Tucson

Tuscan was sunny, hot, dry and a little empty. The few days I spent here I was a little ill, so didn't get out much. When I did get out, there was not that much to do. I did though go shopping and brought a cool hat. I also went to a botanical garden, where I saw many species of cacti and many plants that were suposed special, but I'm sure we have them in our garden. There was also a butterfly hut, that was very nice. All in all Tucson was a nice city, a few cowboys here and there, but is mainly a uni place, but it was a nice place, if a little too quiet.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas, lights, money, less money, canyon, a tattoo and Robert Downing Jr.



I arrived in downtown Vegas early in the morning and trekked to the Stataphere hotel, my bed for the next few days.

On my first day I took a bus tour to the Grand Canyon, stopping at the hover dam on the way. Due to the events of 9/11, security measures meant that we couldn't get close, but the far away view was cool enough. I don't think you can see in the pic, but they are building a new bridge that will go over the gauge of the dam, this is aslo due to 9/11.

After changing from the large double decker bus to two smaller busses, we continued our trip accross the bumpy and rocky desert to the Grand Canyon, and it was GRAND!

There were seval different view points on the west rim of the canyon, I saw eagals, red indian dances and singing, old bat caves and the left over of a million pound effort to get the bat poo. The attemp to get the bat poo was a mistake, a rich fellow spent nearly 5 times the amount he made from the poo, bat poo is used in many womens make-up products.


While walking around the dry but well tourist troden land, I came across this <<, a film set for a chic-flick out (I was told) christmas time, and who was standing by the edge, Robert Downing Jr, very strange.









The scenery was truly beautiful, miles of endless nothingness, but it was wonderful nothingness.






The journey back to vagas was across catus filled deserts, felt like I was in a western.








The lights of the Las Vegas sparkeled everynight and lured many to lose money in the many casinos, and I was one of them. I lost a little money on the slots and won a little on them. I did try my hand at roulette, and didn't win once (think it was fixed).




This is a pic of just one of the many shopping centres, I think it was about 10pm outside, but you wouldn't tell with the painted ceilings and boats traveling between footlocker and Ben and Jerry's.



There were loads of people walking the streets, some happy and
some a little lost with empty pockets. There were some weddings, and while I was walking through the city I saw a drive through wedding, bright pink cadillac and everything.

Of course I saw the famous foundtain music show, Elton John sang "Your Song", and the water swayed back and fouth and almost pillowetted for everyone's eyes.


Vegas was great, over the top in every way and in every way awsome. I hope to come back, maybe catch that show I missed and try win some money for a change.

I missed my bus to Tucon and had to wait around 10 hours, so rather than lose my money on the slots I though I'd invest it in a tattoo on my back, it hurt a little.

HOLLYWOOD!

Hollywood was a city full of posers, orange burnt people, rocking bikers and too many tourists.


On my first day I took a walking/bus tour to the legendary hollywood sign. It originally read hollywood land, but due to years of weather, the downfall of the hollywood land real estate company and goverment
interference, it now reads hollywood, and is made from australian steel.
The letters of the sign cost $27,500 each, som celebs such as Hugh Hefner helped pay for the letters.

On my second day I took a bus tour around Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Melrose and LA. I saw celebs homes, film sets, celeb spots and owned cafes. The driver, Vick, was a loud mouth funny guy, who on ocations tried to coax celebs from thier homes. He was a strange man.


Other things I did in the night light was expore Hollywood Blvd, look at
the stars. Snooped around the famous kodak theatre, see a weird film in Grauman's Chinese Theatre (the fourth kind, very strange). It was a awsome strange fake city, and I looked forward to Las Vegas, another strange place. Bye.

SAN FRAN!

Long time no text...

San Fran, hippies, hills, seals and sun.

Day one, Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park was way to big and long, I underestimated the size of the place and spent m ost the day here, walking to the coast and back to the hostel.

The park is 1,017 acres and contains a stadium, a japanese tea garden, a few lakes, some windmills, a carousel, some buffalo, some other stuff and plenty of grass. After a long stroll pass some hippies and buffalo, I found myself at china beach, a surfers galor. From there I walked to Lincoln Park where I had great veiws of the bridge.
Day two and I hit Alkatraz. The small island off the coast is the home to the Alkatraz jail that held Al Capone and the Bird Man. This place had a great audio tour, with voices from real prisioners and guards of that time. I had a great oldy vibe and was kept in the same nick it was back then. The jail only closed mainly due to a lack of sewage system.

Day three and I walked to fishermans warf and toured round china town.
Fishermans warf was a bit like a sea front town, an upperclass Gt Yarmouth. Many shops and piratey themed cafes lined the shore, along with pier 39 or 34 (I forget) where hundreds of seals have made thier home. China town was great, true busy china in a relaxed city,
I saw alot of San Fran, too much for this blog, but come back soon to hear about Vegas. Bye!

Greyhound and Salt Lake City

I have just been on my longest bus trip yet, lasting around 40 hours. So I think Greyhound deserve to be blogged. The Greyhound busses are much like a normal bus, unless you get a specail one, these have radios and wifi so you can surf while on the move. The drivers all seem to be different, some nice and chatty, and some a little angry and uptight, you can usually tell which you get when they make there speach at the start of a journey, if they make a joke he or she's ok, if they say "it's against the law to cross the white line while in motion" then you know he or she is evil. If you're lucky you you get a double seat on the longer journeys and get to spreadout and lie down, and maybe sleep for a while.
I strolled around Salt Lake City for a few hours while waiting for my next bus. In that time I shopped, went to the cinema and got shown around the Mormon Temple and grounds by a couple of Mormon sisters. The square which holds the temple, a church, information centres and other wonders was a peaceful place, and one could understand why the Mormons built it. The temple was built by the Mormons by there own hands some 200 years ago, and since then the religion has grown all over the world.
Sister Wingate and Sister Monroco showed me around, I think they were trying to convert me. They were very nice and gave me a blue book to read. That's all for this episode, next time San Fran, bye!