Monday, 15 August

I had an excellent sleep and rose at 9am. I cooked 3 boiled eggs, 2 fat slices of toast, 3 strips of bacon I’d bought at the markets and the other half of the tomato.

I wanted to fill myself up in preparation for the big day of visiting museums I’d planned out.

I walked to the Air and Space Museum and got there just as it opened at 10am. I had allowed myself to spend as long as I needed here.

It was an amazing museum with countless historical airplanes and space ships and other equipment that had a place in the history of flight.

Some of the highlights were seeing the first satellite; Sputnik.

A section dedicated to the Wright Brothers with information about their first flight and the original propeller from mans first flight. This was the propeller used to make the first flight by man!

A number of fighter jet planes and great displays about how jet engines work.

The Apollo 11 reentry module.

Earharts plane.

There were many other aircrafts on display both government (NASA, Military) and privately designed. The X-1 was the first plane to break to sound barrier!

I left around 3pm and fixed myself a subway foot long for 5 usd.

I then visited the American National History museum and the History of America museum.

There was a great collection of Dinosaurs skeletons including a t-rex!

The Hope Diamond was also on display.

And so too Stradivari quartet!

I returned home around 7pm, visiting the supermarket and buying some ingredients for another big meal.

I made a mixed bean salad with red beans, beetroot, yellow capsicum, a corn, and some red onion. I used a generous amount of spice and red peppers that were lying around. I thought I might as well get used to hot Mexican food!

I slowly cooked a large chicken breast. The chicken must have been on steroids as it was huge! I threw in the oven the rest of the sweet potato, red onions and beetroot. It was a filling meal, made better by skyping Grammy at the same time. I think she was very surprised to get a phone call from me! We had a long chat.

Duo hostel was fairly comfy and had a good mix of people. I hung out with them before having another early night. Tomorrow was a big day – finally heading to New Mexico!

Sunday, 14 August

I rose at 5.15am to catch the bus. It wasn’t nearly enough sleep but I wanted to make the most of the coming day in DC, which was a 3 hour bus ride away.

Adam dropped me off on the way to returning the share car. I was very grateful because it was raining very hard and I would have gotten soaked if I’d walked the 30 min walk from the house to 30^th Street Station. On the bus l fell asleep pretty quickly, despite their being air con that made it feel like we were in a refrigerator!

Once in DC I used the small compass I had acquired, and I found the hostel after a 20 min walk. On the way I came across a large supermarket, with great fresh food, so I bought eggs, strawberries and bread for breakfast. I arrived at the hostel and cooked up a quick feed before heading out for the day.

I walked down to the White House.

I continued on until I came across the great strip of museums and important buildings.

I saw the Washington Monument.

I walked down through the war memorials. I was shocked at how many people had died in the wars the US had been involved in. It was rather chilling. Each gold star represented 100 people who died in WW2. The Vietnam memorial was just as moving.

I continued down to the Lincon memorial, and disappointingly found the reflection pool was under renovation.

On my way back through the loop I had a look at the botanic gardens. They had created different sections with different plants. I was given a sneak peak of what I could expect in New Mexico!

There were also some beautiful flowers.

I continued on to the Capital Building that I’d seen in so many movies. It was inspiring to see the building at last. It was magnificent.

I caught the subway one stop to the markets where I was hoping to find some more fresh produce similar to the Terminal Reading Markets in Philly. It wasn’t to be. I bought some fresh meat and vegetables for dinner.

It took me about an hour to walk home. I’d spent a good 6 hours out on my feet, and was very exhausted by the time I finally made it back.

I marinated the steak with the spices lying around in the hostel. When I finally cooked it, the kitchen was almost unbearable to stand in because it of the aroma from the chili’s! I roasted the sweet potato, yellow peppers, tomatoes and onions in the oven. It was a much needed clean feed. I was in bed by 10 as it was such a long and tiring day!

Saturday, 13 August

The whole house was up at 7am rearing to go. Adam collected the car earlier in the morning using the car share system. Without this system the day wouldn’t have been possible.

We hit the road heading to a ‘drive through diner’, which the boys were keen to eat breakfast at. Even with 4 out of the 5 people in the car having iphones, we missed a slipway and were lost within 30 mins. Thanks to the technology it didn’t take long to get back on the right road.

The highway network is very impressive; there are 4 lanes each way with easy entry and exit points. It makes me wonder why Australia is so behind when it comes to the road network considering the number of people who own a car is so high. It would be so much safer too.

The ‘drive through diner’ was closed, but it was fun checking out the place.

We drove on to another classical diner called White Dottes and I experienced my first roadside meal. I ordered the super breakfast and it was big all right (in terms of fatness). The waiter convinced me it was the best breakfast in town.

I had to ask Adam if she was serious! (It was a plate full of greasy eggs, bacon fat, chips and sausages (if you can call them that)).

I had completely forgotten about the theme park we were heading to, and just let my stomach cravings take over common sense (riding crazy rollercoasters).

We rolled up to the theme park just as it was opening. A family had been given an extra kids pass, so we convinced Arjun to try and get in using it. He passed as a 6^th Grader (11 year old). It was rather comical (junior pre med Penn student passing as an 11 y/o!).

We were able to ride some rollercoasters early on with no wait times. We were passing signs that said “wait time 90 minutes”. I was very grateful we rose so early so we could get our moneys worth before the crowds filled the park up.

The first ride we tactically sat at the back; to give us more ‘whip’ in the rides. This didn’t sit too well with my super breakfast so I had to slow down on how many rides I rushed onto.

We decide to queue for the front seats on one of the better roller coasters in the park and we were rewarded for our patients (only took 10 mins waiting though).

It was so much fun being at the front and seeing what was coming. We filmed all the rides with our goPros (Adam has one as well) so we’ll make a movie of the day soon.

There were 3 sections of the park that had the rollercoasters. In between were those pointless fair games that cost 3 or 5 dollars to play for the chance of winning a stuffed animal and other useless toys. Watching so many people hand over 15 or more dollars to play and not wining anything at all was rather humorous.

We rode the wooden rollercoasters too. The experience was mixed; on one of them it was similar to going 4x4wd down a rocky hill-face with no breaks. It hurt.

The other was smooth and fast with some great drops and some close passageways that made you feel too close to the wooden supports holding the coaster up! I got some great video of this one.

Thankfully Max and I brought a salad from the service station earlier for lunch so we had something to settle our stomach down with. For the others there was only more fatty food that would have put me in some strife on the next ride! And of course they cost a fortune.

It was now time to do ride the tallest rollercoaster in the world, Kingda Ka. It was a very simple ride, but the rush was the greatest of them all. We accelerated to 206 km/h before going vertical 45 stories high and coming straight back down. Max and I went for the front seats and it was just incredible.

I didn’t take the goPro on this one, as it was a ‘serious ride’ not for amateurs (tallest in the world, fastest in Northern America). By the time we’d come down from the rush the line was too long to ride again. I enjoyed every millisecond of it though!

We rode another track that was more intense with loops and rolls and even fire balls in one section. I think you’ll enjoy the video of this one. Some of the footage is superb as it captures the expressions on our faces.

We left the park at 6, exhausted, rattled, and satisfied. I felt a little ‘car sick’ from the tossing and turning of the rides, but the upset stomach was well worth the rush. Especially on the Kingda Ka ride!

We all drove to Emily’s house where her parents Ellen and Tom kindly cooked a dinner for us. She live 30 mins or so form the park so we thought it might be fun to spend the evening there. We watched some of the footage from the rides on the big screen tv. Unfortunately for me the sound was rather clear so I was slightly embarrassed when everyone heard my screams of pleasure or of concern on the coasters. It was all a great laugh though.

We enjoyed home made burgers, salads, beans, quiches and local New Jersey Corn (it was so sweet you didn’t need any butter or seasoning!). For dessert Ellen had baked a banana cake that was moist and also shared some polar ice creams (which went down well too).

The evening brought me back home to mums cooking and our back yard as we all sat outside in the warm night telling stories and enjoying the serenity of the area. The saccades were out in force and Pogo (a young poodle with boundless energy but soft in nature) made me feel right back in Perth on a warm summers night. It was a lovely evening spending time in a suburban home (my first experience of the ‘suburbs’).

Adam did a good job driving back to the city and we arrived home around 11.30pm. Arjun and Trisha feel asleep pretty quickly in the back seat. I enjoyed chatting to Max and Adam, not only to keep Adam awake, but because it was so easy to get on with fellow engineers who had so much character!

I passed out in exhaustion as soon as my head hit the bed.

Friday, 12 August

Thanks to a rather late night, I had a late morning. I decided to go to a 10.30am yoga class to clean the system. It was the most amazing class I’ve been to. It went for an hour and a half and combined meditation with some extremely challenging poses, of which the female instructor happily showed the correct technique when doing them. I enjoyed a fresh garden salad with grapefruit for breakfast/brunch/lunch.

I put so much into yoga and was very exhausted so I went back to the pad and had a nice afternoon sleep. Again the weather was warm, so sleeping with a base sheet not properly put on and a small blanket was easy. I decided to try sleeping with out pillow over the few nights and actually rather enjoyed it.

I woke around 2 and headed back to the markets, in search of the doughnuts for afternoon tea. I seriously can’t describe how good they are. Next time I am on the east coast I am coming back to Philly just for the cinnamon, glazed and jam doughnuts.

This time I tried one of each. Surprisingly I actually couldn’t finish the last one; it was a vanilla filled doughnut and was just too sweet for me. The chocolate one was also very good.

I met up with Adam, Niel and Max outside Startbucks where we snuck into an upmarket apartment complex and swan in their pool and downed a beer before heading off to meet up with some of their friends.

On the way home I had a burger from a famous burger place. I think it weighed about 700grams. I certainly felt pretty heavy after eating it!

We walked around the corner to a Japanese restaurant where we met up with some of Adams friends and had some “Saka Bombs”. Completely American and I know the Japanese wouldn’t have been impressed. You balance a shot of hot sake using 2 chopsticks on top of a glass half full of beer and then proceed to bang the table until the chopsticks move and the shot falls in the beer, at which point you drink the whole glass.

We headed back to Adams mates place and attempted some drinking games before deciding to retire around midnight. The freedom of living out of home was evident here; we went back and had hookah and some more people came over to say hello. We chatted for a while before I stumbled off to bed, not before setting we all set our alarm clocks for 7am!

Thursday, 11 August

Adam was very generous in letting me borrow his bike. It was real freedom being able to ride all over and around Philly. I felt like the city roads was designed with cyclists as the number one priority, it was really easy cruising in the designated cycle paths!

I rode up to the Museum of Art, a massive building!

Then I rode down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a nice strip that had all the nations in the world flags on the light poles. There was so much room for the roads; it wasn’t cramped and felt like the city had been well thought out. Once in the main center I rode around City Hall before deciding I needed some lunch so I headed to the Reading Terminal Markets.

This market had a strong influence from the Amish community who brought down fresh produce and unique foods in permanent stalls. I was in heaven. I came across the most amazing doughnut production line I’ve ever seen!

The jam doughnut was perfect. The bun was chewy and warm and the jam oozed out and wasn’t too sweet. I savored the moment. It was exceptional.

I ate a cinnamon doughnut that was still warm inside. It was sweet, but the cinnamon was strong and the dough itself was hard but chewy. It was an amazing doughnut.

I then bought some caramel fudge that was also made right in the market hall. It melted in my mouth.

I came across an ice cream stall, with 3 flavours. I had them all in a big cup!

It was particularly special because they made it the same was as mum’s ice cream maker at home; with ice in the big wooden tub! I can’t wait to get it out when I get back! The ice cream was like none other I’d had before; it was creamy and sweet but I didn’t feel like I was eating sugar. It was a great experience.

I rode down to Penns landing and enjoyed some sun while I ate a fresh salad I also bought from the markets.

After I explored under the Betsy Ross Bridge before making my way to the town center again. I checked out liberty bell and the other surrounds building that were so significant in the formation of America.

After a few hours I rode back to Penn City. It was a great ride because I was able to ride though the city center and feel safe and not intimidated by the cars on the bike. Not that there were many cars on the road. It is such a great city, and I'm sad I couldn’t have done a uni exchange to this area.

I met up with Emily and Adam and we tried out a beer garden in the middle of town. It was meant for office people but we still enjoyed ourselves and had some nice local ales.

On the way home we stopped at frozen yoghurt place where you fill up cups with different flavours of yoghurt. We cheekily enjoyed taking advantage of the tester cups and decided that all the flavors weren’t for us and left without buying one. We don’t have these in Australia, and I don’t think they’d take off; simply because there is way too much sugar in them!

Apparently these letters are a famous attraction in the city.

By the time we made it home the other roommates were chilling on the balcony where we joined them for some more beers and good chats. I was very lucky being surrounded buy such good company! We departed around midnight for a good nights sleep.

Wednesday, 10 August

Using the small compass I’d been longing for all trip I found Adams pad very easily. My walk from the 30^th Street station took me through Penn City and Drexel University, where my eyes were widened.

Passing through the 4 story frat houses and student houses was surreal; how this place would operate when class was on during the semester would be quite something. There were a few Penn students who were hanging around for the summer holidays doing research and other work that would polish their cv's, otherwise the town was empty.

Adam set me up with a room with a double bed, air con, walk in wardrobe and en suite! I would stay here for 4 nights, so it was a chance for me to recharge and enjoy hanging out with new found friends.

Instantly I knew I’d like this city. There were fields of green grass, tall lush tree’s, wide roads and only a handful of taxis! It reminded me very much of Perth, except we lacked the significant cultural history which Philly has.

Adam and I jumped on some bikes and rode into the city in the early evening. Here we met up with Jeff, and Emily and her mate. We headed into a pub for a drink and I enjoyed their company. It felt nice being around people my age again, it seemed so much easier to relate to. Maybe it was because we shared the same values and interests, but it was easy to talk to them.

We had a few beers before heading on to another bar where some smoked hookah and I had another drink. It was nice sitting on the street having good conversation and enjoying the warm weather. It wasn’t hot, but the wind took the humidity out of the air. It wasn’t cold either; shorts and t-shirt were a comfortable attire all night.

We headed back to Jeff’s and chilled for a while, just hanging out and telling stories or watching funny clips on the tv. On the way home Adam gave me a quick tour of the student pubs and eateries while we cruised around on the bikes.

It was an exciting afternoon and I knew I was going to enjoy the next few days here in Philly.

Big lights will inspire you, lets hear it for New York

Wednesday

The first subway I took confirmed where I was. It hit home just how isolated Perth is when it comes to races. I was helped out with directions by a local who was traveling upstate for a wedding the coming weekend.

People here seemed approachable. It was an easy adventure finding the address of Sasha’s house. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Fort Green, Brooklyn.

The place would turn out to be a great location and oozed character and warmth. There were old dusty floorboards partially hidden with dark wooden bookcases filled with books I’ve never even heard of. At the base of the windows Sasha had grown a mix of plants and had a small collection of worn glass bottles collected from a riverbed. Moving through into the kitchen, the drying rack was always full, it seemed the cupboards were a waste of space as they weren't used. The shining light of the kitchen was a modern mix master, which we later used to make peach and choc chip ice cream. This place has character.

While I waited for Sasha to return from yoga I wandered round the corner for some sweet potato chips and a fresh salad. I had to set a good standard I thought. Later we went to a close bar for a few beers, it was a chance to introduce ourselves and lay out some thoughts for the days ahead.

I slept on the floor with duvets, rugs and sleeping bags to provide cushioning. There was a lonesome fan competing with the acid rain hitting the windows. The mix soon put me to sleep.

Thursday

My plan of attack was simple: catch the subway onto the island and walk until I understood the grid. I was hoping to grab a burger from Shake Shack, but when I came across Madison Square Gardens the line was over 200m long. I enjoyed a chocolate cream frappuccino topped with cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate and nutmeg powder to give it some bite.

I turned one corner and was hit by the tourists, I guess I fitted right in with my beach house shorts and runners, but I didn’t have time to meamble. I had come across the Empire State building and Broadway Street, so I figured it was time to get a map. I was then able to make my way south, through the meatpacking district and along the converted above ground railway which was now a board walk full of flowers and trickling streams. I came across the site of the world trade center and the chill of 9/11 filtered through. I was after all looking at the gravesite of thousands, many of whom were only a few years older.

Making it back to Brooklyn was easy, the subways are as efficient as London’s underground and cheaper to for a weeks worth of commuting. We went to a yoga class at 6.30 and I enjoyed squeezing out a sweat of a nasty mix of bad food and alcohol that had been brewing for many weeks. I felt many times better for the exercise.

Sasha gave me my first taste of Mexican food; I ordered some chicken tacos. I couldn’t wait to get closer to the source as it was a great meal. We had some drinks before heading on to another bar close by. We were the minority in colour and I was enjoying the mix of conversations and style this brought to the bar. We headed on down to Mo’s (a smaller bar with music and dance floor) with a friend of Sasha’s and I was impressed with the openness of everyone in the bar. Regardless of background, as long as you had clean shoes and clothes you could walk up to anyone and they’d happily have a conversation with you. It is a shame we are so enclosed in Perth when it comes to meeting new people. This would be a common theme throughout the next few days, where friends of friends would become close mates for a night or longer.

Friday

I wasn’t going to miss out this time; I had a double burger, a cheeseburger, some chips and a black and white thick shake from Shake Shack for breakfast. I waited under 10 minutes at 11am. The patties were fresh, cooked to a medium-rare juiciness that was very satisfying.

I wandered on up to Central Park, as I wanted to sit and let my stomach rest from the feast it just devoured. A park like this seemed as important as the hundreds of yoga studios scattered throughout the city; it was a chance to escape the towering skyscrapers, the constant honking of horns and the busy daily routine that I imagined so many locals faced. It had only been a few days, but I already needed a break from the faced pace run of the city.

Walking back now, I came across 5^th Avenue and my consumerism whore inside me was released. Pressured from Harry to ‘buy me some clothes’ I went from store to store and bought the necessary (chinos, jeans, t-shirts, collared shirts).

I made it back in time to change into my boardies; Sasha and some friends were driving out to a beach as the beginning of Long Island. We squeezed 7 into a range rover and I enjoyed being in a car for the first time on the American continent.

The car was full of a mix of some friends and friends of friends, yet, our conversations were deep and everyone was open and willing to share. It was so refreshing. We had some wine, cheese, and fruit by the moonlight while we swam in the warm water and crashing waves. They later joked I wouldn’t have swam if I saw the water during the day, as high pollution levels is quite an issue along the beaches in NY.

We stopped off at Luna Park and had some beers while walking through the jungle of sideshow games and bright lights. As a snack we ate deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks, which fairly represented the food on offer through the many burger and sweet joints. I didn’t care; I had a big smile from ear to ear as I walked round soaking up as much as I could.

Saturday

Today was all about making mums apple and raisin cake as well as the ice cream in preparation for a gathering in the evening.

We wandered to the farmers market and stocked up on fresh eggs, fruit and vegies and a couple of cinnamon doughnuts and a muffin. We had a nice breakfast with moist mushrooms before I watched an episode of the wire. It was nice to stop. Being a tourist and seeing the sights of every city is one way to do it, but to not feel pushed for time and be able to hang out with the local crowd is a far better way I feel. I didn’t go into Manhattan today, instead in the afternoon we made peach ice cream using the juicy doughnut peaches bought form the markets, mums cake and explored the flea market close by. Here, I had to try a orange tangy doughnut and some many juicy as it was irresistible.

In the evening I wandered down the road for some pizza and watches some live jazz at a local pub before catching up with Sasha and 3 friends. We jumped in a taxi and headed to a friend of a friends place who had built a hot tub in his back yard. Again, the openness of the younger generation was shown here as I was warmly invited in and mixed with others and the dinner party.

It was a restful day, and although I didn’t see any sights that might be listed in the lonely planet guide I was well spent from a day of playing the ‘local’.

Sunday

By now I had discovered this small coffee shop close by that also had wifi so I snuck out early and spoke to the family over skype and checked emails. I was enjoying my morning cappuccino and it was kick starting my day.

Later on I went to century 21, a department store in downtown Manhattan and bought a few items, but it just didn’t compare to the shopping experience on 5^th avenue. So I headed up that way and lost myself on Broadway in the shops and bustle of people. It was a effort to make my way home; because it was a Sunday there were changes to the operations for renovations and I had to go round in circles to finally make it to a stop close to the apartment.

We ate at a fine restaurant and had some moist fish with a glass of white wine. It was nice spending a few more dollars on food, but enjoying the whole experience at the same time. After, we walked to the cinemas and watched Paris After Midnight, which was actually rather entertaining - despite looking like a romantic chic flick comedy on face value.

Monday

I needed to clear my head so I went for a run around the park. It didn’t take long to be exhausted as the warm air and pollution ensured I sweated well.

Later I made some eggs on toast before heading onto the island. I wandered through Times Square and marveled at the advertisement boards and hustle of tourists. It was the tourists that made the square and there wasn’t much to see. I did enter into Toys R Us and the M&M shop, where I sampled all the available chocolates until I couldn’t eat anymore. I was doing my best to kill time; I wanted the lunch break to be over and the line at Shake Shack to be as small as possible. I arriver at 3pm and only had to wait for 30 mins or so. This time I wasn’t as greedy and ordered a vanilla shake with a burger. I inspected it closely, as I figured I can replicate it back home and it hit the stop well.

I walked up 5^th avenue to see it from a different angle. I enjoyed the sales at Gant as I felt I needed some more shirts. I wanted to have respectable clothes for when the family comes over in December for Christmas.

I met up with Sasha at a yoga studio near Washington Park. The ratio was amazing, 2 men to about 30 women. I was soon lost on the ratio thought as the class turned out to be an advanced class and I needed to concentrate on the poses. I hadn’t sweated so much since the very first time I did yoga. There was so much juice that my mat was too slippery to do the final poses! It was exactly what I needed though.

We walked back to Brooklyn via the Brooklyn Bridge and it was quite a spectacle. Not only was the bridge itself impressive, the skyline as the sun set made the city look almost surreal. We tried to eat at a famous pizza place but the line was well over 100m. We found a nice bar and were joined my some more friends, and again, friends of friends and had a few beers and dinner.

Tuesday

I slept in a little later than normal, rising around 9am as the yoga the previous night had worn me out. The temperature would hit 88 with the chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, so I slipped on boardies and an old white t. It didn’t bother me what other people though, I after all was a tourist and didn’t have to conform to any dress code. It felt good.

I came across a Magnolia bakery and tried a few tasters of the cup cakes, but settles for a double chocolate fudge brownie.

I headed back to Times Square and walked up 5^th avenue again. I walked into the Abercrombie and Fitch store as the other days there had been at least a 50m long queue to enter. It wasn’t anything special and I didn’t buy anything. I crossed the street, and in my attempt to avoid the rain I entered to Tommy H shop again. I found a blazer and got it fitted, it turned out to be the last one in the shop so it must have been my lucky day! They would also send it down to Abq once it was altered at no cost.

While trying to find the subway station I hid under a entrance roof to a watch shop. A worker came out for a smoke and started up a conversation. He told me to come inside as I looked at the tag’s I would one day purchase. He let me try on a 243k watch for fun. It was a beautiful watch.

One the way home on the subway I jumped out at a stop near the famous pizza place we tried to eat at the other night. There was no queue so I ordered a pepperoni and mushroom take away. It was quite a struggle walking home with a seriously large pizza and trying to eat it at the same time. They were famous for a reason; it was excellent pizza.

By the time I got home it was dark so I gulped down water (the acidity of the rain made me very dehydrated!) and quickly fell asleep.

Wednesday

I made Sasha some thank you breakfast before trying to squeeze all my new clothes into my bag. I jumped on a bus down to Philly where I planned on spending a few nights.

NYC was more than I had expected. A city where there is always a busy street, always a new friend to be made, always a place to find a drink or a eat and always a yoga class full of people. A week was long enough, but only just; I was yet to have that cocktail on the rooftop bar, among countless other experiences. But like all of the best places I’ve visited so far on this trip, I wanted to save things to do so I have no reason not to return sooner or later.

I jumped on the 10.45am bus down to Philly where I would spend the next few days.

Wednesday, 3 August

Excitedly I woke up earlier than I my alarm. I showered and checked out well before 6am. My flight was at 8.25 so I wanted to make sure I left myself plenty of time incase I repeated yesterdays poor performance and caught a wrong train or bus!

Jumping on the metro again to the end of the blue line, I bought some poppy seed pastry sweets and a apricot filled and a pizza sauce croissant- they were lucky dips when choosing as I still couldn’t read Hungarian!

The bus was a little nerving; there were no travellers who looked like they were going to the airport. Still, I was by myself, so I only had myself to blame if something went wrong. I like taking 100% responsibility as I feel there is a far smaller chance for error. Eventually I arrived at the international terminal, the trip from the center took just over an hour. It was perfect timing and I checked in and am proud to report my bag weighed 18kg (the lightest so far of the trip)!

I found a power point and charged my laptop, sneaking in half an episode of breaking bad. Walt has just been told he’s beating the cancer, which means his drug involvement could end badly as I suspect he wont die soon of cancer. It will be interesting to see where the story goes. I am mid way through season 2, and am still hooked. Have seen a bit of Albuquerque now thanks to the show, so looking forward to being there in a few weeks.

Flying BA was nice and it was comforting hearing English over the speakers for the announcements, even if it was from a high-pitched queer. I found the Hungarians were limited with their English and at time this got tiring and frustrating when trying to communicate in simple interactions.

It’s hard to accept I am closing the chapter on the European adventures and finally arriving in America. This time my travels weren’t so fast paced. I felt that spending a week or so in 4 different countries was more relaxing than 2 or 3 nights in each major city, like last years trip. It was a very easy holiday, only catching 2 flights over the 4 and a half weeks in Eastern Europe. It has felt like a holiday.

I am excited at the future traveling prospects in Eastern Europe. I feel that expensive holidays have been left behind, and replaced with maturity and an open eye as to how far I can stretch my dollar.

For example, the expenses of 1 week in Ibiza would be the equivalent of 3 or 4 weeks in Turkey, Romania, Hungary and so on. Maybe the chance to come back to Europe may be on sooner than I thought if Air Asia release their yearly sales from Perth to London. Having said that, all this time away makes me realize how much of Western Australia I have yet to explore, especially up north along the coast.

The obvious culture and language shift in America will be interesting in comparison. I’m looking forward to the change (I suspect they will have similar attitudes to unhealthy foods as the Hungarians; their approach to healthy food was unbelievable).

Wasn’t sure if it was the first time I landed in Heathrow, but it was the largest airport I’ve come across, spanning over 5 different terminals. I had to catch a 5 minute train the terminal for my NY flight. This terminal served only Virgin Atlantic ( so all flgiths were to America) so the security screening was very tight here. I couldn’t have had a better scedulae of flights, only havint a couple of hours between landing and taking off to kill. I easily killed the time wandering, browsing the shops and eating two massive sandwiches from Eat.

Was flying at 747, so it was a rather old plane. And was full to capacity. I had a little chuckle as I waited for the line to dissipate at the boarding gate; the large americans, and there were a few… what it’d be like if I was sitting between them! IN the end I was squashed in the middle of two girls, and it was still very tight! I need to earn money so I can enjoy the spaciousness of premium!

Goodbye Europe, Hello the USA!

Tuesday, 2 August

Thanks to the early night sleep James and I rose at 8 and headed out for a coffee and pastry sweets. We enjoyed the clear sky and eagerly anticipated the full day of sun we would bathe in. For under $4 dollars aussie I had a cappuccino, chocolate and an apricot croissant, and a cream cheese scroll. On the way back we bought half a watermelon and two large peaches for $2.20 aud. We smashed it in the freezer to cool while I brushed my teeth with my fully charged toothbrush. A bag full of water, mats, my aussie towel, sunscreen and the gopro – we headed to a ‘sandy’ beach 10 mins walk from the hostel.

Finally we had the sun to heat us up. We lay by the water enjoying a book and music. We were put of many times by seriously obese individuals waddling along the beach. Imagine Mr Plod from Noddy, and you’re getting close.

We dug into the watermelon and had some fun eating and crafting a face. I made a cool little video, and will upload it soon.

There was a fast looking slide that we tried, a cost of 1aud per slide. We were very much disappointed and came to the conclusion that all water slides in Europe were designed for children 4-8 years.

Later on in the day we headed back to the hostel and packed our bags, said a great big thank you to Christina who made our stay very comfortable and caught the 3.30 train to Budapest.

By accident we jumped on the ‘smokers-cabin’.

It was warm and bright and was a real shame we had to leave the lake. Hopefully my travels will bring me back again with copious amounts of sunshine next time I visit.

We got to the end of the line too early. We’d caught the train going the other way, towards Croatia, away from Budapest! We spent close to an hour heading the wrong way, so add 2 hours onto a 3.30 trip and suddenly we realized we were in for a long train ride back. It was torture seeing how still and sunny the outside was. We watched a sunset from the train but I know it would have been breathless over the lake. Gave me another excuse to return another time!

We finally arrived at Deli Station, it was great to be back in Budapest; I felt comfortable and safe as I knew the area. We jumped on the metro to Bah Luzja and found our way easily to the hostel. Knowing which way was north was the game winner – it was only because I knew my bearings we found it easily. Next time, in a new city, one of those little compasses could save you a lot of time working out which direction is north!

The hostel was called Casa De La Musica and was the biggest and established hostel I’d stayed in. They even had a swimming pool on the bar deck! I was accidentally shown to a single private room, even though I’d booked into a dorm. 5 minutes later the manager knocked on the door saying he’d mistakenly put me in here, but I could stay for the price of what I booked for (11aud!). Karma or whatever, I managed to smile at my luck, even though I was tired and hungry, in Hungary (had to drop it once).

We walked to a nice restaurant around the corner; a live jazz group was playing and jamming. I ordered a pork dish with a potato cake and mushroom side. The apple cider I had was also delicious. I was well and truly filled by the end, and couldn’t think of anything else by a good nights sleep!

I planned my route to the airport the next morning, before showering and falling asleep, naked, on top of the sheets, with no worry of snorers, squeaky bunk beds or questionable, middle-age men sleeping in the next bed across from me.