Hi once again,

Sorry we have been so slack but we have been going at a very fast pace and where we have been staying has had no internet access unless your are travelling with a laptop, bit hard when you have a backpack!!!! Most other stuff is closed by the time we finish siteseeing.

Stuck our first hiccup (and only one so far) in Washington. Got a cab to the hostel and as we drove along it got seedier and seedier. When we arrived it was pretty obvious it wasn't the customers who had rated the blog (well, not till Robyn did anyway). We can put up with alot but to say it was filthy was an understatement!!!! You could not touch any surface, the kitchen had a whole range of new resistant megabugs, and the tea towel!!! We did walk to the supermarket, also quite an experience and quite intimidating at first as we were the only white folks, but they actually were very nice. Anyway we moved out pretty quicksmart to a new great place that was right in the middle of everything we wanted to see.

That part of the city is humugous, magnificent and amazingly clean as the shear size of all the expanses of wall would cry out to an Aussie grafitti artist. There are lush gardens and lawns in every direction. They have built something huge to commemorate everything, and I mean huge. There was enough water in the fountains to get the Murray restarted and feed all the irrigation lines. But it was beautiful and we did a night tour as well when they were all lit up. Visited all the Kennedy graves, Challenger,etc - a part of history. The memorials are quite inspiring, at times I almost forgot I wasn't back in the Roman Forum B4 it became ruins. They will have to stop building soon though or they will run out of room! Also went to the Halocaust museum which was very worthwhile but very confronting. Had tea on the lawns with George! Actually it is an exciting time for Washington as there is election stuff everywhere and it is looking pretty close from here although it certainly depends on the area you are in which way they see it. Have bought my Obama badge but will be selective about where I wear it.

We are actually in Miami at the moment and leave for the bright lights of Las Vegas today (and Cassie heads back to New York.) Will write the Florida blog when we get there.

Hope no one is missing us too much, we are having a ball.

The Clarks