5 weeks, 15 planes and approximately 54600km later we are back home in Perth.
It was an awesome trip with lots of lovely memories.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Pearl Harbour Memorial
Our last day on Oahu, and we are determined to squeeze out one more sightseeing trip. This time it is to visit Pearl Harbour.
The area has been designated a "World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument" and is steeped in history. The newly renovated museum is pretty impressive, and goes in detail about the events leading up to World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbour. What I found interesting here was that it actually has a section describing the Japanese and their situation leading up to the war too - so you can understand see why things happened as they did - or at least get an idea about their motives at the time.
The area is filled with relics of torpedoes, missiles and rockets of the time, and has lots of information.
There was also a decommissioned submarine, the USS Bowfin (nicknamed Pearl Harbour Avenger) moored there which you can visit - and there's a memorial for all the submarines lost at sea during the war, including a little information about each one.
Along the shore line there is the Walk of Remembrance, with the names of ships lost and names of servicemen who lost their lives in the war inscribed on plaques. A solemn walk considering the number of people who lost their lives.
A short 25 minute movie later we were on the ferry ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona was sunk within minutes when it sustained a direct hit to its munitions silo by a Japanese bomber at the start of World War II. Those who served and died on-board are entombed inside. The white memorial building does not sit on the Arizona, rather it cradles it protectively. It is still leaking fuel slowly, as can be seen by the thin film of oil slick on the surface and some black globules floating up. This is nicknamed Tears of the Arizona.
Next stop was a tour of the USS Missouri, nick named Mighty Mo, the last battleship to be built during World War II. It was decommission in 1955 after several tours but then was recommission again in 1986. In 1992 it was decommissioned again and now serves as a memorial for those who served. What was impressive about this ship was the massive 16 inch diameter guns it had - three big tri-barrels - able to shoot massive ordinance up to 28 miles distance. It last served in desert storm and was instrumental in destroying great numbers of tanks from the shoreline.
In the distance we could see a massive golf ball like structure set on a floating oil rig platform. Quite an eye sore really, but we found out it was a massive radar, brought in specifically from Alaska to maintain security during APEC 2011 in Hawaii. Supposedly able to spot a golf ball from a distance of about 3000 miles. I guess you can't be too careful with 21 heads of states present in the same place!
The area has been designated a "World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument" and is steeped in history. The newly renovated museum is pretty impressive, and goes in detail about the events leading up to World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbour. What I found interesting here was that it actually has a section describing the Japanese and their situation leading up to the war too - so you can understand see why things happened as they did - or at least get an idea about their motives at the time.
The area is filled with relics of torpedoes, missiles and rockets of the time, and has lots of information.
There was also a decommissioned submarine, the USS Bowfin (nicknamed Pearl Harbour Avenger) moored there which you can visit - and there's a memorial for all the submarines lost at sea during the war, including a little information about each one.
Along the shore line there is the Walk of Remembrance, with the names of ships lost and names of servicemen who lost their lives in the war inscribed on plaques. A solemn walk considering the number of people who lost their lives.
A short 25 minute movie later we were on the ferry ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona was sunk within minutes when it sustained a direct hit to its munitions silo by a Japanese bomber at the start of World War II. Those who served and died on-board are entombed inside. The white memorial building does not sit on the Arizona, rather it cradles it protectively. It is still leaking fuel slowly, as can be seen by the thin film of oil slick on the surface and some black globules floating up. This is nicknamed Tears of the Arizona.
Next stop was a tour of the USS Missouri, nick named Mighty Mo, the last battleship to be built during World War II. It was decommission in 1955 after several tours but then was recommission again in 1986. In 1992 it was decommissioned again and now serves as a memorial for those who served. What was impressive about this ship was the massive 16 inch diameter guns it had - three big tri-barrels - able to shoot massive ordinance up to 28 miles distance. It last served in desert storm and was instrumental in destroying great numbers of tanks from the shoreline.
In the distance we could see a massive golf ball like structure set on a floating oil rig platform. Quite an eye sore really, but we found out it was a massive radar, brought in specifically from Alaska to maintain security during APEC 2011 in Hawaii. Supposedly able to spot a golf ball from a distance of about 3000 miles. I guess you can't be too careful with 21 heads of states present in the same place!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Big Island Volcano Tour and Lava Walk
We had to get up really early the next morning for our Volcano Tour, but managed to squeeze in a quick breakfast at the hotel first. We were picked up by the tour bus again and this time taken to the airport where we caught a flight to Hilo - the main city on the Big Island of Hawai'i. This city has suffered at the hands of both tsunamis and lava flow in its time, so is an interesting one!
Our bus driver, Junior, born and raised on Hilo, was a bit of a character. Very "hang loose" tour guide, he almost drove off minus a couple of passengers a few times! He proceeded to tell us all about Hilo - from the amount of rainfall (138 inches/year on average) to the price of real estate (350-400k in the main town, but the closer you get to the volcano the cheaper it got, about 20-30k per acre).
All of the islands of Hawaii have been created with volcanoes and lava originally, but Big Island is the only island still with an active volcano. We drove to Rainbow falls first - with Junior telling us everything about Hilo that he knew.. he even sang his Alma Mater song for us.
Next on the route was Kalapana Beach. It used to be a really nice black sand beach, but was covered in lava back in 1983. Still has some black sand on the tips of it, and the lava has extended the land mass a bit here. It was about a 10 minute trek out to the ocean, again, well worth the effort for the view of waves crashing against the solidified lava rocks. People have rebuilt their houses on top of the lava, pretty crazy when you look out and see an expanse of lava, then houses built on it!
Next stop Thurston Lava tube, where we got to walk through an old lava tube. It is surrounded by rainforest. This was followed by another drive through lava encrusted fields, and we got to see lava trees. When lava flows and there are big trees on the land, lava goes around the tree trunk. The tree eventually burns down, leaving lumps and logs and hollow cavities behind, creating an interesting landscape. We also had a sift through the debris looking for Pele's Tears, teardrop like bits of lava that solidifies in the air when the lava is thrown into the air during an eruption. Then its on to Crater Rim Drive, where there are numerous collapsed crates along the way. We stopped by one of the vents puffing out steam for a quick "facial steam"! (hehe.. just kidding, but there was quite a bit of warm steam coming out of the vents). Lava rock is surprisingly porous, so rain water seeps through it and gets heated up, eventually coming out as steam in the vents.
After a stop for dinner at the Volcanoes Golf and Country club we headed to the Jaggar Museum and visitor centre. This is located at the top of the Kilauea Caldera, where we saw the glow of lava inside the volcano crater. It is slowly puffing out steam. Quite eerie to look at, knowing you are quite close to an active volcano. At the museum they have a seismometer to keep track of any earth tremors and inflation/deflation of the crater, which would help predict any potential eruptions. Each day there are over 100 tremors on the Big Island, which is so small it is not felt by humans.
After a long day, we head back to the airport for our flight back to Oahu.
Our bus driver, Junior, born and raised on Hilo, was a bit of a character. Very "hang loose" tour guide, he almost drove off minus a couple of passengers a few times! He proceeded to tell us all about Hilo - from the amount of rainfall (138 inches/year on average) to the price of real estate (350-400k in the main town, but the closer you get to the volcano the cheaper it got, about 20-30k per acre).
All of the islands of Hawaii have been created with volcanoes and lava originally, but Big Island is the only island still with an active volcano. We drove to Rainbow falls first - with Junior telling us everything about Hilo that he knew.. he even sang his Alma Mater song for us.
Next on the route was Kalapana Beach. It used to be a really nice black sand beach, but was covered in lava back in 1983. Still has some black sand on the tips of it, and the lava has extended the land mass a bit here. It was about a 10 minute trek out to the ocean, again, well worth the effort for the view of waves crashing against the solidified lava rocks. People have rebuilt their houses on top of the lava, pretty crazy when you look out and see an expanse of lava, then houses built on it!
Next stop Thurston Lava tube, where we got to walk through an old lava tube. It is surrounded by rainforest. This was followed by another drive through lava encrusted fields, and we got to see lava trees. When lava flows and there are big trees on the land, lava goes around the tree trunk. The tree eventually burns down, leaving lumps and logs and hollow cavities behind, creating an interesting landscape. We also had a sift through the debris looking for Pele's Tears, teardrop like bits of lava that solidifies in the air when the lava is thrown into the air during an eruption. Then its on to Crater Rim Drive, where there are numerous collapsed crates along the way. We stopped by one of the vents puffing out steam for a quick "facial steam"! (hehe.. just kidding, but there was quite a bit of warm steam coming out of the vents). Lava rock is surprisingly porous, so rain water seeps through it and gets heated up, eventually coming out as steam in the vents.
After a stop for dinner at the Volcanoes Golf and Country club we headed to the Jaggar Museum and visitor centre. This is located at the top of the Kilauea Caldera, where we saw the glow of lava inside the volcano crater. It is slowly puffing out steam. Quite eerie to look at, knowing you are quite close to an active volcano. At the museum they have a seismometer to keep track of any earth tremors and inflation/deflation of the crater, which would help predict any potential eruptions. Each day there are over 100 tremors on the Big Island, which is so small it is not felt by humans.
After a long day, we head back to the airport for our flight back to Oahu.
Diamond Head and Scuba Diving
Diamond Head Crater was our objective the next day, having been recommended by several people we'd met the night before.We decided to set out and do the trek. It was a short 10 minute bus ride out to Diamond Head National Park. You have to walk through a tunnel to get
to the trail head. When we got to the peak, I realised that the tunnel we initially walked through was burrowed under the crater rim. It's a 1.6 miles round trip hike, with a gain of 760 feet. Fairly easy trail, with hand rails along the way, and a total of 273 steps, another dimly lighted tunnel to get to the top. well worth the effort as the views from the peak were totally awesome! You get to see Waikiki Beach, the mountains on the other end of the island, and the famous snorkeling beach Hanauma Bay on the other side. This is all against a backdrop of blue skies and the ever present puffy white clouds in Hawaii. The cool breeze was also very welcome to cool off after the hike. Trip down was easier than going up and we rewarded ourselved with a shave ice to cool off when we got down. Shower and lunch later we enjoyed some retail therapy for the afternoon.
Diving today off the west side of Oahu, Waianeau, near Pokai Bay. We were picked up in a very fancy leather seat Mercedes bus. The ride out was long, as there were road blocks and traffic jams due to APEC 2011. However the boat ride out was only 20 minutes to the dive site which was pretty good. Despite the warm temperature of the waters, we were provided with 5mm semi-dry wetsuits to keep us toasty warm. The first dive was the Maki Wreck. It was sunk about 32 years ago at a dept of about 30m. Both of us had some trouble equalising our ears, so spent some time trying to get to the bottom. We eventually managed to clear our ears and get down to the wreck. Visibility was fantastic, up to 20m. There is so much sea life growing on it! I saw a yellow spotted eel peaking out from the rails, which it had obviously made as its home. There was another eel hiding on the side of the deck railing, we think it was probably on its way to find a new hole when we scared it into hiding from us. We saw lots of fishes, quite a few that we recognised, such as surgeon fish, tangs, angel fish, gobys etc...
The second dive was at the Makana Caverns, remnants of old lava tubes. It was a shallower dive of about 10-15m. Visibility was still pretty good at about 6-10m. There were a couple of swim throughs, and on one of it we saw a white tip reef shark just chilling on the bottom. The underside of the rocks had lots and lots of yellow sponge growing on it. As we were coming out of the swim through a young turtle was heading in, headed straight for us! Totally unconcerned or curious, not sure which. It came close to face to face with Jesse!
We also encountered a large octopus which our dive master managed to scare from its hiding place - it first tried to camouflage against the background first, then when it realised that didn't work it tried scooting under an outcrop only to be pecked at by a big tang that called it home. The poor thing then swam off looking for another place to hide from us all. Was amazing to see!
There was another larger turtle eating the seaweed and algae off the side of the lava rocks, again totally focused on its meal so we were able to swim past it and observe it clearly.
Both dives were awesome experiences and we were sad to hop out of the water at the end!
We headed back to Waikiki again that afternoon - and picked up a few things before heading out for a nice steak at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - expensive prices really, but the filet mignon's we had were so tender and delicious that it was worth it!
We headed back to the hotel early after that as we knew we had a big day the next day.
to the trail head. When we got to the peak, I realised that the tunnel we initially walked through was burrowed under the crater rim. It's a 1.6 miles round trip hike, with a gain of 760 feet. Fairly easy trail, with hand rails along the way, and a total of 273 steps, another dimly lighted tunnel to get to the top. well worth the effort as the views from the peak were totally awesome! You get to see Waikiki Beach, the mountains on the other end of the island, and the famous snorkeling beach Hanauma Bay on the other side. This is all against a backdrop of blue skies and the ever present puffy white clouds in Hawaii. The cool breeze was also very welcome to cool off after the hike. Trip down was easier than going up and we rewarded ourselved with a shave ice to cool off when we got down. Shower and lunch later we enjoyed some retail therapy for the afternoon.
Diving today off the west side of Oahu, Waianeau, near Pokai Bay. We were picked up in a very fancy leather seat Mercedes bus. The ride out was long, as there were road blocks and traffic jams due to APEC 2011. However the boat ride out was only 20 minutes to the dive site which was pretty good. Despite the warm temperature of the waters, we were provided with 5mm semi-dry wetsuits to keep us toasty warm. The first dive was the Maki Wreck. It was sunk about 32 years ago at a dept of about 30m. Both of us had some trouble equalising our ears, so spent some time trying to get to the bottom. We eventually managed to clear our ears and get down to the wreck. Visibility was fantastic, up to 20m. There is so much sea life growing on it! I saw a yellow spotted eel peaking out from the rails, which it had obviously made as its home. There was another eel hiding on the side of the deck railing, we think it was probably on its way to find a new hole when we scared it into hiding from us. We saw lots of fishes, quite a few that we recognised, such as surgeon fish, tangs, angel fish, gobys etc...
The second dive was at the Makana Caverns, remnants of old lava tubes. It was a shallower dive of about 10-15m. Visibility was still pretty good at about 6-10m. There were a couple of swim throughs, and on one of it we saw a white tip reef shark just chilling on the bottom. The underside of the rocks had lots and lots of yellow sponge growing on it. As we were coming out of the swim through a young turtle was heading in, headed straight for us! Totally unconcerned or curious, not sure which. It came close to face to face with Jesse!
We also encountered a large octopus which our dive master managed to scare from its hiding place - it first tried to camouflage against the background first, then when it realised that didn't work it tried scooting under an outcrop only to be pecked at by a big tang that called it home. The poor thing then swam off looking for another place to hide from us all. Was amazing to see!
There was another larger turtle eating the seaweed and algae off the side of the lava rocks, again totally focused on its meal so we were able to swim past it and observe it clearly.
Both dives were awesome experiences and we were sad to hop out of the water at the end!
We headed back to Waikiki again that afternoon - and picked up a few things before heading out for a nice steak at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - expensive prices really, but the filet mignon's we had were so tender and delicious that it was worth it!
We headed back to the hotel early after that as we knew we had a big day the next day.
Hawaii, Waikiki and Luau's
We landed in Honolulu after a bounce through Los Angeles. We caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel and were pretty pleased with our hotel - nice location and spacious rooms with a semi-ocean view - if you don't mind looking through the palm trees to see it!
We crashed the first night, both pretty tired after the trip. We visited the tour desk the next morning and booked a few tours for the next few days, then we wandered around Waikiki, Yumi quickly taking advantage of the local Pick a Pearl shop and managed to score a nice cheap Taihitian Pearl and then had to figure out what to set it in. After much debate she decided not to have a setting for the pearl just yet - it's a bit of a scam really, they give you a cheap pearl and then a bunch of expensive but nice looking rings, earrings, pendants, etc to secure your pearl in and show it off. But the process is fun - you have to pick out an oyster from a pile first and then rap the shell three times and shout ALOHA and what colour/size pearl you get is luck of the draw.
We spent most of that day wandering around and enjoying the place - and had a nice dinner that night at Tiki's Bar and Grill - the local restaurant for our hotel, and also had a couple of cocktails there.
Monday we had breakfast by the pool listening to a husband and wife team play songs and do the Hula dancing by the pool, then we headed down to the beach for some sunbathing and swimming. Then we decided to catch one of the free shuttles to Hilo Hattie - which wasn't really that interesting, though we got to see a bit more of the city and the downtown area at least. We headed back in the early afternoon and got changed for our evening Luau at Paradise Cove which we'd organised for our anniversary.
Paradise Cove was pretty awesome - they picked us up from the hotel and our driver pointed out the highlights along the way as we made ourselves to the other side of the island. Once there we were each given a Lei and told to enjoy the activities they had on offer. We tried our hands at spear throwing, Yumi made a headband using banana leaves, there was an outrigger canoe ride and tattooing which neither of us tried, an example of fishing net casting, and a bunch of special events such as the shower of flowers - where the chief would climb the tallest coconut tree and throw flowers down on top of us all. Then we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the beach and some dancing before theg y pulled in the nets.
Finally we had an Imu ceremony which was unearthing the roasted pig from the underground oven.
We settled back for a feast after that, with cocktails and a huge show of Hula dancing, Fire dancing, Hula dancing, Hakas, Hula dancing, Samoan rituals and dance and of course, Hula dancing. There was even a special form of sitting-down Hula dancing.
The guys wore loincloths, the girls wore coconuts and skimpy outfits and much enjoyment was had by all. Many photos and videos were taken - don't worry.
We crashed the first night, both pretty tired after the trip. We visited the tour desk the next morning and booked a few tours for the next few days, then we wandered around Waikiki, Yumi quickly taking advantage of the local Pick a Pearl shop and managed to score a nice cheap Taihitian Pearl and then had to figure out what to set it in. After much debate she decided not to have a setting for the pearl just yet - it's a bit of a scam really, they give you a cheap pearl and then a bunch of expensive but nice looking rings, earrings, pendants, etc to secure your pearl in and show it off. But the process is fun - you have to pick out an oyster from a pile first and then rap the shell three times and shout ALOHA and what colour/size pearl you get is luck of the draw.
We spent most of that day wandering around and enjoying the place - and had a nice dinner that night at Tiki's Bar and Grill - the local restaurant for our hotel, and also had a couple of cocktails there.
Monday we had breakfast by the pool listening to a husband and wife team play songs and do the Hula dancing by the pool, then we headed down to the beach for some sunbathing and swimming. Then we decided to catch one of the free shuttles to Hilo Hattie - which wasn't really that interesting, though we got to see a bit more of the city and the downtown area at least. We headed back in the early afternoon and got changed for our evening Luau at Paradise Cove which we'd organised for our anniversary.
Paradise Cove was pretty awesome - they picked us up from the hotel and our driver pointed out the highlights along the way as we made ourselves to the other side of the island. Once there we were each given a Lei and told to enjoy the activities they had on offer. We tried our hands at spear throwing, Yumi made a headband using banana leaves, there was an outrigger canoe ride and tattooing which neither of us tried, an example of fishing net casting, and a bunch of special events such as the shower of flowers - where the chief would climb the tallest coconut tree and throw flowers down on top of us all. Then we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the beach and some dancing before theg y pulled in the nets.
Finally we had an Imu ceremony which was unearthing the roasted pig from the underground oven.
We settled back for a feast after that, with cocktails and a huge show of Hula dancing, Fire dancing, Hula dancing, Hakas, Hula dancing, Samoan rituals and dance and of course, Hula dancing. There was even a special form of sitting-down Hula dancing.
The guys wore loincloths, the girls wore coconuts and skimpy outfits and much enjoyment was had by all. Many photos and videos were taken - don't worry.
Arizona, Sedona and Red Rock Country
We arrived in Phoenix Arizona on Tuesday around midday - Yumi has a lot of family here, so we spent the first day meeting everyone and chilling at Chateau Quah.
For lunch on Wednesday we had a typical Southern lunch at Lo Lo's - Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles - very artery hardening stuff, but it was delicious.
After lunch we headed to the Heard Museum where we went on a narrated tour talking about the local native american tribes, their culture, crafts, instruments and even their toys.
They actually had a huge doll collection with incredibly detailed beading going back as far as the 1800's. The Kachina dolls were particularly interesting to me - they were given to kids to teach them about the various spirits and demons so some could be beautiful while others very scary and sinister.
We had dinner with Yumi's aunt and Yumi's cousin Jessica that she hadn't seen for 15 odd years. Was good to see them all and their kids were adorable.
The following day we drove out to Sedona, red rock country about an hour or so away from were Yumi's aunt lives. Sedona was full of beautiful rock formations in all kinds of colours and is what you typically think of when you see most westerns. We took a Pink Jeep 4WD tour to Diamondback Gulch and it was awesome - we picked a tour near the end of the afternoon so we'd get some sunset photos and by luck we not only had the jeep to ourselves, but we had a driver who was a budding photographer himself! Our driver was all too happy to stop and get us into position to take some awesome photos of the area. Make sure you check them out!
Our last full day in Arizona was filled with Yumi's favourite pastime - outlet shopping! And yes, she picked up more than a few bargains - as did I!
That evening we headed back to Chateau Quah for a big dinner with all the family and friends - Yumi even got to meet another Yumi!
Yumi went on a 3 mile hike the next morning and saw a Coyote - was lovely and clear after the previous nights rain and dust storm. She saw some hohokam hieroglyphs on some rocks on the trail which was pretty cool. We packed our things after that and prepared for the last leg of our trip after that.
For lunch on Wednesday we had a typical Southern lunch at Lo Lo's - Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles - very artery hardening stuff, but it was delicious.
After lunch we headed to the Heard Museum where we went on a narrated tour talking about the local native american tribes, their culture, crafts, instruments and even their toys.
They actually had a huge doll collection with incredibly detailed beading going back as far as the 1800's. The Kachina dolls were particularly interesting to me - they were given to kids to teach them about the various spirits and demons so some could be beautiful while others very scary and sinister.
We had dinner with Yumi's aunt and Yumi's cousin Jessica that she hadn't seen for 15 odd years. Was good to see them all and their kids were adorable.
The following day we drove out to Sedona, red rock country about an hour or so away from were Yumi's aunt lives. Sedona was full of beautiful rock formations in all kinds of colours and is what you typically think of when you see most westerns. We took a Pink Jeep 4WD tour to Diamondback Gulch and it was awesome - we picked a tour near the end of the afternoon so we'd get some sunset photos and by luck we not only had the jeep to ourselves, but we had a driver who was a budding photographer himself! Our driver was all too happy to stop and get us into position to take some awesome photos of the area. Make sure you check them out!
Our last full day in Arizona was filled with Yumi's favourite pastime - outlet shopping! And yes, she picked up more than a few bargains - as did I!
That evening we headed back to Chateau Quah for a big dinner with all the family and friends - Yumi even got to meet another Yumi!
Yumi went on a 3 mile hike the next morning and saw a Coyote - was lovely and clear after the previous nights rain and dust storm. She saw some hohokam hieroglyphs on some rocks on the trail which was pretty cool. We packed our things after that and prepared for the last leg of our trip after that.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Today is Halloween, and from the looks of it, it is taken very seriously here in the US. we'd seen Halloween decorations everywhere for the past weeks, building up to today and I must say some of it were very elaborate and creative.
Started the day off by heading down to Greenwich Village for a wander through the area. Has a bit of a small town feel, with the older buildings tucked amongst the newer ones. Some interesting architecture, with the triangle buildings and sharp corners. Certain places had the barricade ready in place for the parade later that evening.
We found this little restaurant in Greenwich Village that served Paella, so decided to try that for lunch. This is part of our on-going quest to find the best Paella. It looked like it had all the right ingredients listed, but somehow did not quite taste as good as it could do - they used a rather mild chorizo that added little flavour and the rice was a bit too wet. The quest continues....
Next on the agenda was the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. We'd pre-booked tickets for that afternoon. The Memorial had only just opened a few months ago on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. There were the South and North waterfalls, built on the foot print of both the towers that collapsed. Nearly 3000 people lost their lives in the attack, and their names are inscribed around both waterfalls. A very sad and sobering sight to see some family members trying to locate the names of relatives or friends who had died on that day, some were tracing the names from the metal plaque, one had a perfect red rose placed next to his name.
There was also a Survivor Tree. This tree is from the original Twin Towers site, nurtured back to health and then planted in the park when the memorial opened. Apparently the tree got hit by lightning afterwards and still lives so really is a true survivor.
We headed back to Greenwich Village after this, this time getting off at Spring St where the Halloween Parade and began to wander up the street looking for the best spot to camp for the evening. We still had a couple of hours yet though, so before long we started thinking about food and found an italian place along 6th Ave that was doing a bustling trade for Halloween campers - we stopped for a panini each there before wandering over the road and picking a section of barricade to camp at for the night.
The 39th Annual New York Village Halloween Parade was an interesting affair - lots of colourful outfits in all shapes and sizes were represented. Lots of comic book heroes, tv characters and celebrities was represented - including several Michael Jackson's, a Clinton and even a Gaddaffi zombie was there, complete with Golden Gun.
There were huge skeletons, massive eyeballs and dragons that hovered above the crowd. We had at least two renditions of Thriller - complete with synchronised dancing. Plus numerous cars and trucks decked out. One float even had a mini ice rink, with the people skating around on top of it. The range of costumes and effort that some people put into them was astounding - I spoke to one of the Ghostbusters guys on the Subway afterwards and he had spent a good three months making his whole costume - his ghost-trapping gun was complete with blinking lights and he even sported a Ghost-detector that was fully functional with antenna that slid out and lit up.
The Parade went on for hours - and apart from a few people trying to squeeze in at the front of the barricades everyone was pretty happy and had a good time and the subways were running smoothly afterwards so we all got home safely afterwards.
We had to leave New York this morning and I can't help but be a little sad leaving this busy metropolis with quirky weather behind.
Next stop - Phoenix, Arizona!
- J -
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