So…just in case any one is still checking on here I feel that it’s only right to write one last entry on the final part of my round the world trip. I have been back home for just over two months now and am not only seriously missing my all-over travelling tan but am seriously pining for certain places. Byron Bay, in particular, is calling me! Saying that, home has been LOVELY to date, the weather has been really good so far and there’s nothing like being with your family, friends and loved one (plus a royal wedding!). Travelling was however, without doubt, the best thing that I have ever done in my life and since being back I feel like I am on a mission to convince people who are in a position to go that they really must get on that plane. Do it whilst you can! You will not regret it.

Anyway, I last wrote from LA. I had one full day in the city and was pleased to note that the temperature was a sunny 21 degrees. I woke early and got the bus to Beverly Hills for breakfast (as you do) and wandered through Rodeo Drive on the way. I felt quite out of place with hair which hadn’t been cut for six months, scuffed old flip flops, travelling bands and scraggly clothes; my fellow breakfast diners were those silly LA women with big glasses and blackberries and little dogs, ha. As I said before LA felt a world away from Fiji; everything was bigger, louder and brasher than anywhere I‘d ever been before. I got back on the bus and got myself to the Getty Centre up in the Hollywood Hills, a really cool museum although as the weather was so nice (and I was extremely jet-lagged) I spent most of the afternoon enjoying the spectacular museum gardens and grounds. Later on I got the bus through Bel Air (MASSIVE houses) and past UCLA to Sunset Boulevard. From there I walked (shock horror!) to Hollywood Boulevard as you can’t go to LA without walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Marilyn’s handprints were a must for me as my mum’s a massive fan and she had specifically requested photos! After getting as close to the Hollywood sign as I could (without having to get on another bus and trying to communicate with the bus driver - they just could not understand me, “What‘s that accent? South African? Australian?” “No no I’m English.” They didn’t seemed convinced ha) and having an all American burger, fries and milkshake in a touristy diner, I headed back to my hostel - thoroughly exhausted. LA = done. If I’d have had a few more days I would have loved to have visited Santa Monica and maybe some of the theme parks/studios but I was flying to San Francisco the following morning. (Just on a side note; Virgin America planes are the best that I had flown on during the whole trip, shame the flight was under an hour long, ha - touch-screen food and drink ordering, wireless internet and chargers for appliances!)

San Fran was (obviously) notably cooler than LA yet it was still lovely and sunny when I arrived. It also happened to be St.Patrick’s Day and, as anyone who has been in America on this day knows, this is a massive holiday for them; everyone wears green and is basically drunk all day. I managed to view most of the famous sites including Union Square (the one with the love heart monuments at each corner), Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz (from the coast) and a distant Golden Gate Bridge. I’d heard San Francisco being described as what should be ‘the capital of the world’ and it really is a very cool city, there’s something really special about it. I has specifically arranged for a couple of extra days there as I’d really wanted to visit Alcatraz; I had even booked my ticket for the trip whilst in Nadi in Fiji as I’d heard you needed to pre-book. The next morning however (the day of the trip) was freezing cold and it was torrentially raining. I only had flip flops so I had to wait for the H&M to open at ten to buy some more suitable footwear! After queuing for a cable car in the rain and finally getting on one, the man told me half way through the journey that I was actually on the wrong one and would have to walk for 15 minutes after the cable car’s last stop. THEN the cable car broke down, ha. I started to walk but would have never have made the eleven o’clock trip so, completely soaked and freezing cold, I walked back to the city. Trip missed! Very annoying. My flight home wasn’t until the following evening and as the bad weather continued I spent most of my time in indoor shopping centres or briefly walking around the city in between the showers! Great souvenir-shopping time though.

Packing my beloved bag for the last time was very weird, I couldn’t quite believe I was going home! After a ten and a half hour flight I flew into a cloudy Heathrow; my excitement levels at this point can not quite be explained ha. I had already completely washed my face and reapplied my make up in the aeroplane toilet (these things have to be done!) so after quickly collecting my bag and brushing my teeth at Heathrow I finally walked out to see my mum, my dad, Sapph (my niece) and Matt all waiting for me with a homemade sign (courtesy of Sapph). A few tears were shed! Ha. My sister and my nephew were waiting outside my house with a balloon, bless them. I had a whirlwind few weeks of seeing friends, family and the boy, some of the best weeks ever. I am now (STILL) job-hunting although I must admit this process has only really begun in the last few weeks.
Anyway thank you for continuing to read the blog (if anyone still is! Ha). Summed up, it really was the trip of a lifetime (and worth every single penny!); THE best six months ever.

Right, back to reality (noooooo)….

Love love xxxxxxxxxxxxxx