TravelStream™ news feed for member amyjooink on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/amyjooink en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:11:09 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1111822980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1111822980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1111822980/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:11:09 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

I changed my flight this morning to the same as Elle's from LA to Fiji as she mailed to say she had booked her tickets. Yeah! I said goodbye to Kirtsy and Amanda but we didn't exchange contact details, and believe it or not we actually bumped in to each other a few weeks later at the Bay of Islands in New Zealand! I went for another all-you-can-eat buffet for 5 quid - delicious, al my vitamins and 5-a-day fruit and veg in one hit. I took the bus to the bottom of the strip not realizing it was a bank holiday weekend and was also "spring Break' for the American school goers. The bus took two hours (the road is about 3 km long), but my feet hurt so much I didn't want to get out and walk!

I went into the MGM Grand, and New York New York (which inside is actually like a little New York) and to Excalibur which is a medieval hotel, with fancy dress and all. I walked past the giant M & M's at the M & M factory and the giant Coca Cola bottle and was so tired (and fed up that I couldn't get to see everything I wanted and was not with a group of friends as it should be in Vegas) I got on the Monorail and returned to the hostel to collect my things. I was leaving that evening for San Diego via LA. The Greyhound bus depot at LV was fully of real wacky people ( I was ok though, a Japanese male student insisted on sitting with me until my bus came) and the bus I wanted to get on was overbooked, but luckily they wouldn't let some old lady on as she was really drunk, and I got her seat. I slept all the way to LA as it was an overnight bus and this meant all the 'wacky' people on the bus were pretty quiet too. I don't know whether I was calmed or worried by the fact that the drivers sit's in a bullet-proof cupboard though!

I had to wait for my next bus at LA which really was quite an experience. they do say that you are ok in that bus depot as long as don't go out, which I didn't, this time. It was full of many people who moaned and mumbled to them selves quite loudly, many were in slippers and pj's and generally were quite large. I just tried not to meet anyone's eye, but kept near the security people! At 5am I managed to get on a bus to San Diego with a bus full of people that didn't speak any English!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117931460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117931460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117931460/tpod.html Wed, 08 Jun 2005 21:01:32 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Canberra, Australia

As I still felt ill and Elle had woken up with a headache we hung around the house until 2pm. We had planned a bike ride around the lake so we could take the sights of Canberra in but that did not happen. When Richard came home to do some marking (he's a teacher) we thought we had better leave him in peace so went out in the car to see the town of Canberra. It is a newly planned town, much like Milton Keynes, with straight forward grid system roads, and the central business district is based around a hexagon/circle. People still get easily lost here????

We went to the Old Parliament House whish is a long white building with a rectangle lake and protesters at the front of it. It reminded me of a scene in Forrest Gump that I think is set in Washington? We then went and drove round the New Parliament House which is quite an interesting building. It has some spires that meet at the top, and is kind of covered in grass - like the Teletubbies houses! They were doing road works round it so we couldn't get a good close up picture of it. Next we went to the Museum of Australia where we learnt about the different animals that inhabited the land, many of which we saw stuffed/pickled on display. Yuk. There was also a bit about the bush fires in and around Canberra with videos showing what happens which really was quite scary. I do hope that doesn't happen when we are here. We also learnt about the convicts that came over to Australia many years ago, and were happy (?) to see that the majority of them were English.

We also went into a theatre within the museum that was called Circa. It's a revolving round theatre that uses moving plasma TV's and all kinds of gizmo's to show what Australia is like - the Land, the Wildlife and the people. It wasn't trying to sell Australia at all, just telling it like it is which is quite refreshing. After that Elle and I spent about half an hour videoing ourselves on one of the museum camera's that was there for you to tell your story on Australia and it would be shown on the TV's there. Because we could see ourselves, the picture was quite bad and it was the wrong way round, we basically behaved like kids and pulled all kinds of faces. They might show them one day??

We returned and had some Carbonara for dinner. There was a barbecue at Dustin's house as it was his birthday, but as I still didn't feel well I didn't think it would be a good idea to stand outside all night. Instead Elle and I stayed in and watched 'Almost Famous' and 'Driving In Cars WIth Boys' which are two of my favorite films. I also watched and Incubus music DVD with subtitles so I could finally understand what Brandon was saying!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117842240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117842240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117842240/tpod.html Wed, 08 Jun 2005 20:31:40 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Canberra, Australia

This morning I woke up with a dreadful cold, or my case 'woMAN Flu' as I was being a bit pathetic about it. When I was in Sydney I had started to get a sore throat and I haven't been ill since well before I went away so was due. Trish (the greatest host in the world) served me a drink of apple cider vinegar and honey. It seemed to work a bit. Boringly I then spent the rest of the day on the computer uploading all mine and Elle's pictures as we haven't been able to do that yet. We have hundreds and can only upload them 10 at a time, plus I wanted to put them all into the right places with notes of what they are - but the latter I haven't had time to do.

Elle was addicted to her book. She sat on the veranda, looking out over the dusty garden (there is a bad drought in the area), and watching the parrot type birds (red, green and blue) fly around. This felt like Australia. I spoilt the scene when I came out on the veranda with a runny nose and a massive red dressing gown I had been lent. I just needed a fag in my mouth, fluffy slippers and rollers in my hair then I would be Trailer Trash! I did pop out to the local shops to get some supplies for Trish (though I didn't go in the dressing gown) as she was a witness in a court case and had to wait in all day for a phone call so she could be witness over the phone. Typically the phone call never came.

Anna (the 20 year old daughter still living at home) came home from her exam which she believes she did well in so went out to lunch to celebrate. Claire came over with her 3 week old baby Molly, but Claire did not look like she had recently had a baby at all - tips from Victoria Beckham maybe? Claire's boyfriend Dustin was also with her but we did not see much of him as he went off to football practice - he's semi-pro and has been around Europe looking for a team to join. Rosie (the oldest daughter) and Paul then appeared with their sons Jamie and Finn. Then Jessica (2nd youngest) and her boyfriend arrived. That's all 4 daughters and their partners plus kids, a large family, though Peter their son couldn't make it as he is at university in Wagga Wagga. You really can tell that the girls are sisters, their faces are quite similar and so are their mannerisms.

We all crowded round the table for Sweet Potato Curry which was delicious. Everyone swapped stories about what they had been up to and what they were doing. It was quire nice to sit round the table with such a large family and get involved in everything. Quite a few of them had plans for the evening so left soon after dinner (though we finished off a pack of Jelly Beans and some biscuits before they left), and Richard, Trish and I sat up drinking wine til about midnight (Elle went to be early to read her book). We had some great discussions about life and what to do with it! During that time I phoned my sister at home for a chat and Richard spoke to her too, trying to persuade her to come out however her does not really remember the conversation as was a bit drunk!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117753800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117753800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117753800/tpod.html Fri, 03 Jun 2005 19:34:51 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Sydney, Australia

After re-packing our bags for what felt like the millionth time, we took the long walk to the train station. Because it was only about 9am and we were in the Central Business DIstrict, all the machines where you put your tickets into to get through were 'Exits Only' apart from one machine which we found it hard to locate. Then we went up and down many flights of stairs as couldn't work out which platform to get to, and they were all on different levels. Finally we found the right train and platform and got on. At each stop the driver says where you are and where the next stop is, so when he said 'All Change' at one of the stops I was a bit confused - we had got on the wrong train! Oh well, never mind, all makes for a bit of fun.

We arrived in Arncliffe where our van was going to be and Murray was not there, but the van we had arranged to buy was sitting there, gleaming and glowing at us - but we didn't want it! We had a look at the other cars to see which one we wanted as our plans had changed and set our sights on a red Ford Falcon Stationwagen as it seemed pretty sturdy and big. Murray returned and I broke the news to him that we wanted a different vehicle, and after saying he had spent all day yesterday on the van, was pleased that we still at least wanted to buy a car from him. He set to work on getting the new car ready while we went and pretended to be 'ladies that lunch' - there was not much else to do in Arncliffe. While eating lunch a guy with no shoes on came up and asked for some spare change, I had left my bag open on the floor and he started to go through it - how rude. I quickly told him where to go.

Back at Travellers Mate Murray had the car all ready and told us the car 'drives sensational'- with a thick Ozzy accent of course. After we had done all the paperwork (with me reading all the fine print), had a lesson on how the engine works and collected all the camping gear off we went! He was right, it is a lovely car to drive, though it is a lazy Australian automatic car. We just carried along the Pacific Highway out of Sydney, stopping on buy an atlas on the way, and trying to decide where we were going to go. We decided on a direct route to Mebourne, but then half way round the road we decided to pop over to Canberra to see my dad's old friends, the Stoddarts. We didn't ring as I wanted to surprise them. I had a whole line ready along the lines of 'Hi, can you help me, I'm a little lost, I've come all the way from Milton Keynes', as I knew they wouldn't recognize me straight away. The sunset quickly (the biggest sun I have seen in my life I might add) and we drove for a while in the dark but luckily no Kangaroo's jumped out in our path. It was fantastic that we could see so many stars that looked like they went all the way to the ground.

When Trish opened the door all I could say was 'Amy'. She understood and invited Elle and I in warmly, asking if we wanted to stay the night, they had room as only one of the 5 'kids' are still living at home. We agreed this would be the best thing as Canberra was actually quite cold and we hadn't brought any sleeping bags yet. We spent a couple of hours catching up on what we had been doing (Adn as usual Richard had stories about my Dad that I didn't know), showing them our 'Flying Fox' DVD and they had plans to go to a friends house that evening so left us in our new home to relax. As usual I went on the net to update this diary and left Elle to watch a little TV and read her book, Dan Browns' Da Vinci Code. I was transported back to my younger years while in there study as they had lots of books I had read when I was younger such as Enid Blytons 'The Folk of the Far Away Tree' and Judy Blumes 'Are you there God, it's me Margerat?'. I decided I would borrow these to read while we are on our travels to see how much I remembered.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117628400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117628400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117628400/tpod.html Thu, 02 Jun 2005 08:50:01 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Sydney, Australia

At 4.30am some very drunk people came in to our dorm and woke us up! Some of whom were not supposed to be in our room but could not find their key. I fell back asleep and my alarm woke me up at 5.30am to go to the '24 hour' interne cafe in Kings Cross, but after a short walk I found it was closed. Funny 24 hours? It was fun walking through Kings Cross at that time though. All the 'Lady' bars were still open, as well as the 24 hour pubs so I had a good nose at the people that were around.

Elle and I quickly packed out things and left the hostel as it really was a dirty place. We got on the train to China Town and after a really long walk with our massive bags (where we did get a bit lost and was sure someone had sent us the wrong way) we checked into Downtown Backpackers. I only wanted to go there because it had free Internet, so after a cold tin of baked beans (yes, I am resorting to that already) I updated my diary a bit more. I had a bit of a headache from all the 'work' so watched a bit of TV - some stupid movie that I didn't know the name of - something to do with a cowboy that was really an alien and everyone got taken to a 'better place' at the end of the film. If I get a headache after a bit of work, how am I going to manage with a full time job!

Elle had gone to the Botanical Gardens to do some sun bathing and somehow managed to find her way back. We went to this fab Irish pub called Scruffy Murphys and had a 'scooner' or two. The music in their was fab and I wanted to stay all night, but we met up with a Scouse couple that we had met in Fiji (Lawerence and Nicole) and went on the train to a bar called Vegas in Kings Cross for happy hour $2 beers. Nice one. THere was also a video jukebox there and I finally got to listen to a bit of rock music. I was telling Lawerence that these drunks guys had woke us up real early, then I realized it was his friends that were sitting with us - I had a bit of a jokey moan at them about it! As the bar was so cheap it really was full of some all day-drunken characters, who didn't appreciate it when we put The Proclaimers 'I would walk 500 miles' on the jukebox, and all sang it really loud!

Elle and I told L & N that we were going to buy a car and they said they had thought about that too. Straight away we invited them to join us in the car we were going to buy (which only had two seats as it was a van) and they agreed. We were all so excited and talked about what we could do and where we were going to go. Better let the man that was working on our van know that we had changed our mind hadn't we? But we forgot!

Next stop was a Chinese Meal in Chinatown as you just have to do it. It was only us and another table in the whole restaurant, and I think one of the other diners was Barry White resurrected - it did cause us to have fits of giggles. The set meal was nice, but I don't think the waiter was pleased when I kept pouring all the different sauces and soups into a glass as an 'experiment'. The food really was nice though. Lawrence and Nicole took us back to see their apartment, and on the way we saw a sea food restaurant that has all the animals/fish type things in aquariums that are actually in the windows. Poor things - get looked at lm day and then boiled up for dinner! Then we went to an Ice Cream shop where you choose the flavor of your ice cream and what other goodies you want put in it, and the people there hammer your choice into the ice cream. I had Choc Mint ice cream with fudge, flake and marshmallows. It was yummy!

As Lawernce and Nicole are from Liverpool, and my hearing really is not the best at times, I sometimes didn't understand them very well. At one point L said that they were going to what I though sounded like somewhere in Thailand, and I replied that it was sad about the Tsunami. L replied "What's that got to do with Kylie Minogue?". I am a bit stupid!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112850240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112850240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112850240/tpod.html Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:05:23 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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San Diego, California, United States

Whoops. lost the work again. went something like sleep - brekkie - felt ill - sleep - walk - Star Bar - drink - drunk - nipple cripple. Will update again later
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117424100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117424100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117424100/tpod.html Tue, 31 May 2005 23:47:26 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Sydney, Australia

Well we couldn't visit Sydney without going to the famous Bondi Beach could we? It was a short bus ride from the Circular Quay, and we got to go up Oxford Street on the way. Bondi Beach is actually quite a small cove surrounded by rocks, but it had the biggest waves I have ever seen. At the back of the cove there are many shops and cafe's, and although it was only 10.30am there were many people out socializing already - some probably hadn't even been to bed! There really was quite a breeze so we found a patch of grass that was sheltered from the wind. We sat there. For hours! It was lovely.

I read some of my current book which is Ulrika Johnnson's autobiography, and also studied the lonely planet and other books to see where we were going to go on our travels. Elle said she would read the Lonely Planet too so that she did some research as well, but within 5 mins she was face down in the book asleep - good research method! We also had a good laugh watching a suicidal kayaker keep trying to get through and then ride the waves. He was out there for hours and I gave him 10 out of 10 for effort.

We left that end of the beach as did not want to miss the last bus (as it was a Sunday we didn't know when it would leave), but before we left we watched the wicked skate board and bmx'ers do their stuff in the skate park. There was also some excellent graffiti on the wall there, some dedicated to all those tat were killed in the Bali bombing. It was quite moving.

I stood up on the bus all the way back, hanging onto the bars so that I got some kind of work out in my arms! After our obligatory pint of Stella at the local, we went back at the hostel I was really sleepy so just hung around, watched a bit of TV and read my book. I got woken up by Elle when she returned at 11.30pm quite drunk. She had gone back to the local and spoke to a guy who was having relationship problems with his missus, but Elle was adamant he was gay! He brought her lots of cocktails and they went for a dance at a local cheesy night club. I kind of wish I had gone out too, but only if he had paid for my drinks too!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112843880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112843880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112843880/tpod.html Tue, 31 May 2005 23:35:14 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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San Diego, California, United States

After my pancake breakfast I headed down the Gas Lamp Quarter towards the ferry crossing for Coronado. I just couldn't resist a caramel covered apple from the Rocky Road Factory. They have been calling me since I arrived in America. It was delicious in a healthy but not healthy kind of way. The ferry crossing only took 10 mins as it was only over the harbor, and I got to see a good view of the city line, plus the Seaport Vilage I had already visited. There was also a kite display on the SP village, where kites were just attached to the ground and floated around by them selves. It looked pretty good and I wanted to take my Poi with me over there as I thought the colors would look pretty fantastic too.

Coronado is a little peninsular type bit of San Diego that is joined by going over a massive bridge or on the ferry. At one end is a massive naval base, and the streets are laid out in a grid like fashion - very military. There were so many different houses, many with American flags hanging over the front door. I walked towards the Naval base but wasn't allowed any access. Oh well. I carried on walking and got to the beach which was fantastic, though I haven't had many beach experiences yet so don't trust my judgement! The sand was so hot at the back of the beach that I couldn't walk without shoes on. It also had gold little specks in it and glistened in the sun. I got my feet wet in the Ocean for the first time and it was lovely and warm, though I didn't swim as I had no-one to look after my things. Plus I could feel myself burning already!

I couldn't take the heat for long (but I am not going to complain), so went to Wedny's for another $1 late lunch. The ferry departure point was a little walk back, and I easily ignored all the very posh shops trying to sell me things. When the ferry left they said we were going into the Naval Base to collect some passengers, and that we weren't allowed to take any pictures while we in there. We sailed up to these big black sausage like things that stop unwanted people from getting in, and these were moved by some guys on a little boat. I think their job was just to move these sausage things in and out all day. I thought it looked a bit boring - wouldn't want that job! We were acommpanied into the base by a security boat and the passengers got on. It was good as we got to see the ships right up close, and could see men with guns following our every move! When I got back I told Daniel and Liam (Perth) about it and they said they had gone to the same place too.

There was another pub crawl this evening so I joined in. My new skate-board-dude friend was a guy called Rich from Reading, England. We had a great laugh at my favorite bar, The Star Bar. It was great because everyone that I liked from the hostel came out as well and we all sat around and chatted for ages. I cannot really remember much more of the evening I'm afraid, apart from that apparently I was having a bit of a boogie to The Beatles, or so I am told!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117506540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117506540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1117506540/tpod.html Tue, 31 May 2005 22:49:15 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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Sydney, Australia

We walked up to Kings cross to have a look and see what it was like. A bit dirty and full of adult shops and beggars as I presumed. We followed the road down and quickly got to the Naval base, and yes we did see men in uniforms and shout "You've got something on your heel" but they didn't quite hear us. They wouldn't have understood the joke anyway. I liked the massive military ships and wished that I could climb all over them. Past the naval base is FInger Wharf which is basically a posh wharf with offices and restaurants on it. We didn't really belong there so moved on quickly.

We followed the Botanical Gardens along the sea front where you can almost see to the bottom, past the outdoor swimming pool that is suspended over the sea (but it was closed otherwise I would've had a dip), and up to Mrs Macquries point where you get a good view of the harbor and the Sydney OPera House. There were people filing there, plus lots of school kids, a good day for both as the sun was out in force. We then thought we better go and look at cars as wanted to buy one so headed back to Kings Cross.

The first place we went to was Travellers Autobahn which is run by a bunch of Germans. We told them what we wanted and how much we wanted to spend, and they tried to fob us off with a back street car. After a few beers in what we called our local (WIlliam Hotel Bar), we decided to get the train to another place I had seen while reading the fantastic magazine 'British Balls'. It's for English travellers in Australia, and it is written like The Sun but a lot cruder, and it made me laugh a lot. THere was a job going as a journalist for them, I pondered about going for it!

As Travellers Mate (Arncliffe) there were loads of cars and vans that we liked so we spent a good couple of hours getting in and out of the vehicles, testing the chairs, pretending to sleep in the back. We did fall i love with a really old blue Chrsyler (complete with walnut insides) but it didn't have a tape player. We checked all the cars against a list I had made and decided upon a Ford Falcon Panelvan, with racing driver seats and blacked out windows! Murray at Travellers Mate was very helpful, giving us info sheets on the 'deal' that they do and saying he had just got the van in so would need a couple of days just to make sure everything was in order - they should do, they give a warranty for 1 year on all their cars which is pretty fair. We left it that we would take the van and call him in a couple of days, though we were both getting itchy feet to move on.

We returned to the hostel to sleep as Elle wanted to go and watch the West Ham v Preston match (something about moving up into the Premiership if WH one?), and got back up at 10.30pm. We went to the 24 hour sports bar in Kings Cross that said they were showing the match, finding out after we had brought a drink that they weren't showing it. The bar woman was really helpful and looked up on the et where would be playing it which was the Gaelic in Surry Hills. We phoned them to check it was on and made the half hour walk to get there, but we did get a little lost! Upon arrival we were told there was a $25 entry fee to watch it. I thought they were joking but they weren't. For some reason if this particular channel is playing a match in a pub, they can set the prices on the door. Strange. We had a commiseration drink (but also a celebration drink for the three people who's birthdays it was today - Darren, Nancy and Scotty) in The Strawberry Fields Pub and made the long walk home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112700540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112700540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amyjooink/amyjo2005/1112700540/tpod.html Tue, 31 May 2005 22:27:22 -0400 Round The World In 2563 Days!

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San Diego, California, United States

Tuesdays are free museum days in San Diego so today I thought I would take another trip to the lovely Balboa Park and visit some. I went on my own as I like to take in everything on my own when I am museums, plus I could sing loudly with my iPod while walking through the park to get to them.

The first one I visited was the Automotive Museum, where I realized I love old cars, though I know nothing about them at all. There were replica's of one's that Marilyn Monroe and James Dean used to have (don't ask me the names), plus some original really old ones. There were also loads of motorbikes, which I also like, but to ride, not to look at! For some reason I also like the smell of old cars, but I wasn't allowed in any of these. There weren't as many cars as I like to see, but I enjoyed it anyway. Next to the Automtive Museum was the Aerospace Museum which looked great, but was not free to get in.

The next museum was the Museum of Photgraphic Arts. Now I know I like modern art - sculptures and things that move like the Saatchi Gallery in London, and I know I like photography so I knew I'd enjoy it. It was a tiny museum/gallery about the size of two classrooms but I spent about 3 hours in there. There were only two artists work in there. The first work was Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky. His photographs were massive, about a mere squared, and were of things like old disused quarries, piles of tyres etc which should really be disturbing but are somehow beautiful, which really doesn't sound that fantastic, but with scale of the pictures and how they were shot I found them really interesting, spending a long time studying each one. His website is http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/ try having a look at some of the pictures as big as you can, you may get the idea.

The other artist was Andrea Modica who always used sepia colour and a special material for her photos so that they looked softer. She had two themes; one of a girl that she got to know who had serious problems with diabetes, getting bigger and bigger by the day and eventually died; the second was when she lived in an abbaitoire, and what they did with the animals there. ALl the photographs were good but some really did disturb me.

I then went round the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum bit as it was a free day they were full of kids. Yuk. So I went and sat in the park by one of these massive weird tress called Chicken Foot Trees, and sun bathed while listening to music. Bliss again, especially as I was surrounded by such beautiful buildings.

Boring night tonight I'm afraid. I stayed in for an alcohol free night of Black Jack (again), and talked to a guy from Perth who was telling me where to go in Western Australia, and the fact that he was visiting Milton Keynes. Porr man.
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