8hr 10mins from London to Washington
Arrival : 1st October 2003
Planned departure : 30th October 2003
2nd October
...already gone totally wrong with the Metro buses - they are very confusing - one bus driver concluded we must be from Alabama because we were so clueless! Washington is beautiful- seen the memorials already, the Holocaust museum, the White House etc. Quite moving. If this is the first 24 hours then the rest of the trip is looking good.
6th October
Nicola writes... I am emailing from Times square in New York right now which is surprisingly cheap!! It is hard being away and the reality of the trip has now sunk in but I've been so busy and me and rachel are really getting into our stride.
Washington was great in the end once we got comfortable there. Very cheap as all the attractions are free. My day with Tim Harrison was fantastic. It was like something out of 'Bowling for Columbine' as Tim's hosts are from Virginia and a traditional white right'wing Americans. We went to their ranch in Virginia, their farm in the country and they treated us to a meal out as their guests at this exclusive Chevvy Chase Country Club! Unbelievable day. They greeted us with the words "Hello, welcome to God's country" so I knew it would be an interesting day!! They fly the US flag outside their house and it is all lit up at night. I felt like Louis Theroux on one of his weird weekends. we debated gun laws and the justice system.
New York is massive but we spent the day strolling round Central Park and are now about to figure out our plans for tonight.
Rachel writes... its hard to believe that we have already been to Washington and I am actually emailing from Times square in New york at the mo. It is soooo expensive here and way harder to keep in budget compared to Washington.
We did get to the Whitehouse eventually. We've done the Smithsonian museums, the senate capitol hill, the monuments and Arlington cemetary to name but a few.
The first hostel was basic but we made friends with Gunther (and he thought his name was hard to remember!!!) who is going to show us round Vienna when we get there.
7th October
Nicola writes... Just bought tickets for Hugh Jackman's musical on Broadway tonight. Rachel has a huge crush on him so that explains the choice but I'm rather excited as well. My other piece of star spotting was quite accidental as I walked past Ben Chaplin in the street today. It was definitely him. Ben Chaplin is a seriously cute actor by the way who has done a load of films and has a show on Broadway at the moment. So, I'm walking along and spot a cute man in a flat cap. Yes, I love flat caps! Then I get eye contact with him and - oh my god - it is Ben Chaplin. I just smiled and walked on. What do you do?
We have met lovely people in the hostels. Already got people to meet up with in Austria and Melbourne. So multi-cultural and haven't seen any other english travellers yet. Just Israelis and Swedes. Everyone is lovely but it all feels a long way from home.
Last night we went up the Empire State building. The city was just stunning at night. All the days are fairly packed and we walk miles - just keep thinking of the amazing leg toning and definition that must come from all this.
..we got the Chinatown buses overland. Very cheap at $10 a go. They showed chinese films and soap operas all the way which was excruciating, but worth it for the experience. Communication was interesting but we got there!!
13th October
Rachel writes... ...Broadway was fantastic an all singing all dancing razzamatazz display! Very funny! We met a guy called Jop or just Jo as we now call him. He is a cross between Jack from Will and Grace and Jafar from Aladin! Honestly he fulfills every criteria of the gay man and is absolutely hilarious. He almost hyperventalated when the girls in sequens came on. We did go and see the Witnesses in the Knitting factory and they were really good and of course took some pickies of miss liberty herself (well it has to be done!)
Boston is fantastic and restful after New York! We have gone to Harvard and have sat around in the parks.
16th October
Nicola writes... Well we are now in LA - the land of the seriously bizarre! Even the room mates are odd. There is an Argentinian guy who just offers us free beer and a gay man who bows to us whenever we leave or enter the room!!!
Today we splashed out and went to Universal Studios which was fun. Not as magical or as fun as I remember Florida being, but good fun nonetheless if not utterly similar. Yesterday was good for freebies as we walked all day and did the Hollywood sites followed by a free taping of a sitcom at Paramount studios. It had Ted Danson in it and was quite interesting to see. Funny. Because it took so long they gave us free pizza and chocolate. Always good for the traveller.
LA is full of health food shops so supermarket shopping is more pricey. EVERYTHING is organic and has the calories printed on. It's unbelievable. We are staying in a good location and our hostel organise lots of trips. Me and Rachel still cheaply insist on walking where we can to save money which apparently just isn't DONE!!! Not in LA. Not walking. We stick out rather conspicuously, but we are within budget so it's ok. Unfortunately there is a bus strike at the moment so there is no public transport. Absolute nightmare in such a drivers-orientated city.
...Boston was lovely and relaxing. We read a lot and lay in parks. Just like England really. Harvard University was gorgeous, as were the sail boats and so forth. Wasn't impressed by the Freedom Trail however. I hadn't realised how new a country America was. They have no history, so it didn't really amaze us the way it did the Americans. We saw MIT and I saluted the home of the great Richard Feynmann. I remembered Dad!
...the kindness of strangers amazes me totally. A chinese woman gave us a lift in the rain the other day in Boston. She was very concerned about us walking around alone in the rain. I told her my mum would be glad of people like her.
...you should know that I'm leaving LA on Sat now. we moved our flights forward coz there's not much to do here and we want more time in Canada.
20th October
Nicola writes... I am now in Seattle - we fly to Canada on the 22nd (Richard's birthday!). The rest of LA was fun. we went to Venice Beach despite an extortionate cab fare and did some freak-spotting. It was so hot and I have burnt my face and legs. What an idiot. Still, it was nice to see the sea. We also went to see the restaurant Arnold Schwarzenegar owns which is right near where he now works as Governor.
We buzzed around Rodeo Drive - the celebrity shopping circuit. We met the Ambassador of Beverly Hills and had our photo taken with him. He is pretty famous and has been in 800 TV programmes and films. He certainly liked blowing his own bugle and showed us photos of him with all these different celebrities - like Beyonce, Harvey Keitel, Dustin Hoffman etc. Apparently everyone knows him and he compared himself to the Queen. Very odd but amusing as is everything in LA.
We watched 'Good Will Hunting' in LA, in the movie room of our hostel and recognised so much as it was set in Boston. The stars even ate "Dunkin Donuts' which is the compulsory cuisine of that city.
Seattle is amazing. I may be speaking too soon but I think it is my favourite city yet. We spent this morning at the famous Pike Market Place - it is huge!! It was home to the first ever Starbucks and quite a lot of 'Sleepless in Seattle' was shot there. We sampled all sorts of cuisines and I am now a Burritos addict (they are like fajitas). We bought fresh food. Everywhere was delicatessants and cuisines of every nationality. You would love it. There are rows and rows of honey vendors, every honey in the world. It is just amazing.
Seattle also has the great lakes, the sea, mountains. we will try to head out to a national park tommorrow. All the cafes have open mike poetry nights in the evenings so that might be worth checking out. Cafes and little book stores make up this wonderful, relaxed, cultural, beautiful city. It is all so safe and charming and romantic. Plus our hostel here is the best yet. really friendly staff, free beakfast, free dinner on some nights, free INTERNET! and a huge guest kitchen. At last.
22nd October
Nicola writes... I am feeling much happier now and truly settled. Seattle remains the top city and I would definitely recommend it over Boston for a holiday. they are both relaxed but I would say that there are a lot more options in Seattle in terms of things to do. lots of culture. If you had money you could dine at the top of the space needle with 360 degree views of the city and the mountains. You can see Lake Washington and the mountains. You could travel to Mount Olympia National Park. You could even get the ferry over to Vancouver which is meant to be the most beautiful ferry ride in the world.
Yesterday I discovered the most wonderful bookstore in the whole world. It is called the Elliott Bay bookstore in Pioneer Square. It is beautiful and old and loved by all in the city. The staff recommend books, so on all the shelves are little postit notes recommending different books with different mini reviews. People write what they thought of the book and what it meant for them. It's fab and much more personal. The staff are really friendly and they host events nearly every night and day.
Today we ventured out of Seattle about 25 miles and saw Snoqualmie Falls. We went on a small hike and saw the waterfalls which were amazing, and surrounded by all the fall leaves. So much colour. Really lovely. Then tonight we went to an Elliott Bay book reading. It was a lady called Molly Ivins who has written a book called 'Bushwacked'. She is a toned-down female version of Michael Moore. A hilariously funny Texan woman who is pretty famous. The Baptist Church here was packed. The people of Seattle are definately more liberal and well informed. She was a wonderful speaker who had apparently gone to school with George Bush. She said her life mission was to cheer up liberals because it was pretty depressing. She said we had to have fun or we would just become cynical and no good to anyone. She talked about the diversion tactics of the media, of the culture of fear, of the big contracts in Iraq going to US oil companies and so forth.
... we go to Vancouver tomorrow which should be great.
26th October
Nicola writes... I am emailing from an odd little hostel in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. We had a naive idea that the island would be quick and easy to navigate around, but it has proved a logistical nightmare. We are staying here as a stop-over on the way to Tofino which is meant to be the most beautiful spot on Vancouver Island (we arrived on the ferry today). The plan for Tofino includes whale watching and hot springs.
Vancouver itself was fantastic and stunning. The city is like any other city, but the location is mind-boggling. We hired bikes on the first day and cycled all around Stanley Park. It was such a pleasant ride as we peddled round on the waters edge, looking out over beaches. The view just has everything. You see the sea, then the beach, lined with green trees and autumn leaves, with the mountains in the background. Talk about scenic contrasts. There was just so much to take in that we just cycled round in a daze, stopping at English Bay for a rest and boating across to Granville Island to treat ourself to fresh food at the market. Within the park we saw Totem Poles and read about the First Nations. Very educational. 10 points for learning.
The next day we followed the tourist trail again and went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. The Mountain provided beautiful views again and was a fair hike as we climbed up. No wimpy cable car for us. The trek is called 'The Grind' due to it's relentless virtually-vertical slope. It was about an hour and a half of uphill slog. Thigh-burning, heart beating hell that brought back memories of Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Still, getting to the top was very satisfying and if I do not return from this trips with legs like a baby giraffe then the world will be proved grossly unfair! (Perfect leg description lifted shamelessly from Bridget Jone's diary which I am currently re-reading). At the top of Grouse, as well as feeling quite exultant, we just stood in awe of the view. Snow capped mountains meeting the sky in one direction, and the city and bay of Vancouver on the other. I got rather trigger happy with my camera. We also saw grizzly bears and reindeer wandering round the top of the mountain as they have a wildlife protection scheme there.
So it has been a full few days in Canada so far and we have taken in some amazing natural beauty. Canadians are all so friendly as well. Today we travelled for free on the bus as all the drivers pitied us lugging our massive backpacks, looking totally clueless as to where we were headed. They were just happy to quiz us about England, be part of our journey and wish us well. Free transportation. Unbelievable kindness.
30th October
Rachel writes... We have just arrived back from Vancouver Island and are in limbo at the mo until we board our flight for two weeks in Fiji tomorrow. The last few days have been amazing. Due to a lack of time (and very inconvenient flooding!) we couldn't get up to the Rockies so we went to Vancouver Island instead. Our first hostel was nothing more than a converted house and the owners were just a little strange. We were encouraged to use the outdoor shower in the mornings but decided to avoid such hardships and a good frosting until, well never! We are all up for ruffing it later but when there is a working shower indoors.. well enough said.
This was why we were so pleasantly surprised by Whalers on the point which was practically a hotel and set in the gorgeous village of Tofino. There is no beating British Columbia in the area of natural beauty and we were soon off whale watching. We saw 3 grey whales which are 40-45 feet long and little porpoises that look like dolphins. We also saw sea lions which took a distaste to us imediately and started to chase after the boat. The highlight of the day was bathing in the natural hot springs and the hot 50 degrees waterfall! It was almost too hot and by the end of it we were so relaxed, all we wanted to do was sleep!
It is hard to believe that we have been away a month already and it has been brilliant.
Check out these pictures from the US leg, there are two versions, one for broadband or those prepared to wait and a lower resolution set that should load a bit quicker.