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Tans SpaceNovember 03 USA Holiday 2006As we began our descent into Los Angeles I felt excited and relieved. Relieved that our 15 hour flight was finally over.
Despite the long haul flight Stu and I really hit the ground running shortly after our arrival in LA. Within two hours we were shopping in a massive American mall. It seemed to go on forever. The main reason for our shopping trip was to buy watches! Neither Stu or I had brought a watch with us as we usually rely on our mobile phones for the time. We didn't bring our mobiles as they wouldn't work in the US. We eventually made it back to our hotel somewhere around 8pm. I slept well that night.
We had one more day before our Contiki tour started. We spent this day at Universal Studios. Stu and I had a ball.
Contiki Tour begins
Day 1: San Diego and Tijuana
7:00am the next morning we met with our Contiki tour group outside the hotel ready for departure. We were on our way shortly after 8:00am. We were headed down route 215 to San Diego, America's Finest City. We passed Mission Beach which was very hazy due to an unusual Marine Layer. We made it to San Diego just in time to take a short harbour cruise. I soon learnt that when America goes to war, it leaves from San Diego. San Diego has the largest aircraft hangers in the world. San Diego is also home to the USS Midway which is now the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum.
We took a tour of downtown Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park before heading across the border to Mexico for lunch. We were lucky enough to experience watered down Tequilla being poured down our throats. After lunch we went for a walk and battled our way through the Hawkers and gawking Mexicans.
Our first Contiki dinner was at Dick's Last Resort. Dick's is otherwise known as the "Shame of the City". The dining experience is based on the crude atmosphere, tasteless attitudes and surliness of the employees which management has so little control over. After dinner we headed to a pub in downtown Gaslamp Quarter where we had $1 drinks all night. However this was slightly compensated by tipping every time we used the restroom!
I decieded to call it a night reasonably early after a big day as there would be plenty more to come.
Day 2: San Diego
Stu and I chose to go to the San Diego Zoo rather than Sea World. The zoo was massive and involved a lot of walking. I had a soft spot fore the Pandas. I could have watched them all day! Unfortunately being on a Contiki Tour you are never in one place for very long! The Gorillas were also very fascinating. A silverback Gorilla (the leader of the troop) charged at one of the guys on our tour! Luckily there was some very strong glass between them. So much for them being gentle giants!
That afternoon we headed to Mission Beach and chilled for a couple of hours. We ate dinner that night at a Mexican restaurant. After dinner we headed to a Sports Karaoke bar. Stu sang a terrible rendition of ACDC's You shook me all night long. We were kicked out around 1am. On our way home we passed a 24 hour donut shop...
Day 3: San Diego to Phoenix
At our first stop after leaving San diego the temperature had changed quite noticeably. We had crossed the border into Arizona and the scenery had changed quite dramatically. On our next stop we visited the sand dunes of Yuma. These dunes served as the location for filming scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine in Star Wars A New Hope, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. It was about 38 degrees here as we made our way to the top of the dunes.
We arrived in Phoenix around 4:30pm. It was a long drive. I had a swim to cool off then hit Fashion Square which was right next door to our hotel. I got back around 9pm and had a few relaxing drinks with the group.
Day 4: Phoenix to Grand Canyon
We left Scottsdale (Phoenix) headed for the Grand Canyon. Again the scenery change quite dramatically as we headed into Arizona's high desert.We stopped off in Sedona to do a Jeep Tour. Sedona is just beautiful, there are some massive red-rock formations. There is even a Snoopy rock which really does look like Snoopy laying on his back! The main street of Sedona (Uptown as the locals call it to confuse the tourists) is really pretty. The buildings are all one level and the same red dirt colour. After the jeep tour I was covered in red dirt.
We left Sedona at 2pm and drove along one of the most scenic routes in America to get to the Grand Canyon. We made it to the rim of the Canyon just in time to see the Sunset. The first time you see the Grand Canyon it is pretty amazing.
Day 5: Grand Canyon
We hopped on the bus at 8:15am to go to the airport for our helicopter flights. Upon arrival we had a weigh in and watched a short safety video. Our seating was assigned by our weight. Stu and I both got window seats. The flight was good, without a doubt the easiest way to see the whole Canyon. We got several glimpses of the Colorado river which was a nice blue colour.
After our helicopter flight we returned to the Lodge for breakfast. A group of us met at 11:45am and set off on the red bus route to Hermit's rest. Several trails left from this point down into the Canyon. I went on the Dripping Springs trail with about 6 others. It was a 4.8km walk to the dripping springs then a tough walk back up to the top of the Canyon. It was hard work but there were some good views down in the Canyon.
Day 6: Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
We packed up our bags this morning and boarded the bus eager to get to Las Vegas. We made two stops on the way. One at Seligman where we got some Route 66 merchandise and one at a Walmart superstore.
Viva Las Vegas
We arrived in Las Vegas around 2:30pm. We had a buffet dinner at Excalibur then hopped on the bus for a tour of the strip. We stopped at Fremont St to see the light show and got a yard glass from Mermaids. Our next stop was the Graceland Wedding Chapel. We were unaware that we were about to take part in a wedding ceremony. Elvis joined us inside the Chapel and called Alison and Lee up to renew their vowels! After the ceremony we made our way to Mandalay Bay. I had a couple of very potent drinks in the Rum Jungle before heading to the tables. I won $30 US on Blackjack. Stu and I had a look at the MGM Grand, New York New York and Monte Carlo. I won $100 US on slots during the night.
Day 7: Las Vegas
Despite not getting a lot of sleep the night before, Stu and I decided we weren't going to let it get in the way of our Las Vegas sighseeing. We saw a Titanic exhibition at Tropicana and the World's Largest Classic Auto's collection at the Imperial Pallace. We had lunch at the Mirage and saw the white tiger. After lunch we went to Circus Circus and played Putt Putt golf in the Adventuredome. We slept from 4-6 in preparation for the night ahead.
We saw the Caberet show Folies Bergere at Tropicana tonight. It was a classic Las Vegas show with lots of singing and dancing, glittering showgirls wearing very little and amazing scenery. After the show we were picked up in a Hummer limo! We had about 11 people in ours and cruised the strip hanging out heads out the top from time to time. We did this for an hour then got dropped off at the Bellagio to see the water show. With Paris and the Eiffel tower in the background it was pretty spectacular. The Bellagio was very posh. We caught up with some of the group here and headed to Studio 54 at the MGM.
This my friends was Vegas in 2 days! So much to see and so little time. I had a ball and hope to make it back there again one day.
Day 8: Las Vegas to Bass Lake
Time for a change of pace! Apart from losing money in Vegas, we also lost 5 people off the tour. It was sad to see them go. They were soon replaced. A lot of driving today. We arrived at Bass Lake late afternoon. The Bass Lake accommodation is meant to be one of the best on the tour. For the first time Stu and I were split up. I was in a chalet with three other girls. We had a little bit of time to settle in before we had to start getting ready for the Bass Lake Party.
Beware bad taste!
Bad Taste was the theme decided on for the traditional party at Bass Lake. Earlier in the day we had picked up some nice numbers from a factory outlet. My top cost me a whole $5 (Brand new) and looked a bit eighties. The party took place in one of the cabins. If there was an award for bad taste I would have given it to Pye. He was sporting a male g-string. Stu looked classic in his blue truckers shirt and mullet wig. We partied on in the cabin until 10pm when we had to move to the bar as there were other people staying in the resort. I spent the remainder of the night on the dance floor. I ducked outside and gave Sam a quick call then Scottish David made me help him shift the security guard's golf buggy! The bar eventually closed and we all headed up to our cabins.
Day 9: Yosemite National Park
I was determined to see Yosemite so I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed, had something to eat and hopped onto the bus. It was still way too early though. The weather wasn't looking good either. I was hoping that it would clear by the time we got to Yosemite. Despite the rain we stopped to see the giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove. This wasn't much fun as my socks and shoes got soaked and the backs of my legs covered in mud.
We spent a couple of hours at the visitor's centre for lunch and the weather still hadn't cleared up so we headed back to Bass Lake. I slept for a couple of hours then had a look at the resort and lake which I hadn't had time to do yet. That night I had a few quiet drinks in the bar while others had a few more and got behind the Mic once again.
Day 10: Bass Lake to San Francisco
It was only about half a days drive and we were in San Francisco. It was freezing. We had a tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, North Beach, Golden Gate Park and Haight Ashbury- hippie central. We had a look around the famous Pier 39 and tasted some sourdough bread. We indulged in a sunset cruise of the bay which took us right under the Golden Gate Bridge. That evening we were lucky enough to experience dinner at Bubba Gump's, a restaurant made famous by the film Forrest Gump. Of course I had shrimp and it was the best meal I'd had all tour.
Day 11: San Francisco
Stu and I made our way down to the Pier the next morning to catch the ferry over to Alcatraz. While on the island we saw several US Navy ships coming into the bay for Fleet Week. We made our way back to the mainland to watch the Navy's Blue Angels. It was quite an experience being in San Francisco during Fleet Week. After the Blue Angels we walked up the very steep Hyde St to Lombard St. Lombard St is known as the crookedest street in the world! It was quite a sight. I was determined to ride on a cable car while I was in San Francisco. By myself I took the cable car to Union Square and shopped for a couple of hours. Before I knew it it was about 8pm. I had a bit of trouble getting a cab back to the hotel and had to pay some guy on the sidewalk to flag me one down! Incredible hey! By the time I got back to the hotel I was exhausted and seeing that Stu was already in Bed asleep, I decided to call it a day.
Day 12: Santa Barbara
We spent the last night of the tour in Santa Barbara. On Sundays volunteers put out crosses for every US soldier killed in Iraq on the beach next to Stearns Wharf. The number of soldiers killed in now over 3000. That's a lot of crosses! The shopping experience in Santa Barbara was quite different. There was quite a variety of shops just off the brick-lined sidewalks of State Street.
Day 13: Los Angeles
92 miles was all that was left to travel this morning to complete our loop back to Los Angeles. I had been looking forward to Hollywood as sadly I am a big fan of celebrity gossip! We did a walking tour of Hollywood Boulevard including Mann's Chinese Theatre, The Kodak Theatre and the Walk of Fame. Our city tour took us to Melrose Ave, Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Pier and finally Venice Beach.
September 21 Up up and awayI have three full days left in Aus before I jet off to the US! How exciting. The last couple of weeks have gone so fast which has been good. The weekend after the footy grand final Sam and I just stayed home all weekend, ate and watched the footy!
Last weekend I went to the coast to meet Sam's Mum who is up from Sydney. We stayed in a high rise in Coolangatta which was nice. Sadly we were only staying for just one night. Saturday we visited Sam's Mum's old friends. On Sunday Sam and drove through Mt Tamborine, had a nice lunch then dropped in to suprise my grandparents on the way home.
Poor Sam is going to be lonely without me! He has told me that I am not allowed to miss him because I will be having too much fun! I'll try my hardest.
I will be spending the weekend in Brisbane with Mum, Dad and Stu. Sunday Stu and I have to drop M & D off at the airport as they fly out to the US. They are touring the East Coast and Canada. Sunday night Stu and I are staying at my cousin Ben's house so it will be good to catch up with him. I hear his receding hair line is growing well! Ha ha.
Anyway, I won't be blogging until late October but no doubt I will have lots to say.
Until then take care,
Tans
 Here's my itinerary for those who are interested!
Day 1: Los Angeles (Anaheim) to San Diego: The Adventure Begins! Your morning begins with a warm welcome from your Contiki road crew and a short drive along the Pacific Coast to San Diego, where we'll introduce you to "America's Finest City" with a sightseeing tour, that includes downtown, the Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park. We'll drive across the Coronado Bridge for great views of the San Diego skyline as we head south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico for shopping and lunch. Viva Mexico! Day 2: San Diego: Fun in the Sun. Today you choose how to spend your day. Perhaps you'll want to visit the World Famous San Diego Zoo or hang out with the whale, Shamu at Sea World! This afternoon we'll head to Mission Beach to check out the So Cal beach scene. (weather permitting) Tonight we'll go to the lively Gaslamp Quarter where you'll have plenty of choices for dinner and nightlife. Day 3: San Diego to Phoenix: This desert life... This morning we leave the beach life of Southern California and travel to the cacti filled Sonoran desert. Today's drive is full of ever changing scenery, passing through Cleveland National Forest, Anza Borrego Desert and the Imperial Sand dunes. After lunch it's on to Phoenix and our hotel in the beautiful resort town of Scottsdale. Day 4: Phoenix to the Grand Canyon: Red Rocks and Canyons. This morning why not take a hot air balloon flight about the incredible Sonoran desert? (optional). See the desert come alive as you float peacefully above. Leaving Phoenix we journey to red rock country. You'll be awed by the brilliantly hued sandstone carved by sea and wind into cliffs and rugged spires. Get a closer look at the back country with an optional jeep ride. Next stop is the Grand Canyon! Our modern cabins are located inside the National Park, just a short walk to the rim of the Grand Canyon. Day 5: Grand Canyon National Park: A World Wonder. At over 1.6km (1 mile) deep and averaging 16km (10 miles) wide, it is easy to understand why the Grand Canyon is considered one of the world's seven natural wonders. We have the entire day to hike and explore the national park. Maybe take a sensational helicopter flight over the canyon (optional). Don't miss the spectacular sunset at the Grand Canyon. Day 6: Grand Canyon to Las Vegas: On to Sin City! From quiet beauty to outrageous bright lights - Las Vegas awaits you! Keep your clothes on as we take a drive down the famous Vegas "Strip." You won't believe your eyes at this crazy place! After the light show at Fremont Street, why not take in a Las Vegas cabaret show? Day 7: Las Vegas: Vegas, Baby! Only in Las Vegas can you visit most of the world's largest hotels and casinos in one day, gamble while you swim, catapult 327 meters (1,081 feet) up in the air from the top of the Stratosphere Hotel, feel like you are in Venice, Egypt, New York, Ancient Rome, and Paris all at the same time, and party like a rock star 24 hours a day! Get out there and do it all - or just lie by the pool and relax. Tonight, party on at one of Las Vegas's premier hot spots! Day 8: Las Vegas to Bass Lake: Deserts to Mountains. Recount your Vegas adventures to your Contiki buddies as we say "goodbye" to the deserts of Nevada and "hello" to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. We'll dock on the shores of beautiful Bass Lake, the gateway to Yosemite National Park. Day 9: Yosemite National Park: Today, we will explore the magnificent Yosemite National Park, with its famous rock formations of El Capitan and Half Dome. When we arrive on the valley floor, you will have the opportunity to cycle or hike (seasonal and weather permitting) or simply soak up the atmosphere of one of America's treasured national parks. We return to Bass Lake in the afternoon for water sports (seasonal) and to relax in our mountain paradise. Day 10: Bass Lake to San Francisco: The City by the Bay. This city grooves! You will quickly fall in love with this place during your extensive city tour that includes The Golden Gate Bridge, North Beach, Golden Gate Park and Haight Ashbury - hippie central. This afternoon enjoy a sunset sailing adventure on San Francisco's Bay (optional/seasonal). Day 11: San Francisco: The day is yours to explore this fascinating and diverse city, ride on one of the city's famous cable cars, shop in Union Square, bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, or take a walk down crooked Lombard - the world's "crookedest street". Get out your chopsticks and join us for dinner in Chinatown (optional). Day 12: San Francisco to Carpinteria via Santa Barbara: Life's a Beach. Check out California's scenery as we head south to the beachside town of Santa Barbara. You'll feel like you are in the Mediterranean here as your road crew shows you the sights. We'll stay in a nearby coastal village tonight for the ultimate California experience. Day 13: Carpinteria to Los Angeles (Anaheim): I Love L.A. This morning we will make the short drive to the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles! Get an insiders look at Hollywood with an included walking tour of Hollywood Blvd. Your city tour includes: The world famous Hollywood sign, Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame, Melrose Avenue and Beverly Hills. Finally, we'll swing by Venice Beach and check out the scene there. All good things must come to an end and so on to Anaheim where our tour - not the friendships made - end this afternoon. September 06 Steve Irwin 1962-2006Monday afternoon I was sitting in the doctor's surgery when I caught a glimpse of a message across the bottom of the tv saying that Steve Irwin had been killed. I instantly felt sick and anxious. While waiting for my doctor I used the Internet on my phone to get the details. He had been stung by a Stingray off the coast of Port Douglas while filming a documentary for Bindy's new TV show. There has only ever been 2 deaths from Stingrays so it was very unusual. However Steve was stung in the chest and it went right through to pierce his heart. No one could have survived this.
It was only last year that I was at Australia Zoo watching Steve Irwin swim with the Crocs! I still can't really believe that he is gone. We can take comfort in the fact that he died doing what he loved. He lived his life with passion and enthusiasm and this is exactly how we will remember him. September 03 Grand Final Day 2nd Sept 2006Saturday morning I got up and went about my normal routine. Hair treatment and face mask followed by some quick retail therapy before I went to see Sam. Sam and I baked white chocolate macadamia cookies and I cut his hair. He headed off to footy.
The match started at 2:30. Within the first couple of minutes Cougars had kicked the first goal. From that moment on there wasn't a point during the match where Tigers seemed like any kind of a threat. However it was a good game to watch and it was good to see Sam back on the field after his injury.
Congrats to all the boys on a great end to the season.
The tide that left and never came backLast Saturday night I watched the two hour finale of One Tree Hill Season Two. The ending wasn't anything like I imagined it would be. Lucas and Brooke went their separate ways for the summer after Lucas told Brooke how he really felt. Jake was released from Jail only to find out that Nikki had taken Jenny. Jake took off to find Jenny leaving Peyton behind once again. Nathan still struggling to cope without Hayley, decided that it was time to say goodbye to Dan Scott forever. Finally, after being told not to come home, Hayley rocked up on Nathan's doorstep.
Although it didn't end how I wanted it to, the messages it conveyed were far more important. Here are some quotes I found meaningful.
'As we strain to grasp the things we desire, the things that we think will make our lives better- money, popularity, fame- we ignore what truly matter- the simple things- like friendship, family, love-the things we probably already had.'
'The confusion and fear, that's there to remind you that somewhere out there is something better... and that something is worth fighting for.'
'And losing your way on the journey is unfortunate, but losing your reason for the journey is a fate more cruel.'
The End |
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