Time frikkin flies.... and so did we!
.....even though we travelled by train,
we've literally crisscrossed the country,
from one extreme end to the other

The USA is the land of the extremes
it's got everything, nature wise, people wise, everything-wise!

For one... the sceneries have been frikkin amazing.
We've crossed so many states (about 35!),
went back and forth through the different timezones.
The sceneries went from mountains, to desserts, orange groves to woods.
Grass to savanna and from cities to villages, urbanizations and ruralizations.
We've seen a dead cow on the side of the train track,
(sometimes even only the bones in the shape of an animal...)

We drove thru a frikkin rainstorm on the most narrow highway I've ever driven on (the Miami Keys) with the ocean on one side and the Florida Bay on the other side!
Drove over highways, built on swamps with alligators in it (on our way to New Orleans) and we've passed the rich and the poor and the occasional middle class neighborhood.
Besides the amazing views, we've experienced almost all possible climates. Walked through the snow and felt about 5 different types of hot weather.

I learned how to climb and did so in Salt Lake City and Zuma Beach near LA! And the same wonderful Eddie Pultar who thought me how to climb, showed me how to juggle, which is now a great new hobby (even tho I still suck at it :)

We dwelled on the street and slept in train stations and in the car.
We showered in a hotel and swam in melrose-place-like swimmingpools.
We've surfed many a couch (through www.couchsurfing.com = 'CS') and the occasional real bed.
We've met incredible pple who helped us along the way by being so generous. First skeptic and rather negative about CS, to totally changing my mind after our first CS-experience.
I got to know this beautiful community of people who know what it is like to travel low budget and who enjoy hosting pple in their home town.
We've met genuinely good pple who are open and friendly to total strangers.
They all have the mindset of being there for pple who need help.
Its an amazing system and I hope it'll stay free from freakish weird people..

So far we've stayed in about 17 homes of local people who were kind enough to share their personal space with 3 loud girls.

I have loads of things to say and loads of things to share,
but I dont want to hang out in here too much, even though this place it AMAZING!
We're actually in the Library of Law at Harvard University in Boston!
Quite posh, ey!

But I'll just leave you with a quick and small itinerary of the way we crossed the US, since some of you have asked what the hell we've been doing over here. I cant post any pictures now, but have a look at my cousins page on: http://putri-exploring-the-states.blogspot.com/

So I started in Seattle and met up with my cousin Putri and went to Portland, Chicago, Denver (which I tried to describe on my old blog http://paradisely.whereareyou.net). Then Salt Lake City, SF and LA where our friend Fauzia joined us. Having LA as a base, we visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland! After California we traveled to San Antonio, Texas (and also visited Austin). We left 'San Antone' by car with friends towards New Orleans, crossing the beautiful southern states. We then drove ourselves towards Florida and hung out in Orlando, Miami en the Miami Keys!!! Putri unfortunately had to go home and left from Miami. Fauzia and I traveled onwards by train (again) up north towards Philadelphia. We then visited Burlington (where Putri studied!!!), trained onwards to Chicago (second visit for me) and had a quick taste of beautiful Milwaukee. After Chicago we went back to the east coast and visited Washington DC, from where we went to Boston, where I am now! Saturday we will go to New York to spend our last days in the States before going home on the 20th of July.

It's all been quite overwhelming and I cant seem to find the exact right words on how to explain what I've been experiencing....
But it's all good and the USA has surprised and amazed me so much! I am very happy :)

I'll leave you with this and hope you guys are in good health!
I look forward seeing you again!!!
xx
Mel!

written by  paradisely on July 6, 2007 from Boston, United States
from the travel blog: USAAAAAAAH
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Seems like your really frikkin enjoying yourself. Adia and I are currently at her parents place in Jakarta and we will visit Japan next week (tres frikkin cool) ;)

I'll send some pictures sometime.

Andrew

written by  Andrew longchops on July 18, 2007

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