We took a long time to come through passport control in arrival in Raleigh/Durham - this was because there were four attendants for US passengers and only one for all other passports. Eventually we were through, and we were pleased to see our three bags had all arrived from Zurich. Cam was waiting for us and it was so lovely to see him. We were an hour late in arriving and well over an hour clearing the airport. Cam was quick to warn us it was hot, and it certainly was. The temperature was around 95 deg F with humidity around 70%. Welcome to the warmth of North Carolina. We are staying with Cam in the home he owes and shares with a friend, Nick and his wife Gyenya. The house is in a suburb very close to Duke University, where Cam studied, and is set in the Duke Forest. This means that all around us are huge trees, all in leaf as it is early summer, and the houses are built amongst the trees. There appears to be little fear of "bush fires" here as apparently it rains too much in summer. Typically there are short thunder and lightening storms during the evening with heavy downpours of rain which last 5-10 minutes. It has been hot - consistently in the high 90's with humidity around 70% so we have tried not to stay outside too long but to be in air conditioned areas. How have we spent the last six days? Obviously spending time with Cam when he isn't at work. We had decided to purchase a caravan (known here as a travel trailer) for our exploring so after exploring the Internet, on Tuesday we visited two or three different RV centres. Most of the units for sale are large - very large motorhomes, fifth wheelers or caravans of 30 foot plus. We were not in the market for any of those so our choice was very limited and also our budget was low. We did see one caravan on Tuesday that would suit us (most dealers only one or two with in our criteria) but not wanting to buy on the first day we headed off again on Wednesday to check out some others. We are entirely dependent on the GPS to find addresses - there are so many freeways it is very confusing. The combined population of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, which all merge, is just over two million. We eventually decided that the first one we saw would be ideal. It was within our price range, modern in that it is a 2012 model, and the length we wanted. Back we went, negotiated and left having purchased. We are now the owners of both a car and a travel trailer in North Carolina. In the evening, when it is a little cooler, we have walked a short loop within Duke Forest. The access to this is just at the end of the street. There are much longer walks but the temperature does not encourage those for us. Gyenya said she had seen two snakes during her walk this week - another reason to keep our walks short and we watch every step! Shopping took up most of Thursday - we did not bring anything with us to set up the van so had to start with the basics. Basic they are - all purchased from either Target or Walmart and the bare necessities. Friday was pick up day - they took five hours to go through the paperwork, the running of the van, installing the necessary brakes to the car, and seeing us on our way. We are now set to travel. Friday night along with Cam we visited our first real American restaurant to sample a North Carolina specialty - pulled barbecue pork. The food was so good, and enough leftovers for the next day, the service and venue great. Saturday while Cam played his weekly American Football some distance from here we unpacked our purchases and checked that the van will be ready for a "shake-down" few days away this week. It was a bit like Christmas opening all the packages! We also visited a huge shopping centre and we were both able to have haircuts - I always find that finding a hairdresser in areas we don't know really difficult and wondering what the cut will be like. Fortunately we were both happy. Home again it was time to try out Cam's new, and he says best ever, toy. It is a Phantom 3 drone and is really impressive. Starting in the middle of the street off it went about 500 feet into the sky and off into the distance, controlled by Cam using the remote control and watched on the relayed video on the attached I-pad. The video is so clear it is amazing. We soon attracted the few people who passed as they were keen to watch the drone and see the video. I can see lots of adventures with that toy and can think of others who would like one too. In the early evening we headed off to the American Tobacco Historic District - this area was originally the Lucky Strike Tobacco factory and has been redeveloped into upmarket office, restaurants and recreational areas. It is also adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Centre. The company Cam works has offices in this complex. After wandering along the precinct we stopped at a bar for a while for drinks, and to escape the heat, before joining the crowds heading to the Durham Bulls Athletic Centre to watch a base ball game - Durham Bulls versus Columbus. This was the first base ball game we have attended and we did enjoy the game, the atmosphere, watching the crowds, the antics of the food hawkers, the variety of food available - basically the whole experience. It was a very warm evening but a breeze developed which really helped and the anticipated storm never eventuates. The game started at 18.30 and finished around 22.15 and this was followed by fireworks. Sadly the Durham Bulls lost the game but for us we really didn't care, we just enjoyed the experience.