1 week later...
On Saturday the 24th, we flew down to Melbourne for my work awards night. We hired out the Melbourne Cricket Ground, home of the Commonwealth Games in 2006. The night was long and everyone parties hard. Its a huge event and that's to Qantas and our other Major sponsors, it was great.
Day 20: Mahalo & Goodbye
Last day. We got a taxi to the airport. Well, we got a Limousine. Actually the Limo was cheaper than a taxi! We checked in and went to the flight. I hated it. Not the flight. I hated it cause I was going back home! Service on board as always excellent. I am going to fly them whenever I got to the USA.
Day 19: Ala Moana, Hilo Hattie and more
Today we awoke and decided to have breakfast at TGIF. I had the standard US breakfast, eggs, sausages, toast. All huge. I thought, I cant finish that. Then the Pancakes came. OMG!!! After that we decided to catch the free bus to Hilo Hattie. Its a bus that takes you to this store. Some people say its like a tourist trap (but their products are quite affordable). I wanted to catch the bus cause it went past Ala Moanna. We walked around and did some shopping. I had a Okonomiyake Burger. Its quite nice! In the evening we went to this place called L & L. Well the food was crap and their service was there to match. This girl gave us huge attitude. Maybe cause I’m white. She was Hawaiian and seemed to treat the Chinese (they were from Hong Kong) very good - and treat the white guy bad. I said to her: Here's for your hard work. I gave her a penny.
Day 18: Mahalo and Aloha
I checked in and Hawaiian airlines ays I can have 70 pounds for travel to and from Sydney. Fine - so I weighed my bags and was under 70. When I arrive they tell me 50 pounds per bad. I'm like WTF??? Your web says one thing, but they say another. I told them that the web says 70 pounds. They say 70 pounds from Hawaii to Honolulu. Anyways I packed another bag and I had 2 checked and 2 carry on's and I tell you what those carry on bags were damn heavy. I made sure they were each 50 pounds. Anyways we arrived and checked in. We walked around and man there is so much eye candy here. Its fantastic.
Day 17: New Horizon
Today was wake up early day and bid farewell to Vancouver and Canada eh. I took the Horizon flight to Portland and was a really small plane. The staff on board were great and it is a great way to fly. Next time I come I will fly them for my shot haul trips. Anyways I went through customs quick and arrived in Portland. I had dinner with Kyle and Paul for the last night in Portland.
Day 16: Final Day
Today was relax day. We went to Denny's for lunch. I had a Grand Slam breakfast. I saw this on Family Guy so I had to try. It was great. Then Peter left a day earlier so he left at 3. We went to Chinatown for a little bit.
Day 15: Stanley Park: Second Try
It was a clear day so we decided to go to Stanley Park again for a morning walk. It was fabulous. Recently the park had severe storm damage however the park was so beautiful. We saw the totem polls and we saw some wonderful spots. After that we had a quick bit to eat at a Hot Dog stand. Geez that was great. We met a guy called Ryan. Hes really nice. He took us to Yale town where all the yuppies live. Nice area. And then it was over the bridge to Granville Island. We then had dinner at a place called Guu. On their menu was Moisty Japanese. Serious. I had a choc-dipped banana for desert. Oishii!!
Day 14: Can you spare some change?
OK Now I realise that Vancouver has a severe homeless problem. I realise that now. Every street corner has at least 2. OK Onto the travels: We walked to the gay area and had breakfast at this place called the Red Umbrella. The food was really good! I had pancakes, eggs, some sort of sausage that tasted good and huge toast. Delish! Then we walked to Stanley park for a few hours, but the rain came and was really heavy so we headed back to the hotel. After a few hours we were hungry and went to a place called Samurai. This place is amazing. Food was huge!!! And was so damn good. If you are in the area look for Samurai on Davie street Tel: 609-0078. After dinner we walked around. We went to a place called Super Valu. We didn't think so. But we found some rare Canadian goodies. There was this meat that was cooked on that day and wrapped up like fresh meat. It must be a Canadian thing cause it looked kind of funky. I had to take a pic. We also found a apple pie with a hole in the centre. I suppose it has something to do with American pie? I dunno.
Day 13: Part 2
So we decided to have dinner eh. And of course Portland and Seattle being smaller cities, they had so many shops open and even their Chinatown is open for dinner. So we thought, why not go to Chinatown? We can check out the area and have something to eat and seeming how there is so many Hong Kong people around, there is bound to have something to eat. We got the map and walked down to Chinatown. There were a lot of homeless people around. A LOT. So we kept walking and we came past a few places selling Marijuana. There were groups of people hanging out these places. We kept walking thinking that 5 blocks of this kind of thing - how long can it last. Well we came to a group of 150 people. We were surrounded by people drugged out of their minds. I heard a few people wanting to take my jacket and I heard a few asking for money and more. Of course the Police came. Then drove off. Great, public safety in Vancouver. I was really disappointed. I really was looking forward to Vancouver on this trip and found out that America was not only safer but better. OK I know what you are thinking: I came to a bad area and shouldn’t judge it. OK, so after we ran away we tried to find a place to eat. There was nothing. I mean nothing. Nothing was open. Nothing. We walked to the CBD and found a Hong Kong Sushi bar. There was nothing open and so we had no choice. I had an Alaska Roll. Sounds great. Tasted bad. I actually had Alaska roll back in my hotel restaurant in Seattle. It was amazing. These guys in Vancouver used smoked salmon. Sorry but that isn’t Japanese. I also had a bento box with Tempura. The batter was beer batter. After a mouthful I was sick so I went to Tim Hortons for coffee and a donut. Can anything else get bad? Well the coffee was good. Aghhhhh!!!! OK Lets see if tomorrow is better. I gotta think positive.
Day 13: Welcome Canadian Bacon
Canada eh. That was the greeting I had when I came through customs eh. The train ride from Seattle to Vancouver was amazing eh. The view was so pretty and you should take the train if you travel to Vancouver eh. We arrived mid afternoon and checked into the St. Regis Hotel. It's a great place and located in the centre. We walked around the city and went into some shops. I had McDonalds. I know. You are in Canada and having McDonalds. Well, the McDonalds logo had a maple leafin it. Its sort of Canadian. OK maybe not. But I wanted to try the Chicken Crispy burger and the Fillet-o-fish. Well, the fillet was good and the McChicken McCrispy burger was just like Thailand. The fries tasted like fish. Anyways we went to a few shops and noticed that this place is Hongcouver. WTF you are saying Andrew??? Well, before I came up many people (and even people from Hong Kong) told me that Vancouver have a lot of Hong Kong people here. And they were right. We saw "Candadian and Cantonese Restaurant" and the like. It's good for me cause there is a lot of eye candy around ;). Anyway eh, I have to have some food eh. Dont know where to go eh, so I think I might check out the gay area eh. Hopefully it is bigger than Seattle eh. (The pic above was from the train from Seattle to Vancouver eh)
Day 12: Bainbridge Island, Undercity & Space Needle.
We went to Bainbridge Island. Its this island near Seattle. The ferry ride over was great. You know you can pay $50 for a cruise. We paid $6 and got a ferry ride with the same views and stopped at an island! The Island is quite large. The town is not. We walked around and the sights were great. I bought a Turkey and Cranberry sandwich and was delish. We came back to Seattle city and decided to take the underground tour. Sounds boaring? No way. Its a real town ... under the streets. There use to be bars, shops, banks and tons more. You can walk under the street and see the different shops and even the old shop fittings. Nothing is used today of course! It all closed down a hundred years ago. We came out through Pioneer square and saw that the fog had gone. So we went to the Space Needle. It was worth it. Actually, if you go... wait until the afternoon. Dusk is quite nice and then the lights come on. It's amazing. I had dinner with a wonderful guy called Nathan who showed me around the city and the outer areas. (Nathan you are wonderfull!)
Day 11: Seattle... walk around
Early morning wake up and start the day off by travelling to a place called Bellevue to do some shopping. It was out of the way and we took a bus. Looking at the Seattle suburbs was quite nice. When we go there there were all the shops - but none that you would need. Homewares, starbucks, homewares, starbucks, starbucks... and of course starbucks. We had Thai food and it was OK. Did not realise that the suburb is the richest in Seattle and of course Bill Gates lives there. Apparently (not sure if this is real) he passed a law that you have to earn so much to live there. Steve Jobs dosent act like that cause at least Steve has pride in himself. Anyways we came back and went to "The gay area". Now you would think Portland has a small gay scene. Seattles was much smaller. Actually there was 1 bar. We think there was 2 but coudnt see in. We saw a KFC and then went back to the hotel. An exciting night enjoyed by all. BTW: Dosent the pic look like the heavens were shining on KFC? It's not that great.
Day 10: Seattle
Seattle... I have done the whole city in a day. We went to to Space needle, however there was no view as the day was foggy. We had a great seafood sandwich and onion rings. They were really nice. I had it at a place where they filmed Slepless in Seattle. We took the monorail around and picked up some gifts. But there is one problem: I have 2 days free and need to find something to do... I might take a ferry to an island.
Day 9: Leaving Portland... Hello Seattle
So I was suppose to have a early night. That meant party hard and come back at about 4am. Portlands night life is fantastic. I met a great lady called Cindy. She is no nice! So I got up early, went to the Amtrak station for my ride to Seattle. Only the confirmation wasnt confirmed. And there was no booking!!! The guy at check in was good, he got me on the train and got it organised. He wasnt happy at the booking staff who made the original booking. But thats Portland people - they are so nice and helpful. Thats one thing I miss about Portland - the people are great. We arrived afternoon in Seattle, checked into the Hotel. The Superbowl was on so the city was quiet and empty. It was weird. The Colts reign in the rain. Anyways... we had our first US McDonalds experience and boy, wasnt it an experience! I will never complain about Australia's Fillet-o-fish again.. Pics say 1000 words..
Day 8: I'm about to leave and the rain came...
I woke up this morning - it was raining. But it is so beautiful out there. The air is crisp. OK now to sort out my luggage. Oh no!!! I have no space left and I am half way through my trip. So a quick dash to the local Fred Meyer ( www.fredmeyer.com ) for a new bag. Sure it was not cheap but I needed it badly. I got a cup of coffee (the Americans love weak coffee - I mean so weak it looks like Water with a dash of coffee. Where is the flavour? I need flavour country.) OK anyway I got my bag and came back, sorted all the crap out, nearly at my limit (but thats OK cause I dont have much money left - it will stop me buying more). Tonight I am having Thai food - it is my host's birthday party and were going to a few local bars. Gotta be up early tomorrow as my train leaves at 12 - so cant have a late night. (The pic is out front of Fred Meyer looking at the MAX).
Day 7: Mountains and Hockey
Today we went up the mountains to see some of the most beautiful waterfalls. It was ice cold up there and the cliffs were covered in ice. It makes great for photography, albeit having a camera phone doesn't do it justice! I need a SLR badly! After the falls we saw a hockey game ( www.winterhawks.com ) - Portland vs Seattle. Now I have no idea about hockey, but I do know that Portland can not play. Seattle won 2 - 0 and Seattle looked like they got their act together. Portland seemed like they were defending all the time, but not scoring. Well, thats what it looked like - could be that the night wasn't right for them. But I like the mascot.
Day 6: The Cheesecake Factory
Shopping was on the agenda again today and we went through the local mall. Time to pick up those last minute deals. We went to the Cheesecake Factory - Damon you were right - this place was great. I had the small meat-loaf that was so damn huge I couldn't finish over half of it. And of course I had cheesecake. They have this Cuban sandwich - it was heaven. If anyone out there likes a healthy version of McDonalds cheeseburger - this is it. I also found Havana from Aramis - I haven't had this in about 10 years. I am a happy man!
Day 5: East West
After checking out the local sights and getting those last minute tacky souvenirs, we head through the cost and stopped off at the local Indian Casino. The Chinook Winds. This place was like Star City in Sydney Australia - only Chinook Winds food was much better! Of course you cant go in and not bet! Mid afternoon, we drove into Salem. Salem is the capital of Oregon. We went to a massive outlet mall - when I say massive - I mean it. Its sort of like Parramatta Shopping centre - times that by 4. I spent some time in the Nike Factory Store (OK 2 hours - well its so cheap), and other specialty shops. I got a over-sized Peanut butter cup (I cant eat it cause it is huge). I also discovered choc-dipped cheesecake.
Day 4: East Coast
Today we went down the coast and saw some of the local towns and a very cheesy factory ( tillamookcheese.com ) After the having a mixed berry ice cream we went to the coast shore. The views from the shore is so spectacular. Most of the trees grow the same direction of the wind - not surprising though - it is a windy area. And some of the trees are huge - but they snap like toothpicks because the wind is so strong!
Day 3: Chicken Fried Steak
Early morning and we went out to a local blue collar diner for some hearty American fair. I got the Chicken Fried Steak and Biscuits with Gravy. OK the Chicken Fried Steak is like having a thin cut of beef fried like KFC style. Sort of. Sounds weird but was absolutely amazing. And the Biscuits are so nice as well. The Americans call Scones biscuits. Well they are sort of like scones. After that we went along the highway to the East Coast of Oregon. Some of the scenery is spectacular. We went to a place called Canon Beach ( http://www.cannon-beach.net/ ). The accom was great and we went to a local pub for dinner. Dinner wasnt that great. Their prawns were small and not worth it.
Portland and the Simpsons Connection
Matt Groening grew up in Portland and as such most of his characters came from the city. Some of them came from street signs, buildings and more. The link below gives you an idea...
http://www.simpsonsfolder.com/production/matt_groenings_portland.html
Day 2: Portland Oregon
We arrived late evening and slept quite well. We woke up and supprisingly the weather is quite nice (for me) cold and blue skies - rare for Portland. Today was day 1 of shopping And we did Abercrombie, AE, Gap and Apple Store. After all that, we went for some typical northwest food at Red Star ( http://www.redstartavern.com/ ) The food was great and loved the Buffalo Burgers. There were also these amazing chicken peices with pecan nuts with a honey and mustard dipping sauce.
Day 1: Getting There
Arriving into Honolulu after a 10 hour flight, the flight arrived early, so we took a taxi to the city centre and saw the Ala Moana Centre. This is a large shopping centre with tons of stores. We had coffee and walked around and checked out the stores. The taxi cost us about $35 USD / $42 AUD. We found a bus taking us to the airport for $2. Bargain! If you are ever going to / from the airport, take the number 9 / 10 bus to the city. Takes about an hour (allow another 30 mins just in case!). Our flight to Portland seemed quite long, food was good and staff were great.
