The Journey's Ending...

When I arrived in Los Angeles airport it was so amazing to be greeted by my parents. For those who don't know, my mum and dad were in the states celebrating the very special event of my dad's 70th birthday. This meant that we could spend two weeks in America together. After spending some time recovering from the exciting reunion, we headed to Hollywood where we were spending the next few nights. Mum and dad were not too impressed with the hotel they had booked but when I arrived I thought it was a palace! Firstly, I wasn't sharing my room with eight or more strangers, I wasn't sleeping in a bunk bed, I wasn't sharing the bathroom with 100 other people and we had a TV, a pool and room service! This was far more luxury than anything I'd experienced on my whole travels. The hotel also had a real American diner downstairs which was great and really made me feel I was in America.

Whilst in Hollywood me and mum took a tour of Hollywood homes, in Beverly Hills. We saw the homes of Sean Connery, Madonna, Halle Berry, Nicholas Cage (and his 11 ferraris!), Mike Myers, Jen & Brad's old house and many many more. The houses were incredible! We also took a stop on Rodeo Drive (the famous shopping street in Pretty Woman).

We then met up with dad again and took a walk up Hollywood Boulevard which is where all the stars on the pavement! I was slightly disappointed with Hollywood Boulevard as I expected it to be much more glamorous, and there were also a lot of very strange people around! It was an exciting place though with lots going on with people dressed as film characters, music playing and lots of shops! We also came across all the hand and foot prints of all the big names of Hollywood including Tom Hanks, Samuel L Jackson, Johnny Depp and many more.

Finally, we visited two museums - a wax work museum of the celebs and the Guinness World Records museum which were both really great.

The following day we took a trip to the great Universal Studios. We went on many rides and took a tram tour of the film sets including the set of Psycho, Back to the Future, and, of course, Desperate Housewives and many more. Along the way we were subjected to flash floods, earthquakes and a jaws attack.

Mum and dad were great and had a go on most things, including when I dragged mum onto the Jurassic Park ride which included an 84 foot vertical drop into water at the end whilst being attacked by a gigantic T-Rex. She was very brave! We also took a stroll through Van Helsing's mansion which was terrifying (for me, anyway!). I was convinced something was going to jump out on me but for a while nothing was happening so I started to relax. Just then a zombie jumped out of the darkness, at which point I screamed and hid behind my mum (who also screamed!). From then on I moved through very quickly to get out of the place!

From Hollywood, we carried on to Havasu Lake City where we spent some time relaxing before heading to Las Vegas! The whole family had chipped in and organised a surprise birthday present for my dad, two nights in the most fabulous hotel, The Luxor and a night at a Celine Dion concert. He was so stunned when mum told him (he's a big Celine fan!).

The hotel was incredible, I have never seen anything like never mind stayed in it! The main part of the building was a pyramid which lit up at night with a beam of light from the top (which can apparently be seen 10 miles into space!). The entire ground floor was a huge casino (I've stayed on islands smaller than it-much smaller!). There was every type of gambling you can think of and the place was buzzing with people and the noise of slot machines. The hotel also had shops, a food court, several restaurants, two pools with what looked like at least 200 sun loungers set out. All the hotels in Vegas seem to have some kind of theme, the Luxor had an Egyptian theme and there were huge statues of Egyptian pharoahs and sphyinx's. Our first night, we headed out to explore the streets of Vegas, there was an incredible atmosphere, the whole place had come to life and it was all about the gambling! We decided to head to a hotel called the Venetian where we could take a gondola ride on a river inside the hotel! Unfortunately, after the long walk there they had closed for the evening so we headed back to the hotel. The next day we left dad to have a relaxing day whilst me and mum went back to the Venetian and did the gondola ride which was really nice and relaxing, especially as the gondolier sang for us and he had an amazing voice. After that we hit the shops for a while before heading back to get ready for the big concert. The concert was really fantastic, and the main thing was that dad loved every second of it. The concert was in the famous Ceasar's Palace so before we left I didn't want miss the chance of a little gambling and placed a bet on the roulette wheel. I unfortunately lost so thought I'd better leave it at that but at least I can say I did it!

It was a shame to leave Vegas and that amazing hotel but we had to carry on our journey. We drove through Lake Mead and Zion National Park which was an amazing drive with vast scenery of desert and mountains. The heat was like nothing I've experienced whilst traveling and the temperature reached 114 degrees! Our next stop was Bryce Canyon in Utah. This was the real Wild West and was a great stay. We visited the beautiful Bryce Canyon and also went to their annual chilli cookoff. This meant for just $1 we had all you can eat chilli! We had to sample all the chillis and then vote for our favourite, they were all really good and we really felt like we were mixing with the locals and getting a taste (literally) of their lifestyle. We also went to a rodeo where we got to watch grown men getting thrown on the floor by some very vicious looking bulls! We also saw some tiny children learning the ropes by riding sheep, it was very cute but most of them were on the floor before they left the pen.

From Utah we continued to the Grand Canyon. We first went to the north rim of the canyon which had such a spectacular view. The canyon is so vast, you just can't imagine without seeing it. That night we stayed in a log cabin in amongst the trees. We came out from having tea to see a huge pillar of smoke that looked like a nuclear explosion just beyond the trees on the opposite side of the road. It was a huge fire, not that far from us (which was slightly concerning staying in a log cabin!). But it wasn't till the next day that we spoke to a fireman and he said it was the worst fire most have them had ever seen so we were right to be worried! Fortunately, we were heading in the opposite direction that day to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Along the way we saw all the devastation of the fire and some of it was still smoking!

The view from the south rim of the canyon was even more vast than the north. However, unfortunately due to pollution and the fire there was a haze which meant we couldn't see as far as you normally would be able to. The view was, however, still spectacular and we spent some time there. We stopped that night in a nice hotel in a town called Williams before heading back towards LA where mum and dad are getting their flight on Friday. We are stopping in Havasu Lake City again tonight and spending our last days relaxing by the pool. I fly from LA on Sunday and arrive back in the UK on Monday morning.

So that's it, my final blog! I've travelled around the world, visited seven countries in six months, seen wonders of the world and had some incredible experiences. It has been the most amazing six months of my life! Thank you so much for reading and following my adventures and a special thanks to my brother, Sam who set up this blog for me so I could share my journey with you. Thanks a million Sam!

I can't believe that its nearly all over, in the words of Bill & Ted, its been a 'most excellent adventure'! Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing you all very very soon

Claire xxx

A Week in Paradise

On arriving in Fiji we had a lovely warm welcome from the locals at the airport, something I've not experienced anywhere else. The fijians are really lovely people, always laughing and happy to do anything to help you. We spent our first night in Nadi, on Fiji's mainland where we enjoyed a few cocktails in the hostel bar. The next morning we had no idea where we wanted to spend the week as there are so many islands to choose from so we went and chatted to a travel advisor. We then ended up on the next boat to Walu Beach Resort which was set on a beautiful big island. The resort was lovely and we had a lovely welcome of three of the locals singing a welcome song, whilst playing the guitar and maraccas as our boat pulled into the resort. Our bags were then taken to our room for us (this never happens as a backpacker!) and we were brought a complimentary glass of delicious fruit punch each. This was the most pampering I'd had since leaving home! The resort had every water sport you can think of, plus volley ball net, table tennis, darts, chess, a huge pool and 3 all you can eat meals a day included in the price of the room! The food was absolutely delicious! We spent our first three nights in fiji at Walu beach and just sat back and enjoyed the sunshine. The first night we went to the beach to watch the sunset and we lay in hammocks,hanging between palm trees. The sunset was beautiful and as we lay there, the locals came to us a sang for us. It was paradise!

On the last day we had to head back to the mainland to get more money, then went to our next stop, South Sea Island. This was the smallest island I have ever seen! It was only 1.5 acres so you could walk across it in about 30 seconds, around it in less than 5 minutes and if you stood in the middle you could see from one side of the island to the other. The people here were lovely too, they made us feel very welcome. As it was such a small island there were much less people there and we all stayed in one room (including the staff!). We stayed on the island for two nights and on the second day we took a trip in a glass bottomed boat to see all the beautiful fish and coral.
The last night we spent on Bounty Island (better known as "Celebrity Love Island"). This was a really lovely island and we stayed in a little hut on the beach. This meant we had our own little bit of beach with a hammock and sun loungers. It was lovely to wake up to the sound of the sea in the morning. The resort was great, and again the staff were lovely and welcoming. We walked round to the other side of the island to where Celebrity Love Island was filmed and there is still much of the set left which although I didn't watch much of the program I definately recognised it. However, it had just been left to deteriorate which is a shame as its on such a beautiful island and all the run down buildings, and left over wood and rubbish spoils that side of the island but I guess it keeps the tourists coming. The picture below is taken from the pier where Kelly and Patrick presented from and the building you can see is part of what is left of the set.

After spending two days on Bounty Island we crossed back to the mainland where I had to get my flight to LA! I was very sad to be leaving the friends I had been travelling with but I was also excited as I knew my parents would be waiting at the airport on the other side!

Skydiving from 12000ft!!!

Don't worry, I'll get on to the skydiving but first I'll tell you about what we got up to once we arrived in the North island of New Zealand! The ferry arrived in Wellington, New Zealand's capital where we spent one night in a town called Lower Hutt. We treated ourselves to a campsite where we had a great games room with table tennis, pool table, computer games and a huge trampoline which entertained us for the evening. The next day we headed north on the long drive to Tongariro National Park, the home of Lord of the Rings' Mordor. We stopped along the way and stayed at Okahune before an early morning start to Tongariro.

On the journey to the park we could see the volcano that was used for Mount Doom in the distance! We decided to take a days walk across the park to the Tama Lakes right to the base of Mount Doom (see pic). The walk was amazing, with the usual stunning scenery, especially the waterfalls and surrounding three volcanoes. As I walked around I tried to imagine all the cast and crew being there! It was a long but fantastic trek!

Once we got back to the van we set off to Taupo. On arriving we relaxed in the hot springs for the evening trying to take our minds off what we had planned for the next day. Skydiving was something I had planned to do (although had kept it quiet in case I chickened out!) but I don't think I really considered what I was going to do until the morning of the jump. We went to book it for that day and I guess I thought they'd be fully booked or the weather wasn't right but when the guy in the office said it was a perfect day for it and there was plenty of spaces that day my stomach turned! Then he said there were spaces on the next jump in about an hours time so we could head straight there! So before I knew it I was being suited up in a jump suit and harness and being introduced to the instructor who I'd be attached to for the jump, Mikey. He warned me that it would be very cold when we got up there, around -12 degrees but I said I don't think I'll be thinking about the cold, I'll be more worried about jumping out of a plane to which he replied, "I'm not worried about jumping out of a plane, I'm just worried about the chute opening!" This was not a good start, and Mikey turned out to be a bit of a practical joker and spent the entire time trying to scare me as he thought I was too calm. By the time I was suited up and being led to the plane I had accepted what I was about to do and I was surprised that I was not as scared as I thought I'd be but more excited! The plane was tiny, there were six people jumping, each with an instructor and some had paid for a camera man to jump with them (which doubled the price!). As I was last to get on the plane, it meant I was first to jump. It took around 15 minutes to get to the right height before the door opened. We moved into the doorway of the plane where I had to put my legs over the edge. The wind was so strong and the ground looked so far away! We were sat there for what felt like ages waiting for the all clear to jump, the picture to the left was taken a second before we actually jumped. I think I look surprisingly calm considering my legs are hanging out of a plane 12000ft in the air!

The freefall was incredible! It was an indescribable feeling, so surreal like a dream. At first we were spinning around and everything was a blur but then Mikey tapped me on the shoulder which meant I had to open my arms out, and we were then heading straight for the ground. I was glad that I had no camera man as the wind was so strong it was doing all sorts of weird stuff to my face! It was just like flying as we didn't fall as fast as I expected and it seemed ages until the chute opened which I had actually forgotten about until Mikey gave me the thumbs up and we shot up in the air so fast. As all became calm I glanced up and saw the chute was fully opened, I have to admit I was pretty relieved! The descent from then was amazing and the views of Lake Taupo and Tongariro National Park were stunning. Mikey let me take control of the steering for a bit which was great and then he took over again for landing. It was great to be back on the ground! All in all it was an amazing experience and I'd love to do it again.

After a very exciting morning we spent the rest of the day relaxing before driving to our next stop, Rotorua. On the way we stopped at Craters of the Moon, a thermal park with huge steaming craters. We spent one night in Rotorua (which smelt of eggs!) then went to Waimangu Thermal Valley (which smelt even more of eggs!) where we took a walk around the geysers, the worlds largest hot spring, bubbling mud pools and steaming lakes and craters. The sulphur gas escaping is what causes the horrible smell! It was still a pretty awesome place though!

We continued our journey to Waitomo where we spent one night before taking a tour of the Waitomo Gloworm Caves. These were quite spectacular caves with stalactites and stalagmites. Further on in the cave we had to take a boat on the water to see the gloworms. The roof of the caves were covered in them like thousands of stars in a night sky, it was really beautiful!

On leaving Waitomo we decided to take a slight detour to the town of Matamata. More famously known as Hobbiton! This was where the filming of the LOTR's shire was carried out and we went on a tour of the shire where some of the set still exists. Its not quite like it was then as most of the set was removed but with a bit of imagination you can recognise the shire. Although the set isn't quite the same, the surrounding scenery of the billowing hills and the lake with the party tree is just as you'd remember from the film. I climbed the stone steps to Bilbo and Frodo's house and went inside (see pic) although the inside was filmed in a studio so its in fact just a hollow in the hill. I also stood in the same place where Bilbo puts on the ring at his party and disappears and walked the same path that Gandalf takes with his horse an cart. It was amazing to be there imagining it all and all the famous people who had been there!

I'm now in Auckland where I'm spending my last night before my flight to Fiji tomorrow. I'm really sad to be leaving New Zealand, its the most amazing country I've been!

Kayaking and Glacier Trekking

Milford Sound is a really beautiful place in the south west of the south island. It comes just off the sea and is surrounded by huge mountains. The majority of tourists explore the sound by cruise ship but we decided to do the trip by kayak instead. This turned out to be a brilliant decision! Not only did we get to spend twice as long in the sound as the cruise ships but we also got to get up close to all the beautiful waterfalls, rocks, beaches and wildlife. It was also so peaceful on the water and we got to spend lots of time just admiring the scenery. Possibly the most special moment was when a sealion came to the kayak and was swimming around us!

The only downside to kayaking was the ridiculous outfit we had to wear. We weren't allowed to wear cotton or denim in case we capsized which meant we had to wear the thermal clothing they supplied including a pair of thermal leggings and a long sleeved thermal top, both in the very flattering shade of blue and red stripes. We then had to put a 'skirt' on over the top which fitted over the cockpit of the kayak, followed by a bright yellow life jacket. Lets just say, we didn't exactly look our best that day!

Milford Sound has an average of 250 days of rain a year, so we were extremely lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day which was quite warm too, for New Zealand. The rain apparently causes the water to become almost black but as the sun was shining the water was really clear which meant we could see sea life including star fish and sea urchins on the rocks under the water. We spent the whole day kayaking the sound and it was amazing. The views were stunning and putting that extra effort to enjoy it by kayak was so worth it.


We then had to drive back through Queenstown to get to the next stop, the mountains usually mean you have to take big detours to get from one place to the next. We stopped here for a break and a game of crazy golf which was great fun, and I of course won! I think it must in the genes! Then we headed to Wanaka where it rained, a lot, so we just took a walk around Lake Wanaka and then got back on the road to our next stop, Fox Glacier.

Fox Glacier is a small town built next to a huge glacier which we took it upon ourselves to trek on! We had planned to do this for a while and I don't think I really had considered I would actually spend the day walking on a solid block of ice. Its pretty obvious I guess but just didn't realise until I was climbing on to it just what I'd let myself in for! We were taken by a guide in a group of about nine, firstly on one and a half hours trekking up hill to get to the glacier. It was quite a spectacular sight! We then kitted ourselves out with sturdy walking boots, cramp-ons (spikes to attach to the bottom of the boots) and walking sticks before climbing onto the ice. There are no walking paths on the glacier so the guide was cutting out steps in the ice with a pick axe along the way so that we could climb up and over the ice. It was pretty treacherous at times, especially as it was all up and down with huge water filled holes and big gaps in the ice, one slip could be disastrous! All was well though and we all did really well considering we were trekking for about 6 hours. As you can imagine it was pretty cold but not too bad as long as we kept moving. Stopping for lunch was the worst as not only was it pretty cold but it started to rain too so we didn't stop long before carrying on with the trek. We were pretty exhausted by the end of the day but it was an amazing day and such an achievement, how many people can say they've trekked across a glacier?! After a hot shower we were back in the car where we drove through Franz Joseph, the neighbouring glacier and on to Hokitika where we spent the night as I was pretty tired from the long walk and the long drive! The following morning we continued, on an excellent drive along the coast before reaching Westport where we had a lazy afternoon watching DVD's in the van to recover from the day before. The next day we went on a horse ride along the Buller River and the beach which was brilliant and after that we continued our journey inland to Hanmer Springs. Here we spent the night before spending around 6 hours the following day enjoying the amazing hot springs. They were over 100 years old and made all from natural hot springs. The pools varied from 28 degrees to 41 degrees which was so nice considering it was a cold day (although getting out again was pretty bad as they are all outdoors!). It was especially nice as it got dark as you could see all the steam rising off the water and the coloured lights gave a great atmosphere. It was such a lazy day but great all the same.

Next we went back across to the East Coast where I had trip booked in Kaikoura which was unfortunately cancelled. Due to lack of time we decided not to wait till the next day and to move on to Nelson from which we could take a day trip out to Abel Tasman National Park. Abel Tasman was really beautiful with many secluded beaches and amazing views. We walked there for about 4 hours along the coast. It was a beautiful sunny day again so the walk was really lovely. At the end of the day we headed back toward Bleinheim where we stopped the night, taking a slight detour through Stoke! We are now in Picton and heading to the north island today by ferry. Apparently its not as nice as the south island so I'm sad to be leaving but there's lots of good stuff to do in the north so it should be great anyway.