History and charm in New Orleans

New Orleans has always held a fascination for me – elegant Southern architecture, jazz, creole cuisine and the mighty Mississippi River. I wanted to experience it all!

The largest city in the state of Louisiana, New Orleans combines French Creole architecture with world class cuisine and fascinating annual celebrations and festivals. One of the top ten most visited cities in the United States, the city is home to the French Quarter and the notorious nightlife of Bourbon Street.

The French Quarter is bounded by the Mississippi River, Rampart St, Canal St and Esplanade Avenue and is the oldest neighbourhood in the city. The most well-known of the French Quarter streets is Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street is lined with drinking establishments including Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, The Old Absinthe House and Cat’s Meow. It is largely quiet during the day but really comes alive at night! Local open container laws allow drinking in the streets which creates a great ‘street party’ atmosphere.




One of the most popular drinks is a ‘Hurricane’ which is made with rum and fruit juice, syrup or grenadine.



 I was lucky enough to visit during Mardi gras which made the atmosphere even more electric. Mardi gras translates as ‘Fat Tuesday’ and refers to the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before fasting commences on Ash Wednesday. Everybody dresses up in colourful masks and costumes and dancing, parades and all round revelry prevails!

As I previously mentioned, New Orleans is world famous for its food and one of the most popular styles of cooking is Creole. Creole cuisine combines French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Native American and African influences. Classic dishes include Crawfish Bisque, Gumbo and Shrimp Creole. I visited The Gumbo Shop whilst I was there and had my first taste of delicious gumbo!

To top off an amazing stay in New Orleans, what better way than boarding a steamboat and cruising down the mighty Mississippi River. I took a trip on the Natchez steamboat which was built in 1975 and is operated by the New Orleans Steamboat Company. The Mississippi River is the chief river in North America and borders or cuts through the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

New Orleans really does have it all, from raucous nightlife to French inspired architecture to leisurely trips on the river, I urge you to visit.

Monumental Splendor in Monument Valley

Another of the USA's great National Parks is Monument Valley in Utah. Meaning 'Valley of the Rocks' in Navajo, Monument Valley is characterised by a number of sandstone buttes, the largest being around 1000ft. Lying within the range of a Navajo Reservation, it is located on the Arizona-Utah State line.

The valley is a shimmering red colour which is made up of exposed iron oxide and the darker rocks get their colour from manganese oxide. The sandstone buttes are isolated hills with steep sides and a flat top. The word 'butte' comes from a French word meaning 'small hill.' They are usually formed by erosion when hard rock covers a layer of softer rock that is eventually worn away. The buttes are magnificent to view at any time of the day and night.

 There are so many unique views around the valley and one of the best ways to explore is by taking a guided Navajo jeep tour. This is Navajo land and has been for many many years so who best to give a guided tour than the valleys native people? It was enchanting visiting the fascinating rock formations as our Navajo guide played panpipes in the background.

It was very very cold when I visited in a January and there was snow on the ground but there was a magical aura about Monument Valley that really drew me in. That night, I had the great privilege of staying in a traditional Navajo 'hogan' right in the heart of the valley. A hogan is a traditional Navajo home and is usually round or cone-shaped. It is made of wood and packed earth and mud and the doors traditionally face east to welcome the rising sun for good wealth and fortune. There is a fireplace in the centre of the hogan which keeps it lovely and cosy inside!

We were treated to a traditional Navajo meal, a campfire and traditional Navajo dancing where we were all invited to join in. It was surreal to be spending the night surrounded by sandstone buttes with Navajo Indians and an experience I will treasure forever.

I came to Monument Valley staight after visiting the Grand Canyon and although very different, both were majestic in all their splendor and a fine representation of the USA's Great National Parks. I would urge anyone to visit.



A snow covered Grand Canyon

When I picture the Grand Canyon, I picture it bathed in sunlight, set in an arid desert landscape. What I don't imagine is a canyon dusted in snowflakes with icicles hanging off the many crevices. But that is exactly what I got when I visited on a very cold Januay day and it was magical!

Snow covered or bathed in sunlight, the first glimpse of the Grand Canyon literally takes your breath away. The pure expanse and size of the seemingly endless canyon takes a lot of comprehending. At 277 miles long and a depth of over a mile, it is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The majestic Colorado River carves through the canyon and for thousands of years the area has been inhabited by Native American Indians. I visited the South Rim of the canyon and hiked part of the Bright Angel Trail. The trail begins at Grand Canyon Village and descends right down to the Colorado River.

Most visitors to the park head to the South Rim as the North Rim is smaller and more remote. As well as being more accessible, the South Rim has more lodging and dining options. Grand Canyon Village contains lodging, a church, a hospital and access to trails and guided hikes and talks.

There are many viewpoints which can be reached via shuttle bus or by walking the Rim Trail which gives outstanding views of the canyon. If you are thinking of doing the Rim Trail I would also suggest additionally doing a trail that leads into the canyon - even if you only venture a little way down. Doing this will give two totally different perspectives on the canyon. Looking upwards from below the rim is an experience not to be missed!

Walking the Rim Trail will eventually lead you to Hermit's Rest, the westernmost point on the South Rim.

I had a really great visit to the Grand Canyon and one thing's for sure - I never expected to be throwing snowballs from the rim!

Bright Light City Gonna Set My Soul...........

Driving into Las Vegas with Elvis's 'Viva Las Vegas' blasting from the stereo, the desert plains open up to a strip filled with a million neon lights. Big name casino's dot the landscape, Paris' Eiffel Tower glistens against the darkened sky and screams echo into the night of the thrill seekers brave enough to tackle New York New York's famous rollercoaster!

Las Vegas is the most populated city in the state of Nevada and is billed as 'The Entertainment Capital of the World.' I certainly can't argue with that! South Las Vegas Boulevard which is known as the 'Strip' is home to every kind of entertainment you can imagine from musicals, gambling, partying and even lions!

The Strip is around 4.2 miles long and casino's and hotels situated here include the Italian themed Venetian, The Mirage and Excalibur. The shopping is incredible and include the Miracle Mile shops inside Planet Hollywood and The Forum Shops at Caesar's. You can even find your very own MnM man at the MnM's store as well as take a seat on the lap of the Coca Cola bear!

One of the major attractions on the Strip is the Bellagio Hotel and Casino's fountain show. Inspired by the Italian town of Bellagio on Lake Como, the 8 acre lake between the Strip and the hotel building, is home to a large dancing water fountain which dances in synchronisation with different music. It is mesmerising to watch and I would advise staying for 2 or 3 songs just to see the diversity of the fountains. Be sure to watch after dark too as they are much more magical against a backdrop of a black star studded sky.

Las Vegas really is for everyone. Don't feel that you cannot come here because you are not a hardened gambler. You really do need not gamble at all and you will still have a fabulous time. There is so much to do from the world class shopping, the shows to the spa if you would realy like to relax, I defy anyone to not find something to do in Vegas!

Joining a Trek and camping in Death Valley

As my friend ran out of money and decided to fly home, I continued the rest of my trip by joining a Trek America tour. I did the Southern Sun tour and met 12 other travellers who all really made the trip what it was!

We travelled in a Trek America minibus with all of our luggage in a trailer on the back:

Driving to Death Valley, a desert valley in Eastern California, the roads stretched endlessly before us. Death Valley has the lowest and driest locations in North America and is located near the border of California and Nevada.



Before arriving at the campsite, we stopped at Badwater Basin which is the location of the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level.

Badwater Basin:

We set up camp at Furnace Creek Campground and lit a roaring campfire, made some fajitas for dinner and drank wine out of mugs to warm ourselves up. During the evening, there were coyotes howling throughout the campsite which was quite frightening but they never caused us any harm or came too close.

Death Valley is home to the Timbisha tribe of Native Americans and the Timbisha name for the valley 'tumpisa' means 'rock paint.' Death Valley inherited its English name during the Gold Rush in 1849 although only one death was recorded during the rush.

Death Valley is open year round and in summer months the temperature rises to over 100 degrees.

Death Valley has a very desert like landscape and infact has 3.4 million acres of desert with 4 distinct areas and viewpoints.

The 4 areas are:

 Furnace Creek

Stovepipe Wells

Scotty's Castle

Panamint Springs

To plan a trip to Death Valley and for more information on these areas, visit www.nps.gov/deva/.

Fo more information on Trek America and the vast range of tours they provide click here.





Spending Xmas and New Year in Orlando

Spending Christmas in a warm climate when you're used to being snuggled by the fire and it being frosty outside feels very strange! However, different is good and we were determined to celebrate our alternative Christmas in style!

So we spent our Christmas in the sun doing the following.

Relaxing on the beach:

Getting lost in Narnia!

Watching a magnificent sunset at Epcot:

Getting a Christmas caricature:

And generally doing the opposite of everything we would've been doing back home! I have left out the photograph of our failed attempt at making a Christmas dinner!

It was so nice to bring in the New Year in such gorgeous weather without being bundled in a winter coat. We headed to Pleasure Island in Orlando.

Where we partied all night, watched the fireworks whilst sipping champagne:

Met some great people:

And counted down to the new year!

If you are looking to spend Christmas or New Year in Orlando, be assured you will have a great time. It is nice to switch things up and enjoy the festivities in a tropical climate - one things for sure, next time you are shivering through the holiday season you will be pining for the sun filled days and humid nights of a Florida Christmas!

Flitting our way around the sunshine state - Florida.

We were finally in the Sunshine State and here we planned to hit 3 destinations. There are so many things to do in Florida and as it was approaching Christmas we decided to have a little respite from the hectic travelling and base ourselves here for a few weeks, 10 days of which would be spent in Orlando for Christmas and New Year.

First up was West Palm Beach. Drenched in sunshine and situated on the Atlantic coast in Southeastern Florida, some beach time was long overdue!

On the way to the beach, an older guy stopped on his golf cart and offered us a ride the rest of the way. We gladly accepted and sat back while he regaled us with stories of his life in West Palm Beach.

Next was the tropical Florida Keys where we based ourselves in Key Largo. An island in the upper Florida Keys, Key Largo is 33 miles long and calls itself 'Diving capital of the world.' Whilst there, we went on a snorkelling trip which was well worth doing as there were lots of colourful fish to see.

We met some great people there including a diving instructor who took us for a night out in Key West where we hit up Duval Street and had a great time! Check us out at the most sourthenmost point in the US:

We moved on to Miami, home of sun soaked beaches, happening nightlife and beautiful people! Miami has hot and humid summers and warm winters - pretty perfect in my book! We took a land and sea tour in Miami to give us a good overview of the city before we went out to explore on our own. The tour drove us all over the city and pointed out the stunning art deco buildings such as the hotel from the movie 'Scarface':

And Gianni Versace's mansion where he was tragically shot on the front steps:

Exploring Little Havana was fascinating as we stopped for a Cuban sandwich and watched the old guys play dominoes and cards. Little Havana is home to a large number of Cuban immigrants as well as residents from Central and South America.

The tour continued to the Fountain of Youth and the Venetian pool, a historic public swimming pool. Created from an old coral rock quarry, it derives its name from the Venetian Lagoon in Venice, Italy. It looked so inviting for a refreshing dip.

Next was the historic Biltmore hotel. It was designated a national historic landmark in 1996 and has appeared in the media in the film 'Bad Boys' and the television series 'CSI: Miami.'

For the 'sea' part of the tour we transferred to a boat and sailed around Star Island, a celebrity hotspot. Star Island is a man made island in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Celebrities who own houses here include Will Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Sylvester Stallone.

South Beach, also known as SoBe is a major entertainment destination with boutiques, nightclubs and restaurants filling the area. Ocean Drive is the easternmost street in South Beach and is home to several prominent restaurants including 'Mango's.'





The sunshine state offers so much diversity from the tropical oasis of the Keys to the urban metropolis of Miami, there really is something for everyone here.

Next post will reveal the second part of our stay in Florida celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve.