Tuesday, March 21, 2006

USA

Greetings and welcome to what may be the final post on this blog.
We have finally made it to New York where we are staying with my aunt and uncle in brooklyn.

Going back in time somwhat to Fiji...

In this photo you can see a Kava ceremony which is a mildly sedative drink created from the crushed stems and roots of the kava plant. Tourists dont generally find it has much effect, but the Fijians drink it all the time and get absoultely wasted.



Here is the view from our resort's beach.



Onto San Francisco. Here is Lombard Street, the only wiggly street in San Fran. People drive down this all day, for no real reason!



We went over to Alcatraz on a rainy, windy day. Here's Suze in one of the cells.



Had a quick look at the Golden Gate Bridge



We spent 8 days in San Fran and finally worked out that we couldnt afford to get a car so took a Greyhound bus to LA. We stayed three nights in Hollywood and one night in Venice Beach. We stayed very close to Mann's Chinese Theatre which has the concrete handprints outside. My favourite one was this one.



We went on a walking tour around Beverly Hills and Bel Air and saw Brad & Jen's house which they can't sell because it has bad karma, apparently. We also saw the Playboy Mansion and this house, which belongs to Erin Spelling. It has 210 bedrooms, dedicated gift-wrapping room and cost $90M!!!



We went down to Rodeo Drive and two of the people in our group swore they saw 50cent racing away behind us in a sports car.

Spent a day at Venice, but the weather was freezing so there wasn't much beach action and the next day we went off to fabulous Las Vegas. We arrived in the evening and headed straight off to play some poker. We played three times in total and I lost $100, while Suze lost $50, but it wasnt my fault, I just didnt catch the cards. The next day we moved to a hotel(!) in downtown Vegas ($35/night), which was exciting after months in hostels. The four blocks that make up Freemont Street have been covered over with a canopy of 12 million LED's, which they use to make light shows. It was a pretty impressive sight.



We checked out the Strip and saw all the hotels over the next couple of days. My favourite one is the Venetian, an ordinary casino on the ground floor, but go up the stairs... and you find a full replica of the canals of Venice complete with gondaliers and venetian streets.



The newest hotel in town is the Wynn which was very beautiful, but very posh.. and has a full golf course out the back.



Vegas is also home to the drive - thru wedding, and we found numerous chapels with bargain deals of $45/wedding, including a photo and rose. We saw three couples getting married at the famous little white chapel.



We did a day trip to the Grand Canyon, which was a 14hour bus ride, return. Last time I went to the Grand Canyon, it was so hot that by 10am we had to go inside. But this time there was snow on the ground which made it look even better.





After Vegas we spent a night in Omaha to see Nick from uni. Nick took us out for dinner and I had the best steak of my life, it was like butter, amazing. The next morning we went to see his parent's mansion.

Our next stop was Chicago. We celebrated Paddys Day in a very busy Irish bar and this was the only bit of Chicago I saw as I caught a viral infection which meant I couldn't get out of bed for the next two days and I am still recovering from it now. Suze did an afternoon of sightseeing without me and brought back this picture takrn from atop the Sears Tower



So now we are in New York. I have managed to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, but that's about it. In fact, I am so ill that Suze is my PA and has had to write this all for me. So a big hand for Suze. I am home about 9am Sunday so I expect to see you at Heathrow :)

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have better things to do than grow my hair! Why yesterday I spent 3 hours playing with my devil sticks, I met the uni circus society actually, alas they are but a shadow of the mancunian one.

"It's not my fault, I just didn't catch the cards."
I'm not even gonna scoff a remark at that lame comment Ashy boy.

I'd forgotten all about kava, I used to nail that stuf every evening when I was in A-levels just to get me to the other end of the night. I love having sleeping trouble me.

Wednesday, 22 March, 2006  
Blogger Simon said...

What a blog! I've totally enjoyed the heart wrenching jealousy your blog's brought out of me over the past few months. It seems like only yesterday you left! I'm sure it went even quicker for you though.

Give me a call when you get back, i'll buy your sorry unemployed arse a beer or two. I'll also buy your "Ash VS The World" book if you choose to release it in paperback.


Nice one.

(on another note, the automated text below to verify i'm not a bot, spamming your blog has almost spelt the word "Twats". Great times.

Wednesday, 22 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't know if anyone's still reading ash's blog, but ash wont be home for a few days, as had to go to hospital and experience the wonder that is the american medical system. So you all still have another chance to meet him at Heathrow upon his return!!

x

Sunday, 26 March, 2006  
Blogger Simon said...

what for?

when's he back now?

Monday, 27 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

just got/read your email soz, ash sounds pretty ill, usually i'd take the piss but this time it'd be a bit too far me thinks.
gesundheid ash....

when are you two reprobates swinging by manc-land btw?
someone needs to get tom off World of Warcraft, and everytime i meet him to get him out i end up playing the damn thing...

thanks for the interesting blogs/emails and the resulting jealous rage attacks.

Monday, 27 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ash had something called pericarditis (spelling??) - it's an infection or something around the muscle of the heart, which basically meant that he couldn't really breath.

He's alot better now, off the drip and done all the tests under the sun. His aunt and uncle are looking after him in NY, and i think he should be out of hospital today or tomorrow. Not sure when he's back in the UK.

Tom - i fear you may be slowly losing your social skills.

Tuesday, 28 March, 2006  
Blogger Ash said...

Hello everyone, it's nice to see you guys care about me, i'm chuffed.

I got out of hospital about 5pm on the 28th and hope to fly back tomorrow evening so i'll be home on the 30th. I can't be sure because there's the possibility of me getting upgraded but attempting to get the upgrade may mean i can't fly at all if it falls through but i'm hopeful i'll be on some sort of seat tomorrow.

If anyone wants to look it up i had viral pericarditis which gave me chest pain and difficulty breathing, it was sure fun. Anyhoo i should be back in blighty soon, hurrah!

Wednesday, 29 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow, sounds nasty man, but since you're better I guess it's ok to slag you now right?
Here goes *clears throat*
Ash you pussy. You had a cold! Just a cold! In the heart and not the lungs admittedly but still..... total wimp. You had me all worried about a stupid flu , you complete and utter lightweight. When I next see you I'm gonna slap that hypochondriac head of yours.
*and breath*
And as for you Tom you're now spending all your time talking to the computer, at least when it was real people you could keep the pretence up that you still had a social life and were engaging with the real world. You sad lonely git.
Although I too have bought KOTOR and I skipped training lastnight to play it, I'm different, I have more social skills to lose for a start so it's ok.

Rant over.

Seriously though Ash, good to see you aren't dead mate.

Wednesday, 29 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well let's get this over with now,

p.s. Ash, glad you're better

Now I can spend the rest of this message ranting like an idiot.

Get your ass home boy. I know what you're up to, you and Macca had this planned from the start. You better be on that plane home tomorrow else I'll come over there to give you beatings myself. Do you have any idea how much I want to get my bloody hair cut!

I was runing all up and down the University with a great bloody smile on my face telling everyone that it'd be cut already. This is important little man, no measly chest pains could compare to the trauma I'm going through. Get your lame ass back here.

Sorry, felt the need to sheepishly join in with my grumbling buddies above. Tom, Alan, you boys have got issues. Get it sorted

Hope you make the flight back Ashy boy, keep the faith brother.

Wednesday, 29 March, 2006  
Blogger Ash said...

Wow, lots of anger on my blog, excellent. Steve you'll be thrilled to know i'm coming home tonight but i have to see your hair before you cut it, it's only fair.

Unfortunately i couldn't swing an upgrade so i'll be in economy as usual but i can't breathe if i lie flat so it doesn't matter that much.

Which kotor are you guys playing, is there a new one?

See you all soon.

Wednesday, 29 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nah first one, old skool.

It's pretty good but I miss some of the updates that the second one had - though not the ending, god did that suck.

I'm a bit confused Steve, why can't you get your hair cut without Ash?? Does he cut your hair or something? Bit freaky that mate.

Tom good point, I suppose I do have further to fall than you so perhaps I should stop playing.... nah. It's too much fun and I'm afraid I'm already tarred with the mad/geek brush so why not embrace it? Btw, go to Yavin and beat that wierd guy on the space station at Pazaak 10 times and you'll get huge discounts.

Lang zal de Ubergeek leven!

Thursday, 30 March, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok so I'm starting to worry about all of you. Between almost dying, loosing social abilities and frantic hair growing I can see that my presence is required for the sanity of the country. I just hope you can all survive the year without loosing it completely.

Thursday, 30 March, 2006  
Blogger Ash said...

Just in case someone is reading this and wants to know the exciting outcome i got home ok but a week later i went to hospital for 6 nights. They diagnosed me with mycoplasma pericarditis, the bacteria that causes pneumonia no less. Anyway i'm taking antibiotics and hopefully i'll get better now, its been a month already!

P.S. Oblivion is the most addictive game ever, argh!

Wednesday, 19 April, 2006  

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