Miami

So we left Orlando and headed for 2 massive days in Miami.  When we got there we went straight on a jet boat ride, they took us up the canals to see the famous people's mansion and they took us alonng south beach as well. It was pretty good.  I thought the boats were going to be faster, but it was still pretty good.  Once we finished there we headed to our hotel to chill out before our night out.  For dinner we went to a place called Mangoes for dinner and drinks.  Once we finished there, Bec headed to a nightclub called Mansion, that was an awesome club.  There was just one problem with it, the drinks were super super expensive, I paid $11 for a bottle of water. Needless to say I didn't drink anything else after that.  I got home at a reasonable time.  We decided to do some shopping,  we didn't buy much though I got a pair of shoes that I got for $40 which I thought was pretty good.  We didn't do much else that day when we got back to the hotel we had to get ready for the massive night of partying.  We had dinner at a place called Bubba Gumps which is a seafood place.  After that we had the best part of the night a boat criuse along the canals of Miami, as well as a 2 hour open bar of anything we wanted.  It got really crazy and both of us got pretty drunk.  We both had an awesome time.  We went on to another club after the boat called Nikki Beach, Bec doesn't remember going there, But Katrina remembers and it was a really good club and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately we had to get on the bus the next morning.  Bec had a raging hangover and didn't really enjoy the bus ride to Cocoa Beach.  Overall Miami was an awesome place, It won though.  We both would come back here.

Orlando, Florida

We made it to Orlando early afternoon, so when we got to our hotel our room wasn't ready so we decided to head to an outlet mall.  After reception stuffed us around for 45mins our tour guide told them not to bother and they dropped a whole group of us off at the mall.  They had heaps of good shops, like Guess, Banana Republic, Nike and heaps more.  We both managed to find dresses to wear on our Miami Party cruise which is awesome and they were under $100 which was even better.  We didn't hang around for very long and we headed back to our hotel where our room was finally ready.  We decided to have Mexican for dinner and I had Tacos and Katrina had Fajhitas. It was pretty good.  After dinner we had to do washing that wasn't so fun, but it had to be done.  We headed to bed after that we were both so so tired.  The next day (Friday) we headed to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  We got into both parks with our ticket and we decided to buy the front of line pass.  It was well worth buying it.  The longest ride line we had to wait in was 1hr and 15mins and that's the only ride we couldn't use the pass on.  Every other ride we went on we waited no more then 10mins, it was Awesome.  Our favourite rides that we went on were, Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey, there was a Harry Potter Dragon rollercoaster, Jurassic Park River adventure and The mummy returns (Bec's favourite).  We did go on a few others but they weren't as good.  We did a bit of Souviner shopping as well and Bec found an entire store dedicated to Betty Boop, she bought quite a lot of stuff. We had an awesome day and we can't wait to go to the Universal Studios in LA.  For the rest of the evening we had a contiki pool party we had pizza and alcohol (not a lot though), the theme was white trash it was a lot of fun.  Pretty much everyone ended up in the pool in their clothes it was very funny.  We got to bed fairly early as we are heading to Miami in the morning, which we both are looking forward to.

Tallahasse

Today we got spent another long day on the road, we are spending tonight in Tallahasse. Tomorrow we are heading to Orlando. Unfotunately as we are only here for the night, we didn't get to see much of the town. We went out for dinner which was really nice. When we got back to the hotel we went for a swim and chilled out by the pool. Tonight we are going to bed early, thank goodness its not that far to Orlando so we should be there by early afternoon. The next post will be longer as we are spending in Orlando.

New Orleans

We got into New Orleans and we did a little bit of shopping before dinner. For dinner we got to go on a paddleboat down the Mississippi River which was very beautiful at night. We spent a few hours on the boat. After that we went to the famous Bourbon St, which is party central. Katrina started off the night with a drink called the Hurricane Bec started off with a Rainstorm, it went downhill from there. Won't go into to much detail, however lots and lots of shots were involved wasn't pretty at all. Bec was smart and got back to the hotel about 2:30am and Trina wasn't so smart gettting back after 4am. Bec was a bit sick the next morning. Needless we didn't get up to much the next morning. In the afternoon we went on an airboat swamp tour, which was amazing. Our guide fed the alligators marshmellows and was touching and kissing them. We were lucky enough to hold a baby one which was awesome!!  A group of us were craving red meat for dinner so we managed to find a steakhouse where the steaks were the best ones we have had in ages. We were also very happy to have vegetables as sides, we haven't had any vegies since we have been here. We went to bed really early as we had another long day on the road ahead of us.

Memphis

This morning we got to go to Graceland!! Was great to walk around Elvis's house!! Unfortunately we didn't get to go upstairs to his room, but we did walk around the bottom part of the house. We got to see all his awards that he won and most of his costumes that he wore. At the end of the tour we got to see where he was buried, which we didn't expect!! The house wasn't as big as we thought it would be, but it was beautiful to see all the original furnishings. On the way back to town we stopped off at Sun Studios, that is where Elvis and Johnny Cash first recorded their song. After we finished there we went to the Rock N Soul Musuem, which was interesting all though we didn't know who anyone was besides Johnny Cash and Elvis. We went back to the hotel for a bit of rest because it was so hot. This evening we were lucky enough to go see a baseball game wasn't a major league game but it was great fun anyway. We had our own little private section where food was catered. Tonight we are heading to bed early as we have another big day on the road tomorrow.

Amarillo, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee

Well we have done a lot since our last post, So we'll try to catch you up on what's been going on.  So we left Albuquerque and headed on a very long drive to Amarillo, Texas.  We only stayed one night there, the hotel rooms were set up in different themes.  Ours was western themed one, it was very different.  So we didn't do much there but for dinner we had our first taste of a Texan BBQ.  We both had the steak and it ws the best steak I have had in a very long time.  It was awesome.  Now three of the boys wanted to do the restaurant challenge and that was they had to eat a 2kg steak plus 4 side dishes within an hour.   If they completed it, the entire meal was free. If they couldn't do it they had to pay over $70 for the meal.  None of them completed it but two got very close and one threw up.  It was pretty entertaining.  The next morning we headed out pretty early to go to Dallas.  It was so hot there, it was unbelievable.  We had a contiki dinner set up and we went to a place called Gator's.  It turns into a karokoe bar after 9pm.  The drinks were awesome there.  We had frozen daquiri's,  So we got pretty drunk drinking them.  we also got up and sung a few songs in a group.  All in all it was a great night.  When the bar closed we headed to another one which I can't really remember cos it had a very weird name, we caught up with some other contiki travellers and I decided to have Soft drink and water.  We got back to the hotel about 3am which wasn't to bad.  We woke up about 9am the next morning and we decided to head to the JFK Muesum,  They set the muesum up where the guy shot the President. It was slightly creepy but interesting at the same time.  I wasn't feeling the best at that stage so I spent most of the time sitting down.  I even had a bit of a throw up when I reached the toilet.  Not exactly cool but I did feel better afterwards, which was just as well cos we headed to the Dalla's Cowboys Stadium tour.  It was totally awesome an incrediable stadium, the whole thing is air conditioned and we got taken to the private boxes, down to the cheerleaders locker room and even the Players Locker room.  The highlight though was we got to go out onto the field and have our photo taken on the 50yrd line.  It was a very cool experience.  the stadium can hold a total of about 95 000 people. so it was just massive.  Once we finished there we headed to Fort Worth for the rodeo.  For dinner we had our first taste of Texan ribs and they didn't dissapoint at all. so yummy!!!! Lucky the rodeo was inside and had air conditioning cos it was stinking hot.  We got to see bullriders and even one From NSW so that was cool. there was barrel racing and a whole heap more. It was awesome.  We never got back to the hotel till 11pm so we went straight to bed.  it was another early start this morning and a long drive we made it into Memphis.  We are spending two nights here, it should be an awesome time.  We are going to Graceland tomorrow as well as a baseball game.  We are both very excited and can't wait.  I think I have caught you all up on what we have been up to and I will write again soon.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

We left Cortez at 8am this morning and headed to Albuquerque.  Along the way we stopped at Durango, Colorado so we could do an optional extra and it was between White Water Rafting and Jeep ride through the Rocky's.  We chose the Jeep and it was awesome.  We were sitting out the back of the jeep in the fresh air with the backseat higher then the rest of the car so we got awesome views.  They took us off road and high into the mountains.  When we reached the top we got to see an old mine shaft and even snow lying on the ground.  It was an awesome view, we were surrounded by mountains. Jut beautiful!  For lunch we had our first Denny's Experience, it's basically like the coffe club only a heck of a lot cheaper. It's awesome.  Then it was time to hit the road again and we headed for a pit stop in Cuba, New Mexico.  It wasn't a long stop but it was good to stretch our legs.  Then it was back on the bus for the final leg of the trip and we finally got to our destination about 6pm.  So it was another massive day of driving and tomorrow will be the same.  It will be good when we get to Dallas cos we'll be there for more then one night.  Can't wait!!! Tonight for dinner Bec is going to have a shrimp and Scallop penne pasta.  it's going to be a first so we'll see how we go.

Cortez, Colorado

Today we left the Grand Canyon and drove to Monument Valley which is in Utah. We went on a tour to see the different rock formations, the little bus we went on didn't have windows and I don't think the suspension was working because it was very rough. The formations were scattered around, they were massive and was well worth checking out. We then drove 3 hours to Cortez where we are just staying for the night. Today was more of a transit day, the whole trip from Grand Canyon to Cortez was about 8 hours. We are looking forward to spending more than 1 night in a place so we can sleep in!!!

Grand Canyon

We finally arrived here after a 6 hour trip and it's completely amazing.  It's very hard to describe the sheer size of it.  We are lucky enough to stay in a lodge right beside the canyon rim.  We got to go on a helicopter ride over the canyon and it was well worth the money and the only way to see.  Just awesome!!! we had a pretty cruisy day and went for a walk around the rim. We were going to go down into the canyon a bit, but when I saw that there were no handrails I chickened out cos it is a sheer drop to the bottom which is 1.6miles down.   In the afternoon we went on a 5mile bike ride along the rim and it was scary stuff.  But we're glad we did and it was well worth it.  For dinner we found a restaurant that had steak and vegetables, it was our first taste of vegetables since we've been here and it was awesome.  Tomorrow we head to Cortez for the night and it's going to be a 8 hour bus ride. Can't wait! not!!!

Las Vegas!!!

So we made it to Las Vegas after a 5 hour bus trip.  It is completely unbelievable, nothing like we expected.  We stayed at the Harrah's Hotel and Casino, located right on the strip and we were on the 27th floor.  The room we had was awesome we got a small view of the Mirage hotel.  The first afternoon we got there we had most of the afternoon free and we wondered around the Forum Shops which is part of Caeser's Palace.  Most of the Shops were Designer like Guess, Harry Winston and Victoria Secret.  The prices were also amazing nearly half the price in Australia.  Our first night we went on a strip by night tour and we got to see the welcome to Las Vegas sign.  The lights on the Casinos were incredible.  We had a massive treat and got to see a wedding in one of the many chapels though it was a mock wedding preformed by Elvis.  It was pretty funny to watch.  So after that we had an even bigger treat by going to the Palms Hotel and going to the Playboy club and Moon bar, which was located on the 52nd floor of the hotel.  It was completely amazing we had awesome views of Vegas.  The second day in Vegas was ours to do what we wanted, so we wandered down the strip and made it to the MGM grand.  It was equally amazing and they had a Lion Exhibit in the casino.  We got to play some slot machines, we didn't win but we had fun playing them.  For the rest of the afternoon we just relaxed in the Air conditioning of our hotel.  For our night time activity we went to a Variety show and that was very funny, they had all different kinds of perfomers.  After that we got to go in Hummer limos and take a ride down the strip drinking champagne it was totally awesome.  Haze nightclub was after that and it was awesome as well. I left at midnight and Katrina stayed out till 2:45am and came back to the hotel blind rotten drunk.  She spent the next 2 hours over the toilet bowl.  It was very amusing to me.  We had to get back on the bus at 8:45am so she wasn't in a very good state.  I still thought it was funny and so did a lot of other people.  So that's our Vegas experience can't wait to go back on the Grand Northern cos we Loved it!!!

Los Angeles

Well we have finally hit LA,  We spent yesterday at Knotts Berry Farm.  We went on most rides but we did skip a few because they were extremely scary and we chickened out.  The rides we did go on though were lots of fun and the lines weren't to bad.  We tried funnel cake as well I don't really know what it was it was yummy though, we had Strawberry topping and Ice cream on ours and it was well worth trying.  Once we got back to the hotel we went to the Rainforest cafe for dinner.  It was a really nice night, dinner was just beautiful and the inside was set up in a jungle theme so there were motorised animals and trees everywhere, it was great.  Katrina had a cocktail and got to keep the glass so that was an added bonus.  So now for today,  we packed everything up and checked out of our hotel, we had lunch at an Italian place and had to wait a few hours for our transfer back to LA.  We arrived at our hotel at about 3pm which is check in time, however our room wasn't ready and we had to wait 40mins for the room to become available. Not happy Jan!!! We have now checked into our room and we are biding our time till our Contiki meeting at 7pm.  Can't wait for that. well that's all for now, I'll try to post once we get to Las Vegas.

5 days down, 62 to go!!!

Ok so we finished our 4th day at disneyland yesterday which was a massive day, we started it at 7:30am for our Goofy's kitchen breakfast which was awesome, it was a buffet and the characters came around to the table to have photos and chat. we got some really great photos.  We headed straight across to Disneyland to finish the rides we hadn't been on and went on a few again that we particularly liked like space mountain and Indiana Jones.  We watched the main parade and I filmed the whole thing it was great to see. We watched the fireworks as well and it was awesome.  I got sore arms from holding the camera for so long.  We never got home till 10:30pm so a massive day.  Well must go now I'll write about Knotts berry farm in my next blog. bye

Disneyland

So we have just finished our third day at Disneyland, and it is awesome.  We have been going on lots of rides and went and saw a show called World of Colour, it's basically a laserlight and water show.  It was one of the best shows to watch like nothing we have seen before.  Tomorrow is our last day at Disneyland and of course so much more to see and do.  We are also doing our Goofy's Kitchen breakfast tomorrow and we are both looking forward to that.  We have had our photo taken with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy so far, we're going to hunt the rest down tomorrow. Wish us Luck we're going to need it.  That's about all for now, we'll post again soon.

Finally Here

Hey everyone we have finally made it safe and sound!!! We spent the first day wandering around Disneyland waiting to check in to our hotel room, we finally checked in at 3:30pm which means we weren't able to get any sleep for 30 hours!!! Absolutely killed us!!! Disneyland is amazing so far, haven't been on any rides yet, we saved that for tomorrow and the remaining 3 days!!! Surprisingly enough the merchandise is dirt cheap so we will be stocking up before we leave!!! Look out dad more stuffed toys!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!! The meals are also cheap and they haven't been oversized yet, thank goodness!! That's about it for now!!! Our hotel has free internet so we should be able to update tomorrow after churning up our stomachs on the rides!!! Hope everyone is safe and well!!! Talk to you all soon!!