Florida, Southern USA & Lone star state Texas

So we left Central America returning to the Sunshine State, Florida to stay with Nick again.

On arrival in Miami and after queuing for 2 hours and refusing to be pushed into an upgrade sale on our car rental Shand's and I hit the jackpot....well we kinda just half took it!

Instead of jumping into the 4 door 1300 KIA we took a chance, as all the cars had their keys in them and we were only pointed in the general direction of the cars. We drove off in a 2 door Pontiac GT. All chuffed we pulled up to the check out booth. This is where we brought the tire pressure warning light on the dash to the attendants' attention and he dutifully changed our car for us. As Shand's and I rolled out into the night lights of Miami in our Chrysler Sebring convertible we couldn't believe our luck. However after coming from Central American a region of poverty and bare necessities and arriving in the land of glitz, glamour and such excessiveness we felt a bit overwhelmed and even guilty, but hey we weren't going to go and ask for our KIA back!!

While staying with Nick the poor guy had to work so Shand's and I did day trips to the Everglades and Miami. In the Everglades we went on an airboat ride where we got soaked as our driver did 360 after 360 while dodging the alligators. No wonder the air boats rides aren't even allowed in the actual Everglades park. We also got to see the alligator feeding and most of the regions biggest and most dangerous snakes. Well I did as Shands could only see a couple as she was rubbing necking from the entrance of the exhibit.

Miami, South Beach - Shand's and I got into the swing of things and cruised the strip with our car's top down and chilled on the beach where there was plenty of entertainment. Was cool to see but wouldn't want to hang out there for too long - full of posers!

We also did a trip down to Key West for a couple of days which was brilliant. Key West in the words of a local "Its like they shook the United States and all the nuts fell to the bottom" Yes there is a bit of a gay scene but that was not the intended interpretation. There are plenty of bars which are full from early in the day as apparently this is why people come to Key West. There is also loads of street performers and a sunset celebration every day of the year where crowds gather on the pier every night to watch the sun set in all its glory. YES and there is a great applause as it dips below the horizon (only in America). Once the sun is gone and happy hour is over the sexy bull riding competition begins - things tend to get quite interesting. We had a great time and could have spent a lot longer in the Keys.

The next few days were spent at Nick's new condo in Fort Lauderdale on the Intercoastal where we chilled on the beach, went to watch an NHL (ice hockey) game where Nick's brother in law, Ryan, band played. We also went and supported some of Nick's mates who had entered a chilli cook off. Things were all pretty regular for the next few days.

To end our stay with Nick he joined us on a trip up to Orlando where we went to Islands of Adventures, Halloween Horror Nights and Universal Studios. The 1st day was Islands of Adventure. The ques were non-existent so we pretty much got to do all the rides as much as we wanted. At Halloween Horror Nights the ques were ridiculous but we still got to hear Shand's shriek a few times, well not sure it could have been Nick. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Nick the next morning. Thanks Nick to you and your mom for giving us a home away from home. It was awesome! Thanks again.
We then spent the day at Universal Studios, where all the rides are so different and all brilliant.

From Orlando we started our road trip west through Alabama and Mississippi to New Orleans. We got to see a bit of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but fortunately the French Quarter and Bourbon Street were unaffected and are still filled with such an awesome atmosphere - you can only imagine how crazy the Mardi Gras must be. After 2 nights in New Orleans the road trip to Memphis felt twice as long.
Memphis, the home to the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis. We went on a tour of Graceland, Elvis' mansion, his private planes, cars and motorcycle collections. It's all very kitch and apparently just as it was when he passed away, but very interesting. In and amongst his hundreds of awards we found one he received for selling over 10 million records in South Africa. Thought this was pretty impressive considering the technology and media available back in the day and the fact that he has never ever toured outside the USA (he has sold over a billion copies of his albums worldwide to date!!) Memphis though as a city seems to have died with Elvis and is definitely feeling the brunt of the recession.

Our next stop was Austin, Texas, the worldwide home of live music. It is also home to Texas State University, the University with an annual expenditure budget of $1 billion....so you can imagine what the facilities are like. So as Shand's and I were wishing we were students again we explored the caravan style cafes, vintage shops and moved from bar to bar and indulged in some typical Texan grub - smoked brisket, BBQ ribs and steak. Definitely was some of the best food we have had on the trip.

Reluctantly leaving Austin we made our way to Dallas. On the way we stopped at Fort Worth where we caught the beginning of Rodeo weekend which was awesome. There were real cowboys all over town setting up camp and showing off their massive long horn bulls at the "Fort Worth Live Stock Exchange".
In Dallas we stayed with Ben, a school friend of Shand's, on a farm just outside of Dallas where we had a cool bonfire on our first night. While in Dallas we went to the Grassy Knoll where JFK was assassinated, visited the very interesting 6th floor JFK museum which is set in the warehouse he was shot from, explored the city and got to experience a very interesting halloween street party. With pretty much no sleep we made out way to the airport at 6:30am for our flight to San Francisco. Thanks again for having us Ben.

And so the road trip down the west coast of the USA begins.