Venice Beach

So we are in venice beach now in LA. Still to reitarate if you havent heard allready we definately left our hearts in san francisco...loved the hostel (the green tortoise) as much as the place itself but with a plethora of free festivals it was all a bit too good...We popped down to san diego for a while between san fran and here...it was nice but too full of californian fakes to be a place to warm too...we happened upon the annual ocean beach festival which was good fun but too full of american shallowness to actually be fun. We visited balboa park (that is more like a theme park full of car parks and museums) but did see an amazing conservatory with some wonderful carniverous plants... mind you with the only free thing there it was the highlight! We popped over to tijuana too which is more like an an american pharmacy than real mexico...but a few cheep Coronas and some delicious tacos later and it all felt a bit better...I do feel sorry for the mexicans though, the americans seem to treat it like some kind of theme park where they can feel better about themselves. Some freaky 5 year old mexican singers later and we were back in the alleged safety of America. Venice beach is loverly though. Its what you would expect of LA (i never realised it was quite so big LA is Huuuge) and the smog is a little impending! Lovely beach though and I even managed to do a bit of a hassolhof run sown the white sands....

Looking forward to leaving tommorow though Cook islands here we come!!!!!!

San Fran

Wow so after a night playing strange new drinking games (with miller high life of all things...) feeling a little rough today so instead of our usual gallavanting around we've decided to lie in.... Slowly leaving my heart in san francisco tho...the hostels ace with a big room to get drunk on cheep beer in (purfec) although it is swarming with english (but allot of nice english so not all bad) We've done allot and allot of nothing...lots of free festivals over the weekend in the surrounding parks (although hootie and the blowfish are not really to my taste!) We've met some loverly folks here but we met up with gareth again (from chicago). Sat on the dock of the bay in sauselito watching the boats (and the mist) roll in and out. We hicked of the golden gate bridge and got the ferry back past alcatraz...which is a seriously miserable building and could do with cheering up a bit :o) Nice bit of magnolia would do the trick...

anyways off to find a place in china town that does chow mein by the pound (no kidding $1.50 per pound of chow mein allegedly) and get some photos developed ... or maybe a giant burger from burgermeister! who can say...free beer night tonight too so I fear another hangover come tommorow....peace to y'all

adeiu

bobble

NY to San francisco

Ok been a while...just got to san francisco after a long long train journey throught the rockies and the sierra nevada. So what have i been up to...

welll after New york we went to niagra to see the falls.

The city is an absolute dump on the american side...real poor town...but the falls themselves are amazing...we turned up to see the falls at night and were shocked to see a tack fest but after a nights sleep we returned, and in the bright sunshine they were amazing...we just hung around the park all day in the baking sun...so impresive, didnt make it over to canada, but did stand underneath them.so powwerful (and refreshing in the mid day sun)

After that we went off to Chicago...oh what a City, we were staying in Lincoln park which is one of the nicest areas there (Even if the hostl had no fans or aircon and it was well in the 30's and had the most unhelpful staff ever). We checked out downtown and met up with a lovely british bloke from Nr worthing called Gareth, got drunk a bit and met some of his sisters friends there, ate chicago pizza pie (MNnnn and huuuuge 2 slices and your full) went to the zoo (freee) chilled on the beach, put me feet in lake mitchegan (freezing but refreshing) and saw some of the best art in the Chicago Museum (free on tuesdays hurrrrrah) finally seeing THAT Hopper.

So after the fun of chicago city we got on an overnight to Glenwood springs on the Calafornia Zephyr...one of the nicest train journeys I can remember (until the one out to san fran here) the rockies are outstanding...and I must urge anyone who wants to find a nice small town with specatcular views and superb walking and relaxing to go to Glenwood Springs. Its amazing...the vapour caves and hot springs are so refrehing (even if they do have radium and lithium in them - sends you a bit loopy) . Its also the best hostel ever Gary and John are the nicest blokes you'll ever meet, and gary has some of the best stories you've ever heard (well he did hang out with allot of cool people in his time and traveled just about everywhere!). Real genuine nice folk. We got out to aspen with a guy called eric too, which was nice, v posh, but met a girl called amanda in a bar who lived in brighton, so a few free pitchers of beer later she took us out to the grotos (lovely ice waterfalls) and the pot holes, where i jumped 10-20ft into an Ice run off pothole full of water....very cold but really refreshing...

So after saying our goodbyes here we are in san francisco...not really explored yet but looks like fun...with a free festie on sunday...will hopefully keep this more up to date now its free here...

New York New York

Posting this aftewr a long long day...we arrived yesterday in new york with directions to the hotel got off the tube only to realise we didnt actually have the address...doh!...so after walking back and forth past a kraftwerk gig (and catching a first glimpse of the empire state) we finally got some internet accesss and found the place...went straight out and saw times square (more a road or a triangle really) ....a restless nights sleep later we've now killed our feet by walking all round manhattan....nice city this...even tho everythings supersized! Makes for long walks tho...did the brooklyn bridge too...anyway off to sleep some more after booking our next set of hostels...and an expensive trrain ticket! heee he gonna be good though...dont know when i'll next get access as we'll be running around like mad things....night night kids

bob