TravelStream™ news feed for member sa_chris on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sa_chris en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:07:12 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212757800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212757800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212757800/tpod.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:07:12 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Bali is Indonesia's most popular tourist destination, famed for it's beatiful beaches, great surf and nightlife. Throw in a few hawkers selling cheap t-shirts, fake watches and DVDs for flavour.The beaches really where nice, and once again I tried my hand at surfing. Not all that hard, with the waves at Kuta beeing perfect for beginners. Bali is not only a beach holiday destination, with plenty of other activities on offer inland. I did the white water rafting, which was a good fun for an afternoon. The rapid's weren't the biggest, but constant, with stunning scenery along the way.I also decided to visit the Komodo National Park, home to the Komodo Dragons, giant lizards that can grow up to 3m. To get to the national park I had to fly to Flores, and from there take a boat to the islands of Rinca and Komodo, the only place in the world where the Dragon's are to be found. The bite of a Komdo Dragon can be lethal, due to the bacteria in it's saliva, so the only way to see them is by trekking on the island with rangers, armed with long sticks should the dragons feel like eating some foreign meat.On the first island, Rinca, we saw quite a few Dragons, mainly beeing lazy and suntanning, however we didn't see any of them on Komodo island itself. Mating season had just started, so I guess the dragons had better things to do than pose for tourists...Back to Bali, I spent my last few days in SE Asia relaxing, before heading back to a winty Cape Town.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212130920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212130920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1212130920/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:01:45 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Siem Reap, Cambodia

My first stop in Cambodia was Siem Reap, to visit the ruins of Angkor, the most famous of them beeing Angkor Wat. The are hundreds of other temples scattered around, many of them distinctive in their own way, so visiting many temples doesn't get too boring. I hired a guy on a moto to take me around the temples for a day, as doing it all on foot would be impossible, especially in the heat!Some of the temples are pretty well preserved, while others are nearly completly destroyed, with many in between. One of my favourites was Ta Prohm, the temple that is fairly overgrown by trees, and featured in the Tomb Raider movie. In some cases there are massive trees growing on top of temples, whilst in other parts giant roots wrap themselves around walls. I found myself whistling the Indiana Jones theme tune wuite a few times..I've seem quite a few temples & ruins on this trip so far, and Angkor Wat is truly spectacular, deserving to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world!After visiting Angkor Wat, I headed to the capital Phnom Penh, for a distinctly different side of Cambodia. The main points of interest in the city where the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Prison (S-21), which played notorious roles during the Khmer Rouge rule of Pol Pot. Tuol Sleng Prison, previously a school, was used to interrogate & torture Cambodians deemed a threat to the regime. It operated between 1975-1979, during which an estimated 20.000 people where detained there. Of those 20.000 people, only 7 survived. Now a museum, Tuol Sleng documents the torture of the prisoners, and particularly chilling, all the victims where photographed when entering the prison. Now walls are covered with thousands of portrait photo's of the victims.After the prisoners spent a couple of months in Tuol Sleng, they where taken to the Killing Fields just ouside the city, where they where executed. To conserve bullets, most where just hit over the head with a shovel, and then buried. The mass graves have been mostly exhumed, and as a memorial there is a tower of about 8000 skulls of the victims. Cambodia is a country of contrasts. One the one side it boasts the glorious past of Angkor Wat, then more recently the genocide during the Khmer Rouge era. The people are very friendly, ready to smile, but also after the american dollar, trying to sell you anything you want, sometimes beeing a little to agressive about it. There are also many street kids, constantly trying to sell you books or postcards, even roking late into the night.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1211352180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1211352180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1211352180/tpod.html Fri, 30 May 2008 03:01:24 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vang Vieng, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

My first stop in Laos was the small town of Luang Prabang. The first thing that struck me about Laos was that it is so much more relaxed than Vietnam, no aggressive street vendors, and hardly any traffic. What a difference from the bustle of Hanoi.Luang Prabang is famous for it's colonial architecture, as well as the many buddhist temples. As I'm fairly templed out by now, I didn't bother visiting any of the temples, I did get up at 5.30am one morning though, to watch the daily procession of hundreds of monks, as they go through the streets accepting food from locals (and in the past few years from tourists as well).As SE Asia is now in its rainy season, many afternoons where rained out, which was a good excuse to find shelter in a coffee shop and read a book.Vang Vieng, famous as a backpacker hangout, was my next stop. Though less than 200km south of Luang Prabang, the drive takes about 6hrs, as the roads wind through mountain passes. The scenery is spectacular!Vang Vieng is famous for two things. Tubing down the river, and a several restaurants/lounges which play the series Friends all day, every day!The tubing experience is more of a pub-crawl on water that watersport, as there are bars every 100m or so. Every bar also has huge swings, loud music and great atmosphere. Most bars also give away free shots of Lao Lao, the local whiskey. Not the greates drink in the world, but a great piss-up!The rest of Vang Vieng life centers around the 'Friends' restaurants mentioned previously, where you get sucked in and after a few hours realise you're still lounging there, waiting for the next episode to start. Spending about a week in Vang Vieng, it was a great time doing absolutely nothing but lounging and taking time-out.The evenings where filled by hanging out at Smile Bar & Bucket Bar, sipping on $1 big bottles of Beer Lao (Mmmm), or buckets for that extra kick!So like sand through the hour-glass, these where the lazy days of my life.My last stop in Laos was the the tiny capital, Vientiane, which has a population of only 300.000. Spent one rained-out afternoon there, before taking a early morning flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1210425300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1210425300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1210425300/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 03:56:06 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hanoi, Vietnam

I arrived in Hoi An early in the morning, after taking a nightbus from Na Trang. Hoi An turned out to be my favourite place in Vietnam. It's a smallish town with great character. Close to the beach, riverside cafe's, and generally had a nice feel about it. Hoi An is also famous for it's tailors, cheap cheap. I'd heard from several other travellers that they had suits and clothing tailor made, and they do it within 24 hours. Since some day I will also have to return to the real world and find a job, I had a suit & some shirts made. Great bargain! Hoi An is also famous for the My Son, an ancient Hindu temple complex, just outside town. Most of it was destroyed during the Vietnam war, as the VC used it as a base, but a few temples are still standing. The rubble of the bombed temples are all around, as well as huge bomb craters.Hoi An also has a quite a nice beach (probably the best in Vietnam that I saw), and I spent an afternoon relaxing there, until a rainstorm interrupted my strenuous suntanning.My next stop was the town of Hue. Not a particularly nice town, but they run tours to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from there, which contains many famous sites of the Vietnam War (the Vietnames call it the American War). The tour took a full day, including many historic sites such as the Rockpile, Khe Sanh Combat Base, Con Thien Firebase, memorials and the Vinh Moc Tunnels.It was time to make my up north again, so it was another nightbus for me, this time to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Our bus arrived at the outskirts of Hanoi at 5.30am, a time when you would expect most of the city to be sound asleep. The streets where fairly busy though, with locals playing badminton or doing Tai Chi in the streets. I guess the early mornings and evenings are the only time they can excercise, as during the day it's just far too hot.Hanoi is smaller than Ho Chi Minh City, but just as busy with street vendors abounding. I booked into the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, and immediately met quite a few fellow travellers. the first Day I visited the Hoa Lao Prison, first used by the french during colonial times, later used by the Vietnames to imprison American POW's, the most famous of them being Senator John McCain (see pictures to see the flighsuit he wore when shot down and caught). The prison became known as the 'Hanoi Hilton'. Now only a small section of the prison remains, and now serves as a museum. Hanoi also has many small bars on the street, called Bia Hoi,. Well, they're not really bars, just tiny plastic chairs put out on the sidewalk. They serve fresh beer which is brewed daily, till it runs out. It is also super cheap, at about 15 eurocent a glass. Cheers, or should I say "Bia HOI!"The following day I joined a tour to Halong Bay organised by the Hostel. Halong Bay is a UNESCO Heritage site for good reason. The bay is filled by thousands of limestone karst islands. The scenery is stunning, but slightly marred by the polluted waters. In many places you see rubbish floating around. It would be a pity if they don't get their act together and stop throwing all the rubbish into the water.The first afternoon in Halong Bay we spent kayaking amoungst the islands, and even through some natural tunnels leading to hidden bays. All amoungs spectacular scenery. We spent the night on a boat in the bay, having a big pissup!The second day was the highlight of Halong for me, though it did start slightly hung-over. We went rockclimbing on the cliffs on one of the islands. We started off on some easier cliffs, and worked our way up to some tougher climbs. Not to worry, the climbing was organised by professionals, and we where secured by ropes at all times. It was still pretty tough though, especially when you're clinging to the cliff face, not sure where the next hand of foothold is. The highest climb I did was 19m. We all survived day without major injuries (just a few scratches here and there). We spent the evening on Cat Ba island, before taking a boat back to the mainland and a bus on to Hanoi the next day.I spent my final day in Hanoi doing some sightseeing. First stop was Ho chi Minh's mausoleum, which unfortunately we could only see from the outside as it is closed on fridays. We did go to the Ho Chi Minh Museum though, which chronicled his life and was fairly interesting. We also visited the Temple of Literature, which used to be the first university in Vietnam, and now houses relics of that time, as well as temples and gardens. In the heat of Hanoi visiting 2 sites was enough for one day, so we retired back to the hostel to relax and catch up on some internet time!As at the moment it's nearly impossible to get Visa's for China, which I was intending to visit after Vietnam, I had to change my travel plans, so the next stop on my travels will be Laos.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1209222240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1209222240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1209222240/tpod.html Tue, 06 May 2008 09:55:25 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam opened it's door to toursim in 1995, and they have done a good job of embracing it. Despite still being a communist country, they have seem to have embraced capitalism: you can't walk 2 meters down the street without someone offering you a motorcycle rides, fake books, sunglasses, lighters, drugs, etc..Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, previously Saigon, the first thing you notice is the motorbikes. The city has a population of 8 million, and there are approx. 5 million bikes in the city, swarming through the streets in ordered chaos. There aren't many traffic lights, so crossing the street is an artform you quickly have to learn. You wait for a small gap, step onto the road and slowly walk across - the motorcycles just drive around you. A bity scary at first, but you quickly get used to it! It also seems that nearly every second building and streetlamp sport the Vietnamese flag.My first day in 'Nam I went on a tour of the Mekong Delta, about 2hrs drive from Ho Chi Minh. Saw Many rice paddies on the way, water buffalo, and many, many people, all wearing the typical straw hats. Seems there is also a bit of a constuction boom going on, with new new roads and bridges being built.The second day I went out to the Cu chi tunnels, built by the Viet Cong during the American War. Cu Chi is a network of over 200km of tunnels and lodgings, used by the VC to hide from the american troops & bombs, as well as mount ambushes. We got to see an interesting documentary, telling us about the atrocities committed by the US Imperialists. If it wasn't for the content of the video, the style of the propaganda would have been quite funny. We also got to see replica's of booby traps used by the VC. Quite brutal.Towards the end of the tour we also got to crawl through some of the original tunnels, widened for larger westeners to the height of 60cm and width of 50cm. Still quite tight, at 3m underground! To top it all off we also got to shoot an AK47. The next day I managed to meet up with Rory & Connor, two Irish lads whom I had met at the begging of my trip in Peru. We nearly crossed paths in several places in South America, as well as in Thailand, but this time we actually managed to meet up, and catch up and compare trips over a few beers (see Rory's beard in the photo's - he hasn't shaved since we met in Peru last September). As we where sitting in a roadside cafe, all of a sudden Richard walked past, another guy I had met in Colombia, Panama and Nicaragua. Small world!The next day we went to Visit the War Remembrance Museum, which is a collection of photo's of the Vietnam War, pretty one sided of course, but still very graphic and shocking! As Rory & Connor where heading on to Cambodia, I continued north to a small fishing village called Mui Ne, where I relaxed a bit and saw the local sights, including several sanddunes, a canyon and the 'Fairy Stream'. Another interesting thing was to see the locals go out to sea in large woven baskets! Mui Ne was a nice place, but not much to do there, so I headed north again to Na Trang, a slightly larger town. The main attraction there is to see all the surrounding islands, do some snorkelling and enjoy with onboard entertainment and a floating bar!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1208876940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1208876940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1208876940/tpod.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:54:27 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Leaving the island lifestyle behind us, we arrived back to the bustle of Kao San Road, where we booked a tour/trek to Kanchanaburi for the next day.Kanchanaburi is famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai, a bridge built by Allied prisoners of war in WW2 and made famous by the movie. In the area we did some trekking through the Hellfire pass (named after all the torches lit up at night, allowing the p.o.w.'s to work up to 18hrs a day), up some hills and to a cave system which is now a Buddhist temple. After lunch, we got to ride some elephants again, this time with the added bonus of 'washing' them. So it was on with the swimmers, and into the river with the elephants! It was quite an experience, having the elephants (read elephant handler) trying to dunk you into the river. Sometimes we managed to hold on, but almost every time we fell off the elephant (into the river) and had to clamber back up. In the evening we stayed in basic huts, what made them special though was that they where built on rafts on the river, connected to the shore by a bridge. The next morning we floated down the river on bamboo rafts, visited some waterfalls, and took a train back to Kanchanaburi via the Death Railway (not to worry, it isn't as dangerous as the name suggests).Back in Bangkok, I organised my visa for Vietnam, joined Marlene and JC on one of their shopping spree's, which Bangkok is a haven for and said my goodbyes to Kao San Road.So ends the adventure in Thailand.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207666440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207666440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207666440/tpod.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:02:36 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Krabi, Krabi, Thailand

Southern Thailand, with limestone cliffs (think James Bond), beautiful islands and hundreds of beaches beckoned after enduring the chaos and bustle of Bangkok. An overnight bus took us (JC, Marlene and Mike) to Krabi, on the west coast, where we stayed in Ao Nang for two nights. There we relaxed on the beach, where monkeys come down to play, and did a day tour which takes you to various small islands with snorkelling opportunities. White beaches, jungle and karst cliffs. What more can you ask for?In Ao Nang we also witnessed Songkrat, the Thai New Year celebrations. Orinially Songkrat was celebrated by sprinkling a little water on older people however, over the years it has evolved in a fully fledged water fight where everbody partakes. The streets are filled with cars, pick-up trucks have barrels of water on the back, and everyone douses everyone. No-one is spared.. this goes on the whole day.Next on the itinerary was the island of Kho Phi Phi, which took a bad hit from the 2004 tsunami. Most of the town has been re-built though, and the only thing reminding you of the tsunami are the signs indicating an evacuation route. Once again we did what we do best, and relaxed on the beaches, had a few toots, snorkelled, and toured the surrounding islands (including the famous beach where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed).Next up was Kho Phangang, a laid back backpackers island, infamous for its monthly Full Moon Party. We rented some nice beach bungalows, with aircon and pool. A little bit of luxury never hurt anyone after all. And best of all, it was cheap cheap! I had been to Phangang about 6 years ago, and it has developed quite substantially since then. Most of the roads are now paved, which is great and makes driving on the islands much safer - good for us, since we hired mopeds one day to cruise the islands. We took it easy for a few days in preperation for the the Full Moon Party, where literally thousands (up to 20.000) backpackers converge for the beach party, partying till sunrise and beyond. The Full Moon Party takes place on Hat Rin beach, on the southern end of the island, and starts kicking off at about 12pm, which is about the time we arrived. Already in full swing, the whole beach was full of people, painted in different colours, and in various states of intoxication (either from alcohol, drugs or both).We stuck to our trusty old buckets (thai whiskey, red bull & coke), which have quite a kick, and it served us well. We partied with a few people from our beach resort till after sunrise, glad not to be passed out on the beach like many of the others..And before we knew it, our time on the islands was over. Mike had to be back in Bangkok to catch a flight, and JC & Marlene still wanted to see a bit of the norhtern Thailand. So with only 2 hours sleep after the party, we dragged hungover-ourselves to the port to catch a ferry and then bus back to Bangkok.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207213500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207213500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1207213500/tpod.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:49:11 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I arrived in Bangkok after a 20hr flight from LA, where I met up with Jean-Claude and Mike (who will be in Thailand for 3 weeks). We kicked off our Thailand adventure on Khao San Road, the famous backpackers mecca in Bangkok.We did some catching up over some buckets (literally small buckets filled with rum, red bull and topped up with coke), snacked on some grasshoppers (the rum may have had a hand in this), and enjoyed a relaxing foot massage, cheap cheap.  Bangkok is a interesting city, but as a tourist you are constantly harrased by tuk-tuk dirvers, tailors and others trying to scam you. I'd also been to Bangkok before and seen the sights, so the second day we took a nightbus to Chiang Mai for a 3 day trek.   We started off the trek with a short elephant ride, where we had to 'make friendly' with the elephants by feeding them sugarcane and bananas. The handlers just sat on the elephants head and jumped off every once in a while. The elephants seemed to know the routine and route, so the ride was a lot of fun.  We then set off on foot, trekking through the hot & humid jungle for a couple of hours, until we reached a local village where we spent the night. Our special treat for the night were fried crickets, which didn't even taste that bad. Accomodation was very basic - a mat on a bamboo floor, no showers and squatting toilets, but we all had a good nights sleep after sitting around the campfire listening to our guide, Mr. Ton, playing his guitar.   On day 2 once again we spent many hours trekking through the jungle, and where grateful for any rest stops. We reached our camp late in the afternoon, where we showered under a waterfall to wash of the days sweat. While we where relaxing back at camp, some of our group went so see another waterfall just around the corner, where they found a local guy crying for help. He had just fallen down a 15m sloping waterfall (we had seen him fishing there about 20 minutes earlier). He was lucky to have survived the fall, and even luckier that Jean-Claude, who is a doctor, was around. He had broken a leg, an arm, and had a deep gash in his side, and we where in the jungle, far from any town. Jean-Claude managed to stabilise his arm and leg, so next we had to build a stretcher to carry him out of valley back to our camp, while some other guys climbed a mountain to get some reception for their phones to call help. It was still going to be several hours until a truck would arrive to get him to a hospital, so back at camp Jean-Claude also sutured the gash. Eventually, late at night, the guys family arrived in a pick-up truck to take him to the hospital (we found out the next day that the guy would be OK). After all the excitement, we had dinner, once again accompanied by stir-fried insects, this time red ants.   On the third and final day we had a two hour hike out of the jungle, from where we finished off the tour by floating down a river on bamboo rafts.  On our drive back to Chiang Mai, we were ambushed by a bunch of kids throwing water at us. The Thai new years celebrations are coming up, and it is customary to throw water at people. The kids started this tradition a little early, but we gave them back as good as they gave The next day it was time to head back to Bangkok, where Jean-Claude's girlfriend Marlene was arriving.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1206647040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1206647040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1206647040/tpod.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:45:46 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Los Angeles, California, United States

Before heading to Thailand, I spent a few days relaxing in LA. As luck would have it, another old friend from Vienna, Heather, now lives in LA. So once again I had a place to stay and a friend to show me around.Heather lives in Hermosa, about a mile from the beach, in a house she shares with 5 friends. We spent the days visiting beaches around the area (Hermosa, Santa Monica & Laguna), as well as having a braai, visiting an improv comedy show in Hollywood (one of her friends was in the show), and eating good 'ol american food (mexican food or burgers).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1205884440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1205884440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sa_chris/south_america/1205884440/tpod.html Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:42:02 -0400 The big trip

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

St. George, Utah, United States

After spending just over 6 months in South & Central America, I went to visit my goddaughter, Annalee (aka Popo from Perump) in St. George, Utah.It had been two years since we last saw each other, but we took off where we left off by drinking and gambling! After she picked me up at Vegas airport, we headed straight for St. George, with a brief stopover in Mesquite for some black-jack and drinks! When we finally got to her flat, her flatmate Saria (aka Malholo) was waiting up with drinks ready. This is the way my St. George visit started, and it pretty much continued.The next day I was introduced to their friend Jerad (aka Eradkin), completing the quadsome whith whom I would be hanging out with for the next week. I was taken on a tour of the local drinking holes (The One and Only and the Elks). When in the area a Vegas visit is a must, so we went there for weekend for some drinking, gambling and partying. We got ourselves a room in the MGM, and visited some of the clubs (Tao - in & classy, Stoneys - country & rough; guess which one I preferred). I even managed to get in some drunken back-jack, winning 50 dolla, which I later generously donated to some slot-machines... I also managed to meet up with Matt, whom I had met a 6 months ago in Peru and now lives in Vegas.The first night in Vegas pretty much broke us (except for Malholo), so after dinner we pretty much just wandered around the city and getting a few drinks in.Leaving Las Vegas, I was introduced to the In & Out Burgers, and we cruised back to St. George, and managed to visist Zion Canyon.The four of us continued drinking some more in St. George, and before I knew it it was time to head to LA, my last stop in the US... 
]]>