Back in England. Adios!

Hello, I have added a post for my final two weeks below, and this will be my last. I am now back in England amidst the snow and icy winds. Fortunately my flight wasn't cancelled on Monday night; Even though spending a few more days in Antigua wouldn't have exactly been torture, I have been looking forward to catching up with friends and family over Christmas.



Home, in the snow, bags just about intact.



I hope those of you who have been reading my blog have enjoyed it. Even though I only have 9 'followers', quite a few others have told me they have been reading. I have apparently been having some views from Netherlands, Russia, Canada, South Africa, Finland, Croatia, Israel and a few others, so if you have been reading please let me know, maybe I can figure out the reason for all these places!

Before I left I had a few objectives. I'll see how I've done...

1) Avoid any kind of peril.

- I guess playing with tigers could count as dangerous, but it was definitely low risk. I think I managed this pretty well. E.g. not swimming in the sea much because of an inexplicable phobia of fish. And sharks.

2) Relax and be less misanthropic. Maybe even make some friends, but that might be pushing it.

- I've come to realise that I'm just not a very relaxed person. A shame really, I wish I could be, but there's always something that occupies my mind. Nevertheless, not having to think about work is amazing, and most of the time I wasn't particularly stressed out either. I met lots of cool people on my trip, and a few that I hope I will see again. I have seen and visited some awesome places, but it has been the people I have met along the way that made the most enjoyable experiences, and the memories which will stick with me. I'm still a bit of a misanthrope, there are probably fewer annoying people in Mexico, but you can still find them...

3) Not have to suffer England's miserable weather (this shouldn't be too hard to achieve so long as I get on the plane ok... those who know me well will probably read this instead as "3) Top up the tan").

- Well the weather was impeccable for most of my trip, so I have no complaints there, and I was cursing England before I had even got home when I found out about the latest 'freak' conditions. I think the authorities are going to have to realise soon that when England has torrential rain and heavy snow EVERY year, it stops becoming 'freak' and should start being 'expected'... But anyway, barring the cold in Miami and a day of rain in Antigua, the sun was a permanent, and welcome companion!

I'm looking into going away again soon (maybe end of Feb). Haven't decided on the destination but the early money is on Argentina (for any compulsive gamblers, check out Ladbrokes for latest odds). Perhaps I will write another blog, I have enjoyed doing it and am glad I have a record of my trip. Hopefully, as I said earlier, it has been a pleasant read, and I might even be able to say "back by overwhelming popular demand" on my next blog.

Adios!

Twig

Final two weeks

The United States: probably the biggest disappointment since Agustin Delgado. So I went back to Mexico for a bit. Having a flight home from Antigua, which is not particularly well serviced by other routes across the world, meant it was a little tricky and expensive to get back to Mexico City, but I wanted to, so it was worth it.

Before I left, I still had a few more days in Miami to endure enjoy. Wednesday was also pretty cold, but just about warm enough to sit on the beach for an hour or so. When I say 'just about', as soon as the wind picked up I had to pack up and head back to the hostel. The other thing 'to do' in Miami is shop, but seeing as my bag is completely jam-packed with stuff, I couldn't actually buy anything either. Sorry to anyone expecting nice Christmas gifts, but it looks like I will continue my trend this year of not buying anything in a desperate bid to cling onto my youth by being a 'net receiver' on December 25th.

That evening I met Tom and Amy, from Cornwall. They were both chefs and it was quite interesting to learn about their experiences, and certain bits of information to take on board about restaurants (e.g. unless it's a massive kitchen, having lots of options on the menu probably means it isn't fresh produce. Kind of obvious really, but not something I'd given much thought to). They also told me that Cornwall suffers from a disproportionate number of gall-stone sufferers because of the amount of pasties the people eat. Ha.

My final day in Miami was rainy. My first proper day of rain comes at one of the destinations where I had visited purely for the sun. Oh well. What was more of a concern was my sniffling nose and slightly sore throat. I thought that San Francisco, and then Denver might be the undoing of my health due to their low temperatures, but it was Florida that bit me in the end. The fact that they don't normally have such cold conditions means the hostel rooms have no heating, are generally designed to be cool, and little more than a thin bedsheet is provided to you. As a result, I was absolutely freezing a couple of nights in a row, and I'm pretty sure this caused my illness. I headed to Miami airport on Friday, which has the most extortionate prices. I know a captive market is always going to be pricey, but that place is ridiculous.

Mexico City has also turned a bit chilly since I left (the already cold nights have got colder), but I was genuinely excited to be back. First of all, 3 (THREE) pesos for a metro ride, that's about 30 pence, woo! Admittedly, I had to wait twenty minutes before it showed up, but still. It was also quite strange to be wandering amongst all the familiar sites again as I headed to Hostel 333, mainly because I hadn't planned to be back so soon. It was Suha's birthday the following day, so I came back predominantly for that, as I wanted to surprise her and also catch up with some of the other friends that I had left behind a month or two earlier. Unfortunately Beatriz and Whitney-I had left for Colombia a few days earlier so I just missed them, but it was good to see Veronica and the Whitney-II.

To be honest... I actually don't have that much to say about Mexico part II, because typically my cold properly set in a day before I arrived, and left me about a day after I left. I spent my whole trip at Suha's house, where I was looked after. Naturally I used this to my advantage; Instead of making do with cooked meals and medicine, I extended my demands to such extravagances such as getting my laundry done, having tea and coffee made at a mere click of my fingers, and even enjoying a day in bed in front of the football on Sunday. I left on Tuesday fully charged and raring to go! I am exaggerating a little, I actually really enjoyed being back in Mexico, even though it was hampered by being a bit under the weather, and when I left for the airport I once again felt a touch of sadness that this time I knew I definitely wouldn't be coming back for a while.

I had to connect back at my favourite airport again. I lost track of time devising a new hybrid game of english and american football. I was working on the rules for at least an hour (god, why do I insist on telling people this stuff?!) when it dawned on me that I hadn't even been through security yet. Anxiety began to creep in when I saw the long queue and could only mutter in annoyance* as it moved at a snail's pace.

* Weirdly, there is no adjective (at least not to my knowledge) in Spanish for 'annoying'. This is slightly problematic for me, as I spent most of my time either 'annoying' other people (e.g. Barry) or finding things 'annoying'. The closest verb is 'to bother' which is 'molestar'. In Mexico, Suha would occasionally translate to English too obviously - I had to tell her that shouting "Tom, stop molesting me!" is slightly different.

Anyway, back to the queue at security... One thing that was holding us up was another 'fast-track' line which was reserved for pilots, disabled people and people with kids. Now, two of these three I can understand, but I really have no idea why one of these groups gets preferential treatment. That's right, the disabled. Because... no, not really the disabled. People with kids! Why does the entire family get to hold the rest of the crowd up just because they have a pushchair in their ranks?

I boarded the plane, and had to squeeze past a young couple in my row, as I was sat by the window. As our seats were in the emergency exit row, we had more leg room, and it wasn't a big problem to get past them. I made a comment about this being a perk of being in the emergency row, to which the girl replied, "Yeah, it also means we're the first off if the plane crashes". Every cloud. It got me thinking whether I should be annoyed if the plane doesn't crash, since otherwise I haven't had the full benefit of my emergency exit seat...?

Initially I stayed at a place called the Waterfront Hotel in Falmouth Harbour, in the south of the island. It wasn't the greatest place though, with drainage problems, stuffy rooms and ants. Although the ant bit is probably my fault for leaving some marzipan on the side. In order to summarise my first full day experience at the beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua, I will use the means of a 'spot the difference' game below, using two similar pictures of the Antiguan flag.

That's right, there was no sun. It was cloudy and rainy all day. Oh well, it's just one of those things. It's easy for me to say that now, but at the time you can probably guess (correctly) and the thoughts running through my head. That evening I met Justin from the US and Alice and Linne from Sweden. Linne seemed quite interested in Football, so I was able to impress her with Championship Manager knowledge. I say impress her, it was more of a exercise to impress, or even test, myself...

The following day I decided to move to another hotel called 'The Anchorage Rooms', which was a little more expensive but much nicer in every respect. In the morning, I went to the cafe downstairs for breakfast, and on seeing that no cereal-like option existed (despite it being probably the most popular breakfast type across the world, it seems nigh-impossible to get it anywhere), I plumped for 'Eggs Any Way', which came with bacon and toast. Not ideal, but bacon and poached eggs is not to be scoffed at. Except I was then told by the rude waitress/owner that 'poached' wasn't an option. "Not really 'Eggs Any Way' then, is it?" I was tempted to point out. Nonetheless, not to be deflated by this, I spent the afternoon at Pigeon Beach, as the sun had finally decided to make an appearance! I also stopped by the Marina and gawped at the Maltese Falcon, which is pretty massive and impressive.

Left: Maltese Falcon.            Above: Jetty at Pigeon Beach.

That evening I went to the bar and chatted to Chad from New England and Ollie from Majorca/London. Both of them worked on the boats, but had come to the bar near my hotel to escape from endless 'boatie chat' - the harbour is full of yachts and crews. I did end up speaking to them about their time on the water, but I got the feeling they enjoyed talking about their jobs and experiences with me, because being totally uninformed about boats, my conversation was probably a lot different to what they were used to. Ollie told me tales about crossing the Atlantic in a force 11 storm, and how he was understandably, 'bricking it'. Life on the boats sounds pretty awesome, and certainly exciting, but the open water terrifies me to be frank, so whilst Ollie's stories were intriguing, they were probably off-putting in equal measure!

The following morning I headed to the north of the island, Chad had hired a car for the weekend and was heading that way, so kindly offered me a lift. I chatted to Ashley for most of the journey, and it was funny/vindicating to hear how much she disliked Miami airport. My final few days of my trip were spent at the Halcyon Cove resort by Dickenson Bay. It was great to visit the harbour, but equally I wanted to find myself a sandy beach with the stereotypical turquoise water. Which I did.

Hope you're all enjoying the English blizzards

Twig

It's been a while

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. In truth there hasn't been a lot to report, so I think I will wait for a few days before making a longer post, and which will also potentially be my final entry! I haven't had much access to the internet over the past week or so either, which has also contributed to the dearth in updates. 

I have said a few times on here that since going to the States, I really missed Mexico... so I went back! I left Miami on the 10th, and headed to Mexico City until the 14th, before moving on to Antigua, of 'Antigua and Barbuda' fame. It's quite warm at the moment, despite being 7:15pm (four hours behind UK). However there has also been rain forecast this week, so I'm hoping the prospect of lying on a beach tomorrow remains intact.

I'm sure you will all feel really sorry for me if my tropical island paradise is scuppered by what I can only assume is standard fare in England at the moment...

Twig

Florida: Return of the Warmth

Or so I thought.

My reason for going to Tampa Bay was that I was desperate to see an American Football game, and in particular, wanted to see the Falcons play. The game in Tampa (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons) seemed to coincide roughly with my movements through the States, and I was looking forward to feeling the heat of the sun on my back, as well as visiting some cool places in Tampa like Busch Gardens.

I woke up on Sunday morning and was greeted by rain pouring down outside. I have been away from England for 10 weeks and have barely seen any precipitation, yet I was suddenly faced with the prospect of watching an NFL game in a stadium with no roof, with no wet-weather gear to protect me from the storm.

Fortunately, it quickly passed overhead and by midday the sun was out and the sky was blue. There were some other Atlanta fans in the hostel and I chatted to them a bit. Being slightly middle-class, white British, I certainly stood out from the crowd, but as they told me, "we're all family".

I wandered round outside the ground to experience the Tailgate party. In truth, to compare it to England, it felt less like a sporting event and more like a festival. As I milled between the hummers, gazebos and barbecues, I yearned for something to fill my stomach, as I didn't realise there wouldn't be anywhere to actually buy food. I think the approach to "game-day" is different here to back home because people have to travel so far (e.g. four or five hours) to get there, so they make the experience last all day with their friends and families. Eventually, someone sporting a Buccaneers jersey called out (or maybe 'held out an olive branch') to the lonesome Falcon wanderer, and I was quick to seize the opportunity to chat to someone about the football, and to accept their beers and food. It wasn't my intention to freeload, but I wasn't going to shun the chance for the sake of politeness either, I was starving and bored. One of the group, a woman named Sandy, was really nice and was actually once married to a man from Southampton. "Uncle Buc", the guy who originally called out to me, was the archetypal American, very friendly but a little overbearing. He also appeared to be a bit of a racist, seeming to think that fighting in the war against people in the middle-east made it ok to be derogatory about any "towel heads". This was part of the reason why I declined to take Sandy's spare ticket to sit with them in the ground, and kept hold of my own, albeit in a section further from the action.

As I entered the stadium, I was gradually getting more excited about actually seeing a game live, but still had the presence of mind to glance at the 'Prohibited items inside the Raymond James Stadium' sign:

Backpacks, food, drink, bottles, glass, video cameras, banners with sticks or poles, umbrellas, footballs, cameras with >12" lens, chucky dolls (??), horns, large bags, skateboards and.... weapons.

The idea that this last one needed to be on the list just made me laugh quite a bit. But then I was also forgetting about the fact that Americans are allowed to carry guns, so if this wasn't on the list they would assume it was ok to take one in with them...

Before the game, the 'Pirate Ship' exploded the cannons, and continued to do so during the game every time the Bucs scored some points. There was also the standing for the National Anthem. I noticed that barely anybody sung, and thought how amazing it would have been if they had. Especially the last couple of lines, it is quite a stirring melody. If only England had a decent anthem to go with the passion and participation we have.

Raymond James Stadium (most people are still having barbecues in the parking lot)

American football is quite different to 'normal' football, in the sense that every phase of the game is important, so it is quite intense. But equally, there isn't the same level of ecstasy (or surprise, if you are a Southampton fan) when your team scores. There was a little bit of cheering and chanting, but it was less spontaneous and certainly less inventive than in England. Most chants were prompted by the big screen showing things like "Stand Up!" and "De-Fense!"

So, the actual game (I won't go into much detail)... It was close in the first half (14-14). The sun set and it became absolutely freezing. Luckily, I decided to put in a hoodie and scarf 'just in case' when I left the hotel. Thank god I did, it was pretty unbearable even with these additional items of clothing. Nevertheless, I perservered. 

The Bucs took the lead by 3, increasing it to 24-14 shortly afterwards. The Falcons weren't playing particularly well, and so, in true form, I gave up and was pretty miserable about it. I didn't start lashing out at Tampa Bay fans in the vicinity, but instead moped in my seat, not really bothering to watch. That was until Eric Weems, who NEVER returns a kick for a touchdown, decided to return a kick for touchdown. I didn't even bother watching the first 10 yards or so, such was my depression, but sensing that it could be a momentous occasion, I sat up and took notice. For anyone who cares to know what happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGSwZ1jGvzI

Falcons were back in the game, and managed to score another touchdown shortly afterwards to take, and hold the lead. Yet another stressful, but ultimately successful end to a game. I was emotionally drained, freezing cold, and also had a pang of regret that once again I wasn't able to control my 'bad loser' reaction earlier in the game, which in some ways held me back from really savouring the win. But never mind.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 - 28 Atlanta Falcons.

After the game, I was wandering around trying to find a taxi when I saw a group of people huddled near some coaches. It turned out the coaches were for the Falcons players and staff, and a few them came over to sign some things for the crowd. Unfortunately, my favourite player Roddy White, nor any of the other big names, made the effort, but some of them did. I got a couple of signatures, and also a picture with Jason Snelling.

Left:

Jason Snelling in action for the Falcons.

Right:

Probably his greatest moment, meeting me.

By now it was quite late, and I hadn't managed to find any other cheap hotels in the area, so when I went back to the Sheraton to pick up my luggage, I decided to suck it up and pay out $130 for another night (no special points to use this time...) Was a bit annoying, but at least it was another night of luxury. I couldn't make a habit of it though, and had booked my train ticket to Miami for the next morning.

Which is where I write from now, my last stop in the United States. Got the taxi to drop me off at the address of a hostel in South Beach I had found, only to discover that the hostel didn't exist, or had moved, but luckily I was able to find another one just around the corner for the night. I managed to locate the original hostel the next morning, and moved my stuff over without too much trouble.

Today I took a stroll along Ocean Drive. Naturally, I took out my iPod to find the Lighthouse Family, but inexplicably I haven't got them, so had to make do with the Lightning Seeds. "Life of Riley" wasn't really the same, as I ended up thinking about Match of the Day's 'Goal of the Month' rather than taking in Miami's famous beachside strip.




Miami is currently experiencing its lowest temperatures since 1984. Very annoying. At least the Sun is out, but I didn't think I'd need my hoodie and scarf whilst I was here. It looks like the worst possible thing that could happen to me on this trip might actually come to fruition... I might come back to England without a tan.

At least the windsurfers were happy with the conditions

Twig (I've also added some photos to the Denver post, in case you haven't noticed them below).

Denver (the last dinosaur)

Ok, updated post...

The train to Denver took a mammoth 32 hours, but it didn't seem anywhere that bad. I left from Emeryville station at 9:30am and passed through Sacramento, Reno (as well as several other smaller places) and the Sierra Nevada before the night closed in. The average age of the people on the train must have been about 60, and anyone who discovered I was British was quick to ask me what I thought of William and Kate getting married. I don't know if anyone is particularly bothered by it in England, but I assume most people are about as apathetic as I am. I was in a carriage with an elderly couple heading to Nebraska, a guy with two plastic legs (he really struggled just to get up to go to the loo, I don't think I could cope with something like that...), and another couple who I didn't really chat to. Partly/mainly because the guy was really weird. He reminded me a little bit of the bearded man from Home Alone (the one who the kids are all scared of), and it was a little disconcerting when he started shouting at his wife really loudly, things like "I TOLD YOU, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Luckily I had my new 'logic puzzle book' to keep me occupied. I don't know why I enjoy revealing these sorts of things, given that it holds me out to be a complete nerd. But I guess anyone who reads this already has that opinion of me anyway.

UFO sighted just above the tree on the left



Rocky Mountains

I slept quite well on the train, but woke up with three small bite-like bumps on my shoulder. I think the washing powder they gave me at the hostel in San Francisco might have something to do with it. The next part of the train journey took me through the Rockies. The views were pretty much constantly spectacular. I found I was cursing myself for missing "the best shot of the journey", only to realise a few minutes later that I needn't have worried, since the just around the corner there was an even better sight. I also managed to capture a UFO sighting (see picture on the right). In all honesty, I think it was a bit of dirt on the window, but I thought it was quite similar to the kind of shots you would see in those 'unexplained mystery' photos.

Glenwood Springs



I arrived in Denver at 6:30pm and was met at the station by Gina, whose place I stayed at for a couple of nights. I met her through couch surfing, and her apartment was in a nice part of town, fairly close to the centre, and the sofa was just as comfortable as a bed!

The couchsurfer I had arranged to stay with in Tampa cancelled on me at the last minute, so I ended up spending the next morning trying to sort stuff out for the following leg of my trip, and finally headed into central Denver around midday. I tend to walk everywhere, even though it can be a bit time consuming. Mainly because I am too tight to splash out on a cab, too cautious to risk a faux-pas with public transport, and too frail to pass up an opportunity to strengthen the knees.

Denver is actually quite small in size, and I was able to do a lap of the city in a few hours. Even though the skyline looks like a typical big city, I thought it was quite cool how it was so compact, and within a few minutes of the centre, I could be sat in a tranquil park with a small river flowing beside me. Despite having the Rocky Mountains peering down on it, Denver was surprisingly warm. Ok, so it's no Mexico, but I was able to walk round in little more than a T-Shirt (and Trousers, obviously) and not feel cold; I thought it December the weather in the 'Mile High City' would be unbearable, but it seemed a marked improvement on San Francisco!



I meant to get the park in the background...



Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos



Capitol Hill, Denver

  

My lap also took me to 'Invesco Field', home of the Denver Broncos. I went into the store and asked if I could go inside the bowl and get a picture. Unfortunately, one of the girls working there informed me that the tours only run until 2pm and when I arrived it was close to 4. However, after a short deliberation she made an exception and smuggled me through security. A few minutes later a couple of other staff members had gathered asking me if I could "say a line", it was only then that I realised my British accent might have helped in getting the photo.

Friday night we headed to downtown Denver. It cost $30 to get entry to the party, but Gina was already committed to going, and I thought that, despite the expense, it would be good to have a night out. It was indeed a fun evening, but unfortunately it was cut a little short because Gina had got a little bit overexcited with the alcohol earlier in the night, to the point that the doormen wouldn't let her into any more places once we had left the original party. Once we got home, I noticed (typically) that the drink had also started to hit me quite hard, so went straight to bed, thankful the next morning that I wasn't hungover.

Randy, Gina and Me

I spent the morning on the laptop again, still trying to arrange what I was doing in Tampa for accommodation. In the end I used some points on had on my 'Starwood' account (there were some perks to going abroad with Deloitte) to book a night at the Sheraton for just $45. It seemed very much like Tampa 'doesn't do' hostels.

My flight was at 16:30, but ended up getting a lift with Brian (Gina's boyfriend) at 2 o'clock, even though it was just a domestic flight. This is because Denver International Airport is absolutely miles from the city and in the middle of nowhere. Amazing really, considering everything else (parks, shops, sights, stadiums, theme parks etc) is all a stone's throw from eachother. I noticed that when we took off, I could barely see the city from the plane. The other factor in this, highlighting another annoyance of America, is that the only way to get to the airport was a bus, which went once an hour and took more than an hour, and I had already missed the one I needed to get me there on time. Surely the town planners thought that having an airport so far away might also mean thinking about how people are going to get there? Well, obviously not.

I arrived in Tampa later that evening, was picked up by the hotel van, and in a short while would be settling down into my three-room suite, complete with a king size bed. Ahhh, bliss. I am a proper traveller....

Next post: Tampa Bay, and why on earth would I come to such a place?

Twig

If you're going to San Francisco...

...Be sure to wear a scarf, gloves, hoodie and any other items of clothing which can help stave off the bloody cold!

So, I write to you from the US of A. My connection in Phoenix was delayed by two hours so I didn't arrive in San Francisco until midnight, by which time the BART (public transport) system was closed. Great. And it was raining. Great. I managed to get to my hostel, "The Green Tortoise" without too much trouble though. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to stay at a hostel which bills itself as a party-central type place, but in the end I thought that it was better than going somewhere lifeless. The hostel is cool but one, slightly paradoxical, drawback of being really big and having loads of guests is that it is actually harder to meet and get to know fellow travellers, because it is quite impersonal and seems like everyone has formed little cliques.

I went to my room and was surprised to find that everyone was in bed at 1am. I thought this was a 'party' hostel? I try to be as quiet as possible sorting my stuff out, and get pointed to my bed by the only room member still awake. I reach up to the top bunk and chuck my bag onto the heap of bedding, only to find that this 'heap' then stirs and grunts with understandable surprise. Wrong bed. Whoops. So much for trying not to wake anybody up...

The next morning I head down for breakfast at 10:30, only to be told that breakfast stops at 10. Again, I'm a little bit bemused at how a hostel that is so focused on being an epicentre for crazy nights out and parties thinks it's logical to expect guests to rise before 10 in the morning...

As you can tell the American enthusiasm has really rubbed off on me. 

My plan for the day was to head to Fisherman's Wharf, which was really cool. Literally as well... I only had a jumper on and quickly realised the blue sky had lulled me into a false sense of security. I went to the Aquarium but in truth it was disappointing. The Golden Gate Bridge was at least five miles in the distance, but undeterred by the chilly weather, I decided to walk along the front so that I can get a little closer for some good pictures. "Getting a little closer" quickly turned into "getting much closer" and eventually, three hours later "well I may as well cross it now". So I did, and it was awesome. I was ok with looking down into the sea below, but I've realised that looking up really messes with my head. Taking some pictures proved a bit of a challenge for me. I got a bit lost on my way home, and was wandering around suburbia in the dark at 5:30pm with my legs severly aching (I left the hostel at 12 and had been walking non-stop). However, despite only being here for a day, I was already impressed with San Francisco, and felt it was definitely the kind of place I could live. There was some free beer in the hostel that evening so I made the most of it. Two small plastic cuploads and I was bloated and ready to hit the sack, feeling like a true man.

Golden Gate Bridge. And me.

 

This shot took a lot of perseverance and courage

Thursday was Thanksgiving. In Puerto Vallarta I met Teague, who lives in Oakland, and she invited me to a small dinner/party to celebrate. It was a fun evening, highlights included Jed's vegan chocolate chip cookies, finding out that Scott knew the AFI drummer when he was younger, reading a book on the 'Enneagram' and deciding after chapter 1 that I didn't need to read anymore (traits of 'a Perfectionist' include "enjoys making lists" and "is annoyed by poor spelling and grammar". Case closed.) And then there was Brian, a friend of a friend who ended up at the party despite not knowing anyone. In the car on the way to the house, Scott and Teague told me that Brian was into his American Football, so I was looking forward to having a good old chat with him. Unfortunately, Brian turned out to be an appropriate name for him, as it seemed he just fell short of having a brain. Even when it came to his favourite topic, Football, you couldn't really engage in any conversations with him. I would like to meet some American Footballers, but maybe Brian gave me an insight to what they would be like. In which case, maybe it's better that I don't. Here are a few examples, in addition to the fact that he spent 90% of the evening texting or talking on the phone, of the standard 'conversations' we were exposed to:

- "Dolphins gonna win the Super Bowl this year!"
- "Who can throw a football 70 yards? No-one? Well I could when I was at college."
- "My brother is an All-American. My brother is an All-American."
- "I hate the Jets!"
- "Oh god, the Jets score!"
- "I'm gonna call my mom."
- "Do you know how many girls I've slept with in San Francisco?! San Diego?! Las Vegas?!"

He got a little tiring, but then he was also oblivious to the constant mocking from the other guests (I didn't overdo it, but sometimes it was hard not to get involved, especially as he was directing that last quote at me...), so it was also quite entertaining.
 

Today (Saturday) I went to Japan Town (not sure if that's the official name, or if the girl at the reception just mutated the more familiar sounding 'Chinatown'). There wasn't a great deal of character in the area itself, but the Japan Centre was really cool, with traditional shops and loads of restaurants. I sat myself down at one and, unable to break the habit of a lifetime, had Chicken Katsu Curry. Well if it's good at Wasabi and Wagamama, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed in 'Japan Town'. Incidentally, my hostel is close to Chinatown and I have noticed that I haven't seen many 35-year old looking ones.

I was intending to go to the Golden Gate Park afterwards but it was getting late and I didn't really have time, so went back to Union Square for a bit of shopping. Macy's and Westfield were hectic and I didn't like them. The US has an awesome selection of chocolates and sweets (sorry, "candy") though, credit where credit's due. I was like a kid in a... well, in a sweet shop, stood in front of the shelves.

Before I left Mexico I finished another book, Nick Hornby's 'Juliet, Naked', and am nearing the end of 'Emperor: Gates of Rome' at the moment, so went to Borders to see if I could pick up volume two in the series. When I was browsing, I came across a new book in the '501' series, this one being '501 Must-See Cities'. I flicked to the England section to see which ones were recommended and was a bit surprised that Liverpool warranted a double spread. I mean, I know there are a few cool connections there, but generally... from there, I also thought that Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds were quite boring selections. I started to wonder if maybe Southampton, or heaven forbid, Portsmouth might even get a mention. I turned to the final page in the England section and was greeted with this:

Eat your heart out, San Francisco

Yes, I took a picture. It made my bloody day.

Hope that has been an interesting-enough read. When I was in Mexico I used to look forward to posting updates, but I haven't really had the same urge here. Not exactly sure why, perhaps because writing about a big city like this doesn't really seem that different to what many people have experienced quite a lot. San Francisco is a lovely city, but I miss Mexico. When I was there I never really wanted to move on to new places, whereas here, as much as I like San Francisco, I end up thinking about, and looking forward to being in England again. Perhaps because of the language, the weather and the culture, it all seems so similar to back home. Anyway, I'm still enjoying myself, so that's the main thing.

Twig

I was bitten by a tiger...

No word of a lie. Not many people have survived such horrific ordeals, but luckily I am something of a warrior, a gladiator you might say, so I have lived to fight another day. More on this later though.

As promised, here is an update from Puerto Vallarta, on the coast of Mexico directly west of Guadalajara. The bus took longer than expected and I finally arrived at 12:30 on Saturday night. I decided to come to Vallarta on Saturday because Guadalajara, as mentioned in the previous post, hadn't lived up to expectations, and at least this way I knew I could spend Sunday on the beach. There was still time on Saturday however, to meet up with Kelsey and Jenny, who I had met at the Tequila Hostel, for a drink at La Cantina. There were a couple of other girls with them, and two Mexican guys who they didn't know at all. The men in Mexico generally live up to their unpologetically sleazy stereotype, and it should also be noted that they are on the whole, quite short. It makes a welcome change to look around and recognise that I am one of the taller people around.

On Monday I met Kelsey and Jenny again, we had an awesome seafood lunch at Las Ocho Tostadas (a place with Suha had recommended) and then went to their hotel which was right on the beach. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy. Unbelievable. I've been in Mexico for 6 weeks and seen about 30 minutes of rain and no more than two or three overcast days during that time, and now my first day of proper sunbathing is met by a permanent grey roof. I wanted to have a tantrum, but in the end thought better of it. Instead, we sat in the hotel jacuzzi for about 3 hours, which was nice. Hopefully the staff there will be able to fix the 'bubble jet' appliance which I somehow managed to kick off the bottom of the pool. To be fair, I was under the influence; It was 2-for-1 cocktails, so I ordered two, but promptly received four. And had to pay for them. So really any damage done to the jacuzzi is a result of poor waiter skills rather than my own incompetence.

At 6:30pm, we went back out onto the beach because they were releasing the baby turtles. I got to hold one, before eventually letting him go at the seafront. He seemed to reflect my own traits of being cool but rude, so naturally I named him Raphael. As I started giving him my motivational talk about getting to the sea before any of the other 30 turtles (or "rivals"), I wondered if I should have perhaps christened him "Usain" instead. Nevertheless, Raphael did a good job and although the initial waves lapping the shore hindered his progress, he eventually found his feet, and made it to the sea in (joint) first place. I was very proud and was tempted to do a parade lap of the beach shouting "cowabunga!"



When I first met my little turtle (just hatched)





Raphael, post-motivatonal 'teamtalk'





It was an awesome way to finish the afternoon, and later we headed to a couple of bars. When we reached the second, the doorman first asked us where we were from before letting us in. Unsurprisingly, there weren't many Mexican people in this club. Vallarta is a lot more touristy than I had imagined (although I knew it would be to an extent). Some places remind me of bars in the Costa del Sol, with the main difference being that middle-aged Brits are middle-aged Yanks over here.

On Monday I had a fairly relaxed day, just spent a few hours on the beach. My hostel, Vallarta Sun, initially hadn't impressed me, but the people who run the hostel were really friendly and I decided to stay a bit longer to see how it worked out. I think in terms of room comfort etc, I may have been spoilt at Tequila and Hostel 333. When I was with Whitney in Guadalajara, she told me about her stay in the same Vallarta hostel a week earlier, and mentioned an old guy who is always on the computer, and who paces back and forth when you are using it. George, from the US, is still here even as I write this, and it is a bit annoying. I think he makes all the guests feel a little bit on edge. If it wasn't so irritating, it would probably be amusing. Here are some of the high- (or low-) lights:

- I get back from a club at 5am only to find that George is still up using the internet.

- He traps various guests into conversations they're not really interested in, but equally can't escape from. Over the past couple of days, I think I may have emerged as his favourite victim.

- On hearing that there is going to be a gay parade (Vallarta is the Mexican gay capital apparently. Obviously why I decided to come here, ha ha), George pipes up with "I tend to tell them that I'm trisexual, let them figure that one out". Ummmmmmmmm......... animals?

- He 'trapped' me the other day looking at a map (Elliot can testify that I can spend long periods of the evening staring at maps of the world), and when I mentioned going to the Caribbean, he started singing some old American folk song about Barbados. After the first two lines, he asked me if I knew it. Thinking that "No I don't" would suffice to shut him up was clearly an error, as he then proceeded to sing about three verses of the damn thing. I stood silently staring at the map, cursing myself for not scurrying into my room straight away, rather than pausing en-route to examine which countries lay on the equator (because that's the sort of crazy shit I think about).

Anyway, the following day I headed to Mismaloya. I got the bus with Sebastien, a PhD student from Dortmund, although he got off at a previous stop. I was going to the Zoo! As I have written lots about my previous Zoo trips, I will try and keep the generic descriptions down, but I have to attach some photos because... well, you'll see:

Ahhhh little Jaguar!

Ahhhh little Tiger!

As you may have cottoned on by now, the tiger that bit me was only 1 month old and its teeth weren't big or sharp enough to actually cause any flesh wounds. Both cubs (the Jaguar was three months old, so a little stronger) were still quite playful-verging on-aggressive though, at one point I thought the baby tiger might tear my shorts to pieces. On my walk around I also had a bag of food, which the Zoo provide. There are strict instructions on what food you can feed to which animals. It certainly made them more interested in me though. Recipients included the Brown Bear, Hippo, Giraffe, Parrot and Guinea Pigs. I got some cool shots of these too.



It got pretty close at one point, I was a little bit scared



Not really sure what to say about this one...



On Thursday a few of us (Greg & Hugo from France, Sebastien, Justine from Canada and Ollie from Australia) from the hostel hired a boat and we went to a beach called Yelapa. Even though Puerto Vallarta has its own beaches which I have been to, some of the nicest ones are a little further south (a 15 minute bus ride, or 30 minutes by boat). As well as Yelapa, I have been to Las Gemelas and Las Animas. On this boat trip we also stopped along the way to do some fishing. We each caught a fish and took them back to the hostel for dinner that evening, was pretty cool to be able to do that. The boat captain also caught a jellyfish and we passed it around. It didn't feel overly slimey until I passed it on and realised my hands were covered in gunk. On the way back from Yelapa I saw a Dolphin in the distance (maybe 100 yards away), but unfortunately we weren't able to get any closer sightings. I've realised that I don't like swimming in the sea... I think it's because the unknown waters, big fish, and jellyfish panic me somewhat. Even snorkelling in Greece unnerved me a bit and the fish there were tiny. I guess I'm a total pussy and should just get over it.



Puerto Vallarta Beach at 6:30pm



Most of my time in Vallarta has been made up of going to the beach for a few hours in the afternoons, sometimes going out in the evenings with people from the hostel, and trying to avoid George whenever possible. As I'm approaching my last few days in Mexico, I think I am adopting the Karl Pilkington approach of doing very little with my time so that the days don't go as fast. An excellent mindset to have when you're travelling, I'm sure you'll agree.

The next time I write it will probably be from San Francisco (I fly Monday afternoon). I will be sad to leave Mexico, which is a good sign I guess. Despite being here for almost 2 months, I feel that there is still so much in the area of the country I have been to that I haven't seen, nevermind the areas (e.g. Yucatan) that I haven't been to. I expect I'll be back one day.



The sun is finally setting on my Mexican adventure!

Twig