Galapagos Islands - The Most Amazing Place On Earth

Our flight from Miami was delayed an hour but it wasn't that big of a deal as there was internet in the airport so we caught up with people at home while we were waiting. The flight was like any other 4 hour flight and soon we were in a different continent. We landed in Quito and queued up with all the other passengers to go through customs. First up was a temperature check to see if we were carrying swine flu which involved standing in front of a heat sensing camera. Alot of people were wearing surgical masks in the queue for passport checks but most of them seemed to be in one large American group. As soon as they were through to baggage collection nearly all the masks were gone. Baggage collection was a bit of an experience - the carousel was so narrow that when bags got to the end of the line they had to be taken off and left on the floor to prevent them blocking the opening and causing untold baggage chaos. We found our bags and headed through to arrivals which was thronged with drivers and family members. We headed through the crowd and got a taxi to our hotel.

Since we had booked so many tours with USIT they gave us a voucher to use for accommodation in between our various tours so we were able to book a 4 star hotel for the price of a hostel. The first thing we noticed when we got to the hotel is that it is right in the middle of the bars and restaurants which were alive and kicking it being a Saturday night. We checked in and headed up to the room. First things first, I had to check the toilet since we had crossed the Equator (just about) and yes, it did flow backwards. Quito is at an altitude of about 3,000 metres so we were warned about altitude sickness which we kind of experienced as the night wore on. We both had dull headaches and felt kind of queasy so we took it easy and headed to bed as we had an early flight to the Galapagos the next morning.

The alarm went off and we were down at reception by 6.30 to get a taxi back to the airport. The streets were clear and we got a better view of the city than the previous night as the sun was up. First impressions were that the city is quite run down and dirty but we have a good bit of time when we get back to check the place out and get a real feel for it. We got to the taxi with no hiccups and headed into the terminal. As we did our accents were recognised straight away and a girl piped up "Oh, you're Irish". We got chatting to Jen and found out we were on the same flight to the Galapagos so we checked in together and had a great chat along the journey to Baltra Island.

I was happy to see all the restrictions and checks they perform before you actually get to step foot on the Galapagos Islands. First we had to have all our bags x-rayed and tagged before check in. We then had to register our passports to recieve a card to use to get our parks pass in the islands. On the flight all our hand luggage was sprayed with disinfectant and finally all our checked luggage was checked by sniffer dogs before we could collect them. With the luggage collected we met up with our crew mates for the next 8 days. On the flight there were an awful lot of grey haired Americans and both of us were worried that some of them would be on our cruise but we were relieved to find out that all the other 14 passengers were 20-something backpackers visiting South America. There was an Aussie and an Italian couple, 2 Swiss girls, 2 dutch couples, 2 guys and a girl from Isreal and a girl from England. Our rucksacks were taken for us by the crew and we got a bus down to the port where dinghy's brought us to our home for the next 7 nights - Guantanamera yacht. Our bags were already on board and lunch was ready so we sat down and got to know some of our crewmates.

After lunch we were allocated rooms and I was delighted when we had one on the main deck - there were three below deck which didn't have windows and neither of us wanted that. We had a bit of settling in time before we had a short sail to a bay very close to Baltra Airport. During this time we both got snorkelling gear as they were to be daily opportunities to go snorkelling which we were both very happy about. Also, the rocking motion of the boat won the battle with my belly and I had my first bout of sea sickness - I'll be going with the motion sickness tablets for the rest of the trip. In this bay was Bachas Beach which we took the dinghys to and had a wet landing at. A wet landing basically involves reversing up to the beach and hopping over the side when the tide is going out. Timed poorly and you have wet shorts for a while. We left the snorkelling gear by the rocks and went for a short stroll. Marvi, our guide, pointed out the various wildlife along this walk. The first thing that struck us was the shear abundance of it and how placid they were around us and as we took photos of them. All along the shore we had loads of blue footed boobies and pelicans flying overhead. In addition to all the birds overhead there were an incredible number of colourful crabs on the rocks and plenty of marine turtle nests which we saw at the end of the trail along with a couple of pelicans. We walked back and then went snorkelling from the beach during which time we saw a multitude of colourful tropical fish - too numerous to mention here. After snorkelling for a while we chilled out on the beach and continued to get to know people before heading back and grabbing showers. I took a motion sickness tablet straight away, Emer hadn't yet fallen victim to motion sickness (Go ME!!). Before dinner most of us were on the sun deck where we continued to chat and share travel stories. Alot of people had come from where we are due to visit so they gave us advice and increased the excitement of the coming weeks. After dinner we had welcome cocktails, met the crew, introduced ourselves and did some slasa dancing. We had a great time having the craic, dancing (some of us better than others) and getting to know people before heading off to sleep.

We stayed in a bay with relatively calm water for the night so we both got decent nights sleep which was nice. I took a travel tablet with breakfast after yesterday's shenanigans but Emer got through yesterday fine so she said she would see how she got on. After breakfast we had a dry landing on Plazas Island. The dominant male sea lion lying on the path where we landed to make sure that we knew it was his territory. We strolled around this island for the morning seeing the various flora and fauna including sea lions, crabs, marine iguanas, various seabirds and cactii totally unique to this island. We took the dinghy's back to the ship and had a snack before setting sail to Santa Fe. As we left the bay we saw a couple of Humpback whales breaching and splashing, a couple of hammerhead sharks swimming around the boat and some people saw a Manta Ray breaching the water as well. The journey was quite rough but thankfully the tablet I took with breakfast did the job. I don't think Emer could say the same thing (I will be taking motion sickness tablets from now on :-( ). We anchored in a bay and after a while we had lunch. When the food had settled we went snorkelling which was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

We took the dinghy's from the yacht and hopped out in the bay. Straight away we spotted a couple of marine turtles as they were swimming around in large, lazy circles. They swim at quite a speed despite barely moving their arms. After this we headed over to the rocks spotting a stingray along the way. At the rocks there were a few sea lion pups swimming and playing and they came over to us to see what was going on. They swam around us for a bit playing with us - as curious about us as we were about them. They are such agile animals when they are in the water, the complete opposite of when they are on land. After a while we got back into the dinghys and were brought around to the other side of the same rocks. The sea lions followed us to the edge of the bay, jumping out of the water like dolphins which was amazing to watch. On the other side of the rocks we hopped back in and went snorkelling again. A couple of curious sea lions came out to say hello to myself and Emer and we looked at each other underwater as they blew bubbles of air at us. We headed back towards the yacht and saw loads of tropical fish in the rocks along the way. It was so much fun taking a deep breath and swimming in the midlle of schools of sparkling and colourful fish. We headed back to the yacht after a bit and changed before heading back to the island to go for a walk and see some land animals.

It was a wet landing by loads and loads of sea lions which was fun, even if they are really stinky animals.We watched them interact for a bit on the beach before heading for a walk. As they get older they turn really lazy and just lie around but the pups are quite active and a few of them still rely on their mothers milk as food. Along our hike we saw loads more iguanas (land and marine), crabs, sea lions, loads of sea birds and another unique type of cactus completely unique to this island. It looked like a tree as it had a trunk and then the cactus plant grows up high out of reach. We walked to te top of a cliff for a view of the island and bay before heading back down and chilling out on the beach. The dinghy's took us back to the yacht and myself and Emer took a tablet straight away as we were due to sail through the night. After a while we had dinner and we just took it easy for the night going through the copious number of photos taken and chatting withpeople. We were due to sail after 11 and the captain recommended being in bed and asleep before we did go so we took his advice.

The choppy waters woke us a good few times during the night sail to Espanyola Island but the dramamine meant we woke with clear heads and settled bellies. After breakfast we were brought to the beach for a wet landing on Punta Suarez beach and we were give a couple of hours to do as we please. We threw a disc for a while, setup and took a photo and strolled down the beach to the rocks for a while. The dinghy's collected us and brought us back to get our snorkel gear before bringing us back to the rocks where we saw loads more tropical fish, another stingray and a black tipped reef shark over 2 metres in length. It was quite deep but the visibility was good so it was quite easy to see it and follow it around. We swam back to the boat and climbed on board before grabbing showers and having lunch while we sailed for about 30 minutes to another part of the island - Gardner Bay. A dry landing and the we walked around the island for 2-3 hours and saw some amazing sights. We saw theblue footed boobies do their famous mating dance which we were both delighted to get to see. We also saw loads of iguanas, albatrosses (adults, babies and eggs - even one taking it's first flight), a Galapagos Hawk and loads of other marine birds. We headed back on board and had a tablet with dinner which was delicious as all the meals had been up until then. We set sail early and I got a bit of a headache so we headed to bed relatively early.

Again we had an interupted sleep but we dropped anchor at 1am so it wasn't too bad. The anchor and chain are right outside our bedroom so we know exactly when it happens. Today we were at Floreana Island and the first of our two trips was a wet landing on the beach. Along our walk we saw a green and a white beach (which still had baby turtle tracks on it from the nests to the water) and a lagoon full of flamingos. Some of them even took flight and circled around the lagoon a couple of times which was cool to see. They look like sticks with wings in the air - they are so thin and long. There were some seal pups playing by the shore as we boarded to head back to the yacht where we quickly changed into our snorkel gear and headed back out to the rocks. The current was quite strong so we had to make sure we didn't get swept into the rocks. We saw another shark during this snorkel - this time a white tipped one. It was swimming a lottle shallower so we were able to dive and swim close to it which was cool. There was also a short underwater tunnel about 8-10 metres down which a couple of us dived to and swam through. I got a leg cramp during this snorkel so I hopped back into the dinghy but a few minutes later everyone was back so it wasn't too bad. Back on the yacht we had quick showers and lunch on the move as we had a short sail to Post Office Bay.

Post Office Bay has the Galapagos Islands post office which is effectively a barrel on a post with a door on it and alot of timber around it. The idea is that you write a letter and leave it there. You then look through all the letters/postcards and choose one. The thing is you have to hand deliver it yourself. You can either choose one from where you are returning to or you can choose one and have that be your next holiday. We took two for Australia - one for Tasmania and one for Western Australia as they were two places James and Carmen (the Australian couple) recommended we go and visit. With our letters posted and otherrs chosen we continued up the island to the cave. The entrance has a wooden stairs going into it and then you take hold of a rope and descend into the darkness. There is no electricity so the only light down there is the light you bring with you. We descended to where there is an underground salt water lake and we all got in and walked down the cavern. We continued through a narrow passage and into a chamber where the (really cold) water got deeper and deeper. In the cavern we turned out all the lights which was a really cool experience. We headed back, dried off and went back to the yacht. We had an early dinner and then sailed to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz which is the main city of the Galapagos Islands.

It was our guide, Marvi's last day as he was on holidays so he planned on bringing us out on the town. During the cruise we played cards with one of the Dutch couples and taught each other some new games. The girls then went off to get ready for the night out on the town. It was really strange to rejoin civilisation after the previous few days and the bay was packed with yachts. The captain navigated us into position and two anchors were dropped so we wouldn't spin around and hit another boat. A while later we were all ready and we took the dinghy's to the island. It was strange and a little sad to see the city all built up on one of the Galapagos Islands. One can only imagine the irreparable damage done to the landscape and the wildlife but that's another discussion. We met up with Marvi and went to a bar for a drink and then to the nightclub where we had some beers and danced to local and cheesy pop music. To get back on the boat we had to get a water taxi which was great craic. Go down the ramp to the water and if a boat doesn't turn up in a minute or so let out a whistle and one will be there soon. $1 each and they will bring you anywhere in the bay. We were both hoping to get a good nights sleep due to the calm water in the bay.

And so it turned out, with a good nights sleep and breakfast in our bellies we headed back to the mainland to go visit the Darwin Institute. The main thing they do here is look after the Galapagos Turtles. First we saw some baby turtles that are born in the centre. They look after the turtles until they are 4 or 5 years old and then release them onto their respective islands. This is done as non-native animals introduced by humans eat the turtles when they are young so some species are becoming extinct. The turtles are only released on their respective islands as each island has unique turtles so they make sure to keep the gene pool pure. We also saw some turtles which have been saved from islands as they are endangered. The most famous of these is probably Lonesome George who is the last in the line of his type of turtles so once he dies that is it for that particular kind of turtle. We were then given some free time to go and look around Puerto Ayora while the 3 sets of 5 day-ers bid farewell. You can do a 5 day cruise or an 8 day cruise and the 2 Dutch couples and the Italian couples were leaving us. During our free time we got some souveniers. We waited back at the port for the rest of the group to head back on the dinghy's. When they arrived some strange people got on as well - an old French couple with grey hair and a German couple. I don't think any of us were too happy with that but there was nothing we could do about it.

We had lunch on board and then chilled out for a bit befoer heading back to the island and taking a bus up to the highlands. When we were on the bus waiting to go one of the Dutch couples walked by. The bus had taken too long to get to the Airport and they missed their flight. Thankfully their travel agency booked them into a hotel, sorted out food and got them new flights the next day. Marvi was doing nothing for the day so he came with us up to the highlands where we went to a farm with wild land turtles walking around freely. They are massive!!! We walked around a bit and had a look at some of the turtles. We then went back to where the bus was parked and got into some turtle shells before heading back down to the water and the boat. Dinner was especially amazing this evening. It's amazing what the cook can do - all his dishes are cooked from scratch in a tiny kitchen and sometimes while the ship is sailing. After dinner we chilled out and took it easy - some people went back to the island for the night but we chose against it and took it easy. I did however get someone to buy me another underwater disposable camera as I had used up my first one in 2 snorkels.

Again we sailed through the night but we had tablets taken and the water was relatively calm so we slept quite well. After breakfast we took a dinghy ride around our new island for the day - Rabida Island. The reaction between the volcanic rock of the island and the salt water has created a deep red rock and soil that makes up the island. After the sightseeing dinghy ride we landed on the red beach and went walking. The route took us by a lagoon that is a mixture of salt and fresh water so the flamingos are long gone. There was a lack of wildlife on this island - this couple with the deep red colour of the land made it feel like another planet. Again, the cactus were unique to this island - due to the fact that nothing eats it here the thistles on it's skin and really soft and you can rub your hand on them. We headed back doen to the beach and went snorkelling from the beach which again was just amazing.

We swam out along the rocks with loads and loads of tropical fish, alot of them in schools feeding off the underwater rocks. As we continued out we encountered more sea lion pups - these ones were even more playful than the first group we met. We spent a good half hour swimming and diving and messing around with them underwater. We also saw a tiger eel but it played second fiddle to the amazing time we had with the seals. I filled up the new underwater camera all in this one swim it was that good. We swam back to the beach and headed back to the boats where we chilled out on the sun loungers during the sail to Bartolome Island as the sun had finally made an appearance. After about an hour we arrived and had lunch and let that settle before we went snorkelling again. In this session we saw a white tipped shark which I swam behind for a bit but it was nothing on the morning swim. We headed back for quick showers and then went for a stroll on Bartolome Island. Little or no wildlife lives on this wind eroded landscape which is full of volcanic craters. We climbed to the top of the island which afforded a spectacular view of the alien like landscape. On the way back to the boat we took a dinghy ride around where we saw some Galapagos penguins which was cool. The light was fading so it was hard to get a good photo but it was cool to see them. We had dinner back on board and then had some cocktails and dancing to welcome the new crewmates. We were sailing again that night so we both went to bed after 10.

Another interupted sleep but it wasn't too bad. After breakfast we had a dry landing on our new island for the day - Genovesa. This was a volcanic island like all the Galapagos Islands but it was completely different to the others. It's a flat island completely surrounded by cliffs over 80 metres tall. The island is completely inhabited by sea birds and for that reason the birds act completely naturally in your presence. Parents are completely placid even though they are with new born birds or looking after eggs. We had a great time walking around and seeing all the various birds and chicks - or big balls of fluff as they are more like. We took the dinghy's back to the yacht and got ready to go snorkelling. We did this close to where we entered and left the island along the cliffs. THe water was quite deep and visibility was quite poor but we still saw a massive marine turtle, a white tip shark and a scorpion fish which blends in perfectly with the rocks - it was spotted by our new guide for the last few days. We went back to the yacht for showers and lunch. Our motion sickness tablets had us a bit drowsy so we had a nap before heading back to the island for another stroll to see some more sea birds. Again it was an absolute pleasure to see these unique animals up close and personal acting as they would if you weren't there. On the way back we saw some sea lion pups playing in a shallow pool jumping over each other and play fighting which was great to see. We went snorkelling from the beach but the visibility was terrible and there were rocks everywhere so we all headed back and took the dinghy's back to the yacht for dinner and a farewell cake and cocktail with the crew and a little dance before setting sail at 8.30pm.

It was our final sail but it was definitely the worst. We barely slept a wink as the sea was so rough. The yacht was rising and crashing back down with great force - so much so that the waves were splashing in our closed window. There were a couple of waves that were like riding a rollercoaster we left our bellies behind so much. To make matters worse we had a 5.45am start with a dry landing on North Seymour Island, the final island on our trip. We saw some more sea birds but nothing we hadn't seen in the last 7 days in this wonderful place. We headed back to the yacht, had our final meal and then sailed the short distance to Baltra Island where the airport is. Some people were flying at 10.30am and there were 5 of us on the 12.30pm flight so we hung around for a good bit, got our passports stamped with a Galapagos Islands stamp and checked-in when it was time. We were both knackered so slept the whole way to Guayaquil where we said goodbye to the Swiss girls. Soon enough we were flying again to Quito where we landed, collected our bags and got a taxi to the hotel to relax before going to try and learn Spanish.

The trip was absolutely incredible. We both had quite high expectations for the islands and both of us were blown away by how amazing it was. It certainly was the most expensive thing we will do or place we will visit but we both agree that it was worth every penny. If you are only considering going or someday dream of going just go for it. That's my advice, I know for sure that you won't regret it.

Florida - The Sunshine State

We entered the Sunshine State under the cover of darkness and stopped in the welcome centre/rest area for the night. We went into the centre the following morning, took advantage of the free wi-fi and got loads of leaflets for Florida activities. Nearly all of them had one thing in common - everything was really expensive. With funds running low we would have to choose wisely as we wanted to keep as much money for South America as possible. Orlando was a fair distance away so we decided to take it easy for the afternoon and head to the beach. We looked at the map and the name of Daytona Beach jumped out at us so we headed there. We put it into the Sat Nav and rejoined the interstate and drove through the heat to the beach. We had to do a bit of circling when we arrived to find some parking (which was free) but we managed after a while and after some lunch we headed down to the beach.

The weather was inconsistent as we drove down the coast but the clouds cleared as we headed down to the beach which was nice. We lay down on the white sand and relaxed for a while, the tide was miles out so we went for a throw on the hard, flat, wet section of sand but it was just too windy to enjoy it so we lay down again. A thunderstorm started moving in over the ocean so we packed up after a couple of hours so we could get moving before the storm reached us. As we were leaving Daytona (past the famous speedway track) the national weather service was issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for where we were heading that was going south. As it was quite windy where we were we decided to get out of the RV so went into Burger King and took advantage of their soda fountain and waited the storm out. We passed some isolated downpours on the way to and from Burger King - one so isolated that when we were sitting at the traffic lights the 3rd car in front of us was getting soaked but we were bone dry. We continued towards Orlando again after a while and stopped at another rest area for the evening.

After another free nights sleep (rest area's are amazing - nobody bothers you and there are facilities right beside where you park.....and of course they are free) we were woken by the stifiling heat in the RV nice and early so we headed into Orlando. We had amassed quite a collection of momentos and stuff that we want to keep but certainly do not want to carry around South America for the next 3 months or so so we went to Staples to get a box to send them home. We found one big enough to take the Pearl Jam LP set I got in San Francisco and all the other stuff we got which I was happy about. We couldn't stand the heat in the RV so we parked by some camera shops as we hoped to get an underwater case for Emer's camera to take pictures when snorkelling in the Galapagos. The main one we wanted to check didn't open until 6 so we headed across the road to the worlds largest McDonalds where we had some ice-cream and relaxed in the A/C for a while. We then went to play some crazy golf at Crazy Congo. It was good craic but it was soooooooooooo hot that we were wrecked after it. We fed the gators which is the main attraction for the golf place and then headed back to McDonalds for another ice-crream and some more A/C. People always told me about the heat and humidity in Florida but I didn't expect it to be so bad.

By the time we left McDonalds it had cooled down considerably which was very welcome. We checked the last camera shop but were unsuccessful there as well so we drove to a Walgreen's to get a disposable underwater camera. We chose Walgreen's as Mike Debnar (Emer's cousin in Chicago) gave us one of his employee discount cards which entitles us to 15% off so we stocked up on drugs for South America as well. They had a big car park out back so we stayed here for the evening. Emer cooked dinner while I packed up the big box to send home. It was nice to be able to relax in the RV for the evening and not be completely uncomfortable with the heat. The plan for the next day was to go to Wet N' Wild so when it got dark we drove close to it to try and find a place to park for free the following day. We found a place with potential but it had a night club so we needed to find a different place for the night. We ended up behind TGI Friday's which worked out pretty well.

Unfortunately the clouds rolled in with the humidity during the night so we both had terrible sleeps but it was fine as we were going to Wet N' Wild which I was extremely excited about. Wet N' Wild is a big water park with loads and loads of slides - the last time I was in one would have been on a family holiday in Majorca in my very early teens so this was going to be great!! We got there as the gates were opening along with a load of other people too. They let you bring your own food in unlike nearly every other theme park in the States so there were loads of families bringing in coolers with them. We got a locker for our bag and then headed on the slides. First up was Brain Wash which you need a floating ring for. We queued up for this for a few minutes and got one fairly easily. They hold up to 4 but we went on it with just the two of us. It's a really good slide - you go down and around in pitch black and then there's a steep drop into a big open section but still enclosed where you go up and down like on a half pipe and then splash out. Great craic.

Next I went on Bomb Bay which is a really high steep slide much like the Free Fall in the Fun Factory when that was around. The only difference here is that you get into a small capsule and when you are locked in the floor opens from below and you fall into the slide and plummet the 8 or so stories before it turns out flat where you slow down skimming along the water. Soooooo good - Emer was afraid and didn't go on it. We then went on Mach 5 which was grand - you go headfirst on a mat but nowhere near as good as some of the others. After that we went on another floating ring slide - Black Hole. This one is for two people and it's pitch black again with the odd light that plays tricks on you so you never know which was you are going. Another really fun one as was Disco H20 which was another floating ring ride for up to 4 people. Loads of disco music plays as you go down on the ring but you can see this time. There is a really steep descent into a big enclosed circular chamber where you go around a couple of times before sliding out the middle and out into the exit area. We headed over to "Storm" which was a really good ride. Your standard fly down on your back ride which starts out really steeply so you build up speed before entering the flusher. Here you are constantly sprayed with loads of mist so you can't see and as you go around and around you lose elevation so you plummet through the middle into the exit which is about 3 metres deep. You come out of the water totally disorientated and don't know which way to go but it is great fun. We then went on the last slide before lunch which was called Surge- a mutli-person floating ring ride that was nothing too hectic. Storm clouds were moving in so we got our bag from the locker and caught shelter to have lunch before everyone else. It was a shrewd move as the clouds contained thunder and lightning as well as a downpour so all the rides closed down and people were told to seek shelter. We got a table and chairs just in time which was nice.

It was one of the infamous Florida thunderstorms I had heard so much about. The day had been glorious up to that with bright blue skies from the moment we woke up. The thunder passed after about an hour but the clouds never really shifted. We went on Brain Wash again, I persuaded Emer to go on Bomb Bay and as we were queueing to go on Black Hole again more thunder started erupting so all the slides closed down again. We took this as our cue to leave so we grabbed showers and got dry and waited for a break in the rain to walk back to the RV. We got one but it didn't last long as it started up again as we were walking back so we got a bit wet during the walk. When we got back to the RV we saw that we had left the windows and vents open that morning as it was so hot so there were some wet patches on the ground and under the windows. We dried it up as best we could and then hit the road east out of Florida. The plan was to go to the Kennedy Space Centre on Cape Canavrel the following day so we found a 24-hour Wal-Mart and stayed there for the night with another RV and a big truck.

The previous days thunderstorms really cleared the air and the humidity so we both got a decent nights sleep which was nice. We continued east to the Space Centre after breakfast - Emer saw some dolphins in the water along the way so she was delighted. I really enjoyed the Space Centre and I think Emer secretely did too. I had my photo taken with an astronaut, went to the launch pad viewing area and then onto the mission control for Apollo 8 which is the first mission they launched the Saturn V rocket which ultimately brought man to the moon. When we arrived here we were brought into the actual mission control area and we experinced the last three minutes of a rocket launch which was done really well. As each person did their checks and announced good to go their seat would light up and then at lift off the windows behind us where the rocket would have taken off from started rattling and lit up as the rocket made it's way up out of the atmosphere. After this we went into the hanger where they had an actual Saturn V rocket seperated into it's various phases to show each stage for take off. It's unbelievably big - over 120 metres and still to this day is the most powerful rocket ever built. After this we headed back to the main area where we went to the IMAX cinema.

Here we watched a 3-D film produced and narrated by Tom Hanks about the moon - from the past missions to what is planned in the future and to what is possible. It was quite enjoyable and cool to see an IMAX film in 3-D. After this we strolled around the rocket garden, walked the gantry that the astronauts walked to board Apollo 11 and land on the moon. After a little more looking around and messing about on the various exhibits we headed down the road to the Astronauts Hall of Fame. I didn't really look at anything here, we just joined the queue for the G-Force Simulator. We got our chance after about 30 minutes and we got into the closed capsules, buckled ourselves in and when the doors closed it started spinning. In front of us was a screen mimicking the cockpit of a fighter jet and as the capsules spun it mimicked the G-forces experienced as the jet performed manouveres on the screen. It was really good and really well done - we were told it gets up to 3 and a half G in places which is a good bit. We both came out and were quite dizzy as we walked out of the room, a really funny feeling. We went over to the simulator which had space for us straight away. We got on which probably wasn't the best idea - it was a fun ride where you are on a flying transporter and the machine moves as the screen shows you going around corners and stuff. Not as extreme as the G-Force Simulator but done straight after had us feeling a little queasy. We both went straight for the outdoors when that was done to relieve our headaches and when we felt a bit better we continued south towards Miami and our last RV park before trying to sell Ita.

As per previous trips south on I-95 we found a rest area close to our destination and stayed there for the night. It was right by trees which were full of tree frogs and bull frogs which are extremely loud. When we arrived it was really annoying and we thought we would get no sleep but thankfully they all shut up after an hour or so. The following morning we picked up some supplies and sent the box of stuff home before heading to the final RV park of our road trip. It turned out to be right beside a safari and we weren't even parked there half an hour and we were hearing lions roar sending flocks of birds in the trees flying. We spent most of our time at the park getting the RV tidy, packing our rucksacks and getting onto dealers and salvage yards in the Florida and Miami area to see if anyone would take it off our hands for some cash. Also, we had been saving our cardboard and bottles and stuff to recycle but the lady at reception informed us that there is no recycling in Florida which we were quite disappointed about. Talk about lazy.....

The following morning we made a few more calls and packed and tidied before hitting the road around lunchtime. We had some more errands to run (another small box of stuff was filled with things neither of us wanted to throw out so we had to post that home too) and then went to Wal-Mart in the late afternoon. Here we brought back safety baseball bat which we bought in Seattle to use as a self defence last resort incase we were broken into but thankfully it was only needed to smash open the pinada at Bonnaroo. We got store credit so we bought a couple of things. We got back to the RV and cooked dinner and after that we ended up staying there as we wanted to have a few miles to drive before trying to sell the RV the following day so that the house batteries would have some juice in them to show that most of the things were working.

The next morning we woke and rejoined I-95 south towards Miami. From making the calls and checking online we had a couple of places to go but one seemed to be the best chance of getting some cash. I had been talking to someone in Campout Inc. the previous day who told us they buy RV's for cash but we would have to bring it in so they could see it. We had the address and were heading there when one of the back tyres blew out on the interstate. Thankfully we were in the inside lane and could safely pull over straight away so we weren't in any danger. Also thankfully, our insurance policy provided free roadside assistance so all we had to do was make a call and someone would come and replace the tyre for us. Or so that is how it is supposed to work in theory. I walked about a mile to find a payphone and they said a crew would be out in about half an hour. An hour and a half later nobody had turned up so I went back and made another call. I was told that they couldn't find me so they just left. The next crew they sent out was someone in a car who could only change light duty tyres - our vehicle was too heavy and he didn't have the tools needed. He called the insurance company who sent out a heavy duty crew who were supposed to arrive within half an hour. Over an hour later with nobody showing up I went to walk back to the payphone to find out what the craic was. I was nearly there and Emer phoned me to tell me they had shown up. They had the heavy duty jack necessary to lift the RV and did so for us. Something that was supposed to take half an hour ended up taking over 4 hours but we were back on the road again.

We made it to the dealer on the south side of Miami after 4. We went into the office and asked for Greg Scott who were told to ask for by a couple of people. We were brought outside and were introduced to a chap with long grey wavey hair in a pair of long jean shorts and no shirt. Not who I expected to meet at all but he was really genuine and talked honestly with us. He came into the RV, saw how clean it was and after a quick chat offered us $800 for it in cash and a free lift to te airport on Saturday (it being Thursday at this stage). That was twice what the insurance company valued it at and he knew about the roof so I was delighted with the offer but didn't let him know that. It was gas - he didn't want to take it for a test drive, didn't want to check anything (he asked us if the generator worked - we told him no) and just had a quick look on the roof to see the holes and that was enough for him. We "chatted" about it for a few minutes when he headed back into the office and accepted his offer. With that we continued south over the many bridges linking the islands off the south coast of Florida called the Florida Keys.

The Florida Keys, as I mentioned, are a series of islands off the southernmost tip of Florida and are connected by a series of long bridges or sea highways as they are known. If you drive for 100 miles you reach Key West which is quite famous for the ecclectic mix of people that call it home. During our chat with Greg he recommended that we only go a bit of the way out to see what they are like as it's not really worth going the whole way and theat we would struggle with the RV. We took his advice and stopped about 40 miles along the highway. They are a strange place dominated by places selling boats. Alot of the small islands are very thin so there are houses on either side of the road with water and road frontage which I am sure are worth quite a bit of money. We pulled into an area used to launch and collect small motor boats and jet skis and the like where we relaxed for the evening and had some dinner. We decided to stay here for the night and then head back up to see Miami Beach the following day. Unfortunately, during the night the local sergeant woke us up to inform us we couldn't park there for the night so we headed a bit further south and found a small parking lot with a tree overhanging it so we stayed there and weren't bothered any further.

Woke up on our last full day in the States and hit the road north again after breakfast. The plan was to have a brief stop at the Evergalades National Park before heading to the city of Miami Beach and the world famous South Beach. As usual, we stuck our destination into the Sat Nav and headed on our merry ways. Along the way we saw loads of alligators right by the roadside, some not even seperated from the road by a fence. We continued on towards the Everglades and along the way were astonished by the change in scenery once you leave the main highway. Built up areas lead into farmland and palm tree nurseries almost instantly and it is really nice and refreshing to see farmland and open areas so close to built up downtown areas. We made it to the entrance and unfortunately it was closed as it was out of season (the season being December to April). I am sure there were other entrances that were open but we decided against it as we wanted to see the beach. We rejoined the highway, and the developement that goes with it, and headed through downtown Miami and over the bridge to Miami Beach.

Miami Beach is considered a seperate city to Miami and is similar ro Manhattan in taht it is an island joined to the mainland by roadway. It's east of Miami and has some incredibly large houses on the water and massive yachts and boats to go with them. We drove aorund a bit and got lucky with a parking spot big enough for us and still close-ish to the beach. We strolled down to the beach and we were both amazed at how nice it actually was. Most of the big name beaches we have been to have been slightly disappointing - the sand was soft, clean and white and the sea was immaculate. Crystal clear blue and actually warm when you got in which was amazing. We lay down for a while, I had a bit of a swim and before we were getting ready to leave this group of Irish lads sat down beside us. We got chatting to them and found out that they were over on J1 visas doing promotions for a local nightclub. Tonight Brooke Hogan (Hulk's daughter) was having her album launch so the lads gave us wristbands to get in cheaper ($20 each!!!) and we left them our beach rug thing that we were going to throw out anyway. We said we would go if we could find a place to park the RV for the night for free but they didn't know of any places around. We strolled around the art deco area on our way back to the RV where we passed the Versace mansion right on South Beach which was quite impressive. We headed back towards Campout Inc. to a place I had spotted on the way in which had loads of space to park right by the freewat so it would be realtively safe.

All along our route people were telling us how dangerous Miami is and to be really careful. Granted we didn't go downtown but neither of us felt unconfortable or threatened in any way. I reckon it is like any city that has it's bad areas but because of the heavy influx of foreigners (especially Cubans) it is getting a bad rep. Or I could be totally wrong. Either way the place I spotted was perfect, we spent our last night in the States there and had an uninterupted sleep which is always nice. The following morning we did our final pack and tidy before hitting the road to Campout Inc. We arrived there befoer noon and stayed in the office with the A/C a bit to cool down. Greg was out sick with the "man-flu" according to his wife but the sale happened nonetheless. Our driver to the airport arrived a bit later and we loaded our things into the Ford F-350, a real proper hillbilly truck. While we were waiting we had a look at the massive class A motorcoaches and we were both blown away by how amazing they are. They are effectively coaches with a house inside of them. They have leather coaches, flat screen TV's with surround sound and a full kitchen complete with dish washer. Unbelievable!!!

Will, our driver to the airport, was a true redneck. From Alabama he had a dislike of anything liberal including Lincoln. He was a really nice guy but it was funny to talk to someone as deeply conservative as he was. The journey to the airport was relatively short and I had no intention of getting into a debate with him so we entertained him and had a good olde chat along the way. It made such a difference getting a free lift with the big bags and all and when we got out of the car we were able to check in straight away out on the footpath where they took our heavy bags and gave us our boarding cards. We found a place with Wi-Fi in the airport and waited for our flight to to take us on the next part of our adventure.

The Deep South

(Apologies for the disappearance off the face of the earth for a while, most of our online time in the States was spent trying to flog the RV so the blog fell away a bit. As always, the photos have been updated before the blog has caught up. I plan on getting the blog back up to date by the end of the week. In the meantime, Mark's photos can be viewed here and you'll find Emer's here)

When we woke at the rest area we headed into the welcome centre where we got information leaflets on our next port of call - Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg is an area in the middle of Williamsburg where the buildings, traditions and way of life from the colonial times still remains today. We found out there is parking and a shuttle bus so we hit the road and headed south to the parking area. We had lunch in the RV and then headed into the welcome centre and got shuttle bus tickets to bring us to the colonial area.

It was pretty surreal walking around seeing all the workers in period clothing all going about their business. It was late afternoon at this stage so some of the trades were closing and it was $35 each to get tickets to go in and see them so we just strolled down the main street looking at the various buildings and people in costume. We went into a couple of shops and a tavern for some ice-cream before continuing our walk around and eventually out of the preserved area. We got a shuttle bus back to the parking area and fired up the RV again. Back onto I-95 southbound and we stopped at another rest area just over the North Carolina border.

It rained through the night but the duct tape held up for the most part and the only water thatgot in was in the shower so that was fine. We headed into the welcome centre and got details on good BBQ in the area - something the Carolina's are famous for and we had beeen told to get some once we crossed the border. The very helpful lady at the desk gave us a list of restaurants and recommended the best ones in her opinion. Emer really wanted ribs but was informed that's not the style in the Carolina's - it's all pork and chicken. We chose Parker's which was a couple of hours drive away so we stuck it in the Sat Nav and headed on our merry ways. We arrived around lunchtime and found the parking lot to be busy which was a good sign. There were tons of reviews in the lobby as we went in and one of them rated it as one of the top ten road side restaurants in the whole of the States so we were quite hopeful going in.

And we weren't disappointed. We both went for the combo which contained a portion of pulled pork, a BBQ chicken breast and wing and two sides. Being Irish, we both went for fries and boiled spuds. The meat was tender and tasty and the potatoes full of flavour. We were both stuffed when we were finished and the bill came to less than $15 which was incredible value in my opinion. It was strange to find people smoking in the restaurant but it happened towards the end of our meal so it didn't bother us too much. With full bellies we continued south towards Charleston, another colonial town retaining alot of the character from the area. However, there was still a fair bit of driving to do so we decided to go to the cinema in the outskirts of Charleston so we would get to see the city during daylight. We found an 18 screener about 10 miles from downtown so we stuck it in the Sat Nava and headed there.

We made it to the cineam at around 9pm and went up to buy tickets. There was a mother dressed for a nightclub with her young daughter ahead of us who bought tickets for the 9.20 showing of Harry Potter. Eager to avoid a repeat of Up we got tickets for the 9.50 showing so we headed back to the RV to write our diaries and wait for the show the start. Unfortunately there was a couple sitting right behind us who only seemed to want to chat which was annoying as we both wanted to see the film. Emer got up and told them to be quiet which seemed to surprise them. They shut up for a while, started whispering and then got up and moved over to the corner pretty much out of earshot so it was grand. The film was good - Emer enjoyed it more than I did but I have read the books. I don't want to go into it incase there are peoople who haven't see it yet. We decided to stay in the car park for the night which worked out fine as we weren't bothered until the construction crew started up in the morning.

We got up and drove downtown where we searched for free parking around the visitor centre. We weren't successful but the visitor centre had all day RV parking for a tenner which was reasonable. We parked there, grabbed a bite to eat in the RV and then headed into the air conditioned visitor centre where we cooled down and got some information on the historic downtown area and what to see. We chose a route to bring us to a good portion of the city. First stop was the Fort Sumter Ferry Terminal by the water (obviously) - the ferries bring you out to Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. We were both quite underwhelmed by the area and had no intention of getting the ferry out so we headed on. We continued along the water down to the Battery where we found the part of the city we wanted to see. All the massive plantation houses from the colonial times are retained and in pristine order which makes for an amazing walk along the waterfront.

Back in the day houses were taxed on road frontage so most of the houses are quite narrow but really long. On top of this they all have full length balconies on each floor to give them the unique and iconic look of the colonial and plantation era. Obviously some of the houses are bigger than others but each of them are stunning and full of character. We continued around the waterfront and up Meeting Street where the majority of the stunning houses are and it really was an enjoyable walk. We stopped about halfway along the street where Emer bought a dress and then we went for somemore BBQ, this time in Sticky Fingers. They are a series of BBQ restaurant in the deep south and we shared a rack of ribs which were amazing. They have 5 different sauces to choose from and even ship around the world. We took details and fully intend on getting some wherever we end of having a fixed address for a while. Along the way back to the RV we walked along King Street which is the main shopping street while still retaining the character of the times. My camera battery ran out along the way so Emer hung out in the RV while I went back to take some photos. We booked into an RV park for the following day but had one night to sleep somewhere so we found a Wal-Mart less than 15 miles away and stayed there so that we could pick up supplies the following morning and get there early. Wal-Mart's stay open 24 hours and have absolutely massive car parks, at least 50% of which is empty the whole time. We parked over in the corner and weren't bothered at all.

The next day we got up, got some supplies and then headed to the RV park where we arrived around midday. We parked in our spot and had trouble getting online which was kind of a blessing in disguise as we just went into the office/cafe and got online in there. South Carolina is absolutely roasting this time of year and since our A/C is broken the RV is horrible to be in when there is no air moving through it. We caught up with e-mails and started looking into flogging it in Florida but since they closed at 10 we didn't get too far into that. We chilled out for the day, had BBQ for dinner and the last of the jars of peaches from Chicago for dessert. The following morning Emer got up earlier than me to go online and do her stuff. I checked my emails and cleared out the RV tanks before hitting the road just after midday.

Our final stop before hitting Florida was Savannah in Georgia, another of the fantastic preserved cities from the 1700's. We arrived around lunchtime and parked in the visitor centre which was only $1 an hour which we were both quite happy about. Again we went into the visitor centre to cool down and get some information about downtown. Savannah was the first planned city in the States and still retains 21 of the 24 parks that were dotted around the city and have the roads built around them. There are trees all along the main streets and in all the parks and the buildings look really well against that backdrop. We strolled around to some of the squares, including the one where Forrest Gump sits down on the bench and eats his chocolates ("My Mom always told me that life is like a box of chocolates"). We headed down to the waterfront and along all the converted cotton factories before heading back to the RV and hitting the road south in the evening. Again, we stopped at a rest area on I-95 just over the state boundary - this time in Florida where the final leg of our road trip begins.....

The Capitol - A Whistle Stop Tour

Similar to Philadelphia we intended on doing a whistle stop tour of Washington DC, the nations capital. We left the RV park we were staying in and continued south. We chose to avoid the tolled route which brought us through the middle of Baltimore which I was happy to do after watching The Wire for the past couple of months. We headed for a Metro stop a bit out of the city but not too far so that we could hopefully park for free but still not have a massive journey to get downtown. We chose Fort Totten and it turned out to be perfect - we got a parking space less than a mile from the station and 8 stops had us down at the mall. The first thing that struck me when we left the RV the first afternoon was the humidity, it was killing me. I had sweat running down my face by the time we reached the platform. Thankfully the train had A/C and I was able to get it under control before we left the train at the Smithsonian stop.

We got off and went up to ground level and the first thing that struck me was the open space and the view to both the Capitol building and the Washington monument opposite it, seperated by about a mile. In between this mile is a series of museums of the highest calibre, called the Smithsonian museums. They are all free and are too numerous to mention, let alone visit. We chose the Air and Space Museum and headed there. I really enjoyed this museum and I think Emer did too. They have amazing exhibits at it including the original Wright Brothers plane, the Apollo 11 capsule that they returned to earth on and loads and loads of other history making flying vehicles hanging from the roof. They have an area with ballistic missiles, you can walk through a mock-up of the living quarters from the original international space station. They also have a great animation showing all the flights over the USA during a 24 hour period showing the job the various air traffic controllers have to do. We spent a good few hours here and then headed back out onto the mall.

We were hungry at this stage so strolled to Chinatown as we hadn't had good Chinese in a while. We stumbled upon a place where the chef was making fresh noodles in the window. It was amazing to watch the chef start with a ball of dough and constantly stretch and spin it until the noodles appear, seemingly out of nowhere. We went in and were brought to our table. Through the seating area to the back, up a set of stairs and seemingly to an upper floor of an adjoining building. We were sat at a table for 8 at which we looked quite small. We ordered our food and another couple were sat at the other large table in the room. A few minutes later 3 people were sat opposite the other couple and they shared the table so we expected it to happen to us soon. Our food came and as expected a family of 3 were shown to their seats opposite us. We got chatting to them as we ate and discussed our trip and they recommended places to us to see as we continued south. We finished before their food came and the bill was left in front of us. The father of the family immediately took it and insisted on paying it for us. We were shocked at the generosity shown after only a few minutes chat but it really is something we have noticed along our travels and has not been an isolated incident.

We left the restaurant still amazed and strolled around for a while. We walked down to the Capitol Building with its iconic dome roof, the White House (or at least the safe area in front of the front portion of the house), Ford's Theatre (where Lincoln was shot) and The Washington Monument. The latter two buildings give out free tickets for tours every morning so we planned to go to them the following day to get tickets and tour them. It was late enough at this stage after all the walking so we headed back to the Metro (via McDonalds for a caramel sundae) and took the train to the RV. The Chicago Cubs were in town and the game had just finished so the trains were slow and full so it took a while to get back but get back we did and we headed to sleep after watching an episode of The Sopranos.

We got up early the following morning and took aMetro back to Smithsonian stop where we joined the queue at the base of the Washington Monument. The monument is the tall slender grey one much like the one in Phoenix Park but you are able to take an elevator up the inside of it for what I was informed to be an amazing view of the city from 555 feet. We waited in the queue for a while and got tickets for 8.30 so we had alot of time to do and see other stuff in the city. We walked to Ford's Theatre and got free tickets for that walk through as well, this one for 12.30. We went and got some breakfast and then came back for the tour which was quite good. There was alot of information about Lincoln's life in the basement which we had already seen during our visit to Springfield in Illinois so we weren't that interested in that. We headed up the stairs and into the refurbished theatre with the presedential box where John Wilkes Boothe did the deed. A park ranger came on stage and talked us through that fateful day and about the life of Boothe which was quite interesting. After the tour we went across the road to where Lincoln died, in an inn room. It described how the power was passed to the Vice-President and the various important people who came to visit Lincoln during the night while he lay in the coma before passing away in the morning.

From here we went back out onto the mall and walked past the Washington Monument down to the collection of monuments by the iconic water pool (the one from Forrest Gump where she hops in and shouts to him). The first one we met was the World War II monument. It contains alot of stars over a pool with two fountains falling into it on either side and is quite nice. We continued on to the Vietnam Memorial which is quite a sombre place. It is a black granite wall with the names of all the Americans who have died or are missing in action since the start of the Vietnam War. The number of dead is staggering and seeing each single name in relation to the whole wall emphasises the devastating loss of life. We then walked up the steps to the stunning Lincoln memorial. As you walk up the steps you cannot miss the large pillars of white rock all along the entrance. As you reach the top of the steps you get to see in the room for the first time and see the imposing figure of Lincoln sitting in a chair. The quality of the stone statue is incredible and I really enjoyed seeing it. As we left the room we were treated to a stunning view down the whole length of the mall all the way to Capitol Hill.

We still had some time before our Washington Monument tour so we crossed the river over to Arlington Cemetary. This is the national cemetary where the war casualties were buried until it ran out of space. It is a massive cemetary with acres and acres of white headstones as well as large graves for the very important. The most famous of these is probably John F Kennedy's and the eternal flame. We viewed this beofre climbing the hill to the tomb of the unknown soldier which is constantly under guard. On the hour every hour the changing of the guard ceremony takes place - we managed to see the last one of the day before the cemetary closed which was great. It is an amazing experience to see the routine performed with military precision with the large crowd present staying quieter than Thomond Park when Ronan O'Gara is taking a kick. We were asked to leave the cemetary after the changing so we made our way down the hill to the exit and out to the subway which we took back to Smithsonian stop to the Washington monument where we relaxed before our tour started.

The tour involved going through an airport style security check and then queueing for the elevator to bring us up 550 feet to the internal observation deck. The view was nice from there as the sun was going down and the last embers of purple remainded on the horizon but the viewing windows were quite dirty which made the view cloudy. It was a pity but it was free after all. We enjoyed the view for a while and then headed back down and to the subway back to the RV. We had one more stop we wanted to make before leaving the city and that was the Iwo Jima monument - the iconic image of the 4 soldiers pushing up the flag. We drove the RV there and had a look and took some photos. It's quite a big monument, alot bigger than either of us expected. After that we drove through the darkness south on I-95 and stopped at a rest area for the night before our next visit.