I've kind of had to force myself to write this update as it's going to be the last one and that means the holiday is really over. Even though I've been back in the country for four days, I have these little superstitions about hanging onto the holiday. Like not fully unpacking for a few weeks. While ever I haven't found homes for all the new "things" I bought and they litter the coffee table, I'm still in holiday mode. Same as writing the final blog update - once it's written, it'll all be done and over, so I've put off writing it.

And that all pretty much sucks pickled gerbil *****. Without a doubt, this has been the best holiday of my life. I can't begin to tell you how much I didn't want to come home. It makes it very hard to look back and remember everything with humour, and not taint it with the bitterness of leaving.

As previously discussed, my last night in New Orleans was to be on Halloween. I was rather curious about how nuts this place would go, given it is more or less berko 365 days of the year already. What on earth else could they do to be any crazier?!!

They could dress up, that's what.

I've learnt that Americans take Halloween as seriously as we take Christmas and Australia Day. I'm not even slightly exaggerating. (Probably not as drunk as us, though.) I took a street car that day down through the Garden District. This is a gorgeous thing to do no matter what time of year you are in New Orleans. Sit on the wooden seats, push up the window and feel the wind in your hair as you rattle down the middle of some really old streets and very upscale mansions. The difference in doing this at Halloween is seeing the way these houses have been decked out. One mansion had their entire front lawn - and we're talking a stately sized lawn here - covered in skeletons. Skeletons propped up and dressed up, doing things like raising an American flag, impaled on the iron fence, having high tea at a fancy table to name just a few. You name it, these skeletons were doing it. And that's at one house!! Another enormous mansion with cream walls had gone to the trouble of dressing it with twenty or so spiders. Big, black spiders with four or five foot leg spans, seemingly made of huge pipe-cleaners. Their entire front hedge was draped in spider webs. Just mammoth, expensive efforts everywhere you looked. It was really impressive stuff.

By the time I got back to the Quarter in mid afternoon, things were rolling right along. Lots of costumes already out and about. I was walking along St Ann behind a guy walking about four dogs on leads. Coming towards us were a few girls who'd clearly already started their party. One of them spotted the dogs and began singing a pretty slow, drug-fuelled rendition of 'Who let the dogs out' going about it all soul, arms in the air, etc. A couple of locals sitting on a shop step having a smoke watched this little parade go past them, snickering quietly. As I strolled through in the wake of all this, they caught my eye. I glanced back over my shoulder at the girl - still singing - and said, "Well, she's on early."

I love making Americans laugh. I don't think they expect the dry, sarcastic humour we Aussies breathe and sweat. It seems to make them laugh, though.

At the corner of St Ann and Bourbon, I found Satan. With his bicycle. It got more colourful from there. Everyone was happy to be stopped and photographed which was totes awesome.

I went back to my room to get ready for dinner. I was meeting the Aussie girl I'd bumped into at breakfast that morning. We had a fairly ordinary dinner and had to rush it as she was heading off to a ghost tour. Was great making a new friend - a comparitively local one - so far from home. We're planning coffee in January. Turns out there was no point in doing my hair and makeup that night. (Not that I'd gone to a whole lot of effort. Classic Linley - bit of mascara, meh, too hard, she'll be right.) As we were finishing dinner, the heavens opened and the rain just bucketed down. And dashing on those cobbled streets is rather dicey, just FYI. I stayed upright but I have my trusty Skechers to thank for that. But the result of *not* dashing, was to risk drowning. So much vertical water. While Bourbon Street could use a damn good wash, the timing was woeful. The freak show that I'd been so keen to photograph, just split down the middle and disappeared into all the establishments. Awnings weren't wide enough or plentiful enough to provide ample shelter so I eventually bagged the camera and made my mournful way back to my hotel. I was soaked to the point that I had to hang my clothes out, towel my hair then blow-dry it.

I think I got up at something stupid like "before five" to go to the airport and fly to Philly. So maybe not such a bad thing I had an early night. Still a little bit of a let-down as I really wanted to see that place get CRAZY. My travel tip for New Orleans? Don't go alone. I enjoyed it, for certain. There is so much to see, but at night? It's a city that screams for someone to throw an arm around and share a drink with. Just how that place should be treated. I won't go back there again, unless I go with someone. I think it will be that bit richer if I do.

Probably won't smell any better.

And on to Philly. The airline did that thing again where they delayed my first flight by so much I was doing a Black Caviar to the connecting flight in Dallas. Seems to be the American way, though. The only person slightly perturbed by the frequency with which this happens appeared to be me. Clashes with my slightly uber-organised streak.

I won't say heaps about Philly. It was quite cold for a lot of my time in Philly, which is great because I like cold weather. (I know, I'm a vampire.) I had my thumping great big goose down jacket and was asked by locals pretty much everywhere I went why I was wearing it. Apparently not as cold in Philly as the sub-zero temperature suggested. Not by their standards. Maybe I should go back for Christmas. Just have to dream up a good excuse. ;-) (And wish the funds into existence.)

I was a guest of my dear friend Regina, who looked after me superbly, took me to the historic sights, fed me my first Philly cheese steak, took me to the Cheesecake Factory, bought me my first pumpkin pie, and drove me pretty much anywhere and everywhere without complaint. She also took me to see BON JOVI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! \m/ Blame it on the love of rock and roll.

Until next time, travel hard.