Blanco and Lucky!!

        Today I had another lie in so I did not get up till late. Me and Paola's plan was to go to salsa in the evening, however it turned out we did not in the end.

Adorable Lucky!!

         I did not do much today, except in the afternoon me and Paola went to the Sucre Spanish School to organise lessons. I chose to do 5 lessons at 2 hours each. The cost for each hour is 42 Bolivianos, so the total would be 420 Bolivianos (£38.97). I think it is a really good price, as it comes to around £4 per hour, which I am sure would be much more if I was doing it in Spain. So my lessons would run from 10:30AM to 12:30PM. Paola said I would struggle with this as I have been lazy all week!!!

Hola Blanco!

        So after that, we saw John and Nicole, two Aussie people we had met on our night out on the previous Saturday. They had been learning Spanish for quite a long time, whilst I have not even started! They are here for one more week before they go travelling. We did not speak to them for long.

Perla, el gato

         Afterwards we went to the local supermarket to buy some goods. Paola bought baguettes, ham, cheese and many, many desserts!!! I was surprised to find that the prices of the food was similar to that back home. The cheese was around £2, and the ham was about £1. After Paola paid for the goods, we grabbed a taxi back home.

         When we got back, Erika and Claudia (Erika's best friend) was in the kitchen having something to eat. Erika had just got Bob Squarepants so she was really excited about that!!! We chilled out for a while, and we were going to go to learn some more dance moves, but Paola was not feeling well, so we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Me with the cow!

        Erika brought the dogs down so we played with them for a while. Blanco and Luky are so adorable!!!! Blanco is Paola's dog, while Lucky is Erika's.

Weather

Sunny all day (around 22 degrees)

Very cold at night (around 5 degrees)

Motorcycle ride through Sucre!!!

    Today I woke up late as always!!! I was recovering from the muay thai session and salsa class, which tired me tremendously. As I had not exercised in such a long time, it will take a few days before my body has healed itself.

Me with Erika

    So today was pretty much a lazy day. I chilled out with Erika and Paola for most of the day. Erika has been revising for her examinations; she has been reading a lot of law books!! I could never read law; it is too boring and I fall asleep when I read it!!! Paola had an examination in the morning and in the afternoon, but I think she will pass as she is super intelligent!

Colourful water fountain in Sucre

    In the evening, I went out with Erika on the motorbike. I was a bit apprehensive at first, especially because in Bolivia they do not tend to wear helmets to protect their heads!!! But luckily, Erika is a good rider, so we did not have any problems!

Monument in Sucre

    She took me to the Central Park where there were people (only university students) for the dancing in preparation for a special event this weekend. We saw the fountain in the centre of the park was glowing with different colours, which was very beautiful. I was surprised to see so many people out dancing, and it would be awesome to see this kind of thing in England, and maybe more people would be happy!!!

      

      We cycled around the park as people were dancing in many places around the park. There were many different kinds of dances, and all of them had different names, and there were too many to remember!! Erika did mention some of them, which is said in the videos posted with this entry. One of my favourite dances was the one where the people were dancing with white cloths, but this was not recorded in any of the videos unfortunately.

Dancing with white cloths!

       Afterwards, we then went to see Erika's best friend, Claudia. Claudia seems like a really nice person, so I can see why Erika and Claudia are really close. She lives near the football stadium. There was actually a football match being played tonight, so there were many diversions on the road. We could only stay for ten minutes as we parked the motorbike outside a shop.

        

       We got back around 9PM, and had dinner not long after. After that, we chilled out for a while afterwards, and then I was feeling quite tired so I went to bed around 11PM.

Weather

Clear blue skies around 22 degrees

Cold at night around 5/6 degrees

Muay Thai Lessons and Salsa!!!

     Today I woke up around late morning. I spent most of the time with Paola hanging out in the city, going to Muay Thai lessons and learning salsa!!!

      I then ate lunch, thanks to Paola's mum, Ara, which consisted of a soup and then some rice and chicken. It was tasty!! After that, me and Paola went to the park to have some ice cream. Paola bought me this fruit-filled ice cream which was nice and refreshing. We chilled out at the park for a while, which was nice to see greenery in a city filled with buildings and roads.

      After that, we walked around the city, visiting Nigel, among other things. Nigel is a photographer who fell in love with Bolivia when he was travelling the world a few years ago. He said the people are really friendly, and says he loves the women here!! He is between 40-50 and even has two girlfriends half his age!!!! Paola said this is not an uncommon occurrence in Bolivia.

      Anyways, he told me that he believes Bolivia to be safer than England!! Considering Bolivia is the oldest country in South America, I would not have thought this. But to some extent, I can understand why because the poor people will do any menial job in order to get money, such as selling items on the streets, washing cars, playing musical instruments, etc. In England, youngsters are more likely to steal, cause trouble, etc. Like most countries, there are parts of Bolivia that are too dangerous to go to, such as near the drug routes and in some areas of Santa Cruz and La Paz.

     Then we went to the Sucre Spanish School to see what they offer. I am told Bolivia is a very good country to learn the lingo because it is very similar to general Spanish. Bolivia is also a cheap country to live in, although it is not particularly modern. The school offers 1-1 lessons at 42 Bolivanos (around £4 per hour!!!), whilst class lessons are slightly cheaper at 38.50 Bolivanos. Erika has helped me to learn some Spanish, but a 1-1 session will vastly improve my Spanish lingo.

     We then walked up to the mountainous part of the city where you can see the rest of Sucre. It was a great view, and you can see why it is popular for foreigners and couples alike because of its romantic setting. This is what makes Sucre so beautiful because of the surrounding mountainous landscape. I forgot my camera, which was a pity!!! The sun was particularly strong, but it was still pretty nonetheless. We also saw abuelo (erika's 'friend') there, which was interesting!! We asked him if he wanted to come to salsa classes tonight so he could dance with Erika!

    After the sun had set around 6PM, we walked back towards Aranibar's home. On the way back, we bumped into John, an Aussie guy we had met on our night out. We went to Florin to chat for a while. He and his girlfriend, Nicole, said they love Bolivia, although their favourite country was India. They are helping to teach English at the local schools, which is cool. After a while, we left to go back home.

    In the evening, we had Muay Thai fitness session at the local gym. I have not exercised in 7 months, so I knew my body was not going to like it. It started at 9PM and lasted for 80 minutes or so. The first part of it was punching, kicking, moving side-to-side, etc. I was getting tired after 45 minutes, and I would have stopped then. But there was more!!! The second part was more of the same; punching, kicking, etc. After that, we did ten minutes of conditioning, such as push-ups, which was a killer, and some sit-ups. My body was exhausted after that, although Paola said she could go on for more!!!

   Once that had finished - thank god!!! - we went to Joy Ride for the free salsa lesson. There were many other gringos (foreigners) there, but not abuelo!!  Me and Paola learnt four steps - left, right, left, right; up, down, up, down; twist right leg around, twist left leg around, twist right leg around, twist left leg around; and then two side steps left, two side steps right.

   We had finished around 11PM, and then walked back home. Me and Paola even tried doing the routine on the way home, which was fun!! When we got back, I was pretty much exhausted, and went to bed 20 minutes later.

Weather:
Warm during the day - around 22 degrees
Cold at night - around 6 degrees

Eating Traditional Bolivian Food!!

    Last night I fell asleep around 10:30PM, as I was quite exhausted!!! I woke up around 10:30AM, so I had around twelve hours sleep!!!

Me eating saltenas at El Patio 

    Paola had lessons at university in the afternoon, whilst Erika had them all morning, so Paola took me out to 'El Patio' (The Garden) for breakfast. It was a traditional Bolivian meal, known as saltenas. I received two of them; one was chicken, the other was beef. The meat was encased in this hard bread substance, like the stuff that is used for fortune cookies. It was surprising delicious, and I wish I could have it every morning!!!

Me at the central square

    After that, we walked around the main square, where the liberty house is. We wanted to go inside, but it was closed. There are many museums in Sucre – around 60 – which was quite a surprise for me!!! We also checked out some of the statues around the square, which was very cool. Then we walked to some tourist information and tour places, where we got some ideas on what tours and activities we could do around Bolivia. We walked back to Paola's home, and it was around 1:45PM by the time we made it.

Me at the Central Plaza

    Paola had an examination today, so she went off to the university to do that, whilst I ate lunch with Erika in the kitchen. It was chicken, rice, salad and tomatoes, which was quite delicious!!! It would have been awesome to have ice cream as well, but there was none left!

Me eating dinner at Aranibars' home

    Erika then taught me some Spanish for the next hour or so. I learnt the following:

Pronouns

Yo (I)	Nosotros (We)
Tu (You)	Ustedes (You)
El (He)	Ellos (They M.)
Ella (She)	Ellas (They F.)
Eso (It)

Hablar – to speak

Hablo (I speak)	Hablamos (We speak)
Hablas (You speak)	Hablan (You speak)
Habla (He / she speaks)	Hablan (They speak)

Comer – to eat

Como (I eat)	Comemos (We eat)
Comes (You eat)	Comen (You eat)
Come (He / she eats)	Comen (They eat)

Examples:

Erika es una estudiante (Erika is a student)

Yo no soy estudiante (I am not a student)

Ellos son estudiantes (They are students)

Ellas son doctoras (They are doctors)

Yo como carne (I eat meat)

Rene habla ingles? (Does Rene speak English)

Maria no come carne (Maria does not eat meat)

Ellos comen manzana (They eat apples)

     After learning this Spanish, I then had a siesta for a few hours!!! I woke up around 5PM, and then I went to see Erika. Not long after, Paola came back from her examination. She is sure that she passed with 100%. Maybe she should go to Harvard or Cambridge!!! She tells me to erase this!!!

     Around 6PM, Erika went to the gymnasium to exercise. I then chilled out with Paola for the rest of the evening.

Weather

Sunny all day around 24 degrees

Cold at night around 5 degrees

Mother's Day Celebrations in Bolivia!!

 

     Today I was woken up by Paola and Erika!!! They came into my room, telling me to get up because it early afternoon, but it was actually late morning! They fooled me into getting up!! So I stumbled out of bed around 11:30AM, and went into Erika's room. We chilled for a bit, and then me and the family went to a barbecue, which was celebrating mother's day.

Me and my delicious lunch!!

      It was a cool place to go as many other people were there. They were cooking the food at the entrance to this plaza, which was a bit strange!! It was more like a carnival, as they were playing really loud music, which must have been painful for the kids, so I covered my ears quite a bit!! I ate chicken, potatoes and salad, which was delicious. I also drank some coca-cola with it too!

Me in Sucre!!

      After a few hours, we went to the house. We were going to go cycling, but in the end we just chilled out for most of the day. I spent most of the time doing yesterday's blog entry and uploading pictures and videos. I was with Erika and Paola for most of the time during today, but we were mostly relaxing around the house, listening to some music and watching Spanish television. We did not have any dinner in the end as the food we had at lunch filled us up quite a bit!!! But I did have some ice cream, which was super delicious!!

http://bradsworldtour.blogspot.com/2012/05/mothers-day-celebrations-in-bolivia.html

Weather

Sunny all day – Around 23 degrees

Cold at night Around 6 degrees

I Have Arrived at Sucre, Bolivia!!!

   Today I was flying into Sucre, Bolivia. I slept 4-5 hours on the plane, but it is still very difficult to get a good nights sleep. I was sitting next to an American guy, John, who was flying to Bolivia to learn Spanish, so I was speaking to him for some of the journey. We landed in La Paz around 05:30AM, which is one of the highest commercial airports in the world, at around 13000 feet. We were there for about 90 minutes, before continuing our flight to Santa Cruz. We landed there around 07:50AM.

Beautiful sunrise on American Airlines to Santa Cruz

   Getting through migration at the airport was a pain, because there was only one dude manning a post, so we had to wait 30-45 minutes before getting through. I was a bit scared as I did not have all the contact details for Paola, but I got through okay. Paola sent an agent to me, so I could get through to El Trompillo, which is the oldest airport in the city.



   It was pretty cool to go through Santa Cruz, although it was quite a cultural shock to see how different it is to the other cities that I have been to in the world. It is actually the poorest country in South America, and you can really see why. Many of the streets do not have proper pavement and have many pot holes. Kids come up to the windows trying to sell you goods. Most of the cars are second-hand and do not even have seat-belts so driving is quite dangerous!!! Many of the buildings are not complete, and are falling apart.

TAM food!!

  The agent told me that Santa Cruz has only been connected to the rest of the country for the last 40-50 years. There is not really a train system in the city, so it is difficult to get to the rest of the country, as many of the roads are not fully paved. The country relies mostly on agriculture, and now most of the people are coming down from the mountains to find work. The sides of the roads are filled with mango trees, so there is plenty of mango to go around!!!

Sucre from above!

  Paola bought me a ticket so I could get from Santa Cruz to Sucre via an internal flight. El Trompillo is a really small airport, and I was in shock when I saw it!!! The agent kindly helped me to check in around 09:30AM, paid the airport taxes, and then she said good-bye. I waited for a while, and then I was boarding the TAM (Transporte Aereo Militar) plane around 10AM. It took off around 10:30AM.

  I landed in Sucre 30 minutes later. I could see the girls waiting for me at the top of the arrival/ departure terminal (the airport in Sucre is super small!!). Once I got my luggage, I said hello to them all. It was great to see Paola and Erika in real life, as I had been speaking to them for quite a while online!!! I also met Maria, their sister, also for the first time. Her English is not as good as Paola's or Erika's.

  They took me in their jeep around Sucre. Sucre is a pretty small city with 200000 inhabitants, although it is actually the symbolic capital of Bolivia!!! After checking out the city, we went to their home, which is located above a bank near the downtown area. It is a really lovely house, and they actually own the whole lot. I put my stuff in my own room, which has a double bed and an en-suite!!!

  I also met their mother, Ara, who is super kind. And Rene, another sister, who looks quite like my ex girlfriend, Tamami!! I had lunch with the family (Maria, Rene, Ara, Erika and Paola). We ate rice, some meat, potato and salad. It was quite delicious!!! Afterwards we had some dessert too, which was even better!!!
 
  After having lunch, I had a siesta as I was pretty tired!! I slept for a few hours until around 4-5PM. We then chilled out before going to have dinner at Rosita's Chicken at 9PM. I had a big plate of chicken with chips. It was pretty tasty but I preferred the food cooking but their mum, as it was much better!! It gets really cold at night as it is winter now in South America, but it is still pretty warm during the day (around 20 degrees).

Me at Rosita's Chicken!

  After getting back to the house by taxi, we got ready to go out, although Rene wanted to stay at home. We had a few drinks at Cheers Sport first, as no-one was dancing yet at the discos. We played a few card games.

Me and Erika @ Rosita's Chicken :)

   Around 12AM we went to Joy Ride to dance on their small disco. It was pretty fun but it got quite crowded so we decided to head to Mooy. We met some Australian people so went with them. We got the elevator to the top floor. It was 30 Bolivian Bolivianos to get in for boys aged 21 and over and 20 Bolivianos for girls aged 18 and over. It like a concert; there was a band playing songs. Paola taught me how to dance, which was super awesome!!! She taught me some moves I have never done before!! Erika was also having fun dancing too with an Aussie abuelo. We danced till 3AM before getting a taxi back home.

Weather:
Around 22 degrees during the day
Around 6 degrees at night
Sunny and clear

Last Day in Miami :( But going to Bolivia, South America!!

    So today was my last day in Miami. I woke up around 10:30AM. I had to checkout at 11AM but actually I did not do this till 1PM!!!

     I have had a great time in Miami; the beaches were amazing, the sea was breathtaking, and there was a lot of craziness!!! I met lots of travellers from different countries, and had lots of fun too!! The party bus was completely crazy; it was like a disco on wheels!!! The hostel, Miami International Travellers, gave out free 3 meals per day, which was awesome!! The only downside was it was incredibly loud at times in the common room even in the early hours of the morning.

     I would have gone out and done more today, but I have been feeling mentally fatigued after all this travelling, so I needed to think things through. In any case, I am off to South America to go to Bolivia and then to Brazil!!! I do not know how long I will be in each country, but it will be cool to experience the only continent I have not been on yet, although it will be limited to only a few countries.

    I met this girl from Australia, Carolina, who has Peruvian parents, so her accent was quite alluring!!! Unfortunately I was leaving today, and I did not manage to get contact details as I was too busy organising my things. Anyways, I wish I could meet more like her!!!

    After eating dinner, I was going to get a bus to the airport but they had re-routed it because it is Memorial Weekend, so things get really busy in South Beach!!! When I went to look for the new spot, there were lots of police with roadblocks up.

   After talking to this dude, I decided to get a taxi to the airport. I arrived at 8PM, so I had plenty of time as my flight is not until 10:40PM. I am writing this now, as I will be in Bolivia in 9 hours!!!

Party Night #2

     Today I woke up around 12PM, but I had no plan, as all I wanted to do was chill and relax. After having lunch, I went to Miami Beach with Anderson and Pete. It was a beautiful day so I wanted to make the most of it. I have had to rush this blog a bit, so it is a bit short.

Me at Ali's Club

     I went into the sea, crashing into the waves, which was really cool!! The other guys decided to go and do their own thing after a while, so I was there to chill by myself. After chilling for a while, I went back to the hostel to shower and then not long after had dinner.

    I bought a $10 wristband to go to the club, which everyone at the hostel was going to. They were also giving away alcohol at the hostel, but unfortunately I do not drink so that was annoying!!!



    The club which we went to was 3 blocks away from our hostel on 12th street, Ali's. It was a really small place, with some seats and pole. There was also a woman serving drinks in her underwear, which was kind of crazy!!! Damn, Miami is a crazy place. She was pouring shots some of the guys throats, which must have been exciting for them!!! I was not really in a dancing mood, and as the club was way too loud - even though I had my ear plugs - I left a bit early to go back to the hostel. I definitely prefer bars as at least you can talk to each other; clubs are way too crazy for me!!! But it was part of the Miami experience for sure!!! I chilled out at the hostel for a while, before going to bed around 2AM.

Weather
Increasingly hot!!!
Around 25-30 degrees

Party Night in Miami!!!

     Today I woke up around 11AM, but I am on a lazy holiday so all is good!!! There are not many sight-seeing things to do in Miami, but I am not really here to do that, but just relax and party!!!

Party Bus!!! (Josh, my dorm mate, on the right)

      I went down to have the free food at 1PM, which was pasta and some vegetables. It was not too bad;  good enough, considering it was free food!!!

My hostel!!!

      Pete, the Australian dude I met in the dorm when I first checked in, and me wished for some hot girls to be in our dorms, but we knew the hostel, despite us being in mixed dorms, would not do that because of the mess it would create!!!

Ocean Drive, South Beach

     I met another dude in our dorm, Anderson, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Another guy came in later, Josh, from Australia. They are both a similar age to me, and both cool, so that was awesome!!! An Ecuadorian couple came into the room in the evening, but they are much older than us, maybe twice our age!!! I think maybe they did not realise it was a party hostel!!!!

Palm trees, South Beach

   Around 3PM, I decided to head out and check out South Beach. I walked along down it, taking in the beautiful views and the feeling the warmth of the sea on my legs. It was a lovely walk, and there were not many people on the beach, but that was probably because it had rained when I was asleep in the morning!!! I was back at the hostel by 4:30PM.

Me on South Beach!!

     Me, Pete and Anderson, went down at 6PM for the free dinner. It was rice with chicken. Like the lunch before, it was free so I did not really care what it tasted like!!! I think they offer free food because it would create to much mess if there was a kitchen, and maybe because if people were drunk and were cooking food, that would be even more disastrous!!!

     I chilled out for a few hours and got ready to go out at 9:45PM. I had paid $10 (£6.20) to get on a party bus to go to Nikki Beach. There was about 50 girls and 50 boys going, so it was a good mix. The party bus was quite cool; it has disco lights, dance poles in the middle and loud music!!! I had to wear my ear plugs, but it was still awesome!!!



     I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, as the place I was going to was a beach bar!!! So there was no dress code!!! I spoke to John, the guy who organised the 2 for 1 drinks, and as I do not drink alcohol, he managed to get me free soda drinks!!! What an awesome guy!!!

    Anyways, I chilled for a while, speaking to random people. There was even contortionists and belly dancers at one stage, so that was quite cool!!! I got most of it recorded on film!!!!



   Afterwards, I got talking to a bunch of girls. One of the girls from Paris was quite sweet, and I was talking to her for a while. She and her friends were going to the Mansion, an expensive club, with prices for drinks over $16 (£10)!!!! I spoke with some other people, before heading back to the hostel around 12:15AM with my dorm mates, as most had left to the other club. I grabbed a chocolate fudge and an apple danish on my back from the local 7/11. I watched the end of Fifth Element, which was showing on the big screen at the hostel, before heading to bed.

Weather:
Rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon
Around 27 degrees

From D.C. to Miami!!!

    So today my fight was due to leave from Ronald Reagan National Airport, Washington D.C, at 3:15PM. I did not have to leave the hostel till after 12PM, which was handy, as I did not have to wake up early!!!

    I woke up around 9:30AM eager to have some of Russell's delicious pancakes!!! After having about 6 of them, I packed my stuff, had a nice shower and then I was ready to leave by 12PM. I said good-bye to the lovely Veronica and the awesome Russell. I am will definitely miss them as they made the hostel the place to stay at!!!

    I left the hostel at 12:30PM, walked to the metro at Union Station, paid a ticket for Ronald Reagan National Airport which cost me $1.75 (£1.11), and then walked to my terminal. I checked in, then I went to TGI Fridays to eat something. I bought myself a chicken sandwich for around $10 (£6.34), which was so-so; too much avocado for my liking!!  I then bought a hot chocolate at Starbucks, which was delicious.



   It was around 3PM, and I would have been boarding for my flight, but it was delayed. The reason it turned out to be was the heavy rain storms around Miami. I was on the flight by 4PM, and in the air 30 minutes later or so. We landed around 7:25PM, but I did not get my luggage till around 90 minutes later because the lightning from the storms was too dangerous for the men to operate the ramps!!

Miami Beach Hostel!!

  After I had my luggage, I got the 150 bus for $2.35 (£1.49), which runs straight to South Beach. It took 40 minutes or so before it arrived. It was great as there is a bus stop 1 minute away from my hostel!!! The hostel is about two blocks from the beach, but it was night-time when I arrived so I have not had a chance to check it out yet!!! My room is right next to the lobby, which is a bit annoying as it is really loud, so I can guess I will have to wear my ear plugs!!! One great thing about the hostel is there is free breakfast, lunch and dinner!!!! Now, that is pretty incredible!!!

 

 
 

A Wet Day in D.C.!!!

    Today I was planning to go to check out some of the memorials in the city, and I ended up going along with Mikel and Adam (a crazy dude from Australia!!!). I also met my friends from New York, which was awesome!!!

Me with the Jefferson Memorial!!

     I woke up a bit late - around 10AM - as I was exhausted from yesterday's exertion! Mattie - another English guy - gave me some of her food, which was super sweet. Russell did cook me 4 pancakes also, so that was super cool!!!! You are always looked after at this hostel!!! Around 11:30AM we were ready to go out!

    We grabbed the x2 bus to the White House. Then we walked towards the Washington Monument, which I have seen before!! We wandered over to the Holocaust Museum, and got our tickets so we could go up to the main exhibition, but that would not be until 2:45PM. It was around 1PM, so we decided to check out some sights, such as the Jefferson Memorial, which was pretty impressive. We then crossed the bridge that heads into Virginia to see the Pentagon, which we could see from across the river. Then we headed back to the Holocaust Museum.

Me and Lincoln!!!

     Before going into the main exhibition, we actually saw Mattie from our hostel, which was quite a surprise!!! She went out to check out the exhibitions, while me, Mikel and Adam checked out the main exhibition. We were not allowed to take pictures at the museum, but it was very informative and had some very interesting things. It includes a lot of information on the genocide of Jews, which sometimes was quite depressing as it spoke of how the elderly and kids were ushered into gas chambers, and then gassed to death. It also spoke of how they were taken to oven chambers where they were burnt into ashes. It also spoke of how mobile killing squads killed the majority of Jews. 

   Anyways, I could write so much on this, so I will keep this short and concise!! I saw some of the shoes left over by the those held in the concentration camps, which was quite disturbing!! I also saw a part of a train, which was used when the Jews were taken to the camps. There were some uniforms left by some of the survivors of the Holocaust. After 60 minutes or so, we had finished the tour of the museum. It was definitely worth going to see.

Me in front of the Lincoln Memorial

     After we had finished, we headed to the Lincoln Memorial, which you see from the Washington Monument. It seems to be a more important structure compared to the Jefferson Memorial as it is located in alignment with the monument. Lincoln tried to unite the south with the north during the Civil War (1861-5), but after the war he had won against the Confederates, he was murdered. 

Me overlooking the Washington Monument!!

      I saw Elin and Ruiko sitting on the steps, so that was quite a surprise!!! Elin had been ill the day before, which is why I had not been out with them since coming to D.C. We (me, Mattie, Mikel and Adam) decided to go to Georgetown. On our way there, we got drenched on by a rain shower!!! We ran and protected ourselves under a tree!!  We got quite wet, but thankfully the shower did not last for too long!!!

Georgetown

      We then went up a road and came upon M street which is the main road that runs through Georgetown. Georgetown is the oldest district in the capital area, which was founded in 1751, 40 years before the construction of the federal area. It was really cool, as the traditional buildings made the area feel more European. We went to a local seafood restaurant, but I did not want to eat anything as I am not a big fan of seafood, and I wanted to save some money!!! We were there to about 8PM, before we said good-bye to Elin and Ruiko, and we grabbed a $1 (62p) bus back to Union Station. 

Global travellers in Georgetown

    We went into Union Station and I bought a chicken wrap and an ice cream from McDonald's, which was quite nice!!! We then headed back to the hostel, and I chilled out for the next 4 hours. Mattie gave me her pasta and pesto dinner, which was pretty delicious!! Thanks Mattie!!!

Weather:

Cloudy with intermittent showers

Around 17/18 degrees 

   

 

    

A Day with Dinosaurs and Spitfires!!

    Today I woke up around 9AM, and I was planning to go to the Capitol with my Asian mates, but Elin is a bit sick so I decided to go instead with Veronica and Mikel.

Me and Napoleon!!!

    Russell, the chef, makes great pancakes, so I had four of those in the morning!!!! Afterwards, I chilled out for a while in the Common Room. Around 1:30PM, me, Victoria and Mikel headed out into the city. We first went to Union Station to eat, as we were pretty hungry. We all went to Subway to eat!!! I had a turkey and ham foot-long sandwich, which was quite delicious as always!! And then I had a chocolate milkshake from McDonald's :D

Me and the Spitfire!!

     We headed towards the museums that ran alongside National Mall. The museums are great in Washington as they are all Smithsonian - so they are free!!!!! Every museum should be free!!! We went to the Art Gallery first, as Veronica was really interested in that. But me and Mikel decided to head to the Air and Space Museum, and we would meet Veronica outside the Natural History Museum at 4PM.



    The Art and Space Museum has many exhibits; WW1, WW2, Space Program, Seeing Earth from Above, Commercial Airlines, and much more!!! I was really interested in the WW2 part of the museum, as it included a real Spitfire, which was pretty cool!!! I also saw part of an American Airlines plane from the 1950s, which was also interesting to find how similar it still is compared to today's airliners. It was interesting to note that they only hired women as air hostesses to appeal to the business traveller!!!

Me with the big T-Rex!!

   So we all met up outside the Natural History Museum around 4PM. It was really cool to see dinosaurs, and it instantly reminded me of Jurassic Park!!!! We checked out the awesome T-Rex, Brachiosaurus and a Triceratops!!! We went to the gem section, which included the famous Hope diamond. It also includes diamonds from Napoleon to his second wife, Marie Louise. We also checked the small section of the Ancient Egyptians, which included a mummified kid and an older man, and that was pretty awesome!! But I think most of the majority of the Egyptian selection is at the British Museum, which I should check out when I get back to England!!



   We left around 05:15PM and headed to the Smithsonian Castle to chill out on one of the benches, and we chatted for a while. Afterwards we walked to the White House so Mikel could take some pictures. Then we grabbed the X2 bus back to the hostel. We walked to the 7Eleven to grab a slush puppy, which was a bit too much for me after a few sips!!! Then I went back to the hostel to chill out for the rest of the evening!!!

First Day in D.C!!!

     I woke up around 9AM, but I laid in bed for a while as the beds are so comfortable!!! I needed to get up between 9 and 10AM as the hostel offers free pancakes, which are super tasty!!!! I added some syrup to them, and began eating them up!!! What a breakfast!!!! Every hostel should have free pancakes!!! I chilled out in the hostel, afterwards speaking to my dearest mum, and deciding what to do today.

Me and the White House!!

Morning pancakes!!

     Around 3PM, I left the hostel and decided to head towards Union Station to buy lunch/ dinner at Subway like yesterday. I bought a submelt, with added tomatoes, for the same price as the one as yesterday. I also got a chocolate milkshake, and both were really delicious!!! Afterwards I headed towards the Capitol.

Union Station

      I could see the Capitol building from Union Station, so I walked through Delaware Ave NE to reach it. It is quite an impressive site, and I can see how it adds to the overall feel of 'Roman' Washington D.C. I then walked along the pathway (there is another route for other museums too) that leads towards the most interesting museums in D.C, National History Museum, American History Museum, etc.

Me and the Capitol Building!!

   The latter one I visited, which I thought was quite cool as I learnt a lot about how the British dealt with their American colony. But before I knew it, I was kicked out of there around 6PM!!! The sign outside said it was not closing till 07:30PM!!

Peace Memorial

Me with the obelisk and War Memorial

     I then continued my walk towards the War Memorial just past the Washington Monument. When you come upon the Washington Monument, it is really impressive and the obelisk stands out over D.C, commemorating George Washington as the first President of the United States of America. It is also the tallest stone structure in the world at nearly 170 meters high.

  

Me and the massive Washington Monument!!

   After checking out the pool at the War Memorial, I headed towards the famous White House. You can only see the entrance to it through a certain gap in the trees. They must have done this for privacy reasons or something. Anyways, it is quite cool to think I am here in D.C. It is also cool that to think the British were here 198 years ago, ransacking the city, including burning the White House!!!

   I then caught the X2 bus back to the hostel, which you get from H street for $1 (62p). I headed back to the hostel, and chilled out for the rest of the day, speaking to Veronica and Jason. I did not go to bed till 2AM!!!

Weather:
Sunny all day
Around 27 degrees

From New York to Washington D.C.!!!!

   Today I came from New York to Washington D.C. via Megabus. I packed all my things and I was ready to go by 09:30AM. I had to be at the bus terminal by 1PM, so I left for the subway after 11:40AM and was on there by 11:45AM. I took the L line all the way to 14th street and then changed onto the A,C or E route heading uptown, and got off at the Port Bus Terminal.

   I waited for the bus in the line for 20 minutes or so, and I was on it by 12:45PM. The journey took just under 5 hours to get from New York to Washington D.C. It was not a bad journey, although most of it was on the motorway. I slept for 2 hours or so, but it was very uncomfortable. The bus took me to Union Station, which was a ten minute walk to my hostel on H street.

  Before going to the hostel, I bought a foot-long chicken and bacon ranch sandwich for $7.75 (£4.89) at the Subway shop at the food court in Union Station. It was super delicious, especially as I bought a chocolate milkshake after!!!

  The hostel, called Downtown Washington, is a really unique place. The workers make you feel part of a family, and that is the first impression I got from the hostel. Jason, the receptionist, checked me and showed me around. He is really cool. I also met Veronica, who is super cute!!! Another guy I met was A.J., who is the manager of the place.

  Anyways, I chilled out until the evening. I got something to drink (fruit punch!!) at the local liquor store before falling asleep around 1AM.

A Long Day in New York City - visiting Rockefeller Plaza and seeing the Statue of Liberty!!

   So today my plan was to meet up with my Asian friends at the South Port ferry terminal in downtown NYC. I woke up at 9AM, eager to see the wonders of NYC!!! The hostel has the best beds, so I was able to have a great sleep!!

Me and the girls (L to R: Ruiko and Elin)

   I had left the hostel by 10AM and was in the downtown area 40 minutes later. I was a bit hungry so I had plenty of time to get something to eat. I went to a local sandwich place and bought a salad and meat wrap for $7.50 (£4.26). I then waited at Castle Clinton for the girls, but soon realised they must have meant the Staten Port.

Statue of Liberty!!

   So we grabbed the free ferry to Staten Island, another borough of NYC. It took around 20-25 minutes or so to get there, but we did see the Statue of Liberty, which was awesome!!! Once getting there, we chilled out for a bit, but the girls wanted to go back to get something to eat, so they bought a sandwich at the Subways.



   After a while, we grabbed the ferry around 1PM back to Manhatten. Once we got off, we went to Battery Park to relax. Before we knew it, we had fallen asleep on some park benches!!! It was a beautiful day, and it was very relaxing just to fall asleep on them!

The gang at Staten Island!!

   We actually woke up around 4PM, an hour more than what was originally intended!!! We headed to a Sushi bento to grab something to eat. I got a chicken curry rice bowl for $7.50 (£4.26), which was quite delicious!! We headed off to find some seats near the Freedom Towers to eat.

Amazing view of Manhatten from the ferry!!!

   After that, the girls wanted to go to Brooklyn Bridge so we went a little bit up that. We then grabbed the subway from near the bridge to Times Square. The girls were going to see Lion King at 8PM, whilst I wanted to see the sunset at the Rockefeller around the same time. Therefore we said our good-byes to each other, but we may see another again soon in D.C.!!

Me and my rice bowl!!

  Whilst buying the tickets at the Rockefeller, I was told I had to wait 45 minutes till 8:15PM before I could go up. That was not too much of a problem, although I knew I was going to miss the sunset!! So I chilled out for some time.

Me at the Top of the Rocks!!

   When I was waiting to go on the elevator, I saw some Japanese girls. I started speaking Japanese to them, and they were kind of cool, so I decided to stay with them. They are studying English in Vancouver, which is pretty neat. They said my Japanese is quite good, but it really needs a lot more practice!!!

Me with my new Japanese mates!

   After we had got to the top floor, the view was very impressive. It got much better when it became totally dark. There are some plastic coverings, but there are gaps where you can put your camera through to take pictures. The best pictures were taken on the top floor where there is no covering, which was awesome!!! The best view was the Empire State Building, as it offered an interesting contrast to the rest of the city. Also, we could see Central Park from where we were, which was cool too!!!



   Around 10PM, we said our good-byes and I departed for the subway. I grabbed a cheese sandwich on the back for $3.50 (£2.22), which was not too bad. Around 10:45PM, I was back at the hostel!!!

Weather
Sunny all day
Above 22 degrees