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Big Trip 2017
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Aug – Sep 2017

Big Trip 2017

A 32-day adventure by DooWhitt tours Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 5, 2017
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    Day 1 & 2 Manchester/Dubai/Singapore

    August 5, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Picked up in posh Merc limo at 11ish. Fast track through security and into Emirates Lounge. Had couple of beers watching planes then smoked salmon blini, chicken & avocado salad, chicken curry and salmon & ratatouille. Andy had beetroot salad with humus and tabbouleh, chicken curry, veg curry, rice, noodles spinach & ricotta cannelloni followed by cheesecake. All delicious. Lounge very pleasant but I couldn't get into wifi.

    Boarded 1.30 ish. Glass of fizz as we settled down.

    Took off 2.50 so almost an hour late but flight time shorter than planned and we have to wait at Dubai so no problem. Ordered beer & g & t (didn't come till chased) and chicken/mango confit & prawn makhanwala. Glass of Sancerre - lovely. Massive choice of movies/shows/music.

    Went to bar mid flight. Great to people watch. Many in stocking feet. Some of cabin crew had nice chat with us. Brought ice cream. Ran out of tonic for gin which was pretty rubbish - bet they had supplies downstairs!

    Landed in Dubai and found lounge. Had one beer and more food. Fish & chicken curries. Really nice. Boring wait for couple of hours then boring wait on plane. Took off an hour late but landed on time.

    Had fizz & glass of wine & laksa. Didn't like it but too tired and full to care.

    Had couple of hours sleep on very comfy lie down bed then the brought scrambled egg & sort of bacon. Yuk but fruit and yoghurt nice. Offered champagne but didn't have it.

    Time passed fairly quickly. Landed 4ish Singapore time, 9am UK time.

    Got through immigration etc fine and bags already on carousel. Emirates rep waiting to send us to gate for limo to hotel. Lovely driver showed us some sights on drive in. He said it's very hot at the moment 32 degrees but showers expected. Checked into hotel fine and they brought glass of refreshing lemonade.

    Room smallish with v little storage but modern and bright with fridge & nice bathroom. Free phone for use here - all calls & internet. Lovely idea. Sorted bags (a bit), set up wifi.

    Out 6pm ish. 24 hours since we left home. 3 hours sleep but feel ok.

    Wandered to Clarke Quay. First beer in Izakaya overlooking Singapore River. Friendly. $18 (£10 for 4 medium beers). Then wander. Pint in Harry's Bar at Boat Quay watching Arsenal beat Chelsea in Community Shield. Tired but wanted easy tea so went to Brewerkz Clarke Quay. Beer, burger & pizza $90 £60 ish. Expensive and not adventurous but very nice. Wandered home. Bed 10pm.    Read more

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    Day 3

    August 7, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Up 7.30 after pretty good sleep. Feel fine. Tea in room and bit more bag sorting. Got Hop on hop off bus (€78 for 2) from near hotel (after a false start where the guy gave us cable car tickets by mistake!). Sat on top deck and put new rain jackets on during the showers. Hot but ok.

    Little India & Chinatown look interesting so we'll go back there tomorrow. Went to Raffles but having refit so Long Bar closed. Didn't bother with Singapore Sling - just had a wander round.

    Went to famous Hawker place Lau Pa Sat for lunch. Loads of stalls selling all kinds of Asian food. Avoided the one advertising pig's innards and went for Laksa, beef & flat noodles and prawn and noodles. Total €15 (about £10) and all really nice.

    Wandered back through Clarke and Boat Quay then up the hill to Fort Canning. Original governer's residence here where Raffles set up experimental garden with 'economically useful' plants. Quite interesting but not much to see as old buildings long gone.

    Back to hotel 4.30ish. Sat by pool for a while then back to room 5ish for cup of tea. Tired legs now.

    Showered, changed & out 7ish to Robertson Quay. Rather more up market but a bit too fancy for us. Nothing to watch like other Quays. Had expensive beer €16.50 for 2 medium beers then wandered back to Boat Quay stopping at expensive sports bar Boomarang on the way $29.40 for 2 pints approx £9 pint. Boat trips more expensive because laser show on so decided against tonight. Went to Lanna Thai restaurant on front. Had Vermicelli & rice. Both with seafood (rice with smoked fish) & both nice. 2 jugs beer. Total €82.70.

    Home 11ish.    Read more

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    Day 4

    August 8, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Long time wide awake during the night so not up till 8.30. Cloudy sky - very warm but no intense sun.
    Andy went for run when he finally found all his kit, running watch etc from the cases.
    Came back 10ish - very hot!
    Shower and out to Chinatown. Camera has no battery!! So annoying when we have so much backup but none with us. Used hotel phone for pics but couldn't transfer them so no good 🙁. Had brunch in Maxwell centre. Carrot cake (steamed turnip omelette). Only $3 and surprisingly nice. Andy had breakfast fry up from 'Lads & dads'. $12. I had orange & papaya smoothie $2.

    Rain lashing outside ☔️ . Another busy place going through modernisation like many other places here.

    Went to Tooth Relic Temple - very ornate with lonely looking sacred turtle. Lit free incense sticks - wrong end much to Andy's amusement

    Wandered round streets - bought fridge magnet $2. These are the first tat shops we've seen!

    Then over to the Marina Sands Hotel 'The Boat' - immense place then the Gardens by the Bay where the new 'Trees' are. Access via massive ultra modern shopping mall with row boats up and down inside. Huge area of green and lake. Lovely but busy and hot. Had water & icecream then home 4ish. Very long walky day. Shower then out to local restaurant Rosso for HH beer $14.50 for 2 so we had another. Slight panic when no wallet but fortunately it was back in the room so all fine.

    Bus to Night Safari 6pm. (cost £55 each) A bit chaotic picking up around town so took over an hour to get there. Buffet before Safari was fantastic! Many different Asian and Indian dishes. I hadn't had much to eat so made the most of it. It was all delicious. Fresh fruit and icecream to finish.

    Night tram 8.30. Rain & thunder started and it lashed the whole time we were there. Saw lots of animals but to us, it appeared staged. Took pics but none came out. Will write off today's photo efforts!

    Optional additional walk tour taken up by a few people but it was pouring so we didn't go. Had frighteningly expensive beer to kill half hour wait. $27 for 2 halves - approx £15. Rain pouring off roofs and literally thousands of people trying to keep under shelter.

    Back to bus 10pm. Everyone looking weary and guide disheveled and wet after walk in jungle. Fairly quick drive home then beer in Amber Nectar €14 inc tax. And we think that price was reasonable!!

    Home 11.30.    Read more

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    Day 5

    August 9, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Hotel phone rang 6.40am. Very annoying as we were both fast asleep. Tea and sort out bags. Confirmed transfer for Sydney with help from concierge then out for stroll. 2 beautiful temples very close. One in use for prayer, no one in the other one Hong San See so had wander round. Very peaceful.

    A bit peckish so called at 7/11 and had chicken katsu sandwich and 2 spicy/honey chicken dumplings. €6.20 and yummy. Sat on bench by river to eat them. Back to hotel 11ish for shower and final pack.

    Sunny this morning and place has a different feel.

    Out to Little India. Decided on taxi rather than trek. Well worth it! Had wander round streets and saw more temples. Walked back into town and had lunch at Lau Pa Sat again. Very quiet as today is Bank Holiday. Andy had black carrot cake - same as before but soy sauce added and char Sui fried rice. I had fish balls and minced pork with noodles. Total $11 ish.

    Had a sit by river but very hot in sun so went in Museum of Asian Culture. $8 each. Quite interesting but more on Singapore itself would have been much better.

    Happy Hour @ Boat Quay. 2 jugs & 1 coke $39. Turtles and fish in the water. Today is National Day so big show at stadium. Watched helicopters and F1 11s on display. Had last drink at Amber Nectar. Watched show on TV - great show of national pride.

    Back to hotel for quick change. Ordered taxi & specified we only had $30 left. No problem - expected fare $25ish.

    Airport a bit chaotic with ongoing work. Went through with NO security check other than passports. They did do check at gate but certainly not thorough. Very surprised.

    Up to lounge. Had couple beers. Beef curry, laksa, Andy had soup, salad & curry. All quite nice but not spectacular. Lounge v quiet

    Singapore locals dress very smartly, especially the ladies. Very few overweight people and even less tattoos!

    Overall observation - liked the city once we'd settled down but it isn't as classy as we expected and the city didn't have a 'happy' vibe. Drivers impatient and don't let pedestrians cross, restaurant staff friendly but locals stony faced (like any other major city, I suppose - just going about their daily business with tourists in the way!) A bit irritating that restaurant staff pester tourists to go into their restaurants.

    We were told that to control traffic, new cars can only be registered when older ones are deregistered and that it costs about €50,000 to get a car on the road. Assume thats true but the roads were very busy day and night as far as we could see!

    Flight to Sydney 23:55    Read more

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    Day 6

    August 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Didn't think much of Qantas. Had fish something with very hot sauce & glass wine. Andy had beef. Not great. Bed seats so low they're almost on floor - bit like a coffin. Only 1 loo for business class and always occupied with people changing in and out of Qantas jimjams. Had about 3 hours sleep then fruit & yogurt for breakfast. Quite nice. Flight approx 7 hours. Landed 10ish in Sydney. Sailed through passport, bag pickup & immigration. Can't believe how easy it was. Straight to waiting limo. Very friendly and chatty driver. Fortunately we could check in early. Nice suite with lounge & fridge etc. They brought bottle of wine for big birthday. Loads of room so unpacked everything then off to collect race numbers for City To Surf on Sunday.

    Lovely weather - approx 20. Pleasant after the sweaty heat in Singapore.

    Walked to Darling Harbour. Bit like Bristol with some old tall ships. Couldn't get numbers till 3pm so had leisurely lunch 1ish in harbour. Andy has burger and I had barramundi & chips & a pint. All very nice. Horrified at the number, size and cheek of the seagulls. Guy near us took photos of them taking food from his plate. Made me shudder. Waiters spray them with water but they come straight back.
    Took an hour to get the numbers - poor organisation for such a huge event.

    Home 5ish for shower then out to meet Giovanni from FB running.

    Got taxi to restaurant and arrived just about on time. Giovanni recognised Andy straight away. Sat on terrace looking out at boats in the harbour. Owner came for a chat then another 2 from running FB joined us and G's wife Mel a bit later. Nice chat about running, life, travel, families. Had calamares & pizza & wine. G paid whole bill because we were his guests. Very kind and very pleasant evening. Got along with everyone well even though we'd never met before. Susie (runner) & husband Anthony (definitely not runner) run hotels just outside NY - his family business.
    Taxi home 10.30. V tired.

    First impressions - lovely waterside bits but roads in the city very, very busy.    Read more

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    Day 7

    August 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Good long sleep very much needed! Didn't surface till after 9.30am.
    Message from G about meeting for lunch at 11am so we asked if we could join them. Arranged to meet at George Hotel but nobody there when we arrived. Eventually got message to say they were on the next street but coming back to George. Met another new Oz couple, Karen & Mark. They work in event organisation so she is on duty at midnight Saturday night for 12 hours. Also Susie & Anthony from last night. Had veg burger & meat pie with mash & mushy peas. All amused at the small spoonful of peas. They call them mashed peas and fascinated by what goes into pies! Fun conversation about tattoos, travel, ear piercing, boxing, football etc. Anthony insisted on paying and wouldn't accept 2nd drink with us. Not our way but he would have been insulted otherwise.

    Left them 1ish and headed for Manly ferry. Very easy €35 ish return on fast ferry. Great views of bridge & opera house. Had lovely couple hours up and down prom in Manly. Lots of surfing. Reminded us of Abersoch but even more money! No chalets or caravans!

    Ferry back 5ish and hoped to see Water Light at dusk but we missed it or were in wrong place! Saw wonderful sunset over bridge. Gave up on light show 6ish and headed off for beer. Didn't find any till back at our local Porterhouse. Had couple Superdry beers $7 pint then tower = personal tap for $20. Had sausage & mash and steak & chips. $9ish each. Both ok.
    Home and watched tv with glass of birthday wine.

    Bed 11.15ish. Lovely day. Happy vibe in city.    Read more

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    Day 8

    August 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Good sleep again. Up 9ish. Out for walking tour 10am. Eastern European girl took the tour. She was very good. Took us all over the city and told us lots of interesting snippets. Rocks area very busy with chocolate festival. Not sunny this morning so much cooler. Our hoodies would have been ideal.

    Finished tour just before 1pm and went back to ICC to drop bags for tomorrow. Easy enough. Then lunch in Darling Harbour. Fish & chips & bacon & cheeseburger & chip pizza. That's a new one on us but it was very nice! One beer each $58 (£35ish). Watched people milling about. Darling Harbour is very nice but there isn't much to look at. No boats!

    Walked back home via Romeo's 'everything' shop. Bought milk & flapjacks for tomorrow. Asked on reception for needle & thread to sew up rucksack. Also extra pin for run number.

    Did first batch of washing & drying $8.50.

    Supposedly easy day today but didn't work out that way of course!

    Out 6.30. Tried another bar close by but didn't like it. Went back to Porterhouse. Had 2 jugs $20 each for 1.7l. Cheap! Had BLT & club sandwich - $29. Too many chips!! Home 9ish. Glass wine and watched AFL.

    Bed 10ish.    Read more

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    Day 9

    August 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    City to Surf Day.

    Up 6am and out 7ish. Thousands of people milling about in Hyde Park. Cambridge Hotel hotel is perfect location for the start.

    Andy went at 8.05 and I went at 8.30. Not a cloud in the sky but chilly in the early morning winter sun.

    First half not scenic but second half had lovely views of the harbour and Bondi Beach. Andy did 1.35 and I did 2.05 for 14k. A lot of walking!

    Got bus back to Bondi junction then 333 bus home. All very easy. Back home midday ish.

    Showered and out for breakfast at 1ish. Had jug of beer (tap) and chatted with crowd from Melbourne. Seemed really nice. Both had burger then off to town. Went round beautiful botanical gardens - enormous green space. Sat outside Opera House watching boats then went looking for beer. Not so easy. Cafes along Circular Quay were very busy on sunny Sunday afternoon so we didn't like them at all. Had a look in a couple of tourist shops - fridge magnets $10 which says it all. Couldn't find any pubs so went to Paragon Hotel for beer then went searching again. No pubs so went to George where we went the other day. Nice quiet beer then went to look for light show from park. People walking away so maybe we missed it again...... Didn't go any further. We've walked/run 26km today so legs have had enough and I need to pee every 5 minutes!!!

    Back to Porterhouse. Had 'jug' and shared sandwich & chips. Really nice pub.

    Back to Cambridge 8ish with bottle of wine. Very tired.

    Bed 10ish    Read more

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    Day 10

    August 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Up 8ish.

    Tea and decide what to do today. Another beautiful day. Smokey outside - were told it's 'backburning' because it has been such a dry winter.

    Headed to Rocks. Had sausage roll & ham quiche for breakfast - $16.5. Very expensive but nice.

    Walked over bridge and admired the views. On other side, walked through funfair Luna Park then round beautiful houses and back down to ferry back to Circular Quay. Lovely harbour cruise in the sunshine.

    Back to Rocks for beer in oldest pubs in town. Fortune of War, Australian Hotel, Hero of Waterloo, Lord Nelson.

    Went in Rocks museum. Really interesting short videos on history.

    Back to town 6ish to try to see light show again!!!!

    Finally saw 7pm show. Was good but not sure worth all the time we have spent waiting over 3 evenings!

    Back to Porterhouse for beer, steak and sandwich with chips. Had planned more varied dinner but couldn't be bothered by this stage!

    Home for glass of wine. Bed 10.30.

    Another beautiful day.    Read more

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    Day 11

    August 15, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Up 7.30 to do washing and start packing.

    Can't believe it's raining today! Not what we planned.

    Booked airport bus for tomorrow and confirmed pick up in LA.

    All sorted by 11ish.

    Out to museum Hyde Park Barracks. Very interesting 3 floors of life since 1800 ish. Convicts slept here and worked during the day and later the building became immigration centre and home for desperate women. Clever people made a lot of money. Rocks became home for immigrants escaping desperate conditions in UK. Great opportunities but lots of vagabonds to deal with! Conditions dire but often better than at home.
    Out to courtyard and inviting cafe. Rain stopped so sat outside and had brisket & chicken pie and tea/coffee €32. Really enjoyed all of it.

    Left 1.30ish. Bus to Bondi Beach came quickly. Walked to Coogee beach via Bronte beach. All lovely but no nicer than other walks along cliffs. Saw lots of colourful birds and a kookaburra. Quite challenging with lots of steps up and down. Probably good day to do this walk because weather not great. Can imagine very busy on sunny day.

    Bus back from Coogee. Very easy. Finished packing then quick jug in Porterhouse 6.15. Meal at Pasta Emilia - very close and we needed something other than chips! Had Peroni then pâté & antipasto then mixed rolled meat (pork, lamb beef with roasted veg) and sausagemeat & pasta. Bottle wine should have been $45 but they didn't charge us for it. Bill was $141 (£85ish). inc tip but no wine! Lovely music - lady playing Spanish guitar and double bass.

    Bought $10 bottle with wine so home 9pm.

    Love this city. Nice people and fortunately fantastic winter weather. Would definitely come back to Sydney and the Cambridge Hotel.    Read more

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    Day 12

    August 16, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Up 5am for final packing. Sydney has been great and we were so lucky with the weather.

    Bus to airport 6ish. No problem with check in and security so now very early. Had fruit & buns & pancakes for breakfast.

    Took off 10.30amish. Had g & t & few glasses of wine. Andy had dahl & brisket sandwich and I had slivers of trout & pork fillet & rice. Lovely. Tried to sleep but no chance because it's still daytime for us. Flight was about 12 hours and we landed 6.30am which was 1.30am tomorrow for us. Weird to go back in time like that. We landed 4 hours before we took off!

    Bungled our way through immigration and customs. Took about an hour which was pretty good. Limo waiting and that took another hour to reach hotel in rush hour. Couldn't believe how incredibly grotty the drive was. Very grubby and run down. Loews Hotel lovely though and we could check in which was great. Room with a view of the Hollywood sign without paying extra!

    Had strong coffee then out for walk along the Walk of Fame. Again, grubby and sleazy. Streets were dirty. Went to look for car hire office via back street. Felt dangerous - settees out on street, dodgy looking people around. Gave up and came back to hotel.

    Went in restaurant and had omelette and bacon & egg. $50 inc tip.

    Asked hotel to ring car hire place to ask them to pick us up tomorrow. All fine.

    Sat by pool for a rest. Still only 12.15! Not comfortable enough to sleep so went across road to 'Tinhorn Flats' pub. Proper diner inside. Had local lager $9 for 2 so had another.

    Back to hotel for 1 hour sleep - necessary!!

    Out again 4ish for walk the other way. Very busy with fascinated people taking photos of the names in stars on the floor.

    Had beers in Jameson Irish bar $9 for 2 so we had another! Watched life on the street. All of life is here - hippies, dropouts, vagrants, misfits but feels Ok tonight. Not aggressive or confrontational at all. Quite high security presence moving the vagrants on but they didn't go far.

    Went to Italian cafe for tea. Lasagna & carbonara & bottle Bud $30. Barman very much into English football so we had to sound knowledgeable and join in.

    Back to 'Flats' for last beer, quick look at street lighting up then home 8.30. Looks a bit more glitzy with the neon lights.

    Lots of beautiful houses up on the hills but the town of Hollywood is really grotty. Glad we've seen it but would't come back.

    Glass wine then bed.    Read more

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    Day 13

    August 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Woke up 7.30. Good sleep so feel fine.

    Tea & pack then out for early walk. Sunny morning and streets being jet washed.

    Busy but manageable. Saw stars foot & handprints outside Chinese theatre.

    Got blueberry muffin from 7/11 then back for final pack.

    Checked out 9.50 and waited for car hire man. Didn't come so concierge chased. Said he's been and gone. Eventually came and drove us to office.

    Set off in car 11ish and followed signs and sat nav. Traffic not too bad once outside city. Got to Fallbrook 1ish then but of a merry go round to find house. Arrived just as Paul pulling up.

    Had beer & chat & chicken & Vietnamese salad sandwich. V nice.

    Out to look at their latest project house. Huge long house they are totally renovating.

    Back to house and sat outside with beer watching sun go down. Whole place is beautifully finished.

    Had cold meat & cheese followed by huge steak & baked potato. Far too much. Then sort of bread & butter pudding. Lovely.

    Couple of glasses of wine sitting outside by fabulous gas fire pit/table then bed 11.00.    Read more

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    Day 14

    August 18, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Up 8.30 after pretty good sleep once I'd settled. Had tea/fruit/weetabix - all left for us by V. P & V gone to do some work. Wandered around the estate and took pics. Paul then back so we returned car. All seems fine but girl mentioned mark on bumper. She said we're not liable because we had full cover but we certainly didn't do it.

    Paul told us about fires 10 years ago - area had to be evacuated. Has been drought in recent years but much rain last winter so has eased.

    Sat watching humming birds, beautifully coloured butterflies, turtles, coi, avocados, pomegranates, tomatoes - very fertile land.

    Had tuna sandwich Virginia style (delicious) then out 2ish.

    45 min drive to Dana harbour where boat is. Had tea/coffee in harbour cafe then to boat. 41ft cruiser 7.41 twin engine with bedroom/cooker/tv. Took over an hour to get it ready - clean off bird poo etc then 45 min spin in Pacific Ocean then over an hour to wash it down again afterwards Lovely place, lots of seals & seabirds. Huge harbour and beautiful seaside homes. Serious money here!

    Left about 7pm - tea in nearby seaside restaurant Had fish & chips & club sandwich & 2 beers. Quite nice P & V beat us to the bill.

    Home 10ish. Cake & 2 glasses wine. Told them our big news on strict instructions not to it it anywhere near FB!

    Bed 11.30    Read more

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    Day 15

    August 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Up 8.30. Another pretty good sleep.

    Tea and fruit for breakfast. Sorted bags, played with dogs and watched garden life. Really beautiful but there is nothing to do here. Everything is so far away! Their house really is fabulous but there is awful lot of their money tied up in it. They both seem to be doing well with their businesses and market conditions and the economy pretty buoyant.

    Had turkey, cheese, avocado, tomato sandwich (V does make some very very nice sandwiches!) then hung around a bit more.

    Left Fallbrook 3ish then hour or so drive to Sam Diego. Parked easily at hotel. Unpacked whilst Andy & V checked in for race and went for coffee.

    Well earned couple of beers 5.30 - local 'craft' beer all $8.

    Had expensive 'pasta party' in hotel. $30 each. Lovely soup then salads, 4 different sorts of pasta (very little meat or fish in any of them) but tasted ok. One beer each.

    Fruit salad with chilli flakes for pudding. New one on me but V says not unusual in this part of the world near Mexico.

    Took some cakes for breakfast.

    Not impressed with hotel. It looks lovely but have to pay $12 per day for wifi, concierge didn't seem to know there is a shop on site when Andy asked about milk and cereal bar for pre race breakfast. Fortunately V been here before so she knew about little shop. Place seems disorganised. Aircon doesn't seem to work and there is a $25 cleaning charge if you store own stuff in fridge. Bought tiny bottle milk & 2 flapjacky things in hotel shop = $12. Ouch.

    Stroll after meal then back to room 9ish. Full of pasta!

    A bit disappointed that have hardly seen anything of town but P & V don't seem to rate it. On the positive side, our legs have had a good rest!    Read more

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    Day 16

    August 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Up 4am. Andy out 5am for San Diego 'Finest City' half marathon. V and friends also doing it.

    I met Paul 6.30 and we walked to finish - took about an hour.

    Cloudy but warm.

    V finished just over 2 hours and Andy PW.

    Walked back to hotel - seemed to take forever! Sunny and warm now.

    Hour to regroup then met 11.30. Had a beer & chicken sandwich/burger then out to Coronado island. Very gentile seaside town. Coronado hotel right beside the sea built 1878 - very grand and atmospheric.
    Had icecream/coffee and sat around for a while.

    Drove back across fabulous Coronado bridge - 2 miles long.

    Back for rest and pack 3.30.

    Met 5.30 - P & V took us to La Jolla. Very pleasant seaside town. Dinner at George's. Had calamares/octopus and tacos/grilled chicken. All quite nice but not spectacular. Service v quick. Waiter 'Hope you're having a good day. How can I make it better'. Yuk. V had glass wine and got chopsy - teasing waiters.

    Then walk down to ocean. Hundreds of sea lions playing in the sea and on the beach.

    Back to hotel and couple drinks in the bar. V had another glass of wine and gave us her political views!

    Bed 10.30.    Read more

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    Day 17

    August 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Woke up 7ish. Good sleep again. Tea and final pack.

    Checked out 8.15am - we paid for P & V. Total cost about $900. A lot of money but they were so hospitable with us and saved us lots of $.

    Airport 9ish. Higher security than expected - gave Andy thorough check. Sniffer dog in queue.

    Flight 11ish.

    Flight to Vegas only an hour. Airport very near strip. Checked in fine and went to room. The hotel is enormous.....went through casino - garish carpets and bright lights. On 11th floor of famous Luxor pyramid. Room pretty big but a bit tired. No kettle or fridge!! Bad news for me! It's cheap and the lack of facilities explains why.

    Unpacked then out to strip. Hot but not unbearable. Looked for Bank because ATM in hotel charges $8 to withdraw cash. Didn't find so went for beer in Fatbar. Had bacon/sausage/egg butty and a beer. Very nice and quite cheap.

    Bought mini immersion heater for $16 and milk for €3.75 - much cheaper than buying coffee from Starbucks or similar!

    Went into Tropicana for beer - similar garish carpet.

    Then walked/monorail to famous Las Vegas sign. Queues for photos then Elvis arrived with music pack on his belt. Amusing.

    Home for tea and bit of hand washing 5.30pm.

    As expected, will take a while to adjust to this town!

    Out 7.30ish. Dusk and getting very busy. Went to German bar - quite nice then walked to Belaggio to watch the fountains. A bit disappointed really - they didn't do much and we've seen better. Think we must have missed something or they weren't working properly. Tried Double Barrel bar - closed for private function. Tried Beer Garden - closed for private function. Walked miles again and aimed for steak bar we'd seen this afternoon. On 4th floor and no menu visible so didn't bother. Went back to Irish bar in New York - bought beer and tried to sit away from music but they said diners only. We said we might be dining but they weren't interested so we drank beer and left. Went for pizza slices in New York cafe - about $25 and very nice.

    Bought bottle of wine for $30 and back to room 11ish. Tired legs!    Read more

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    Day 18

    August 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Hard to settle in yet another bed. Chilly in the night so pulled covers back on.

    Up 9ish. Window cleaner with a head for heights outside - abseiling down the pyramid!

    Out looking for lions - mmmm. Old guide book so didn't realise lions long gone! Already tired legs so fed up.

    Went to check on tix for Rod Stewart - min $112 on desk so went to box office. Lowest price $65 in the gods for 1.5 hour show. Decided against.

    Went to fat burger 12ish. Asked for bacon/sausage butty but they said breakfast finished at 11. They served us yesterday! Had burger & beer watching strip. Lot of people earning living from dressing as show girls or superheroes. Quite sad really.

    Went to Mirage to see dolphins. $22 each to get in but quiet inside. Had beer - very large!! Not much going on with dolphins but also area got lions, tigers, leopards, cheetah. Quite entertaining.

    Then to big wheel (high roller) via Venetian. Quite liked this place - Rialto Bridge, St Marks Sq, Bridge of Sighs & gondolas.

    Wheel $25 for 30 mins. Quite good but can't possibly be high enough to see well.

    Then to bar for happy hour beers near wheel. $5. Watched people again.

    Then to Beerhaus outside New York for Party in Park.
    Beer $5 and fabulous live band. Had ribs/chicken cob salad and few beers. Chatted to couple going to show. They'd started on Margaritas at 2pm. She was smashed and he was not feeling good!

    Enjoyed the music. Got monorail home 10.30. Long day !    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 19

    August 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Up 7am. Picked up 8.15 for Grand Canyon trip. 6 + pilot per helicopter. Used birthday vouchers from Anne, Peter and Chris to pay for part of trip - special birthday outing.

    40 mins flight across Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. Spectacular landscape and enormous, beautiful lake. Pilot Jake told us about points of interest. Landed in the bottom of the canyon and had fizz and cake (champagne picnic - mmmm). Amusing that picnic benches set up in the canyon and cheeky squirrels and chipmunks come looking for crumbs. 30 min stop then back via refuelling station plonked in the desert. Absolutely amazing trip - really enjoyed it. Bit nervous about first trip in helicopter but we were fine and flight very smooth.

    Back to hotel for tea and regroup then out again 1ish.

    Bought 24 hour Deuce bus tix $8 each - need to save our legs a bit! Went to CIrcus Circus. More old fashioned style casino with proper slot machines and coin pushers. Andy pushed a few coins over and won a pile of tickets. Worth 132 points - enough for a little toy for Nell and some sweets. Biggest win we had!

    Watched a balancing act then had a beer.

    Started to rain so rushed to Wynn for buffet lunch. Huge array of food and new dishes kept appearing. Had several plates and had good value from the 'endless pour'. Very drunk and since discovered my Ballast Point beer is 7 percent! Andy stayed on Stella at 4.8.

    Got Deuce back and went in casino. Andy went to watch a couple of games of craps and I dozed off at the bar. Security lady came to check on me - shows that they are watching all the time.

    Asleep by 9.30.    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 20

    August 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Up 8ish. Tea & biscuits from buffet yesterday.

    Out on Deuce to Fremont Experience - the original Las Vegas. Bus very busy and took ages. Fremont is a dump. Might look better at night when the lights are twinkling but it's decidedly grotty in the day time. Lot of dodgy looking people around.
    Had brunch in Hennessys pub - club sandwich and omelette. Coffee and hottish water & teabag with free refill. €35.

    Back on bus - home at 1pm. Not impressed. We had intended to go last night but the endless pour had other ideas!

    Regroup, checked in for tomorrow, shower and out.

    Got cash, booked for Bronx Wanderers show for 5.30 tonight - $118 for two.

    Had couple of beers - one $10 back street. Ridiculously expensive.
    Went into casino with $30 flutter money gift from Dave & Sue. We only know roulette so went to quiet table. Minimum bet $15 so lost our money in 2 spins. Ouch.

    Then to Geordano's. Looked really expensive but happy hour so only $6ish for two. People next to us had HUGE deep pizza and we were quite envious. It looked delicious. Next news, the guy said they had ordered too much and offered us half the pizza. We said take it with you but they were off to a show. We offered some payment but they wouldn't accept it so we took the pizza and demolished it. The biggest, deepest pizza I've ever seen and it was lovely.

    Off to show 5.30. Vinny Adinolfi is the star. He was a record producer for some big names in his day and now has show with his sons. Was really good - musicians and singing were excellent Only lasted 1.5 hours so done by 7pm.

    Went to New York bar. Singer on there and band after he finished. Both very good. Pleasant evening.

    Home 10.30. Glass of wine and bed.    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 21

    August 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Phone call at 4.30am from Virgin Media. Grrr.
    Up 7.30 and packed. Out for breakfast. Streets reasonably quiet and temperature pleasant.

    Went to FatBar - not the usual menu on the table. Only burgers. Asked what's available for breakfast. Answer - nothing because they are expecting hordes of people for the boxing match tomorrow. Went to Hard Rock - sat upstairs outside. Nice acoustic guitar music. Had scrambled egg/bacon/sausage/home fries & toast. All quite nice.

    Back to check out and taxi to airport. All fine and plenty of time.

    Luxor was ok but very tired. Hated the smell as soon as we opened the bedroom door - trying to keep air clean and smoke free but it was horrible. Didn't notice it in any of the other hotels. So difficult to manoeuvre way from a to b - traffic on the street busy so lots of bridges but too much like hard work. If we ever came back, would stay somewhere more centra - New York, Mirage maybe.

    We've settled into the madness of the city but quite relieved to be leaving it. I don't think I want to go back.

    Flight to Washington 4 hours. Had sandwich $9.99 and one free beer. No option to buy anything else's during the flight but we were fine. Landed early but had to wait for bags then shuttle to hotel. $24 for two people - quite cheap. 3 hours later here so now we were thirsty!

    Checked into Kimpton Rouge at 10ish. Lovely place and great receptionist. She gave us maps, guides and metro tix to save us $2 initial fee. Guided us to Stoney's bar round the corner. Shared a pizza which was nice. Bar was s bit noisy but only to be expected at 11pm on a Friday night. We will be back.

    Temperature very pleasant and lovely to walk down street without dodging people.

    Tried to buy bottle of wine but 11.30 by now so went home to bed. Beautiful room.    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 22

    August 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Restless sleep - time change again but not too bad.

    Tea and out 9ish. Tried to get metro to meeting point for tour - couldn't find entrance! Eventually realised gates were locked so got taxi.

    Put money on metro cards then met up with tour. Little electric buggies. We had the 'celebrity seats' facing backwards. Not ideal but ok.

    Toured all over city with a couple of walking bits to look at major monuments. Guide very good.

    Monuments and memorials are spectacular - they can build big and impressive stuff but they cant build history!

    All major museums run by Smithsonian Institute - Smithson was rich Englishman who had never been to the US but he approved of US principles. He promised his money to his nephew on condition that he produced an heir. He didn't so the money went to the US.

    Went to American History museum - enormous place but far too much about wars. Quite depressing really. Then to sculpture park - clever house that changed perspective as we walked past it.

    Back to hotel 4.30. Cup of tea then wine hour 5.15.

    Has 3 glasses of wine and 1 sangria (waiter was going to throw it away) then off to Stoneys pub 6.30.

    Few beers, crab cake & burger $80 inc tip then home 9.30. Watched Pretty Woman (1990!) and couple of wines.    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 23

    August 27, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Slept till 8.30 ish. Tea, biscuits and out to Arlington National Memorial cemetery.

    Metro station closed for weekend work so got bus to Foggy Bottom 😀😀then metro to Arlington. Quite easy - people around for guidance but they weren't there yesterday!

    Went round on tour bus because the place is huge. Almost 1/2 million graves here and it's expanding to make room for more. 'Inurnment' new word on us! Guide pointed out places of interest. More reminders of the horrors of war. Unknown soldier, various presidents, Pentagon 9/11, Lockerbie etc.

    Went for bite to eat at cafe in park - turkey sandwich & pizza.

    Then to Holocaust Museum - another enormous place on 4 floors. Couldn't face all the reading so headed home 3.30ish for cup of tea.

    We find the museums here hard work - very little interactive, very few videos, no guided listening tours. Too much reading.

    Maid wanted to clean room so out again. Walked around block and found lots of bars and restaurants. Reminded us of Chorlton - buzzing with people enjoying Sunday afternoon sunshine.

    Back for wine hour 5pm. Asked reception to print directions for tomorrow - should only be half hourish drive to Ally's new house.

    Like this hotel very much. Would definitely stay here again.

    Back to Stoney's 6.30. Same girl serving - very friendly. Had crab sandwich and Cajun cheddar $60 inc beer. Really nice.

    Home 8ish. Glass wine & tv    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 24

    August 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Awake early and up 6.30. Quick shower and final pack then very swish taxi at 7.15. Miles too early so hanging about at airport.

    Flight 10ish. Landed 12.30ish. Bags quick then went to pick up car. No problem - we took all the extra insurances.

    Easy drive to Ally's new house in Stratham. They only moved in a week ago so there is much work to do. It will be lovely. They wanted to move somewhere with a bit more life, a bit less druggy, public transport and a bit less cold in the winter. They also have public transport nearby and their rubbish is collected! John's job is moving to Manchester NH in February which will be half hour drive each way.

    Chatted the afternoon away. Charlie came home from first day at school.
    John came home from first day commuting to Meredith for the time being.

    Matt has just gone to college in Montreal and Natalie in Carolina.

    Had beer, wine, lovely food and good chat.

    Bed 10ish.    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 25

    August 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Didn't wake up properly till 9am.

    Pottered and did some shopping. More chatting.

    Had sandwich for lunch then out to Portsmouth No sun today and a little bit chilly near the sea. Nice town - has grown and is more commercialised. Lots of bars and restaurants but all pretty quiet. Looked at Strawberry Bank but $20 each to get in and it looked really quiet so we didn't bother. Had drive along the coast. Very pretty and some beautiful houses.

    Stopped at Lowe's shop to look for small garden table, yard brush, pan scourers and plastic wine glasses. Success in all but the glasses. Home 4.30 and made cottage pie for tea.

    Ally struggling with some aspects of the new house - water is awful and needs special filtering, need treatment to disperse supposedly dangerous radon gas. Garden is a wilderness - much work to do but location is good.

    Had beer outside watching and listening to humming bird. Lovely.

    Had wine & tea and yet more chat. Bed 10ish    Read more

  • DooWhitt toursBig Trip 2017DooWhitt tours

    Day 26

    August 30, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Up 8ish. Tea & toast and out to Manchester by the Sea with Ally. About an hour drive. More road works but did fine. Parked for an hour and walk around. Started very cloudy and had been raining but sun soon came out. Very pretty town.

    Went looking for replacement hat and in one shop, lady told us she has been to Manchester and experienced beans on toast in Warrington! She told us where to buy hat so we found quite easily. Also bought fridge magnet.

    Had quick drive around then to Singing Beach. Looked beautiful in the sunshine but they were charging for carpark and to get on the beach so we didn't bother. There was hardly anyone around except the money collectors! Parked on the road on 2 hour limit then went for lunch.
    Went to Cala and had haddock sandwich/club/pizza - all very nice then headed back to the car. Got $35 ticket for pointing in the wrong direction. Sickening!

    Drove home via liquor store looking for John's current favourite wine Sebastiani but they didn't have it.

    Shopped at Hannafords then home 2.30. Had tea and cake brought by friendly neighbour this morning.

    Made big lasagne for tea then sat and had beer outside.

    Andy asked about warm spot in kitchen ceiling John most interested in investigating! Later discovered permanently heated pads - fire hazard.

    More chat. Bed 10ish    Read more

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