51 Hours On A Bus...?!?!?!?!?

What was I thinking!???

It'll be great, I'll get to meet loads of interesting people, see so much of the country by land, it's ridiculously cheap, and it's not as if I'm in a rush...besides, what could be more romantic an imagine than taking a bus 'out west' as the sun sets....??

....at 2.30am in Salt Lake City, after two nights of no sleep, with my curly Jew/Welsh-fro all greased up, more hair on my face than I'd care to describe and feet that smelt like 5 day old cabbage, the image couldn't have been further removed from what I had in mind. As a group of early morning Mormon's tried to convert me I could do nothing but smile....it may sound naff, but it is insane moments like these that make travelling all the more perfect.

And you know what? The trip could well have been the most fun I've had since being away (well not quite, but almost). I did indeed meet some brilliant people, who I hope to keep in touch with, also met some of the strangest people I've ever met in my life, read two books, witnessed two fights, one abandonmnet (I hope that poor old man got picked up!), driven through about 6 states of the USA, stopped in 7 major cities, seen the landscape change from cornfields (yes, it really is as high as an elephant's eye..), to mountains, and to the Pacific ocean, I have seen two of the most glorious sunsets, and wonderful sunrises ever......

.....and I made it to the west coast, and San Francisco in one piece....

As I arrived at the hostel this afternoon I may have smelt like something terrible had died in my underpants, but at that moment I couldn't care less; I've crossed a contintent by land and feel like Michael Palin.....

Rich
xxx