Not the Fairy Anymore

It's a funny thing isn't it, Facebook? Often annoying and frustrating but it's strangely addictive. Boring yet compelling. But despite its faults it made me realise something quite wonderful yesterday. My life is better now than it was before.
I often feel like nothing has changed for me. I have so far managed to avoid making any major decisions about my life and now that I'm definitely shimmying my way into my late twenties it seems to be quarter-life crisis time. What exactly have I achieved? Why do I want everything and yet nothing in particular? Why does everyone have goals and I don't? You read magazine articles about this stuff so I know I'm not the only one.
And yet, I look on Facebook and all my old school friends seem to be incredibly successful; my acquaintances are constantly on holiday; someone just won the Nobel Prize for Physics. That kind of thing.
Well yesterday, at the top of my Newsfeed this picture appeared:

"This was you four years ago today."
Putting aside the creepy omniscience of this function I was suddenly incredibly happy not to be that me anymore.
You can't tell but this picture shows me very angry, and for someone who is never angry that's quite a big statement. I had to wear that stupid costume so many times. It smelled bad because it was never cleaned; it was too big so was always gaping and yet too small so if I ever had to pick something up off the floor anywhere near pervy boss man...it was uncomfortable. Everyone knew I hated that outfit. I refused to wear it so often and yet here I am putting it on again.
One time my manager didn't even tell me I'd have to go on stage in it to present awards, the client sprang it on me by thanking me in advance for "agreeing" to help out. Gritted teeth: "Oh! No problem."
Can I add that this was a waitressing job? Waitressing not performing. As the fairy, I still had to do all the normal running around but I had to do it in wings and stockings and a forced smile. And I wasn't paid any extra. That was the most galling thing I think. If I was hired to do that in my capacity as a dancer it would've been quite a nice little earner probably. Enough for Christmas presents anyway.
Although actually I'm wrong. The most galling thing was that even though I complained, in the end I still did it when I should have stood up for myself or slammed the door in their face.
It wasn't only the fairy. It was a strange time in my life and the fairy has come to represent everything I didn't like about it: doing things that I didn't want to do instead of things I did. So silly of me!
And now? Perhaps I don't have my dream job but I'm treated well. I don't feel as challenged as I'd like but I watch amazing artists, play games and tell stories. And crucially I'm not the fairy anymore. I left a bit of life that made me angry and never looked back. It's a tiny thing but four-years-ago me is very happy because of it.
So thanks Facebook. That was a nice reminder.

Jobs (many many jobs) and why you should give one of them to me.

I'm procrastinating.
Almost an hour ago I sat down to do some work and instead I've made myself a cup of tea, caught up with My Dad Wrote a Porno, wandered around the house in an aimless fashion and now I find myself blogging. It's amazing what you catch up on when you are avoiding filling out application forms.
I'm sure you all know the feeling. I'm sick of my own address. I'm even more sick of my (lack of) qualifications and employment history. It's hard work spinning dancing, giving people food and standing around in case a building burns down into an array of employable attributes. But I'm persevering and one day I'll be rewarded. I will. Yes.
Of course the application form is only the first step. There are cover letters to be written: a fresh one for each of the many jobs I really want and am absolutely perfect for.  I want no one but you, I swear!
And getting through that bit brings us to the real trauma of interview time. How is it that they always ask you questions that you don't know the answer to? Maybe more appropriately, how is it that I find I don't know the answer to such basic questions as "why do you want this job?"
"....because it will pay enough for me to go on holiday?..." BUZZZZ. Incorrect. Try again.
"....because...erm...I'm really calm under pressure so...what was the question again?"
"...so I read the advert on Arts Jobs and yes...um."
And seconds before the phone rang or I walked into this peculiar meeting I knew exactly why I wanted that job. It was because it sounded like something that I would enjoy and be challenged by and I would like myself for doing it. And despite the advert saying I need a degree, a thousand years of experience and ambitions to save the world, I believe I could do the job well. Just as well as anyone else. It is simply unfortunate that my biggest weakness (because we all know about that classic question) is a complete inability to sell myself.
But it's something I'm working on. (Apparently that's the key, you know: self-knowledge followed by self-improvement. A handy hint for the future from me to you.)
To prove I am working on this difficult self-promotion, here are some strengths for your reading pleasure.

1. I don't give up. I sat here for a surprisingly long time thinking of these strengths. I did not go and make myself another tea, and I did not delete the challenge I just imposed on myself.
2. Sometimes I write silly poems or draw funny pictures or make fairy cakes which I will share with you. That is not bribery. 
3. I am unafraid to eat the last Jaffa Cake. None of this "you have it, no, you have it." I will be very decisive and bold. I may not always know what I want but I always want Jaffa Cakes.
4. Despite my lack of proof on the matter I am actually a bit clever/not unintelligent/a smart cookie (pick whichever makes me sound modest yet confident- I struggled). I regularly get more than five answers correct on University Challenge. Sometimes I beat the contestants. Boom!
5. This morning I deleted the Facebook app from my phone. If that doesn't take great strength I don't know what does. My five year plan involves leaving altogether. Don't let anyone tell you I don't have ambitions.

Obviously the list could go on and on but I don't want to seem vain. No one likes a bighead. 

But wait! People Google people now don't they? It's a strange new world and perhaps I shouldn't write about my job hunt whilst job hunting. Or is this an opportunity? If you are reading this potential employer I should at least say:
I love you! Pick me, pick me!! 

Across The Desert

Only three weeks late but it's been requested by lovely Jo so I think it's about time I finished my journey.

When I left you I was in LA about to head East to Las Vegas on that legend of American roadtripping: Route 66.
We came across it by accident in the end. We had stopped for a sandwich (thank you for the sandwiches Vons, you've taught us so much!) and suddenly there it was. A boring bit of road lined by shops and petrol stations and traffic lights. It did take us almost immediately to a Walmart though so we got to check that one off the list.
Eventually we got out of the city and I found myself driving along this:

Spectacular! 

It led us to our motel in Barstow. I can't say I recommend it. The motel was pretty shabby and the town was fairly disappointing but it did have some great things to see nearby. Our first stop was Peggy Sue's 50's Diner and Diner-saur park. 

There were dinosaurs...need I say more? We had milkshakes in the warm evening air, dinner to the dulcet tones of Elvis, and browsed a shop full of kitch. 

The next morning took us to a magical place. Anyone travelling in the area MUST go to Elmer's BottleTree Ranch. A local artist has created a forest of ...things. The stuff we throw out, broken, old, delapidated, transformed into treasure. Everywhere we looked there was something we missed before. A typewriter, a cowboy, an old phone, till, motorbike...And all around hummingbirds fluttered past our heads, sipping from the feeders strung up amongst it all. 

 

After some moments dancing amongst it all we moved on to Calico Ghost Town. A bit of a tourist trap really. It would've been much more interesting left abandoned and spooky but every old building was selling a different variety of souvenir. It does seem incredible that people lived there once at the heart of the wild west gold rush. It seems both an incredibly exciting time and a horribly difficult one. The lack of water there is terrifying. I was thirsty just thinking about it...but then, we are delicate British flowers, not made for the desert.

Tired by the heat and the American dream we drove south to our next home in Joshua Tree National Park. We arrived in the evening so it was cool enough for a little walk (praying we didn't meet a tarantula) before firing up the trusty Jet Boil for stew and a splash of whiskey to wash it down. 

We had some interesting neighbours for dinnertime. The scouts we having some kind of family evening so we were treated to some rather questionable speeches by the significant presence of their leader. Our favourite was him reading out a list of why girls are better than boys (by some women). 

"Girls smell better. Girls are polite. Girls make an effort with their hair." And other similar gems. All bad enough. I mean, I know some very nice smelling men, and Kirsty and I weren't exactly the most glamorous of creatures at this stage. He then went on to counter all these arguments with equally sexist drivel. Boys are better than girls because "Boys don't waste time at the mall. God made Adam first. Boys aren't afraid of adventures."

I hope the mothers who were there set the record straight once they'd gone home. I'm not entirely sure teachers should influence their charges with such rubbish. I was quite angry. 

But then they left and the milky way made its now familiar presence known. 

In the early morning we went for a very short hike in the desert. First of all, it is incredibly beautiful. There is such a variety of strange cacti filling the arid earth. Life is really very tenacious. We are not. We were back at camp by ten and felt quite weak. We had had to stop every few minutes to drink and rest. We had planned to spend the day there and camp another night but we couldn't bear it! So we did the only sensible thing and got into the car to bask in the cooling influence of the air conditioning. We would drive to Amboy, a town we picked out on the map (we rejected Palm Springs as it was in the wrong direction. Silly decision!) mainly based on the fact there was a crater nearby. 

Amboy has a motel and diner (without a kitchen) and nothing else. It's famous for it's signpost. 

We also saw the crater surrounded by lava fields from when it was an active volcano. You can walk up to the rim but the heat was like a hammer. As soon as we left the car I didn't know what to do with myself exactly. There is hot and then there is the desert. I've never felt physically sick from the weather before and it is not pleasant. Who'd've thought that I wasn't perfectly adapted to such an environment? I'm as shocked as you are. 

We had toyed with the idea of camping in Mojave Desert but a flood (what?!) had closed the road so instead we went to a town called Baker (how appropriate), home of one motel and the world's largest thermometer which read 109F (about 42C in real money). It was evening. We took a room and hid for the rest of the day and most of the morning before driving the last stretch to Las Vegas. It was 46C. Did I mention it was very very very hot?

Don't get me wrong, I had a great time there but I'm not sure Vegas is for me. An evening of people watching, gawping at The Strip, the water show, and exploring the hotels was really enough. Especially as we were all zen from weeks surrounded by the glories of nature, suddenly everything was gaudy and vulgar and greedy. It glittered and was fascinating but dirty in a way that I had not felt even after 5 days without a shower in the wild.

 

The casinos were intimidating. Money was everywhere. The air smelled like stale cigarettes covered by furniture polish. I'm not sure I'll go back in a hurry. One day we tried to find a pool to relax beside and the only ones we were allowed in had been turned into pool parties. We went to the car wash instead which was great. Not kidding. I love a car wash.

Our last day we went to see the Hoover Dam which was an amazing piece of engineering. How do people go about building this stuff. It's enormous. In the evening we dressed up, had some drinks and watched a Cirque du Soleil. Not used to drinking we were both much happier about Vegas :) especially when we popped into a New York, New York burger place on the way home. We finished the trip as we started it. 

I missed the penultimate day on purpose to end on the highest note. The Grand Canyon. What an utterly extraordinary place. It was a 5 hour drive so we set off just after 4am and arrived to a balmy, green and very pretty national park late morning. We'd watched the sunrise as we drove in Arizona. 

Yes, it's very touristy but the further you walk from the Visitor Centre the more you have the place to yourself to drink in how huge it is in peace/ take some jumping shots. 

It really is a beautiful place. You just don't get bored of it no matter how much you look. It's not just the vast crater, or the bright bands of rock. It's the hawks cycling lazily below you! It's the flower speckled edges softening the exposed rock. It's the wonder that that tiny far away river made this, and it's still going. 

We stayed to watch the beautiful sunset, filling the canyon with shadows and melting over the horizon before turning and seeing the moon had risen behind us, full and fat and glowing. It was Supermoon evening. A pretty special day all round.

We drove home through the night, arriving exhausted but still full of the magic of the day. 

And less than two days later we were saying goodbye to USA. A final meal at John Mull's Meats (go there if you get the chance. It's the most glorious brisket in the world. Fact.) and we were at the airport saying goodbye to Greta, our trusty steed, and preparing for Pitch Perfect 2: film choice number 1. 

And now here I am, nearly a month later and it's all a distant memory. Better start planning the next holiday then. This one will take some topping. 

To the sun!

Today, like the glamorous being I am, I'm writing to you from one of the beaches at Malibu. Kirsty is working on her tan and I am under a stripy umbrella, trying to find things to do to occupy myself. Luckily I was well prepared with things to write, a book and I braved the burny sun to swim in the warm ocean after we spotted dolphins swimming very close to shore. Incredible. They didn't come back to swim with us unfortunately. Alas! 
All in all it's been a very successful beach trip for someone who doesn't do well on the beach. Hurrah! :) not least because it is much cooler today than yesterday. Only a chilly 30•C  instead of nearly 10• hotter. Phew!
This is a huge change from where I last left you. The last spot on our trekking route was a place called Florence Lake. First of all is was quite tricky to get to. The last road up to the lake was single track but two way traffic (although very little of it thank god!), blind bends, vertical drops and random jagged rocks from nowhere. And all in the dark. It took us over an hour to go less than 20 miles. It was quite terrifying. 

In the morning it was raining. Not only was it raining but there was a forest fire nearby so the air was black with smoke as well. We braved a hike though, following the lake through the John Muir Wilderness: The man who inspired our trip.
Unfortunately the fairies must've been out that day because after we stopped for lunch the paths disappeared. Truly. We went straight on and it petered out to nothing. We went back where we thought we'd come from and hit an uncross able creek in our way. The path we'd arrived in was just not there anymore and the others came to abrupt ends. It turned out we were lost with only a couple if cheese strings for sustenance. 
But fear not reader! We are nothing if not made for survival in such extreme circumstances. Using a map and compass (check us out!) we worked out where we were, found high ground then followed the creek back up to Florence Lake until we found the path again. 
It was a bit creepy though. We came across a place where we suspect hunters prepare their catches. It wasn't the happiest place. 

Frustrated with the bad weather (we came to California in the middle of a four year draught and got rained on. Typical!) and the badly maintained routes/tricksy fairies, we left the next day for Big Sur and Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was completely the right decision because we rejoined the sun and had a beautiful few days in a stunning bit of the world. 

We were driving on the best road...all zigzags and breathtaking views, there were huge birds, deer, redwoods and showers at our campground. The last is probably the most exciting. We had an afternoon on a beach, dinner in a diner from 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,' and did some shopping. We went to the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw into the beautiful alien world of under the sea. And there were sea otters. They are soooooooo cute! And did you know there is such a job as a penguinologist? Why am I not one of them? Then I could live in Monterey. Highlight! 

There was one scary moment when I was driving back to camp in the dark. My first driving at night experience and I did not like it at all. I especially didn't like it when a deer stepped out in front of me and I nearly hit it. And then 10 minutes later another one did the same. Both Kirsty and I were nervous wrecks by the time we got home. 
But moving on, we soon found ourselves on the way to LA and a wonderful friend, Monique, who we are staying with. She's the nicest and an excellent tour guide so we've had an awesome time. LA is so big, and with such different parts. You only have to walk from shiny Santa Monica where people are working out on Muscle Beach and walking tiny dogs, towards the shabbier Venice Beach where homeless men play the piano and men try to sell you incense as you pass them to see it. And then there's the big fancy houses near the hills, Rodeo Drive and Beverley Hills to show you another side again. 

Yesterday was my birthday and this really wasn't a bad way to spend it. We saw the famous sign and the sprawling city from Griffith observatory, ate tacos for breakfast and ice cream for lunch, went to an Emmys party where we drank margaritas and played ping-pong and then went to....wait for it...the cupcake ATM. Yes, you hear me correctly. It is a thing. A beautiful and delicious thing. We need one of those in London. 

What better way to celebrate arriving in one's late twenties? 
We have just a week left and tomorrow we depart for the last leg. But don't think about the end...I'm going for lunch. We have another blog left so until then...

Trekking Part 2

Another motel, another bit of wifi, another blog. Hurrah! Trekking part two is a highlight I think. 
So I left you on my way to Yosemite National Park. I drove. I DROVE ALL THE WAY THERE! Look at me:

For some of my first legal driving it was pretty sweet. Long, straight roads, amazing views. Sure I was in the wrong (I mean other) side of the road but I only drove onto the verge once at a reasonably slow speed. And I negotiated rocks and trees and things in the campsite. I wanted Kirsty to take over there but she wouldn't. I think she thought It would be good for me...practice those manoeuvres, you know. 
We did a lot of driving in Yosemite. It's so big, and so much to see that it was the best way. At Glacier Point we got an amazing view of Half Dome and Clouds Rest etc as well as the "controlled fire" that was burning above the valley. There were lots of aeroplanes chucking water (very precisely) on the blaze. Two of them passed by at eye level actually. We were as high as planes :) 

The next day took us even higher on a trek to Clouds Rest. It's an incredible walk and there may have been cartwheels and jumping photos at the top. Classic.

And then it was time for the biggest trek of them all. Five days in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, bear canisters and all. It didn't start so well...
The trouble was...well it was lots of things. 
1. We were late. We didn't start walking until 2.20 and we had ten miles to walk before reaching our planned stop at Thousand Islands Lake (the pinnacle of our imaginations).
2. The weight. The bear canisters do add a significant chunk. Inside them we had to fit five days of food, toiletries and anything else smelly- to stop the bears getting in. This made us slow and weak, like a pair of geriatrics. 
3. The dark, which started early in the woods. And the rustling in the bushes by unknown animals which we imagined as bears of course, and sang "she'll be coming round the mountain" to scare them away. We aren't singers. There were definitely bears in the area- we saw a couple of large paws prints on the dusty path. Scaaaaaary. Until that point we were both very grumpy and hated each other a little bit. We didn't speak at all. So at least the bears bonded us. 
So we stopped a little early, as soon as we found a good spot. A little whiskey to warm us up (and calm us down) and bed. I dreamt of bears. 
The next day was much better, thank goodness. Not only did we make it to the stunningly beautiful Thousand Island Lake but a man (in response to me saying we were from London) said "Well Hot Diggity!!" What more can I say to convince you of the charms of the wilderness? 
We camped at another glorious lake, Garnet, and watched the sunset from the rocks, and saw an eagle. We bought binoculars this time to properly see all the big birds. Jeez, life is hard. 

And then in the morning it looked like this...a perfect mirror. 

And we had the opportunity to play :)

It was the next day at Rosalie Lake we made a friend called Dave. We made a bonfire, talked trekking and careers and 'Naked and Afraid.' He was very impressed with our trip. "If you girls are capable of this, then shame on you if you don't make wonderful things happen in your life." No pressure there, but I like the sentiment. We do do a great holiday. Why not more? 

And then finally two days hiking in one. We were in pain, filthy, sweaty. There was smoke in the air and landscape like a giant had rampage past unrooting huge trees. But the thought of a shower, a sandwich and a cup of whiskey spurred us on. So here we are. 

We even have carrot cake. 

Trekking Part 1

I am writing to you from a 24 hour laundromat. A laundomat opposite the motel we just checked into. We are so living the American dream right now. 

This unexpected bit of connection allows me to update you on life on the road part one. Right now we are tired, hungry, our bodies hurt and we've only been away from civilisation for a week (not quite). 

So what have we been up to I hear you cry? 

Well first we were in Point Reyes for three days. It's just north of San Francisco, right by the ocean, and just a couple of miles trek from where we left the car. That meant it was a bit of a practice-run. We had all our stuff for the couple of miles in and out, and took a day bag for the rest of the time. The day bag was still heavy at the time. We were so innocent then. 

So good things about Point Reyes are: the wild and empty beach, the lack of bears, all the other animals and birds that were EVERYWHERE! Lizards, deer, gofers, kites, and more whales :) we were happy nature spotters.

Bad things about it: teenage boys. School trip season meant they were everywhere. It was pretty tricky to wash, let me tell you. There were no showers so a discreet bowl wash was all we could manage. 

Before we knew it, it was time to move on so off we drove to the Carson Pass Ranger Station to get our permits for our next trek: the Mukelumne Wilderness.

Except we didn't get there that day. Who knew we'd end up caught in traffic on Labor Day Weekend. Not us apparently although I expect any Americans reading this to be rolling their eyes at our naivity. 

So we needed somewhere to sleep and we stopped long enough in Folsom (that of the Johnny Cash song) to see only a shopping centre and get wifi enough to google a campsite.

We found a beauty. Up a Top Gear worthy mountainside road, to a beautiful lakeside spot. 

Only, because of Labor Day (again!) it was completely reserved for a wedding no less. 

It had taken us an hour to get to just from Folsom. We had nowhere else to go so resolved to wait for the staff to leave and sleep in the car.

But we didn't have to sleep in the car after all. We went to the wedding party (the wedding was the following day) and asked their advice in somewhere nearby to sleep. Hint hint. And being the happy and generous gang they were, we were allowed a spot at the back if the site. I felt like Mary and Joseph asking for room at the inn. I think that wedding got some good karma for their kindness. 

That night we saw the Milky Way. 

Leaving the wedding early in the morning to not get in their way we headed for our original destination. The Internet had given us an address in Placerville but when we arrived it was just a house. Hmmm....

3 hours later and we had almost driven in a large circle hunting this place down (damn it Internet...you're supposed to know everything), when we chanced upon a ranger station that issued us permits, gave us directions and assured us we didn't need bear canisters as bears where almost never a problem there. Almost? Is that good enough? We were both nervous every time we fell asleep there in case the smells of avocados and jerky proved too much for a brave bear to resist. 

As you can see we are both still alive and have all our limbs. Hurrah! 

Mukolmne was just stunning. 

The first day we trekked past four lakes, down a mountain side and into the woods by the creek where we set up camp. 

The second day the creek took us through the pine woods and eventually to a sunny spot for a dunk in the creek to wash our hair. We stayed there for a while jumping from rock to rock, enjoying being clean and alone in the huge wilderness. We were so free that day. 

We even had a wilderness poo. The most scenic of our lives. 

Not together. 

That evening we put to use the skills we learnt at Survival School and successfully built and maintained a campfire that lasted hours and warmed our chilly bones. 

Today we had to make it back to the car and it was our hardest day yet. All uphill and overgrown so it was miles and miles of slog. Until you looked up or behind and where once again astonished by the view. 

The worst bit was when the path was ruined by landslide and we couldn't see which way to go. We scrambled precariously up the loose rocks until a sheer cliff face beat us back. We found to right path on the way back from our near death experience and continued...and continued...and continued. I have no photos of the day as I was too exhausted to get my phone out of my bag. 

It took us 7 hours a to walk as many miles but we had some wildlife highlights in a hawk and a yellow-bellied marmot. 

Some advice for your future road trips: 

Never celebrate reaching the top of a mountain until you are definitely on the way down the other side. It only leads to disappointment. 

Always check the map as well relying on TomTom. The place we were looking for was there all along. 

Don't be afraid to ask to crash a wedding. They are in a good mood so it's the perfect time to ask a favour.

Put sun cream on your ears. 

More to come...Yosemite tomorrow. 

Tourist Days in San Francisco

Today we are in Sausalito. We arrived here by accident after walking the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to find a bit of wilderness. The was a freeway between us and the object of our desire and so here we are, eating frozen yogurt instead. 

But don't be sad for us. You'll get your wild blog in not too long. Tomorrow we will stock up with noodles, couscous and dried vegetables, practice putting up our tent, ready to head out to the middle of nowhere. Or more specifically: Point Reyes, Mokelumne Wilderness, Yosemite, Thousand Island Lake, Jackass Meadows and Monterey Bay before we're onto LA and civilisation once again.
So although you may not hear from me for a while, don't worry, the bears probably haven't got me because I have a bell and a whistle. Infallible. 

I'll check in again when I have wi-fi once more. Nature doesn't supply it unfortunately but calm down....we'll be with you again soon. 
Before becoming simpler creatures with only our thoughts to occupy us we have spent this week in San Francisco as tourists as it is the perfect city to do so. The famous Pier 39 feels a bit like a set from a theme park, full of sea themed restaurants, Sea Lion merchandise and smiley American customer service. There is a lot to do and to take photos of. Here are some for your viewing pleasure:

And in our tourist-frenzy two themes have emerged: boats and animals. 
The boats were a surprise. We are in America to trek and this has become quite a watery experience so far. In New York we went on the Staten Island ferry and a Central Park rowing boat. Here we have done a loop around the bay, taken a ferry to Alcatraz and back, and been on a whale watching expedition. 5 boats in a week. 

The last, as you can see, combined with the animal theme to make a perfect day out. We saw about 7 humpback whales (one baby!...tiny giant), a jumping thresher shark, seals, porpoises, pelicans and a whole menagerie of other birds. And then when we were walking to the tube later we saw a really fat insect that turned out to be a hummingbird. There are kites and butterflies, dragonflies and beautiful blue jays. And this badass:

And having shown you that picture that I can't possibly top I'll say goodbye for now. Catch you in a couple of weeks and cheers! 

(Yes those are pints of Margarita...what can I say? Everything's bigger here.) 

New York to San Francisco

I am writing to you all from the birthplace of West Coast coffee culture, Caffe Trieste, on a sunny morning in San Francisco. I have no flowers in my hair but I am a little but in love. It's just so pretty! There are long wooden piers with people fishing at the end, Sea Lions, huge butterflies fluttering over flower-laden stairways. 

We arrived here yesterday from New York so apart from a wonderful first impression, I can't tell you much about this city yet (although to give you a bit of atmosphere an old drunk Irishman just walked past saying "argh! Get outta me face, you're an asshole!" to everyone he passed) except that as we passed the yoga room at the airport we crossed paths with a policeman on a bike followed shortly by another on a Segway. 

I can also tell you that we have hired a car (we named her Greta), and drove a hard bargain to get her. We weren't good at haggling in India, but it turns out that being relatively poor is a huge asset in these negotiations. Woohoo! 

This is not to say that we didn't also have a wonderful time in New York. It is a stunning city. The first day we walked into Manhattan over Brooklyn Bridge and it is just astonishing to see those skyscrapers appear. We also took the Staten Island ferry that evening (and it's free- Hello!). The sun was setting over the Statue of Liberty as we crossed the bay and it's was just beautiful. 

However, as great as it is, New York also has it's downside: The Subway. London gains serious points here because it has MAPS and SIGNS! Are you listening New York? And there are several lines in the same colour with a seemingly random letters/numbers system. Too confusing! It is important to always ask if this is the right train because it's very hard to tell once you're on board and going in the wrong direction. 

And that image you have of helpful America. Sometimes not true. From the airport our human interaction is as follows: Subway employee tuts "stupid!" at Kirsty as she hesitated at the turnstyle; I ask lady if she can tell us what road we were on and she looked angry and told me to go away. 

Animal interaction was confined to a MASSIVE cockroach waking us up one morning as it ran across our bed. Shudder. 

On the other hand out Airbnb hostess, Joan, was super lovely and greeted us with champagne; and we met a nice man called Bruce at a bar and he showed us lots of photos of his children doing New York things. 

After meeting Bruce we went to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Go see it. It's very cool :) 

Other recommendations I have for you? Walking the Highline, boating in Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, and a great sandwich shop at the south side of the park. Mmm...sandwiches! 

That's all. We've got to go climb some really steep hills now. More soon.