...and round, and round, and round...and round

La - Monterey Bay - San Francisco - Yosemite

19th - 21st May

On the bus we went again for our trip to San Francisco. This was a loooong drive up to Monterey Bay where we stoped off at Pebble Beach, it has a famous PGA golf course along with an amazing view, a rock that has turned white cause it has been pooed on so maney times (we named it poo rock see our photos) and lots of big mansions. Ohh and there are dear just roaming around the golf course.... and squirrels
Then we headed up to San Francisco this was like a full on day of just driving.

On the bus early morning again (20th) and off for our tour around San Francisco. This started off with a huge walk up Lombard street that's Americas windiest street and being San Francisco it also felt like the steepest as well. Then we got driven to yet another china town for our all American breakfast... The menu's were all in Chinese the only thing we could read was the price so we had to use the pictures to tell our all Chinese waitress what we wanted for our all American breakfast. lol... ahh good times.
Then we went up to Napa Valley for some wine tasting, so funny Matt looked like he needed a spew buckets with some of the wines he tasted.
Back to San Francisco for a boat cruise that went under the golden gate bridge and right up to Alcatraz.
After lunch we got dumped of in China town...Again for 3 hours so we missioned it up to the white end of town for some BK and window shopping.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/SanFrancisco?authkey=dFsgFZnY_rM

21st was a 13 hour bus drive back to La. Matt was sick again this time he nearly made a few Chinese ladies sick to it was kind of funny to watch. Unfortunately he had just discovered the yummy snack of goldfish (Little Cheddar snacks) emmm yummy don't think we will be eating those again for a while.
We stoped off at Yosemite National Park on the way that was very impressive too. It has the 5th largest water fall in the world. And El Capetian. That's the big ass rock face that Jack Osborne climbed up on that tv show he had a while ago.
Then home to La for some more sweet Mexican food with Alex and Tara.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/Yosemite?authkey=V-YAlhb4n_g

The wheels on the bus go round and round...

La - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Hoover Dam

16 - 18 May

Right, Well we took a tour that we booked online in NZ before we arrived in the USA. Un be known to us it was a Chinese owned and operated venture that became an adventure for us.
On the first day (16th) we got picked up early from the hotel and taken to the Chinese bus hq. After a quick toilet stop we got loaded on the bus... to discover we were the only whiteys on the whole tour. Lucky for us our Chinese tour guide Harry set out the rules one of them being the only languages translated on the bus were "Chinese Mandarin and English." Oh and the other rule was no using the toilet on the bus cause smells lasted the whole tour.
Any way we set off on the road for an 8 hour drive to Las Vegas baby. After booking into the Hotel we got back on the bus for an additional 5 hour tour of "The strip" To experience the night life of Las Vegas. The tour included alot of the free shows put on by all the billion dollar hotel casinos... Amazing!!! Everything in Vegas is huge, like nothing in New Zealand even compares there signs are the size of our buildings.
Here are some pic's http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/LasVegas?authkey=yB1E9CVWjU0
I just want to mention my fave though, it was called the Vanetian Hotel and inside was just stunning for lack of a better word. It was all themed like venace including canals that ran right through the building on every level that included singing dudes in those cool boat things sooo romantic all the roofs painted like sky and lit up so it felt like daytime, and in other parts the ceiling was painted like the Sistine Chapel.

By now we had got the knack of communicating with people on the bus through there basic English and our sign language it was always a good laugh trying to have a conversation.

This is a pic of some of the people we meet...

Next day (17th) up early for our tour to the Grand Canyon we were a bit gutted cause you travel for like 5 hours and we only got to stay for like an hour at the Canyon. But it was so worth the drive. It is just so hard to comprehend how huge it is you cant even see the end of it and so captivating.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/GrandCanyon?authkey=qB8iTK4ydHI
We also got to go see an imax movie that explained the history of the Grand Canyon it had awesome shots from the ground up that gave a totally different prospective.
Unfortunately Matt just couldn't hold onto his lunch on the drive home, he made it down to the back of the bus just in time to be sick which meant he broke number 2 rule of the bus, luckily the smell didn't hold for the whole tour though.

Back to LA on the 18th had a bit of a day tour through Vegas and stoped off at the Hoover Dam as well.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/HooverDam?authkey=ttn8S71jyXQ

Hey Mickey your so fine...

We have spent the last Two days at Disneyland and California dream land.

As far as we are concerned Disneyland is perfection! Love the design, the detail and the atmosphere. Most of all I (Renee) love the fact that I can hop on every ride and know I am not going to poop myself... apart from splash mountain, I mean what are the thinking a seven story drop in a log floom with no seat belts. Anyway

There theme this year is "Disneyland Where Dreams Come True" Well Matty's dream came true then he went to the bathroom and a cast member gave him this cool lanyard with two Disneyland pins on it (people are going crazy over them cause you can trade them and stuff) Matt did ask for one for his wife to but the cast member said I had to come get one myself, so as some as you may have observed Matt leaves going to the toilet to the very last minute, I mean sometimes he is doing a little dance to try hold it in... so Matt being the caring, compassionate guy he is... went to the bathroom so I missed out. Grrrr he is never going to live that one down.

Anyway good times all round. http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/DisneyLand?authkey=yBN_tLq_CbM

After completing all the rides we wanted to do at Disneyland we moved onto California dream land.

Now Matt was in paradise here all the rides extreme. I couldn't go on them... I had to hold the bags, bummer. Yeah right I wanted to hold in the massive slices of pizza we had eaten for lunch, oh and I want to make it through the two years of our OE.

Lots more to mention but we will just have to tell the stories when we get back.

Last night after Alex picked us up we all went out to Mexican for dinner yummy, we are talking the real thing never tasted anything like it, beats old el paso hands down.

Alex and Tara have been amazing they are the best hosts you could ever want, they have so much local knowledge and are a real hard case to hang out with.

Well must go this was our first sleep in morning since we have been here and now its like 1pm and we need some breakfast.

Welcome to America

We arrived in America on Saturday after a long, bumpy 12hr flight.

Alex and Tara (Renee's parents friends) picked us up from the airport took us home for a quick shower and then whisked us off to see the sights of Hollywood, woot-woot.
First stop was Pinks a hot dog joint that was first established as a cart on the side walk in 1939 and 60 years later it is a small building with a que that wraps almost half way round it waiting for the most famous hot dogs in Hollywood. The walls are covered in autographed photos of all the "stars" that have eaten or regularly send their gofers to go wait in the hour long que to pick up a hot dog for them. check out the size of the onion rings almost the size of Matt's head...now that's big hehehe http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/Pinks?authkey=fRtXRJy88uo

Then we moved on to see the Chines main theater that's the one that has all the hand prints and foot prints of the actors and actresses in the footpaths. That was cool apart from the wired and extremely life like Freddie Crogure (sorry about my spelling) who kept following me asking if I liked his chain saw. Oh and the theater is on Hollywood Blvd that's also the street that has the stars with names in it. http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/Hollywood?authkey=xz-W128UEas
After that we went for a quick drive up Rodao drive (where pretty woman went shopping.) Then for a look around Beverly hills to see all the massive mentions.

Then home to bed. ahhhh

So long and thanks for all the fish

Tonight we had a going away dinner at Brakers with some of our friends. It was good to catch up and say good bye to people, we also got email and other contact details (my space, cell, post and mums address).
Brakers is good value and have a great hot meat roll which renee gets alot and I had fish and chips.

Thanks to all of you that came it was great.

This week and from now on until we go we have every night and the weekend visiting people, saying good bye and catching up one last time.

On monday we were at the Nortons place which so sweet because Jill is a great cook. It was good to catch up with valarie and get some tips for england and La tomatina (more on those in later posts).

As promised here is a picture of duane (sorry about the spelling)


there are more pics in my new online gallary found at http://picasaweb.google.com/mattblairmail/ElimiteGoingAway%20?authkey=mrUqtTSdG9Q
?authkey=mrUqtTSdG9Q

There are some pics I took during the night.

Tomorrow we goto Gisborne to visit some family.
Sunday we will catch up with church mates and Kirk and Donnie.
Monday is supper and Julie anns
Tuesday is Worlds End with Dean and co.
Wednsday is My mum (when i tell her woops)
Thursday is Renees family
Friday is packing and that
Saturday is dinner on a plane.

Not long to go now. woot woot !!!

"So Long and thanks for all the fish" - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy