I cried in Disneyland :O

Cried because it was so damn MAGICAL!
In a land far, far away, there lived an Australian, who's never been to Disneyland, in the great wonderous city of Los Angeles. He had heard countless tales of how it changed people and how it was just fcking hectic.
I like thrill rides (Understatement. I FREAKIN' LOVE THRILL RIDES) but I have to say, Disneyland had me satisfied contrary to its INTENSE level of rides (sarcasm). The rides weren't like "OMG my brain is coming out of my nose", they were more like "OMG my brain is so magical and lovely. I want to just smile all day".
Walking around the park I found the staff to be very helpful and extremely happy. Happy to pickup your rubbish. Happy to take your photo for you when you meet THE ONE AND ONLY, Mickey Mouse in the flesh! That's right, he's REAL. Not Santa Claus real, Tooth Fairy real. Along with other various characters walking the streets, some of whom I didn't know, there was a PARADE. The kind you see at.. well, Disneyland and nothing less.

After the tragic 4th edition of Indian Jones, I thought he was dead to me (crystal skull? COME ON!). Then I went on the INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE RIDE. If you thought the last movie was bad, you'll LOVE THIS RIDE. Won't give too much away but sit at the driver seat in the front(you don't actually drive the car. So no, you don't need a drivers license).

Ever seen the TV show "The Twilight Zone"? Me either, but if the show was as good as the ride, it would've won an EMMY. Good build up, staff trying to be scary (some succeeding) and the added element of surprise really makes this ride worth the wait. Some cool mirror effect they had somewhere makes this THE ride to experience when you go to Disneyland. Do it!

Ferris wheels can be scary.. if you're 3 years old. OR ARE THEY. California Adventure Park. Where they make ferris wheels scary. That's about it really. Cool rollercoaster called "California Screamin'" and some other ride that I can't remember. Can't have been that great.

Yeah, the teacup ride was crap. Don't waste your time on "It's A Small World" either. It sucks.

Note: You NEED 2 FULL days in Disneyland. I was all Disney'd out by the end of my 12 hour long visit and didn't even get to see most of the shows. They only open for 12 hours. Crazy right? It's like they only want us to be happy 12 hours of the day.

Cabramatta has nothing on LA. For the first time in my life, I was scared to catch the bus to work. I'll let you think about that. That is all.

Tune in next time. Six Flags Magic Mountain. OMG my brain is coming out of my nose.

Sin City.. not the movie

Las Vegas. The city of frozen 500ml Magaritas, people giving out porn fliers on the street... to kids, HECTIC hotels.. oh and sin.
UNBELIEVABLE. The tables were hitting(?), chicks were banging and the drinks were flowing. The city nightlife all available in one hotel, in EVERY hotel on EVERY corner.
One thing though, it's hot as hell there. You're in the car happily singing to your ipod then you place your hand on the window and it's hot enough to cook an egg.. AND a f*cken steak. Well done.
Although I only attended this glorious money sucking city of tourist-y goodness, I have yet to experience hitting the club scene, strip clubs and the holy grail of food.. the buffets. Overall it was f*cking amazing for one night. Only a taste of what's to come.

The drive however is a mother f*cker. It is not my cup of tea (and I wasn't even driving) which you can get in Vegas too, but that's not the point.

Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd..

So I went to my first ever baseball game. It was great. Aside from the annoying kid screaming "GO ICHIRO. YOU CAN DO IT. HIT A HOME RUN!" with his trailer trash mum, the garlic fries were the BOMB. Food stalls everywhere, passionate fans wearing jerseys and BIG f*cking cups of lemonade. Not as many homeruns as I'd like so maybe next time. Right, Ichiro?

I don't know what the movie was talking about because I was sleeping fine in seattle. Food was great and the drinks were flowing. Gay bars, the Space Needle (waste of money.. sort of), nice fountains to run through with nothing but your underwear and streaking cyclists. Wonderful. Everything you can expect and more in Seattle. The home team for baseball kind of sucks though.

PORTLAND. Land of the alcohol serving old movie theaters that sell movie tickets for 3 bucks. Where you can enjoy a movie with your mates while you get plastered. Eat popcorn with beer yeast flavouring on table while you watch from your balcony view (like in the Opera!). Where there's a bar just about everywhere. There's even an Oregon Brewfest.

I also went to a vintage arcade. Donkey Kong, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Tron and Ghost and Goblins. You name it, they've got it. Yep, you guessed it, they served alcohol too. Just icing on the cake in my opinion. Nothing like reminiscing the good old days with a beer and a game of Double Dragon 2.

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.

Note: I think this is a lame-ass song. The NRL theme song is so much better.

Going to party 'til the early hours of.. 2am

I've come to the conclusion that Sydney and USA clubs are the same. Music is the same, same people running into you everywhere you turn, same ridiculous cover charge and same closing time.. oh wait. Scratch that. Sydney clubs open past 2am. Terrible. Then again, everywhere is the same if you get sh*t faced right?

One thing though, the hotels are freakin' hectik. I'm afraid of heights but I couldn't keep my eyes off the view from above. Not one but TWO bar fridges.

I've experienced first hand why America is the number one obese country in the world. Thank you. 2 weeks.. 4kgs not pounds KILOGRAMS. Will see me on the biggest loser next season. Please vote for me. Oh wait, you don't vote on that show aye?

All that aside, food here is GREAT. Wish you guys could enjoy it with me ;/.

I left my heart in San Francisco but I left my camera on the plane

Sitting at Borders sipping a chai tea latte and snacking on a banana loaf you really get a perspective on life. How did I get to this point? Where am I going? Which bastard stole my camera off the plane.

Lombard Street. The "crookedest street" found in high and mighty San Francisco. This part of the street is so steep they had to transform the road into a winding brick road in order to allow public access. Who would've thought driving/walking down a winding road would be tourist attraction? Genius.

So Americans have a lot of BBQs. Despite the fact that Australians love to "put a shrimp of the barbie i.e Barbeque", we only have a couple types of BBQ.. Americans have 5. That i've counted so far: Mongolian, Brazilian, Hawaiian, Korean and the good old coal/gas BBQ. Mate, I thought donuts and burgers were enough. Apparently you guys need another way of increasing the chance of a heart attack. MY BAD.

The best in America is Australian

Century City Westfields. Outdoor shopping with a terrace that acts as a food court. Outdoor cinemas welcome travellers far and wide to sit down, relax and enjoy the view. Beautiful architecture accentuate the buildings features. Best thing about this exquisite masterpiece, the brand: Westfields. Did I mention Westfields was Australian?

Another addition i'd to add is their carpark. They have sensors with lights above each parking space. Red if it's taken, green if it's open. Makes parking so much easier! Every shopping centre (mall) should adopt this feature. Wtf are we waiting for? I'd go shopping just to take advantage of this out of this world technology! Oh, and maybe buy something too.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guy walks into a carpark. There hanging from a small bathroom window a helpless heroin addict clings on for dear life. Her bag has fallen to the floor 20 ft below her. Does he:

a) Take her bag ?> vbuioer to break her fall like a man that he is

c) Be a douche bag and ignore her

or

d) Stay in close range and let her fall on you getting scratched in the process. This leads to fear of contracting HIV or worse.

Only in LA.

(Guy = Ben LOL)

Waffles & Tacos

Hi can I please order number two? Half a chicken with waffles. Gravy on the side and a Dr. Pepper (it'd be better if I had a photo).

Welcome to Roscoes. House of Chicken & Waffles. Iron Chef, each your heart out. You ain't got nothing on this. Who would've thought combining a desert with fried chicken could become a franchise? Only Americans. What's next? Dates rolled with bacon?

Best thing after a night out is a mixed kebab with the lot. BBQ and chilli sauce.... or a taco (maybe 6). Tortilla bread toasted on a hot plate topped with your choice of SIX meats. Self serve salad bar with your selection of 2 different chilli sauces (green and red) and other sides. Hand rolled (by yourself) to your liking. Rare, medium or well done. All available on your nearest street cart for an all time low ONE DOLLAR (including tax). Served by mexicans to give it that authentic feel, you can't go wrong.

The plane on platform 3 goes to USA. First stop New Zealand then all stations to Los Angeles

Hello all! Here is the first of many posts that hopes to document a wonderous journey for the next 365 days.

So my first stop was New Zealand. Great place, kind of boring.. too many sheep. I noticed their toilets require you to turn a handle. No free internet sucks.

So here I am in the big US of A. Hollywood. Where homeless people take chicken strips of Ben/Binh. Where guys in crop top singlets stare and smile at Ben/Binh while he walks to refill his bottomless cup from Jack In The Box. A place where Sunset Blvd is not all it's cracked up to be but where Hollywood Blvd. is where it's at! Have yet to see some eye candy. America - 0, Australia - 1.

Lost my camera(really sorry guys! ;/). First disappointment. Second disappointment, seeing the MJ memorial, people dressed up as celebrities(Superman, MJ, Wonderwoman, Jesus) taking photos with people on Hollywood Blvd(fcking amazing by the way).

I. Am. Cut.

Going to go buy a new one tomorrow.

I didn't know the chick talks on the PA at CityRail did the airport too. Small world eh?

Stay posted!