After 8 and half months of travelling, we're finally back in London!
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Monday, 16 May 2011
New York
Our last stop on our round the world trip was New York. We'd always planned to come here last, and luckily for us Kelly moved here just a few months ago giving us an extra reason to visit.
We'd been to New York only a few years ago and had seen all the major sites, so this time we just had a relaxing week.
Kelly's apartment is really close to Time Square and Central Park so we didn't have too far to go to explore the city. On our first Sunday here Kelly took us to Greenwich Village, Washington Square park and the High Line walk.
On one of the days we took the train to Brooklyn and walked back across the bridge, did some shopping at South Street Sea Port and saw the Wall Street area. On another day we went shopping in Macy's and saw the Flatiron building and on our last weekend Kelly showed us round Central Park. In between time we met some of Kelly's workmates, went for brunch, had Ben and Jerry's ice cream, went shopping at Bloomingdales and ate plenty of good Mexican food.
We've had a nice time in the USA, it's been a good way to end our trip, and Annastasia has really enjoyed the shopping.
From New York we head back to London.....back to reality, but we will still do a few final blog posts, so stay tuned.
We'd been to New York only a few years ago and had seen all the major sites, so this time we just had a relaxing week.
Kelly's apartment is really close to Time Square and Central Park so we didn't have too far to go to explore the city. On our first Sunday here Kelly took us to Greenwich Village, Washington Square park and the High Line walk.
On one of the days we took the train to Brooklyn and walked back across the bridge, did some shopping at South Street Sea Port and saw the Wall Street area. On another day we went shopping in Macy's and saw the Flatiron building and on our last weekend Kelly showed us round Central Park. In between time we met some of Kelly's workmates, went for brunch, had Ben and Jerry's ice cream, went shopping at Bloomingdales and ate plenty of good Mexican food.
We've had a nice time in the USA, it's been a good way to end our trip, and Annastasia has really enjoyed the shopping.
From New York we head back to London.....back to reality, but we will still do a few final blog posts, so stay tuned.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Washington
We arrived in Washington on the red eye at 6am, and it was cold and raining. I know we weren’t very complimentary about LA, but the weather at least was better there than in Washington that morning. We made our way to the hotel where we met up with Les and Eileen (Colin’s parents) who were themselves coming to the end of an American trip. After catching up and getting some much needed Maltesers, Kelly arrived and we all went out to explore the nation’s capital. The weather had cleared up a bit and we decided to get a hop on hop off trolley bus to see the numerous sights of the City. We started the tour at Union station, this was the first of many beautiful historic structures that we would see. Although there was the option to hop off, we were quite sleepy so did the whole loop back to the station where we left the rest of the Greener’s and headed back to the hotel for a snooze. When we awoke it was evening so we went for dinner in a really nice steakhouse.
The next day we felt a lot more awake so explored much more of the city. We went to Arlington cemetery in the morning, saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier and the Kennedy’s grave site. We also went to the Lincoln, Korean, WW2 and Vietnam memorials. After a long lunch we got back on the Trolley bus and did a different loop through Washington, seeing sites such as the Cathedral, weirdly only finished in 1993, the front of the White House and Embassy Row. That evening we went downtown....down to Chinatown for dinner and drinks with Kelly.
The next day we started at the Jefferson and FDR memorials, then headed towards the White House and finally Capitol Hill. That evening we had Mexican at a bar on the Potomac River, we had tried to get in the night before, but it was absolutely packed. It seems like everyone left Washington at the weekend, so the bar was quieter on the Friday, but still had a good atmosphere.
On our last morning we didn’t have much time to see more sights, but had seen everything we really wanted to, so after a lazy start we took the train to New York.
The next day we felt a lot more awake so explored much more of the city. We went to Arlington cemetery in the morning, saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier and the Kennedy’s grave site. We also went to the Lincoln, Korean, WW2 and Vietnam memorials. After a long lunch we got back on the Trolley bus and did a different loop through Washington, seeing sites such as the Cathedral, weirdly only finished in 1993, the front of the White House and Embassy Row. That evening we went downtown....down to Chinatown for dinner and drinks with Kelly.
The next day we started at the Jefferson and FDR memorials, then headed towards the White House and finally Capitol Hill. That evening we had Mexican at a bar on the Potomac River, we had tried to get in the night before, but it was absolutely packed. It seems like everyone left Washington at the weekend, so the bar was quieter on the Friday, but still had a good atmosphere.
On our last morning we didn’t have much time to see more sights, but had seen everything we really wanted to, so after a lazy start we took the train to New York.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Los Angeles
We had spent the whole day in Fiji on Saturday 30th April and only left Fiji at 10pm that night. After a long flight we arrived in LA, but due to the time difference we were right back in Saturday 30th April and got half the day back again. It sounded great to us to gain a day, but in reality it was just really long (40 hours) and tiring.
On arrival we had to get through the tedious USA security, which involves some questions, fingerprints of all fingers on both hands and a photo. One of the passengers, a Japanese girl, couldn't understand English well and the officer struggled to explain this whole process to her. He finally managed through miming the actions to get her right hand fingerprints. Then for the left hand he lifted his own left hand up to demonstrate that she should do the same, but somehow the instructions she got from that was that the 2 of them were playing peek-a-boo. The girl lifted her left hand to her eyes, looking really confused and unsure, but still doing what she thought was expected of her, so this game of peek-a-boo went on for a bit until the officer physically came round to put her hand on the scanner. The whole scenario was hilarious, but I have to say I totally understand that she didn't get what to do, because all the security does seem very over the top.
On our way to pick up our luggage I overheard 2 Americans complaining about the flight staff and food. The man was very upset, because of the sandwich we got on the plane which we were told was a chicken sandwich, but this man didn't agree: "That wasn't a chicken sandwich, that was a chicken... chicken... um... chicken salad sandwich." As if this is such a major difference, I think the Americans just like to complain.
We got our luggage and immediately noticed that something was missing. Colin's Aunt Lynda and cousin Jenni had bought us the cutest luggage tags, they were bright yellow and on them said: "Are we nearly there yet?" We had these on our bags all round the world and people would comment on them all the time and even take photos. Somewhere between checking in at Fiji and checking out at LA, someone had taken both our tags and I was not happy about this. I did throw a bit of a tantrum, typical Annastasia style with my foot stomping and all, which you might think is a bit dramatic for luggage tags, but did I mention that they were really cute and they'd travelled all the way round the world with us?!
Our journey from the airport to our hotel was a bit of a nightmare. We had to change trains and buses 5 times and only finally got to the hotel 4 hours after landing. So that was our welcome to America and unfortunately was a sign of more annoying experiences and people to come.
In general we found the people rude and unfriendly and weren't very impressed with Hollywood and LA. It's not glitzy like we imagined and everything seemed shabby and grimy. Even the stars on Hollywood Boulevard looked tacky (that didn't stop me from taking photos of a few of them though). Also, we went to McDonald's and couldn't even get a Coke. Nothing seemed to work as it should here.
So we decided to get away from the "real" Hollywood and went to Universal Studios for a more glamorous experience. We had a great time on the simulators, enjoyed the 3D shows and the rides were really good fun too, particularly the Jurassic Park one which was a water ride that ends with you going almost completely straight down on a slide. We also met a few characters like The Simpsons and Shrek and had perfect weather on the day to enjoy the whole park.
On our final day before our flight we headed to Downtown LA, but there wasn't much to see and it wasn't very nice. We didn't really enjoy our time in LA, but I guess we're pleased we've been once so we know not to go back again.
From here we flew to Washington.
On arrival we had to get through the tedious USA security, which involves some questions, fingerprints of all fingers on both hands and a photo. One of the passengers, a Japanese girl, couldn't understand English well and the officer struggled to explain this whole process to her. He finally managed through miming the actions to get her right hand fingerprints. Then for the left hand he lifted his own left hand up to demonstrate that she should do the same, but somehow the instructions she got from that was that the 2 of them were playing peek-a-boo. The girl lifted her left hand to her eyes, looking really confused and unsure, but still doing what she thought was expected of her, so this game of peek-a-boo went on for a bit until the officer physically came round to put her hand on the scanner. The whole scenario was hilarious, but I have to say I totally understand that she didn't get what to do, because all the security does seem very over the top.
On our way to pick up our luggage I overheard 2 Americans complaining about the flight staff and food. The man was very upset, because of the sandwich we got on the plane which we were told was a chicken sandwich, but this man didn't agree: "That wasn't a chicken sandwich, that was a chicken... chicken... um... chicken salad sandwich." As if this is such a major difference, I think the Americans just like to complain.
We got our luggage and immediately noticed that something was missing. Colin's Aunt Lynda and cousin Jenni had bought us the cutest luggage tags, they were bright yellow and on them said: "Are we nearly there yet?" We had these on our bags all round the world and people would comment on them all the time and even take photos. Somewhere between checking in at Fiji and checking out at LA, someone had taken both our tags and I was not happy about this. I did throw a bit of a tantrum, typical Annastasia style with my foot stomping and all, which you might think is a bit dramatic for luggage tags, but did I mention that they were really cute and they'd travelled all the way round the world with us?!
Our journey from the airport to our hotel was a bit of a nightmare. We had to change trains and buses 5 times and only finally got to the hotel 4 hours after landing. So that was our welcome to America and unfortunately was a sign of more annoying experiences and people to come.
In general we found the people rude and unfriendly and weren't very impressed with Hollywood and LA. It's not glitzy like we imagined and everything seemed shabby and grimy. Even the stars on Hollywood Boulevard looked tacky (that didn't stop me from taking photos of a few of them though). Also, we went to McDonald's and couldn't even get a Coke. Nothing seemed to work as it should here.
So we decided to get away from the "real" Hollywood and went to Universal Studios for a more glamorous experience. We had a great time on the simulators, enjoyed the 3D shows and the rides were really good fun too, particularly the Jurassic Park one which was a water ride that ends with you going almost completely straight down on a slide. We also met a few characters like The Simpsons and Shrek and had perfect weather on the day to enjoy the whole park.
On our final day before our flight we headed to Downtown LA, but there wasn't much to see and it wasn't very nice. We didn't really enjoy our time in LA, but I guess we're pleased we've been once so we know not to go back again.
From here we flew to Washington.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Fiji
We got to the airport and thought that was it for New Zealand, but NZ customs hadn't finished with us yet, even though we were leaving. After going through the scanning machine, Colin's bag got pulled aside and we were asked for it to be examined. They were concerned about conspicuous looking white powder... also known as sugar. They didn't test the powder with their little finger like they do in the movies and just took our word for it that it was in fact sugar, so we're not quite sure what the point was of stopping us.
After a short flight we got to Fiji and were serenaded by Fijians singing at the airport dressed as you'd imagine in sarongs, floral island style shirts, flower necklaces and playing ukuleles.
When a driver from our hostel came to pick us up he immediately spotted Colin as a Brit, but after I told him I was South African he was confused as he said he'd seen the South African football team and they're all black, and he wanted to know why I'm white.
We arrived at our resort not knowing what to expect as we'd only booked it 2 days before without much research. We wanted to stay somewhere nice for our last few days of travelling, but are still on a backpackers budget. The place has been absolutely perfect, it feels luxurious and relaxed, but wasn't too expensive.
On our way to dinner we were walking along the front of the private beach of the resort and noticed there were frogs everywhere and you can't see them until they hop up when you get close and then you're worried about squishing them. I had one land right on my foot and I'm not sure who was more alarmed, me or the frog. Even our last night here we still weren't used to how many there were, there were hundreds on the short walk from our garden bure to the restaurant.
Other things that were so typical of an island like I picture it were the plenty Hibiscus flowers which the staff picked every day to wear in their hair and to use as decorations. Also the coconut trees, the coconuts kept falling and we had to watch for them not to hit our heads.
On our first night we tried the local fish called Mahimahi. They BBQ'd it for us and it was delicious. We've had it a few times since then and enjoyed it just as much.
Most of the time here in Fiji we've been relaxing, spending our days on the beach on sun loungers or by the pool, topping up our tans and reading.
On one of the mornings we decided to go snorkelling, but unfortunately it had rained a bit the night before which made the water very murky and not easy to see very much. We saw a few zebra fish and a little jellyfish, but not much more. The water was really nice and warm though and it was fun to swim in the ocean, so the trip wasn't a total waste.
Our last couple nights here we had a lot of lightening and thunder and the days were a bit rainy, but still warm enough to swim and we enjoyed our time despite the glum weather.
From here we head to the USA.
After a short flight we got to Fiji and were serenaded by Fijians singing at the airport dressed as you'd imagine in sarongs, floral island style shirts, flower necklaces and playing ukuleles.
When a driver from our hostel came to pick us up he immediately spotted Colin as a Brit, but after I told him I was South African he was confused as he said he'd seen the South African football team and they're all black, and he wanted to know why I'm white.
We arrived at our resort not knowing what to expect as we'd only booked it 2 days before without much research. We wanted to stay somewhere nice for our last few days of travelling, but are still on a backpackers budget. The place has been absolutely perfect, it feels luxurious and relaxed, but wasn't too expensive.
On our way to dinner we were walking along the front of the private beach of the resort and noticed there were frogs everywhere and you can't see them until they hop up when you get close and then you're worried about squishing them. I had one land right on my foot and I'm not sure who was more alarmed, me or the frog. Even our last night here we still weren't used to how many there were, there were hundreds on the short walk from our garden bure to the restaurant.
Other things that were so typical of an island like I picture it were the plenty Hibiscus flowers which the staff picked every day to wear in their hair and to use as decorations. Also the coconut trees, the coconuts kept falling and we had to watch for them not to hit our heads.
On our first night we tried the local fish called Mahimahi. They BBQ'd it for us and it was delicious. We've had it a few times since then and enjoyed it just as much.
Most of the time here in Fiji we've been relaxing, spending our days on the beach on sun loungers or by the pool, topping up our tans and reading.
On one of the mornings we decided to go snorkelling, but unfortunately it had rained a bit the night before which made the water very murky and not easy to see very much. We saw a few zebra fish and a little jellyfish, but not much more. The water was really nice and warm though and it was fun to swim in the ocean, so the trip wasn't a total waste.
Our last couple nights here we had a lot of lightening and thunder and the days were a bit rainy, but still warm enough to swim and we enjoyed our time despite the glum weather.
From here we head to the USA.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Auckland
We only had a week left in New Zealand which didn't really give us enough time to explore somewhere new before we needed to be in Auckland, so we stayed in Rotorua for a few more days, as we'd liked it so much and then made our way to Auckland.
We stopped off at a few more lakes... we're almost at the end of our NZ trip and still we're enjoying the scenery.
For our last night in our van we stayed around the outskirts of Auckland, and dropped it back the next morning. We were really pleased we got the bigger van, as a few times it got very cold in NZ and it was good to have a big enough space to sit, cook and eat in. With the spaceship we had in Australia this would not have been possible.
We didn't do too much in Auckland, even though the city seems pleasant enough, but we just relaxed here after spending all that time in the campervan. Although the campervan was great, it is also nice to be in a proper room and bed again. However we would definitely recommend everyone who wants to see Oz and / or NZ to hire a campervan, it's such a nice way to see the countries. They are both really well set up for camping and you get to see more than you would travelling on the tour buses and it works out cheaper too, bonus.
We've really enjoyed our time in New Zealand. It's more amazing than we imagined and although we've done loads, there's still more to see, so maybe we will come back one day. NZ has definitely been one of our favourite countries we've visited. It's a lot better than Australia and reminds me of South Africa at times.
From Auckland we now fly to Fiji for about a week before heading to the US of A.
Monday, 18 April 2011
White water rafting on Kaitunga River
So despite the rain on the morning, we went white water rafting on the Kaitunga River. We got picked up at our caravan park and taken to the office where we got given gear and safety instructions before hitting the water. I volunteered us to sit at the front of the raft and Colin looked at me with trepidation, but before he could object the guide was giving us some extra instructions / warnings, which made me doubt my enthusiasm and got Colin more worried.
We got onto the river and it was all going well with the river still smooth and us kind of going along very calmly. Then we spotted the first rapid and the big drop we would have to make, only to hear this was a small one.
After this first rapid we were soaked, though the others on the boat were mostly dry and we'd swallowed a lot of water through our mouths and eyes. At this point Colin had an "I told you so" look on his face, which I ignored.
When we got through the other side of the rapid we were pushed into a big pool where we all got out of the raft and swam. The water was surprisingly not cold and having the swim actually warmed us up.
Then we got back in the raft and continued down the river all waiting for the big fall of 7 metres, which we were told is the biggest rapid in the world that non professionals are allowed to raft over on tours like this.
When we finally got to it we went through a few safety tips again and prepared ourselves for it. So we went for it and one moment we were paddling towards the edge and next our guide shouted for us to all get down in the raft and hold on for dear life. The next few seconds kind of go by really quickly although you're also aware of every second and you're not quite sure what's happening to you. Our whole raft went under the water and stayed there for quite a long time (our guide said afterwards that he hadn't ever been under for that long with a group before) and it was on the left edge for most of this time, but it didn't flip over and when we eventually came back up both Colin and I and only 1 other person were still clinging on and managed to stay in the raft. Everyone else fell out, including our guide. We hadn't even realised that our guide had fallen out, because he got back in so quickly, I guess to make sure everyone else was okay, and high-fived the 3 of us for not falling out. It was only when we saw the photos that we realised he fell out too... and he tried to trick us into thinking he hadn't!
The rest of the journey was very mild in comparison and we got a chance to enjoy our surroundings while only rowing every so often.
It was so much fun we wanted to do it again.
We got onto the river and it was all going well with the river still smooth and us kind of going along very calmly. Then we spotted the first rapid and the big drop we would have to make, only to hear this was a small one.
After this first rapid we were soaked, though the others on the boat were mostly dry and we'd swallowed a lot of water through our mouths and eyes. At this point Colin had an "I told you so" look on his face, which I ignored.
When we got through the other side of the rapid we were pushed into a big pool where we all got out of the raft and swam. The water was surprisingly not cold and having the swim actually warmed us up.
Then we got back in the raft and continued down the river all waiting for the big fall of 7 metres, which we were told is the biggest rapid in the world that non professionals are allowed to raft over on tours like this.
When we finally got to it we went through a few safety tips again and prepared ourselves for it. So we went for it and one moment we were paddling towards the edge and next our guide shouted for us to all get down in the raft and hold on for dear life. The next few seconds kind of go by really quickly although you're also aware of every second and you're not quite sure what's happening to you. Our whole raft went under the water and stayed there for quite a long time (our guide said afterwards that he hadn't ever been under for that long with a group before) and it was on the left edge for most of this time, but it didn't flip over and when we eventually came back up both Colin and I and only 1 other person were still clinging on and managed to stay in the raft. Everyone else fell out, including our guide. We hadn't even realised that our guide had fallen out, because he got back in so quickly, I guess to make sure everyone else was okay, and high-fived the 3 of us for not falling out. It was only when we saw the photos that we realised he fell out too... and he tried to trick us into thinking he hadn't!
The rest of the journey was very mild in comparison and we got a chance to enjoy our surroundings while only rowing every so often.
It was so much fun we wanted to do it again.
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