New Orleans Shenanigans!

WE ARRIVED!!! At long, long last.

Our hostel is pretty awesome not going to lie. The hostel itself is really 'kooky' and quite hip, the staff are either drunk or drugged up 90% of the time and the people we have met so far have all been real good fun. And we've only been here a day!

Arriving at 5pm we both had good intentions of grabbing some dinner and heading straight to bed. At this point we had barely slept in 36 hours so weren't feeling the greatest. Whilst eating dinner in the garden area we got talking to a group of guys that introduced themselves all as James with an Australian accent .. Yeah..

After some chit chat the beers were being offered and I eagerly accepted. Hot weather and a cold beer is bliss! They were hitting it hard as they planned on going out.. This is how it all escalated. 

Watermelon vodka made an appearance and they had me. I LOVEEEEE this stuff. Some other guys and Australian girls came and joined and the drinking games were in full swing. Yes, we definitely weren't going to bed any time soon. 

"Fuck me, fuck me hard, what's the name of this fucking game? Wedding fuck, what the fuck? How about a sister fuck?"

20 people singing this.. Things got a little out of hand! My nick name was wedding fuck, Kate's sister fuck (because she's from suffolk so she's an imbred, appaz) and others had names like happy fuck, sleepy fuck, fucky fuck, Sydney fuck, Aussie fuck, spreadsheet fuck........ Etc etc

If you sang the song wrong, you had to drink.

I'm telling you it's hard once consuming copious amounts of beer and vodka. 

After a quick change we headed on out. We had no idea where we were going or who we were with but it was all fun and games. After a shoulder ride which I nearly very fell off from, we caught a taxi and headed to frenchmans street and went to a bar were a jazz/band group were singing live. After a few vodkas me and Kate were pumping out our moves on the dance floor, showing the Americans how it's done!!! 

Arriving back at the hostel at (we don't even no what hour) we awoke at 10 and headed for breakfast (after the catch up conversation of.. What happened last night?). Kate couldn't stomach anything and I opted for granola instead of a fry up. And yes, I would like a medal for that! Ha ha. We then headed back to get ready to go into town and to be a bit touristy where we started talking to another group of guys.. They were fishing for it so I offered for them to come out with us. And I cannot tell you, lunch was the funniest lunch I've ever had. We headed to a lobster grill and all of us were hanging majorly. With it being 34 degrees, dehydrated and tired, spirits weren't that high. The guys opted for the whole 'hare of the dog" strategy whilst us girls went for a thirst quenching sprite. Craig (I think that's his name) ordered a Bloody Mary after being told its the best hangover cure. It arrived with celery, green beans, olives and a large shrimp in it. by far the most awful drink I have ever seen. To top it off it also had Cajun spice in and around the cup. After gagging and choicing to not drink it, dares got out around the table. Another drank it and immediately left the table to be sick. 

Yup, we have bought our Bungay class all the way to America.. The Aussies it seems did also. 

After an eventful lunch we walked down to the park and took some photos, walked around some more and headed back. It's official, I have hit the wall and needed my bed. 

I chilled by the pool whilst Kate played water volley ball, ordered a dominos pizza and now I am laying in bed writing to you before I snooze off to Wyatts world of dreams. 

Good night

P.s sorry for the use of bad language 

Yas x

Hour #16 ?

All the hours have merged and I'm that tired I can't even work it out.. So lets just go with 16. Which means only 5 left. Maaaateee!

I have awoken from my snooze and taking in the sights of millions of restaurants! No joke, around 50% of America must be filled with restaurants, cafes and diners. 

You don't see many KFC's out here but this got my mouth watering. BUFFET? IN KFC? $6?? WHAAAATT??

And then I came across this.. Health and safety regulations at its finest..

Literally fireworks being sold on the side of the road on trestle tables. THAT'S INSANE!

I'm feeling a little chirpier but definately need a coffee in my life right now.

P.s KATE'S FINALLY SLEEPING

(She's gorrrnn hate me)

Hour #15 (I think)

I literally have no idea how long we've been on this bus but I know it's been long enough. We both managed to get some sleep, hence the break in blogging, but there's only so long you can pretend leaning against a cold window with a seatbelt digging in your back is comfortable. Yasmin still seems to be powering through but I have resorted to listening to the Wicked soundtrack on repeat to stop me going crazy. So far it's working. 

By my reckoning it's about 2.30pm at home? I hope you are all enjoying your Saturdays. I feel like, even though we should get to New Orleans by about 3pm our time all we're going to be good for is heading straight to the hostel and going to bed! This trip is nothing but rock and roll!

I am stuck on Level 29 of Candy Crush and it is slowly crushing my spirit. I keep having flashbacks from having to complete it the first time and I remember it taking an age. It is my goal to do it before we get to our next connection!

See you in an hour. xxxx

Hour #11

It's all lies.. I didn't get a wink of sleep, just a lot of squeezing my eyes shit hoping I would miraculously fall into a coma for the next 10 hours!

At this point I am seriously missing my king size bed with the super super super comfy mattress! I could sleep in that for days without stirring. 

High spirits have without a doubt faded.. I think I left them in the Orlando transfer!

Currently having to reboard so taking this time to stretch my legs and wee. Toilets on a bus whilst driving somehow doesn't quite do it for me! It just wouldn't work!

I may be in a better mood next time we speak.. But it's probably unlikely!

See ya

Yas ox

Hour #10

Everybody ssssssshhhhhh. I think Yasmin might be asleep. I hope so anyway. I wish I was. Instead I am listening to The Vaccines and ploughing my way through Middle Earth.*

Time seems to has lost all meaning. It's 4.50am here and I have been awake for approximately 19 hours. I don't see much hope in me getting any more than a couple of hours of sleep in the next 12 either and that is a daunting prospect. I may have to start hitting the cherry balls hard again to maintain energy levels. 

For now I shall continue to delight in the adventures of those pesky hobbits and wait for my lives to be restored in Candy Crush. 

Ciao for now xxx

*In a literary sense. Although it is a pitch black outside, we might be in The Shire, who knows. 

Hour #9

Times like this I wish I had a boyfriend.. And here are my reasons:-

I can use them as a human pillow, lean and lay on them. I'm pretty sure Kate wouldn't appreciate it if I started to snuggle up to her.

However, I don't think she would reject me ;)

Sleeping on a bus is literally impossible. The more I try the harder it seems. So I will resort to flow free and candy crush again for another hour whilst Kate finishes giggling ever so often watching Sandra bullock making a tit of herself!

Speak in 60 minutes!

Ox

Hour #8

Miss Congeniality is the best film in the world. Fact. I'm half way through so this is going to be a quick post but all is progressing well. Yasmin tried to sleep but the dulcet tones of fellow passengers and oh so comfortable seats have meant that she is currently tearing her hair out on Candy Crush. I myself have reached Level 23 but am taking a break for Sandra Bullock. She deserves nothing less. 

I would like to take a minute though to give out a bit of advice. Now ladies this is mainly aimed at you but it could apply to guys though, I ain't here to judge. If you ever find yourself travelling on a bus with leather seats DO NOT wear a dress with no leggings or tights. Every ten minutes I find myself peeling my rear end of my chair so I can change position. It's not pleasant for me and I'm sure it's not pleasant for Yasmin who has to listen to it. So there you have, Kate's lesson of the day. You are welcome. 

I'm going back to the beauty pageant now. World peace isn't going to happen on its own. 

xx

Hour #7

01.39am and I am caving in. Just an hour ago I was on a high and now I have crashed. I downloaded a free book on the kindle app "dating a cougar" and it literally is shockingly bad but it's helping me fall asleep.. That and The XX.

However the bus driver on this change over is absolute MINT! typical American and has a lot of banter. I think I've fallen for his humorous self!

This could be the last post from me in a couple of hours.. Ill leave ya with Kate!

Nanight

Yas xo

P.s socks and flip flops are a defo NO

Hour #6

Hour #6 is currently progressing splendidly. We have just boarded our second bus after having a brief stop in Orlando. We had just enough time to grab something to eat and people watch- which is incredibly fun at an American bus station at midnight, let me tell you. 

This bus is a lot fuller than we expected. We were hoping to be able to have our own two rows so we could lounge at our leisure but alas that is not to be so. There are also a lot of kids so if at some point you stop hearing from us it's because I've probably been asked to leave the bus for hitting somebody's child. 

As you can see though we are still loving life, especially as I am about to watch Miss Congeniality. 

Hour #5

With regards to the later blog post, I feel the need to inform you guys that by when Kate says I have an unhealthy sex obsession and can't find the hole.. I was simply trying to plug the charger into the wifi dongle. So yes, I hear you all think that in fact it is Kate with the dirty mind!

Anyway, enough of the frisky talk and back to this long winded journey. WE ARE HITTING HOUR 5. I am still up and buzzing but could sleep. We have a transfer just before 12am so I will hold out until then and carry on in taking copious amounts of sugared sweets! There's also two cookies still going.. Hmm.

Candy crush is seriously beginning to frustrate me as for the love of money I cannot get past level 33.. I'm getting the shakes from getting 14/16 jellies and not 16 GOD DAMN! (Obviously not because of the high amounts of sugar in my bloodstream right now) 

Anyway, topshopa tumblr and ben Howard is getting me through this hour and at this point I would like to say just how much I love this guy! 

Yas xo

Hour #4

Kate's back, and she's hyper. I have dived head first into a packet of sour cherry balls and I don't think I'm ever coming back. I'm sure I'll have a sugar crash sometime soon but until then I'm riding this wave like a pro. 

So, we've just hit hour number four. Aside from the sugar high it's going quite swimmingly. I've given Frodo and friends a rest for now but reclaiming my kindle books has made me feel so much more complete. God bless the App Store. I had to finish The Hobbit as I was three quarters of the way through when my kindle got stolen, and I have just started The Fellowship. I'm only a couple of chapters in and I'm already craving the films. Come at me Viggo Mortensen, you know it's right. 

Ahem, anyway....

Yasmin is doing well, though it seems she gets quite frisky when she's contained in a small space. Not only has she tried to inappropriately touch me, she also keeps going on about not being able to find the hole. So bad. Luckily I still have the rape whistle my Mum gave me before I left so I reckon I'm safe. 

My favourite moment of the last hour, or more realistically the whole journey so far, however can be attributed to someone who is thousands of miles away. During a text conversation with my glorious friend Sazzle (or Sarah Sharp to most of the world) in which I lamented the length of my journey and explaining that we were only doing it because it was cheaper than a flight, she replied, and I'm directly quoting here:

"Wait are you getting a bus from America to Australia?! Xxx"

There are just no words. I love her so much. Although my fellow bus mates probably don't as I laughed rather loudly and for an uncomfortably long time. 

That's about all I have to report on now. 

Oh yeah, Candy Crush level update: 18, and waiting for a full set of lives. 

It's going to be a long night. Bring on the cherry balls. And no that's not a euphemism. 

xxxx

Hour #3.

Yep, we are still going strong! 

I lasted all over 5 minutes playing candy crush as I lost my lives so since then I've been occupying myself by watching Sandra bullock and Melissa McCarthy doing the drunk dance! Check it out, I was in stitches. Laughing without making a noise as people are snoozing is actually quite painful I have you know!

Kate's kindle app (which she was ecstatic about) is occupying her as I write away to you guys :)

We are doing good, 18 hours to go WHOOP WHOOP!

See ya 

Yas xo

Hour #2.

Our first hour has flew by. I've eaten 4 cookies and read OK magazine cover to cover. I am currently waiting for more lives to complete a level on candy crush and that's how I plan to spend the next hour. 

Lights out! (Gr8 pic yh?)

Chow

Yas xo

And we're off.

We have taken our seats on our first bus. Spirits are high, Yasmin is singing and we have a bag full of snacks. Literally, I think we emptied Walgreens yesterday. 

I intend on using this time to watch Miss Congeniality approximately six times- 99p to rent on iTunes, who could resist? She's a federal agent posing as a beauty contestant! Also to trudge my way back up to my former glory on Candy Crush. I think out of everything that is what hurts the most about the whole 'regrettable incident'. These thieves will get you in so many ways. 

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the probable delirium that is about to ensue.....

xxx

Moving on.

So we are sat in our hostel having a last lunch, before we head down to the beach for our last swim, after which we will head to the bus station to head off to New Orleans. Miami has been interesting, for reasons that have already been discussed, but we have both decided not to dwell on it but instead look forward to the rest of the trip. 

Due to the regrettable incident- as it shall henceforth be known- we were late in booking our flights to New Orleans. After a frantic hour or so yesterday trying to remedy this we both decided that it would be a lot cheaper and easier to take a bus. But not quicker. Oh no, this evening at 7.30pm we will be stepping onto a bus in Miami, 21 HOURS LATER we will be stepping off the bus in New Orleans. Yep, that's right. Thankfully we have sorted out our phones otherwise I think we would have ended up killing each other! 

So, as a fun little exercise, and a way of hopefully keeping us sane we have decided to live blog the journey. Depending on whether we get any sleep we are going to try and do hourly updates so you guys can experience along with us the joys of spending nearly a day on the bus. 

Get excited people, because we really aren't. 

See you at 7.30! 

xxxx

and reality has struck..

Fact: Miami is ranked High when it comes to crime. On thefts alone last year there was over 15 thousand cases reported.

Fact: We didn't realise crime was so bad in Miami

Fact: Reality hit us like a washed up, rotting, wet fish around the face when we unfortunately had our belongings stolen. 

We were literally living the dream. Laying on the beach all day soaking up the sun, grabbing a shower and some dinner, then we would head back to the beach to watch the sun set and the moon rise. All whilst sipping on Malibu and eating gummy sweets. It felt so surreal that at times I questioned the fact of whether I was in a day dream and I would wake up to the sound of my alarm and live the normal working life. However that sounds much more appealing than the nightmare we have been living the last couple of days right now.

We stupidly took our eyes off of our bags for just a few minutes and suddenly they were gone. I can't describe the thoughts and feelings I had but we were definately no longer living the dream. Instead we were straight on the phone to the police to report it and phoning our banks to cancel cards. Both phones, both purses, Kate's kindle and passport all gone within minutes.. What the actual hell. All I can say right now is thank god we met two LOVELY & AMAZING guys in our hostel who lent us phones, money, wifi dongle and drove us into Miami. Literally unsure of how we would of done anything without them. So if for some reason you read this, thanks Cameron and Peter. YOU'RE STARS! 

After spending all day at the British consulate yesterday, we managed to get Kate an emergency passport. Thank god she scanned it before she came out as we had no other proof of ID. With the adjustment of having to cancel going to Australia after America and booking flights home for various reasons.. We were getting some where. Slowly but surely. 

Next important thing to do to tick off our extremely long list of important things to do was to get money. Between us we had no more then about 10cents loitering in the room somewhere. Thankfully my bank were very helpful and extremely fast and we picked up emergency cash that evening. Finally we felt a bit more at ease with everything. 

We both felt rather deflated and 'bleugh' and even talking about the whole situation would either make us laugh or burst out crying. Our emotions were everywhere. 

I know you're thinking how could you laugh at such a hideous situation? Well let me tell you.. When you realise you had just completed a really hard level on candy crush and then paid 69p for the next section.. It's pretty sad to cry over that right? And then when you realise you had taken some awesome pictures that night that hadn't synced onto my ipad and that won't be able to be instagrammed or uploaded to Facebook...YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO LAUGH.. and at that point I had ran out of tears so laughing was the only option. 

I was like a child again that night so I slept in the same bunk bed with Kate.. I'm not particularly sure why but randomly enough it was both of our best nights sleep in a while. Nawwwwww cute ey.

Today we made our way to HSBC to sort out Kate's cards and after a couple of hours being put on hold and listening to some rum ol music, that was another thing ticked off the list. Now it was time for some much needed retail therapy. I FINALLY HAD AN EXCUSE TO BUY NEW THINGS ;) 

Thank you Zara for my new red leather bag and urban outfitters for my kookie purse and Kate's lush bag.. It brought me happiness being surrounded by lovely clothes.

(Btw guys, urban outfitters is proper cheap out here. Got a cheeky bralet for 5 dollars in sale and the cutest camisole for 14 dollars). So combine this and eating some INCRED macaroons, today ended up ok. 

I loved Miami up until this incident, now I just can't wait to leave, which is sad, but we just don't feel safe here. Don't get me wrong we will make the most of the sun, sea and sand but once we are on the plane to New Orleans.. I will begin to relax again. 

I got a tattoo of a palm tree which will forever remind me of Miami. And when I think of Miami I will think of that horrible a**e that stole our stuff.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm great. 

Anyway.. We plan to spend the day tomorrow catching some sun that we have missed! Oh, and Joey Bananas (yes, real name) is teaching us how to surf. Wahooooo

Chow for now

Yas xo

P.s If you go to Miami.. BE CAREFUL!

Living in a Will Smith song...

WARNING: This post could cause jealousy. Please be aware that there will be high levels of gloating and smugness, and those with an envious disposition should look away now. 

SO, we have made it to Miami, and we love it, and we never want to leave. We got here a little after 5pm on Saturday after spending a delightful day on the bus down from Tampa. Our last few days at Yasmin's family friends were really chilled, with the exception of Adventureland, in which we spent the day frolicking in the wave pool and pushing small children out of the way so we could go on the big water slides first...

Yasmin also used it as an excuse to find and eat the world's largest cupcake. I think a round of applause from everyone is needed as I'm not entirely sure how she managed to polish that off and still looking banging in a bikini. Sometimes the world just isn't fair. 

As much fun as we had in Tampa however I feel like this week is going to top it. Our (incredibly cheap) hostel is only a block away from the beach AND we get free pancakes every morning. If it wasn't for the nauseatingly annoying American guy in our dorm room I would say it was all a bit too good to be true. Luckily he is cancelled out by the incredibly nice other American guy who we have spent most of the day with. 

Our first day was mostly (pretty much exclusively) spent on the beach. When it's only two minute away and it's 31 degrees it seemed rude not too!

It is a beautiful beach, with powdery white sand- that gets absolutely everywhere, know what I'm saying- and crystal clear turquoise water. See what I mean when I said you'd be jealous. I can try and make you feel better, however, by telling you that by the end of the day, despite applying Factor 30 all day, I ended up looking distinctly like a crustacean! I have been faintly glowing since about 4pm yesterday and despite doing my best to cover up today I still seem to be producing steam heat from my undercarriage.*

After much deliberation over what to do last night, after guzzling down some sushi, on Yasmin's part, and chicken katsu on mine we decided that it was pointless to spend endless amounts of money getting into a club and buying overpriced drinks. Instead we headed to the nearest Walgreens, picked up a bottle of Malibu, some red cups, because after all we're in America, and headed back down to the beach with our new found American friend to watch the full moon come up. Told you we loved it there. 

We didn't manage to get any decent pictures but let me tell you, it was beautiful. The beach was full of people doing a similar thing and we sat there for hours sipping our drinks, listening to bongo drums and discussing life's big problems. I would like to take this moment to thank Daniel Scroop for teaching me even a small amount of American politics. It helped me no end whilst having a heated debate with a conservative American about the benefits of free healthcare! 

Then, today, my lovely partner in crime finally decided (gave in to me nagging her) to get her tattoo! After much deliberation and bartering I finally got her in the chair, in a very dignified position I must add, and held her hand whilst a lovely if unintelligible Spanish man tattooed a palm tree on her. It looks mint, and she loves it, and I love it, and her Dad approves so bonus! 

How fit right?! Don't worry Gran, I'm not about to post a photo of mine. Not yet anyway!

Anyway, after our momentous morning we headed back down to the beach, got some more tanning (burning) in and are now about to go get some Mexican food with some guys from our dorm room. 

Living the dream people. Living the dream. 

*Bonus points for those of you who get that reference. Gold star for you. 

SUN & FUN

Helluuuu!

Fun and very helpful fact.. Did you know if you rub anti-bacterial gel on your mosquito bite that it stops it from itching? No? Me neither.. But it definitely worked! 

So since arriving in Tampa which is about 20 minutes from Orlando we have soaked up some sun and had a bit of fun too! You wouldn't think we were 22 and soon to be 20 would you?

Anyway.. On Sunday evening when we arrived at a family friends house we dumped our stuff in our room and had dinner. Food is soo good after travelling! We got introduced to liberty who is 6 and at first a little shy. This didnt last and immediately we were playing Cinderella and princess games! This was a little bit fun..! We then showered and watched the majority of hansel and gretel.. It wasn't the film I was expecting that's for sure. By this time myself and Kate were ready to hit our pillows.. This proved rather funny as it was Kate's turn to take top bunk and with no ladder it proved interesting. You can see why I found this highly amusing right?

Waking up and getting ready dragged a little as we were still pretty tired.. Liberty then gave us a tour of the garden, shot a few basketball hoops then made our way back in as the sun was SCORCHING! I'm not complaining, I just wasn't sun factor prepared at that point!

We then decide to go to the beach which when we got there.. Was the best feeling. With the weather being so hot, jumping in the sea was absolute bliss. Although it was still warm, it was still very welcome! The boys who we are staying with kept trying to catch some fish but that proved rather difficult.. So decided to catch some crabs instead! After floating around in the sea and a little bit of bathing, we headed on back home. The boys are fair skinned and didn't put any factor on so they had very red necks and arms. It was self inflicted lets be honest, but I couldn't help feel a tad responsible haha! 

On returning back we got set a list of activities by liberty which included Mosaics, bracelet making and tea parties....... (Again, who would think we are 22 and near on 20 hey?) this was all completed by us wearing a princess tiara of course!

Next day with the alarm set at 7.15am we headed to Busch gardens which I was mega excited for! Getting there just before the gates opened which meant little queues enabled us to take our time and go on rides more than once! BOOM! 

Me and Kate strapped ourselves in on Cheetah and whilst preparing to go I asked Kate "is this the one that goes really fast in seconds?" To which she replied "no, I don't think so"... However it was, and we was not prepared for that! It was insanely brilliant, one of my favourites! After a few other interesting rides (there was a wooden one which was horrid, my head and heads were vibrating when I got off!) we got to Sheikra. O M G. we got front row which was awesome. It's a little like oblivion from Alton towers. It goes slowly upwards, then hangs you over the edge for what feels like forever! Looking down over Busch gardens it then lets go and you go flying downwards... But then it does it all again but you go under yourself.. WOW! I almost pooed myself but loved it none the less! 

This was out faces for virtually all the rides..

After lots of rides and the boys burning some more, we left and went to an all you can eat pizza restaurant. OMG I felt soooo full after 6 slices of pizza, 3 cinnamon rolls and a brownie. With 2 cups of soda I was bloated to the max! I could've passed for being 6 months pregnant!

We got back and I headed straight for the shower. I was still damp from getting absolutely soaked on log flume and water rapids! Wearing white denim shorts and black underwear wasn't the best idea that's for sure! 

We then watched identity thief which I find rather amusing having watched it now 3 times.. Surprisingly I still love it!

And now we get to today where Liberty made us breakfast in bed. We put our orders in last night and demanded no earlier than 9am. So exactly 9am we get greeted with oatmeal as cereal, apple juice and coffee! Perfect hey! LOVING LIFE 2k13.

We are now sitting around the table playing a game of American monopoly.. The money is confusing me but its all good. It could be a long day haha.

Don't forget guys.. It's my birthday TOMORROW WHOOP WHOOP! 

Yaa xo

Leaving museums for some sun & fun..

Well hello!

I am currently sitting in the cute little crepe restaurant ending our trip to Washington the way we started it. Crepes and iced coffee style!

Our last day yesterday probably wasn't the most productive day we have had, but we enjoyed it none the less. We indulged in waffles (Nutella, syrup and whipped cream for me. Oops), soaked up the rays the park, cooled ourselves down with some fro yo, soaked up some more rays at the WW2 memorial fountain and then ate a naughty Chinese whilst watching Sex and the City. It was a good day ok!? However my bum is definitely going to get a whole lot larger at this rate! So this morning I opted for pineapple and kiwi crepes and a large black iced coffee. 

In around 3 hours time we will be leaving the beautiful Washington, D.C. to catch some sun and have fun in Orlando.. AND I CANNOT WAIT! partly because it's also my birthday in 4 days time.. Remember the 20th ok guys ;)

Chow for now

Yas xo

Rockin' it DC style...

Well hello party people!

How is life in the UK? Washington is...warm, very warm. Fun fact of the day- Washington DC was built on a swamp. A very humid, very muggy swamp. Me and Yasmin have been sweating our way round this fine city like nobody's business but we are embracing it, because let's face it our pale British bodies haven't experienced this much sun since the 90's! Luckily our hostel is only a short walk from the main part of the city, and everything you would want to see is within walking distance of each other...except from the zoo, but we'll get to that later. 

SO, after a surprisingly comfortable first night in the hostel we went off exploring on Wednesday morning, after stopping for a hearty breakfast first of course...

Now I don't think you've all realised how excited I've been about the fact that all of the museums here are free. ALL of them. FREE. It's amazing. I promised Yasmin we would intersperse them with other non-museumy activities so she didn't actually kill me in my sleep, and to her credit she's been incredibly patient whilst I've run around them all like a fat kid in a sweet shop. Our first port of call was the National Gallery, which was incredible. It is an absolutely huge building with some really beautiful exhibits. I'll put some pictures below of some of my favourite aspects of the gallery, with my favourite exhibit probably being 'When Art Danced with Music'. It was a full on multimedia experience of the history of the relationship between music and ballet and was really beautiful.

After that we headed off to meet my lovely friend, and fellow American history geek, Jack who has moved out here to do a Masters in American Policy, (or something like that, he did try to explain, it has something to do with Congress?!). We headed off to say hello to a certain Mr Lincoln before stopping in a little cafe and having a good old catch up. It was so good to see him, and he seemed to appreciate it when I told him I had forgotten how Scouse he was. Simple pleasures. 

After we said our goodbyes Yasmin very graciously let me drag her round one more museum; The Museum of American History, which I have to say was the one I was most excited about. Even if you only have a vague interest in American history this place will have something for you. From exhibitions about the Presidents and First Ladies, to America at War and American culture it really was very interesting. Promise!

As per my promise, Thursday was a strictly non-museum day. After adopting a rather lovely Welsh boy from our dorm, whose friend had let him down a day before they were supposed to come to DC, we decided to hop on the metro and head slightly out of the city to the National Zoo. Which, if you were interested is also FREE. Washington DC have got this tourism thing down. Despite the fact our combined age exceeded 60 as soon as we set foot in the zoo we became almost as childlike as those there on school trips. Especially when we were confronted by these guys....

It was just a great day, that ended with beaut noodles and even better frozen yoghurt. That my friends is what you call a win. We also got to witness the sassiest of girl fights on our way back to the hostel, so that was fun. We later lamented not filming it and putting it on Youtube so we could become an overnight sensation, but being the sensible white girls we are, we merely peered round the corner for a few minutes before getting the hell out of there.  

Which brings us to today. Still ridiculously warm we headed out to go see ol' Barrack. Rather rudely he wasn't in, but I'm sure he'll be sad that he missed us.

Then something strange happened. On the hunt for lunch we nipped into a restaurant that we've walked past every day on our wanderings into the city and asked to see the menu. After the brief, and by now classic, exchange of 'Oh hey, are you from England? Do you live in London?', Yasmin decided to try her luck and see if our accents would get us a free lunch. Amazingly, and we're still not entirely sure how, they did! Yasmin got the ribs, I got the rare seared tuna, we both got passion fruit mojitos, and neither of us got a bill. It was, by all accounts, ridiculous and amazing all at once. We do now have a creepy Iranian guy semi-stalking us but that's ok right? I mean passion fruit mojitos! They're definitely worth it?

With a free lunch and mojito euphoria spurring us on we then headed down to the Natural History museum for some more of that good old fashioned learning. Not quite as good as the American History one, it was still bags of fun.

We are now back at the hostel chilling out and deciding what we want to do on our last day in DC tomorrow, before flying down to Florida on Sunday. I think, excitingly, bikes may be on the cards. So look forward to that one people.

Ciao for now. xxxxx

P.S. I have received an e-mail from my Gran who appears to be reading this blog. She is worried about my alcohol intake so I would like this public opportunity to formally apologise and reassure her that I am being as safe as possible! Love you Gran!

Bursting the bubble...

Well hello there everybody, Kate's back you lucky things!

We are currently sat in our perfectly lovely hostel in Washington DC trying to be as quiet as possible as there is a perfect stranger fast asleep about five feet from us. Ahh, travelling. The bubble referenced in the title is very much a New York shaped bubble, and it has very much been burst. The combination of staying in our own apartment, with a comfy bed, big TV, resident Doberman and private balcony, as well as the fact we had Theo, AND I've been to NYC before, all combined into a feeling that we were merely on holiday rather than backpacking the states. Well let me tell you people, nothing shocks you out of that frame of mind like a five hour bus journey, communal bathrooms and bunk beds that look, and feel, like they've been here since the 80's. Regardless, we are both very excited to be in Washington, to get our trip started, and get down and dirty with some American history.*

Before we start posting our fun and frolics in the Capital, (I literally refuse to spell it with an O, the Yanks can just suck it), let me update you with our last couple of adventures in NYC. 

As Yasmin previously posted we spent Saturday (queuing) going up the Empire State Building, before heading down to my favourite place in the city, The West Village. Tree lined streets of beautiful town houses, Washington Square park, bars and cafes on every corner; if I ever had the opportunity/ lottery win to move to New York I would hole up as close to Bleecker Street as possible. Just, perfect. 

After a hunt for both the Friends apartment building, and Carrie Bradshaw's apartment we then headed up to Times Square, purely because when you come to the city you have too. Don't ask me why, I didn't make the rules, it's just what you have to do.

 We then nipped into Theo's bar to say hello/ keep her company with the best of intentions of only having a couple of drinks. Cut to 3 hours, 4 mojitos and 3 cinnamon whiskey shots each later and things didn't go terribly to plan. 

As such Sunday was supposed to be a relaxing day spent by the water in Brooklyn. Theo had a day off and there was a flea market in Williamsburg by the East River. I went last year and its a great way to spend a sunny Sunday morning. It ended, like last year, with me trying to figure out whether it would be financially viable to ship home a dressing table and two book shelves. Theo assured me it probably wasn't. Our plans for a quiet Sunday afternoon were thwarted however when Theo's friend called and said they were headed to 230 Fifth. Now I love 230 Fifth so I couldn't pass up the opportunity, and as my shoulders were starting to match my red dress we figured a trip into Manhattan was probably necessary. For those not in the know, 230 Fifth is a beautiful rooftop cocktail bar with views over the whole city. We stayed there for two cocktails before realising that passion fruit martinis on empty stomachs probably weren't a great idea so we hopped in a cab- Yasmin's first yellow cab experience, it was all very exciting- and headed down to the West Village (home) to a restaurant owned by one of Theo's regulars.

What happened next was what can only be described as a blur of mojitos, lobster tacos, gin, lamb chops, flavoured vodka shots, sushi, and more mojitos. We occupied a corner of the bar, made friends with the owner, female bartender, über gay waiter, and two regulars, got incredibly drunk, incredibly full, and it didn't cost us a thing. I love New York. And Theo. Because realistically, it was more to do with her ability to pull a pint and look fit whilst doing it than the city as a whole. Either way Sunday night felt like a win. 

Monday however did not. It was raining. We were hungover. It was raining. The wifi wasn't working. It was raining. A shelf fell out of the wall taking the speakers, projector and play station with it. Did I mention it was raining? Cutting our losses we spent the day eating cookie dough (God Bless America) and watching The Bachelorette. Not the most rock and roll way to finish our time in NYC but it was what we did, and I stand by it. 

And now we've left Theo and the bright lights of NYC behind (sob) and are getting ready for the next stage of our trip!

Speak soon xxx

* That last bit is 100% me. Yasmin should have known better than to let someone who spent practically three years of their lives nerding over American history come too a place with a whole street dedicated to free museums. Good one Yas. 

P.S. I miss this face already...I mean, who wouldn't?!