New York was amazing, not even the bitter February coldness could hide that. Everywhere you look there was something to see - usually something you recognise from a film or TV show! I was having a trouble finding a couch surfing host which is common with big cities so I decided to treat myself to a hotel. I found a reasonably priced place in central Manhattan and having my own space for the first time, combined with five weeks of constant activity with little sleep lead to me crashing mid afternoon and sleeping till morning. Feeling fresh the next day I took in the sights and had the perfect Continue reading →
Although my time in Ottawa was brief it was great to see Pete again, and a few other faces from Cardiff over in Canada for work. Flying in at night I was curious as to what all of the white patches were below me... needless to say once I got off the plane it was very very very cold. I spent the day running between buildings trying to avoid the -11ºC temperatures!
Moving onwards next was Montreal, stepping off of the bus was a bit of a shock as I did not realise quiet how French Quebec was until I arrived. With my limited French I started to think that I was going to struggle the two days Continue reading →
It was hard to say goodbye to Richard and Karina after such a great time in Victoria but it is time to start heading east, with my flight back from New York in just over a week. I arrive in Vancouver to heavy rain and with several hours to kill before meeting Sean, my next Couch Surfing host and carrying my big bag I decided to take shelter at the movies!
My first full day here was spent wandering the city which with a small downtown area was manageable. I did accidentally find myself walking along 'skid row' which was a bit of a surprise as it is right next to Gas Town - a very nice part Continue reading →
I had a a bit of a nightmare getting to Victoria from Seattle after my ferry was first delayed and then cancelled. A 4 hour journey turned into a bus ride up north across the border to catch another ferry making the journey 10 hours in total! The ferry I did go on was a little rough and some of the windows ended up smashing in!
Now here I have had a great time with Richard and his girlfriend Karina seeing the city, hiking and yesterday we went cross country skiing at Mount Washington. Being my first time I spend a lot of time picking myself up off the floor and during our lesson in the morning Continue reading →
My Couch Surfing host Laura and I had a really nice time in Portland which is a really relaxed place with lots of good beer! Portland was also a good opportunity to catch up on putting my feet up with a film and my running (my 16 weeks of crazy marathon training starts almost as soon as I return home!)
Taking the Greyhound to Seattle I meet up with Andy who I met in San Fracisco who is a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend in Cardiff and offered me a place to stay when I was telling him all about couch surfing. I have been having a really great time in Seattle with a nice mix of seeing Continue reading →
Yosemite turned out to be every bit as beautiful as people had said. On my first day in the park I did the highest hike I was able to (they close a lot of the trails in winter for safety) which was the upper Yosemite Falls trail and on to Yosemite Point (2115m). The weather was beautiful which made for even more beautiful views.
Overnight and through to the next morning there was fresh snowfall so my second hike in the park was completely different and I switched my shorts and t-shirt for lots of layers plus hat and gloves! I stayed at a really nice hostel in the mountains which happened Continue reading →
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