Again, sorry for the big delay on updating this but it is difficult to find the time/internet access to update but anywho. So I am currently sitting in my friend jessica's apartent who lives in Michigan (we met in Australia a few years back and have kept in contact which is very cool) so I am using her laptop and have a chance. So last time you heard I was in Virginia Beach and teh weather wasn't great but good times the weather picked up and I was able to do a bit of sun bathing and chill out on the beach. I was pretty much dreading the huge bus ride to New Orleans the whole day so I thought it would be a good idea to go out for a few goodbye drinks with the people in the hostel - do not fret tough this was quite a chilled out night nothing too heavy. It was nice to say goodbye to everyone though which is cool.

The next day I knew what I had ahead of me and there really is no easy way to describe how horrible it is to be on a bius journey for 30 hours (a little longer as we crossed backwards into central time zone) There is nothing great about it at all we took a really arse about face route there and you don't really sleep and i was sitting around worried about what would be waiting on New Orleans (all based on this idiot at the hostel in VA Beach that said that New Orleans was really dangerous and that tourists aren't really welcome, i didn't take much notice but after a good 30 hours on the bus your mind does go wondering....) and there are a bunch of crazy pople on the bus as well this smelly old guy was trying to tell me he was exactly like michael jackson, i didn't quite see what he was saying but I suppose its kinda funny now. I was well happy to finally get to New Orleans as I was completely shattered and was not in the mood for getting lost so I got a taxi to the hostel. The hostel itself was really cool, good atmosphere and had loads of information on stuff to see/do. It was very surreal driving through New Orleans as we we went through some really rundown areas in the 'Financial Distrcit' where a lot of buildings were boarded up or closed or just empty and run down. I suppose I assumed that more would have been done after Katrina. That evening after finding a supermaret to get some food and of course some beer I crashjed out pretty early ready for the big touristy day the following day.

I ended up oversleeping big style but to be honest i probably needed it so I got my stuff together packed myself a little day bag and headed into the French Quarter which is the main cultural area in New Orleans. I met these twop guys from Essex getting on the bus as they were heading the same way and were also in my hostel. They told me about Bourbon Street which is famous party strip which is where the main nightife/day life is situated. We took a walk down Bourbon street and it was pretty crazy with loads of different bars and street entertainers and drinks you can buy to drink the street (one of only two states that you can drink beer in the street). The Essex boys fancied a beer and given the horrific bus journey I had the day/s before I though why not? So at half 12 we went to a beer where they were selling 3 for 1 drinks. The bar was pretty crazy as it was quite busy for a Friday lunchtime with people doing shots and cocktails and loads f different stuff. After a couple of drinks we thought we should get sme shots in too (when in Rome right?) the shot grils sell them in a test-tube and hold the closed end in their mouth and pore the drink into your mouth, it was pretty tacky but all in the spirit of things. We got talking to these girls from Texas who were probably the most unbelievable attractive girls in the world (possible slight exaggeration but see for yourself in the photos - little hint the large breasted girls) They bought us some shots and we ended up getting pretty wasted by about 6/7 in the afternoon (in all fairness my memory is a little hazy of what happened past about 4ish) We headed back to the hostel as we hadn't eaten and the hostel were putting on a crawfish buffet for 5 bucks, we hadn't eaten all day sp that probably didn't help how drunk we were. The Essex boys went for a little sleep and I stayed up chatting with different people in the hostel who were drinking/singing songs/swimming in the pool which was retty cool. It was a really good atmosphere and we started playing some drinking games and having a good old giggle. It was probably the most drunk I've been so far as I can't remember that much, by how wet my swim shorts were I got in the pool at some point but the last thing I remember was going to bed as everyone was heading back out about half 12 (check me out being suddenly responsible). All in all a quality day/night.

I woke up the next day with a pretty bad hangover but really wanted to see what New Orleans was like and do a bit more of a touristy stuff so headed back to the French Quarter (avoiding Bourbon Street!) and had a look around. It is unbelievably hot in New Orleans we were having weather of about 96 degrees farenheit which was tough to bear but once you get used to sweating you get used to it. The French Quarter was really cool though lots of street artists/entertainer/random people singing and loads of really cool little arty shops. I took a walk through their flea market which was good. Its quite fitting how well they have done considering what they have been through with Katrina, as they have really just got on with it despite slow help from the government. I headed back to the hostel and out the pool area and got chatting to some people there having a few drinks. There was an aussie guy, dane, who had just got there and was desperate to head into town to see a jazz band and to americans, amy (who, being a teacher, left her husband back at home and her new puppy to got travelling for 3 weeks around the US) and Hayden (who got made redundant so just upped and left to go travelling). Amy knew of a good place to go outside of Bourbon Street which was a lot cooler for live music and ore importantly cheaper. We went to a place called Frenchman Street and so a really good jazz band - they were awesome and then headed to another band to see a rockier band who weren't as good. Frenchman Street shuts about 2am and we still wanted a few more drinks so we headed onto Bourbon Street for some late drinks. When we got there everything was shut which we really surprised about so we umped in a taxi and headed home. It turned out that we weren't on Bourbon Street at all and we drove past it in the taxi and it was really busy - we felt pretty stupid. We stayed up late chatting and finishing off the vodka filled watermelon that some guys had made and then Hayden was wearing it as a gladiator style helmet - well funny probably more cause we were pretty drunk (there is an on going theme of this in New Orleans I do warn you !)

We didn't head to bed until gone 4 so I overslept again, I spent most of the day by the pool at the hostel as it was so hot and trying not get eaten alive by the huge hornets and mosquitos - got bitten pretty bad around the bottom of my legs and feet). The Essex boys were up and about and we needed some food/beer as we decided just to sit around and chill out at the hostel with a few drinks (famous last words). We had a few new guests come in and they were pretty cool a couple of guys from Sheffield and I got to know some of the other guys there better, a cool older hippy couple blue and magda, an ex army dude brandon from oklohoma and a couple of other guys. After a few drinks we, surprise surprise, thought it would be a good idea to go into town. There was a big group of us this time about 10 of us which was pretty cool. We ended up in the same bar that me and the essex guys were in the first time round on Bourbon Street and the shot girls all recognised us which was pretty bad. It was still 3 for 1 (i think it is all day ) so me and dane the aussie guy were drinking whisky all night - not good. We met some locals who were telling us about how crazy the mardi gras is on Bourbon Street which I can imagine. I had to use the loo while we were walking to another bar and ran into this bar, i think I had came out of a different exit because i'd lost everyone else - so i went back into the bar and looked around there, this guy came up to me asking if i was ok and if i wanted a drink. I thought that was nice of him and had a beer with him, I did think it was a bit strange that the bar was full of men but didn't think anything of it. The guy who bought me the beer was nice enough, a bit camp (i'm sure you can see where this story is going) but again i didn't think anything of it at all. It was only when I saw two guys snogging in the corner that I realised that i was in gay bar!! I felt really bad for the guy cause i explained that I wasn't gay and that I was gonna leave - he looked pretty gutted but after that mix up i thought i should head home and go to bed.

The next day, I was up late again and was feeling pretty rough. Me and dane were moaning about how we hadn't seen much of the city so we decided to rent some bikes and have a ride around. Proved to be a really good idea - veen if we did, surprise surprise, get horribly lost!! I think we ended up in a really rough area but this guy offered to ride with us to lead us back to teh free ferry to cross over the missisippi. He looked well dodgy but in all fairness he took us where we needed to go and didn't try anything funny. As I have along this trip yu can't always judge a book by its cover (que any other similar cliches but you get the idea). New Orleans was a very cool city with a lot of culture and history and bars but I was ready to leave as I think I had pretty much drunk New Orleans dry! The next day i got the shuttle bus to the airport to fly over to detroit to meet jess. Flying is so much easier than the bus around the us (albeit more expensive) and much much quicker. Jess picked me up from the airport and it was really good to see her again and we drove to an irish pub to meet her boyfriend and have a bite to eat. When we headed back to her apartment jess's room mate coleen had drawn me up a little welcome sign which was really sweet. The next few days are gonna be really good to catch up with jess meet her friends and family and generally relax and enjoy some home comforts like a decent place to stay and wash. Do not worry the scruffy ginger beard has now gone and I'm clean shaven once again!

After michigan I'm meeting up with another friend, Hector, in San Diego (i also met Hector in Oz) which will be a lot of fun!!! I hope your all well and enjoying work....... sorry had to gloat a little. Take care and speak to you all soon.