There's a new ride at Disneyland!

...but I'll get back to that...

I am in the City of Angels now, and Universal Studios has a couple of new rides: 'The Simpsons', which replaced the old 'Back to the Future' motion (jerky) master; and a short 'The Mummy' roller coaster which left me feeling disappointed. I highly recommend the Terminator 2 3D 'ride' though, and the Waterworld show which is much better than the movie.

Which brings me to Disneyland, they also have new rides:
a. Finding Nemo submarines, which are re-jigged submarine rides of old. You sail under and around the Great Barrier reef following the story of Nemo. It's nice and simple, but is let down entirely by a line that is at least an hour long. As far as I could tell, no one ever actually rides this attraction due to the line often being 3 hours long... which is a paradox, since if no one rides it how is the line formed?
b. Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters. It's a light gun game essentially, but is competitive in that all riders have their own gun and score. Note me destroying Space Ranger 1 in the picture below...umm, yeah.

c. I also managed for the first time (in 3 visits) do the Matterhorn bobsleds, so I'll consider them new. It nearly didn't happen though...

Let me detour for a second to highlight one other thing of Disneyland - they have 2 parades, and at least one fireworks display DAILY. I timed the fireworks, and they ran for 18 minutes. The sheer cost and man hours to make that happen is phenomenal. Plus it beats nearly every fireworks display in New Zealand.

Back to the new rides again; we experienced a very unique ride while at Disneyland (while in the Matterhorn line). The Earthquake:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?p=3034573

Pros of the earthquake ride
1. Everyone gets to ride at once
2. It's so good, it makes the breaking news in LA
3. After the ride, the queues for all other rides are empty
4. There's no height restriction

Cons of the earthquake ride
1. The park shuts all rides, and does an engineering inspection. Don't expect to be riding anything for 3 hours (minimum)
2. Related cafes may lose gas during this time, so you might be hungry too

Other than 'Acts of God' Disneyland is always a great place to visit, and has quite a unique atmosphere - something Universal Studios tries to replicate and fails - and this time made all the more special with the assistance of friends Rose and Karine who I met on my previous European trip 2 years ago. Disneyland is best experienced with at least one other person.

Hasta La Vista.

Another paradox of Disneyland: It is the 'Happiest Place on Earth', yet there are more than one and they can't all be the happiest.

I believe in bears. Faith in the unseen

Having just come to the end of a week long camping tour, I will highlight two things:

1. The Bears of Yosemite National Park (an analogy)
I did not see a bear in the park.
I met people who claimed to have seen a bear.
Experts described when and how a bear would arrive.
There were signs 'proving' the existence of bears, and even pictorial representations of bears.
Copious written material was evident on your relationship with a bear (If a bear stands at your door and knocks, get out of the house)
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/scarebears.htm

Yet I did not see a bear.
Ergo: I do not believe in bears

2. Camping tours and sleeping (not an analogy)
USA is big, I mean really big. Also, it is large.
Why would this be a concern for a camping tour? sleep. don't expect any.
A typical day is spent driving for a number of hours (it's big remember), arriving at the campsite and setting up tents, followed by dinner (dark at this point); and topped off with a 5.30am start the next day to do it over again.
But what is that you say? what about when you remain in the same place the next day?

Good question: Our second day in Yosemite, the entire day is free to do whatever we like.

Wake up time = 4.15am. We were up so early, that I had completed a 6 hour hike before lunchtime.

As for Las Vegas; do not attempt to combine early mornings with Las Vegas. Vegas starts at sunset and doesn't stop until all your money is gone. One member of our tour finished his night at 9am, ready for breakfast and started the next day again.

Why?
It's hot, I mean really hot (you thought I would say big didn't you). So hot that in Arizona (the hottest, final night), in order to be cool overnight, you would have to sleep in the lake.

Why?
It is worth it. You'll see when I get the pictures.


PS: For those who were wondering how Alcatraz was - it is amazing. If you go to San Francisco you must do 'the Rock'.

Don't call it Frisco! Day 1 in SF

After a slightly shorter flight than anticpated, made up for by someone connecting the dockway correctly, and the customary greeting from US customs - I was in America!
Choosing to take (cheap) public transport I trained into the central city, getting off below the giant Nordstrom store. And what should be there? the cable car.

Having never done it before I proceeded to buy a ticket, and joined the rather significant queue. Lessons learnt:
1. Not a fast queue,
2. Not a fast method of transport,
3. Not good transport if carrying a backpack of all your wordly possessions,
4. Did I mention the queue?
None-the-less, now I feel like an actual bona-fide San Francisian.

The hostel is a simple walk around the waterfront from the cable car line, so naturally I went completely the wrong way. I blame my guide book for running out of map.
Once there, time for shower and back around the waterfront (the fast way) to hire a bicycle and commence the ride across the Golden Gate bridge (again the waterfront)
By the time I hired the bike, I had 2.5 hours until the place closed, and they charge by the hour so I wasn't hanging around. Unfortunately I didn't account for the wind, which obviously had been watching Wellington and 'upsized' it in typical American fashion. Round trip was a fast 1hr40, of which 30 minutes was the return journey (with the wind).

The only thing seemingly unaffected by the wind is the haze. It's miraculous.

Tomorrow - The Rock.

Head 'em up, move 'em out, move 'em on, head 'em out Rawhide!

Just enough time for a deep philosophical question before I head overseas

Why are backpacks measured in litres?*

My backpack has a reasonably sizable 90ltr capacity, which would be great except for one important distinction - I'm not filling my bag with water.

This may sound like I'm splitting hairs, but think of the alternative:
1) Water would leak out of the zips, so I'd have to refill it regularly
2) It would weigh 90 kilograms**, putting my bag not only over the standard weight allowance for international flights, but be impossible to move. Well, until some of the water had leaked out.

On the plus side - I'll be well hydrated

What I am filling my bag with is assorted clothes, books, medications, shoes and other miscellany which just as easily fills up 90 litres, without the leaking.
Or more correctly, I'm trying to fill my bag. Because it seems there is always more to pack than you'd think, and while the advantage of a liquid is that it will fill all the available space perfectly, solids have a tendency to be, well, solid.

I'd better get back to it; next stop San Francisco.

* that's a metric measure of volume for anyone in USA
** also a metric measure, this time of weight

Welcome Willkommen Vítejte Bienvenue

Welcome to the beginning of the beginning,
I imagine anyone reading this blog will already know who I am, but a short summary:
-I am a single 30 year old male
-I am Christian
-I live in Wellington, New Zealand (which has more cafes and restaurants per head of capita than New York city)


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-and I like to travel. Which brings me to the next bit...

This blog will begin as a travel diary for a month long trip to USA. It will also be used to comment on things I feel appropriate, whether they be movies, news, events - however I will attempt to keep it from a Christian perspective (see point 2).
You may disagree. Good.