Finally, after 24 hours, I arrived in Las Vegas. I tried to get a taxi from the Greyhound station and was met by a guy asking, “Are you looking for a taxi?” I was and he lead me to his “taxi”. An unmarked Chevrolet truck in front of the station. I stuck my head in and he seemed peeved when I say, “Ain’t you got a meter?” He said it was a flat fee and I could go ask security if I wanted. I said, “I will then.” and walked off. Dodgy guy!
Someone else recommended that I walk just up the block to the hotel coz there are lots of taxis there. I got a normal taxi to the hotel and finally met up with Kat and Jeff.

We did a little gambling, dinner at the Outback (an Australian themed restaurant with coasters that said, “Please let us know if you valet parked. Because we don’t have valet parking. No worries.”, more gambling and walking around. I played roulette for the first time ever. It was kinda strange and I didn’t win a thing!

Sunday morning was House Of Blues for breakfast, stop off to buy a postcard and we were off! Dairy Queen on the way home then Shaun of the Dead back in the OC.

Nicotine is prohibited. It’s a city ordinate.

Who woulda thunk it?

As people were slowly loading on the bus I guess a man and woman got on together. They couldn’t get seats together and all I was the most pathetic sounding sob. I think we all assumed it was fake but it turned into full on crying. “Why can’t we sit together?!” said an adult female voice.
I thought maybe a few sobs and it would be over…I thought wrong. She went on for so long that the guys up the front were saying, “That ain’t gonna get you what you want.” “You should be one some kind of medication for that.” “Anyone got some duct tape?”
Now I’m not a feminist…if something is heavy I don’t mind having a guy lift it, if my car breaks down I call the AA, I don’t even mind (too much) that I can’t pee standing up…but bawling your eyes out coz you have to sit one seat apart from the person you came with…NO WAY!!
In a normal situation, if I wasn’t in desperate need of lying down for a sleep, I would readily give up my two seats so a couple could sit together. On pure principle there was no way I was giving up four hours of sleep to satisfy the “needs” of a fully grown woman!
Sidebar: she continued crying even after the bus departed…frustration is the understatement of this millennium!! Can anyone tell me what “get over it” is?

So I met a guy standing in line who was a cross between Cletus the slack-jawed yokel and Rainman! When he saw my Italian book he said, “I can speak fluent Spanish…pidio…that means really really fast…”
I also got mistaken for a high school student…again.
We’re having a changeover in Flagstaff and going to Phoenix and apparently coming all the way back again in the morning!

…my bus has been delayed by a possible three hours! Which means I could leave Flagstaff at 10am…eek!

Today was a slightly earlier rise and straight onto the internet to sort trains and flights out once I finally get to the UK! I figured out that a midnight train from March should get me to Stansted and then to Bergamo by 9:35am…perfect!

Then there was a teeth whitening session with Cynthia…I don’t see any difference…perhaps you need more than one treatment Then Full House and Sabrina the Teenage Witch which Crystal walked in on me watching

For a “real” taste of Italy we went to Olive Garden and had bottomless soup and salad.
On our way there we almost lost our appetites. Crystal was explaining how much drivers annoy her here and we looked at a particularly annoying driver who, as if on cue, picked her nose and stuck her finger in her mouth…the screams could be hear state-wide!

Now I’m at the Greyhoud station waiting for my bus to Las Vegas. The people at the ticket desk were excited to see my license, which make a change from “How old are you? When’s your birthday?”

A lazy day at home. We got Sonic Burger and came home to tv and more tv. Once Crystal came home we went to Ross and Target. I tell ya, I will never sick of shopping at these places! When I come back Ima go crazy! Then dinner was thwarted by an early closing time. But that meant we could go to TGI Fridays! Which apparently equals bad service. They lived up to their rep. And then Crystal asked if I wanted to DRIVE home! Perhaps horror set in when I couldn’t even find the button to unlock the doors…or put the seat forward…or put it in gear… Once I got going it was all good…aside from, “Ah, now you’re in the bike lane…” “Oh right!”
Needless to say we made it home unscathed

On the train we found our seats and slept! The woman next to me was snoring SO loudly though! Usually I don’t mind a bit of snoring but this was plain unbearable!
The trip was uneventful…aside from when I went to the toilet. I saw an open toilet door so I went and pulled the door open and there was a guy peeing in there. Jeez dude! Learn how to lock the door! Forget lock…at least shut the door! Turns out the guy was drunk…I think. It was 11am!!

We finally got to Albuquerque and got picked up by Crystal! Out for lunch at Applebees, back to her place, then we got dropped off at the mall. Oh dear… I now have another pair of shoes to add to my collection! Along with 5 pairs of underwear, a Borat t-shirt and an Italian book…oops

That night we went out and played pool and danced and karaoke-d to Build Me Up Buttercup The stupid club made a big deal out of my ID (coz I only brought my Kiwi drivers license)…how old are you? When’s your birthday? Do you have a passport? They let me in anyways…I know they were just doing their job but seriously, who would come to Albuquerque on a Wednesday to party it up?

After waking up on a wooden Amtrak bench we made our way to the tour counter and found out that all their tours we booked. But we could just grab a $60 return trip and do the self-guided thing in the free shuttles…okay then. That left us 45 minutes to find our hostel, check in, clean up, get food supplies and dash back for the 8am bus. Thankfully the hostel was close! Apparently in Flagstaff five minutes down the road actually means five minutes! Cynthia showered while I went to the gas station to get supplies. And three blocks actually mean three blocks! And town blocks, not city blocks! I rushed in and got chips, bread, cookies. Tuna, water and Gatorade. The perfect “on-the-cheap” backpackers Grand Canyon menu!

I rushed back to the hostel, tired to clean up (unsuccessfully) then we rushed and made toast with grape jelly and rushed out, accidentally passed the station, backtracked and they were waiting on us…oops.

A one and a half hour ride ahead of us, we caught up on some sleep. We’re really perfecting the wipe-the-drool-from-your-face-before-anyone-notices thing.

We got there, had something to eat, looking in the gift shop, bought postcards, went potty, then set off. We walked to the red line bus…as we were walking Cynthia said, “There it is.”

Don’t ya hate it when the Grand Canyon sneaks up on you?!

So we ooohhhed and aaahhhed and snapped photos. Then went down a stinky mule-poop covered track. We stopped for cool photos in a hole and other spots. There was a friendly squirrel that Cynthia tricked into coming closer with a fake flower. Once it realised it was fake it was outta there.

So we wandered on and took the bus to different stops and took more photos and ate first, second and third lunches.
Cynthia’s favourite line of the day was, “Don’t fall! Ger away from the edge! Okay you can come back now!”

We got to the end at Hermit’s Rest, went potty in come scary-ass long drops, went gift shopping, got a hot chocolate and hopped back on the bus.

While we were on the bus an older couple got on so I stood up so one could sit in my seat. The woman turned to me and said, “Thank you. You just gave me my birthday present.” Turns out it was her 79th birthday! How cool.
Then we got on another bus to the post office. First stop, you guessed it, the gift shop! This one was good though. Fully stocked and I the gift I was looking for. Then tuna sandwiches and the writing of postcards, pop them in the post, then the general store.

Back on the bus then off the bus coz we saw elks. One of which came really close when I was taking a photo then some girl scared them all by screaming and they ran away.one last look at the canyon and back on the bus, sleep on the bench/concrete outside, back on another bus, sleep, then back in Flagstaff. By that time I was SO ready for a shower! No shower since Sunday. No real bed since…I left Pacifica. That shower felt great! All clean again and we went to the Thai place across the street…a 20 minute wait?! A quick wander, then back to be seated and wait forever for the waitress to take our order etc etc. Panang Curry, Thai tea and I was happy! Even with enough to spare for a doggy box for breakfast!
Back to go on the internet (like an addict) and then pack before bed. And how good did that bed feel!?!
Then woken up by a phone call at 12:30am from Cynthia’s friend asking if she wanted to go on “The Price Is Right”…hmmm…maybe later…then sleep until 4am…

4am wake up call, a coupla snoozes and we were up. Grabbed breakfast and to the Amtrak Station…where the train was 45 minutes late! While we were waiting, a guy asked if I was from New Zealand…only the second person in two months to guess right!

I woke up to a dark landscape and I woke Cynthia up and asked if it was snow. As it got lighter we realised it was indeed snow! And we thought the weather reports were crazy! So we wound through lots of snow covered trees then finally came through to the snow-covered town of Flagstaff! When we stepped outside it was freezing! We ran for the Amtrak lobby, polished off the last two tacos and are now waiting for 7am to come so we can book a tour or at least check into our hostel!