Las Vegas, Nevada 25/4/07 - 27/4/07)

As usual, I rocked into the airport with nowhere to stay. Fortunately, there was a hotel reservation reception for 5 of the biggest hotels on the Strip. I figured if I was in Vegas, I might as well stay on the Strip. However, the cheapest hotel was the Flamingo at US$500 for 3 nights. OUCH! I found there were 2 beds in my room so I contemplated subletting the second but thought it would be too much trouble. Anyone reading this could have had the second queen bed for free... next time.

Being tired, I only managed a walk up the Strip including a visit to Circus Circus which was the hotel my family stayed at during our '94 trip with the Adams. Of course, things were very different this time - I was legal age to gamble my life savings.

The next day I walked into just about every casino on the Strip. They're all different and worth a look. It's amazing how much money is flowing and how much more construction is still going on. What was formally a small town in the dessert is expanding fast. Of course, I spent the rest of the day funding their extentions at the tables. Booooooo!

On the 27th, I wasn't sure whether to revisit the Grand Canyon (we did it in '94). Although, they had recently built the Skywalk over the canyon and I was keen to see it from this perspective. Most of the tours were booked and I was running out of time so in the end I decided to finally get my helicopter ride through the Canyon. Being a 'copter virgin, I figured I was killing two birds with one stone. This wasn't cheap either at US$265 but I didn't know when I'd have another chance.

The pilot was a crazy extrovert which made the journey somewhat more interesting. He showed us the Skywalk in the distance but it only looked a tic tac hanging over onto the edge of the vast Canyon. Apparently, helicopters are only allowed to fly over a certain section of the Canyon due to indiginous believes. But to me, I think it's another case of the indiginous having their cake (from the tourist revenue) and eating it too (only allowing people to see a very small section). A limo picked us up from the airport and took us back to the hotel. Ultimately, it was a good experience but I would do it differently if I saw the Grand Canyon again.

That evening, I grabbed my camera and headed for the Stratasphere. This is the tallest building at the North end of the Strip. The surrounding area is fairly dodgy as the Strip changes from an affluent region to a drug infested street. But the views were worth the trip. I went up in the late afternoon/early evening to see the Strip in both daylight and neon Vegas-light. There are a few rides at the top and I tried one that almost throws you over the edge. I'm somewhat afraid of heights so the ride did scare the sh!t out of me. But the view is priceless...

As my last event in Vegas, I went to a show called 'Fantasy'. It certainly lived up to the reputation but unfortunately I don't have any photos to prove it, just an autographed calander.

Feeling tired but needing one last flutter, I went back to my favourite texas hold 'em table at the Luxor hotel. Eventually, I came out with a small loss at 6am, not ready for my flight at 9am. I guess that's what Vegas is all about.

Return rating: 10 (best place in the world for a bucks week with the boys)

Miami, Florida (22/4/07 - 26/4/07)

As the plane landed, the captain announced our arrival with "Welcome to Miami" in a similar way to Will Smith's soundtrack. Again, I was pumped to soak on the beautiful sands of South Beach. I managed to find a hostel in central South Beach and caught a cab directly to the action.

When I went into the hostel room at 1pm, 5 blokes were still sleeping in a 6 dorm. I chucked my stuff down as some of them started to wake. Turns out they're all from Adelaide! 3 of the lads were going to the World Cup the next day and 2 of them stayed in Miami until the others returned in a few weeks.

My first priority was some new sunglasses. I still love my Oakley's and found a specialised store. It was brilliant as I got to build my own with parts in the shop. I was the coolest kid in town again.

As it started to rain (probably the first time Miami has seen rain in months), I returned to the hostel where the boys were finally getting ready to head out again. The 3 guys heading to the World Cup the next day went home after dinner but the rest of us (Dion and Pat) had to make something of a Saturday night in Miami. We did a mini pub crawl ending at a fairly popular place, Prive, where people lined out the front like you see in the movies. One of the guys stole a bunch of VIP passes to the club the night before, so we were able to get in without any fuss. I normally don't like these types of places cause I think they're superficial but I almost felt famous being ushered in like a celebrity.

As it normally is in Australia, Sunday was recovery day. Although, normally I don't get to nurse the hangover on Miami beach with new friends. We spent the entire day on the beach with an iPod and soccer ball we scored from the hostel.

Monday was time to replace my digital camera. I caught a bus to a massive mall and found the perfect option, a waterproof and shockproof 7.1 Olympus. Hopefully, this one would be strong enough to go in my pocket during benders. And I've never had a waterproof camera, so I was excited about trying it out on one of the best beaches in the world. I also got a new Casio digital watch as I broke my old one 'play wrestling' on a huge mountain of sand in Barbados. Of course, I had to test the waterproof camera with my new sunnies. Eat your heart our Hoff!

With my new goodies, I headed back to the hostel to meet Dion and Pat. After a meal at a recently opened 'Down Under' restaurant (below), we went to the local Sports bar to have few quiet ones and a game of pool. It didn't turn out to be very quite as we met a few Irish girls and played into the early hours.

Again, the next day was spent recovering on the beach. This time we comtemplated a jet ski, para-sailing or helicopter ride over the beach. We even got the energy to call the helicoptor to make a booking but they were booked solid for the day and I was leaving the next day. My first helicoptor ride would have to wait... but it would be worth the wait.

After a few more drinks at the same Sports bar (including a shot of Barcardi 151), we wondered off to find a feed. Looking up at all the buildings, I wasn't watching where I was going and walked straight into a fire hydrant. Not thinking anything more of it at the time (besides my sore thigh), I continued onto the restuarant. When I got my phone out of my pocket, it took me a second to work out why my LCD screen was black and seemingly ruined. I could barely see anything on the display, so text messages were virtually useless for the next few weeks and I could only make and receive calls on a $800 phone. Yep, I'm a clown.

On the last morning, I wasn't ready to leave Miami and the friends I had made in the last few days. I was flying to one of (if not the most) exciting places in the world but I still had thoughts of staying longer in Miami. Since I'd already booked tours, there wasn't heaps of room to extend the stay so I decided to move onto the dazzle of Vegas, vowing to myself to return to Miami another time.

Return rating: 10

Trinidad and Tobago (18/4/07 - 21/4/07)

For the first time since leaving Australia, I felt like I could have been at home as Kev's Mum picked us up from the airport. Trinidad has a similar feel to Oz and I had my own tour guide. After dumping the bags, Kev borrowed the car and we cruised the streets of Trinidad. Kev was keen to introduce me to his favourite cuisine and beers in Trini. I forget what they were called but it was real tasty. We also managed a Stag beer before having an early night.

Early the next day, we caught a ferry for the beautiful beaches of Tobago. We must have seen most of the beaches on the small island before we made our way back to catch the ferry to Trinidad. Unfortunately, we were too late (15 minutes before it was due to leave) so we were forced to wait 6 hours for the late night cargo ferry. In the mean time we went on a mini pub crawl, however, I think we were both feeling rather sick of achohol after the massive drinking binges at the cricket. Since the ferry was mainly for cargo, there weren't many seats. And since we were dog-tired, we were forced to sleep on the ground with the back of chairs as pillows... not the most comfortable nights sleep but we got through it.

My last day in Trini was spent at yet another fantastic beach, Maracas. We bought a heap of different sweet and savory snacks of which the coconut and pineapple were the only ones I liked. After swimming and meeting one of Kev's mates, the guys wanted to get some more typical Trini food, Shark and Bake. Kev reckons it might take off in Australia and I think he might be right.

Kev dropped me at the airport - I was absolutely exhausted and ready to spend some recovery time by myself. Thanks to Kev for showing me around his magnificent country.

Return rating: 10 (for Carnivale')