Happy New Year

I'm back in Sydney - at Collaroy Beach, one of the suburbs to the north of the city - in a hostel that has its own rooftop swimming pool! Despite that attraction I will be heading into the city tomorrow for New Year's Eve and meeting up with my friend Margaret who has flown out for a visit to cousins who live over here. She finally made it after an earlier attempt was cancelled because of the snow before Christmas.
Happy New Year!

Beaches Galore

Today's been hot and sunny and I went for a walk down the coast, which consists of a string of lovely sandy beaches linked by a well-made path. I ended up at a nature reserve and had a guided tour along a raised boardwalk through sub-tropical rainforest, finding out about the traditional uses of the local plants. So here's a picture of me definitely not wearing the famous green fleecy jacket.

As it's a combination of Christmas Holidays and Summer Holidays here, the beaches near car parks were busy, but there were so many beaches it was easy to find a quiet one.

Tomorrow I head back to Sydney for the New Year celebrations. Enjoy your New Year's Eve celebrations if you are having any, and all the best for 2011.

Caves and Koalas

After a sunny Christmas Day, Boxing Day dawned wet, so I decided to visit the Jenolan Caves. It turned out to be a good decision even though the weather brightened up later. The stalactites, stalagmites and other related phenomena were the best I've ever seen, so good that I forgot to be claustrophobic.

Then yesterday I travelled via Sydney up the coast by train to a little town called Port Macquarie. It's a nice quiet seaside resort with surfing beachs and coastal walks. Unfortunately the weather was grey and cloudy again, with occasional rain, but I had a paddle anyway. And this afternoon I visited the Koala Hospital - which was the reason I picked this town rather than any other one on the coast. The koalas are very cute to look at, and you hear about their amazing stories of survival from bush fires, dog attacks or road accidents. But the nicest thing there was that I bumped into a woman who I'd shared a dorm with at Kaikoura in New Zealand. I had no idea she was coming here too. So we had tea and cakes together and swopped email addresses. We may well overlap again in Singapore or Malaysia.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas!
I have had a very relaxing and lazy Christmas day - sunbathing in the hostel garden and giving myself a present of a load of nice fresh laundry, dried outside in the sunshine. It's been warm and sunny, though we did have a very cloudy, damp day yesterday when I went for hike with two new Irish friends. I also enjoyed a Christmas celebration meal out with them last night.
The hostel staff have just laid on some snacks (it's about 6pm) and I have opened my special Christmas bottle of wine and am going to cook myself a steak!
I hope you all have equally enjoyable Christmases.

More Blue Mountains Experiences

Today I went to "Scenic World", where I travelled first on a very steep railway through a tunnel down to the valley where there are boardwalks through the forest past old mineworkings; then travelled up in a cable car; and finally got another cable car across from one part of the cliff to another, with splended views of the Katoomba falls (left).

At the main view points near car parks it is packed with tourists, but you only have to walk a few minutes to have fabulous viewpoints to yourself. The picture 0n the right was taken at my picnic spot yesterday where I was totally alone apart from a friendly lizard (or skink possibly).

Sydney and The Blue Mountains

Some catching up to do - so this will be a longer entry than the last!

My first full day in Australia I visited Paramatta - a town near where Nicola lives - that's now part of the Sydney connurbation, and was one of the earliest towns to be established in New South Wales. It's definitely got its own identity,and I enjoyed exploring the town and its parks on foot. Then yesterday we had a day out in the big city, catching the river ferry to central Sydney - which is a great way to get a first look at the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We had lunch and explored around Darling Harbour in hot sunshine. The Christmas Tree picture was taken in Darling Harbour.

Later Steve and Nicola kindly drove me up to Katoomba where I'll be staying over Christmas. It's so beautiful up here in the Blue Mountains. The views are spectacular - on a par with those at the Grand Canyon. And it's very easy to get around on foot or on public transport, as there's a string of quaint little towns connected by railway and walking trails, along the top of the huge escarpment that looks out over forests, waterfalls and cliffs. There's also lots to do - adventure sports, a scenic cable car, caves to visit - as well as walking, which is what I did today. I walked along the cliff top past some lovely cascades to Leura and got the train back.

I hear that on top of all the bad weather, you've now had an earthquake in North West England! I definitely chose the right winter to spend down under.

In Australia

Just a quick entry to report that I arrive safely in Australia yesterday where I am staying for a few nights with Nicola (former colleague), Steve and baby Sammy before heading up into the Blue Mountains for Christmas.
Despite it being summer here I can no longer ignore the fact that Christmas is imminent. Many apologies for the absence of cards and presents from me this year, but I wish you all the very best for a happy and peaceful Christmas!

Goodbye to New Zealand

I'm in Christchurch on my last night in New Zealand, which has definitely lived up to expectations. I feel as if I've done an awaful lot in a few weeks here.

The sun has come out again after some grey and even wet days. Kaikoura finally showed me its beautiful views (see picture), and now I'm in Christchurch which shows very little evidence that it was hit by a huge earthquake less than four months ago.

On my final full day in Kaikoura I visited a historic house which gave an insight into the lives of early European arrivals and the whaling industry (it's interesting that the town now lives off whale watching rather than whale hunting) and then enjoyed a sheep shearing demonstration which seemed a very New Zealand thing to do.

And today I actually saw two kiwis (the birds not the people). They are very rare, shy, nocturnal creatures so the only way to see them is in captivity, in almost pitch dark, and total silence. And they aren't the most exciting creatures to look at, but I felt it completed my New Zealand experience.

Tomorrow it's off to Sydney and the next stage of the journey.

Whales and Sheep

The clouds have finally cleared in Kaikoura, on the east coast of New Zealand's south island - giving wonderful views across the bay to snow capped mountains.

Yesterday I went on a whale watching boat trip. We saw a sperm whale and a school of dusky dophins which seems to be a typical success rate. The male sperm whale (the only year-round whale here) is a solitary creature and only surfaces to breathe for about five minutes, roughly every hour. The dolphins are less elusive and much more friendly. The whale is called Tiaki, by the way.

I was supposed to go horse riding today, but it got cancelled because of rain. Then the rain cleared and instead I went to a sheep shearing demonstration which was very entertaining, and seemed much more particular to New Zealand than horse riding so it all worked out fine.

Tomorrow I head to Christchurch for my final night in New Zealand. I'm rather regretting not having more time here to go further south to the high mountains, but I can always go to Switzerland or Austria to see snowy peaks.

Tramping in New Zealand

Just got back from four days out of internet contact - in fact we were away from roads, electricity and hot water, too! Jacqui and I have been trekking (or tramping as it's called here) in the Abel Tasman Park, which is an unspoilt area of coast and forest. We walked over wooded headlands from one pristine, deserted beach to another - all with yellow sand and turquoise water - where we swam and sunbathed. They were the sort of beach I really like, with not a building in sight, but most had little campsites, so there were toilets provided. At night we stayed in huts, cooking on a little camping stove and sleeping on huge communal sleeping platforms with random strangers either side. All quite an adventure for me! It was great fun, and lovely to have just the essentials and be close to nature (though I got a bit too close to the sandflies!). It also means you really appreciate hot showers and real beds when you get back.

On the way home we stopped at a "catch your own" fish farm, where I caught and killed my own salmon. Another first for me! I've always said you shouldn't really eat animals and fish unless you're prepared to kill them, but whilst I found fishing very relaxing, I won't be killing anything again unless I am stranded on a desert island and facing starvation! (except sandflies - I'll kill them quite happily.)

Wellington and Nelson

I had a couple more really good days exploring Wellington. I took the cable car up to the top of the botanical gardens and spent a long time exploring the gardens, woodlands and sculpture trails. The rose garden in particular was spectacular - I caught it just at the right time of year. I also spent many hours at Te Papa - the Museum of New Zealand - learning a lot about the geology, history, flora and fauna, and culture of New Zealand. Also went out for a really nice Thai meal on my last night with Betty and Douglas.

Yesterday I caught the ferry across the Cook Straits to the South Island and then the bus to Nelson to be met by my cousin Jacqui. Today we're getting ready to go off hiking - or tramping as they call it here - on the Abel Tasman trail. We're hoping the weather picks up a bit - it's been cool, cloudy and damp the last few days!

Wellington

Having had a lovely train journey down from Auckland to Wellington yesterday, I am now staying with Betty and Douglas (old family friends) and it's lovely to be in a proper home for a change. I enjoyed seeing the varied countryside of North Island. One minute you think you could be in Mid Wales, and the next you spot a tree fern or other exotic plant and the illusion goes.
Wellington is living up to its windy reputation - we visited two different beaches today and at both were nearly knocked over by the wind.
I'm updating the blog today on their computer not mine so it would be complicated to add photos - but it's a beautiful coastline here, and quite wild within just a few miles of the city.
Just trying to sort out my crossing over to South Island in a few days time - the buses and ferries don't seem to co-ordinate very well!

Volcanos and penguins

I've had two enjoyable and interesting days around Auckland. Yesterday I went to Kelly Tarleton's Anarctic Encounter and Underwater World - a very quirky attraction which includes a replica of Scott's hut from the doomed Antarctic expedition, a chance to see penguins up close (including some fluffy baby ones) and one of those glass tunnels through a giant shark tank - like you get at Sea Life centres in the UK. It was the creation of one man - Kelly Tarleton - who sadly died young, just weeks after it first opened.

I then caught the ferry over to the little seaside town of Devonport for a short guided tour to some good viewpoints, a pleasant afternoon pottering round the cafes and shops, and a delicious early dinner, before getting the ferry back.

Today I caught another ferry over to a relatively young volcanic island - Rangitoto. It erupted out of the sea about 600 years ago. I walked through exotic forests and lava fields to the crater rim, and then back to the shoreline via some lava caves, fern groves and historic seaside holiday cottages known as baches.

The picture was taken half way up the volcano with the city of Auckland in the background.

The weather continues mainly cloudy but very warm.

Tomorrow I catch the train for the twelve hour journey to Wellington.

Southern Hemisphere

In the same day, yesterday, I crossed the equator for the first time and cross the International Date Line for the first time. So now instead of being hours behind you in time I am hours ahead of you, having skipped a day.

It took me longer tahn planned to get from Honolulu to Auckland. On the particular Round the World ticket I am using, a direct flight wasn't possible, so I got up at the crack of dawn for a long flight to Sydney followed by a short flight getting in really late at night in Auckland. But the first flight was cancelled and I flew four hours later, so missed the connection. It worked out better in the end; the flights were with Quantas not their cheap, no frills brand Jetsar so I got great meals and in-flight entertainment, I was put up in a nice hotel in Sydney with meals, taxis, etc all provided, and I arrived in Auckland at a civilised time, and still with half a day here today to explore. It's warm and sunny and this seems a relaxed sort of place, partly because of the large numbers of back-packers around in flip-flops and shorts.

My final few days in Hawai'i I did a bit more exploring on foot, but mainly sat around in the sun.

I haven't got any exciting New Zealand photos yet so I'm including taken in the Japanese gardens at Honolulu Airport - which helped me stay chilled when I wasn't sure what would be happening with the flights!

Aloha!

My stay in Hawai'i is turning out to be quite different from what I expected. I've teamed up with a French guy called David and a German guy called Uwe, who has a hire car, and we have spent the last two days touring the island by car, visiting different beaches and generally exploring. I've been in the sea a little bit but the waves and currents were too strong for swimming at the beaches where we spent most time. Yesterday we saw the sunset from Waikiki beach and this morning we climbed up through some tropical jungle to a waterfall.

It's all very relaxing which is just what I needed at this stage in my trip.

By the way - this photo has not been digitally enhanced! The yacht went by at just the right time, and I didn't even have to straighten out the horizon.

Hot in Honolulu

After a long day at airports and on planes yesterday I am now in Hawai'i staying at a hostel just outside Honolulu. The climate is quite a contrast to what I've had recently. Utah, Colorado and Nevada were dry, bright and cold on the whole. Here it is hot and humid. So I am getting all my cold weather clothes washed and relegated to the bottom of the suitcase.
I think the next few days will be much more like a holiday with less trekking around to see the sights. I went shopping early this morning to try to beat the heat but it was already very hot at 9am. I've spent most of the rest of the morning reading travel magazines on the verandah, where you can watch little lizards and unusual birds.
This is one of the more basic and shabby hostels I've stayed at but somehow that doesn't matter as much when it's warm and sunny. It is also almost empty which makes things very relaxed - no competition for showers, kettles or washing machines.
I just spotted a headline about snow in the UK!

Las Vegas

Had a great night out in Las Vegas last night with some of the people from the Canyons trip. We hired a stretch limo to take us around for 90 minutes while we drank champagne, and then went in a couple of the casinos and lost a few dollars. It's a totally unreal place!

We had arrived back in Vegas yesterday after a long drive from the Grand Canyon, via the Hoover dam, where they have just opened a new bridge to bypass driving over the dam itself. That option had been closed to commercial vehicles for a while for security vehicles, resulting in long detours.

The final day at the Grand Canyon was great. About half the tour group including me did a longish hike down into the Canyon itself via a very zig-zaggy path to a side valley where there is a lovely oasis called the Indian Gardens, and then out onto a plateau that sticks out into the main part of the Canyon with views down to the Colorado river. It took about 7 hours and my legs were quite tired as we came up the last steep mile or so to the rim. The walk gave a real sense of the size and character of the Canyon and was a great end to the walking holiday.

Tomorrow I fly to Hawaii where I plan to sit in the sun for a few days as well as some gentle sightseeing.

Grand Canyon

Today I had my first view of the Grand Canyon, and also saw it from a helicopter. It was my first ever helicopter ride, and the Grand Canyon certainly provided a magnificent reason for doing one. Nothing had prepared me for the size of it and I couldn't really grasp it at first. It is not just deeper, but far wider and longer than you can imagine, and there are far more colours - blues and greys as well as reds and yellows. My photos really won't capture it so I will add a ridiculous one of me in the helicopter.

Over the past few days we have also done more of Arches national park, had a brief visit to the Canyonlands Park, and spent a great afternoon in Monument Valley, being shown round by a Navajo Guide as it is in the Navajo Nation, where the Navajos have some self-government.

It's late and I have to be up early for the hike down into the Canyon so that's it for now.

Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park

The wonderful scenery round this part of the USA just gets more and more amazing. (That's why this are is known as the Great Circle.)

The day before yesterday we were at Bryce Canyon which is a wierd world of eroded spires and pinnacles of rock known as hoodoos. It's like something on another planet in a science fiction movie.

Then it was on to Arches, where - as the name suggests - the wind has carved huge arches in narrow fins of rock. We were there again this morning and then on to somewhere called Dead Horse Point for an overview of the Canyonlands area, part of the Colorado river valley further upstream from the Grand Canyon. The scale is stupendous and it's hard to believe the Grand Canyon is going to be even bigger.

In each place we do several shortish walks to see the most exciting views. This morning's four hour walk involved a fair amount of scrambling over the rocks and was quite an adventure.

Photos don't really do justice to landscapes on this scale but I've included one from Bryce and one from Arches.

Hiking in Zion Canyon

It's been a few days since my last update and I'm now in quite a different phase of my trip. I've travelled inland and joined a group holiday, hiking in the national parks of Utah and Arizona.

My second day in Santa Monica I decided against the conventional Los Angeles locations of Hollywood and Beverley Hills and instead went to the La Brea Tar Pits. Not everyone's choice, but I was really interested to see where they dig up thousands of fossilised animals which became stuck in pools of tar seeping up to the earth's surface thousands of years ago. The tar is still bubbling up and you can see the pits where they excavate the remains, You also see the scientists working on the fossilised bones, which range from tiny creatures to giant mammoths and mastadons.

The Greyhound bus trip to Las Vegas, where the group tour started, went through Death Valley and the Mojave Desert which was quite dramatic, but nothing compared to the scenery we are now surrounded by. The sheer scale is amazing, and I'm sure photos won't do it justice. We are staying just at the mouth of Zion Canyon, and we have walked four or five different trails within the Canyon yesterday and today, including one called Angels' Landing which involved scrambing up narrow ledges aided by chains fastened to the side of the cliffs. (The picture above is the view from the top.)

Tomorrow we move on to Bryce Canyon and we've been warned to expect even colder temperatures than we've had here. It is warm in the middle of the day but freezing early in the morning and again as soon as the sun sets.

It's nice and relaxing to have guides to organise everything, and not to have to decide each day what I am going to do. I also have the luxury of a huge hotel room with two double beds all to myself!

Hollywood superstar

How to break into film in three easy steps - go to LA, hang round a film set, sign the release form when they ask if you want to be an extra. Well it was actually Venice Beach, just outside LA and they were filming a low budget TV series not a movie, but that's what happened this morning. I got to sit in the background as they shot and re-shot a scene with the presenter of a show called "The World's Funniest Commercials". The presenter is apparently only famous for starring in a US TV advert.

A quick catch up: The day before yesterday I visited the Hearst Castle - the fabulous mansion of William Randolph Hearst. Unfortunately it was pouring down and the castle was enveloped in fog, so I didn't see it at its best, but what a testament to unlimited wealth! The picture shows the indoor swimming pool. The walls are covered in a mosaic of glass tiles made in Italy and gold leaf. I got thoroughly cold and wet so it was lovely that evening when they lit a log fire at the little youth hostel at San Luis Obispo. A few of us ended up sitting round in front of the fire trying to do an impossible jugsaw puzzle.


Yesterday I completed the drive down the coast - to Santa Monica and then dropped the car off - which was easier said than done in the LA traffic, and I'd completely misjudged the scale of the map when I looked up directions to the car hire place.


Today, apart from becoming a screen actress, I've had a lazy day, pottering around Santa Monica and Venice Beach, sitting on the beach, walking along the boardwalk, and generally people-watching. This is a good place for doing that - it's full of oddballs, and lots of them want to be watched!


Last night my computer decided to install some updates. As a result I have lost the programme that made it really easy to improve my photos, and it's been replaced by one which makes it impossible, so from now on I will actually have to think about lining up the horizon.

Big Sur

Big Sur is the coastal area south of Monterey, and is the most spectacular part of the Pacific Coast Highway. The views are magnificent and keep getting better, but after a bit you realise you can't stop at every lay-by to drink it in and take a photo or you'll never reach your destination.

I don't normally add to the blog two days running, but I've fitted a lot in today. Setting off from Monterey I drove round the Monterey Peninsula and along the 17 Mile Drive - a private section of road flanked by golf courses and magnificent mansions, then I had a brief stop in Carmel for coffee - you can tell how wealthy the place is; every other shop is an art gallery. But it's very pretty. Then I visited the Carmel Mission, another of the missions set up by Fr Junipero Serra, who is recognised as one of the founders of California.

Then I headed down the coast to the Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park where after a picnic lunch I did a five mile hike which went from a river valley up through redwood groves to a magnificent view point over the Pacific with the Santa Lucia mountain range behind.

Finally I drove the rest of the Big Sur route (the warning sign said sharp bends for 63 miles!) to reach San Luis Obispo in time for tea. For once I didn't bother to shop and cook, but went for a very nice pizza instead.

Hitting the Highway

Yesterday I picked up my car - a red Chevrolet Aveo called Nellie (the letters NEL are in the number plate). After initial doubts about automatic gears every time I had to do a hill start (which is a lot in San Francisco) I soon adjusted and headed south along the California coastal highway.

The scenery is as dramatic as I expected and I've not even seen the best bit yet. The great thing with the car, compared to travelling by train, is that you can stop from time to time, and visit things en route, so I stopped at a couple of beaches on the way to Monterey.


I've spent hours today at the Monterey Bay Aquarium - as good as, but different from, the one in Vancouver. Highlights included sea dragons (see picture), sea horses, jelly fish, sharks, penguins, star fish you can touch, a tame albatross and the very cute sea otters. I also saw Cannery Row, walked the "path of history" - a marked route past all the oldest and most historic buildings in the town - and spent a lot of time watching the wildlife. The harbour seals, sea lions and pelicans are here in huge numbers, really close. I could almost have stroked the sea lions at the jetty. They really stink close up! This coastline is part of a huge marine conservation area that stretches from San Francisco almost down to San Luis Obispo where I'm going next.

Escape from Alcatraz

Despite the comment about not sticking to a checklist, which I agree with, there are some trips you just have to do - so yesterday morning I went to Alcatraz and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the rest of the island as well as the actual cell blocks which are suitably grim. There's more to see than you expect, including the gardens originally created by guards and inmates which have been revived.

Later I trekked up to a high point called Coit Tower for views over the city, then steeply down and up again to the famous "crooked street" where the cars have to zig zag down, it's so steep.

Today another San Francisco cliche - I hired a bike and cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge. Over the other side of the bay I visited some woods and the little town of Sausalito where, after all that cycling, I had the biggest ice cream you can imagine, and then caught a ferry back.

San Francisco has joined Vancouver on my list of favourite places - which is great as those are the two places I've had most days visiting!

Apologies that despite my change to the settings, the blog doesn't alert followers when I update it. I've not forgotten about giving people access to more of my photos on line - I've been creating some albums, and just need to work out how to share them. For newer readers of the blog, there's a summary of my planned itinerary in the September entries. And finally thanks to Michael for his helpful correction!

Discovering San Francisco

San Francisco seems to have quite a different character from the other towns I've visited - more relaxed and relaxing. The last two days have been lovely and sunny, and today I got out the sandals and suntan cream for the first time.

Yesterday after a visit to the Mission Dolores - the first ever building in the city - and a wander through the former hippy district of Haight, I spent most of the day in the Golden Gate Park, which is a few miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. It's even bigger than Central Park, and I liked it even more. Highlights included the Japanese Tea Garden and getting involved in a free dance class (I was hopeless - it was Lindy not Salsa).

I walked the full length of the park, ending up at Ocean Beach - not the sort of sheltered harbour I've seen in Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle and inside the bay of San Francisco, but open ocean with big surfing waves rolling in.

Today I've been visiting the Maritime Historic Park, which includes fascinating visits inside historic ships. I spent ages exploring a lovely three-masted cargo ship built in Glasgow, which is preserved as it would have been when it sailed the oceans of the world. I then headed along the sea front and the piers, before catching one of the famous cable cars up to the cable car museum, and back down on a different cable car line. San Francisco isn't the easiest town to walk around because of the incredibly steep streets, so the cable cars are a great way to see the place.

Not so sunny California

"They say it never rains in Southern California", as the song goes. But it did drizzle a bit today, and the clouds remained grey.
My latest hostel is located right in the heart of historic Fort Mason, with views of the Golden Gate from the window by my bed. And it is a bed not a bunk - meaning that the dorm has a lot more space per person.
The train journey down was fun during the day, chatting to fellow passengers - but no matter how far a reclining seat reclines, it's not a bed, so it was a long night. Fortunately I was able to get a nice siesta this afternoon and catch up.
This morning I did what I seem to do everywhere when I first arrive - take a walk along the waterfront. I'm not sure how I'll adjust in Las Vegas - the first city I will hit that isn't on an ocean or a mighty river or a great lake.
I'll update again when I have seen a bit more of the city - and hopefully when I have a sunny photo to include.
I also did a big shop at Safeway today (Safeway is big in the US and Canada) so now I'm going to cook.

Bainbridge Island

I have lots of lists of things to visit and do in the various cities I visit, but a trip to Bainbridge Island wasn't on my Seattle list (in face Seattle was only on the itinerary because it was a convenient point between Vancouver Island and San Fransisco) but I ended up catching the ferry over there yesterday afternoon and having a lovely time. It was a glorious clear sunny day after the rain and there were fabulous views of snow capped mountains in the distance - including Mount Rainier, Seatle's local volcano. Bainbridge Island is very low key; the attendants in the tiny museum (both aged around 90) were thrilled to have an overseas visitor. But the great thing was the well-signposted walking trails along the waterfront, and through woods and delightful residential areas. (Plus a cafe serving real PG Tips)

I also ended up on the same ferry there and back as two French women teaching in Los Angeles who were in the same dorm as me and have given me their contact details to look them up when I hit LA.

Earlier in the day I'd been to the Olympic Sculpture Park (see picture) - great landscaping, but some of the artworks didn't seem to have much in the way of craft or beauty - some were excellent though.

Today the rain returned - but Seattle has the answer - an underground tour. Seattle used to be very prone to flooding, so they raised the streets and pavements up one storey and turned upstairs windows into doors but the old pavements and ground floors are still there and make for an entertaining and very different visit.

Back on the train tomorrow - this time the Amtrak Coast Starlight to San Fransisco. It's a 24 hour journey but I'm told the reclining seats are very comfy so I've not booked a berth! Next time I add to the blog I may have a stiff neck or be very sleepy.

PS - I've not been up the Space Needle in Seattle, though I've taken lots of photos of it - you can see it through the sculpture in the picture here. I decided that the Empire State Building and the CN Tower were enough tall buildings for one continent!

Back in the USA

This latest posting is coming from Seattle - home of Starbucks coffee shops. I saw the original one today.

The rain finally caught up with me on my last day in Victoria, but I still enjoyed visiting the lovely British Columbia government building (see picture) and the maritime museum.

Then I caught the ferry across the straits of Juan de Fuca into the Puget Sound and down to Seattle. In terms of border crossings it's a very pleasant and easy way to enter the USA, but I still had to explain the reason for my visit at both ends of the ferry ride.

It's been raining here too so I decided to have a morning off from sightseeing and did laundry, grocery shopping and other chores instead. My sightseeing this afternoon has been all free: the very entertaining Klondike Gold Rush experience (which counts as a national park not a museum so is free), the Pikes Place Market, and the public library - a very spectacular modern building.

This is another nice hostel, with a comfy, quiet lounge as well as the usual kitchen, dining, computer, games, laundry and library facilities, and really nice shower rooms. Here's a picture of the dormitory so you get an idea of how I'm living these days!

Victoria and around

Despite gloomy forecasts, the rain has held off (almost all the time) so I've been able to enjoy the parks and countryside around Victoria as well as the city itself. Yesterday I had a sunny walk along the Gorge - which is in fact a tidal inlet - part of the same waterway that forms the harbour in Victoria. After a traditional fish and chip lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, I was treated to a horse and carriage ride around some of the sights, as Shannon's part-time job is driving one of the carriages. That was great, as it's the sort of thing I would never normally do.

Today we drove out through some of the lovely suburbs and along the coast to Elk Lake for a walk through the woods - a chance for Shannon's hyper-active little dog Pancho to burn off some of his excess energy. And then a delicious dinner at a seafood restaurant.

Tomorrow I catch the ferry to Seattle and back to the USA!

Vancouver Island

My luck with the weather continues. It turned out bright with sunny spells for my first day in Victoria on Vancouver Island. The journey here yesterday consisted of a bus, a train, a bus, a ferry and another bus to the centre of Victoria where I was met by Shannon, who I'm staying with here, before catching a final bus to her apartment. The ferry trip through the gulf islands was very misty and atmospheric.

Today I've enjoyed the Royal BC Museum with excellent exhibits about First Nations culture as well as history after Europeans arrived, and some really good natural history stuff as well. Then Shannon and I had a walk through the picturesque Beacon Hill Park to the sea shore, and back along the waterfront where there is a delightful colony of houseboats.

The picture shows the government building.

Sad to be leaving Vancouver

Vancouver has been my favourite place so far. The excellent hostel and glorious weather have helped, but I think I'd still have like this city. It's got mountains, forests and beaches and is very photogenic.

Yesterday I went on a day trip organised by the hostel which included some of the iconic buildings of the city, a wonderful woodland walk, a picnic by a beautiful river with clear, emerald green water (photos don't do the colour justice), crossing a canyon over a waterfall on a swaying suspension footbridge, and visiting chinatown and a beautiful chinese garden. There was so much included, I've probably forgotten some of it.

Today I went over to Granville Island on possibly the smallest passenger ferry in existence - it look like something a child would play with in the bath - where I visited the market and some more peaceful beaches. Then I spent all afternoon at the aquarium which houses everything from tropical tree frogs to beluga whales. I saw the seals and sea lions being fed and the dolphins doing their acrobatic display but I think my favourite animal was the sea otter which lies on its back in the water apparently fast asleep with its paws tucked under its chin.

It's impossible to choose which pictures to include here. I'm planning to upload a much bigger selection of photos than I can fit here onto a photo sharing site and put links here, so watch this space. At least today I've managed to find one of me where I'm not wearing the same green fleece as in all the others.

Walking in Vancouver

Two great walks these last two days. Round the delightful Stanley Park yesterday, where you follow the sea wall for around five miles round a wooded peninsular, stopping to look at lighthouses, bridges, statues and totem poles en route. And today a two hour slog up Grouse Mountain. This is known as the Grouse Grind and is very steep, mainly steps. The champions do it in about 25 minutes - but that's running and would be madness. The route down is via cable car. For today's expedition I teamed up with a fellow traveller from Altrincham who happens to be going round the world in the same direction as me and who I have seen in New York and Toronto as well as here - small world.

I have been investigating the workings of this blog and have changed two settings. One should mean that people who are followers get an alert when I add something new. Please let me know if it works. The other should mean that people with the right sort of email account (and presumably that includes all the followers) can post comments - but you may have to work out how to do this yourselves as I haven't sussed that bit out yet. If anyone works it out, let me know how it works so I can tell others.

Finally, a picture to make you smile.

Sunny Vancouver!

I had been expecting rain in Vancouver but it has welcomed me today with sunshine and blue skies. It's a beautiful city. I walked along the shore, this morning and realised that - of course - it's the Pacific Ocean that was lapping at my feet.

If the weather stays like this I'll be doing plenty of walking, both in Stanley Park which is a massive urban oasis on the waterfront, and on nearby hills. But there's also lots to do if the sunshine doesn't last.

The picture shows an Inukshuck - a traditional landmark and welcoming sign.

The final day on the train was the most exciting in terms of scenery. Day one was forests and lakes, day two was farmland, day three was mountains. We hit the Rockies mid morning, and had a break at the ski resort of Jasper. To give an idea of the luxury I've been enjoying for the last few days - this is the dinng car.

On the Train

I'm not actually on the train as I type this. I'm in the station at Winnipeg where we have a four hour break. You can't get on the internet on the train.

Travelling by sleeper train is brilliant. The roomette is tiny - about four feet by six - but has everything you need apart from a shower, which is along the corridor. When the bed folds down that pretty well fills the space, but when it's up there's a seat, a washbasin and even a loo, hidden under a cover so it doesn't look too much like a loo, and lots of cubby holes and switches for lights, fans, etc.

But you spend most of the time in the seating and viewing cars or the dining car. It's like being on a cruise. Three lovely meals a day, and continuous tea, coffee, cakes and fruit. Everyone makes friends and chats. Even at the station waiting to board you are in a private lounge with free hot drinks - like flying first class.

Yesterday we spent the whole day going past trees and lakes. I'm told that today we will start to see farmland, and then mountains the final day. It's hard to get your head round how much empty space there is in Canada!

By the way - my final day in Toronto I went up the CN tower and exlpored some different corners of the city, but ended up once again on the same artficial beach as on the first day.

I've not been keeping track of news and current events much, but like everyone else in the world I've kept up with the story of the Chilean mine rescue. How great to have a happy ending to a news story!

Niagara Falls

Had a great day trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls today, including going on the Maid of the Mist boat right up close to the foot of the falls, where you get soaked. My feet have only just dried out. It's definitely one of the 1001 things to do before you die.

Yesterday was a glorious sunny day in Toronto - they're having unusually warm weather - apparently this time last year it was freezing. I discovered the artificial beach they've made down by the docks, and sunbathed! In the morning I saw an exhibition featuring some of the chinese Terracotta army who are visiting the Royal Ontario Museum. So that's another of those 1001 things ticked off, saving me a trip to China.

It was Canadian Thanksgiving Day today - a public holiday. Yesterday the hostel laid on a special Thanksgiving Dinner - turkey and all the trimmings, including stuffing, cornbreads and sweet potato mash, followed by pumpkin pie. Today I was going to cook for myself but the shops were shut when we got back from the trip so I had the hostel dinner again - basically leftovers from yesterday - so it's been a bit like Boxing Day.

Tomorrow I start my great railway journey across Canada. Four nights and three days on a train watching the landscape go by. I might finally get round to doing some work on that novel I'm supposed to be writing!

Autumn colours

Today I had my first taste of the endless expanse of the Canadian landscape as I travelled by bus from Montreal to Toronto via Ottawa (about seven and a half hours). On the way up through the northern United States from New York I was hoping to see the the famous autumn colour, but it was subdued under grey skies and rain. Today in Canada I've had a brilliant display of colourful foliage. Under clear blue skies the trees just glowed in the sunshine. All the shades of red, orange, yellow and gold contrasting with some silver-grey trees that have already lost their leaves, some pale green that have yet to turn, and some dark green evergreens.

I am in a hotel room tonight with a king-sized bed and my own bath! Back to roughing it tomorrow as I shift over to the Toronto Hostel for a couple of nights, so I'll make the most of the facilities here!

I enjoyed my second full day in Montreal, joining a walk organised by the hostel up the Mont Royal including going for a taste of the local speciality - poutine - which is based on chips and gravy, but with all sorts of delicious things piled on top!

Montreal

I had my first border crossing yesterday so I'm reporting from the second country of my tour. Montreal didn't seem very welcoming at first - pouring with rain and the walk from the station to the hostel could have been through any modern city centre. But today it's redeemed itself. The sun shone at least part of the time and I've explored the old town, the waterfront and chinatown, and crossed to the Ile Ste Helene to see the biosphere which is a fabulous building full of exhibitions and activities to do with the environment. A lot of it is aimed at children, but there were very few people around so I played on the water activities, etc. The guide who showed me round the eco-home was so keen to have at least one person at her interactive talk on pollination that she made me a free cup of tea!

The Chateau Ramezay museum which was very highly recommended is closed for restoration unfortunately, but its garden was open, and there I enjoyed an exhibition of pumpkins, gourds, courgettes and squashes, which was much more interesting than you are thinking.

I'd not decided if I was moving on to Toronto on Saturday or Sunday so I'd not booked either place for Saturday night and intended to decide when I got here. What I didn't know is that this is a big holiday weekend in Canada and both hostels are now fully booked. So I may have to treat myself to a night in a hotel - thought presumably they will be pretty busy too!

New York, New York

Went on a tour of Brooklyn yesterday organised by the Hostel, finishing with a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. After the official tour finished we also went to the World Trade Centre site and the Wall Street area. It was nice to be with a group of people, but reminded me of the difficulty of several people all agreeing what to do next! Our party consisted of a Mexican, a German, a Turkish girl, a Scot, and Chinese lad, a Canadian and me.

Today I went on the Staten Island Ferry to get the views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I spent a little time over on Staten Island - it seems most people just turn round and come back on the next boat, but I found a nice second hand bookshop and cafe.

Then it was uptown again to see the Cathedral of St John the Divine and the neighbouring Peace Park. In the Cathedral there was an amazing artwork which I would have missed if another guest here hadn't mentioned it to me. It's impossible to describe, other than to say it was a virtual meal on a table at which passers-by could sit. Ask me about it sometime.

Finally today I went for a cycle ride in Central Park - see picture!

Enjoying New York

Sorry to leave several people in suspense for a few days after my last post. Only just managed to get connected to the hostel's wireless connection. The later flight turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I got a window seat instead of being stuck in the middle, and there was an empty seat next to me.

New York is living up to expectations, and I'm exhausted trying to fit everything in at the same time as adjusting to the time difference. Today has included Grand Central Station, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Museum of Natural History for an exhibition about Scott and Amundsen's race to the South Pole, Penn Station to book my ticket to Montreal (I'm advised there'll be a rail replacement bus service for half the journey -seriously!) and the Empire State building at sunset (well just after sunset, after all the queues, but there was still a red glow in the sky). Spectacular!

Yesterday I walked about 10 miles down Broadway and up 5th Avenue, taking in Columbus Circle, Time Square, etc, and finishing up with a stroll thought Central Park. Tomorrow I'm going on a tour of Brooklyn organised by the hostel. The weather was glorious - great for photos, but I'm showing the only one that has me on it, taken in Times Square.