Hey everyone!

Right, time for another update!

So after we left Clemson (clemson! I hear some of you cry) we drove to Charleston with the intention of staying a while, but found it to be lacking in what we were after, so a quick tour around - took photo of Fort Sumter (where the first shots of the civil war were fired - it took some skill as it is quite a few miles off shore!). We also managed a quick workout in the park before we left for Myrtle Beach, our first sunbathing since Venice Beach!

First thing we did was get to the visitor centre, and managed to aquire some free mini-golf rounds (in one of 144ish in the vicinity). So that ended up as our first port of call. A couple of holes-in-one and another free round beckoned :) So we saved that for the next day. A couple of days spent on the beach, within some very impressive scenery..caught some decent waves and enjoyed just lying down for a bit! Found ourselves one evening in the middle of a severe storm (the Government even stopped radio broadcasting for the warning!) which was fun, saw lightning hit a telegraph pole and explode! Managed to obtain free gym passes at a recreation centre, not quite sure how but we didnt complain! Finished off our stay with a meal in Hooters - dont know why we left it so long to go there! Magnificent place (food aint bad either). On the morning of our departure, had the police called on us as some people thought we were homeless and causing trouble - well half right! Managed to get off with a caution.

We then decided to make the long journey up to Washington D.C. to meet up with a girl we met in Wellington. Larissa is a professional squash player, who works part-time getting English bums into her gym for free! We will never forget you! One of the nicest gyms we have ever been in, playing classical music in the changing rooms and more towels than i have ever seen before (and naked old men..which slightly tarnished the experience). Larissa + housemates (Hayes and Cody aka Ed Norton and Jack Black) put us up for 4 nights, which was like having home from home, its awesome when we get lucky with accommodation :) Had a night out in Georgetown, and oh yeah - saw White house, Capitol Hill, War monuments and museums..blah blah blah.. only joking - awesome couple of days sight-seeing. We were also treated to a baseball game, which we both enjoyed as much as the hotdog we had in the 7th inning, unfortunately the home team lost. Also managed to get my first experience of frisbee golf and target golf - both excellent!

Next on the itinerary was Philadelphia, and also by taking a wrong turning - made it to New Jersey temporarily! woops! Philly, home of Rocky and the world famous Philly Cheesesteak! Also home to the liberty bell and some history of some American patriots and some independence and consitution stuff.. But seriously, an interesting fact about the declaration of independence and the constitution is that: after the "all men are equal" independence quote, slavery was acccepted as being legal in the constitution..not too sure about that one, but to cut a long story short - that ended up in the civil war thanks to Abraham Lincoln. Ended the debate over which restaurant's cheesesteak is better - Geno's wins hands down - not just for quality but for the free t-shirt and pen the owner gave us! We finished our stay in Philly by running up the famous Rocky stairs - he mae it look a lot harder than it actually is..haha

After Philadelphia we drove 8+ hours up to Buffalo. Stayed there a night and travelled up to Niagara Falls, saw both the US and Canadian side (Canadian side is better) very impressive! Took a couple of tours o the US side which resulted in us getting very very wet, namely the 'Maid of the mist' and 'Cave of the winds' (see photos for hilarity). Got a proper grilling by the border police on the US side but allowed through with a nod to Canada. Spent another night in Buffalo before a 13 hour drive to Boston, so long as we got lost once and we were trying to avoid toll roads as they can add up!

Boston is a great place, though the weather was a little indifferent. Walked the freedom trail - all to do with the revolutionary war which lead to their independence, and found out about the famous tea party. Saw some breakdancing and street magic in the square. Went to the bar that was the inspiration for Cheers, got a hair cut - as it had been bushing out for over 3 months! The barber hardly spoke English, but knew Chelsea FC and supported Manchester United! Witnessed the final of Euro 2008, and saw the bar from Good Will Hunting. The next day, drove past Fenway Baseball stadium and went to Harvard university for a tour, which was very interesting.

So now it leads me to here - Queens, New York City. We have had possibly the greatest fortune of our trip, and through Jess and her housemate Christine - managed to get a place to stay for the duration of our NYC trip! Massive thank you (I'm not sure how much they know they have helped us! - saves us sleeping in the back of our car and showering in parks!). So yeah, and free 7-day gym passes to Gold's Gym in Manhattan! Should be a great 10 days!

Next time for a blog, the location will probably be Ashtead, England....quite scary! Just need to make sure i dont get shot! haha