I finally arrived back in Australia after leaving three weeks ago for holidays. It’s been a whirlwind trip but at least the three weeks vacation has actually felt more like a month and a half. I’ve been hurting without Internet access for the last week and a half, so unfortunately I haven’t had any opportunity to update the blog. So much has gone on since the last post, so here’s a brief summary:

• Last days in New York – Our second last day in NY was spent with my Aunt and family walking around Chinatown. Manhattan’s Chinatown is pretty huge and offers so much in terms of food and interesting stores providing for things to look at all day. There’s even a bus that leaves from Flushing to get right into the middle of Chinatown for the same price as the subway (all without having to transfer either)! Our final day in New York that I spent with my brother and sister walking all around Manhattan was jam-packed with so much. From a foodie perspective, we stuffed ourselves by visiting the Doughnut Plant, Il Laboratorio Del Gelato and Brother’s BBQ (you’ve gotta have the beef brisket). We dropped into J&R somewhere along the way to pick up some decently priced MP3 players after failing to pick up anything in Japan. We somehow also managed to fit in a trip on the (free!) Staten Island Ferry, and visits to the Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Times Square, FAO Schwarz, and the Chrysler building before meeting up with Gerrod and Kristy for one last dinner. One cocktail from a Mexican place, lovely dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant and a cupcake from the Buttercup Bakeshop later and I was well and truly stuffed and made for a lovely finish to our time in NY.
• Knott’s Berry Farm – This was our first theme park visit in LA and one that caters for the younger crowd with a theme based around Snoopy and the Peanut’s gang. It was good thing for us though because we had our 11 year old cousin along for the trip. Fortunately for us, our visit to this theme park happened to be the week after spring break, so there was very little lining up for any of the rides and we were able to hit most of the big and many of the small ones as well. If you want to schedule time for any of the shows, the ones worth visiting including the Wild West show and the Mystery Lodge show. I would also recommend going on the Perilous Plunge in the middle of the day instead of the end because you will be soaked by the time you get off it. Traveller’s Tip – Buying tickets online can save you significant money off the entrance fee.
• Six Flag’s Magic Mountain – My brother, sister and I spent our last day in LA at this theme park and is one of those theme parks that is just full of rollercoasters. I therefore recommend you not taking younger family members or people that have a bit of a weak stomach as they may not be able to enjoy many of the rides. Once again, buying tickets online can save you significant money, and I also recommend trying to sneak some food in because the prices they charge can be pretty ridiculous (try USD9 for a slice of pizza and coke)! Despite the theme park being slightly more crowded than Knott’s Berry because of a number of field trips from local schools, we still managed to get on all of the rides we wanted to, including the fantastic X ride which is really worth the wait (imagine a normal rollercoaster with plenty of loops and G-forces, and then imagine being flipped around in your chair at the same time). An awesome day where you really don’t want to eat much at all.
• Los Angeles – The rest of our time was mainly spent with family, with the whole purpose of our trip leading up to a grand birthday celebration for my grandmother. We did manage to make it out to places like Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Malibu, and drove around Mulholland Drive in my cousin’s Mini Cooper S (which I will say handles really really well!). I also managed to fit in time to catch up with Sanjoy (who I used to work under at Oracle) and had a great night out on the town (and such a nice Z4 convertible as well!).