The Final Chapter

So after spending a last night at Tom's apartment, I headed off early on Saturday morning (about 9ish) back into New York for the last time. I had breakfast in the city, and then headed out towards Glen Rock, to Chris's house, where I was picking up all of my excess baggage that I had left there. I got there, cooked the rest of the noodles I had gotten the previous day, and then since Chris graciously offered to take me to the airport, I went and chilled with him at one of his mates' houses, before we headed off to the airport. I got there 5 hours early, just so that I wasn't hurried. Chris dropped me off at the terminal which said Continental Express, and apparently I was actually meant to go to the normal Continental terminal, but at least they allowed me to check in my baggage there. However when I got to the baggage counter, the lady said I had to pay $200 since my bag was overweight! There was no way my bag was over weight, I had weighed it at Chris', and it was 30.8kg. I was stymied. So I got all huffed up, and argued that it was the same weight as when I came in, and it said on my ticket that the limit was 32kg, not 23kg! Then she went on to say that if you have 2 items of luggage, both below 23kg, and with a total of not more than 32kg, then that was allowable. So I promptly took out my laundry bag, stuffed in a bunch of  clothes and my sleeping bag, and took my books out and put them in my hand luggage (I have accumulated about 6 books while in the US). And this took my baggage into the non overweight area, for which I was greatly relieved! I then took the Airtrain (a monorail train that goes around the airport from terminal to terminal) to the terminal that I was supposed to be going to to check in. This all went according to plan, so I went for coffee at Starbucks, and then went and found an electricity outlet where I plugged in my notebook, and watched several episodes of The Simpsons, before embarking on my flight. The flight itself was fairly pleasant, the in-flight entertainment was excellent, with decent sized screens, and a large selection of good films/music/games to choose from. I watched Be Kind Rewind, which I have seen before, but this time I noticed that it was set in Passaic, which is a small town in New Jersey on the same rail road as Glen Rock, so I had been through it on the NJ Transit several times. I got to London at 10, without have slept much due to the good entertainment. I did have 9 hours between my flights, so I thought that that would allow for some time for me to rest  in the airport itself. I got off the plane, and went through the security, but the  guy told me I didn't need to take off my belt or shoes, so I went through, and the device beeped, so the next guys got all annoyed at me for not taking off my shoes, even though he could have stopped me, and I was told not to. I think this made him think I was a security risk, because he proceeded to give me a thorough going over after this. I had some papers and maps in my pockets, I had emptied all the usual stuff, wallet, cellphone, camera and Ipod, but the security guy felt me up and demanded to know what was in my pocket, and then when I took out the maps, paper and a notebook, and he demanded that it go through the xray machine again, I mean come on, it was paper, and it went through the arch without setting off the alarm, so I guess he had some real problem he decided to take ti out on me! Then after he felt me up, he got his wand to go over me again, and only after that did he grudgingly allow me to leave.

I then wended my way through to the food court, where I watched a bit of series, before I went and got a sandwich, and tried to get some sleep. I did sleep a bit, but not too much. Then I got on my flight to Johannesburg at 19:00, and was pleased to hear some authentic Afrikaans being spoken, and some decent South African accents! I got on the plane, and fortunately, while I did have a seat in the centre block, the middle seat was empty, so I didn't have to bother about anyone needing to go to the toilet. I sat next to a guy from the UK, who was going to Durban for business, he was a great companion, and we chatted a bit, I hope he has fun in SA.

The next day we got to Jo'burg at 7, and I was very disappointed, there were no biltong stands in the entire airport! so I eventually did find some biltong, but halfway through I realised it had obviously been there for quite some time, since it was incredibly hard, but at least it was a taste of home. I was also shocked, Jo'burg is an international airport, but the announcer was at first an Indian guy with a super heavy accent that I struggled to understand, and then some Xhosa/Zulu guy who I couldn't understand whatsoever! I guess they don't cater for foreigners in Gauteng! Fortunately, when I got back to Cape Town, we had the usual computer generated voice, which was very easy to understand. I got picked up by my little sister, who it was great to see, and I enjoyed the ride back, admiring my mountain, and being glad to be home!

Well this concludes my USA Adventure, all in all it was fun, but I am glad to be back!!!!

Last week in the US

So after spending one last night at Areliene's on the floor, on Sunday I got up early, and met up with Beth W (the girl who I was supposed to be staying with while at DC, before she realised her uncle was having guests), and we did a bike trip to the tidal pool, and saw Jefferson, FDR and Martin Luther King memorials. After that I did my usual thing, and chilled in the closest Starbucks, and waited till It was an appropriate time to go back to Wendy's for the night. Unfortunately she was coming back from New York City, and she got stuck in some rather heavy traffic, so she messaged me to come anyway, and her housemate would let me in. So I went back there, and was a bit hesitant, as it was dark, and I wasn't exactly sure of the address, but fortunately I had remembered the address correctly. Mike (Wendy's housemate) was up watching football, so it wasn't a stress for him to let me in, and he was very hospitable. the next day I got up early, but ended up still being in a rush, as I hadn't gotten enough money on my metro ticket, so I had to go to a special booth, to pay, and it was a big hassle, but fortunately I made it with 15 mins to spare.  The bus ride back was pretty packed, but I ended up just sleeping through most of it. We arrived back in New York at about 3, and I just arbed around and ended up, yes you guessed it, at Starbucks! I was desperately trying to find a place to stay, eventually, when they were closing up, I decided to go to the Macdonalds across the road, which was 24 hours. I then got a message from a couch surfer who claimed to have a contact at a hostel, that there was a space available for $40 a night in a hostel, but by that stage I had decided just to stay in the Macdonalds till the morning. I ended up leaving at about 7, and only then did I notice a sign saying "No Loitering!" oops, guess they don't really enforce that too much!

I then contacted Paul (the Chinsese guy with the hostel contact) to see when I could check into the hostel. He assured me it was the best hostel for the price, and in the best location. I naively believed him, and went along with it. He was supposed to meet me at the place at 12:30, but since he was in Brooklyn, and it was raining, he only ended up getting there at 13:30! By then I was really ready to pass out, so it was quite a relief when he came. The "hostel" however was definitely not what was promised! It was a tiny 2 room apartment, one tiny bedroom, and the kitchen/living area, and the bathroom. Paul had put 3 stretchers in the bedroom, and another 2 in the kitchen. Needless to say it was seriously cramped! If I had had time, I could have got a much better deal through airbnb.com, but at that stage I just needed a place to crash, so I payed him and went to sleep. 

At 19:00 there was a Couch Surfing gathering at a local restaurant, so I decided I was going to go to this. It turned out to be a lot of fun, there were about 30-40 Couch surfers there, and I met a few really cool people. I ended up staying up a bit late, and then I slept in till 14:00, probably making up for the sleep I lost on Monday night.  One of the things I had wanted to see while in New York City, was the Brooklyn bridge, and while the location of the "hostel" wasn't as good as promised, at least it was closeish to the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. I walked down past the power station, towards the East River. On the banks of the river there was a walkway, kinda like the promenade in Seapoint. I walked South down this, passing some parks where there were people practicing soccer, I then got to the bridges, and utilised my tourist right, by taking millions of pictures! I continued down towards the financial district, and took a walk along Wall Street. Outside the New York Stock Exchange, there was a huge police blockade, where they had cordoned off some of the road, apparently the British Prime Minister was making an appearance. I wasn't too keen to see him, so I carried on along to the park on the tip of Manhattan. I then walked back, passing by the 9/11 memorial site. I wanted to familiarise myself with it, as I was going there the following day. I Then got a $5 foot long from subway, and went back to the "hostel" for some drying off (as it had been raining) and some watching of series'. I also went and had a beer at the "Shrunken Head" which was the bar at the lowest level of the apartment block. Paul had claimed it was amazing, but really it was quite expensive, and a bit dingy. Apparently its famous, but I can't imagine why. 

Thursday was the day I had booked to go see the 9/11 memorial, so I got up at a reasonable hour, I had been sharing the room with 2 French guys, and they were leaving for Boston, so we chatted a bit, and it turned out that they were also Couch Surfers! I guess that's how Paul gets his clientele, by keeping an eye open for couchsurfers who are having difficulty finding a spot in New York! Anyhow, we exchanged details, and then they left, and I went off, leaving my luggage at the "hostel". I had checked where I had to collect my tickets  but still got slightly lost. I then asked a information person, but she gave me completely wrong directions, I was supposed to get there at 14:45, and it was 14:25, and I hadn't even got my tickets yet. so I eventually ended up just going to the entrance to the memorial, to ask the guy there. It turns out that that was the place where I had to collect the tickets in any case, and the girl at the counter bumped me up to a 14:30 slot, so I didn't even have to wait! The memorial was quite nice, its basically two pools each on the position of the old world trade towers, which have been sunk into the ground, and have water flowing down into a large pool. At the centre of this pool, where I would imagine the lift shaft of the building would have been, there is another hole, which you can't see the bottom of. All in all it is very impressive, but unless you are looking for a specific name, it doesn't take too long to check it out. Unfortunately they are still working on the museum, so that wasn't open yet. After I went to the 9/11 memorial, I decided, seeing as the weather had cleared up a bit (or rather since the clouds were high and it wasn't raining, I would go to do the Empire State Building. I went along, and outside was accosted by several guys trying to get me to buy "better" tickets. basically they were $54 dollars for skipping the queue (and I think they may have included going to the very top), but since I didn't really want to spend and extra $32, I decided to go for the cheap options. It turns out the queue wasn't even that long, and those that got good tickets still had to queue at the bottom of the lifts. the lift itseldf was quite quick, it went up in 10 intervals right up to about 80. It went up to 87, where we were let out. We then got to see a pretty decent view, even though it wasn't as great as it could have been if it was clear, but it was pretty cool. After that I went back to the hostel, got my bags, and headed out to Queens where I had arranged to stay with a guy from couch surfing. I arrived a bit later than planned, but was still early enough that Tom wanst' annoyed with me. We played baseball with his son Jonathan in his room for a bit, and then had some dinner. I then went out to another couch surfing event, this time at a pub near Union Station, called "Re-Union Bar". It was quite fun, and I chatted quite a bit to an Indian architect who has traveled quite a bit in his profession. I also chatted to a girl from California who is into pet psychology. Its a bit ludicrous, but apparently she is hoping to do some pet/owner compatibility tests. Despite this, she was fun, and offered to give me a lift home. She had parked quite far down, so we took the subway, however we ended up on the wrong side of the tracks. So we went across to the other side, but the card wouldn't let us in, as her metro ticket had just been used. since we had already paid, we decided to jump over the turnstile, since we weren't actually committing a crime, due to the fact that we had already paid for the trip, just on the incorrect side...

It was quite fun never the less, and we got to where she had parked her car only to discover it wasn't there! We looked around for a bit, and then she suddenly thought it might have been in 96th street rather than 86th, even though that was what she had written down.So we ended up walking another 10 blocks, fortunately that was right, and her car was were she had left it. We then proceeded to Queens, where we got lost, since I knew the address, and how to get there from the station, but had no clue how to get there by car! Eventually we got back, and I went to bed, way later than I had planned!

Then today I went down to Canal Street, the main street in Chinatown, to see if I could get some gifts there. After doing way too much shopping, I headed back to Times square to feast on the most yummy ribs ever at EZ Deli which is a few blocks up Broadway from Times Square. Much to my dismay, they didn't have any ribs, so I ended up having chicken and crumbed calamari, which wasn't nearly as good as their ribs! There was some Chinese festival day demonstration in the square, such a pity for them, since it was pouring with rain. I did manage to get a free-bee of two packs of noodles, and a bag with some Chinese writing on it. I then went to the Rockerfeller centre, and walked around there for a bit going to the Lego shop, and also checking out a few of the cathedrals in that area. I then went to grand central station, and then proceded back to Queens. Unfortunately I ended up taking the wrong underground, since  I stopped at the wrong platform. Grand Central Station is a rabbit warren of tunnels, so its no wonder, but due to this I ended up being back pretty late in the evening. I then cooked up some noodles for my dinner, which were quite tasty. Tom gave me some curry paste, which made things severely spicy! 

Couch Surfing in the USA

So I have now officially gotten my first taste of what Couch Surfing is all about. I spent my first night in DC at Wendy's house, and am currently staying with Aureliene (he's a French guy, in case you were wondering). Unfortunately Areliene has just moved to DC, so hasn't got much furniture, so I'm actually more surfing the floor. At least he does have a comfy carpet! So far my stay in Washing ton has been very successful. After leaving Wendy's house in Glenmont on Friday morning, I realised that I was stuck with my baggage, and that they were probably not going to allow me to traipse around the Smithsonian museums with 2 backpacks, so I decided to rather do a tour of the monuments. I started at the Smithsonian Station, and went past the Washington Monument, which is actually rather massive! It seems smaller in the movies/picture. I then went through the WWII memorial, and walked past where the pool of reflection used to be. It is currently under renovation, so is just a muddy puddle, with a bunch of bulldozers in it. That was a real disappointment, as it messed with my picture taking. I then trekked all the way to the Lincoln Memorial, which was good, but it was a great trek, with all of my baggage! I then walked past the Vietnam Memorial to Constitution Pool, where there is a little island with a monument to the people who signed the first constitution. I then walked past the White House, and then made a beeline for the nearest Starbucks to check my couch surfing status ( I hadn't finalised anything for the night, so I was a bit concerned). After that I headed off to Capitol Hill, and then I got a message from Aureliene saying he was home, so I should come there before he went out again, so I got the metro to his place, where it was very good to finally take off my backpack. I definitely did burn a few calories that day! It turned out that Aureliene's friend cancelled on him, so instead we went out to the local pub for a beer.

Saturday i got up early, and took the metro to the Smithsonian. I first went into the Smithsonian Castle, and then went to the Air and Space museum. That was really interesting with displays about the Wright Brothers probably being the highlight for me. I then went to the art gallery next door, and almost got lost in its labyrinth! Can't say I enjoy art any better though. I did go check out some sculptures, and was impressed by one by Roy Lichtenstein, which really played havoc with your senses.

I then had planned to go to a street festival with some other couch surfers. I first made a stop at Starbucks to get my bearings and my coffee, then I headed off to the address where I was supposed to meet the others. I arrived there, and it looked suspiciously like I was at the wrong place, there was no festival, and where there was meant to be a bay, there was a large office block! After much going back and fort, I eventually discovered that I was on H Street NW and needed to be on H Street NE, and all of the streets go from 1 W upwards as they go more West, and from 1 E upwards as they go more East, which was the whole problem, so I had to basically go to the other side of town to get to where I met the fellow couchsurfers. fortunately they had got there late, so I didn't have to worry. It was a fun night's socialising, as it is always great to meet people from another place.

Cheese steak vs Gatsby

So while in Philadelphia I was told I had to sample their local fast food, the cheese steak. so I was told the place to get it was Geno's. So I researched it, and got directions and headed off to the restaurant. I was expecting a US fast food to rival the gatsby. However, I was sorely disappointed, for $9, I expected some serious steak, with loads of cheese, not a beef sandwich with a hint of cheese, I definitely think Gatsby's win!

So I left Philadelphia this afternoon, got the bus to Washington DC, there was some confusion as they struggled to get a girl in a wheelchair into the bus at Baltimore, so we were 45 minutes late. I had to get the metro (train) and got picked up from the station. Its a pity this is only for one night, since Wendy my host has really been great!

Life after the Canada disappointment

OK, so the last time I posted, I was pretty much at the Newark airport with Dan, we "slept" over there, that is he slept, and I overed. I then checked that it was OK for me to stay with Chris that night, and went to the mall, where I chilled in Starbucks for the day, since the mall was really tame. He picked me up at 5, and we went to one of his friends' place in Jersey city to watch the starting match of the NFL season, the Packers vs the Saints. It was a pretty close game, with the Packers winning in the end. We then drove back to Glen Rock (where Chris lives) and packed it in. I was sleeping on Chris' very comfy couch. The next day I just chilled, but we went into NYC for the evening to meet up with Laura and Kaylee, who had just arrived in NYC. We went to a little pub to have supper, and then we trekked across town to go meet up with Ariel who was in a pub near NYU. It turned out that this pub was quite strict on carding people (Chris, who is 23, had to show 3 different types of ID before the bouncer let him in!), so Laura, who is 19, couldn't get in, so she and Kaylee went off to Times Square instead. We had a few drinks, and then decided to go to Chris' sister's apartment, which is situated on the other side of town. Oh, did I mention that I had all my stuff all this time! I had left a few things at Chris' in my duffel, but I had both my back pack and day pack with me. And it was not raining at this time, rather it was very warm, so I was quite drenched (I changed my shirt at Chis' sisters). A few minutes after arriving, Chris decided we were going to leave, so we went, we had to hurry and take a taxi, but in the end we had plenty of time. On Saturday Chris had a surprise party to go to, so I decided to go into the city instead. I was fairly sure I could find my way around. I went off, and walked around town for a bit, making sure I was back in time for the last train to Secaucus (the New Jersey junction station) I got there in time, and took the train that I thought was going to Glen Rock, only to discover at the end of the trip, when they announced "last stop, New York Penn Station" that it wasn't. So while I had planned not to drink during my night out, I ended up having a few beers in various pubs around town, and catching the 5:15 train back. There was only a 6:30 train to Glen Rock, so I got a bit of sleep at the station, and got back to the house at about 7:30.

Needless to say, I didn't end up doing all that much on Sunday ;)

Monday I went back into the City to meet up with Sam, James, Laura and Kaylee at the Museum of Natural History. I thought it was going to be very similar to the movie Night at the Museum, since that is based on the NY museum, but it was rather different. Granted I didn't go see the indigenous American peoples exhibit, which might have contained the Sacgewea scene, but I definitely didn't see the Aztec/Wild West/Roman exhibit or even the Theodore Rooseveldt figurine. Maybe they mixed the museum with Madam Tassauds down the street...

We then parted from the girls, went to have dinner, and did some gift shopping for Sam and James' family (it was their last night), after which I went back to Glen Rock, taking all the right trains.

On Tuesday I got up at 8, made sure everything was packed, and got a lift with Chris' friend (they were off to the beach) to the station. I then got a train to NYC, and walked the block or so to the bus stop. I got the bus to Philadelphia, where I followed the instructions Brett had given me, to end up at the place where he stays. Its a pretty run down area, reminiscent of the dodgy parts of Observatory/Woodstock. There is apparently a lot of drug dealing/prostitution in the area. I put down my stuff, and got settled in, checking my Facebook etc. When Brett and Val were finished their chores, we set off into Philadelphia proper, where we had dinner at a little Restaurant in town, the food was fair, but not amazing. The next day, after helping Brett with doing the beds for the guest house, I went into Philadelphia to see the sites. I saw the Liberty Bell, which was very unimpressive, and then went for a walk around the historical district. There were plenty of interesting statues, and a park dedicated to William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia, which was pretty cool. I then went through Chinatown to the Museum of Art, which is also where the movie Rocky had its stairs scene. At the bottom there is a Rocky Statue, and at the top some "footprints". It also has the most spectacular view of the city, and the Museum itself is very impressive.

I then went back, later than I probably should have, but it was still good. Tomorrow I go to Washington, which should be exciting. I have secured a place to stay tomorrow night, and possibly Friday and Saturday as well.

101 reasons to double check whether you need a visa for Canada with border control

So I've now been away from camp for 3 days. In that time I have stayed in a 4 star hotel on Times Square for $45, been as far as the Glass museum on the Canada tour, only to be informed that my US visa is not sufficient for entry to Canada as I was told by Camp America, but rather that while British and US citizens can enter without a visa, South African and Polish can't! That meant that me and my Polish friend couldn't go the tour. It does mean that now James and Sam (the British guys we were going with) have a queen sized bed each to their selves. I opted to go back at the glass museum, since they were willing to give me a ride free of charge, but Piotr decided to go on, and stay at Niagara, and then get a bus back. Since the bus would have cost $120, I wasn't so keen on that plan! Hopefully I get. some sort of a refund. The previous night we had arrived at about 5pm, and promptly walked to our hotel. Much to our surprise, even though we did know it was 4 star, it was an amazingly expensive hotel! We got our booking for $45, but other people paid $600 for 4 people! Granted they probably got the penthouse suite, and we did have to share beds, but that was still a cool deal! We then went out to a pizza place for dinner, and then Dan, Britney, Sam and I went out for a few drinks. We started at a $1 per half pint bar, and then walked around for a bit, and found one of the oldest bars in New York, where we had a drink, it was served in 2 half pint glasses, and the choice was light or dark ale. I ordered light, but the barman got our order wrong so I got dark, so Britney and I decided, rather than kick up a fuss, we'd both just have half and half. I must admit ale definitely isn't my thing. I have yet to find a half decent beer in the States, but that ale was even less tasty. We then went to a cheap shots place, and had a few shots, and then went to a pub, where there was a dance floor, and danced a bit before we headed back to the hotel. Since it was so late, Britney and Dan snuck into the hotel room with us, and spent the night there.

The next day we went to China town at 7:30 to get our bus at 8. We then went on the bus to the glass museum, where I found out my visa wouldn't get me into Canada, and I got a lift back to New York. This was very irritating, since I was banking on 4 nights paid up accommodation! I had to frantically sms and email everyone who I knew was in New York!

I ended up staying with Dan Evans, another British guy who was not going on the tour, and hence was staying in New York. He had already planned to stay with her, so she graciously allowed me to also stay, possibly partially due to us allowing her to sleep on the couch in our hotel room after we had been out the previous night. Her mom made us pasta and sausage sauce, which was divine, even though we only got there at about 10:30. It was quite interesting, since it was pouring down in New York, when I got dropped off in China Town. I met Dan in the Macdonalds and then we walked down the road, in the pouring rain, to get to a place on Broadway where Britney could pick us up. It was a tight squeeze with all our baggage, especially since she has a sporty car. Then the next morning we caught the train From New Jersey to New York. Dan and I then went to the hotel we had stayed in on Monday night, and got our luggage stored, since he had chatted up the bell boy, and he was willing to put our stuff there, as if we had checked out that morning. We then walked around Times Square, going into Toys R Us and Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co (a Forrest Gump memorabilia store and shrimp restaurant. As we were walking towards Central Park, we were stopped by a girl, and asked if we would like to be part of the studio audience for the Late Show with David Letterman. Dan was skeptical, but I was able to convince him to give it a go, since that could happen was that it was a hoax, and we would waste a few minutes finding out. However it was the real deal. We had to go collect tickets from the theatre, and realised that this was for real! We then had some time, so we went and had coffee at Starbucks, and then walked to Columbus' Circle and Central Park. We then went to the theatre, where we had to stand in line for a while, and we met 2 couples from Wisconsin. I was wearing my Africa signed T-shirt, so the one lady asked if she could sign it, she signed it “Go Pack” which was alluding to the Packers, which is apparently their football team. The show itself was OK, there were some jokes that weren't funny, like his making fun of people who didn't have electricity after Hurricane Irene. Since we had been without water due to the electricity being off, I didn't find those jokes so funny, but on the whole it was good, he interviewed Sgt Leroy A Petry, who has just been awarded the congressional medal of honour, and has a cool prosthetic hand, and Jennifer Love Hewit, who is starring in a new movie. They were really the stars, and lots of fun to watch. Jennifer is as cute on stage as she is in the movies, even if I have to question her dress sense, since she showed up in a frilly top, with pants that must have been pulled up above her belly button! After the show we went and got 99c pizza, and then caught the underground to the end, to go on the Staten Island Ferry. This is the ferry that goes past the Statue of Liberty, so I got to try and figure out how to take pictures in the dark with my new camera. I got about 25 pictures, of which about 90% were unusable. But I did learn how to use exposure, and lengthen the shutter speed for night photo's, so all is not lost, however the pictures still came out blurry. Oh well, what can you expect from a $27.50 camera. We also bumped into a German girl who I chatted to for a bit, she also took the underground, and got off with us at Times Square. We then collected our luggage from the hotel, and then were walking to the Port Authority bus stop, when we bumped into her again. Pity we were in a bit of a rush, otherwise I would have asked for her number, since she is staying here till Monday, and we could have probably hooked up to do some touristy things, and then we wouldn't be all by ourselves! Since I hadn't organised any accommodation for tonight, I'm going to be spending it with Dan, at the Airport. At least I will get to know Newark Airport, so it won't be so foreign to me when I depart. Oh, and this airport seems to be on par with what Cape Town International is, and it also seems to be a similar size. At first it seemed a bit larger, but in retrospect, now that I think about it, its probably a similar size.

That is my first few days off camp. Oh, and did I mention its been raining non stop? That definitely puts a downer on things, but at least New York rain doesn't equal cold, so its still been temperate.