Our last blog.

We spent a lovely few days in Seattle after dropping the car off. It is one of our favourite cities and has a lovely feel about it. Our hostel was very nice, but expensive as was most of Seattle. It did however have a cinema room, a hot tub and a very good breakfast. Most of our days were filled with walking and seeing the sights. We spent quite a bit of time at Pike Place Market where they sold anything and everything. Some amazing fruit and veg aswell as pastas and fish. The craft stalls were amazing and we picked up a few bargains. We also visited the Seattle Art Museam, SAM. It was awesome. Apart from the usual modern art pieces where they try to explain how a blank canvas shows the artists deprived childhood, there were some brilliant pieces. There were a few that Kates studied at college and uni so she was chuffed. There was also a great exhibition on Kurt Cobain which had some pencil drawings which we stood and looked at for ages. In the Andy Warhol exhibition there were some old fashioned black and white photo booths so we jumped in and pulled some faces. We had good weather for most of our time there so it was nice just to walk around. We caught the night Greyhound bus back to Vancouver as it was cheaper. We got into our hostel at 2am and it was horrific. We both refused to have a shower there, which is a first.

For the past 5 nights we have stayed at a place called the Cambie which is in a nicer area of Gastown so we have been near everything. The hostel is pretty rubbish but we have been out most days. Over all we haven't enjoyed Vancouver that much, the people aren't so friendly and its just a bit grotty. Unfortunately we both came down with exhaution/colds on our first day here so we ended up sleeping for most of it. However the rest of the time we have just been walking around and soaking it all up. We spent a day at Stanley Park where we saw a racoon, as Kates put it, 'it looked shifty'. And we went to the Aquarium. We were lucky enough also to catch Canada Day. We were invited out by our room mate and some other people from the hostel but they were all smashed and we caught the guy snorting drugs in our room which was really not on. We both tried not to look shocked until he left the room and we both went into open mouthed, did you see what i just saw. So we went out for a pint of Strongbow each ($15 rip off) and watched the fireworks at the waterfront.

Today, strangely. was our last day. We spent the day doing a bit of shopping. We got quite a few really good bargains. G got a lovely pair of Levis and Kates got a pair of Doc Martens for $40 - bargain! We then went out for a Mexican meal and to the cinema to see Toy Story 3. It has been a really nice day today and although we are really looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone, it definately doesn't feel like we should be home just yet. 5 months has flown by and we would like to carry on exploring for just a little longer. It seems like last week that we were dropped off at Heathrow absolutely terrified and unsure of what to expect. But we are coming home having found out so much about ourselves and seen so many incredible things.

Over the past 5 months, we have travelled by speed boat, ferry, long boat, paddle boat and kayak. Car, tuk-tuk, taxi, bus, coach, bicycle. Train, aeroplane, metro and foot. We have driven over 11,996.25miles in our own transport. We have mastered the art of making a meal out of nothing, including cooking tacos in a pot over a stove (it didnt work). We have sat on elephants and sung into the tails of tigers, fed chipmunks and been eaten by monster mosquitos. We can name the top 3 pies, possibly in the world. We have mastered the art of sleeping indoors, outdoors, in a room with 130 other people and on our own in the back of a Honda Jazz (thank you again Fiona). We have walked on glaciers, volcanoes, up mountains, in rainforests and on beaches. We have mastered the art of balancing 5000 bags on our backs and walking for miles to find a place to stay. We have got used to not washing for days and wearing dirty clothes for days on end. We have seen some of the wonders of the world, including the Grand Canyon and 12 Apostles. Kates has managed to convince G 250 times, that yes she can fit in another pair of sandals and yes if she has to attach them to her head to get them on the plane, they are coming. She has also written a book and a half of our day to day activities. G has managed to convince Kates 700 times, that yes he does need another chocolate bar and yes the other one went missing somewhere, and so has tried the chocolate of 8 countries. We will have crossed 14 border controls. Kate has mastered the swoop and snap of getting the camera out of the bag and taking a picture in record time. We have spoken to people of all nationalities and from all walks of life. We have enjoyed spending time together and exploring the world. But most of all, we can't wait to do it all over again in a few years time.

So thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way, especially to Brian and Fiona for feeding us and giving us a bed for a week. We really loved staying with you. And thank you all for reading the blog and commenting, always a highlight to read the comments.

See you tomorrow :D

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