Sunday, 30 December 2012
PS
Nope, couldn't do it, at 11:50pm I'm just back from my swim. I could get used to this living on the beach life-style!
Bike riding and sewing
Yesterday Mum and Dad left early for a couple days away, and I got to go for a bike ride without getting wet. The bike I'm riding was borrowed from Ruth who is married to Roger, and he and his daughter Jackie (also visiting from Auckland) and I went for a good ride all the way around the island. It's 32kms all up, but we did take a back route or two so it was likely a bit longer than that. It was really nice to have company and a (sort of) local guide as I doubt I would have been brave enough to leave the ring road on my own. There is a wee bit of a different feel when you leave the main road, less touristy, more local. Lots of dogs and chickens roaming, Lee tells me there has been a concerted effort over the last few years to cut down the numbers of stray dogs.
I took my leave of the others when we got to town and meandered through the main area, stopped at a couple of shops but just looked. There are certainly plenty of places to eat and drink, car and scooter hire places (and a couple with electric assist bikes) and souvineer type places. But also more normal hardware, supermarkets and general stores. It was a nice fine day and I was very happy to get home for a swim and a quiet afternoon/evening.
Today, would you believe, I used a sewing machine! I know, I can barely believe it either, I'm sure it would be 20 years since I last touched one.
Lee and I went to the Saturday market which was fun, although the drizzle was pretty steady. Lee is a regular, so was able to introduce me to a few locals. I decided I was after cushion covers, but couldn't really find what I was after. So, when we got home Lee suggested we could buy some fabric and make some covers. So we did (photo attached for evidence!). Who would have guessed it?! I'm quite pleased, though the lines aren't as straight as they might be. I just hope I got the colour right to go in the room.
This evening Roger, Ruth and Jackie came for dinner, and we have had a nice evening. At 11pm this is looking like my first no swim day of the holiday, as by the time the weather cleared in the afternoon I was otherwise occupied.
I have to share about ceiling fans. They are a really great invention, and I have been most happy to sleep with mine on every night. However, (and it took me two goes to get this), it really doesn't pay to put clothes on or off over ones head while standing under said fan. They hurt quite a lot when they hit your finger, especially the second time in essentially the same spot. I have now got the message, and make sure I am well clear before getting changed.
And I've now finished three books and counting :-)
I took my leave of the others when we got to town and meandered through the main area, stopped at a couple of shops but just looked. There are certainly plenty of places to eat and drink, car and scooter hire places (and a couple with electric assist bikes) and souvineer type places. But also more normal hardware, supermarkets and general stores. It was a nice fine day and I was very happy to get home for a swim and a quiet afternoon/evening.
Today, would you believe, I used a sewing machine! I know, I can barely believe it either, I'm sure it would be 20 years since I last touched one.
Lee and I went to the Saturday market which was fun, although the drizzle was pretty steady. Lee is a regular, so was able to introduce me to a few locals. I decided I was after cushion covers, but couldn't really find what I was after. So, when we got home Lee suggested we could buy some fabric and make some covers. So we did (photo attached for evidence!). Who would have guessed it?! I'm quite pleased, though the lines aren't as straight as they might be. I just hope I got the colour right to go in the room.
This evening Roger, Ruth and Jackie came for dinner, and we have had a nice evening. At 11pm this is looking like my first no swim day of the holiday, as by the time the weather cleared in the afternoon I was otherwise occupied.
I have to share about ceiling fans. They are a really great invention, and I have been most happy to sleep with mine on every night. However, (and it took me two goes to get this), it really doesn't pay to put clothes on or off over ones head while standing under said fan. They hurt quite a lot when they hit your finger, especially the second time in essentially the same spot. I have now got the message, and make sure I am well clear before getting changed.
And I've now finished three books and counting :-)
Friday, 28 December 2012
I got wet!
So, today was the day I picked to take off on the bike for a few hours, and today was the day it decided to rain. A lot. So I got wet. A lot!
To back up slightly, yesterday (boxing day) was a down day. I swam and read pretty much all day. Unfortunately I was a bit neglectful on the sun-block and so was a bit tender by the end of the day. On the plus side it's been a while since a read a whole entire proper sized novel in less than 24 hours, so that was nice. A bit tired today though given it was about 1am when I finished it.
After all the sun yesterday I decided an afternoon on the bike was a good idea, and so headed off before midday. It was nice to be on the hike and not in any kind of hurry. The speed limit on the entire island is 50kms and traffic is very courteous. I think it is that 'island time' again. The rain started just as a sprinkle and I found a convenient bus shelter. It stopped, I started up again, it started and took me a wee while longer to find shelter. All up I probably stopped five times for the rain, getting a bit wetter each time. My original plan to circumnavigate the island (all 32kms of it) was a bust and I turned around after maybe 11kms. On the way back I stopped at a dive place and booked a refresher and a proper dive, and they gave me a cup of tea while I waited out yet more rain. It completely chucked down for a while before easing off, and though it hadn't stopped completely I needed to get home as we had booked a cultural show and dinner evening and we were being picked up at 4. I made it home with time to shower and various people telling me 'I told you so' when they saw my very wet self. Still it wasn't cold at all, and I finished up in my togs and skirt as the T-shirt was less than effective at that point. I'm not sure if this counts as a no swim day, perhaps technically...
The cultural show was fun, there was a village tour first where they showed us fishing gear and costumes and medicine and how they were made. The photo is George our guide just as we are about to enter the village. Then dinner and the show which featured fire-dancing and drums and lots and lots of very comely lasses wiggling their hips. Very picturesque, and we all managed to avoid joining in at the end. Dad in particular was practicing his 'I don't think so' face!
That's it, home now, Mum and Dad are off to Aitutaki for a couple of nights in the morning (early) so I won't see them until Sunday.
I have been surprised at the wind here, it's pretty constant, and while it hasn't been too much of an issue, I certainly noticed it on the bike today. Coming home I did seem to have more of a tail wind which was nice. Still, definitely wouldn't want to be camping!
That's me, hope the humidity has dialed back a bit, I hear it's still been pretty unpleasant.
All the best
Sarah
To back up slightly, yesterday (boxing day) was a down day. I swam and read pretty much all day. Unfortunately I was a bit neglectful on the sun-block and so was a bit tender by the end of the day. On the plus side it's been a while since a read a whole entire proper sized novel in less than 24 hours, so that was nice. A bit tired today though given it was about 1am when I finished it.
After all the sun yesterday I decided an afternoon on the bike was a good idea, and so headed off before midday. It was nice to be on the hike and not in any kind of hurry. The speed limit on the entire island is 50kms and traffic is very courteous. I think it is that 'island time' again. The rain started just as a sprinkle and I found a convenient bus shelter. It stopped, I started up again, it started and took me a wee while longer to find shelter. All up I probably stopped five times for the rain, getting a bit wetter each time. My original plan to circumnavigate the island (all 32kms of it) was a bust and I turned around after maybe 11kms. On the way back I stopped at a dive place and booked a refresher and a proper dive, and they gave me a cup of tea while I waited out yet more rain. It completely chucked down for a while before easing off, and though it hadn't stopped completely I needed to get home as we had booked a cultural show and dinner evening and we were being picked up at 4. I made it home with time to shower and various people telling me 'I told you so' when they saw my very wet self. Still it wasn't cold at all, and I finished up in my togs and skirt as the T-shirt was less than effective at that point. I'm not sure if this counts as a no swim day, perhaps technically...
The cultural show was fun, there was a village tour first where they showed us fishing gear and costumes and medicine and how they were made. The photo is George our guide just as we are about to enter the village. Then dinner and the show which featured fire-dancing and drums and lots and lots of very comely lasses wiggling their hips. Very picturesque, and we all managed to avoid joining in at the end. Dad in particular was practicing his 'I don't think so' face!
That's it, home now, Mum and Dad are off to Aitutaki for a couple of nights in the morning (early) so I won't see them until Sunday.
I have been surprised at the wind here, it's pretty constant, and while it hasn't been too much of an issue, I certainly noticed it on the bike today. Coming home I did seem to have more of a tail wind which was nice. Still, definitely wouldn't want to be camping!
That's me, hope the humidity has dialed back a bit, I hear it's still been pretty unpleasant.
All the best
Sarah
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Merry Christmas from Rarotonga
I know this is my USA trip blog, but I thought I might make it a more general travel blog and post from Rarotonga. I am here with my parents visiting my Aunt and Uncle Lee and Darryl for 10 days. We arrived just on midnight Christmas Eve (last night) and by the time we were off the plane and queuing at customs it was Christmas Day. Again. Lee and Darryl greeted us with real flower eis (which I recognise as leis) and we headed 10 mins to their home. They are here for 2 years while Darryl works for the government on some mining infrastructure and regulations.
Enough preamble. What a beautiful, laid back place. They talk about 'island time' and it really is. The weather has been warm but not heaps. It's been quite windy today but I've still managed 4 swims. Before brunch, after brunch, in the afternoon at the High Commissioner's residence don't you know (basically an open invite to Kiwis and hangers on to their pool area) and then this evening I took myself off for a night time swim.
Lee and Darryl live right on the beach (the photo is from their deck) and you can swim anywhere here. There are some rocky areas so it's nice to go where there is a bit of space, but the rocks are where the fish are and with a mask and snorkel there is a whole other world right there just waiting for you to see it. I plan to do some serious snorkeling while I'm here, it's so interesting and peaceful. Just have to watch the sun as the shoulders have seen a little too much today.
Lee has also kindly sourced a bike for me while I'm here, and it comes with the offer of company for some off the main road touring as well. Roger and Ruth are friends of Lee and Darryl's and Roger is pretty keen so I hope that will be good too.
There are lots of insects here, but none appear to be biting me yet so I'm pleased about that. They also get lots of lizards (called moko) that hang out on the ceiling of the deck where we've been eating. It's fun to watch them scuttle about.
It's most pleasant sitting here on the deck listening to the waves. The stars are pretty vivid though the clouds are whispy and wafting across the sky and the nearly full moon.
Merry Christmas from Rarotonga and I'll post again when I have something interesting to say. Heather and Kerry would you mind putting out the word to a few people that I'm posting again, and Heather if you could please copy me in so I can forward the link to others. Again I appear to be able to receive emails on the phone, but not easily send them. However I can webmail on Lee's laptop so not too much drama to do it that way
Love
Sarah
Enough preamble. What a beautiful, laid back place. They talk about 'island time' and it really is. The weather has been warm but not heaps. It's been quite windy today but I've still managed 4 swims. Before brunch, after brunch, in the afternoon at the High Commissioner's residence don't you know (basically an open invite to Kiwis and hangers on to their pool area) and then this evening I took myself off for a night time swim.
Lee and Darryl live right on the beach (the photo is from their deck) and you can swim anywhere here. There are some rocky areas so it's nice to go where there is a bit of space, but the rocks are where the fish are and with a mask and snorkel there is a whole other world right there just waiting for you to see it. I plan to do some serious snorkeling while I'm here, it's so interesting and peaceful. Just have to watch the sun as the shoulders have seen a little too much today.
Lee has also kindly sourced a bike for me while I'm here, and it comes with the offer of company for some off the main road touring as well. Roger and Ruth are friends of Lee and Darryl's and Roger is pretty keen so I hope that will be good too.
There are lots of insects here, but none appear to be biting me yet so I'm pleased about that. They also get lots of lizards (called moko) that hang out on the ceiling of the deck where we've been eating. It's fun to watch them scuttle about.
It's most pleasant sitting here on the deck listening to the waves. The stars are pretty vivid though the clouds are whispy and wafting across the sky and the nearly full moon.
Merry Christmas from Rarotonga and I'll post again when I have something interesting to say. Heather and Kerry would you mind putting out the word to a few people that I'm posting again, and Heather if you could please copy me in so I can forward the link to others. Again I appear to be able to receive emails on the phone, but not easily send them. However I can webmail on Lee's laptop so not too much drama to do it that way
Love
Sarah
Friday, 27 July 2012
Final post, be warned it's a long one
Firstly, Zion and Vegas, two places that couldn't be more different!
After camping overnight near Bryce Canyon we drove basically straight to Zion Canyon National Park. What a beautiful area. Again with the amazing rocks in interesting formations! The road we took leading into the canyon was amazing and wound back and forth and included a tunnel a mile long with windows in places to see a glimpse of the canyon. The coolest part was they had to stop traffic coming the other way as the bus was too tall to stay to one side and so we drove down the middle. That added $15 to the entry fee, and it was worth it, at least in my book. This is an incredibly well set up park, the campground is right by the visitor's centre and there are shuttles that run the length of the canyon and back all day and into the evening so there are very few cars on the road. There are a number of different walks and hikes from 15 minutes to 8 hours from easy to "strenuous". Of course the two recommended by our drivers were strenuous so while initially we thought we might not, we ended up doing both Angel's Landing that afternoon, and The Narrows the next morning.
Angel's Landing was really hard! We took about 4.5 hours, but only the last 45 mins was the easy downhill. That same stretch took maybe 2.5 hours to go up, altogether the trail goes up 500 meters which is a lot!!! I was glad there was some cloud cover and it was marginally cooler than it had been. That part of the trail was paved the whole way and there were a couple of sets of switchbacks which reminded me of Bryce the day before. Then we arrived at an open area (again lots of chipmunks hanging around, I'm almost immune now) where you decide whether to go on. The last stretch is incredibly scrambly and scary as you are so high up and there is not much room for error. There are signs saying there have been fatalities and "Your safety is your responsibility"! There are chains strung along significant stretches of the way (I won't call it a path!) and they were very necessary. I spent most of my time watching closely where I was putting my feet, when I paused to look around I got some serious stomach issues and went back to looking at my feet. I don't have an issue with heights but there are heights and then there are *heights*!! Still the end result was worth it. An amazing view and a definite sense of accomplishment! Boy was I tired, but I still made it to a Ranger Talk in the evening, "The eyes of Zion" about how the different animals see the world, and I really enjoyed that too.
The Narrows was very different. Zion Canyon is created by the Virgin River and this walk goes up the top end of the canyon and up the river. Literally, the river is the path. The beauty of this walk is that it is up and back with no real "end" and so you can just go as far as you want to. The deepest part we went through was just over my waste, I understand further up you are swimming but we didn't go that far. I was much more comfortable on this walk, the worst that could happen if you lost your footing was a sore and wet butt, and I certainly saw a couple of people looking unhappy and wet from head to toe and I suspect that was what happened. I had taken the advice and worn my hiking boots and so the footing was pretty good, though the current was reasonable in places so I was pretty careful. We also had our cameras in zip-lock bags and were very careful when we took them out. While the previous hike had me marveling at the efforts made to create the trail, this was the exact opposite with no trail maintenance required :-). We were however still warned about safety, and had to check before we went for the possibility of flash flooding (not impossible as we had some decent rain the night before we arrived).
For this hike Daz, Minnie and I were joined by Anders and Katrin from Denmark and it was nice to have their company too. I have enjoyed getting to know them, they are a lovely couple. The scenary on this walk was beautiful (I think I'm overusing that word today) and it was another hot cloudless day so a good choice of walk to do. We had time for one more wee stop and made it back to the bus with time to get changed and a bit dry and head to Las Vegas.
Zion was much greener than most of the other National Parks we've been in recently and it was incredibly well set up for visitors of a whole range of abilities and interests with wheelchair accessible paths and a horse-riding trail. I saw a few cyclists too but that did look like hard work! Also the fact we could camp right in the park made this probably my favorite stop.
The 3 hour drive to Vegas took us out of Utah, through about 25 miles across the corned of Arizona and into Nevada. My last two new states (I'll be in California today but I've been there before). In total I have done 25 states, two Canadian Provinces and Washington DC (which is also 4 time zones) so not a bad effort. Still plenty to go for the next trip or two though :-). The drive was interesting for a while but certainly flattened out, and you could see Vegas from a long way out.
After dropping all the others near The Strip the drivers kindly dropped me at my motel. It was so nice to have a shower and spread out in my own space. After getting myself sorted I headed out to try and meet up with some of the others, but didn't manage it so just wandered around on my own. That was fine, I planned to lose a little money and I did, just enough to confirm I really am not a gambler! The layout of the whole town is designed to get you in and keep you in the casinos, for the most part you can't cross the street you have to go up and over, and that often involves going through a casino. The streets are named for the casino on them, and they take up whole (big) blocks. And the lights and sounds (music and advertising) and smells (food and cigarettes) were almost overwhelming, just so many people everywhere. Also, two completely unusual activities in my world, smoking inside and drinking outside were completely common and ok, many casinos had street facing bars and everyone seemed to be drinking. Alcohol was really cheap, or free if you were gambling! Also there seemed to be heaps of kids about, even really late which I didn't expect at all.
I did go back to the bus pick-up point to say goodbye to the others and then headed to the motel (only a 10 min walk from The Strip) around midnight.
Next day was Dig This. I had some help the day before to make sure I knew how to get there and I had plenty of time, especially as I woke up too early! I even managed to get my boots mostly dry as I had to wear them, they are the only closed toe shoes I have with me. I was also introduced to the owner, Ed, a fellow kiwi and had a bit of a chat to him. Then it was on to the breathalyser check (understandable!) and the safety briefing, before heading out into the heat. There were two vehicle options, excavators and bulldozers, only the latter was available by the time I booked, and I thought I would have preferred the other, but actually I think I was happier as we got to do a lot of actual driving while the other was more sitting still and using the bucket on the digger a lot. We got to build a ramp and then go over it, and back, and sideways and then try and flatten it out. There was also a row of cones to slalom through, and later to push a stack of large 2 large tires through. I managed not to take out any cones though came pretty close a couple of times and certainly kicked up some dust, though they had a truck spraying water periodically which helped. I was also very glad the cab was air conditioned. I was very happy but quite exhausted by the end of the time and some kind locals gave me a lift to the motel so I didn't have to walk back to the bus stop in the 40 degree heat. After a quick blog post which I managed in spite of the seriously dodgy Internet access I took a much needed afternoon nap.
My second evening I had a couple of things I wanted to catch at certain times and as traffic is so choked up at all times of the day you have to allow lots of time. There is a good bus service though that runs frequently, it's called the Deuce and while slow at least has air con and seats! Treasure Island has a show every 90 mins with Sirens and Pirates and a bit of a battle with fireworks which was fun and had heaps of people watching. Then a long way from the main part of The Strip is Fremont Street which apparently is old Las Vegas. It has a long canopy which they project video on to, and free street concerts and on the hour they do a music and light show (picture attached). I spent a bit of time there, just wandering and looking, there are heaps of people in costume (both recognisable characters and randomly) on the street here and on The Strip, I saw the Angry Bird, lots of Captain Jack Sparrows and Captain America and Thor to name but a few. This area was slightly more low key but that's speaking relatively of course and they also have the Neon Museum which is lots of old signs which have been restored and are dotted along Fremont Street and while pretty certainly adds to the visual clutter. It was after 1am by the time I got in, and with a 5am airport shuttle to catch that didn't leave much time for sleep!
Today I've made it to LA and Universal Studios though I didn't get there till nearly midday due to a flight schedule change. Still I made it around all the attractions and shows thanks completely to the front of the line pass I purchased. There is no way I would have managed it with any waiting at all. Best ride was Transformers 3D which was mostly motion and visual rather than an actual roller coaster which they had with a Mummy ride, and best show was probably the Terminator 2: 3D one, although they did a great job with Waterworld. The shows featured live actors and lots of action and special effects. Being a movie buff I appreciated the behind the scenes tour showing the sound stages and external sets, everything from the standard New York city set which can be changed up to be any American city, to Wisteria Lane from Desperate Houseives and the Amityville set from Jaws. This ride also featured some action set pieces, a King Kong one created by Peter Jackson among others and they were fun too.
Now I'm on my way back to the airport, hopefully with a little time up my sleeve, and hopefully I'll find a Wi Fi somewhere so this gets home before I do. It's been a good day though a little stressful with the time pressure. At least I managed to check my main bag all the way through from Vegas to Auckland so I didn't have to manage that today. They don't have any luggage storage at LAX anymore, since 9/11 of course. Sigh.
So, to round up the trip. I'm really glad I did it and I've seen and done some really cool things. It was good to have Mum for the first part, and it was absolutely the right call to not have her for the second. It was certainly an experience, on the whole I think the first tour was better, but for a whole variety of reasons which I probably still haven't picked apart so I'll save that for another time. As if I didn't know already, this trip has demonstrated how much better I function on enough sleep, and traveling is hard enough without that added challenge. Not sure what I'd do differently, I'm not sure I'm capable of planning down days, maybe I need to practice that (but don't hold your breath!)
That's me, I'm signing off, see you all on the other side of the date line :-)
Love
Sarah
After camping overnight near Bryce Canyon we drove basically straight to Zion Canyon National Park. What a beautiful area. Again with the amazing rocks in interesting formations! The road we took leading into the canyon was amazing and wound back and forth and included a tunnel a mile long with windows in places to see a glimpse of the canyon. The coolest part was they had to stop traffic coming the other way as the bus was too tall to stay to one side and so we drove down the middle. That added $15 to the entry fee, and it was worth it, at least in my book. This is an incredibly well set up park, the campground is right by the visitor's centre and there are shuttles that run the length of the canyon and back all day and into the evening so there are very few cars on the road. There are a number of different walks and hikes from 15 minutes to 8 hours from easy to "strenuous". Of course the two recommended by our drivers were strenuous so while initially we thought we might not, we ended up doing both Angel's Landing that afternoon, and The Narrows the next morning.
Angel's Landing was really hard! We took about 4.5 hours, but only the last 45 mins was the easy downhill. That same stretch took maybe 2.5 hours to go up, altogether the trail goes up 500 meters which is a lot!!! I was glad there was some cloud cover and it was marginally cooler than it had been. That part of the trail was paved the whole way and there were a couple of sets of switchbacks which reminded me of Bryce the day before. Then we arrived at an open area (again lots of chipmunks hanging around, I'm almost immune now) where you decide whether to go on. The last stretch is incredibly scrambly and scary as you are so high up and there is not much room for error. There are signs saying there have been fatalities and "Your safety is your responsibility"! There are chains strung along significant stretches of the way (I won't call it a path!) and they were very necessary. I spent most of my time watching closely where I was putting my feet, when I paused to look around I got some serious stomach issues and went back to looking at my feet. I don't have an issue with heights but there are heights and then there are *heights*!! Still the end result was worth it. An amazing view and a definite sense of accomplishment! Boy was I tired, but I still made it to a Ranger Talk in the evening, "The eyes of Zion" about how the different animals see the world, and I really enjoyed that too.
The Narrows was very different. Zion Canyon is created by the Virgin River and this walk goes up the top end of the canyon and up the river. Literally, the river is the path. The beauty of this walk is that it is up and back with no real "end" and so you can just go as far as you want to. The deepest part we went through was just over my waste, I understand further up you are swimming but we didn't go that far. I was much more comfortable on this walk, the worst that could happen if you lost your footing was a sore and wet butt, and I certainly saw a couple of people looking unhappy and wet from head to toe and I suspect that was what happened. I had taken the advice and worn my hiking boots and so the footing was pretty good, though the current was reasonable in places so I was pretty careful. We also had our cameras in zip-lock bags and were very careful when we took them out. While the previous hike had me marveling at the efforts made to create the trail, this was the exact opposite with no trail maintenance required :-). We were however still warned about safety, and had to check before we went for the possibility of flash flooding (not impossible as we had some decent rain the night before we arrived).
For this hike Daz, Minnie and I were joined by Anders and Katrin from Denmark and it was nice to have their company too. I have enjoyed getting to know them, they are a lovely couple. The scenary on this walk was beautiful (I think I'm overusing that word today) and it was another hot cloudless day so a good choice of walk to do. We had time for one more wee stop and made it back to the bus with time to get changed and a bit dry and head to Las Vegas.
Zion was much greener than most of the other National Parks we've been in recently and it was incredibly well set up for visitors of a whole range of abilities and interests with wheelchair accessible paths and a horse-riding trail. I saw a few cyclists too but that did look like hard work! Also the fact we could camp right in the park made this probably my favorite stop.
The 3 hour drive to Vegas took us out of Utah, through about 25 miles across the corned of Arizona and into Nevada. My last two new states (I'll be in California today but I've been there before). In total I have done 25 states, two Canadian Provinces and Washington DC (which is also 4 time zones) so not a bad effort. Still plenty to go for the next trip or two though :-). The drive was interesting for a while but certainly flattened out, and you could see Vegas from a long way out.
After dropping all the others near The Strip the drivers kindly dropped me at my motel. It was so nice to have a shower and spread out in my own space. After getting myself sorted I headed out to try and meet up with some of the others, but didn't manage it so just wandered around on my own. That was fine, I planned to lose a little money and I did, just enough to confirm I really am not a gambler! The layout of the whole town is designed to get you in and keep you in the casinos, for the most part you can't cross the street you have to go up and over, and that often involves going through a casino. The streets are named for the casino on them, and they take up whole (big) blocks. And the lights and sounds (music and advertising) and smells (food and cigarettes) were almost overwhelming, just so many people everywhere. Also, two completely unusual activities in my world, smoking inside and drinking outside were completely common and ok, many casinos had street facing bars and everyone seemed to be drinking. Alcohol was really cheap, or free if you were gambling! Also there seemed to be heaps of kids about, even really late which I didn't expect at all.
I did go back to the bus pick-up point to say goodbye to the others and then headed to the motel (only a 10 min walk from The Strip) around midnight.
Next day was Dig This. I had some help the day before to make sure I knew how to get there and I had plenty of time, especially as I woke up too early! I even managed to get my boots mostly dry as I had to wear them, they are the only closed toe shoes I have with me. I was also introduced to the owner, Ed, a fellow kiwi and had a bit of a chat to him. Then it was on to the breathalyser check (understandable!) and the safety briefing, before heading out into the heat. There were two vehicle options, excavators and bulldozers, only the latter was available by the time I booked, and I thought I would have preferred the other, but actually I think I was happier as we got to do a lot of actual driving while the other was more sitting still and using the bucket on the digger a lot. We got to build a ramp and then go over it, and back, and sideways and then try and flatten it out. There was also a row of cones to slalom through, and later to push a stack of large 2 large tires through. I managed not to take out any cones though came pretty close a couple of times and certainly kicked up some dust, though they had a truck spraying water periodically which helped. I was also very glad the cab was air conditioned. I was very happy but quite exhausted by the end of the time and some kind locals gave me a lift to the motel so I didn't have to walk back to the bus stop in the 40 degree heat. After a quick blog post which I managed in spite of the seriously dodgy Internet access I took a much needed afternoon nap.
My second evening I had a couple of things I wanted to catch at certain times and as traffic is so choked up at all times of the day you have to allow lots of time. There is a good bus service though that runs frequently, it's called the Deuce and while slow at least has air con and seats! Treasure Island has a show every 90 mins with Sirens and Pirates and a bit of a battle with fireworks which was fun and had heaps of people watching. Then a long way from the main part of The Strip is Fremont Street which apparently is old Las Vegas. It has a long canopy which they project video on to, and free street concerts and on the hour they do a music and light show (picture attached). I spent a bit of time there, just wandering and looking, there are heaps of people in costume (both recognisable characters and randomly) on the street here and on The Strip, I saw the Angry Bird, lots of Captain Jack Sparrows and Captain America and Thor to name but a few. This area was slightly more low key but that's speaking relatively of course and they also have the Neon Museum which is lots of old signs which have been restored and are dotted along Fremont Street and while pretty certainly adds to the visual clutter. It was after 1am by the time I got in, and with a 5am airport shuttle to catch that didn't leave much time for sleep!
Today I've made it to LA and Universal Studios though I didn't get there till nearly midday due to a flight schedule change. Still I made it around all the attractions and shows thanks completely to the front of the line pass I purchased. There is no way I would have managed it with any waiting at all. Best ride was Transformers 3D which was mostly motion and visual rather than an actual roller coaster which they had with a Mummy ride, and best show was probably the Terminator 2: 3D one, although they did a great job with Waterworld. The shows featured live actors and lots of action and special effects. Being a movie buff I appreciated the behind the scenes tour showing the sound stages and external sets, everything from the standard New York city set which can be changed up to be any American city, to Wisteria Lane from Desperate Houseives and the Amityville set from Jaws. This ride also featured some action set pieces, a King Kong one created by Peter Jackson among others and they were fun too.
Now I'm on my way back to the airport, hopefully with a little time up my sleeve, and hopefully I'll find a Wi Fi somewhere so this gets home before I do. It's been a good day though a little stressful with the time pressure. At least I managed to check my main bag all the way through from Vegas to Auckland so I didn't have to manage that today. They don't have any luggage storage at LAX anymore, since 9/11 of course. Sigh.
So, to round up the trip. I'm really glad I did it and I've seen and done some really cool things. It was good to have Mum for the first part, and it was absolutely the right call to not have her for the second. It was certainly an experience, on the whole I think the first tour was better, but for a whole variety of reasons which I probably still haven't picked apart so I'll save that for another time. As if I didn't know already, this trip has demonstrated how much better I function on enough sleep, and traveling is hard enough without that added challenge. Not sure what I'd do differently, I'm not sure I'm capable of planning down days, maybe I need to practice that (but don't hold your breath!)
That's me, I'm signing off, see you all on the other side of the date line :-)
Love
Sarah
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Just a quick note about Dig This
My goodness gracious!! Who knew driving a bulldozer was so much fun!! They are planning to quote me on their Facebook page because when I came back in I said my face hurt from smiling so much!!
I got a certificate and they threw in the photo, mine are all on the camera so I'll bore you with those later. Anyone going to Vegas must do this, apparently they are looking at setting one up in Florida and Sydney as well, watch this space.
Tired now!
I got a certificate and they threw in the photo, mine are all on the camera so I'll bore you with those later. Anyone going to Vegas must do this, apparently they are looking at setting one up in Florida and Sydney as well, watch this space.
Tired now!
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
And now I've been to Bryce Canyon
The last few days we've done a number of hikes in National Parks and they have all been very cool.
First was the Hanging Lakes in the Colorado River area. This was about an hour up through forest to a beautiful lake that has a very specific ecological profile which means you can't swim in it but it is very clear and has very colourful deposits around it. There are a couple of waterfalls and lots of good photo opportunities, as well as some hopeful chipmunks for yet more photos. That was probably my favourite hike of them all, as it was really quite green and very pretty. There were some quite scrambly bits which were fun. I have also established a couple of trail buddies. Daz is English and 32 and has just left the army. He is enjoying not having to go hard and is one of those very prepared people who makes you feel very safe. He seems to have adopted Minnie who is 19 and German and goes about the same pace I want to go so the three of us (and sometimes some others) have pretty much done all the hikes together. They'll feature in quite a few photos!
After that hike we went to go white water rafting on the Colorado River. How many people can say they've done that?? I'd never done it before and it was fun though it did feel a little tame. I'm sure there are better places in my own country of which I shall have to avail myself when I get home!
I had the opportunity to talk to home that evening so that was nice. It can get a little much to be spending so much time with the same people especially as some do rub me up the wrong way!
We did an overnight drive to Arches National Park, arriving in time to watch the sunrise. More pretty rocks with interesting shapes, this time (you'll be surprised to know) with lots of arches. More hiking in some serious heat, about three hours all up and boy do we go through the water! More scrambling over rocks and spotting the wildlife, this time lizards, and more photo ops. After the hike we did a brief stop to see the Delicate Arch which is the one that looks like cowboy legs. It's the most iconic shape of all the arches we saw, and even features on the Utah (did I mention new state, check) license plates.
Sunday was a down day with some time in Moab in the morning, and in the evening we arrived at a place called Mystic Hot Springs. It's an out of the way place which has a very hippy vibe (apparently the owner made his money as a graphic artist for The Grateful Dead) and of course the main feature is the hot pools. It was very pleasant to have a long soak after dinner, there was a lady from Salt Lake City I had a good chat to and I certainly slept well that night. I've added a photo of the bus at that stop, as we are just waiting to head out in the morning.
Which brings us to yesterday and Bryce Canyon. Mum and Dad first went there 20 years ago and loved it so much they made a subsequent visit. I know I wouldn't have got away without going there this trip and now I have. And I get it :-). It really is quite the place. It's actually not a canyon as there is no river (unlike Zion and Grand Canyons), the rock formations are created by freezing and thawing water, so technically it's an amphitheater. The formations are really quite beautiful shapes and colours and well worth the visit. Daz, Minnie and I took our time on a couple of the hikes, getting back up out of the canyon involved a section they call Wall Street which was maybe 20 switchbacks going back and forth up the hill. The attached photo shows maybe half of it, Gregor and Claudia are halfway up but you really can't tell it's them!
So now I've done Bryce Canyon.
Last night we camped nearby in a State Park and the weather was quite thundery. We were high enough to be able to see about three different lightening storms on the horizon and there was some decent rain in the night. I've been sleeping on the bus since the weather has been a little cooler over the last couple of nights (as opposed to outside, I'm not really keen to be rained on). Yesterday was only 82 degrees which is about 27 in my language, just a normal hot summer day at home!
I have become aware my holiday is drawing to a close. This time in a week I'll be well back at work and life will be getting back to normal. It's been a good holiday but I'm not really sad there's not much left, I'm sure that may not last long but that's how I'm feeling just now. Part of it is that I hurt my back again a couple of days ago slipping getting into the Colorado River for a swim, (which incidentally was very cool if a little swift to stay in for too long!) and while I am managing with ibuprofen and not missing out on anything I will need to get that sorted when I get home. On a positive note my knee hasn't been giving me any issues for which I am very grateful.
I have worked out how to review photos on the camera now, so that will be a job sometime, hopefully before I get home!
See you all soon!
Love
Sarah
First was the Hanging Lakes in the Colorado River area. This was about an hour up through forest to a beautiful lake that has a very specific ecological profile which means you can't swim in it but it is very clear and has very colourful deposits around it. There are a couple of waterfalls and lots of good photo opportunities, as well as some hopeful chipmunks for yet more photos. That was probably my favourite hike of them all, as it was really quite green and very pretty. There were some quite scrambly bits which were fun. I have also established a couple of trail buddies. Daz is English and 32 and has just left the army. He is enjoying not having to go hard and is one of those very prepared people who makes you feel very safe. He seems to have adopted Minnie who is 19 and German and goes about the same pace I want to go so the three of us (and sometimes some others) have pretty much done all the hikes together. They'll feature in quite a few photos!
After that hike we went to go white water rafting on the Colorado River. How many people can say they've done that?? I'd never done it before and it was fun though it did feel a little tame. I'm sure there are better places in my own country of which I shall have to avail myself when I get home!
I had the opportunity to talk to home that evening so that was nice. It can get a little much to be spending so much time with the same people especially as some do rub me up the wrong way!
We did an overnight drive to Arches National Park, arriving in time to watch the sunrise. More pretty rocks with interesting shapes, this time (you'll be surprised to know) with lots of arches. More hiking in some serious heat, about three hours all up and boy do we go through the water! More scrambling over rocks and spotting the wildlife, this time lizards, and more photo ops. After the hike we did a brief stop to see the Delicate Arch which is the one that looks like cowboy legs. It's the most iconic shape of all the arches we saw, and even features on the Utah (did I mention new state, check) license plates.
Sunday was a down day with some time in Moab in the morning, and in the evening we arrived at a place called Mystic Hot Springs. It's an out of the way place which has a very hippy vibe (apparently the owner made his money as a graphic artist for The Grateful Dead) and of course the main feature is the hot pools. It was very pleasant to have a long soak after dinner, there was a lady from Salt Lake City I had a good chat to and I certainly slept well that night. I've added a photo of the bus at that stop, as we are just waiting to head out in the morning.
Which brings us to yesterday and Bryce Canyon. Mum and Dad first went there 20 years ago and loved it so much they made a subsequent visit. I know I wouldn't have got away without going there this trip and now I have. And I get it :-). It really is quite the place. It's actually not a canyon as there is no river (unlike Zion and Grand Canyons), the rock formations are created by freezing and thawing water, so technically it's an amphitheater. The formations are really quite beautiful shapes and colours and well worth the visit. Daz, Minnie and I took our time on a couple of the hikes, getting back up out of the canyon involved a section they call Wall Street which was maybe 20 switchbacks going back and forth up the hill. The attached photo shows maybe half of it, Gregor and Claudia are halfway up but you really can't tell it's them!
So now I've done Bryce Canyon.
Last night we camped nearby in a State Park and the weather was quite thundery. We were high enough to be able to see about three different lightening storms on the horizon and there was some decent rain in the night. I've been sleeping on the bus since the weather has been a little cooler over the last couple of nights (as opposed to outside, I'm not really keen to be rained on). Yesterday was only 82 degrees which is about 27 in my language, just a normal hot summer day at home!
I have become aware my holiday is drawing to a close. This time in a week I'll be well back at work and life will be getting back to normal. It's been a good holiday but I'm not really sad there's not much left, I'm sure that may not last long but that's how I'm feeling just now. Part of it is that I hurt my back again a couple of days ago slipping getting into the Colorado River for a swim, (which incidentally was very cool if a little swift to stay in for too long!) and while I am managing with ibuprofen and not missing out on anything I will need to get that sorted when I get home. On a positive note my knee hasn't been giving me any issues for which I am very grateful.
I have worked out how to review photos on the camera now, so that will be a job sometime, hopefully before I get home!
See you all soon!
Love
Sarah
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