Well we finally did it - got on the plane and came back to Australia. When we rang Qantas to arrange the flight back we were uncertain when we could return as we thought that it would be difficult to get seats. The people at Qantas laughed at us and told us that this was no problem as there were many, many places available. On the flight back both Sharon and I each had a whole row of seats to ourselves on both connections to Australia. We were able to lie down and sleep, lie do
wn and watch the entertainment screen and lie down and eat ïn bed". In fact there were so few people on the flights we almost all had a flight attendant each. The Qantas flight went without a hitch and it was the only flight during the whole trip that actually left and landed at the advertised time. It was great arriving in Australia where we were able to use the ATM machines without a transaction fee. We came home to our beloved dogs and much cuddling and licking took place before we collapsed into bed exhausted after a twenty-two hour trip from one hemisphere to the other. Soon we will wake up.
After the Lakes District we travelled down to Nottingham where we got a delightful B & B. Once we had settled in, we went to Sherwood Forest to see all things about Robin Hood (hooray, hooray). I purchased a Robin hat and a Shield and Crossbow set and thus was able to travel around the forest with my fair maiden (Sharon) totally protected. Sherwood is a beautiful forest with many very, very old oak trees. The next day we went to Nottingham Castle where the Sheriff (boo, boo) lived. The actual castle was built over in the 17th century after it was destroyed but a bit of the original still remains. We had lots of fun pretending to be outlaws before we started heading back to London where we have been for the last couple of days. We returned the rented car and got a three day discount because they kept us waiting when we originally picked it up. We intend spending a few day chilling out at Sharon's nephew's place - 
yes I know - we are the relatives who came and stayed. We are planning our return to Australia in the near future. PS: I have created a couple of slide shows - click on the links on the right side of this blog under the heading "View some slide shows of the trip" or click on either of these:Sharon and Andre during the tripInside Chess Records in Chicago
After Glasgow we visited Edinburgh and took a tour of the town sites. Whilst there is a great rivalry between the two cities they are very different in so many ways. We then drove down to the Lakes District, crossing the Scottish/English border, and stayed in Carlisle where we went to the Saturday market and indulged in some of the great multicultural food - I ate Polish and Sharon ate Indian. The next day, after seeing Carlisle Castle, we headed for Hadrian's Wall which we climbed at the Fort Birdos point after driving along the length of the wall for quite a few miles. We then headed south to the Lakes District and had a lovely lunch at Talkin Tarn which we eventually walked around view
ing the native wildlife. This was followed by a drive to Penrith to observe Arthur's Round Table - a neolithic henge - not the wooden round table of legend. We then visited Brougham Castle (after crossing an ancient bridge with the sign - Warning, Weak Bridge) before settling in for the evening. All in all, a very scenic and peaceful Easter Sunday driving around some beautiful countryside.
It has been a few days since we posted a blog due to the lack of Internet access in the countryside of both Ireland and Scotland. We left Limerick and travelled through County Galway taking in some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen so far thanks to the west coast of Ireland. I have never seen so many sheep and in many places they had the run of the road - it was fun watching the young lambs "being really cute". We landed in Belfast where we saw the sights of the town including the area most involved in the Troubles. We spoke to many people who told us stories of growing up at that time and all we can say is thank god (whichever one you believe in) that we live in Australia. Sharon fulfilled a long held ambition by visiting the Sinn Fein headquarters where she bought a truly revolutionary t-shirt. We also saw many of the political murals (from both sides) which are still displayed with pride - not one of them was defaced in any way. We then took the ferry from Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland and found a lovely B & B where we got great advice on local attractions. We spent the next day driving around the area and nearly got blown away (literally) at the Mull of Galloway - the most southerly point in Scotland. Sharon nearly fainted when we got to Wigtown which is known as the book capital of Scotland. She just stood and stared at all of the twenty odd bookshops which exist in virtually the one street. I joined the library where we were able to watch a pair of nesting ospreys via a webcam setup. This was a real local attraction and numerous people came up to check out what was happening allowing us to hear many stories about the ospreys and their 
young over the years. The countryside was so beautiful and the people so friendly we stayed an extra day in Stranraer before we headed off to Glasgow via the coastal road. We have taken a tour of the city and will head out tomorrow to discover more of Scotland.
.....he needs it to pay for food and lodgings. Ireland is beautiful, Ireland is fun and Ireland is very, very expensive. We have travelled around Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary and Limerick and have been astounded by the cost of basics in the country. A normal pizza is 14 Euros or $28 dollars Australian. A basic lunch costs about 30 Euros ($60 AUS) and basic lodgings are 70 Euros ($140AUS) a night. The cost of petrol is $2.20 AUS a litre and a laundrette costs 18 Euros ($36AUS) - we really don't know how people live in Ireland. Apart from this Ireland is full of beautiful countryside, many castles and lots and lots of churches. The peo
ple are wonderfully friendly and very interested in Australia as everyone we have spoken to has some sort of connection with our country. It has been great fun driving around at a leisurely place and stopping wherever we want to. We visited Blarney Castle to see the Blarney Stone (see picture) which was right at the top of the castle and can only be accessed by walking up some very steep and narrow steps. We are slowly heading to Northern Ireland before we catch the ferry across to Scotland.
I am writing this blog entry as we are crossing from Wales to Ireland by ferry at 9.30pm. We have rented a car for a week so that we can tour Ireland and fulfill Sharon's lifelong ambition of seeing the land of her ancestors and discovering why she has a love all all things made out of potato. Just quietly, I think she also believes that there is a leprechaun waiting somewhere ready to give her his pot of gold. The views are quite spectacular as we can see the bright lights of the city of Holyhead in Wales from which the ferry departs. It is lovely watching t
he lights bounce off the water and to see the clear water churning under the ferry. The ferry trip should take about three and a half hours so we should arrive at Iam. I hope we can find somewhere to stay - otherwise it will be night night in the car.
Had a fun time in Wales and saw a number of places including an exhibition of Dr. Who paraphernalia and props in Cardiff where much of the new series was filmed. Saw the Tardis - see picture of me entering - and a great exhibition of the Daleks taking over the world. We also visited Cardiff Castle which has a long and illustrious history and is reputed to be a place once inhabited by both Uther Pendragon and his son Arthur. The Castle was transformed into a Gothic fantasy by the eccentric architect Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who by the 1860s was reputed to be the richest man in the world. Within Gothic fairytale towers there are opulent interiors, rich with murals, stained glass, marble, gilding and elaborate wood carvings. We drove around Wales for a while taking in the beautiful countryside before we returned to London where we have been basically planning our trip to Ireland. We intend renting a car and going over by ferry so that we can see the countryside at our leisure. While we have been planning we visited the British Museum which has quite a collect
ion of artifacts from many different countries. In addition we have been having leisurely brunches in a number of places and have been enjoying the food, especially the hot cups of proper British tea.
All hail the High Priestess returning to her ancient haunt of Stonehenge to examine how it is holding up. She ordered me (her slave) to hire a care and together we travelled to Salisbury Plain to have a look around. We took an audio tour of Stonehenge in the freezing cold and rain - I am sure that, with the wind chill factor, it was about five below zero. The canteen made a fortune selling hot tea and coffee. We then travelled to Bristol to catch up with Sharon's nephew who is living and working there and had a good look around the town, Finally we drove to Wales where we will spend some time looking around. Basically, we have rented a car for a few days to drive around the countryside and get a look of life outside of London. We ended up buying a GPS as the rental company did not provide any and we thought it would be a good investment - plus we got so lost it was the only way we were going to find our way around. We intend using it in Ireland and 
Europe when we get there and then back in Australia when we return - they are great and I thoroughly recommend them. After America it was great getting in a car and driving on the right side of the road even if it was down narrow country lanes that will only fit one car at a time.
Went down to Abbey Road and walked in the footsteps of the Fab Four. It was quite surprising as there were no markers or indicators of the crossing which featured in one of the most recognizable record covers of all time. We took our pictures next to the Abbey Road road sign just to prove that we were really there. We also spent a lot of the day at Westminster Abbey where it was fascinating to see the markers and graves of so many people we were taught about in high school history. Oliver Cromwell, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Victoria, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill and many more are buried and immortalized in this church which is steeped in over a thousand years of history. The architecture a
nd sculptures are truly a marvel and well worth seeing. We also had Twinings Tea in the cloisters of the Abbey - how English is that? Also today we went to Westminster Cathedral which also has a long history and great architecture. Finally we spent some of the day riding around on the double decker buses viewing the sites/sights of London from the top deck whilst sheltering from the rain which was pouring on and off throughout the day. Yesterday we visited the Tower of London where we saw the gruesome history of England in its full glory and learnt all about the many beheadings. We also visited Parliament House, Buckingham Palace (where the lights were on upstairs), Trafalgar Square and All Hallows Church. Finally we walked through St James Park and took pictures of the many frolicking squirrels.
We got into Heathrow at 9.30am local time after a rather uneventful flight with British Airways. We had a last minute hitch the day before when we tried to check in using the online process only to discover that Qantas had not issued the tickets. A call to Qantas resulted in the answer - they are in the queue and should be issued in an hour. We refused to accept this and after some time of discussion they issued them on the spot. We then had to print out all the e-tickets and schedules etc however when we got to the counter they didn't even look at them (c'est la vie). When we got to Heathrow we checked out a whole lot of travel options and, after getting some wrong information, we caught a train, another train and then another train to Sharon's nephew's place where we are staying in Gipsy Hill. After lugging our suitcases up a gigantic hill we finally arrived and promptly fell asleep on the couches. Today we looked around and went shopping where we found Vegemite, proper bread and real cheese. It is my theory that a country's evolution is not measured b
y its laws, its buildings or architecture or its customs but rather by the quality of its food especially its chocolate. We were able to have a proper breakfast consisting of toast with butter and Vegemite and real tea - what magnificence.
We went back to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second day and had another great day of fun and frivolity amongst the exhibitions. We paid for an upgrade to the two day ticket price but when we got to the entrance door the staff recognized us as the "two Australians who loved Rock and Roll" and they were really chuffed that we had come back. As a result they refunded our money and told us that we shouldn't have to pay. We had a long talk to many of the staff and got a lot of "inside information" which made it even more special. Again we spent the whole day at the Museum and finished off by buying a couple of things from the gift shop. The next day we headed back to Chicago and decided to stay at a hotel near the airport since the GPS in our car was a bit dicey. Amongst other things it had tried to send us the wrong way up a couple of one way streets, it had taken us to a Kmart which didn't exist and it had almost taken us across the Canadian border. Today and most of tomorrow are "rest days" while we prepare to catch the plane to London tomorrow night for the start of the European leg of our journey. Hope my new guitar (see picture) will pass through customs so that I can use it to busk in London to help pay for the trip.
We hired a car and drove to Cleveland to see the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum. On the way we had to detour due to roadworks and our GPS system almost took us to Canada - we got off the border crossing just in time. What a magnificent place is the Hall of Fame - 6 floors of exhibitions, interactive displays, films, music and lots more. We spent all of today looking through the exhibits and will go back tomorrow as there is so much to see and so much to do. This place is truly remarkable and has been set up with great love and respect of the music/people that it documents and honours. My favourite exhibition so far has been the psychedelic Porsche owned by Janis Joplin but there are many things that run a close second including the interactive displays where you can listen to the songs of inductees and trace all of their influences and listen to their music as well. I loved the Rolling Stones pinball machine which took me back a few years to my university days where, if I say so myself, I would have got a Distinction in Pinball Playing if it was offered as a course. I was finally able to ob
tain a couple of Sugar Pie Desanto CD's and meet some people who had actually heard of her. The only disappointment was the fact that you could not take pictures inside the museum - therefore the pictures in this blog are downloaded from the net.
Got into Chicago a few days ago after a nine hour Greyhound bus trip which was actually quite fun. After getting settled in our hostel we ventured out into the windy city which was very cold (31 degrees Fahrenheit or -1 degree Celsius) to see some of the nicest architecture we have ever seen. We went to the Chicago Cultural Centre and got a tour of the inside design which was extremely elaborate and ornate - full of marble and Tiffany stained glass. We also had some of the best soup I have ever tasted at a bakery nearby. The next day we went down to 2120 South Michigan Avenue - the location of Chess records and the home of the Blues Heaven Foundation - where some of the best Chicago blues artists recorded, including Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, the Rolling Stones. and Houndog Dumitriu (see picture). Yesterday we went to the St Patrick's Day parade as did about 20,000 other people - we saw many, many people dressed up in green looking like leprechauns. Today we went and had a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues which was a spectacular event, both musically and gastronomically. One of the great things about Chicago is that it has 24 hour public transport pass
es which allow you to see a lot of the city very cheaply - we have spent much time riding around and hopping on and off to view sites of interest including the Wrigley Field Baseball Stadium and many of the places where the Blues Brothers film was shot. Unfortunately, Chicago is trying very hard to disassociate itself from its gangster/prohibition past so there are no markers/reminders of any of the places so prominent in shows like the Untouchables especially since most of the buildings have been torn down. Nevertheless we have seen the locations of some things like the St Valentines Massacre place, the site where Al Capone lived, the cemeteries where some of the more notorious are buried etc.
We rented a car and toured down Highway 61 to Clarksdale to see the Delta Blues Museum and then on to Indianola to see the B.B. King Museum. Both of these were quite spectacular with lots of original exhibits, memorabilia, pictures and films. We talked with the Communications Manager of the B.B. King who gave us the inside scoop of how it was developed, how much it cost and how important the museum is to Indianola's future. On the way back the GPS system in the car took us to the wrong place and we ended up about one hundred and eighty miles away - as a result we didn't get back to about one in the morning but got quite a good view of Arkansas and Mississippi at night. The next day we went to Nashville and caught up with The Grand Old Opry - a 390 mile (not kilometer) round trip. During this time Sharon got to see her first American bookshop - a Barnes and Noble. I had to drag her out of the store kicking and screaming. Today we drove around Memphis hitting bookshops and DVD/CD shops and ended up buying some great DVDs relating to Blues music which we have never seen in Australia. Memphis is amazing with music everywhere. We caught a great performance in a park, just two minutes away from where we are staying, and watched some great blues music free of charge. We also saw a couple of acts, again free of charge, at the Centre for Southern Folklore - a group of people dedicated to documenting and presenting the people, music and traditions of the region (check out their website at www.southernfolklore.com/ - especially their Archives section). All in all, a few days completely immersed in the Blues - how great is that? (PS: on our Nashville trip we stopped off at Loretta Lynne's Kitchen to have a bite to
eat where we met some touring dogs who travelled on a trailer like device attached to a motorbike and who loved to wear their goggles when on the road - check out the picture)
Today we visited the Stax Museum of American Soul Music which celebrates the music of such greats as Isaac Hayes, Booker T & The MG's, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, the Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, Luther Ingram, Albert King, the Bar-Kays, Ike & Tina Turner, Ann Peebles, Al Green, Sam Cooke, Rufus Thomas and many others. It was interesting to hear that in an environment of racial segregation and tension, Stax was "color blind" having blacks and whites working together at all levels of the industry. It was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. which caused distrust and unrest to occur which led to the ultimate demise of the record label. Eventually the building and its surrounds were levelled to the ground (including the Satellite Record Store which was its forerunner) and the current museum was built on the original site after 
an anonymous donation of two and a half million dollars from two business people. The love and respect of the music and the label's accomplishments shines through the whole museum and there are many great artifacts including Isaac Hayes' amazing Cadillac Impala. Later in the day we visited the Centre for Southern Folklore and Cafe which aims to preserve the historical content and resources associated with the people, music and traditions of the region. It has a lot of exhibitions and produces festivals and musical entertainments (via their famous brown bag lunches) - all free of charge.
Today we visited Graceland and saw everything Elvis. We saw his house, his cars, his planes, his grounds, his records, his trophies, his clothes, his gym, his stables, his meditation place, his burial place and above all his merchandise. All in all we found this to be the most disappointing part of the trip so far as it was so grossly commercialized and, in our opinion, had little/none of the soul that was his music. The whole place lacked the air of excitement and energy that the rest of Memphis has. In contrast, we visited the National Civil Rights Museum which was built on the spot that Martin Luther King was assassinated (the Lorraine Motel). Unlike Graceland, this place captured the spirit and soul of the Civil Rights Move
ment. It was eerie to stand in the location that James Earl Ray supposedly shot from, as it was to be in the same spot that Martin Luther King was standing at the time of his assassination. The love and respect for Martin Luther King Jr. and his accomplishments came through every presentation in the museum and it was a very moving day.
Fought our way through the snow - yes it is snowing today in Memphis - to go to the world famous B. B. King's Restaurant and Blues Club on Beale Street where we heard Blind Mississippi Morris and the B. B. King Allstars Band featuring Z'Da. Whilst the food was not bad, Morris was fantastic and really lived up to his reputation of being a great blues man. Unfortunately, the Allstars were a bit disappointing as they tended to play pop soul music rather than blues. Earlier in the day we found a supermarket and were able to stock up on some fresh food including fruit - we know that this may sound mundane but it is a real luxury when travelling in a country where fast food and sugar seem to be the order of the day. Had lots of fun playing in the snow when it first appeared around mid morning and all of the locals thought we were crazy. We also heard one of the best/funniest lines we have ever heard when we went to a car rental place near the motel where we are staying. Upon finding it closed we asked the next door garage owner when the rental place would be open, to which he replied: "won't be open - he's in jail - he stole a lot more cars than he ever rented". We just couldn't stop laughing.
What a day - we visited both Sun Studios and the Memphis Museum of Rock and Soul. As you enter the recording studio at Sun you feel as though you have stepped back in time - it actually has the original acoustic tiles on the walls & ceiling as well as some of the original instruments and recording devices. Standing in the room where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkin
s, Roy Orbison, B. B. King (just to mention a few) all recorded caused us to have goose bumps - this is where Rock and Roll was born - this is the only studio that is a designated national historic landmark - this studio is nothing less than awe inspiring. Similarly, the Rock and Soul Museum brilliantly tells the stories of musical pioneers and legends of all racial and socio-economic backgrounds who, for the love of music, overcame many obstacles to create musical sounds that changed the world. Both seeing the many original artifacts and listening to the original music and stories was very emotional and soul stirring - a magnificent day.
Got into Memphis early in the afternoon today and booked a hotel for a week. We were really lucky after receiving some great advice from a taxi driver who talked himself out of a fare by telling us about a good economic hotel right in the middle of the downtown region. Went for a walk to the Tourist Information Centre only to discover it had closed an hour earlier due to blocked sewerage pipes. We then went to the famous Beale Street (just around the corner from where we are staying) and our senses were immediately overloaded with the sounds and sights of the blues. Sat in a park and listened to a great blues band belting out some of the classics of the sixties and seventies then had a bite to eat. We discovered the B.B.King Club and will go there on Friday night. There is so much to see here in Memphis it is taking us some time to work out our itinerary. Tomorrow we will go to Sun Records who also have a free shuttle service to Graceland. We also have to fit in the Delta Blues Museum, the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Memphis Rock n' Soul Museum and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music just to name a few. In addition, almost every corner has some sort of historical remnant or reminder of the glory days of blues and rock and roll - what a place to be.
Went to the Alabama Jazz Hall Of Fame and had a spectacular time. We were really lucky to be guided by Frank "Doc"Adams, the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. Doc Adams has played with some of the greats including Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Tiny Bradshaw and Sun Ra. (He learned to play the clarinet from his older brother, Oscar Adams, Jr., who was Alabama's first Black Supreme Court Justice and his father, Oscar Adams, Sr., who played trombone with W. C. Handy, the Father of the Blues). This was a most inspiring tour and "Doc" played us a number of classical jazz pieces on his clarinet, even making up a song for Sharon on the spot that is now officially called "Sharon's Be Bop Blues". It was fascinating to hear a first hand account of some of the major jazz influences and he shared a whole heap of stories about some of these famous people. We also visited the 16th Street Baptist Church and saw a film with historical footage of the famous bombing which gained the Civil Rights movement world wide recognition and sympathy. Finally we had some real down south home cooking at Mrs B's on 4th - the best meal we have had in ages. All in all, a brilliant day. (Press the play button on the video below to hear Sharon's Be Bop Blues)
Birmingham is an impressive city which appears to be determined to face its segregationist past rather than sweep it under the rug. To this end the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Kelly Ingram Park stand as testaments to the city's willingness to move with dignity away from its shameful past. This can best be demonstrated by the inscriptions under the various monuments in the park. The one under that of the dogs and police attacking innocent demonstrators reading: "This sculpture is dedicated to the foot soldiers of the Birmingham Civil Rights movement. With gallantry, courage and great bravery they faced the violence of attack dogs, high powered water hoses and bombings. They were the fodder in the advance against injustice, warriors of a just cause: They represent humanity unshaken in their firm belief in their nation's commitment to liberty and justice for all. We salute the men and women who were the soldiers of this great cause." 
In a similar vein, the inscription under the Martin Luther King statue reads, in part:
"His dream liberated Birmingham from itself and began a new day of love, mutual respect and cooperation. This statue of Dr. Martin Luther King is erected by the citizens of Birmingham as an indication of their esteem for him and in appreciation of his sacrificial service to mankind."
It was an extremely moving day spent looking at the exhibitions that both celebrated and documented this tumultuous time in the struggle for equal rights and dignity.
After a day of rest yesterday where we watched TV whilst not sleeping we caught the Greyhound bus to Birmingham and arrived at 12 noon. We have learnt that you really need a car to travel around America anywhere outside of the major cities. Public transport is very sporadic and it is almost impossible to find out timetables and connections. Luckily we have the Greyhound to connect us between Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham so we don't have to walk the route as did the participants of the great Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Looking forward to seeing some of of the civil rights sites/sights in Birmingham including the Civil Rights District, the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Institute and the Kelly Ingrim Centre. In addition we are keen to see the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. On a different note, it was great coming to an area which has supermarkets and department stores. We were able to buy a few essentials including fresh food which has provided a striking contrast to the take away fare we have had to eat for the last week or so (although I do recommend the Waffle House chain should you ever be in the USA - fantastic hash browns and omelettes).
Caught the Greyhound bus to go to Montgomery in Alabama an
d arrived after a nine hour trip. Wow, Montgomery is so different to New Orleans. We hit the Civil rights trail in the city and saw some amazing sights. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum was truly unique and, without doubt, it was one of the best interactive museums we have ever seen. The time bus in the Children's Wing was spectacular and gave a brilliant exhibition of the struggle for rights since the 1800s. Similarly, the Civil Rights Memorial Centre was an inspirational tribute to those who lost their lives and those who struggled for Civil Rights. Montgomery has proved to be a quiet town which has embraced its place in the Civil Rights movement with dignity and pride which is quite ironic give
n its original strong opposition to the movement in the 50's and 60's. In addition, Montgomery is the first place that we have been to where we have really missed having a car. The large distances between locations of interest and the locals amazement that we are "public transporting" have both contributed to our sense of "automotive deprivation" - will need to check out rental options.
Got into New Orleans on Thursday night after another fun airport experience where we had to wait for three hours to be processed by USA immigration and customs resulting in us missing our connecting flight. When we rang the number of the hostel to pick us up at 10pm we got a "not in service" message. Fun and games then ensued but we finally arrived at our destination at 11.30pm. Anyway, New Orleans has geared up for the Mardi Gras and we have seen a lot of different parades (similar to Moomba) where they throw beads and cups from the floats - now have a substantial collection of both. The streets are full of music, particularly jazz and there are a huge number of eating places with a wide variety of foods. We discovered a record shop that sells a lot of old vinyl and Cd's and they made up a CD
of rare music for us by copying over the music from old vinyl singles. Other highlights to date include The Museum Of The Confederacy, all you can eat jazz brunches, visiting the House Of Blues, riding the Mississippi river, encountering our first gun totting southerner, visiting a memorabilia shop which had signed guitars from many famous musicians including Janis Joplin ($90,000US), Cream ($45,000US), Rolling Stones ($50,000US) and B.B. King ($35,000) just to mention a few. We are currently investigating buying/renting a car and will soon continue on to Alabama
Took a day or so to acclimatize to Mexico particularly the abundance of food and provisions. Yesterday we went to Chichen Itza which was very spectacular. It was great having a guide who explained a lot of the ancient traditions. Historians do not know what happened to the Mayan people and their culture - my theory is that they basically sacrificed themselves out of existence with blood sacrifices being a huge part of the culture as it was thought to bring "new blood and life" to the gods. Many of these involved cutting the victim's heart out with a sacrificial knife (see picture below). Then there were the beheadings, of particular fascination were those of the captain of the winning side in the local ball game played to honour the gods. The main temple (the site of most sacrifices) is an architectural marvel and was designed to act as a calendar with astonishing accuracy. The other ruins around the temple supplied a great insight into life and culture at the time. A handy hint in Cancun is that you can do a lot of trips for free (or very cheaply) as all of the hotels have time-share type presentations. We quickly discovered that sitting through an hour of these enabled you to get free meals and excursions saving hund
reds and hundreds of of dollars. (There are many Aussies doing this - surprise, surprise). Tomorrow, we are going on a free submarine ride to explore the reefs after we get our free breakfast and then we come back for our free lunch.
Spent the morning having one last look around Havana before leaving for the airport. Our hosts had arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport at 12.30pm so visited the market and a couple of favourite shops before saying our farewells. The airport was relatively easy and after we paid our taxi fare and exit fees (which were more than our entrance to Cuba fees) we had a few CUC left over so bought a book about the revolution and 
another Che t-shirt for Sharon which left us with just enough money to buy a bottle of water. The flight over was only an hour and a bit although the plane left an hour late (never found out why). Arrived in Cancun in the dark and got a huge culture shock - very different to Havana. The taxis wanted $60US to take us downtown and this was not negotiable so took a bus for $3.50US each. The money system in Cancun is confusing as they use both pesos and US dollars and the symbol is the same for both. Found a hostel to stay at through one of the many, many, many people touting at the bus station. It was only a five minute walk and we arrived, paid and just crashed for the night.
Went for a long, long walk to Verdado, the next suburb over from Old Havana with a mission in mind. Havana is full of revolutionary posters stuck in most shop windows, posted on billboards and painted on many walls. However, it is impossible to get copies of these and no shop owner was prepared to provide us with their copy. We received a lead and went to a group called OSPAAAL (Organization of Solidarity of the People of Asia, Africa & Latin America) and found some amazing posters (you can see some at www.ospaaal.com). They were very surprised and quite delighted that we were interested in their artwork and treated us with great respect and dignity. We were shown some amazing posters and were able to procure some of them including a series of ten posters celebrating Che. We rushed home protecting them from the inclement weather as we were unable to find either a post offi
ce to send them home or a place we could get some tubing to roll the posters into. Finally, we were able to procure some tubing with the generous help of our host and they now sit securely in our luggage until we can send them back to Australia. During our walk we came across the Martin Luther king Jr/Malcolm X Memorial Park which was quite impressive.
We went on a bus trip to the country today and saw many things. We saw a cigar production factory where every cigar is made by hand including the leaf sorting, the rolling of the leaves, the testing of the pressure of each cigar, the making of the identification wrappers and the boxes they are installed in. We then saw a typical tobacco farm where rules have just been changed so that farmers only have to give the government the first two tonnes of tobacco leaves and then they can manufacture and sell their own cigars (often much better and cheaper than the government produced ones). We then were shown a huge mural painted directly onto the cliffs (yes, no canvas just the rocks and soil) and then were privileged 
to see some spectacular countryside scenery. Finally we travelled through some underground caves by boat to see very interesting rock formations including stalagmites and stalactites. Finally, received a very tasteful lunch before heading back home. In all a very enjoyable day
wn and watch the entertainment screen and lie down and eat ïn bed". In fact there were so few people on the flights we almost all had a flight attendant each. The Qantas flight went without a hitch and it was the only flight during the whole trip that actually left and landed at the advertised time. It was great arriving in Australia where we were able to use the ATM machines without a transaction fee. We came home to our beloved dogs and much cuddling and licking took place before we collapsed into bed exhausted after a twenty-two hour trip from one hemisphere to the other. Soon we will wake up.
