apologies

Sorry for a couple of the long posts earlier in the trip, got a bit carried away with details i should be putting in a journal and not boring anyone who is reading these posts....

Indianapolis

Sabryna and her boyfriend picked me up from the Airport, she had just picked up her new car from the car yard. That night we went to a comedy club and then down to to check out the local scene, which was flourishing with hit cars, bikes and of course ladies. Next day we got up and drove toward the speedway. The weather was terrrible. Forecasts suggested 70% chance of rain between 11am and 6pm, so things were looking real good!! at 8 am at was raining steadily, race was scheduled for 1pm but who knew. Sabryna dropped me off at Georgetown road and i walked closer with about 25,000 other people. My first glimpse of the circuit from the outside gave me the impression it was big, but as i walked from turn four down along the front straight to turn one were i had to pick up my ticket, i learnt just how big it is, the image below gives some perspective, but there is no subsititute for the human eye. I got my ticket and headed for the seat on the opposite side of the track as time was becoming a factor for race start. cloudy, humid, but no rain yet.

Georgetown Rd, between turn 3 and turn 1


The view down the back straight


The view around turn three


just a few people in the crowd

It took a good 45 to get to my seat on the other side of the "North East Vista" aka Skin Cancer alley, i heard someone say. Not today. anyway amongst 40,000 other fans i sat and let the feelings sink in. the view wasnt bad at all, and after the anthem was sung and a minutes silence for those in the gulf, the fans got revved up for the parade laps and the green flag which was this year being waved by the Indiana Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning. half a dozen sparkling gold Corvettes led the pack around for a couple of laps and final, they were off. i left my ear plugs out for a couple of laps just to get an idea of the noise, yes they are loud!! but different to F1, not so high pitched. They look fast when they go past, but when you see them (and only just) head up the front straight after the last turn, you can really see the speed they carry. 223 mph (approx 350kmh) was the fastest i heard over the PA during the day.

Loved the Cheverolet Corvette Pace Cars

Lap Before Green, taking formation.

Yellow flags, a few cars went into the walls...

After several yellows, i snuck a whizz break in, at this point i will mention, that there must be a LOT of beer consumed at this event, i think i was one of the few people who didnt take an esky in. there were drunken idiots even before i had gotten in to the circuit, even so one chick dirty dancing some guy in front of a whole crew of people. it was "no shoes, no shirt, no service" at this party!!

As I walked out from the cesspit they called a toilet, the heavens opened, and the almighty wrath that several hillbillies out the front promised would come if i didnt drink more bud, was unleashed. After some time it stopped and then an announcement was made that it would be 6.30 before the track was dry enough to race on again, if it didnt rain before then. it was 4pm, 113 laps in and i was drenched. after deciding i could be assed waiting 2.5 hours for the race re-start, i made my way back out and home. It sucked to cut it short, but my experience of the event, the atmosphere, the people, and the racing itself was satsifying. However i will say the racing is pretty boring.

Scott Dixon, representing Antipodeans in the big race!

The next couple of days were spent jut realxing in a quite area in outside of the centre of Indianapolis. I had a look around in the centre of the city one evening with my host Sabryna, and also went to a good o'l cookout with some friends of hers and her father who was visiting from St Croix in the Virgin Islands. He was a nice bloke, we went down to get beer and meat in his hummer which was interesting!! i prceeded to get drunker than i should have, but it was a fun afternoon!!

So now im back in New York for the last time, just getting organised for the flight to LA tomorrow and the big trip which starts early the morning after....

things have been so much fun so far, but i have a feeling things are about to step into overdrive

and i can not wait....!

Chicago

Chicago has so far been the trip highlight. I have never felt so much a part of a city than here. I was so lucky to be staying with Adam in Bridgeport, on the southside of Chicago. I felt like i slipped straight into the lifestyle of he and his friends.

On the first night we went to a pub called "The Map Room" which had a massive list of beers to choose from, the brew-master from Brooklyn Breweries was also there, so shook his hand. Had a Dogfish (something like that anyway) which was great, and a few other beers, which i would have written down, but who can be bothered at the time.

The next day i did some exploring of the city with Kate, one of adams friends, she took me to Millenium park and saw the fantastic "Bean" sculpture, and the art institute of Chicago.

That night we went to a White Sox game (Vs Oakland Athletics) at Comiskey Park, had plenty more beers and soaked up the atmosphere. I was supposed to go to a cubs game at Wrigley Field, however they were out of town the week i was there. That night on the way home we stopped in at Millers Tap to "throw bags" Adam and I took on 2 blokes who had been winning for some time, needless to say they beat us too.

Chicago Theatre

The Bean - Millenium Park

Another day exploring the city saw me venture into the museum of contemporary photography which was kinda small but very interesting, and walking out to Navy Pier, a huge amusement area, which hosts one of the oldest Ferris wheels in the States. I also walked back past buckingham fountain and some other park areas. The downstown area of chicago is very well set out, plenty of beautiful public spaces. I visited the United centre (home of the Chicago Bulls) and saw the Michael Jordan Statue, and also visited the Mexican Musuem of Art.

The Jordan Statue


Buckingham Fountain and city skyline

I had never heard of a band called "!!!" pronounced chk, chk, chk. But they put on a great show at theChicago Metro theatre, the night was complete with a bitch fight out the front. Some girl got vicious and kneed the other girl in the who-ha. we caught up with Adams friend nicole and went to a bar with her after the show, then we got the red line home. The next night Nicole and I went to an Argentinian restaurant, and then she drove me around the city at night to check it out after dark. the next afternoon we went for a nice walk through Lincoln park and along Lake Shore drive, walking along sandy beaches was something i hadnt done for a while!! On the way to the Sears tower, we stopped at a park which had thousands of pairs of boots as part of a memorial day tribute to soldiers that have died in the Iraq war, glad we saw it on the way. The top of Sears tower gave a good view of the CBD, and the sunset was interesting, despite being behind glass.

Memorial Day Boots in Park


Another beautiful public area

Looking into the CBD from Sears Tower at dusk


My last night in Chicago, that dark band across the sun is smog.

After the tower, we went and got Chicago style pizza for desert and the nwent to a pub and got a table tapper. Like a big tube of beer that holds about 8 pints, we had blue moon beer, i was pretty tanked by the end so it was good to get to sleep. We had breakfast together on the last morning and then Adam very kindly drove me to the airport, INDY here i come!!

Washington DC

again sorry for layouts, im just running out of time ...

J Edgar Hoover FBI Building

Washington Monument

The White House

Lincoln Memorial across Reflection Pool

inside Lincoln memorial


Capitol Building

Airport transfer out to La Guardia was simple, flew in a tin can down the eastern seaboard to Washington in under an hour. It was scary being in something so small, you feel every bump and gust of wind, but it got me there, so what ever.

Flying in over the city gives you a good first glimpse. The Reagan airport isnt far from the CBD and as you come in to land you get quite a good aerial view of the Pentagon. An impressive building to say the least. Or is it what actually goes on inside there that makes it impressive? i dont know. You can also, if looking in the right place, breifly see some of the monuments on "The Mall" as its called.

I had to chill out for a while before my host finished work, i followed some directions of his to a waterfront section to have a drink and just relax for an hour or so. I must have gotten them wrong, because after half an hour of trudging around, again with all my stuff on my back, in the heat (it was 27c) sweating like a hippo all i found was the muddy banks of the wishka, or whatever river it is, i forget right at this moment. so i eventually made it in to the city where i just lay in a park under a tree and chilled for a bit, then made my way to Javier's house in Columbia heights. After dinner at "the diner" in Adams Morgan, a trendy suburb full of bars and cafe's, i hit the hay early in preparation for a big day of sightseeing the next day.

I got myself into the cbd area and made headway for the J Edgar Hoover FBI building. It wasn't too special, kinda similar to the pentagon i suppose, it was more about what happens inside than anything else. I stopped to take a couple of pictures, some scaffolding was stopping me from getting a decent shot of the main entrance, so i tried to to a pic with the sign on the side of the building, i took i few minutes getting the exposure right, and then moved on. within 20 seconds i was being approached by two different LARGE blokes, one in a blue DC PD uniform, the other in a white US Federal Marshall outfit. "you, come over here" "who, me?" "YEAH YOU" "Yes Sir". they asked me what i was doing, i said taking pictures (duh) and offered to show them what i had taken. There was a line of police tape surrounding the outside of the building so you could only get within 15 feet of the walls, the cop said to the marshall, "he was inside the tape" i couldnt resist, and bluntly stated that i was NOT inside the tape, thank you very much, he said nothing. after some moments of silence and me starting to wonder what the inside of guantanamo bay looked like, their moods changed and they playfully said, "so, where ya from?" "Australia?, Down Under? alright then man, you be on your way....." nooooo problems......

I proceeded on to the White House which was protected like fort knox, heaps of cops and people telling me to go away. I had to stand about 500 yards away to get a shot of it, in the photo you can see 2 guys on the roof with binoculars and no doubt some kind of anti-everything weapon. still, I saw it, i wonder if Dubya was in? On to the Washington monument, unfortunatly all the tickets to the top were sold already for the day, even though there was hardly even anyone there and it was about 11 am. It is situated in the middle of The Mall, a long stretch of open grassland, with trees on either side. at one end there is the Capitol Building, and at the other is the Lincoln Memorial. I chose to visit the Lincoln Memorial first and headed that way, stopping to see the WWII memorial which is situated at the start of the reflecting pool that runs all the way up to Lincoln. I couldnt help but play some music to help set the scene here, so i loaded up a bit of Creedence, I put on Fortunate Son (Hendry edit) and continued my way along....

The Lincoln memorial is possibly the most impressive building i saw here. Its large, with beautiful columns all around, and inside. apart from the stupid number of tourists and children, it was pretty cool to see. Some very interesting scripture written on the walls including the "Four Score and seven years ago..." and I didnt know he was a giant?

Despite the walk i thought it could be worth at least seeing the Watergate Hotel. It wasnt. but still, i stood there, i took a picture. F**k, I'm a tourist. So i walked back toward the city for lunch and then head up to the other end of the mall (its bloody long) and checked out the Capitol building. If my memory serves me correctly, i think this building was blown up in "Independance Day" with astounding realism. I attemped to visit the Smithsonian museum "National Air and Space" but there must have been just under 1 million people, the mojority teenagers, in the entrance lobby alone. So i left that for the next day.

I attended a couch surfing gathering at a bar called Gazuza in Dupont Circle, big storms rolled in as i made my way there so i got drenched, but it was worth going as i met several new people including the ambassador for Washington. i went to a restaraunt called Chipotle for dinner afterwards with a few new acquaintances which was very enjoyable. I had the Tacos, they were pretty good considering how they looked.

My visit to the Air and Space museum was very enjoyable, mostly due to my first ever visit to a Planetarium. I saw a show called "Cosmic Collisions" narrated by Robert Redford. It is needless to say that i am a person who enjoys visual stimulation, but this, this was something i had never known existed. I was absolutly stunned, it was so beautiful, i was just in awe... after it finished i bought a ticket for the other show that they run only a coupe of times a day, this time Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, which again was just an outstanding display of eyegasmic effects and galactic recreation. I can not recommend anything more highly to anyone that hasnt seen something like this. Mind blowing stuff!!

I capped off my last night in DC with game 6 between Chicago and Detroit at a sports bar in Adams Morgan. The bulls lost which kinda sucked becasue game seven would have been awesome, but i met some cool people including a guy who was going to Australia soon and the bar chick who had lived in london not long ago either, so we were discussing the differences in the beers here and there. I must have had 7 or eight beers, but she only charged me $9, so for the first time i happily gave her a tip worth more than the actual bill!! The Bloke going to Australia asked me an interesting question: "When i go to Australia, will people think i have an accent, or will i sound normal??, cos i dont think i have an accent" hhmmm, i'll put that down to the beer talking there... he also asked something about catching a bus from Sydney to Perth, i said it would be easier and cheaper, and perfectly safe just to hitchhike.

So now its back to New York, birthday tomorrow, that will be interesting, im gonna try NOT to drink this alcoholic urine they call light beer here, my god its foul, there are some really good regular beers here, and i have already sampled many, but this light stuff (light on carbs, not alcohol) is just wrong. flat, stale, urgh. I cant wait to get to San Diego and have a bottle of "arrogant bastard" 7.2%. one bartender said to me, you have to psyche yourself up to drink one, its a real task!!

www.arrogantbastard.com

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!!

Firstly please excuse the poor layout of images here, i have to resize them, which i do while i write so it saves time, the post them in, and, well anyway its a formatting nightmare, so here are some shots, stories to follow if you can be bothered.

Ground Zero

New York Stock Exchange


Empire State Building

Flatiron Building

Central Park

Madison Ave

Tip-Off Nets VS Cavs

Well the last tube ride on the Piccadilly line out to Heathrow was a surreal journey, i was playing music that i had planned to listen to on my way to the airport months before, and i felt exactly the the way i expected it to make me feel. leaving somewhere that you called home for 2 years for the last time i think is similar in a strange way to dying (if the whole life flashing before your eyes thing is true) all of the magic moments and great memories danced through my mind, the big weekends, the quiet moments, the short trips and the long ones. then the light at the end of the tunnel, Heathrow airport, ushered me through from the world that was London, on to the next chapter of my choose-your-own-adventure life.

Congratulations BA, i had a brilliant flight over and the seven hours flew by (gotta love a shitty pun) My first time on a 747, damn they are huge, taking off in one of those is a whole new experience. friendly staff and awesome in-flight entertainment kept me very happy....

upon arriving at grand central station my mood began to change. It was great to finally be there, and some of the things i was seeing were really hitting me, but i was in a situation i really shouldn't have let occur: I had no accomodation, and no couchsurfing host either. My plan was to walk into an Internet cafe (which there would be one on every corner surely) and check if any couchsurfing hosts had replied to my requests for a place to stay. This failed dismally, as i couldn't find one for the life of me. Even after asking numerous people, who were all to eager to help, but none actually could. I then realised that the info desk inside the station had shutdown, leaving me in an even worse situation.

My backup was to just stay in a backpackers or budget hotel close to the station, like there is in every other city on earth. Not New York. There was the Grand Hyatt, The Waldorff Astoria, The Leave your Black Amex Behind the Counter and a few others. Not even a sniff of a mid-price hotel. uh-oh. I couldn't even find a way to find out what area of Manhattan to head for where there WERE hotels or hostels, and there were no dodgy blokes hanging around the station even asking me if i wanted a hotel. where are you dodgy little man, where?

It was now after 10pm (2 am London) and i was really starting to hurt as i had been doing laps of the blocks surrounding grand central for a good hour now with everything i have on my back (and front).

I started to explore painfully further from the station and i finally find a net cafe. I paid $8 or something for half an hour, the guy behind the counter tried to rip me off with the change which i was in NO mood for, not this goofy lookin foreigner my friend. This half hour gave me enough time to discover that no couchsurfers had replied anyway, but more importantly where a few hotels were and a few phone numbers. After making some calls i made my first subway journey north along Broadway and finally got to bed just before 1am (6am London)

Welcome to New York. only just today i saw a guy in a supermarket with a t-shirt saying "Shit Creek Survivor" on the front, i laughed out loud and looked like a complete idiot, but if i had have seen him that first night in NY, i would have bought the shirt off his back if he had have let me....

ANYWAY, the next day was filled with the excitement I'm sure any New York visitor goes through, which rapidly wanes as you make your way down Broadway and through Times Square. Its a cool place, and it puts Piccadilly Circus to shame in terms of the advertising and commercialism, but the tourists. I wanted blood. they swarm around in packs, all wearing the same coloured shirts so they don't get lost, blocking streets and filling footpaths with their gawking and loud expressions of dismay at how cheap the fake cologne is on the street vendors stalls.Grand Central Station

I visited the Virgin Mega store and was harrassed by some wanna-be rappers out the front trying to give me there latest crap cd, which actually leads to them asking you to pay them for it, some other guy came over and offered to sign it for me "whoopee, some guy iv never even heard of is gonna sign a cd i don't want just so I'll pay 10 bucks for it" upon my blunt insistance to both of them "i don't want it" i was promptly told to "get the fuck outta here"!!!! i laughed so hard on the inside, not on the outside in case they shot me, and simply responded with "gladly, that's all i wanted".



I visited central park which actually was very nice, but again full of tourists. then more of the big names came along, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, New York Public Library, Grand Central Station again, Madison Square Garden Etc. I even saw Toms Diner, which is the one that you see on every episode of Seinfeld (blue with orange neon lights)

I have always wanted to see an NBA basketball Game. That afternoon Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets played host to LeBron James and the Cleveland Caveliers for game 3 of their playoff series over in New Jersey. I had no idea how to get there, and no idea whether i would get a ticket or not, but this may have been my only opportunity to see a match as the playoffs are winding down, and teams are being eliminated. I had to try. I went to Port Authority Bus Station and after checking both the ground and basement level info booths which said "CLOSED: please use other information booth" A friendly man noticed my dismay and asked me where i was going. I told him and he said "ok follow me", i was so keen on going and it was getting closer and closer to tip-off that I didn't think twice about following a stranger. well that's a lie, i did, but i didn't care. i just followed cautiously. we went up escalators, walked along concourses, through tunnels, this is one big bus station. it was getting quieter and less and less people were around. then it dawned on me. he is going to kidnap me. he is going to kidnap me, sodomise me, murder me in cold blood,wrap my lifeless body in an old carpet and throw me in the east river. i slowly began to lay mudbricks in my shorts. Then we came round a corner to a line of ticket stalls and dozens of people buying bus tickets out to the Meadowlands stadiums. Phew. the guy asked for a small tip for helping me out saying this is how he buys his crack, or something like that, so i gave him $2 and joined the line. another little nightmare over.

Made the journey out there including going under the Hudson river and getting a nice view of the Manhattan skyline. Had to wait for a bit in line at the arena, but got great seats MUCH closer than i had ever dreamt to my first NBA game, and a playoff match at that. I was stoked. i had a pissweak hotdog and a $7 plastic bottle of bud, and i loved every second of it. Incidently i decided to support the home team, mainly to avoid physical harm, as i was seated among a large group of nets fans. They surprisingly won, holding LeBron James to a low personal tally (which sucked cos he was really boring) Jason Kidd was the star, becoming the second highest, all time, playoff triple-double scorer in league history behind the man, Earvin Magic Johnson. He was outstanding, his play making ability, and 5 of 6 from outside the arc was all-star play at its highest. It was good to be there.

The next day involved moving to my first couchsurfing hosts place. Laura lived in the east village in lower Manhattan. We went for a walk with her dog who she adopted after it had been shot in the head, yes that's right, shot in the head, left for dead. Unbelievably obedient and calm dog. So for those of you with dogs that behave badly (how is your terror Dom and Nat?) all you have to do is shoot it in the head and it will behave like a guide dog! Anyway, we also watched a brilliant game of baseball at a sports bar. Boston beat Baltimore 6 runs to 5, despite being down 5-0 at the bottom of the 9th inning. tremendous play with a 6 run turnaround, the bar was a Boston suporters joint, so as you can imagine the place was going off!

On my last day before heading to Washington i explored lower Manhattan. My first stop was city hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, then i made my way to Ground Zero. It took my breath away. there isn't really much to see, its just a construction site really. There is a small section with a time line of the flights, collisions and other events throughout the morning, and a photographic exhibit which contains some of the most chilling images that will forever in time remind us of the frightful situations people found themselves in. Many images depicting the heroism displayed by servicemen and women that both survived and perished on September 11th trying to save as many people as they could. it really brought water to my eyes, as it almost does now writing about it. There is a quote written on one of the walls from a random civilian starting off "i remember exactly where i was that day....." I was at home working (last minute as usual) in the early morning on a university assignment, i got a call at around 2am telling me to turn on the TV. I sat and watched the until the sun came up, and both the towers went down. I remember.

so its touching, even though you're not there for very long. I also checked out Wall St and the New York Stock Exchange. If i had have known about the guided tours they do inside until 2pm each day i would have gone there first, but i guess this time i missed out.

the end?

well, i sit in Sonia's rather small room at her laptop, and i realise that this is my last night in London. The killers are belting out my favourite killers track on XFM, and im trying to polish off ths last third of this bottle of beam.

I think my last central city visit has been and gone, its out to ealing tonight for dinner and drinks with matty & katie and a few other friends and ex housemates. and then tomorrow morning i will be doing all the last minutes preps and paranoid pete checks (lubeek that ones for you!!)

its a strange feeling, one that cant be defined, it just is what it is. even though the weather has been great the last month or so, its been grey and shit since i got back from prague, so in essence its london at its purest. Its a shame that there are numerous people i havnt been able to catch up with, and a number of places that i didnt get to go to one last time. but my memories are fond, and my opinions high.

The last two years have felt like 2 months, and its strange to think that i will have been gone from home for 27 months before i get home, but the "around the world and back again" trip has been a crucial part of my life, and without it i would be stuck still being the old me, the experiences, the relationships, and the memories were worth everything i lost back home and a whole lot more .

I have a whole group of new people to meet over the next few months, couchsurfers across america everywhere!! funnily enough my first two nights in New York i have nowhere to stay, too late for couchsurfers, but im not going the safety and booking a hostel, im just going to see what happens. there was a time when i would have shit myself in a scenario like that, determined to know where i was destined for and now... i dont even care, i just wanna be there, i cant wait for it to begin... its so exciting what lies ahead.

i better go, im gonna be late, and im starving.

well after a couple of minutes i couldnt think of a way to finish this off that does my time justice.

there is just no way to put it into words, so all i can say is thank you.

Prague

What can i say, i absolutly loved it! so glad i went before leaving europe, the experience would have been incomplete without it. A place that really lets you know where you are. It was such a beautiful place. 5.30am one day saw me on charles bridge with the sun rising, so much more peaceful than midday when its a tourist hellhole. through the middle of the days i wandered the streets, finding all kinds of new buildings and scenes to photograph. the weather was sunny throughout but chilly with the breeze sometimes, and cold at night. but that didnt stop me heading out at 1am to shoot the castle and the bridge lit up. again, a breathtaking experience. many locals, not speaking a word of english came up to me and stated how beautiful they think it is (at least thats what i think they said!!) I couchsurfed with an American Lass and her flatmates in a cool apartment in an even better location, just off the river and 2 mins from the national theatre, my highest regards to them, they made my experience so much more!!

The Cathedral within the walls of Prague Castle

An amazing square which i fail to recall the name of

Yet another church

Looking back to the city over the memorial to the victims of communism

The city end of Charles Bridge

The Castle at night

Inside Prague's oldest pub

a small part of the castle gardens

The food and beer, was great, and at rock bottom prices, had roast rabbit for my last supper and it was superb, several beers in different pubs around the traps, including a pint of a wicked dark beer (see picture for the name, dont even ask me how to pronounce it) in Pragues oldest pub. this is allegedly of course, but it was pretty freakin old and was very cool inside!!

hope you like just a few of my images from this benchmark european city, if you havnt already, you must....

Gumball 3000 Rally Pall Mall London

So the day before it was scheduled to start i found out it was on. I went down on a beautiful sunny day to Londons west end and discovered a huge long line of fantastically presented cars, famous people, and of course, gorgeous girls. I made my way up and down the preccession of the worlds most druelled over vehicles, snapping what i could when there weren't 500 people standing in front of me or walking in the way at the crucial moment. here is just a bit of what i saw in the last couple of hours counting down to the start.... tragically, in the first fatality in the 9 years of the gumball rally, a person was killed in an accident in eastern europe (a civilian not a driver), midway through the rally, understanadbly the event has been cancelled. this year.

just quickly

Well its been pretty exciting this past week or so. I wound up my last couple of days at work, had going away drinks and got ridiculously spoiled by my colleagues, all was very nice! then Australia played in the world cup final, clinching the 3rd straight title and possibly putting them in a position of being named one of the greatest sides to ever compete, match was marred by bad weather and strange umpiring decisions, but in the end, Mr Gilchrist put us on the podium with his record 149 run innings. The Gumball 3000 kicked off from London on sunday afternoon, plenty of awesome cars, and quite a few stars, making it a photographic bonanza. then when it all kicked off and they roared out of the city one by one, well, good times. the highlight being the F1 car dropping burnouts repeatedly as it left....

and now, well im in Prague, the city of a 1000 spires. its so beatiful, more than living up to expectations, iv been wandering this place for a couple of days, endlessly finding new pthings to see. the architecture is without doubt the most stunning i have seen in europe. Not just the beauty of it, but the quantity, nearly every street you look down has amazing colours, styles and scenes that never cease to amaze you. I will write more when i have slightly more time in london, but just had to say something now. oh, and the beer, fantastic, and friggin cheap. 50p for a pint. im staying. hahaha! more images to come too....heres just one or chew...