We start my journey in the United Kingdom following Christmas 2013 as I am about to leave for New York (for a couple of days) before heading to Costa Rica.
23:15 Just counting down the new year. Got a slight cold but it is far from stopping me thinking and wondering about the profusion of life that I will encounter over the next 7 months. I hope my travels go swimmingly, seeming that most people should technically be sleeping after last night it should be fine.
23:15 Just counting down the new year. Got a slight cold but it is far from stopping me thinking and wondering about the profusion of life that I will encounter over the next 7 months. I hope my travels go swimmingly, seeming that most people should technically be sleeping after last night it should be fine.
08:50 Just waved goodbye to mum and dad
at Heathrow airport. Mum cried, of
course, but I know she is happy for me deep down knowing this experience will
really help me reach happiness on my future career path. I currently feel sick from the amount of food
I ate yesterday, though it makes me wonder more of the culture ahead of me that
I’m sure I’ll fall in love with.
10:15 I met a sweet American couple, New
Yorkers, who were out visiting their daughter at Oxford for the New Year. They
told me of how they had travelled all over the US on long road trips, across
the middle, up and over to the West side, completing a full circuit under and
round back to the East side which all in all sounded like an amazing idea and
experience. They were also happy for me
travelling alone on my adventures and Mark gave me a lot of useful information
about New York, my first destination.
20:00, 15:00 (NYC) Not long sat down one
of the airport hotels. It was a bit
daunting coming out of Newark airport terminal, nothing was clear… welcome to
America! I eventually spotted my tiny
airport hotel sign on a bus stop and so here I sit. Now to find some jeans at
Jersey Gardens outlet mall before exploring Broadway, Manhatten (Below).
Good things are that I managed to get
some jeans so I was happy and I also made it Broadway. I was grateful a friend told me about a cheap
bus across to New York New York instead of paying a $75 one way taxi rate (traffic
and weather pending) and I was relieved to be sitting on this bus enjoying the
night skies of New York. I walked from a
bus stop where the driver guy was rude, but a nice American citizen told me
just off the bus where I needed to go as well as where to pick up the returning
bus and by what time, what a relief. So
there I was, alone in the big city as I walked for 10-15 minutes down to Times
Square.
11:30 (NYC) Well I made it back here to
my comfy hotel bed, in summary there was some good and bad. Bad thing is that my mobile cell phone didn’t
automatically find a local network as they normally do abroad and so lack of
signal meant getting taxis proved difficult, nor could I call home to update
them. Also on the way back from Jersey
Gardens I had an old fool in a yellow cab that took me round a giant circuit
all around the airport with my hotel in the distance, though luckily he charged
me a flat rate so wasn’t taken on a “tour” but still annoying none the less.
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| The Big Apple - New York City (D.Philpot) |
The amount of people felt somewhat normal but the shear height of everything was certainly something that I was not accustomed to, but I loved it. The huge billboards, bright lights and my destination, Hard Rock Café. Despite the area being surprisingly clean after the big New Year fiasco the previous day apparently everyone in New York wanted a burger and after an expected 30 minute long queue I was told “Here is your ticket, but it will be a 2 hour wait sir.” So there I sat chilling on my ipod and hanging out with some American kids while “Next Acts” of people got shown to their tables, the mood was great though and was a nice but somewhat cramped experience. Eventually, after 2 and a half hours my name appeared at the bottom of the list, then slowly rose to the top as more names appeared above me(?) and I was shown to my seat. The music was great, the atmosphere was better, the cocktail I got was delicious and the entertainment was a bonus, a family member leant on his families table which broke and sent about 8 drinks into the air. After another 15 minute wait, my 3hr 15min burger arrived which was divine and well worth the wait.
I walked to where the bus was supposed
to come, a dark eerie road behind what was apparently a bus terminal or under
it or something.
There was a mural on the wall of a whale with some dolphins, rather randomly but it reminded me that now my real adventure begins… Costa Rica!!!
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| Urban Marine Influence in NYC (D.Philpot) |
There was a mural on the wall of a whale with some dolphins, rather randomly but it reminded me that now my real adventure begins… Costa Rica!!!