Was the best personalised plate I’ve seen in a while, on an Audi S4, nice.
So now we’re in Toronto headed out in the car to go and see courtney’s dad, the dentist, because has cavities which need sorting now.
So back to the other day and our journey away from America. With ian in the car we had a gorgeous drive up through Vermont to the border, the car clean and tidy we expected the worst. I guess it was a bother that we had to cross the border on the highway, putting us an extra hour out of our preferred route to the cottage.
But upon talking to the border guard, she seemed so overwhelmed by these English guys asking for their work visa that she didn’t even care about our lack of car registration, let alone check our vehicle contents, score 1.
Then inside the building we had to await for a grand 8 minutes and were issued with a Canadian work permit, score 1. It couldn’t have gone more smoothly
So we spent a couple of nights at ian’s dads cottage on lake mamphemagog, peaceful, beautiful totally chilled.
We had a hike up the ski hill, showing us how unfit we are, but the views were awesome.
Then we all had a campfire in the Cold and a BBQ, damn my garlic aubergine steaks were killer.
Wednesday we went up to Montreal. Ian spent all day stressing having left his phone charger in the states, we not having a place to crash, so we stayed in a hostel, so great to meet some random people. And later we met ian’s uni mates for a few drinks, finished off with a tour of mont real to see the city from above at night, stunning.
It’s a nice city, an the girls are gorgeous, but it was time to move on.
So on the boring drive down the 401 to Toronto we got the blue and red flashing lights of trouble. So we got pulled by an unmarked police, very amiable man. But still he issued us with a $170 fine for driving with a radar detector, fair enough, but if we’d known then we wouldn’t have driven with it. So now he has it and we can only guess that in general it’s saved us money on speeding fines on our 7000 mile drive around the states.
So toronto. It’s obviously pretty wealthy compared to most places that we’ve been to on our trip, I’m judging by the abundance of nice European cars and expensive fashion around here.
So the city skyline is nice especially at night with the CN tower pulsing with different colours.
Hangind with courtney and laura and their friends we are getting to see the cooler side to the town, bars and music and it’s great to hang around with some lovely ladies.
So far we’ve been having a great time, though it’s been a while since I’ve not felt tired, maybe linger since we’ve had a night off from partying, but good times.

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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.

Nouvelle Orleans.
It’s interesting to say the least. The experience thus far has been great, almost overwhelming.
So we drove through the back roads, swamps, alligators, needing the toilet like no other day. We drove the most zig zag route into here in search of interest.
Our host is intriguing, involved in politics here, half Jewish, half catholic, half Italian, totally American and gay. I/we haven’t had so many/strong discussions that aren’t bullshit in a long time, well as brothers, ever.
We’ve had a great tour of town, and local beers, and some else.
We watched a football game, on TVs. We had a bar crawl, being that each bar that we went to wasn’t fun enough for supporting the local college team. We met people, well Vincenzo knows everybody in town. We met the bucket man, who sang alan and I a sang inside a bucket!
In the end we came back home, I guess at 11pm ish to cook gumbo, and for me, pasta. The other couchsurfer came back from being musical, and together we chatted away while cooking failed. But we drank the chili wine. We chatted about life and Krishna, and lucid dreaming, and ioraska(maybe I can’t spell that), and katrina, and new Orleans, and now everybody is laying to sleep in the dark but me.
I think it’s time, gone five hours of cooking, eating and chatting to meet the zzzzz’s

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.

We ended up spending almost a week in New Mexico, a bit longer than the expected day and a half. We certainly enjoyed our time there.
As you can tell we aren’t in NM any longer but now Texas, so far we drove 60 miles and saw 2 cars until we got to this town for a late mexibrunch.
Albuquerque was pretty cool, and felt like we were there three days, rather than the 1.5 that was reality. It was our first couchsurf of the trip, staying with jessica and cloice near their university. So first off we went out to a greek night held by a church. Nothing religious, but Greek food, dancing, drinking and fun. We even tried dancing, couldn’t get the footwork down but was a laugh. Love for spinaköpita! After we had a bit of a drink with their friends before turning in.
Shame it wasn’t an early night as we had to get up at half four un the morning, which was painful. And so cold that it required dressing for winter. We had to queue for a park and ride, yellow school bus #3, and queue and queue again for the event, toilet, lame breakfast burrito. We spent a good while watching the bizarre spectacular that is known as Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, the worlds largest event of this type. Literally 100,000s of people from all overbthe world come to see around 750 hot air balloons taking off, or for some just attemping, supposedly the worlds most photographed event! It’s was cool, amazing, surreal, cold and we we knackered.
So after another sleep we woke up, feeling like a new day we went into town for a chill, chat and pizza. Later after being locked out, we went out to a blues night, which I’d pretty cool, no way I’d try to dance to that, bit it was enjoyable to sit and watch and drink the night away. I had a minimal sleep being kept up by our host, but we escaped yesterday after an authentic new Mexican meal, not to be tried again!
Yesterday we passed by White sands, where the first atom bomb was tested, they still create misiles and there are the White sands dunes. In the middle of nowhere are some pure brilliant White beautiful sand dunes, great for some fun, photos and alan to get his second run in with the law. Luckily for him he still managed to go Scott free.
Later we arivedbin Carlsbad, a little late, for our next couchsurf experience where we slept from arrival to departure. Oh and barely escaped alive thanks to that mental dready dog. All fingers still attached we went to the the caverns by the same name which was awesome. Not the largest, deepest or longest cave system in the world, maybe the beautifulest. It’s a nice long walk, with lots of geological wonder.
So no more new Mexico, time for the mammoth state of Texas, which doesn’t sound too exciting, going by lonely planet and Lets Go guide books.
It’s about time we made some distance.

Cooling off.
Dad, Alison, Paul, sophie, alan and I are near Salisbury at the maybe’s house in the country. We had a nice nature hunt in wellies. Then snooker, the oldies being smashed by the kids. A lovely home meal was followed by a crazy three a side familiy on on family ping pong match, which was pretty chaotic. Five balls at once is hard to follow.
So what better way than to have a sauna/swim session? So ultimatly I feel tired but freshhhh.
My walk Tuesday was great, I wrote a poemish thing. Then sweated a whole load and ate lots of free fruit.
Wednesday involved doing Very little. Dad alan and I saw district 9 in letchworth cinema, nice, comfy, cheap. I must say that the film I worth watching, it’s a new idea, with good morals. The basics are refugee treatment, and solidarity and freedom, see it, it’s wicked!
Yesterday we had a memorial for Ian/Nam, with some old family friends, families who we grew up with, nanny, some of his school friends, and family. It was emotional, but wonderful. Again yo hear such wonderful things, atop a hill under the sun was great. Being talked into taking part was definately worth it, it was cleansing, and left me feeling great.
Afterwards, some came back to dads for dinner, and it was the first time that us Home Farm kids were together in donkey’s years.
So to bed and a day of who knows what tomorrow.

Ben’s party was nice. Excellent to chat with people.
I had naughty thoughts about a friend. Never before. Well was a strange weekend in all.
I came back to the boat to go fruit picking with Amythest, but I read some dive homework and passed out in the sun on the deck. I’m nice as brown again.
The past two days, martin and I have been on out dive course at Andark near southampton. It’s going great, didn’t matter too much that martin and I hadn’t done all of the homework in time, we’ve caught up now.
The only sketchy thing wad martin guiding me about without my mask, in a murky pool, getting lost. All fine.
We splashed out, mind the pun, and bought snorkel, mask, fins and boots, not too costly, but now we look like raving trouts!
So off on Thursday to Frome in Somerset for our lake dive.
I feel good this evening. I’ve walked and bought cider, local, for drinking in Switzerland. I finished my homework. I have time to sleep early.
Good night.

21:12:2012???

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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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Listening to knife with weebls-stuff.com after drinking and smoking.