San Francisco- the last destination (for now)

After a week partying in Vegas we were all looking forward to the sightseeing days that we were sure to find in San Francisco. And I must say I don’t think any of us were quite prepared on what we found in this city. Yes the harbour is lovely, and the views and experience of riding one of the many open air trams in this hill ridden city is a must. But none of us realised how neglected and poverty stricken many of the outskirt city areas were. The amount of homeless people was astonishing in such a western country, and many of them seemed to be mentally unwell, which was quite scary.

As you can imagine being 4 girls and all, none of us felt that safe, especially at night so we made sure we were in our hotels by about 9pm. Growing up in London we are used to seeing homeless people, and are aware that poverty like this still effects major western cities, however the untold amount of homeless people in San Fran is more than you can imagine, and very sad indeed.

However, putting this unfortunate aspect of San Fran aside, we did have a good time Union square is a central place. As we were there in December the huge Christmas tree and ice skating ring set up in the square was lovely, we of course had a few laps of the ice rink which was fun.

Macey’s is also in Union square, and the cheesecake factory is on the top floor which we of course dined in, the food was delicious and the slices of cheesecake are huge. There are also many more shops around this area and you can also catch one of the many sightseeing double decker busses from here.

 On one of our 4 days we also had a day out on Alcatraz Island and visited Alcatraz prison, such an insightful and great trip, I think I might have enjoyed it bit more than some of the girls but I do love learning about history- bit of a geek at times. Seriously though, this trip made our visit to San Fran worth it.

To be honest now that I have visited Alcatraz prison I doubt I will ever go back to this part of America again. Toni and I actually left San Francisco a day early and flew straight back home to England, we were at a point where we had hardly any money left and after a year we were so homesick and couldn’t wait to get home. Renu and Nat understood and after we left they had 1 more day in San Francisco then flew back to LA for 3 days before jetting home where we see them at our welcome home party.

VEGAS Baby!!!

Our journey from LA to Vegas was rather quick and as our flight was in the evening, it was also a very spectacular flight with amazing views of the Vegas lights. Honestly it is so astounding that I was in complete awe- to such an extent that I recommend making sure your fight into Vegas is in the evening.

Once we landed all of us were so excited that we even opted for our airport transport to be a limousine- well we were in Vegas after all, it only cost us around £15 each, so we hadn’t gone completely mad.

Our hotels were literally right next to each other, a mere 5 minute walk; Toni and I of course stayed in the cheaper of the two, being poor globe trotters and all, whereas the girls were on their holidays so were in a much more extravagant abode. Our hotel, The Imperial Palace, was not to bad to be fair, it was a tad dated as it is one of the original hotels on the strip but at a mere £9 each a night it was a bargain and was on the same scale as a 3* hotel in the UK. And being bang in the middle of the strip it was ideal, so not bad at all if I do say so myself. I would certainly stay here again- come on we are talking Vegas- you hardly see your hotel room, and you can use all the facilities at the more expensive hotels anyway. The Venecian is where Renu and Nat stayed which was amazing and there room was gorgeous; they probably spent way more than what we did but as I said they were on their holiday’s so could afford to splash out, still Toni and I were rather envious, in a good way, but like I said we spent hardly any time in our rooms.

We arrived in Vegas on a Thursday night which we soon found out was ladies night, this consisted of free drink promotions for the ladies before midnight, which we of course took great advantage of. We were in Vegas for 6 nights in which we partied every night; honestly being a girl in Vegas is undoubtedly an advantage. Nearly every night we were approached by promoters for the night clubs in which they would give is free entry (just for being female) and we were also shown to VIP areas with free flowing drinks all night... we felt famous!!!.... There was also a few times when we were all dolled up at the start of the night, walking through the casino when we were approached by tourists who wanted to take photos with us!!! So unreal- WE LOVED VEGAS!!!

As we only had 6 days here and were also on our last leg of our amazing globetrotting year, we unfortunately did not have time nor could we afford to do the Grand Canyon tour. So instead to have a bit of day time fun Toni and I ventured a bit away from the strip and paid a visit to the Stratosphere hotel. This hotel is the tallest hotels in Vegas and it is famous for the rides that it has on its roof- a must do, even though they are as scary as hell and Toni and I nearly pooped our pants and actually chickened out of going on one of the rides. But a visit to this hotel is highly recommended even if going on rides is not for you the views of the Vegas strip from the viewing floor are amazing. We also went to te MGM Grand one even and watched their Cirque de Soleil show, it was really really good. Their are several of these shows in different hotels on the strip so you do have a pick, we basically went for this one as we booked it last minute and it was the only one that we could get affordable tickets for, still they were $85 each put worth every penny, or cent rather. 

Also if you love to Shop you must visit the outlet retail park on the outskirts of town, there are so many bargains to be had, Toni and I were gutted that we didn’t have any more money but still we managed to buy a few treats of course. From partying, to sightseeing, to shopping, to watching your choice of shows, to getting an adrenaline rush from the Stratosphere rides and having a flutter in the many casinos. Its true what they say, Vegas is indeed an adults playground and I will most definitely go back one day.

LA (USA)

We arrived in America very tired following 2 flights totalling 15 hours, our taxi took us straight to our hostel on Melrose Avenue, called Orbit. This hostel is very basic, however reasonably priced. For an all girls 4 bed en suite dorm we paid $43 dollars each for 2 nights- bargain. Due to our lack of sleep and thus grumpy nature, we caught a few Z's before we called the girls and met up with them. So a few hours later, and slightly more refreshed and awake we set off in search for the girls hotel- which according to Google map was only a 20-30min walk... 

However an hour later we were lost, unfortunately Toni and I then discovered that we had completely walked in the wrong direction when we came out of our hostel- well seriously who knows which way north, south, east and west is on a map? A simple left or right would have been easier?! Anyways, where was I? oh yeah 'Lost in LA'.... So we ended up getting a taxi and arriving to the girls much later than planned, but they were not ready anyhow, so it was no big drama. It was so good to see them, I hadn't seen Renu since our leaving party last December and I hadn't seen Natalie since March when she came to Vietnam.

Eventually we all found a lovely little restaurant, had a lovely meal, a few drinks and a big catch up then headed to a bar.

We found a bar near the girls hotel in west Hollywood that had an 'all you can drink' offer for just $25, as you can imagine we stayed in this bar all night... The next day the girls came and met us at our hostel (they also got lost so were a few hours late)...

We spent all of this day walking the streets of LA, and doing what girls do best- SHOP, stopping twice of course for lunch and dinner- well shopping can be exhausting. Top Tip the portion size of meals in America are huge, so one meal can in fact feed 2 people... we all noticed that finishing the food on our plate was an impossible task.. So if your not a big eater or are on a budget get 1 meal between 2.

The following day we checked out but put our bags in the storage room as our flight to Vegas was not till late afternoon... Therefore we spent the day on the famous star studied Hollywood 'Walk Of Fame'. All 4 of us got a 10min taxi ride to this part of town which was about $20 between us, however you can get a bus from Mel rose Avenue which is only $1.50 and it only takes about 15mins.

We only had about 2 hours on the 'Walk Of Fame' but it was enough to walk the length of the street, take pictures and fit in lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe (again portion sizes are huge!) Once our time was up, we all went back to collect our luggage and then headed to the airport. We all got an airport shuttle which was about $15 each, this works out much cheaper than a taxi.

Main Tips for Australia

1- If you are planning on working in Oz do the following A.S.A.P

• Apply for your working holiday Visa before you enter Australia http://www.immi.gov.au/

• Apply for your Tax File number ASAP as can take up to 3 weeks to be issued http://www.immi.gov.au/
• As soon as you arrive buy an Australian mobile Sim card- Telstra/ Optus are the main ones so have the best reception in all areas.
• Update your CV ASAP. Don't forget your new Australian mobile number. Apply to as many online recruitment agencies as possible. TAW is a good agency that will find you jobs off the coast and also jobs that will work toward your second year Visa. http://www.taw.com.au/. They charge you a fee but guarantee to find you work.
• Apply for an Australian bank account. Many to choose from., ANZ, St George, Commonwealth, and Westpac being the main ones.
•  If you intend to work in hospitality i.e bar tender, hotels, restaurants then you need to gain an RSA certificate, you can apply online or enrol in a day course. This will cost you, price varies depending on what state and how many states you wish to be certified in. http://www.qhint.com/

2- Book hostels on a weekly basis if you are staying in one place for a week or more. Paying the weekly rate works out cheaper, and will ensure that you stay put in the one room.

3- When staying in cities for longer than a week, buy weekly travel cards saves you quite a bit.

4- Book trips and greyhound coaches through Peter pans travel shop. You will get loads of discounts on bars/restaurants/hostels throughout Australia. You will also get a Peter pans card which entitles you to have free Internet access in all Peter pan shops throughout Australia. (Please note, this travel shop is mainly on the East coast)

5- Don't stay in a party hostel if you don't want to party every night. The tame hostels are often the YHA ones (apart from the one in Darwin)

6- Try and see as much as possible, such a big country so much to see and do.