Best Country
Difficult.  Germany was great – historic sites, varied subcultures, cool shopping, former communist and Nazi remains, Trabis, the people are friendly and helpful, most people speak English, good food, and good accommodation.  But Britain was similarly cool, had extraordinarily beautiful villages, good and cheap food, ancient history, and wonderful people.  It’s a tie!

Worst Country
Easy – Egypt.  They threw rocks at me.  India is 2nd worst – the exotic charms include chauvinism and disgusting hygiene.  China was a more distant 3rd worst – hard to get around, gross toilets and not that cheap.

Best food
Wonton mee – the best ones I had were in Penang, Malaysia, and Saigon, Vietnam.  I didn’t see any wontons in China!
Pizza – pork meatball with a cheese sauce, at a place near the Forum, Rome
Burfi – a sweet made with condensed milk and pistachios in India
Borek – a cheese, meat and spinach pastry in Turkey – the best one I had was actually on a Turkish Airlines flight
Asian custard buns, in Malaysia, Thailand and China
Carrot cake in Hue, Vietnam
Mozzarella cheese, Italy
Quark- Germany
Bok chee – fried potatoes and fish in an omelette (potatoes are fried first then added to the egg)
Korean barbeque
Hazlenut flavoured milk – Germany
Cookies and cream frappe – Chatuchak market, Bangkok
Mongolian noodles – Beijing
Kirsch cheesecake – Munich, Germany
Offal soup – at 1am on the night train to Chiang Mai it was delicious
Souvlaki and doner kebap – Greece and Turkey – if the meat came from a proper wood-fired grill
Yorkshire pudding – England
Flapjacks (made from rolled oats and golden syrup) – England
Welshcakes – Wales
Cornish pasties – England
Frozen custard – New York
Chug milk shake – USA

Best toilet
Some random place in Seoul.  It was electronic.
FOUR ply toilet paper in Germany
Disneyland toilets – I think they clean them with gamma radiation

Worst toilet
Near the bus station, Jinan.  No doors, no paper, squat toilets and some of them hadn’t been flushed.  And they charged for it!
The Indian ones were worse but I didn’t use them.

Best Airline
Turkish Air.  Surprised?  They have excellent food and excellent service.  Even in economy you can keep asking for more food.
Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways are also excellent.  Thai Airways gives you an orchid corsage before landing!

Best public transport
Singapore’s was definitely the cleanest and most efficient train system, but their bus system was difficult to navigate.
The winner is Germany!  The ticketing systems were integrated (bus, train, subway), they were multilingual, it was cheap and the conductor on the Munich train cracked jokes over the PA.

Worst public transport
Athens was graffitied and slow, partly due to the austerity measures.  But the overall worst public transport in the world is in Auckland!  Expensive, slow, no integrated ticketing, and no subway at all.  Even New Delhi has one.

Best indivdual site:
Delphi was extremely nice
The Giza pyramids are epic
Nuremburg’s Nazi remains are impressive
The Great Wall is worth a look
Chiang Mai was a nice place to hang out
Bath – when viewed at disk from the Skyline walk
Buckingham Palace – but I am completely biassed
A visit to New York MUST include a viewing platform visit
The snorkelling at Hanauma Bay is beautiful
The USS Midway is very interesting
Yosemite is amazing.

Unexpectedly good finds
Reunification Palace, Saigon – for the 60s architecture, perfectly preserved, including a War Room
The fitness park outside Country Club Castlefusano, Rome – it’s a free gym!
The DMZ tour, Seoul – see North Korea
Pergamum – a bit off the beaten track but definitely worth a visit for the Roman ruins
Military Museum, Beijing – worth queuing if you like anything military
Muay Thai lesson, Chiang Mai – 3 hours of proper instruction for $15
Agro Park, Langkawi, Malaysia – 2 hours of eating fruit!
The Imperial centre of Delhi
Alot of Thai cooking school, Chiang Mai
The Mormon Battalion Museum, San Diego – it’s extremely well presented
Williamsburg, VA – it’s a lovely place to spend a day
Snickleways, York – get a guidebook and do the tour – it’s a lot of fun
Oceanside, CA – if you like tactical gear and military surplus
Hillside Farmers’ Market, San Diego – it’s real gourmet stuff with a lot of sampling
Yosemite National Park – it’s beautiful

Most overrated things
Everything in and around Cairo except the Giza pyramids
The Taj Mahal – everyone seemed to have a religious experience but I thought it was just ok.
The Forbidden City, Beijing – for how much it costs and how crowded it is
Vietnam battle sites -  There’s nothing to see except at the Vin Moc tunnels
Rome was boring!  Paris was also not that amazing
Edinburgh was just full of souvenir shops
Harrod’s is full of tourists and isn’t worth the trip – go to the KaDeWe instead.
Lexington may be the site of the first shots of the Revolutionary War but all there is to see is a patch of grass
Disneyland – it’s good, but not worth $80

Best Museum
DDR Museum, Berlin – you can touch everything!
Close runners up:
Imperial War Museum, London – comprehensive
British Museum, London – it is the history of the world
Singapore Museum – very modern set up that guides you through Singaporean history well
Military Museum, Beijing – GUNS.  LOTS of GUNS.
Deutsches Historiches Museen, Berlin – all-encompassing – a good mix of social, political, technological and cultural history
Baba Nyonya House, Malacca, Malaysia – mainly for the guide woman who was very entertaining
War Remnants Museum, Saigon – just for a different perspective
Mormon Battalion Museum, San Diego – for a very different way of running an interactive museum

Best accommodation
The Sen Hotel, Hue, Vietnam – a proper hotel room with air con, towels and satellite TV for $12/night twin share
Bibim House, Seoul – an amazingly hospitable owner who picks you up from the station and gives you lollies!
Close runners up: Athens House – but they shifted me out of my balcony room
Traveller’s Soul Inn, Nanjing – Clean and comfortable hostel in China
HI Hostel, New York – there when you need it!  And close to some good freegan sites
Hababusch Hostel, Weimar – €10 a night isn’t bad!  If only it wasn’t so busy
Twin Peaks Hotel, Cameron Highlands – sleep in an attic!  But the walls are very thin

Worst accommodation
The Inn Crowd, Singapore – Arctic air conditioning, dirty showers and bed bugs
Camping during Oktoberfest

Best shopping
Orchard Road, Singapore
Monastiraki flea market, Athens
Chatuchak market, Bangkok – buy a map and allow a whole day
Shanghai, if you have a lot of money
For outdoors equipment – central Munich Globetrotters and Sports Scheck
Camden market, London
Hamley’s toy shop, London

Best night venue/drinks
Country Houses, Saigon – soft backgorund music so you can hear what people are saying, a drinks list 20 pages long with a whole page for milk drinks, and a nice garden setting

Best tips
Always carry toilet paper, wet wipes and hand sanitiser in Asia, India and Egypt.  Keep some small change handy in Asia, India and Europe to pay for toilets.
Racing through the terminal to beat the queue at immigration does work in all airports.
Always allow an hour for immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport, both ways.  This was the 2nd slowest immigration processing after Liberty, Newark.
A small multitool (Leatherman) is extremely useful.
Take as many discount cards as you can – military ID in the US, Hostelling International membership, teacher registration cards, student ID, and Historic Places Trust membership if you are going to the UK.
The most important things to learn in a language are greetings, haggling, ‘Where am I?’ and numbers.
Visit India and Egypt in a group.  The rest of the world is ok solo.

Comments
Thanks to all my subscribers!  The blog will be a lot quieter now that the trip has finished!

The End.

Must visit:
Wales – just for the scenery
A cathedral – Salisbury is free, York has better stained glass but charges £9 admission
Bath – touristy but amazingly beautiful – do the Skyline walk at dusk for maximum effect
The British Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Camden Market

Transport:
The National Express bus system is good – if you are going to do more than 3 bus trips it’s worth buying the £80 unlimited ticket.  Megabus.com is another good option.
The trains are all run by different companies and cost more than the bus.  Try doing a search for your route first.  Buy more than 3 days ahead for maximum value.

English spoken:
With accents!

Did anyone try to pick my pocket?
No

Can I drink the water?
Yes!

Touts/scams/annoyances:
None!

Pro:
Shopping!
Lots of different scenes, especially in London
Easy to get around

Con:
Expensive
Too much to see!

Driving:
Road rage inside the car
Lots of one-way systems and small old town areas

Fitness:
Gyms.  Running is reasonable

Costs:
Sandwiches £1-3
Meal at a cafe £5+
Hostel £16+
Campsite £9+
Laundry £2 for a self-service wash

Comment:
Edinburgh is NOT worth the effort if you are only going for a short time – it’s overly touristified and expensive.
Cell phone charges are extremely low – I could call home for 1p/min with Lebara

Rating: 1000/10

USA – East Coast

Must visit:
Washington DC
A small historic town – Williamsburg, VA was delightful
An all-American site – the Liberty Bell, Fort McHenry, etc
New York – you must go up a viewing platform.  It is well worth the expense.

Transport:
Public transport between Boston and Richmond is ok using Megabus or another budget bus company.  There are several options.
The train goes to most places but is expensive.  Book as far ahead as you can to keep the cost low.

English spoken:
0%.  They speak Ahmurrican.

Did anyone try to pick my pocket?
No

Can I drink the water?
Yes!

Touts/scams/annoyances:
Homeless people

Pro:
Shopping!
Historic sites
Easy to get around

Con:
Expensive
Too much to see!

Driving:
It’s the only way to get around.  Some shopping centres are too big to walk around.

Fitness:
Gyms!  They are everywhere and it is easy to get a trial pass.  MMA is also popular.  City parks are good for running.

Costs:
Sandwiches $5-6 at a deli
Hostel $25-40
Laundry $1 for a self-service wash, 50c for drying

Rating: Varied/10

USA – West Coast and Hawaii

Must visit/do:
A theme park – I’d go for Knott’s Berry Farm unless you have small children
San Diego Zoo
USS Midway
Yosemite – it’s beautiful
Alcatraz
The coastline
Snorkelling
La Brea tar pits

Transport:
The train is convenient but expensive.  There are cheap buses from LA to San Francisco.  Public buses in LA are slow – use the subway if possible.  The San Francisco subway is much more convenient.  The Oahu bus is not as good as everyone says.  They are slow and infrequent.

English spoken:
Yes

Did anyone try to pick my pocket?
No

Can I drink the water?
Yes

Touts/scams/annoyances:
Homeless people – they are much more prevalent than the east coast, especially in San Francisco and LA.

Pro:
Scenery – especially the California coast and Yosemite
Shopping
Chocolate in San Francisco
Macadamia nuts
Drinking out of a pineapple

Con:
Expensive
Difficult to get around
Hollywood is completely overrated

Driving:
If possible rent a car as it makes it much easier to get around.  Don’t rent in Hawaii as the parking is difficult and expensive.

Fitness:
Gyms!  They are everywhere and it is easy to get a trial pass.

Costs:
Sandwiches $5-6 at a deli
Hostel $25-35
Laundry $1 for a self-service wash, $1 for drying

Comment:
The coasts are different, although I can’t explain exactly how.  The weather on the west coast is much warmer.

Rating: Warm and sunny/10

Good:
Steri-Pen
Although I did load it with Ni-MH batteries, as stated by the manufacturer, I did still find it ran out after 5-10  uses.  However it was extremely useful being able to purify water in a minute with no chemical taste.  I’m not sure if works on Indian-strength waterborne diseases – I did get sick there, but it may have been the food.

AA battery charger
For the Steri-pen.

Inflatable pillow
I started with a conventional C-shaped travel neck pillow but it was USELESS!  This rectangular one I picked up in Germany was much better.

Woobie
I love my woobie!  It’s a military synthetic blanket.  Packs up small, and just enough to keep you warm inside, or in a tent on a warm-ish night.  It dries quickly and is machine washable.

Sistema plastic container
I put my laundry detergent in here and it did not leak at all.  Yay for NZ made plasticware!

Microfibre towel
Unlike the early sport towels the new ones with a terry-cloth finish will get you completely dry.  They soak up a lot of water and dry quickly.  I used a medium one and it packed up to the size of 2 DVD cases.

UnderArmour HeatGear shirt
As good as it gets in humid weather, and it didn’t smell.

Macpac Gemini travel pack
It did suffer from design faults since it was an older one, such as the bedroll straps being stupidly short, the daybag not having any organisation and a strange shape that always fell over, the pack strap cover flap being difficult to do up and the daybag being hard to attach when full.  These have all been fixed on the newer models.  However the basic travel pack design is very good, and the front attachment points for the daybag were well worth having.

North Face shorts
Indestructible, had a good range of pockets, comfy, and had a built-in belt

Douglas sandals
Comfy, NZ made and lasted the distance after repairs in Vietnam and India.  Their simple construction means roadside cobblers can fix them easily.

Mizuno running shoes
Racing slicks by the end but did the job

3 sets of clothes and 7 sets of underwear
This is exactly the right amount

Meh:
Columbia Titanium shirt
It was nice when in a dry country, and was ready to wear after rolling in a towel after washing.  But anywhere with humidity made it awful to wear, and it was very slow to dry.

Pacsafe
I used this when I had nowhere to lock my pack.  However it caught on all the buckles and straps on my pack making it a faff to put on and discouraged me from using it.  I didn’t have anyone try to steal anything from my pack but it did give me a bit more peace of mind.

Longsleeved shirt
I didn’t need it.  Everywhere in Asia was too hot to wear it.  The places that required you to cover up always had free clothes to borrow.

Crap:
Sea-to-Summit Poncho Tarp
It did the job in Asia of keeping me and my pack dry when it rained and was humid.  However it was too long at the back to wear easily without a pack on.  The drawcord for hitching up the rear excess was too short and ineffectual.  When I was in Germany I tried using it as a tarp tent and it was USELESS – far too small, and the hood leaked.  The fabric did not have enough waterproofing and after a while the rain soaked through.

Neck pillow
The C-shaped one gave me a crook in the neck every time I used it, and was worse than not using a pillow at all.

Pacsafe Metrosafe 100
The zip fell apart after 3 months and they refused to replace it under warranty as I didn’t keep the defective item since it was useless.

Things not used:
Mosquito net
There weren’t that many mosquitoes in the places I went to in Asia or India

Insect repellent
See above.  I only used it 2-3 times

Solar panel
I had this in case there wasn’t anywhere to charge the Steripen batteries.  However I always had mains power.

Quantities
I had 3 sets of clothes and 7 sets of underwear.  This was just right.  Sometimes I had to wash a set because i couldn’t find a laundry, but this was not often.
1 box of washing powder – mainly because in Asia I never had to use my own
3 travel-size bottles each of shampoo and conditioner
Innumerable bars of soap – probably 7?
1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of running shoes
1 pair of long trousers – but I do not wear trousers much.

Handy things bought on the way
Compass
A little compass is very useful to find out which way you’re facing, such as when coming out of a train station.  I bought a cheap one in Kuala Lumpur but by France it had become demagnetised

Power adapters
These are cheap and easy to buy wherever you go, especially Asia.  Go to a market to buy them for about $2-5.  A multi-country adapter would have been handy but these were cheap.  The most commonly used one was the 2 round pin European style.

Changes made for travel in Europe:
Since I did a lot more camping I wish I’d brought a gas stove – it would be small and easy to pack.  The campsites never had communal kitchen stoves and when I tried using alcohol gel it was expensive and useless.
My camping equipment was a 3x4m tarp, extendable poles, pegs, a closed-cell foam mat, and a polarfleece blanket in addition to my woobie.   It wasn’t that pleasant but it did the job, and I saved a lot of money.  I did not get wet under the tarp.
I bought a jumper and proper raincoat in Germany.  No need for warm clothes in Asia!

I Wish I had Brought
My workout elastics.  I tried to keep my fitness up but there is only so much you can do with bodyweight exercises.

Chug Milk Shake

and this would be why it's so delicious

There is a lot of tourist business competition in Hawaii so all the Hanauma Bay snorkelling trips cost $14.95.  I took an early one (7.30am pick up, arrive at the bay 8.00).  You have to watch a safety video but it isn’t bad.

The bay isn't crowded early in the morning

There had been some bad weather so the water was a bit murky.  However it was still clearer than NZ water at any time.  I was the first one in and immediately saw a turtle!

Apparently quite rare here

These photos are courtesy of my Panasonic Lumix waterproof camera

So close I had to avoid touching them

So cute

Lots of photos to get my money's worth from Hawaii

They let me swim with them for about 5 min, then disappeared in to the murk.

Tropical fish

The reef was only about 1m below the surface

Coral

It was actually quite cold so I sat on the beach for a while

Colourful!

I went further south

Sometimes the water was too shallow

Urchins

The bay

Yes, Hawaii does look like this

Later in the day it was more crowded - this is at 11am

I had lunch at IHOP, just to eat there before I left the USA.

Festive white chocolate and mint pancakes, hash brown and eggs. The festive pancakes were much cheaper than the regular menu ones.

Finally I set out to do the one thing I had been planning since the start of my trip.

Having a drink out of a pineapple!

Apparently a lot of places think it’s too kitsch, but I went to the Atlantis restaurant in Waikiki.  It’s opposite the Apple store and next to california Pizza Kitchen.  They have a Pineapple Royale for $13.50 including tax.  I asked for a non-alcoholic one and they gave me some kind of pink slush.  It was nice, and there was a LOT of it.  Pineapples are big!

No. 1 holiday objective: MUST DRINK OUT OF PINEAPPLE ON WAIKIKI BEACH!

After that I caught a shuttle to the airport.  I was worried when I saw a lot of school groups on my flight back to NZ but since i was in premium economy I was away from them.  The new Air NZ entertainment system is good but the range of programmes is a bit limited, and it’s full of rugby and Shortland St.  I arrived back at 6am and only had to put my bags through the x-ray.  He did ask me why I had 36 boxes of chocolates, but I didn’t have to unpack my bags.  Success!

The End.

They give you a free ticket to see the USS Arizona but everything else is expensive – the Missouri is $15 even with a military discount.

Free entertainment - they have a torpedo park. These are nuclear missiles.

A nuclear torpedo. Yes it would affect the ship that launched it.

The USS Bowfin. They charge entry so I didn't go aboard

Before you take the ferry to the Arizona memorial you watch a short and rather strange documentary film.  The ferry takes about 5 min.

The memorial

Inside

Roll of Honour

About 2 litres of oil surfaces each day, and it will keep escaping for at least the next century.

Do ask the rangers about the site as they are very interesting.

The only exposed area

Submerged section visible through a cut-out in the memorial floor

The museum is small but reasonable.

Facsimile of Roosevelt's Day of Infamy speech notes

Japnese pilot's belt of a thousand stitches

I left Pearl Harbour and went shopping again – this time stocking up on Hawaiian Host chocolate macadamia nuts.  The economy boxes are about $4 in the ABC shops but Long’s had them for $2 on special, so I bought 24.  After doing some more shopping I thought this was insufficient and bought another 12.  Yes, everyone isgetting chocolates from me this Christmas!  I also loaded up on protein powder since it’s so cheap in the US.

Spotted at an animation shop - HOW DO THEY KNOW ME SO WELL?!?!

Domestic flights in the US don’t seem to come with food so it’s BYO.  Packets of Quaker oats are good because you can ask for a cup of hot water and that’s enough to make them up.

The signs at Honolulu airport aren’t helpful.  If you want to catch a bus DON’T go to the section that says ‘Transport”.  You have to go up to the check-in level and look for the bus shelter.  there’s not much point since you can’t take luggage on the airport bus.  If you want to take a shuttle once again don’t go to Transport – you have to go down to a bit labelled ‘Commuting’.  Shuttle operators come around when the luggage carousels start up – they aren’t scam artists – this is the easiest way to take a shuttle.  $10 is a very good price, but they go up to $14.  A higher price will get you a nicer van, but my cheap man drove at a billion miles an hour so the trip took 25 min rather than 45.

On arrival in Waikiki I went to a hostel on Lemon St.  There are 2 here.  The quality wasn’t great but it was a bed.

The next day I went out exploring.  There are a lot of Honolulu Cookie Company shops around Waikiki alone, and all offer SAMPLING.  I think 50% of my food intake came from their samples.

These would explain the state of the world today.

King's Village. It's lame.

At the International Marketplace. They have a LOT of cheesy souvenirs and bad art.

I walked out towards Ala Moana and found that the marathon was in town and holding a big expo.

Much of it was in Japanese

Real German Lebkuchen to promote the Munich marathon 2012

When I reached Ala Moana I went SHOPPING!  It’s the largest open-air mall.  First stop – See’s Candies for some more samples, then a calendar shop, where I found my hero Paula Deen, complete with crazy-eyes.

These were actually next to each other!

Next was Sear’s.  That may not sound like a major destination to non-Americans but there’s nowhere in NZ where you can buy a decent pair of dress trousers for $21.99.  I also marveled at the Butterball™ Turkey Fryer – uses only 2 gallons of oil!

Note preprogrammed settings - pizza and nuggets

Next stop – Hallmark, to buy some Christmas decorations.

From their catalogue of extremely specific cards - 'From the cat'.

In one corner they had Christmas cards that mentioned the G-word, and one had something about the birth of some religious figure, but they weren’t very popular.

Next I went to a Japanese department store, and ordered what i thought would be katsu dom buri.

I don't think this is correct.

The next day I went to the Aloha Swap Meet.  The bus out there takes more than an hour and costs $2.50, or you can book a shuttle for $5.  It’s not really worth it as it takes about 45 min.  The market is large, but there isn’t much variety in the stalls.

It goes around the whole stadium, so just walk in one direction.

They have nuts, fruit, clothing, cheap luggage, shave ice, souvenirs, stickers, a couple of military surplus stalls, jewellery, paintings, and hot food.

I had planned on staying on at the Waikiki Beach Hostel and had booked a further 2 nights on Hostelbookers.  However when I presented my booking number they had NO RECORD of it and were full.  Every other hostel and most hotels on the island were full due to the marathon.  Wonderful.  I tried booking a hotel online and some filled as I was making the booking.  My last resort was to book a rather expensive hotel (for me, but not in Waikiki terms).  When I tried to use my NZ credit card it wouldn’t go through!  It turned out that the transaction was interpreted as a fraud attempt and the bank automatically cancelled my card!  So I spent an hour wandering around trying to find a hotel.  Amazingly I found one (the Aqua Waikiki Wave, $320 for 2 nights including tax) and paid using cash withdrawn from an ATM.  What a faff!

A king-size bed! The room only had a TV, fridge, and microwave, but did have a tiny balcony with a sea view.

Waikiki

The beach was surprisingly nice for such a developed area

Singapore
Electronics

Malaysia
Cellphones
Small bottles of toiletries

Thailand
Notebook computers, netbooks, laptops
Tailored clothes
Printed t-shirts
‘Monster’ toys – they have a lot of handmade-looking soft toys, like Emily Strange styles.
Milk.  It’s cheap and they have a wide range of flavours.

Vietnam
Tailored clothing, but shop around

China
Surprisingly most things are expensive here compared to what they cost overseas

India
Spices

Egypt
Potato chips.  No kidding – they are everywhere, and extremely cheap.

Turkey
Turkish delight – duh, but it really is better
Hazelnuts

Greece
Chocolate
Tactical gear – it’s not that cheap but is widely available

Italy
Designer clothing – it’s cheaper here than anywhere else
Mozzarella cheese
Fresh pasta

Germany
Sports gear, camping equipment
Cookware
Flavoured milk
Gingerbread

Belgium
Chocolate
Specloos spread

France
Cheese
Fashion magazines (Vogue, etc.)  They are about €1-1.50
Dairy food/pudding.  The French LOVE it and they have a huge range of fancy types

Britain
Cellphone calls
Cheese
Mixing bowls.  If you like Mason & Cash they are extremely cheap here – about £16 for a big one
Tea towels

USA
Protein bars and drinks
Christmas decorations
Macadamia nuts (in Hawaii)

What you CAN’T buy

Conditioner is not available in India, Egypt, or Turkey.  It may have been in Greece but I couldn’t tell.

Toiletries and sunscreen are very expensive in Greece

Fresh and flavoured milk is rare in Europe, except Germany.  They all drink UHT

I set out after making the most of the free breakfast (they had doughnut for breakfast?!) and arrived at Disney at 8.45am.

I worked my way to the front, being unencumbered by prams, the weak, etc.

I managed to time it so that I was there in the very lowest point of the year, on a week day.  It was just right.  They hold everyone behind a rope until 9am, and then there is a loudspeaker message to ‘move in a controlled manner’.  At 9.00.01 there was a surge of powerwalking!

Some people went straight to the statue so they could have a shot without peole in it

I’d planned my tactics so first I went to Star Tours and collected a FastPass, then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for another pass – this is an anomaly, and is the only ride where you can hold 2 Fastpasses.  Next I went to Indiana Jones but it was shut.  JACK!  I went to Pirates of the Caribbean and did not have to queue. In fact I hardly had to queue at all.  Disneyland is actually quite small – about as large as Rainbow’s End, and without the hill – so you can go between rides easily.

Ride Report:

Pirates of the Caribbean
Length: 13 min
Style: Animatronic
Queue: None
Whee factor: Whee
Comment: See the ride that inspired the film after it has been inspired by the film!

Haunted House
Length: 7 min
Style: Animatronic
Queue: None
Whee factor: Whee
Comment: Not scary

The New Orleans section

Star Tours
Length: 7 min
Style: 3-d motion master
Queue: Fast pass
Whee factor: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  SO AWESOME!!
Comment: I went 3 times, and the film changes each time!

Space Mountain
Length: 3 min
Style: Roller coaster
Queue: Fast pass
Whee factor: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment: An indoor roller coaster in the dark!  So cool!

And it takes your photo!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Length: 3 min
Style: Roller coaster
Queue: Fast pass
Whee factor: Whee!
Comment: A mild roller coaster

Splash Mountain
Length: 4 min
Style: Log flume
Queue: Fast pass
Whee factor: Whee!
Comment: Smile for the camera just before the big drop

Matterhorn Bobsleds
Length: 3 min
Style: Roller coaster
Queue: a few min
Whee factor: Whee
Comment: Very mild

Teacups
Length: 2 min
Style: Dizzying
Queue: a few min
Whee factor: Blurgh
Comment: Don’t go after eating.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Length: 6 min
Style: Shooting gallery
Queue: 15 min
Whee factor: Kablam!
Comment: You shoot with laser blasters while on a conveyor, and there is a score on your car.

River Safari Ride
Length: 8 min
Style: Boat ride with witty guide
Queue: 5 min
Whee factor: Teh lolz.
Comment: Strong Bad’s RiverQuest SafariVenture makes a lot more sense now.

Monkeys!

Stereotypes!

Innovarium
Length: N/A
Style: Information thing
Queue: None
Whee factor: Educational?  Lame!
Comment:It’s heavily sponsored.

A Honda hybrid

The kitchen of THE FUTURE. Note bottom opening oven to the right

There is also a picture ager that takes your photo and ages it 50 years.
Woman next to me: “It’s not very flattering.”

Finding Nemo Submarine
Length: 15 min
Style: Submarine with projected show
Queue: 5 min
Whee factor: Zzzz
Comment: The sound seemed very loud

There were more rides that I didn’t go on.

Reason: BABIES!

That’s ok because it left more time for SPACE MOUNTAIN!!!  Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

There are also places to wander about and spend your excess cash.  The food is very expensive – for lunch it’s much better to go out and walk 500m down the road and come back, but DON’T go to the Subway!  The food isn’t safe!!

Toontown

Fun with topiary

Main Street USA

They had a reasonable parade at 6pm, but people started taking spots at 5.  The 7pm lighting show is saccharine but still nice, and you can’t help but feel the magic when the castle lights up and fake snow starts coming down.  Aww.  The 7.30pm fireworks show is extremely good, and lasts a full 15 min.

On the known distance range shooting Table 1

They separate their shooting, so on the known distance range they don’t wear webbing, and have shooting gloves.

40 firing points! But they still have recruits working the butts.

A data book. They have to write fall of shot and sight setting down.

The 'circles'. This is for dry firing exercises.

Shooting Table 2 - more combat-oriented. The targets aren't as realistic as a figure 11!

Next stop was a Crucible stand.  The recruits had some physical challenges and activities.

Tower ascent

2 wire bridge

Next stop was a field range.  The recruits were simulating firing from a window, around a corner, and on a roof top, at reactive targets.

Field firing

I couldn’t see any targets reacting and asked if they were turned on – it turns out they weren’t hitting them.

Next stop was body sparring.  They had a single 1 minute round.  Strike block move move!

"STOP HUGGING!"

Ooh!

Next stop was the night location.

The bivouac site

Recruits don’t carry tarps, and these shelters are left up.  In summer recruits sleep in the open.  There is no digging.  HOW CAN YOU HAVE A BASIC WITHOUT DIGGING?!  They do it all in their next phase, Marine Combat Training, or School of Infantry.

For lunch I went to the mess.  My liason officers said it wasn’t that good, but it was!  $4.25 for a standard meal, and you have the choice of the healthy press (when I went the choices were chicken or goulash) or the fried press – burgers and chips.  There was also a choice of 10 drinks, including Powerade, a salad bar, and a dessert.  The big difference was that you are served – you don’t spoon out your own portion.

Next stop was the 12 stalls – a set of leadership activities.  They have 5 minutes for the assigned leader to do his mission appreciation, then 15 minutes to execute the task.  Failure results in casualty carries.

Don't touch the red or the ground

Standard tasks.

After I left I had a quick visit to Quantico Arms down the road in Oceanside.  GUCCI!!!!  There are also several good surplus shops in the area.

A chimichanga. This must have been about 1kg. If I'd continued on the tram for another 20min I would have been in Mexico.

That afternoon I went to the USS Midway, another aircraft carrier.  This is infinitely better than the USS Intrepid, as it is still owned by the navy, and hasn’t been turned in to a floating theme park.  It’s also free for all military personnel.  Yay!

330m long, with a 4 acre flight deck

F-4 Corsair

Ratings' quarters

How to maximise small spaces

Junior officers' quarters

Pilot's survival kit

Briefing room

The brig. Unlike the Intrepid you can have a look at almost all the areas of the ship

Engineering

It was easier to take a photo of this than the steam turbine

Back on the hangar deck

F-8 cockpit THAT YOU CAN SIT IN. Wheee!

A-8 cockpit

Mess

XO's quarters

Officers' mess. Japanese theme due to home port of Okinawa. They also had a 3 flavour milk machine.

Master CPO's quarters

Inspection order locker

The same things laid flat

CPOs' mess

Ratings' mess

Radiography at sea

Liferaft

On the main deck

AD-1 Skyraider

F-4 Phantom

UH-1 gunship

View from flight control bridge

The wheel!

Unlike the Intrepid they have former sailors and officers giving tours.  The only way to the bridge is on a tour, and it takes about 30 min.  To see the whole ship takes about 3 hours.

The USS Ronald Regan was docked across the bay at Coronado