On To Miami, Florida.

This city has something for everyone, but it is a very plastic city, by that I mean everything including the people are stereotypically good looking. The beaches here are beautiful and there is so much to do, eg, restaurants, night life, day cruises, week cruises, fishing and the list goes on.

This place is quite expensive and that goes for everything here, we went to a sushi restaurant and we were charged double that of anywhere else we had been. Having said that though, the shopping here is based more on the top end of the market selling designer labels and custom gear and for that sort of stuff this place is great and there can be bargains found.

The public transport here, just like everywhere else in America, is quite good and the busses take you most places that you would want to go. The accomodation here is also quite good and there is something here for all ages and taste. Again we stayed in a hostel and it was one big 24 hour 7 day week party but that's what you would expect. It is the perfect option for young people who are into a networking social type holiday but definately no good for a relaxing holiday for a more mature couple. Most, if not all, the hotels/hostels are very close to the beach and are all surrounded by shops so there is no lack of time consuming activities at your doorstep. Many of the hostels and the hotels run tours and we took our hostel up on three of them.... A one day cruise to the bahamas, Everglades swamp tour and a day trip tp the Florida Keys.

Auzzie Traveller: New Orleans, Louisiana.

Auzzie Traveller: New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans, Louisiana.

On to New Orleans! This place shocked us on arrival, in all honesty we wanted to just turn around and get out of there! It is still almost war torn after hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. There are people who have lost their homes that are now living in tents under the over passes as you come into the city, and there are a lot of derelict buildings scattered all over the place which remain damaged from the hurricane three years ago. You can't help but wonder if the city can actually ever recoup its losses after such a tragedy.

It's not all bad however, far from it, the French quarter of this city is really nice and it is very much a party town. There is a casino and a countless number of bars, pubs, restaurants and various other venues to peruse. The swamps here offer all types of activities such as fishing, boating and general wildlife tours although they are quite expensive.

The city is quite easy to navigate and the public transport system is quite good and cheap and there are a number of horse drawn carts operating in the city centre for hire or for tours (prices vary) which are expensive but are definately the way to go in this city, especially in the French quarter with its beautifully decorated buildings.

The crime rate as with Memphis, is high and there are under cover police, drunks and homeless all over the place, especially on the cities main drag, Canal street. We stayed in the Canal street hotel wich is supposed to be a good quality hotel and apparantly a foamous one at that but it was honestly a joke! The place stank of wet musty carpet and was full of bugs not to mention the view of all the homeless people living in tents outside our window under the overpass.... How are you meant to enjoy you stay when you are worried that when you walk out the door you are gonna get mugged! Not to mention the feeling of guilt, here we are on holiday throwing our money away on hotel stays and the people out the window are living in tents with nothing left to thier names. So I recommend if you do travel here, stay closer to the river or in the French quarter itself.

Graceland, Home of "The King"

This is a must see even if you are no fan of Elvis! It is well worth the money (I think around $US35 each) and you can spend as long as you want inside. They give you an audio tour which you can listen to at your own leisure and it is very comprehensive explaining everything along the way. The only annoying thing is that you can't use the flash on your cameras as they can fade the articles in the house over time which is good that they are at least trying to preserve the place. There is so much to see here that you are forever taking pictures and marvelling at the wonder that was, rather, is Elvis.

Memphis, Tennessee.

The home of the blues and of the King of rock and roll...... Elvis! This place is boiling with culture and there is heaps to see and do here. There is a really calming atmosphere in the city centre and there is blues music playing everywhere around you as you walk down the street drinking your beer that you can buy from any number of bars open along the sidewalks. It is a relaxing city and the food here is quite nice and there is no shortage of restaurants each with there own bubbling ambiance.

There are quite a few homeless people here and the crime rate is quite high, it is advisable to never take out your wallet in front of people in the street. Also, don't be blinded or tricked into things by the witty scavengers trying to guilt you into giving them something for a service that they have rendered unbeknown to you such as a shoe clean or a joke. The best thing to do is politely tell them that you are not interested and walk away.

We were standing in a park next to the Fedex stadium which is at one end of the city centre waiting for a bus to take us to our hotel and we were being stalked by a police officer in a highway patrol vehicle for the best part of half an hour. Not long after we were approached by a much less than credible individual asking us for some money for someting to eat and I politely told him no and he walked away sreaming at someone across the road that I assume he knew, when out of the blue two police officers on motorized two wheeled scooters pulled up behind us and told us that we were in a very bad spot and advised us to leave. They rang there base and confirmed our bus times for us and eventually we decided to catch a taxi rather than wait any longer and the police waited with us until we left.

The area down by the Mississippi river is really picturesque and there is a tram, actually there is a couple, which conduct set routes in a circle around the town for a dollar each time you hop on (no tickets) and this is a great way to see the city, and it's cheap!

Not Worth It!!!

From the almighty Grand Canyon, we went on to Salt lake City, Utah. This was a nice, clean and quiet city but there was not a lot to do or see from a tourists perspective
After Salt lake, we went on to Denver, Colorado. Again, nice but boring in the summer months of America because there is not a lot to see or do. If you were to go to either of these two cities, you would be better off going at the end of winter or early spring to see the spectacular snow on the mountains and maybe do some skiing.
Next stop was Dallas, Texas. This was also a waste of time in my opinion as a touist destination and was full of sleezy blokes trying to pick up my girlfriend while she was walking around! It made the both of us feel uncomfortable so we moved on!