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