living in one of the shacks, and a dog came out to bark at us.
Will got out for a cigarette while I sat with my foot poised next
to the accelerator.
We made a few more Route 66esque stops. At a Bug Ranch, and
then a Cadillac Ranch. This is basically where some strange souls
have buried some cars into the ground in a row. People have then
come along and graffitied all over them.
The Cadillac Ranch was my favourite!
We decided to spend the night in Santa Rosa state park.
It was super pretty. I feel so much safer camping out in Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona. I think it's because there are no
forests for people to hide in.
Will and I sat on the RV roof watching a lighting storm rage
in the distance.
I got up at 6am the next morning. I was the only awake person
in the whole park. I don't very often see 6am, but I'm sure glad
I saw it that day.
After Santa Rosa, we headed for Santa Fe.
We picked up some of the oldest stretch of Route 66, which
incorporated parts of the Santa Fe trail. The town was all pinks
and oranges, smooth terracotta buildings, housing art galleries,
jewellry stores and gift shops.
Street vendors layed out their treasures along the streets,
and we wandered around the town square, watching the
tourists haggle in broken Spanish. It was all very pretty.
Totally different from most of what we'd seen of America.
Like a totally different country. Almost like a new Mexico. Oh..
So anyways, after Santa Fe came Albuquerque, which I can
spell without looking up!
The style was similar to Santa Fe. Only it seemed a little less
authentic. Outside of the Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque was as
lacking in character as any other town. Samerica.
We spent last night at some truck stop or other, and this morning
we are making a quick stop in Gallup before leaving New Mexico
for Arizona.
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Is that a tornado or a camel moaning in slow motion?
Driving through Kansas yesterday, Will and I pointed out
houses where Aunt Em might live, or the barn where the
people in Twister might've hid when the tornados hit.
I've always wanted to see a tornado, or maybe chase one,
or perhaps get sucked into one, with the cows and the trucks
and the babies.
Today, it's becoming a reality! We arrived at a Flying J truck
stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last night, hoping to grab a shower
and get back on our way. And we're still here, along with all the
truckers also planning on heading south.
The national weather service have put out tornado warnings
for the whole of Oklahoma, with golf ball sized hail stones being
reported across the state. There've been a bunch of deaths from
tornados this last week so we figured we'd play it safe.
If the truck drivers are staying put, then so are we! It kind of
sucks though, if we weren't in our stupid RV we'd drive closer,
but a nice lady truck driver warned us we'd be sure to tip over
in the 80mph winds. God.
The only thing that could make this situation better is if the
tornado sucked up a hundred armadillos and rained them down
on our RV.
It's given us chance to get showered, do our laundry and plan
out our route. Which is a bonus, I guess, but I sure was looking
forward to visiting a shoe tree today!
Did you know, in Twister, they make the sound of a tornado by
slowing down a recording of a camel moaning.
FACT!
houses where Aunt Em might live, or the barn where the
people in Twister might've hid when the tornados hit.
I've always wanted to see a tornado, or maybe chase one,
or perhaps get sucked into one, with the cows and the trucks
and the babies.
Today, it's becoming a reality! We arrived at a Flying J truck
stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last night, hoping to grab a shower
and get back on our way. And we're still here, along with all the
truckers also planning on heading south.
The national weather service have put out tornado warnings
for the whole of Oklahoma, with golf ball sized hail stones being
reported across the state. There've been a bunch of deaths from
tornados this last week so we figured we'd play it safe.
If the truck drivers are staying put, then so are we! It kind of
sucks though, if we weren't in our stupid RV we'd drive closer,
but a nice lady truck driver warned us we'd be sure to tip over
in the 80mph winds. God.
The only thing that could make this situation better is if the
tornado sucked up a hundred armadillos and rained them down
on our RV.
It's given us chance to get showered, do our laundry and plan
out our route. Which is a bonus, I guess, but I sure was looking
forward to visiting a shoe tree today!
Did you know, in Twister, they make the sound of a tornado by
slowing down a recording of a camel moaning.
FACT!
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Save Ferris
Today has been one of my favourite days so far, probably
because we spent almost the entirety of it on Route 66
rather than the interstate.
We made our first stop Carthage, Missouri. We wandered
around the town square, made up of antique and bric-a-brac
shops, packed full of dusty remnants of America-gone-by.
Then we headed for Carthage's historic Route 66 drive-in
theatre, which was wicked!
We stopped in a couple more towns, including Webb City,
where we found ourselves right in the midst of their annual
Spring Carnival!
We ate crappy food from burger stands and watched a local
barber shop quartet perform. The minature fairground was
probably the biggest event since 1861, when the town became
the location of the first battle of the Civil War.
We left Missouri for Kansas, following Route 66 through endless,
seemingly deserted towns. We passed the Rainbow Bridge, which
predates Route 66 and became part of the famous journey west.
There's armadillo roadkill all over the place. My emotions get
all mixed up when I see one. Excited or sad? I just don't know!
Route 66 took us through the South-Eastern corner of Kansas
before we found ourselves in Oklahoma. We pulled up in Afton
to take pictures of a now-derelict Rest Haven Motel, and went
into a weird mostly-empty grocery store where we were presented
with an autograph book to sign. Foreigners are apparently a novelty
in this town. And, likewise, this town was a novelty to us.
A man walked in behind us, holding some kind of metal torture
contraption in his hands.
"You wanna buy a meat grinder?"
Will kindly declined, and asked him why he had a meat
grinder anyway?
"I was gonna sell it to a guy" he informed us.
Well, I'm glad he cleared that one up.
We got out of freaksville before we were grinded to a pulp,
or worse, and headed for Foyil, where a man had single handedly
created a Totem Pole Park, within which lies the world's largest
totem pole. Much less freaky.
The race was then on to make it to Catoosa before the sun went
down; we had a whale to ride!
I'm not entirely sure why there's a gigantic blue whale in an
otherwise normal lake by the side of the highway in this town,
but there is.
In days gone by, the whale was a well-known rest stop for
travellers, who can walk into the whales mouth and dive off it's
tail into the lake. The whale was one of my absolute favourite
things so far.
I loved it!
because we spent almost the entirety of it on Route 66
rather than the interstate.
We made our first stop Carthage, Missouri. We wandered
around the town square, made up of antique and bric-a-brac
shops, packed full of dusty remnants of America-gone-by.
Then we headed for Carthage's historic Route 66 drive-in
theatre, which was wicked!
We stopped in a couple more towns, including Webb City,
where we found ourselves right in the midst of their annual
Spring Carnival!
We ate crappy food from burger stands and watched a local
barber shop quartet perform. The minature fairground was
probably the biggest event since 1861, when the town became
the location of the first battle of the Civil War.
We left Missouri for Kansas, following Route 66 through endless,
seemingly deserted towns. We passed the Rainbow Bridge, which
predates Route 66 and became part of the famous journey west.
There's armadillo roadkill all over the place. My emotions get
all mixed up when I see one. Excited or sad? I just don't know!
Route 66 took us through the South-Eastern corner of Kansas
before we found ourselves in Oklahoma. We pulled up in Afton
to take pictures of a now-derelict Rest Haven Motel, and went
into a weird mostly-empty grocery store where we were presented
with an autograph book to sign. Foreigners are apparently a novelty
in this town. And, likewise, this town was a novelty to us.
A man walked in behind us, holding some kind of metal torture
contraption in his hands.
"You wanna buy a meat grinder?"
Will kindly declined, and asked him why he had a meat
grinder anyway?
"I was gonna sell it to a guy" he informed us.
Well, I'm glad he cleared that one up.
We got out of freaksville before we were grinded to a pulp,
or worse, and headed for Foyil, where a man had single handedly
created a Totem Pole Park, within which lies the world's largest
totem pole. Much less freaky.
The race was then on to make it to Catoosa before the sun went
down; we had a whale to ride!
I'm not entirely sure why there's a gigantic blue whale in an
otherwise normal lake by the side of the highway in this town,
but there is.
In days gone by, the whale was a well-known rest stop for
travellers, who can walk into the whales mouth and dive off it's
tail into the lake. The whale was one of my absolute favourite
things so far.
I loved it!
Friday, 24 April 2009
Gettin' our Kicks...
Yesterday we had our first taste of Route 66! We stopped
at a themed diner in Dwight, Illinois, and I got all excited at
the Route 66 chairs, and the signs, and the tack... the beautiful
tack.
After freezing our asses off for about a month, the weather
suddenly turned HOT. Like, boiling hot. It hit 30 degrees
and our RV transformed from icy tomb to sauna overnight.
Gone were the layers, the wolf jumpers and the gloves.
It was crazy how quickly it happened. I've no idea if the
temperature did a u-turn, or if driving 100 miles south put
us in a different weather system? That probaby sounds stupid,
but it was damn hot, okay.
We headed for Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln's
hometown. We stumbled upon his tomb, and found ourselves
surrounded by a bunch of kids on a school trip. They asked a
tonne of interesting questions, and I learnt a bunch of stuff I
never knew! I forgot it all now though.
We spent the night at Beaver Dam state park, watching the sun
go down over a lake. It sounds romantic, but really we were just
waiting for it to go dark so we could steal some firewood.
That's a $5000 fine right there.
So today we carried on driving, hitting St. Louis, Missouri sometime
this afternoon. We pulled up by the Gateway Arch on the banks of
the Mississippi.
The arch dominates St. Louis' skyline, making it my favourite one
so far! It's known as the Gateway to the West, which I like a lot.
It's the tallest monument in the US, which is kind of difficult to
photograph when you're stood right under it. Still, it was well
impressive and I'm super glad it was sunny!
So tonight we're staying at a Walmart, with a record number
of other RVers, and in the morning we're headed out of
Missouri on Route 66.
at a themed diner in Dwight, Illinois, and I got all excited at
the Route 66 chairs, and the signs, and the tack... the beautiful
tack.
After freezing our asses off for about a month, the weather
suddenly turned HOT. Like, boiling hot. It hit 30 degrees
and our RV transformed from icy tomb to sauna overnight.
Gone were the layers, the wolf jumpers and the gloves.
It was crazy how quickly it happened. I've no idea if the
temperature did a u-turn, or if driving 100 miles south put
us in a different weather system? That probaby sounds stupid,
but it was damn hot, okay.
We headed for Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln's
hometown. We stumbled upon his tomb, and found ourselves
surrounded by a bunch of kids on a school trip. They asked a
tonne of interesting questions, and I learnt a bunch of stuff I
never knew! I forgot it all now though.
We spent the night at Beaver Dam state park, watching the sun
go down over a lake. It sounds romantic, but really we were just
waiting for it to go dark so we could steal some firewood.
That's a $5000 fine right there.
So today we carried on driving, hitting St. Louis, Missouri sometime
this afternoon. We pulled up by the Gateway Arch on the banks of
the Mississippi.
The arch dominates St. Louis' skyline, making it my favourite one
so far! It's known as the Gateway to the West, which I like a lot.
It's the tallest monument in the US, which is kind of difficult to
photograph when you're stood right under it. Still, it was well
impressive and I'm super glad it was sunny!
So tonight we're staying at a Walmart, with a record number
of other RVers, and in the morning we're headed out of
Missouri on Route 66.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Chicago
We have spent the last 3 days in Chicago.
The windy city. Or more precisely the rainy city.
We arrived on Monday afternoon, pulling into a Walmart
in a dodgy area a little way out of the city center.
We got straight on with our mission to sell the
RV (mission impossible).
We headed to Panera Bread, who offer free WiFi and have
been our saviour in recent weeks.
Craigslist and Ebay both hate us, apparently, and our adverts
on each got removed within hours.
Ebay thought someone had hacked my account, so I had a
lovely chat with Jasper, an online help person. Jasper got
pissy when I asked if he had ever been in love. But he
unlocked my account for me, which is more than I can
say for the bright sparks who work for Craigslist.
Anyway, after another day trying and failing to advertise
our RV properly, we needed a break. So yesterday evening
we battled the rain and Chicago's erratic public transport
system, and settled ourselves down in a pub where every
fourth drink was FREE!
We sat at the bar and watched that quiz-show-in-a-taxi
programme with the staff, who let us order takeaway in
and never once let us down in the 4th free drink department.
We listened in to some old professor-types having the best
discussion ever on topics they knew nothing about, but who
threw incredible words into the conversation to sound
exceedingly clever. Like, not even relevent words. Nor in
a sentence. It was amazing.
We found a bus and headed home. When I say home, I
mean Walmart.
This morning, it turns out we had been ticketed by the
cops!
A $50 fine for selling a vehicle on commercial property,
or something. Which I guess is techinically true, but how
were they to know we weren't just shopping in Walmart!?
So we went down to the police station and I gave them hell.
Well, I asked nicely, and they found us 'not guilty' and
scrapped our fine. Hurrah.
Then we went to Lincoln Park Zoo, which is a little north of
downtown. The best thing about the zoo is that it was free.
The second best thing was the sand cats. Then the naked
mole rats, then the aardvark, who was curled up in a barrel.
We headed back on the subway via Old Town, where we
stopped at a restaurant and had 16 chicken wings for 35
cents each.
I quite liked Chicago, even though we didn't see as much
of it as we should have.
This afternoon, giving up on Craigslist, we decided to leave
Chicago and head back to LA, which was always plan B anyway.
So this evening we headed out of the city, figuring we needed
to make good time if we wanted to have long enough in LA to
sell the van.
We're spending tonight at a truck stop about 50 miles south west
of Chicago, and tomorrow we'll join up with Route 66 and begin
the journey West!
The windy city. Or more precisely the rainy city.
We arrived on Monday afternoon, pulling into a Walmart
in a dodgy area a little way out of the city center.
We got straight on with our mission to sell the
RV (mission impossible).
We headed to Panera Bread, who offer free WiFi and have
been our saviour in recent weeks.
Craigslist and Ebay both hate us, apparently, and our adverts
on each got removed within hours.
Ebay thought someone had hacked my account, so I had a
lovely chat with Jasper, an online help person. Jasper got
pissy when I asked if he had ever been in love. But he
unlocked my account for me, which is more than I can
say for the bright sparks who work for Craigslist.
Anyway, after another day trying and failing to advertise
our RV properly, we needed a break. So yesterday evening
we battled the rain and Chicago's erratic public transport
system, and settled ourselves down in a pub where every
fourth drink was FREE!
We sat at the bar and watched that quiz-show-in-a-taxi
programme with the staff, who let us order takeaway in
and never once let us down in the 4th free drink department.
We listened in to some old professor-types having the best
discussion ever on topics they knew nothing about, but who
threw incredible words into the conversation to sound
exceedingly clever. Like, not even relevent words. Nor in
a sentence. It was amazing.
We found a bus and headed home. When I say home, I
mean Walmart.
This morning, it turns out we had been ticketed by the
cops!
A $50 fine for selling a vehicle on commercial property,
or something. Which I guess is techinically true, but how
were they to know we weren't just shopping in Walmart!?
So we went down to the police station and I gave them hell.
Well, I asked nicely, and they found us 'not guilty' and
scrapped our fine. Hurrah.
Then we went to Lincoln Park Zoo, which is a little north of
downtown. The best thing about the zoo is that it was free.
The second best thing was the sand cats. Then the naked
mole rats, then the aardvark, who was curled up in a barrel.
We headed back on the subway via Old Town, where we
stopped at a restaurant and had 16 chicken wings for 35
cents each.
I quite liked Chicago, even though we didn't see as much
of it as we should have.
This afternoon, giving up on Craigslist, we decided to leave
Chicago and head back to LA, which was always plan B anyway.
So this evening we headed out of the city, figuring we needed
to make good time if we wanted to have long enough in LA to
sell the van.
We're spending tonight at a truck stop about 50 miles south west
of Chicago, and tomorrow we'll join up with Route 66 and begin
the journey West!
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Cursed RV for Sale
Alleged 1990 Fleetwood Flair motorhome, although we
firmly believe it may be a bronze age prototype.
120,000 miles on the clock. FACT. The black fellow we
bought it from was adamant about this.
Length: Undetermined. Although a nice man, with what
he thought was a dingo, but was actually just a dog,
instructed us it was 26 feet. Personally, we believe it's
roughly the length of two medium sized cars.
Feel free to bring a tape measure or a pedometer.
Slight damage to rear. It's probably not worth getting
this fixed. You'd only be throwing money down the drain.
It does go!
Miles to the gallon: Unsure, although it has almost
bankrupted us.
Can reach 0 to 60 in three minutes (when going downhill).
We have never needed to do an oil change or check the tyre
pressure. We don't know how.
Really long, curly dipstick.
Two non-locking windows make ideal escape hatches, one
large and one small. Great family selling point!
Non-retractable step. Watch out for those curbs!!
Front door used to have a dead bolt.
Double battery, sometimes.
Pleasant breeze from unfixable gap in front door,
which provides respite from constant Woodstock-esque odour.
Sleeps six small people. Ideal for mobile nursery.
Carbon Monoxide alarm: Definitely working.
Paper plate holder.
Engine inaccessable from interior and exterior.
Perhaps there's a secret door?
Venetian blinds!
TV stand. TV not included.
Shower / Foot jaccuzi when holding tank overfills.
Generator needs attention.
Please buy this RV! We are an English couple who went on
holiday by mistake.
$8000 for quick sale.
firmly believe it may be a bronze age prototype.
120,000 miles on the clock. FACT. The black fellow we
bought it from was adamant about this.
Length: Undetermined. Although a nice man, with what
he thought was a dingo, but was actually just a dog,
instructed us it was 26 feet. Personally, we believe it's
roughly the length of two medium sized cars.
Feel free to bring a tape measure or a pedometer.
Slight damage to rear. It's probably not worth getting
this fixed. You'd only be throwing money down the drain.
It does go!
Miles to the gallon: Unsure, although it has almost
bankrupted us.
Can reach 0 to 60 in three minutes (when going downhill).
We have never needed to do an oil change or check the tyre
pressure. We don't know how.
Really long, curly dipstick.
Two non-locking windows make ideal escape hatches, one
large and one small. Great family selling point!
Non-retractable step. Watch out for those curbs!!
Front door used to have a dead bolt.
Double battery, sometimes.
Pleasant breeze from unfixable gap in front door,
which provides respite from constant Woodstock-esque odour.
Sleeps six small people. Ideal for mobile nursery.
Carbon Monoxide alarm: Definitely working.
Paper plate holder.
Engine inaccessable from interior and exterior.
Perhaps there's a secret door?
Venetian blinds!
TV stand. TV not included.
Shower / Foot jaccuzi when holding tank overfills.
Generator needs attention.
Please buy this RV! We are an English couple who went on
holiday by mistake.
$8000 for quick sale.
Thoughts and stuff
So we're currently 9 weeks into our trip.
Over 5000 miles on the road.
23 States visited. Almost half!
I figured I'd write something different, seeing as the USA
roadtrip will be over before long, just as soon as we can
sell the rust bucket.
Then onto the next adventure!
In the past 12 months Will and I have each visited 10 countries.
15 different countries altogether. That's not bad going!
I'm writing them down because it makes us sound more interesting
than we really are; thailand, malaysia, vietnam, australia, china,
new zealand, mongolia, indonesia, russia, hong kong, germany,
singapore, america, canada, and of course england.
We've seen some pretty wicked things! Will climbed Anak Krakatau
and I climbed the Great Wall of China. He roadtripped through New
Zealand and I Trans-Mongolianed through Russia. Will spent
Chrismastime sunbathing on Australian beaches while I ate
roast chesnuts from Berlin Christmas markets.
And not forgetting Thailand! Thailand started it all, and maybe
Thailand is where we'll end up again. I sure hope so!
So our original plan for America started with the idea of driving
historic Route 66. Problem being, Will landed into LAX airport
and it would mean driving Route 66 the wrong way, ie. the
whole point of it is that it winds from East to West, Chicago
to Los Angeles.
So it was either drive it the wrong way, or do a massive
detour and do it the right way. Obviously, we chose the
most complicated option.
And so our plan became; drive the whole way around America,
via Canada, to Chicago, and drive back to LA the correct way.
This seemed like a super idea until we realised just how much
gas we used up. I mean a lot.
Then we started running out of time. Mainly because driving
across and up the USA is no walk in the park. There's lots to see.
But our paperwork also played a part. A massive part really, in
that it became the main undercurrent to our lives for a while.
We registered our RV in LA without considering that the pink slip,
our proof of ownership, would have to be mailed out to us, taking
somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks.
Now we didn't have 2 to 4 weeks to hang around waiting.
And, more importantly, we didn't have an address.
We knew Dana, Will M and Leon in LA by this point. Dana and
Will were both about to move house and Leon was going away
on his travels the day we moved out of his house. So we ended
up using Dana's friend Huw's address in San Diego as our
permanent address in America. A friend of a friend of a friend.
Great idea.
Huw, Dana later told us, is majorly unreliable. We'd hoped
to get the documents sent to us somewhere in America but
we ran out of time and contacts to get it sent to. So we figured
we'd get it sent to Will's friend Dave in Toronto.
That way, the mail would be waiting for us by the time we got
there and we could get back on our way. We hit Toronto on
bank holiday Friday, a week after Dana had posted our mail
on after receiving it from Huw.
No mail on Friday, Saturday or Monday. Nothing on Tuesday.
We managed to escape Toronto on Wednesday, pink slip in hand.
So now the plan is to sell it as soon as possible. Maybe fly out from
this side, or greyhound it back to the west coast. Hopefully we'll
sell it for a profit. We bought it for $3200. We've listed it for $8000.
This is ambitious at best, but we'll see what happens. We might end
up driving it all the way back to LA yet. God knows.
We need to be out of America by the 13th May. We have flights
back to England. I have no idea if we'll use them. We have a few
alternative plans.
Central America maybe. I fancy Belize. Maybe Panama.
I'd like to go back to Mexico, as long as we stay away from
the bad bits.
Plan B, the most likely, is that we head back to Thailand.
Teaching English remains an option, for me at least.
Going back to Chiang Mai is a possibilty, that way I get to
finish the TEFL I started for free. Plus Chiang Mai is
incredibly beautiful. Mountains and lakes and waterfalls
and you can go rafting and loads of fun stuff like that.
Plus the city is much cleaner, and calmer and safer than
Bangkok. It's probably our best option if we end up teaching.
But really, who knows...
Over 5000 miles on the road.
23 States visited. Almost half!
I figured I'd write something different, seeing as the USA
roadtrip will be over before long, just as soon as we can
sell the rust bucket.
Then onto the next adventure!
In the past 12 months Will and I have each visited 10 countries.
15 different countries altogether. That's not bad going!
I'm writing them down because it makes us sound more interesting
than we really are; thailand, malaysia, vietnam, australia, china,
new zealand, mongolia, indonesia, russia, hong kong, germany,
singapore, america, canada, and of course england.
We've seen some pretty wicked things! Will climbed Anak Krakatau
and I climbed the Great Wall of China. He roadtripped through New
Zealand and I Trans-Mongolianed through Russia. Will spent
Chrismastime sunbathing on Australian beaches while I ate
roast chesnuts from Berlin Christmas markets.
And not forgetting Thailand! Thailand started it all, and maybe
Thailand is where we'll end up again. I sure hope so!
So our original plan for America started with the idea of driving
historic Route 66. Problem being, Will landed into LAX airport
and it would mean driving Route 66 the wrong way, ie. the
whole point of it is that it winds from East to West, Chicago
to Los Angeles.
So it was either drive it the wrong way, or do a massive
detour and do it the right way. Obviously, we chose the
most complicated option.
And so our plan became; drive the whole way around America,
via Canada, to Chicago, and drive back to LA the correct way.
This seemed like a super idea until we realised just how much
gas we used up. I mean a lot.
Then we started running out of time. Mainly because driving
across and up the USA is no walk in the park. There's lots to see.
But our paperwork also played a part. A massive part really, in
that it became the main undercurrent to our lives for a while.
We registered our RV in LA without considering that the pink slip,
our proof of ownership, would have to be mailed out to us, taking
somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks.
Now we didn't have 2 to 4 weeks to hang around waiting.
And, more importantly, we didn't have an address.
We knew Dana, Will M and Leon in LA by this point. Dana and
Will were both about to move house and Leon was going away
on his travels the day we moved out of his house. So we ended
up using Dana's friend Huw's address in San Diego as our
permanent address in America. A friend of a friend of a friend.
Great idea.
Huw, Dana later told us, is majorly unreliable. We'd hoped
to get the documents sent to us somewhere in America but
we ran out of time and contacts to get it sent to. So we figured
we'd get it sent to Will's friend Dave in Toronto.
That way, the mail would be waiting for us by the time we got
there and we could get back on our way. We hit Toronto on
bank holiday Friday, a week after Dana had posted our mail
on after receiving it from Huw.
No mail on Friday, Saturday or Monday. Nothing on Tuesday.
We managed to escape Toronto on Wednesday, pink slip in hand.
So now the plan is to sell it as soon as possible. Maybe fly out from
this side, or greyhound it back to the west coast. Hopefully we'll
sell it for a profit. We bought it for $3200. We've listed it for $8000.
This is ambitious at best, but we'll see what happens. We might end
up driving it all the way back to LA yet. God knows.
We need to be out of America by the 13th May. We have flights
back to England. I have no idea if we'll use them. We have a few
alternative plans.
Central America maybe. I fancy Belize. Maybe Panama.
I'd like to go back to Mexico, as long as we stay away from
the bad bits.
Plan B, the most likely, is that we head back to Thailand.
Teaching English remains an option, for me at least.
Going back to Chiang Mai is a possibilty, that way I get to
finish the TEFL I started for free. Plus Chiang Mai is
incredibly beautiful. Mountains and lakes and waterfalls
and you can go rafting and loads of fun stuff like that.
Plus the city is much cleaner, and calmer and safer than
Bangkok. It's probably our best option if we end up teaching.
But really, who knows...
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Shipshewana
Yesterday we left Michigan, driving through Ohio and into
Indiana. We took the small roads; the interstate, although
useful for getting somewhere in a hurry, was beginning to give
me a headache. It ended up being one of my favourite drives.
The kind where you realise that, actually, the journey really
can be as good, if not better, than the destination.
We drove through Mennonite and Amish communities, old
fashioned looking towns where we had to slow down for
horse and carriages. We stopped a couple of times, wandering
around in the sunshine. The towns were like nothing I'd seen
before.
Stopping in Shipshewana and LaGrange, small agricultural
towns, we got excited everytime a horse and cart clattered
past, catching a glimpse of an Amish family in their traditional
clothing. Schoolgirls with headscarfs peddled past us on bicycles
and we saw Amish families playing volleyball in their gardens!
I dunno, it was just kinda cool. Interesting, something different.
I hear they like bowling.
Indiana. We took the small roads; the interstate, although
useful for getting somewhere in a hurry, was beginning to give
me a headache. It ended up being one of my favourite drives.
The kind where you realise that, actually, the journey really
can be as good, if not better, than the destination.
We drove through Mennonite and Amish communities, old
fashioned looking towns where we had to slow down for
horse and carriages. We stopped a couple of times, wandering
around in the sunshine. The towns were like nothing I'd seen
before.
Stopping in Shipshewana and LaGrange, small agricultural
towns, we got excited everytime a horse and cart clattered
past, catching a glimpse of an Amish family in their traditional
clothing. Schoolgirls with headscarfs peddled past us on bicycles
and we saw Amish families playing volleyball in their gardens!
I dunno, it was just kinda cool. Interesting, something different.
I hear they like bowling.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Escape from Canada
Our paperwork finally came through yesterday!! Massive relief.
We collected it from Dave and, within an hour, were back on the
road headed south out of Toronto.
We drove to a little Canadian town called Rockport or Rockwell
or something, eating out at a restaurant because the chef used
to be a military chef and had apparently cooked for a bunch of
royalty. We figured we hadn't eaten any decent food for a while,
and this was bound to be good.
It was mediocre at best, but the restaurant was kinda cute and
there was an old lady with a goose jumper almost the same as
mine. I suppose I shouldn't boast about that.
We were desperate for an electricity hook up and a dump station,
so we headed for a campsite called Nor-Halton Park, which was
allegedly open all year round.
This ended up being the scariest experience of my life; I'm fairly
sure we'd walked right into some kind of post-annihilation
situation. Either that or a very localised holocaust.
We circled the entire park, looking for signs of life, of which
there were none. Most of the campsites were taken. There
were campervans and RV's, all plugged into the electricity,
but their residents were nowhere to be found. Children's bikes
lay abandoned by the side of the road. The swings sat solitary,
the seesaw broken. The toilet block was open but the lights did
not work.
We considered leaving. Finding another place. But our gypsy-like
ways took over; here was a free nights stay, free electricity!
Murder was a risk we were prepared to take.
We parked up and decided to explore on foot; walking around
that campsite was like stepping into a low budget horror film.
We saw smoke through the trees and heard snapping wood. A
mans shadow appeared in the woods, tending a campfire. No
doubt cooking the previous night's holiday makers.
He was the single only person we saw. I don't think he saw us,
and it's fairly likely we would have been his next victims if he had.
We drove out of creepsville and decided to cross the border back
into the USA. After a thorough search of our van, and after Will
got told off for putting his hands in his pockets (the cops take things
"very seriously" over here), we were allowed back into the country.
Phew.
We bypassed Detroit and found another Michigan town to spend
tonight. Now we're back in the USA, we can start attempting to
sell the RV!
We collected it from Dave and, within an hour, were back on the
road headed south out of Toronto.
We drove to a little Canadian town called Rockport or Rockwell
or something, eating out at a restaurant because the chef used
to be a military chef and had apparently cooked for a bunch of
royalty. We figured we hadn't eaten any decent food for a while,
and this was bound to be good.
It was mediocre at best, but the restaurant was kinda cute and
there was an old lady with a goose jumper almost the same as
mine. I suppose I shouldn't boast about that.
We were desperate for an electricity hook up and a dump station,
so we headed for a campsite called Nor-Halton Park, which was
allegedly open all year round.
This ended up being the scariest experience of my life; I'm fairly
sure we'd walked right into some kind of post-annihilation
situation. Either that or a very localised holocaust.
We circled the entire park, looking for signs of life, of which
there were none. Most of the campsites were taken. There
were campervans and RV's, all plugged into the electricity,
but their residents were nowhere to be found. Children's bikes
lay abandoned by the side of the road. The swings sat solitary,
the seesaw broken. The toilet block was open but the lights did
not work.
We considered leaving. Finding another place. But our gypsy-like
ways took over; here was a free nights stay, free electricity!
Murder was a risk we were prepared to take.
We parked up and decided to explore on foot; walking around
that campsite was like stepping into a low budget horror film.
We saw smoke through the trees and heard snapping wood. A
mans shadow appeared in the woods, tending a campfire. No
doubt cooking the previous night's holiday makers.
He was the single only person we saw. I don't think he saw us,
and it's fairly likely we would have been his next victims if he had.
We drove out of creepsville and decided to cross the border back
into the USA. After a thorough search of our van, and after Will
got told off for putting his hands in his pockets (the cops take things
"very seriously" over here), we were allowed back into the country.
Phew.
We bypassed Detroit and found another Michigan town to spend
tonight. Now we're back in the USA, we can start attempting to
sell the RV!
Monday, 13 April 2009
Toronto
So we are still stuck in Toronto, doing a fat bunch of not a lot.
After Will got better on Friday, I started to come down with
the same thing. So it wasn't the Vietnamese food, it was a bug.
I wasn't as bad as him, although I still felt majorly dodgy up
until yesterday.
Friday and today have been bank holidays. Thus no post.
Thus no paperwork. We're hoping it'll come tomorrow. If
it doesn't come soon, we'll be in big trouble.
We're well and truly sick of waiting.
We met up with Dave for lunch today, he took us out
for Chinese food. After, Will and I wandered around
some wicked little shops, although it was all a bit hippy.
Other things we did. Umm. Oh, on Saturday we found a
public baths to have showers. Which turned out to be free.
So Will and I said, right, see you in half an hour, and went
into our respective rooms. Only, when I got into mine, it was
literally PUBLIC BATHS. Now I'm not exactly a prude. But
everyone was, obviously, in bikinis and swimming costumes
and there were CHILDREN. I wasn't about to get naked!
It might even be illegal! I needed by bikini. So, 25 seconds
after walking in, I walked back out again. I figured Will would
do the same once he realised there were no cubicles. So I went
and waited outside in the COLD for him to come back out.
Which he finally did, 40 minutes later, clean and showered.
Needless to say, he was not at all happy with my new found
prudish nature. We had to walk all the way back to the RV
for my bikini. I will not be forgetting that next time we use
public baths for showers.
Yesterday we did our laundry and got talking to a bunch of
different people, all interested in our story after seeing our
Californian registration plate.
One man thought his dog was a dingo. A bunch of trendy
art-gallery boys invited us in for showers. Then they invited
us to a party next weekend. Hopefully we won't be in this city
by then!
Initially, we though Toronto was full of crazys. We've never
attracted so much attention from people just walking past us.
But it turns out everyone is just real friendly.
I like Toronto a lot, and it's a real shame we can't be here
under different circumstances. ie. wanting to be here.
Everyone rides around on bikes, and the parks are full of
people playing football. I could live here, if it wasn't so damned
cold.
After Will got better on Friday, I started to come down with
the same thing. So it wasn't the Vietnamese food, it was a bug.
I wasn't as bad as him, although I still felt majorly dodgy up
until yesterday.
Friday and today have been bank holidays. Thus no post.
Thus no paperwork. We're hoping it'll come tomorrow. If
it doesn't come soon, we'll be in big trouble.
We're well and truly sick of waiting.
We met up with Dave for lunch today, he took us out
for Chinese food. After, Will and I wandered around
some wicked little shops, although it was all a bit hippy.
Other things we did. Umm. Oh, on Saturday we found a
public baths to have showers. Which turned out to be free.
So Will and I said, right, see you in half an hour, and went
into our respective rooms. Only, when I got into mine, it was
literally PUBLIC BATHS. Now I'm not exactly a prude. But
everyone was, obviously, in bikinis and swimming costumes
and there were CHILDREN. I wasn't about to get naked!
It might even be illegal! I needed by bikini. So, 25 seconds
after walking in, I walked back out again. I figured Will would
do the same once he realised there were no cubicles. So I went
and waited outside in the COLD for him to come back out.
Which he finally did, 40 minutes later, clean and showered.
Needless to say, he was not at all happy with my new found
prudish nature. We had to walk all the way back to the RV
for my bikini. I will not be forgetting that next time we use
public baths for showers.
Yesterday we did our laundry and got talking to a bunch of
different people, all interested in our story after seeing our
Californian registration plate.
One man thought his dog was a dingo. A bunch of trendy
art-gallery boys invited us in for showers. Then they invited
us to a party next weekend. Hopefully we won't be in this city
by then!
Initially, we though Toronto was full of crazys. We've never
attracted so much attention from people just walking past us.
But it turns out everyone is just real friendly.
I like Toronto a lot, and it's a real shame we can't be here
under different circumstances. ie. wanting to be here.
Everyone rides around on bikes, and the parks are full of
people playing football. I could live here, if it wasn't so damned
cold.
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Into Canada
Yesterday afternoon we crossed the border into Canada!
We spent another night in the Walmart, assisstant manager
Ed hooked us back up to their electricity when the manager
left at 11pm. Amazing.
The border crossing was simple, they didn't even search the
RV and they gave us 6 months, which I guess kind of made us
wonder why the hell we were planning on heading back into
America after a week.
We parked up just across the border to take some pictures of
Niagara Falls minus a snow blizzard. The sky was a bit bluer
and the view was tonnes better from this side. I bet America
is kinda peeved about that.
I figured the Canada side would be generally nicer and less
commercial. It isn't at all, the whole area is dedicated to tourism.
We decided to push on for Toronto, figuring the quicker we got
there the better.
We pulled into a Walmart pretty much right in the center of
Toronto off Bloor St West. I didn't enjoy driving through Toronto
at all, and by the time we pulled into Walmart I was adamant I
wasn't doing another mile in that beast til morning.
Of course, there were big fat signs warning us overnight parking
was not allowed and violators would be towed. Urgh. So I drove
another mile in the beast and we parked up on a busy street, and
headed across the road for Vietnamese food. We got a pretty crap
nights sleep, punctuated by alcohol fueled knock-a-motorhome-door
run and the vibrations of the streetcars rattling by.
Our plan for today was to meet up with Dave, perhaps collect
our paperwork and explore Toronto. However, Will is super
poorly today. We're blaming the Vietnamese food, although I
feel okay. We haven't been able to do much of anything today
other than charge our laptops up in a cafe, and make Will watch
me eat yummy Thai food. Stupid Toronto.
We spent another night in the Walmart, assisstant manager
Ed hooked us back up to their electricity when the manager
left at 11pm. Amazing.
The border crossing was simple, they didn't even search the
RV and they gave us 6 months, which I guess kind of made us
wonder why the hell we were planning on heading back into
America after a week.
We parked up just across the border to take some pictures of
Niagara Falls minus a snow blizzard. The sky was a bit bluer
and the view was tonnes better from this side. I bet America
is kinda peeved about that.
I figured the Canada side would be generally nicer and less
commercial. It isn't at all, the whole area is dedicated to tourism.
We decided to push on for Toronto, figuring the quicker we got
there the better.
We pulled into a Walmart pretty much right in the center of
Toronto off Bloor St West. I didn't enjoy driving through Toronto
at all, and by the time we pulled into Walmart I was adamant I
wasn't doing another mile in that beast til morning.
Of course, there were big fat signs warning us overnight parking
was not allowed and violators would be towed. Urgh. So I drove
another mile in the beast and we parked up on a busy street, and
headed across the road for Vietnamese food. We got a pretty crap
nights sleep, punctuated by alcohol fueled knock-a-motorhome-door
run and the vibrations of the streetcars rattling by.
Our plan for today was to meet up with Dave, perhaps collect
our paperwork and explore Toronto. However, Will is super
poorly today. We're blaming the Vietnamese food, although I
feel okay. We haven't been able to do much of anything today
other than charge our laptops up in a cafe, and make Will watch
me eat yummy Thai food. Stupid Toronto.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Niagara Falls
Right now we're in the town of Niagara Falls, New York.
It's a weird little place. Not at all the kind of town you'd
expect to find one of America's most famous tourist
attractions, not to be mention an international border
crossing. It's a bit of a ghost town; everything seems
closed down and boarded up. Maybe it's a seasonal thing,
and everyone comes out of hibernation in the summer. I
dunno.
Driving in yesterday, we found ourselves in the middle
of a snow blizzard at about the same time I realised my
windscreen wipers are a bit shit. I followed the headlights
in front of me whilst Will gave directions. It was like a game.
A pretty bad one, admittedly, after the accident we narrowly
avoided on the way here.
A lorry infront of us dropped a chunk of metal onto the
interstate; the car directly in front and the car beside us
hit it, shredding their tyres. One span across the road in
front of us, ending up facing the wrong way; the other I
narrowly missed as it skidded onto the hardshoulder, feet
in front of us.
We pulled up and checked everyone was okay, and then
chuffed off on our merry way.
So anyway, Niagara Falls. We slept in a Walmart last night.
The nice assistant manager, Ed, let us plug the RV in to
their electricity overnight, to save us from waking up
dead in our icicled metal tomb.
Needless to say, we both slept terribly on account we
were too hot, and ended up sleeping in until midday;
one 7am peek outside assured us we were going nowhere
for a while. By about 1, the roads had been cleared and
we decided to head for the falls, hoping to get some pictures
of Niagara Falls in the snow, which I guess isn't what the
usual tourists get to see. There is a reason for that.
The 7 mile drive from Walmart to Niagara Falls was a bit
confusing. It was like, okay I know they're close, but there
must be something between this dirty little town and those
beautiful falls. Some trees, a park, even a nice field would
separate them from the Indian restaurants, the Holiday
Inn and the plastic bagged trees.
It's just such a contrast. And the contrast is so great that
it just made it all a bit crap. The Falls that you see on
postcards and in films looked nothing like the ones I saw.
It all looked a bit industrial. The view over into Canada
wasn't pretty either. The grey sky can't have helped,
but the whole thing made me feel a bit sad.
I'm a fan of waterfalls. I mean not in a weird way, I
just think they're pretty. And I've seen a bunch of pretty
waterfalls, in Thailand and Malaysia and even England.
And for waterfalls, these guys were pretty damn impressive.
But what's to admire when a country capitalises them to
destrustion.
Mainly though, I was bothered by the cold and wanted a
cup of tea. I did get a nice new pair of gloves though, and
tried to coax a black squirrel to be my new pet with a bit
of tree. No such luck.
So all our photos of today are a bit rubbish. Hopefully
we'll get some better snaps from the Canada side tomorrow!
In other news, I had a horrific dream that I invited Will over
for Christmas at my house. He presented each member of
my family with a 'love fern' and proceded to make a speech
about how, despite our 'ups and downs', him and I were
worth more to each other. He thought this would go down a
storm, but my dad simply asked him to leave and I had to
chase him barefoot down the road.
I've warned Will that, should he ever be invited over for
Christmas, to please leave the love ferns at home and give
the speech a miss.
It's a weird little place. Not at all the kind of town you'd
expect to find one of America's most famous tourist
attractions, not to be mention an international border
crossing. It's a bit of a ghost town; everything seems
closed down and boarded up. Maybe it's a seasonal thing,
and everyone comes out of hibernation in the summer. I
dunno.
Driving in yesterday, we found ourselves in the middle
of a snow blizzard at about the same time I realised my
windscreen wipers are a bit shit. I followed the headlights
in front of me whilst Will gave directions. It was like a game.
A pretty bad one, admittedly, after the accident we narrowly
avoided on the way here.
A lorry infront of us dropped a chunk of metal onto the
interstate; the car directly in front and the car beside us
hit it, shredding their tyres. One span across the road in
front of us, ending up facing the wrong way; the other I
narrowly missed as it skidded onto the hardshoulder, feet
in front of us.
We pulled up and checked everyone was okay, and then
chuffed off on our merry way.
So anyway, Niagara Falls. We slept in a Walmart last night.
The nice assistant manager, Ed, let us plug the RV in to
their electricity overnight, to save us from waking up
dead in our icicled metal tomb.
Needless to say, we both slept terribly on account we
were too hot, and ended up sleeping in until midday;
one 7am peek outside assured us we were going nowhere
for a while. By about 1, the roads had been cleared and
we decided to head for the falls, hoping to get some pictures
of Niagara Falls in the snow, which I guess isn't what the
usual tourists get to see. There is a reason for that.
The 7 mile drive from Walmart to Niagara Falls was a bit
confusing. It was like, okay I know they're close, but there
must be something between this dirty little town and those
beautiful falls. Some trees, a park, even a nice field would
separate them from the Indian restaurants, the Holiday
Inn and the plastic bagged trees.
It's just such a contrast. And the contrast is so great that
it just made it all a bit crap. The Falls that you see on
postcards and in films looked nothing like the ones I saw.
It all looked a bit industrial. The view over into Canada
wasn't pretty either. The grey sky can't have helped,
but the whole thing made me feel a bit sad.
I'm a fan of waterfalls. I mean not in a weird way, I
just think they're pretty. And I've seen a bunch of pretty
waterfalls, in Thailand and Malaysia and even England.
And for waterfalls, these guys were pretty damn impressive.
But what's to admire when a country capitalises them to
destrustion.
Mainly though, I was bothered by the cold and wanted a
cup of tea. I did get a nice new pair of gloves though, and
tried to coax a black squirrel to be my new pet with a bit
of tree. No such luck.
So all our photos of today are a bit rubbish. Hopefully
we'll get some better snaps from the Canada side tomorrow!
In other news, I had a horrific dream that I invited Will over
for Christmas at my house. He presented each member of
my family with a 'love fern' and proceded to make a speech
about how, despite our 'ups and downs', him and I were
worth more to each other. He thought this would go down a
storm, but my dad simply asked him to leave and I had to
chase him barefoot down the road.
I've warned Will that, should he ever be invited over for
Christmas, to please leave the love ferns at home and give
the speech a miss.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Northampton
On Thursday, after sleeping off our hangovers, Will
and I spent a couple more hours in downtown Boston.
I bought more clothes I don't need and which I
definitely won't be able to fit back in my bag when it's
time to pack up the van, which is becoming closer, and
more welcome, by the day.
Will wanted to visit some tacky replica of the Boston Tea
Party ship, but there had been a fire in the gift shop and
they'd closed the whole thing down. Shucks.
In the afternoon, we drove west to Northampton to meet
up with Will Morgan, Will's friend from LA, who was in MA
for work. We parked up in a Walmart and then Will came
over to take us out for burritos and pink lemonade.
On Friday, desperate for showers but lacking means, Will and
I got $10 haircuts, which at least solved 30% of my cleanliness
issues.
The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon playing pool,
eating chicken and drinking beer in a bunch of bars. Northampton
was a wicked little place, even if it is 'Lesbianville USA'.
Not my words; The National Enquirer's.
Anyway, we had a real good night with Will Morgan, maybe
because was our first outside stimulus for several weeks!
I even trusted him with my garlic plant I started growing.
Although I fear his heart may not be in it!
This morning Will M picked us up and took us back to his
house, or his ex Sarah's house, for showers. Sarah's
bathroom was the nicest smelling place I've ever had
the pleasure of being naked in. She had one of those
fragrance candles, and the excitement I felt at this smell
made me realise how much of a tramp I have become.
Smelling nice, we went for bagels before saying bye to Will
and leaving Massachusetts for New York state once again.
Driving through snow and battling the wind, we drove through
the capital, Albany, and pulled up at a truck stop off the interstate.
We're currently sat in the cafe using the free wireless that all
New York rest stops appear to have; I imagine this is somehow
meant to justify the endless tolls in this state.
and I spent a couple more hours in downtown Boston.
I bought more clothes I don't need and which I
definitely won't be able to fit back in my bag when it's
time to pack up the van, which is becoming closer, and
more welcome, by the day.
Will wanted to visit some tacky replica of the Boston Tea
Party ship, but there had been a fire in the gift shop and
they'd closed the whole thing down. Shucks.
In the afternoon, we drove west to Northampton to meet
up with Will Morgan, Will's friend from LA, who was in MA
for work. We parked up in a Walmart and then Will came
over to take us out for burritos and pink lemonade.
On Friday, desperate for showers but lacking means, Will and
I got $10 haircuts, which at least solved 30% of my cleanliness
issues.
The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon playing pool,
eating chicken and drinking beer in a bunch of bars. Northampton
was a wicked little place, even if it is 'Lesbianville USA'.
Not my words; The National Enquirer's.
Anyway, we had a real good night with Will Morgan, maybe
because was our first outside stimulus for several weeks!
I even trusted him with my garlic plant I started growing.
Although I fear his heart may not be in it!
This morning Will M picked us up and took us back to his
house, or his ex Sarah's house, for showers. Sarah's
bathroom was the nicest smelling place I've ever had
the pleasure of being naked in. She had one of those
fragrance candles, and the excitement I felt at this smell
made me realise how much of a tramp I have become.
Smelling nice, we went for bagels before saying bye to Will
and leaving Massachusetts for New York state once again.
Driving through snow and battling the wind, we drove through
the capital, Albany, and pulled up at a truck stop off the interstate.
We're currently sat in the cafe using the free wireless that all
New York rest stops appear to have; I imagine this is somehow
meant to justify the endless tolls in this state.
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