Where y'all from? What language y'all speak to give you an accent like that?

I'll have to make this post brief and then add to it later, as I'm in an internet cafe in New Orleans that costs quite a lot of money. Hopefully when I get to San Francisco I can write in more detail.

So my last days in New York were spent with a couple of new friends. A Frenchman named Arnaud from Tolouse, and a German girl called Giuili. I partook in such activities as checking out the new Kandinsky exhibition at the Guggenheim, clubbing at Pacha with their $22 drinks and cycling around Central Park.

On Sunday morning I met up with my fellow Intrepid trekkers for our overland trip across the USA. They include a British couple from Birmingham, a bunch of Aussies and an older lady from Germany. They are all very lovely people. We arrived that same day in Philedelphia, America's first capital city and where the decleration of independence was written. The Liberty Bell is also there, which is probably really important for Americans, but for us it was just a broken bell. The whole history of the United States was shouted at us by a man with a voice not dissimilar to Dr Evil's. We stayed that night in the woods just outside the city, which wasn't scary very much.

The next two days were spent in Washington DC, which is an interesting if not particularly vibrant place. We saw the White House, the Capitol, all that stuff. From Washington we headed to the southern states and suddenly everybody sounds more funny, but strangely they seem to be able to understand me better than they do in New York. We stayed in the Appalachian mountains before moving on to Tennessee for a night in Nashville and Memphis. Both cities have rich musical heritage, and I particularly liked sampling the honky tonks round Nashville. In Memphis we stayed in a camp site behind the Heartbreak Hotel.

Yesterday we arrived in New Orleans, this time in a rather plush hostel, which makes a welcome change to camping, particularly in the heat and humidity. We all went out last night in famous Bourbon Street. I don't think I've ever been to a place that openly encourages such drunkeness and debauchery. It was bloody brilliant. The daytime, however, shows New Orleans in a far more interesting light. Such beautiful buildings, so very French, with an atmosphere of easy going attitudes and bohemia.

We stay here for another night, where we intend to check out some of the more traditional jazzy areas of the town. I have much more to say on all parts of my trip, particularly the music found in Nashville, but for now I must sign off. Cheerio!

Starting off

Right, it's taken a while to do any blogging because apparently internet cafes are quite a rare thing in New York. Not surprising I suppose, it's not like it's a huge magnet for foreign tourists or anything.

Anyway, after a typically petrifying flight from Heathrow (the valium prescribed to calm my nerves had no effect) I arrived in New York early enough to dump my stuff at the hostel and venture out in to the city. By the evening I found myself in Battery Park at the south of the island, and here I had a conversation with a man who was deluded enough to not only believe that he was the King of the Jews, but that I should join the military for the purpose of influencing Great Britain's great movers and shakers, like Prince Charles. I've made him sound completely mental, but he was nice enough really and I found the whole thing amusing for my first night. After we parted ways I found a nearby outside bar with a jazz band playing, got myself a pint and watched the sunset over Jersey City and the Atlantic.

On day two, after a short stroll through Central Park I got the subway down to Coney Island in Brooklyn, which has a beach and is apparently where the hotdog was invented. Coney Island is sort of comparable to Brighton in that it's eccentric and quirky. However, despite the heat (about 26c), summer is officially over in America, and the area was out of season. Still, I had a good look round and it was great to break away from the typical spots in Manhattan. In the evening I sat just below Manhattan Bridge on the Brooklyn side, joining some other tourists as we watched the skyline light up as night drew in.

Yesterday I went to the American Museum of Natural History, which took up a few hours, including the impressive planetarium. After I left I realised I was wearing a t-shirt with the Moon on it, and suddenly became aware that I must've looked like some massive space-loving geek. I tried to pretend not to care. Later on, I grabbed some food in Greenwich Village, which has great heritage with the beat movement of the 40s and 50s and is a student hotspot due to it's location near the University. However, I was after a flavour of something more bohemium, so I headed to the East Village, where I stumbled across a bar that sold good European beers (including Old Speckled Hen!). I got chatting to a couple of guys at the bar, and we finished the night at a place called The Box, and what was apparently Charlize Theron's private party for the launch of her new  film or something. Bill Murray was sitting in the booth next to us. I felt a little out of place - still wearing my Moon t-shirt while in the company of young professionals and with Dr. Venkman just feet away from me - but it was free to get in, it was an open bar and everyone really felt pretty welcoming. So yeah, pretty good night.

I spent most of today trying to find an internet cafe. Done it! But I'm sorry if it's a bit rushed. It's expensive. Oh and I'll post pictures later.

Hello

My trip begins on September 14th 2009, when I land in New York and where I stay for about a week. From here I travel on an Intrepid tour through America, taking in the likes of Philadelphia, Washington DC, New Orleans, Houston, The Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. We terminate at San Francisco, where I'll stay for a while before a flight over the Pacific to Auckland, New Zealand. I then bus down to Christchurch on the south island and take a flight over to Sydney. From Australia I head to Thailand and travel south through Malaysia to Singapore and then fly over to Mumbai. After railing through India to Dheli, I catch a flight back to London in March 2010. Got it? I'll let you know how it goes.