Faster, Further, Higher, and for Longer (again)!

A great big HOWDIE from the good ol’ US of A. As you can read, I have successfully arrived in America. Thanks to Michael for taking care of business for me last week, whilst I jet setted across the pond to the yankies!

Well, first off the bat, I cannot write this week’s post without bigging up British Airways. At last, there is something British that we can all still be proud of. To be fair, I loathed flying with First Choice to Lanzarote. The seats were uncomfortable, the service was okay, and EVERYTHING cost more. If you wanted a seat that was inside the plane, that was an extra £20…

But BA… Wow! What a difference. The seats were comfortable, with enough space to avoid cramp. The service was excellent (even if they were mostly men), and they kept giving us food and water every hour. For FREE! Some people say Virgin Atlantic are the best, but really, British Airways is flying.

As a beautiful link, my flight landed on US soil a whole hour early (that’s the sort of service you can expect from BA… and no, I’m not on commission). This was a good thing. Well for me it was. I got to meet US border control (Department of Homeland Security) that much earlier, and then their customs. I really enjoyed he rubber glove part. Apparently they give out that service free to all English travellers…

Landing early did cause my mother some concern however. Because the plane landed early, the database on the internet displayed ‘information unavailable’ when mum went to check my flight landed okay. Naturally, mum assumed my plane crashed and burned somewhere over the North Atlantic… Well, they say mothers are like that (Hi Mum by the way…).

Over here is exactly as you expect. There is lots of food, and yes there are lots of… er… rounder people here. It comes to something when I think that a meal is too much for me! No really, at home they call me the dustbin. But everyone over here is really polite and friendly. Thanks to Chris Quinn and his wife Cindy who are responsible for my being here. Thanks also to Bill Vincent and his family who took care of me my first weekend. Neither of whom read this, but credit where credit is due…

Also, as you would expect, their cars are BIG. A usual engine for these guys is a 2 litre V6. What’s more, that is considered fairly economical! The yanks are gobsmacked when I tell them that my ’86 Ford Falcon Station Wagon (as it was known over here) gets 50 miles to the gallon. If a car does 22 miles to the gallon, it is considered fuel-efficient!!! Also, they pay slightly less for their fuel (30p a litre).

I would also like to point out that American cars are cool. They just don’t realise it. Bill’s son, Eddie, took me to a beach house party is his ’99 Ford Mustang. Alright, it isn’t the best Mustang made, but it’s still cool. But apparently it’s normal for a 22 year old to drive that sort of car!

But you don’t see many older cars out here. This is for two reasons. These American cars really are built badly. Compared with Dagenham designed and built Ernie, these things are toys. Also, most cars that I have seen that are 5 years old or so have got at least one large dent in them, where they have been involved in a collision. The people of the US just don’t take good care of their cars. (How is Ernie by the way? I really am missing him. I can’t even hire/borrow a car out here…)

Their houses and streets are amazing also. Well New Jersey is anyway (I haven’t seen much else of the states). The houses are all wooden designs, but look really sturdy (not just flat packs from Focus DIY…). Plus, the buildings are over 100 years old, and still standing. Suburb streets are interesting. They are not just tree lined, but tree infested. It looks great. Furthermore, you wouldn’t forget which country you are in. Nearly every house flies a star spangled banner.

Well that’s America. I suppose I should explain my title before I close. When I went to Lanzarote in January (it’s tough being an Adventure Ed student…) I broke several personal boundaries. I went further away from home that before (2500 miles), I went faster than before (450mph), I went higher (32 000 ft), and I went away from home for longer than before (2 weeks).

But I have now (or am in the process of doing) broken all those records once again. Further (5500 miles or so), Faster (590mph), Higher (40 000 ft), and for much, much, much longer (90 days/ 11 weeks/ 2.5 months). Heck, after I went through security a Heathrow, Mum said that she didn’t stop crying for 12 hours!!!

Well, I would like to say I’m missing all of you, but I can’t lie. As I will tell you next time, I am having an absolute blast out here, and we haven’t even started the fun stuff yet! Lots of love to all back home (especially Ernie… that just winds my Mum up, she thinks I love my car more than her. Well all the blokes out there will understand that…). I hope all is well in Blighty, and I am thinking of you. If you would like to E-mail me messages, you can do so below, and I will pick them up when I can. They will then appear as a comment (for all you users new to blogs!).

If you have a 21 year old car (happy birthday to Ernie for a few weeks ago btw), that can get 50 miles to the gallon, why not leave a comment starting your message with ‘I have stolen Ernie, and he is under ransom for [insert cost]…’.

If you are missing me, why not leave a comment starting your message with ‘I have a mental problem, therefore I am missing you…’.

Quote of the Week: [said in yank accent] ‘Is that near London?’ asked nearly every yank, after I told them I lived on the South Coast, near Brighton. It’s a little repetitive.