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Kia ora long lost friends!
So it's been a very long time since we last blogged so for your sake and ours we will keep it short and simple... Here we go.
Day #32: We got up extra early to make our way into New Orleans city centre, ready for our tour around one of the famous cemetries. We waited for it to open and got a little history of the buildings before visiting the attraction. We learned about all the structure of the caskets (6 bodies in each per year) and even saw Nicholas Cage's pyramid that he has had built ready for him and his family! We then got a spot of lunch at a cafe with a blues band before heading for our city tour. Unfortunately there was a mix-up and we were booked for the next day! How annoying. The owner gave us a shot of Jack Daniels as a gift to say sorry and we headed back to our hotel. 'Nap time for 2 hours before partying'. We then woke up at around 3am realising we had slept through our night out and ended up having a night in.
Day #33: Sarah woke up early and headed to a local Gospel church. She was the only white person there in a congregation of 200 or so but loved the service and found it very inspiring and fun! 'Rhonda' gave her a lift back. Laureen had a dip in the pool before we both watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics - such a shame we missed it! We then got dressed, had a little drink and headed out onto Frenchman street for some jazz. We bumped into a lady on our first stop who ended up taking us to a dub-step club before venturing on to another club where we luckily made friends with the bouncers who gave us free entry and too many free drinks! We ended up in a fancy hotel that was a billion storys high and realised when we arrived that our train was in two hours time! (Currently 6am)
Day #34: After making the taxi driver stop at McDonalds, we got back to the hotel, packed our bags and Sarah almost fell asleep in the shower. We made it in time for our train but when Sarah woke up in the evening, neither of us could barely remember boarding the train! Laureen was quite sick throughout the day so it wasn't one of our better days... We went back to sleep on the train.
Day #35: We spent another day travelling on the train. We watched the views and read books and slept another night away cramped on seats.
Day #36: We arrived early in Los Angeles and booked our transfer to San Francisco. We frantically tried to book accomodation and eventually made it into their China town to settle. We headed out to the first proper super market we found in the USA, and bought ourselves a chicken pie with the trimmings! Sarah headed to reception to get some cutlery where she witnessed a homeless man threating the receptionist with a gun he claimed he had on him. After giving a statement to the police we both still managed our pie, although Sarah had a little vodka to calm her nerves. What a lovely place!
Day #37: Time to look around. We wandered up and down China Town before heading down to the coast to look at the famous San Francsico Bridge and pier. We grabbed lunch at a local cafe and then stopped at a small market before venturing up to Union Square. We listened to a little band and popped into the designer shops surrounding us. We didn't feel very welcomed in our hoodies but found it fun to look at the stuff we couldn't afford and pretend that it 'just wasn't quite the dress I was looking for for the evening'.
Day #38: Today we headed to Pier 39 where the strip was filled with toruist shops and fun entertainment. We witnessed many people eating chowder (an open bread roll filled with a shrimp and vegetable soup?) and listened to various music playing by the harbour. We walked past many stores and restaurants and ended up on Fisherman's Wharf (a lovely beach) where we chilled until we got too sleepy (and cold!! - English weather!)
Day #39: We took the Greyhound bus to the fabulous Las Vegas. Arriving too early, we filled our time McDonalds breakfast and met a couple of guys to keep us company until 9am or so. Sarah then caught up on sleep until the afternoon whilst Laureen struggled to zonk even though she wanted to. We spent the afternoon by the long adult pool and got a hearty meal to end our day.
Day #40: Strip time. We started off at the 'Welcome to Vegas' sign and made our way through almost of the hotels and Casinos throughout the day. Stopping once for a smoothie, Laureen's legs practically gave up but we made it to the very end for an amazing view of the city from the top of the Stratosphere hotel! There we went on a ride that zoomed out over the skyline and it was an incredible end to our day. After a midnight snack at a diner and cheeky peek at Elvis' wedding Chapel, we limped back to our hotel room.
Day #41: THE GRAND CANYON. It may have taken 5 or so hours to get there but oh my, what a day. We headed to the South Rim and the views were breath-taking. We spent our time there admiring the view but we had the most fun when Laureen pretended she was falling from the cliffs as we staged photos. We went to various Native Indian gift shops along Route 66 before making our way back.
Day #42: Another day spent by the pool before we headed out in the evening for 'Vegas the Show!' Hitting hard traffic on the strip as well as torential rain and the distraction of two hilarious drunk Scottish men, we missed the first half of the show :( WAH. What we did see though was so much fun! Elvis and Tom Jones hits along with show girls and tangoed men before finishing our night with another smoothie at a diner. We missed the famous wreckless nightlife in Vegas but we've made a pact to go back when we're 21 with the girls!
Day #43: Back to LA. We took a bus back to Los Angeles and made our way to the hostel on Venice Beach. We made a few friends in the evening in the hostel and had a beer and chilled.
Day #44: After various late nights and bus trips, our body clocks were a little screwed - not to mention our room had no windows - so we made it up a little late. We headed to the beach for the remainder of the day and soaked up a little of the LA culture with the stalls and local skateboarders. We made friends with a couple of Australian guys in the evening and chilled again at our hostel with a few drinks.
Day #45: Another late morning after one too many beverages. Once we were up and had eaten many slices of toast, our new friend Jake took us to Santa Monica to explore. We walked alongside the rollerbladers, saw the famous pier, chilled on the beach and eventually made it to the entertainment where a few shops were. There was a street show of breakdancing men and they grabbed Sarah from the crowd to be a 'showgirl'! She danced infront of everyone and had a little bow with everyone at the end. It then took a long walk home before crashing out at the hostel.
Day #46: 'Right we will get up early for our last day in the mainland USA!!' Remember no windows... "Laureen what time is it?" "Umm... 1.30pm" UH OH. We made it to Hollywood for 4pm or something ridiculous but had so much fun when we got there! We glued our heads to the floor and walked up and down spotting all the stars on the floor and took too many photos. After checking out the highlights, we spent the evening in an old theatre and watched Cinderella on the big screen! An organist opening the show on stage before a real life Cinderella came out to welcome us before the movie! We then headed to the 'Hollywood' sign but could only make out the outline as they don't light it up in the evenings anymore unfortunately.
Day #47: Time to leave the mainland and fly to Hawaii! We spent the day travelling and arrived in the evening. We were greeted by Sarah's gran's friend Robbie at the airport who put fresh floral necklaces round us and took us to her's and Ralph's apartment in the centre of Waikiki that looked out spectacularly over the city! We felt very welcomed in their home.
Day #48: It was about time that one of us got ill and Sarah was feeling horrendous. She couldn't leave the apartment and so we didn't end up doing much in the day. Robbie made cocktails in the evening accompanied with cheese and crackers and we digged in whilst watching The Big Bang Theory.
Day #49: Sarah was feeling a lot better so we headed out to Waikiki beach. By the time we got there and layed our towels out under the radient sun, the heavens opened and we got soaked! Typical. We left the beach and went to a Tiki bar where Laureen had a cocktail concocsion. Sarah then picked up a few vintage surf postcards and we headed back to the apartment to make a home-made roast dinner. Yum.
Day #50: We headed to Wanouma Bay Nature preserve and spent the day at the beach. It was absolutely beautiful and had an incredible amount of sea creatures living in the ocean where plenty were snorkelling.
Day #51: Laureen had caught Sarah's bug and it was her turn to mope in bed. Having already booked the reservation, Sarah headed out the Pearl Harbour memorial and soaked in some history. It was incredibly interesting and moving. Before heading back for lunch, she took the bus back into Waikiki and took a Hula dancing lesson with the locals! She's now a pro. She then headed back to the apartment where she taught the routine to Laureen, they had some lunch and then relaxed on a church field for the rest of the afternoon.
Day #52: Our last day in the USA!! We had four things planned but the buses are so slow that we only got through two unfortunately. Firstly, we headed to the Valley of Temples and visisted the Byodo temple. It was stunning and incredibly peaceful. Such a sight. We then ventured onto the Botanic Gardens on the East Coast of Oahu where we came across a wonderful waterfall where we swam in the base pool. So much fun and again, so beautiful! During the day we also drove past the Ranch Tours where Jurassic Park was filled and passed the Turtle Beach where giant turtle rest of the shore! Such a lovely end to America.
Day #53: We flew into Nadi, Fiji and set up camp in a nearby hostel. The weather was a little cloudy so Laureen napped and Sarah had a beer with a couple of other travellers - one from Australia and another from Scotland. Laureen joined when she woke up and the group quickly turned into 8 or so of us. We carried on drinking beers and all ate dinner together. It was a lovely evening - espeically as we're now legally allowed to drinik again!
Day #54: After a complimentary breakfast, we tried to catch some rays again but were unfortunately hit by some dodgy weather. We spent the day uploading photos and chilling until having a couple of beers again at dinner.
Day #55: Island hopping begins! We got up early to catch the ferry and booked our first night stay at Osmands Bay on the island next to Blue Lagoon. We were taken off the ferry and plonked onto a little rocking boat with our bags which drifted us over to the island! We were greeted by the locals who sang us a welcome song with guitars before shouting 'Bula!' (Their favourite over-used word meaning 'hello') and handing over a welcome drink. We were ushered to a shack and left to our devices. The weather was still poor so we spent the afternoon under shelter with beers, a pack of cards and a few English friends for company. We were literally stranded but it was a fun experience.
Day #56: The weather was new and bright!! We woke up and Sarah got her hearty cooked breakfast before all of us Brits headed out on a snorkelling trip to local Caves. We explored inside and one by one had to swim under a tunnel where we followed a torch and got tapped on the head when we reached the other side and could come up for air - so scary!! The other side was dark and we got led around the caves by a guide with an underwater torch. After purchasing surrongs from the locals, we took the boat back to the island for lunch and then moved onto our next island; Mantaray. We got given a new challet and spent the afternoon on the beach and in hammocks! We then took freezing cold showers outside and got ready for dinner. We made our way through two bottles of wines whilst sharing a hammock. Lovely.
Day #57: Neither of us were feeling too good after drinking a little bit of the local ice/salads so both of our apetities were down! We wanted to go swimming with the Mantarays but unfortunately they weren't spotted on this day and so we read on the beach and chilled. After getting them to return to shore as we missed it the first time, we caught our little boat to the ferry in the afternoon and headed to our third island; Octopus Resort! Hello paradise. We were welcomed with our traditional welcome song and drink and showed to our bungalow. After a little nap, we got up for the evening entertainment; a local song and dance performed around the pool by the staff! We dressed in traditional clothes (as we were told although noone else dressed up!!) and it was so much fun. We got grabbed by two local men at the end and danced a traditional dance with them paired up! We then had dinner before crashing in our beds.
Day #58: Another full day at the resort. We didn't make it up for breakfast but headed to the pool shortly after. We sunbatched and soaked up the layed back atmosphere of the resort. By evening, we ate dinner and were ready for the 'disco' they had on as entertainment. We drank, listened to music and made some English and American friends to share stories with.
Day #59: We woke up early, got dressed in clothes that covered our knees and shoulders and hiked across the mountains to the local village where we atteneded a church service! It was 3 hours long in their language so we left after 1 hour and met some of the locals living in the village. We were taken on a tour by the children and it was so much fun to play with them and watch all the toddlers wandering aimlessly around various houses barefoot - such a different culture! We headed back for lunch and were supposed to leave shortly after but decided the people were too amazing (everyone knows your name, they're constantly singing and laughing and they're so genuinely loving when you talk to them) to leave just yet. We booked another night and hired out our snorkelling gear. We then swam out to the drop-off and admired countles amounts of different fish (including Nemo and Dory!!) and even saw schools of fish swimming by. It was incredible but Sarah had a minor panic attack when Laureen swore out of excitment when she spotted a sword-fish. Sarah thought it was a signal for danger, loosened her mask with the impact of movement and struggled against the current to get back to shore! It was funny though. After dinner, they played Avengers on a big screen by the pool under the stars and served ice-cream and popcorn to everyone as we layed on the sun loungers. Incredible.
Day #60: Unfortunately it was time to leave the island. We got up for a fully cooked breakfast, Sarah skyped her parents and we had a leaving drink at the beach bar before getting on the boat. This time it was Beach Comber; the party island so we hear! We settled into our rooms and bumped into our friends from the first island! We had a wander around and then got ready for dinner. After food was over, we signed up for drinking games and had a pretty lively evening filled with too many shots! It was so much fun dancing in the sand!
Day #61: Day two at party island. We didn't make it up for breakfast as expected but made it to the beach shortly after. We layed in the sun, met some turtles and had another evening of food and one beer, or two. No more this night!
Day #61: Time for another hop. We got up early, said our good-byes and made our way to the next island; Bounty Island (home of Celebrity Love Island for anyone who knows it!). The weather was nice but extremely windy so we sat indoors and had a fun-filled afternoon of Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders and Pool!! Whay. We ate our first roast (on the Islands) for dinner, sang along to the local live music and had a cocktail and beers with our new English friends throughout the evening. We stayed up for a couple of hours trying to skype work but failed miserably :(
Day #62: Move after move; South Sea Island - the last day of hopping. This was the smallest island of them all and you could literally see the sea in every direction when you stood in the middle!! We stuffed ourselves with breakfast at Bounty and then two hours later were invited to a barbeque buffet at South Sea!! We were stuffed as we listened and watched the music and entertainment. We then caught a few rays by the pool before going on a submarine trip to look at all the coral and fish! So cool. When we got back to the island we were hit with another downfall. We found shelter before someone came and told us that they had discovered a whole pile of baby turtles that had been born in the sand! This was the first time in a couple of years and was a really big deal for the island! We watched them save and recover as many as they could but unfortunately only 15 or so out of the 50 made it. They had a little burial for the ones who didn't survive and they planned to release the others into the sea the next day before dawn (they are born blind and there are too many risks leaving them to make their own way to the sea!) We then headed back to kids club!! YES. We learned how to weave bracelets out of palm tree leaves and painted pictures of Fiji - take a look at our photos of them! We then watched a display of how to crack coconuts and Laureen ate some of it. We then showered and got ready for our dinner. We were presented with a table of 12 girls (everyone who was staying on the island) and shared a three course meal. After dinner we played crab racing and Laureen came second! She won two beers which she shared with Sarah and we spent the evening with the two Swedish girls who were staying in our room and had a lovely night.
Day #63: We were woken up at 5am like it was a boot-camp! Everyone on the island headed down to the ocean with the turtles and released them one by one into the water before the sun rose. We took photos for the press who were coming later. Everyone headed back to bed before being woken up 2 hours later because breakfast was ready and we had chosen our eggs! Once we were up, we layed in the sun and soaked up what we had left of Fiji. We spoke to the reporter when he came and sent him our photos/accounts of the turtles - apparently we're in the local paper now so we should probably check that out!! Sarah had an ice-cream and we ate another massive lunch - we're so fat now it's ridiculous. We caught the boat at noon and sailed around a few islands before heading back to the port. Laureen curled in a ball and slept in a position that only she can whilst Sarah headed up to the top deck and caught a glipmse of the island where Castaway was filmed! It was beautiful. Once we were back in Nadi, we booked our last nights stay and chilled for the day. We got dinner in the evening and managed to break the shower but other than that, there is not much else to say.
Day #64: A new country; New Zealand. We flew into NZ and made our way to our hostel. It is so cold here and we are a little worried as we don't have many warm clothes!! Uh oh. We spent the day exploring our surroundings, hanging out with our new room mates and trying to colour our hair! We decided not to go out as we were knackered and needed to save our dollars!
Day #65: Today!! We headed out again to pop to a few shops before returning to sort out our online banking. Sarah headed out to get her hair cut in the afternoon and Laureen had a sunday afternoon nap infront of the TV. We went for a couple of drinks this evening (thanks Helena and Karina!!) and are now sat here at the computer blogging - although technically it is now day #66 as it's 2.30am! We start our Kiwi Experience tomorrow so we should probably get some kip now!
We hope you are all well and having your own adventures wherever you are! Please remember to keep in touch and keep us up to date with all your news. Missing you tons and wish you could all be here to laugh at what idiots we are sometimes. Lots of love and take care xxxxxxx
P.S. Congratulations for reading this all - we write too much we know.
- comments
Jane Lewis Thoroughly enjoyed all your news, soooo jealous, you are doing so much, but sounds like really good fun, keep safe x