The Southern States (USA) Part Two

Travelling on tour can definitely be difficult at times. Unfortunately it is one of those things where you have to be carefree, go with the flow and understand that you are in a travel bubble that will end at some point SO GET OVER THE BULLSHIT and enjoy the here and now. By the second week of my trip I was definitely seeing people for who they really were and in some ways that is awesome. You make friends with people that on day one you maybe thought weren't going to be for you and you also start to have certain people's habits grind on you. It is inevitable, not all people are going to be besties, but on the other hand you form bonds that far exceed your expectations and true friendships that will last a life time! So now on to fun.....

Itinerary of the Southern Adventure (Day 7 to 13)

Leaving Amarillo, we visited the Cadillac Graveyard which was super awesome. However, when we were there, it was so cold and the breeze was so intense that it was hard to enjoy it fully (definitely glad I was there and saw it). That afternoon we stopped in Santa Fe which was absolutely incredible! That night was in a hotel in Albuquerque. This wasn’t the best location and unfortunately we never actually saw anything of the city as it was an early start the next morning.

The next day we headed to Durango which I absolutely loved as I got to do one of my favourite things  ... SNOWMOBILING and it was so fun! As you make your way up the white trails surrounded by big Pine trees (don’t quote me on the type, I’m not a very horticultural sort of person)... let’s just call them ‘pine trees’ for now. It is an absolutely incredible experience and definitely worth the money you will spend! Now hear this warning, because you’ll be told by your guide but for some reason you’ll still drink, BEWARE OF GETTING DURANGOED! The altitude will get you! Whether you’re a petite lass or buffed and chiseled man god... no one is immune to the effects of the altitude.

Heading to the sleepy cabins of the Grand Canyon accommodation  is when you get to see the amazing sights of Monument Valley, where everywhere you look is postcard worthy! I loved this bus day as it was just breathtaking and you got to walk in the immortal and fictitious footsteps of Forest Gump! Arriving in the Grand Canyon this is where my body had definitely succumbed to the Contiki cough (this is the affectionately named lurgy that gets passed around on every tour that unfortunately no matter how healthy a person you are, you can’t avoid when you are on a bus for hours, every second day breathing the recycled air). This is definitely the place for RnR with visiting and seeing the canyon in whatever manner that suits you - helicopter or Jeep (I went in the Jeep as I had helicoptered into the canyon a few years before when with my family in Vegas) but I think I would have paid that expense if I hadn’t done it before! This is a very sleepy, relaxing stop which my body very much needed by this point of the trip. Stopping in the Grand Canyon was like being back at camp and it definitely was amazing, chilling with Jenna and watching hours of Forensic Files (THE BEST SHOW EVER- You're welcome Jenna for the introduction!) and then with all the girls watching Sweet Home Alabama. However staying two nights was a bit longer than needed.

Ready and raring to go after two low key nights, it was time for ‘Vegas Baby’! Stopping on

Route 66 you could feel the anticipation and excitement building. Now this was my third trip to Las Vegas and I quite honestly had branded my self ‘not a Vegas kind of person’. However when you have spent 10 days getting to know a group of amazing people and travelling with them to the Party Capital of the United States it just clicks! It feels very natural to be in a spectacular place like Vegas to end your journey and have two nights to really let loose! After this trip and experience, I can now firmly say I am a Vegas person! The clubs that you get to go to are incredible and it was just so fun to have a big of group of people to enjoy and celebrate the amazing time you’ve spent together with. It is also great to let loose together and enjoy the end of the trip surrounded by such a fun atmosphere! After some gambling, shopping, two epic nights out, a limo trip down the Las Vegas strip and an Elvis ‘wedding’. It was time to leave Las Vegas and make our way to LA to disembark and say goodbye to new friends!

Arriving in LA is quite anticlimactic, you hug and say goodbye in front of a hotel, as all of the luggage is removed and placed onto the sidewalk. This is not the end you feel you deserve but I don’t know that I have a way to honestly improve it, it’s just a bit awkward. And then it is done and it’s like it was all an incredible dream, apart from the amazing friendships that remain!

My Pros and Cons list for the second half of the Contiki Southern Adventure

Pros

• Starting in New Orleans means that the last two nights are in Vegas! When in Las Vegas we crossed over with the tour that goes from LA to New Orleans or New York. When thinking about this (and honestly I almost booked it this way until the dates didn’t suit) they go to Las Vegas on their first two nights which, just in my opinion, would be awkward and not as fun, as it was so nice to be really cemented in our ‘group’ status and know each other well by the time we were in Las Vegas. I know I was definitely more relaxed as I was comfortable with my group and we really looked out for one another because we were friends by this stage.
• The amount of things packed into the itinerary and the memories that have lasted!
• Monument Valley was incredible!

Cons

• Not seeing any of Albuquerque. I really wish I had known that the only way to see Albuquerque was the Breaking Bad tour, as a non Breaking Bad watcher it wasn’t of interest but in retrospect I would have done it to see some of the city.
• I don't think we needed two nights in the Grand Canyon. In my opinion one night would have been enough.

Not doing Contiki? My extra tips would be: 

• Sun Studios over Graceland. Now I am sure this will divide people but when travelling on a budget it is sometimes difficult to decide what I should be doing and seeing vs what I can afford. Memphis was a classic example of this. I am a lover music and was so excited to be in the city of the King and Johnny Cash and to see the places where amazing crooners got their start. However going to everything is extremely pricey and time consuming if you’re only there for a short time. Luckily I was able to visit Graceland and Sun Studios. But for those on a budget and if you can’t afford both I would say go to Sun Studios over Graceland. This is nothing against Elvis or Graceland, they were great and definitely interesting and exciting! But Studios was just better and I thought better value for money! Having a human guide to talk you through the history of music in Memphis, the amazing artists who recorded there, hearing amazing artists I would never have heard or found.
• If you can get to Amarillo do it! Staying at The Big Texan was a highlight of my trip!!!
• Snowmobiling in Colorado was incredible and so incredible it was definitely worth the money and the trip to the beautiful city of Durango.
• I wouldn’t bother doing a Ghost Tour in New Orleans unless you’re really invested! Your hard earned cash could be used better on a nice dinner or a few grenades... the choice is yours!

Happy and safe travels.

Georgia

The Coeliac Adventurer