So we’re in calgary and our odometer shows a figure of 175,000 which means we’ve driven ten thousand miles around north America!

ok so i just tried to make the route in google maps, and google maps couldn’t manage it, it found it too big and the page crashed, wicked google!

i have had enough driving for now, and we’re only 1,700 miles from where we started in Los Angeles, but we did take the scenic route, which has been great fun. i don’t think i need to recap here, as everything we have done is down below in this blog. i just have to show some photos!

i’m sat in some dingy econolodge, the radiator wouldn’t turn off, so we have the air conditioning on, don’t tell the environment, but somebody has removed all radiator controls, and the only other option was to sleep with the door open, but maybe the -4 outside would make it too chilly in here.

alan’s just woken now, so i guess time to do stuff.

regina was cool, we had no number or address for the guy who we were staying with, but we did know where he worked, and it all worked out as we arrived when he did, and he even got the night off. so we went and had dinner and saw some bars, alan picked up this pretty but really stupid girl and well it was fun.

yesterday we headed off out on the road for what was the hardest, most boring drive of the trip. we had 500 miles on prairie lands to cross. we had to do all we could to keep from passing out while driving. this involved absolutely horrible music, throwing grapes out of the window to have them crash on the front of the car and general being annoying to each other, but we made it here to calgary to drive past a bar showing the kiwi’s playing wales on tv.

so rugby, pie mac and cheese and a pint made for a nice finish to the day.

there seem to be a noticable number of english, ozzy and kiwi people around here, and i guess it’s the close proximity to the snowy mountains.

so alan has to goto customs and beg for his ski bag to be released and then off we go to banff, can’t wait, mountains, snow, and the lifts open wednesday!!!

photos: alan trying to play patience in the car, our greek breakfast yesterday and the nothingness expanse we drove across yesterday. i notice the iphone photos aren’t great quality, buggar!

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Alan and I have just been to the mall in Winnipeg, narrowly escaping the busyness. I bought a cover for my iPhone because I have seen so many iPhones with smashed screens. I went for the recycled plastic option. We also got some thermals, it’s going to be a cold winter.
So winnipeg was interesting. Out couchhost was a fun girl, plenty of time having recently been made redundant, along with most of her crazy friends but we spent most of the time partying, there isn’t much else to do in that town. It is the grain trading capital of north America.
And the people there are crazy, many of whom walk around making wierd sounds, screaming or talking to themselves. There’s too much winter, no excitement or hope, not even any population growth, the gun crime capital of Canada so we are told.
So we are now in the real prairies, you can see for miles and miles, forward the road dissappears on straight to the horizon and to the sides are endless yellow field where crops grew in the summer.
It’s so straight and boring that they have giant signs to keep you mind active like odometer checks. But no worries if you fall off the road asleep, there’s nothing to hit.
It’s barely above zero degrees and they’re still harvesting.
So wawa was no too interesting, lots of goose statues.
Thunder bay, out host wasn’t too talkative until we got him a bit drunk, and he hit on us.
So the most important thing we did was go to an employment centre to canadianise our resumes. We’ve applied for several jobs now. Not much response yet.
The car is super dirty because I decided to do some off roading just to wake me up from the boring drive.
Oh and I got myself a lovely yellow hat, mmm warm

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Last night super tired after I love you man
Nightmares underground growing progressing each time I fell back to sleep
Then this morning and disaster dreams
To top it off the road construction going on from early.
All in I’ve seem thousands of people die in my dreams, too much bad energy.
I sooo need sleep some day soon.
Well on a lighter note, Halloween was great fun, always great getting dressed up.
So alan went in a suit and my pig mask, a corporate pig. Some of the guys at the party just didn’t seem to understand this concept, stupid.
And I wen as popeye, simple, fun but with a can of beer instead of spinach.
We all had fun playing cards and drinking before we went down to a house party. Then an after party back at courts and well that led to waking up feeling pretty rough yesterday.
But having pizza in a restaurant around the corner, it felt good to see plenty of the employees had been having fun the previous night, not looking tip top.
Alan, Cara, Laura and I went for a walk to Kensington Market, toronto’s Camden style area. We had the idea to have a contest to see who could have the most interesting costume collected on our tour of the shops, and if the picture shows then you can see mine, and I won! So they all owe me a burger from this excellent veggie restaurant across the park, I’ll cash in later and have a great breakfast tomorrow.
So off we’ll go today to see niagra falls, so it should be cold and wet.

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Feeling pretty rough in Amherst.
Last night we saw jay-z and it’s was one of the best gigs that I’ve been to in my life. I’m not a huge fan of hip-hop, but jay-z is one of the biggest acts there is. The stage setup was awesome and the live acts awesome. The arena was packed out, 10000 people, all loving it, knowing the lyrics, the energy was unbelievable. The security was totally anal, but it’s cool because the whole experience was such a surprise and gotta say it, sic!
Before that we drank round another student house and it was so stereotypical of an American party, like in the films. Kegs, beer pong, music, girls who love the english accent, general madness.
After the gig we partied some more and now feel pretty tired.
So now we’re chilling, waiting for Christian so that we can find a printer to print off our Canadian work visa because we’re going to cross the border. Ian’s taking us up to his dads cottage for some time out.
America has been unbelievable, we’ve driven over 7000 miles through 20 states. We’ve met some great people, had many once in a lifetime experiences, lots of first times, a trip of a lifetime that words will never quite describe.
I’ve taken some nice photos and will upload some when I find time.
So fingers crossed that we don’t have too much trouble getting into Canada.

an awesome video that emily has been repeatedly sharing with us is awesome music video, check eet:

major lazer – pon de floor

Major Lazer “Pon De Floor” from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

and then a funny thing i found on youtube

enjoy

it’s pretty humid, got the fan on my legs, and alan’s laptop roasting my legs.

we’re couchsurfing again in texas, and it’s warm. we’re staying with a group of students, of all different ages, but young, and it’s been pretty cool, melissa is the girl that is the organiser, but we’ve been having fun with all.

we came to austin to party, and party we have. we’re even staying a day extra for some reasons. reasons to stay, cheap drinks tonight, and pretty girls asking us to stay, good enough? yes!

so what’s happened, we arrived into austin, and arrived at the house, and i kind of though that melissa’s brother knew we would be coming, but he didn’t so it felt kinda awkward until we explained our invasion. it’s their first time hosting, so their couchsurf virgins, not the first time for us, but i quite like being with people who’ve never hosted for them. that way, not only are we new to a place, but it’s a new situation for them.

so after that, alan and i went for a nice midday run by the river in the afternoon sun, super humidity, almost 40 degrees, owch and swaety that was, fun, but tiring, the first time i have gone for a run since cross country when i was 12. then we headed down to barton spring for a dip in the cool cool creek, and chilled in the sun.

come evening melissa, sharleen, emily alan and i met a couple other guys, had dinner and then almost went to a heavy metal gig. we were aiming for a rock gig, but got lost walking round the block. i think the metal was lively like we would hacve liked, rock being too mellow, no dancing or anything, but it was cool, and we even got some 3d specs! trippy, well the guys beard was when we were wearing them.

afterwards, a little tipsy, some more than other we all went and climbed some old thing and watch the night city with wine.

then for more stupidity and grazes we came back and with beers climbed up a tree house in a field out back. melissa had lotsa trouble and i hacve embaressing photos to prove, but i kind of fell/slid half down the tree, so my arm is looking pretty bad ass.

then most of the guys found some sort of a bed, emily and i lay in the field, no stars, a field in a city, but no cows, was wicked though. i’m finding fields can be one of the funnest places!

so yesterda, i called fed ex to ask where my macbook is, and they were useless, had no record of it, let alone trying to deliver it 7 times and leaving notes at my mate’s office in san francisco, bloody idiots. so i got on to apple customer care, and after several periods on hold, and thirth minutes of a call, she even complained that the line way crap, so i informed her that i was on a iPhone of course, and she found me a lady who know where my computer was being held. it had been returned to apple in Tenessee, great! so now it’s being delivered to ian’s mom in new jersey, so i hope this works better for me and my laptop.

we finally got to town in the end at almost 5pm, and time for cupcakes.

then end.

not.

alan just pointed out to me that my 3000 photos that i’ve taken matches how many miles we’ve done, a picture per mile! but i have no macbook to view them with!

oh yeh i was doing some couchscouting for new orleans and came across this profile, check it now!
There are two requirements if you stay with me:
2) EVERYONE (collaborative efforts are OK) who stays has to draw me a picture in my picture guest book at some point before departure.
I can bake like a motherfucker; it’s science.
I’m still alive. Stand in awe; bask in my glory.

to say the least.

back to yesterday and we saw some crazy shops, but best off found our halloween costumes, but u can find out at halloween!

we had a little bar crawl down to the colorado to see the millions of bats fly out from roost, to go eat the pesky bugs.

out again we went last night, and sonow we’re kinda shattered, thus chilling before we go out again tonight.

i am covered in mosquito bites, it’s a little annoying, but i hope not a sign that it’s going to get bad.

that’s it for real.

So today has been a wonderland adventure with zoey.
We started off with Breakfast with the bugs and plants in the sun until zoey chipped the top off a molar chewing her muesli! So after some calming, emergency over and back to having fun. I love hanging with her, there’s always soo much laughing smiling and fun. So we had an park hopping walk across Mayfair to selfridges, she’s never ever been before! We had some photos with Santa in Christmas land, and then went to see the icecreamists. Down underground is a sexy ice cream lounge. We sat down in a black ice cream van all vinyl and fluff inside, with the queen in shades at the wheel. At the centre of the table was a red lit up button, and as curiosity would have me do, I pressed it. A couple of seconds later and a loud tune blared out, the tune to call children a running, the ice cream man is coming tune I didn’t go for the most expensive ice cream at £39.99 but the second at almost twenty quid. For that I got some natural stimulant milk ice cream, so toffee like that which adorns your toffee apple, and a shot of La Feé absynthe and even a badge. It was a delightful breakfast, and well worth the money, we even had an ice cream sex show off in our periphery.
Feeling dizzy we wandered the floors of selfridges laughing at the crazy things to buy, playing with the fun bits, and gawping at the funny people. I bought some White powder that when added to some water turns to snow, which turns back to powder and can again turn to snow. To finish off we bought some pies and had a lovely sunny goodbye so off back to dad’s I fly.
Yesterday I had a long walk around doing nothing but feel tired.
After ben finished work we went to a Moroccan restaurant which I’ve wanted to go to for years, so yummi cocktail and grilled halloumi.
Then to brick lane, but there was a music festival on and we weren’t there to pay to get into a bar that we wouldn’t be able to chat in, so the gun by spittlefields, a good old fasioned English pub was just right.
It was wonderful to have almost all of my best London friends all around one table, it made me really happy.
After some trouble and a slagging match with some waiters we found a nice restaurant where the waiter offered us 40% off our meal, bingo! We all heartily stuffed our faces until we couldn’t ven drink any longer.
So I’ve had a very memorable last time for a while in London.
The last few days have been so great, I couldn’t ask for better.
Time to start packing, off to LA tomorrow.

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Sat by a baby river in the glorious sun by the reeds, loving nature.
It’s great to wander about, get stung by nettles, use Dock leaf to take the sting away, enjoy juicy Blackberries, and sweet nettle flowers.
I met with sean the other night and we had a bit of a crazy run around, having the odd pint, great conversations and laughing at kareoke in the only open bar we could find late sunday night in Peterborough.
Now I’m down cambbridge way to chill and organise myself for the next week before heading away. I had to get out of the house as the Internet and tv were making me feel stupid.
Oh and I had some fun with smarties and camera this morning.

I’m laying in a cottage in Cornwall with big green letters painted on my front saying ‘lucky dip’
I had a lovely morning chatting with trixie. A wonderful pretty fairy girl, and lots of sunshine. So I left Glastonbury feeling much better than when I arrived. All the people there helped me feel good, and some told me that I did a good deal to make them feel better, so all in I left there feeling good
Well I got to cornwall and the gorgeous weather was grey and English. But I was instantly ordered to get naked, painted up, stuffed pants with lottery tickets and the family and I went off to stand in a field, laugh at others, but mainly get laughed at.
We did not win the dress up contest, by far. Deb scared away all of the photographers. And we had a long walk through town, scaring children who we only wanted to give sweets and make them smile. We were carnival
Ali, deb and I had Chinese, mmm and met Izzi, mark and a rather hairless drink.
I really hope we get to go to the sea and swim tomorrow, even if it does rain.

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Today I’m couch surfing in Kerry.
Last night, agota, sebastien and I went out. Being that we started after midnight, we weren’t so drunk to dance to the cheese in the club until it was time to leave, so we had our own wake the house mates party, until seven am.
So today has been a little rough.
I said my goodbyes and drove off. It’s slow going on Irish roads, but I got to the gap of dunloe. It’s beauterific! I worry that I got a bit excited and damaged the underside of the car when we flew through the mountains, however much fun was had.
So now it’s rainy, foggy but not too cold, in cahersiveen. I’m staying with ciaran, a couch surfer, not like other couch surfers that I’ve met. He’s mid life, his wife and kids have just left him, he’s Irish, well travelled and has a huge beautiful house by the sea, and grows his own veg. We had great home made dinner, red wine, cool chats, then went to his sister’s pub. Even better, the next pub had an impromptu gathering of music, guitars, harmonica, fiddle…singing. Awesome.
Finally we did the responsible thing and cycled home in the rain, gees, I don’t know whether it was the booze but the km uphill almost killed me.
Well off to sleep to await the next adventures.

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