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!