Monday 16 September 2013

North America - Adventure and Final Chapter for the States...


Bryce Canyon.
So we said our goodbyes to Canada at the end of August with mixed emotions excited for our next part of our adventures but also genuinely sad to be saying bye as we both had made some good friends, during our time in Banff. Our first stop saw us board a plane from Calgary to Las Vegas , the first that hit us was the humidity as we had both forgot that factor regarding Vegas and a mild summer in Banff hadn't prepared us either but regardless it was nice to see the Sun. The next morning we boarded our coach to head towards the national parks of Utah and Arizona . We were really excited as when we first travelled America in 2010 we didn't have enough time to fit in any of America 's National Parks which was on both of our lists to visit.
Lake Powell - Horseshoe Bend

Our first stop was Zion National Park which was just a nice appetiser for what came next Bryce Canyon which looked like somewhere from another planet , on the way to the park we experienced a downpour which actually worked in our favour as when we got off the coach there was hardly anyone around so it allowed us to explore our stunning surroundings with hardly seeing another soul.

The next morning we took a an open top jeep to visit Antelope Canyon specifically the upper antelope canyon which is known as the place where water runs through rock. This leaves behind some stunning shapes. Afterwards we visited Lake Powell where there was an option to go on a cruise on the lake but me and Paul decided to take a taxi to see the horseshoe bend as it is the most photographed and well known part of Lake Powell we had asked the taxi to come back to collect us to take us back to our group to re-board the coach back to Vegas but in good old fashioned it wasn't there and since it was bank holiday and in a small town we already knew he was the only taxi available that day. So we were stranded in the desert with no drinks which was a lot of fun! We had to hike our way back into Page before being reunited with the rest of our group and a nice refreshing drink! The rest of Vegas was spent chilling and eating all you can eat buffets. 
Inside Antelope Canyon.

 Next stop Hawaii now this is huge for us if you had asked either of us if we had even dreamt of ticking this location off our list during our current adventures we both would of gone 'I wish' as from the UK visiting here comes with a big price tag but with a bargain flight and cheap accommodation it became a must. It certainly didn't disappoint we flew it Honolulu and stayed in a condo up in mountains away from Waikiki beach 'heaven'. During our stay we hiked waterfalls & diamond head , raced a half marathon , saw sea turtles up close in the their natural habitat , photographed historic landmarks (Aloha Tower, King Kamehameha Statue) & eat haupia pie . 
Our new sea friend! 'Herby the turtle'
Basically just a small portion of what Hawaii has to offer the islands are a lot more reasonable than we had imagined and hopefully we will definitely be revisiting sometime again as there is so much more to to discover and explore. We are now currently in Los Angeles where we have visited Santa Monica Pier, the original and new muscle beach , Venice beach and raced another half marathon and are now waiting to fly to New Zealand via Fiji where we will be calling our home for the next year.
Sunset in Hawaii. 
We are flying into Auckland where we will stay for four days before we will be heading to Queenstown where we should fit in just great, as most people know Queenstown is known as one of the best adventure capitals in the world! Covering everything from Trail Running to Bungee jumping and water rafting.. We are both very excited to explore all the activities on offer.  
Thanks again for reading Gemma & Paul x

Aloha Tower. 

Gem working hard in the heat of LA. 

Santa Monica Pier entrance ..