We were told 8 days would be enough to see at least two of the main Hawaiian islands but we discovered that it wasn't even enough to see one, so we'll just have to come back... and boy are we excited at the prospect! Hawaii was at the top of K's list when we were planning our trip... Reading about the beautiful diverse islands, listening to friends speak about their experiences and watching way too much Hawaii 5.0 meant that K's expectations were high... very...

The reviews of downtown LA, where the Greyhound bus terminal exists, was to say the least... extremely scary. According to the reviews we expected to be beaten, robbed, attacked and possibly immediately murdered on arrival. Alas, we arrived in the early hours, and deemed the surroundings to be fairly safe, so risked a bus journey into town. The only thing dodgy about the arrival experience was the blunt bus driver, and a woman (sane) trying to give S money to t...

Seattle had been all about visiting friends and San Francisco has been all about reacquainting with Family and seeing some very crooked streets and a not so 'Golden' Gate Bridge. We hopped on board the Amtrak Coast Starlight train to Sacramento - 20 hrs of looking at the scenery, sleeping and eating but all coach class this time (as opposed to the luxurious experience we had on the Canadian ViaRail). We based ourselves in Antilope and then Fremont for re-conn...

Seattle could have simply been about... the skyline, from the space needle to the stadiums, the hempfest, the vibrant traditional market (Pike Place), and back to hostel living. But it was SO much much more... And we didn't even encounter the rain that is renowned here either. Getting past that British reserve in us of not wanting to burden anyone, we stayed at friends we had met and made in Peru in November 2012, Clark (The Godfather) and Libs. S instantly fa...

We've heard people talk about Vancouver and its stunning beauty but you really have to be there to appreciate just what they are all talking about... So for those that have not been, apologies but the following just won't be doing it justice. It's vast for starters but has everything you could want in a place to live... Snow capped mountains painting the horizon, reems of farmland harvesting the best seasonal produce including sweetcorn and blueberries, relaxing...