Written 23rd October 2011

Hello!

I am currently on the Mega Bus travelling from Toronto, Canada to Washington DC, USA! I am sat on seat 23 next to the window, the sun is shining and autumn leaves look bizarrely different to home. You may be wondering how I managed to get to the other side of the world since my last blog from Christchurch, NZ so here is how I did it.

I set off from NZ on my monster journey to the USA at 1pm from my hostel. My first flight to Auckland took off at 4.30 and I enjoyed amazing mountain views over New Zealand from my window seat. I then boarded my second flight to Los Angeles just as the All Blacks v Australia semi final started at Eden Park. We flew directly over the stadium which was all lit up but unfortunately the picture I took came out blurred, gutted! I then enjoyed a 12 hour flight with a whole row to myself which meant I could lie down and go to sleep for the night, perfect. When breakfast was served just before landing the pilot even sent out the rugby score! The All Blacks thrashed Australia and were in the final! Jump forward a week to last night and the All Blacks v France final ended 8-7 to the All Blacks! Whoop whoop, Go the AB'S!!

When I touched down in LA I had to collect my bag and get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 4! Now LA airport is a big airport and I only had 1 hour! It took me ages to get through customs and then I had to run for about 10 mins to T2 where I just about made check in, ran though security and got to my gate just in time! Close one! I then boarded my 3rd flight of the day to Chicago at 11.30am and enjoyed the most amazing views out the window flying over the USA! The first thing I spotted, from the middle seat, was the Colorado River. I knew what the Colorado created in the USA and then I spotted it. I am proud to say that while flying over the Grand Canyon for the second time I was amazed by the views and this time managed to enjoy them without filling a sick bag! The business man sat by the window must have been annoyed by me reaching across to take photos; he wasn't even looking out the window the crazy fool! Then it was back to sleep for me before waking up to the fantastic Chicago night skyline.

My journey still wasn't over. I did however have an hour to spare in Chicago so I enjoyed a typically oversized American burger before boarding my flight to Buffalo. At 12.00am I touched down in Buffalo after a whole 29 hours of travelling! However it was only 11 hours of 'time' since I took off. Weird! Now most people will know that I had a special pick up in Buffalo! Mum and Dad had flown out to meet me!!

As I walked round the corner of a corridor in the airport I saw a very slim man with my face on his t-shirt and a very excited lady jumping up and down with a popped balloon! They had gone all out! Dad had made his very own t-shirt with pictures from Sydney on it and mum was just about managing to keep the balloon they bought afloat, it was a nice touch :-) I ran though the door holding my, "Airport pick up, Mum + Dad" sign and we had a slightly emotional hug! After 121 days I was allowed to be slightly emotional :-)

So we collected my bag and headed off to the hotel that had a double bed, not a bunk, 4 pillows, not 1, and two parents that were shown every bit of stuff I had to show them before we went to bed at 2am! The next day we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast, not a cereal bar, before setting off to see the number one attraction! We even arrived before it opened we were that eager, Mum and Dad had checked it out the day before so we knew where it was and I was very excited! We all enjoyed a good hour in Abercrombie and Fitch and I walked away with a bargain t-shirt and a pair of jeans from Levi! The 29 hours was worth it :-)

So after a morning of retail therapy we made our way to Niagara. As we were on the American side, first we saw them from the American side! As I approached I could hear the water flowing off the edge before I could see it! We walked down the path and there it was, the real reason I had flown half way round the world and my destination, Niagara Falls! It was amazing! The amount of water that flows off the edge is indescribable; I just don't understand why it doesn't run out! The sun was shining, it was bloody windy but the spray made beautiful rainbows over the falls. We watched the water from the platform, around 2 meters away, before posing for the compulsory pictures. I attempted a hand stand on the railings, but sort of failed, and then got a totally awesome jumping picture! Mum ran away with embarrassment and Dad loved the fact he caught it first time! We then made our way along a path onto Goat Island to view the falls from another angle before heading for lunch and over to Canada.

Now getting to Canada isn't difficult, you just drive over the bridge next to the falls. On the other side we drove along the front before deciding to park at the hotel and walked back to the falls. From the Canadian side you can see a lot more of the falls! The falls we had already viewed were small in comparison to the ones around the corner. We could now see the 'Horseshoe' falls which are incredible! The spray they create hides the river below and now I really couldn't understand how they never seem to run out! But… There is only one way to view the Niagara Falls and that is from within on the Maid of the Mist! Luckily we were there the weekend before the last weekend of the season and booked on the 4pm boat dressed in our elegant blue poncho's!

We set off, covering as much as we could, on the very very windy boat ride! The wind was crazy and together with the spray it was very very cold. We sailed past the smaller falls first and then around to the horseshoe. The spray was hitting us directly in the face as we were at the front of the boat, AWESOME! We sailed into the Mist head on and could see the power, scale and sheer volume of water that creates one of the Wonders of the World! I absolutely loved it! Halfway though I took my hood off to get as wet as I possibly could; it was like standing fully clothed in the shower! We then turned around and flew back down the river out of the mist. We were drenched! Mum and Dad loved it and were very wet as their poncho's failed and I loved it and was very very wet because I took it off! All in all it was awesome and up there with the best things I have done on my trip! 10 out of 10!

As we were all wet through we decided it was time to head to the hotel. Now this wasn't just any hotel, it wasn't even a swanky hostel! It was floor 47 of the Hilton with a falls view! Stunning! The Niagara Falls sat beneath our window beautifully and I could even sit in the bath and still see them! So… now it was time to use my present that Crew 42, University friends, bought me for my 21st Birthday! I had carried it around the world, been questioned by airport security and never had chance to use it… I ran the bath, put the electric screen down to the main room, jumped in and add the Bath Bomb! Now in a crumbly mess the bomb part wasn't very effective to be honest but it did turn the water purple, make lots of bubbles and helped me relax with a beer while watching TV, thanks guys :-)

That evening we got dressed up and enjoyed a very nice meal in the hotel before walking around the casino and loosing some money :-)

The day after we went for a walk around Niagara, of course visiting the falls first and walking along the entire front to downtown. Luckily the sun was shining so the arcades, fun houses, and tower or terrors didn't look too bad! Like a posh Blackpool downtown Niagara is defiantly worth a visit! Not wanting to stay too long we went back to the hotel, checked out and headed to Niagara on the Lake. Only around 30 mins from Niagara this beautiful town sat on the side of Lake Ontario is beautiful. On the way we stopped at Pillitteri Estates Winery and enjoyed tasting a number of wines, including the unique 'Ice Wine', before completing a tour of the winery; a very nice way to spend an afternoon. Once in town we enjoyed browsing the many boutique shops and mum treated herself to a ridiculous Santa thing from the Christmas shop, you will no doubt see it hanging from our banister at Christmas! We then checked in at Sandy's B+B by letting ourselves in the front door and settling in before she returned from work! We had a very nice apartment at the top of her house for the night. We made the most of her internet before going out for a meal to the local pub and walking around the now ghost town!

The following day we made our way to Stratford, our next stop on the way to Toronto. We stopped at Fort George along the way for a tour of the fort. During the tour mum amazed everyone by thrashing out some old piece of music on the little piano! Go Mum! We then arrived in Stratford where I visited the Laudromat to do my washing, while M+D checked us in at the Albert Street Inn. Let just say it was a hotel that had seen better days and that no longer lives up to the expectations of any guests, including Mum :-) Anyway, being in Stratford, a town known for its theatre, we decided it was a great way to spend the evening. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is the play on at the moment so we went for a lovely meal before getting tickets and watching the play. It was actually very very good! Myself and Mum loved it and Dad snored his way though most of the first half. Although it was very hard to understand and I didn't really have a clue what was going on, it was pretty funny and had some great music in it :-)

Elora was our destination for the following day and we made our way there via a stop at St Jacobs, where we walked around a local museum and enjoyed a great farmers market! The hot chocolate in Canada is much better than anywhere below the equator! When we arrived in Elora we had lunch at the local Crêperie before a walk along, over and around the gorge. We then had a mooch around a few more very nice shops before heading back home to Albert Street.

Apologies for this blog being so long, I just haven't had time to write it all week!

The next day we made our way to Toronto. When we arrived we checked in at the Delta Chelsea Hotel and made our way to the CN Tower. Formerly the tallest building in the world the CN Tower lost out in 2010 to the numerous monstrosities of Dubai. However, it is now proud to house the world's highest wine cellar! The view from the top was great; we could see the whole of Toronto to one side and out over Lake Ontario from the other. It was great to get our bearings and stand on the glass floor!! By this time we could see rain heading towards the city and by the time we were down it had arrived so we decided to head to the Eaton Centre, a massive shopping centre. We then went back to the hotel before tea and an evening in the bar watching Paris Black, the rock sensation! What an interesting evening we had! We enjoyed drinks while watching an old plastic looking rock star have a whale of a time entertaining crazy Canadians and Americans who could not dance! It was very funny! We decided to give the dancing a miss and called it a night.

My last day in Toronto was yesterday and we had a jam packed day! It started with a trip to the high end shops in town to find Lucy, who we left at home to study hard at University, a pair of Ugg boots! After a hunt for the specific shop we found they were no cheaper so decided to save the hassle of getting them home and didn't buy any. We then made our way to the City Hall to join a walking tour I had booked us on. We joined a few other people for a guided tour of the city centre on which we found out some interesting information about Toronto and the guide pointed out a few hidden gems. After the tour we made our way by tram to the Distillery area, sampled a few beers and watched newly weds have pictures taken before walking back miles to the hotel! After a nap, a common event since relaxing a bit on my travels, we got changed and headed out for a meal. We had a very nice meal in a restaurant overlooking the main square in the city. Below protesters were having a great time running into the middle of the road and dancing around when the lights were on red! An interesting and bizarre way to do it! We then went back home, packed my bag and got an early night.

So this morning I said goodbye to Mum and Dad and boarded the 9am bus from Washington to Toronto. Just testing, Toronto to Washington! We have just entered Pennsylvania and I believe will be dropping off in Baltimore before arriving in Washington DC. Just had a thought…

Update for future reading… Bolton are suffering in the league having lost 2-0 at home to Sunderland yesterday, a far cry from my delight and celebrations at the Taj Mahal! Now it's only 6 points from the opening 8 matches! Ex Libya dictator Col Gadaffi was killed on Friday! New Zealand All Blacks are Rugby World Cup Winners 2011!

I had a lovely week with Mum and Dad in USA and Canada and saw some amazing things! The highlight of the week has to be the Maid of the Mist boat ride which I thought was fantastic. This is closely followed by walking around the corner in the airport to see Mum and Dad waiting for me, a moment I have thought about a lot along the way on my travels! Also, it was great to have a week of luxury on my trip and eat in some beautiful restaurants and stay in some amazing hotels, Thank you! Plus, I got loads of hugs :-)

So now it's back to backpacking for the final week of my tour in Washington DC L I have to say I have mixed emotions about going home and finishing my World Tour! I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family in a week after so long away from home but also have so many more places I want to go to! The good news though is that Mitch has sorted a 5 a-side team out, its time for a night out in York with Uni friends at my Graduation and then its Ski Season time!!! Oh ye… and I've run out of money….

When I get off the bus in DC I believe Mr Toby Roper, my friend from uni, will be at the hostel! I'm sure he won't mind me saying that there is no better person to meet in Washington as he knows everything and anything about the place! Mr David Kelly, my friend from college, will also be flying in tomorrow evening to join us for the week; I brought him for the comedy value haha! Two of my best friends joining me for my last week is great! I hadn't really thought about it before but I'm guessing that there aren't that many backpackers in Washington at the moment so it's great to have the boys with me for the week!

Here's to a great week I have just had with Mum and Dad, and, a great week I am about to have with the boys. Only another 3 hours on the Mega bus and I'm there!

See you soon,

Tom x

Ps. Flippin heck! Word count, 2,925 words! It used to take me weeks to write an assignment that long at uni!