Welcome to Sin City!

Arriving in any place is quite the experience. There's part excitement and there's part nervousness and there are no doubt several other emotions that run there course over the time it takes from leaving one hostel till arriving safely at the next. There's an even stranger feeling when you arrive in a City or place that you've seen so many times on telly over the years that part of you feels like you should know it before you even get there. Las Vegas is undoubtedly one of those places. You'd have to have had your head buried in the sand for the last 20 years to not have an idea of what the place was like without ever getting there!

No matter what you've seen on tv or what you're told though nothing quite prepare you for the real thing! As the plane began its dissent into Las Vegas Airport the blackness of a desert at night is suddenly illuminated. And how! A dazzling array of light comes into view it stands alone yet seems to go on for forever. Its expansive yet contained and the buzz of energy hits you before you've even landed.

Arriving late at night in the City that never sleeps I hadn't expected any problems in getting to my new hostel. That was exactly what I got though. My hostel may have been on The Strip but not one of the 7 shuttle companies wanted to take me. Leaving a tired and drained me, sitting outside the airport close to midnight now not knowing what to do for the best. It wasn't walkable at all and I'd been told a bus could take me 2-3 hours as my new accommodation was on the other end of The Strip. I hadn't expected this at all. I'd deliberately booked into the Sin City hostel because the location of the USA Hostels place was notoriously bad.

In the end I was left with little option but to spend $30 and take a cab. Vegas was already taking a hit on my wallet and I hadn't even entered a casino yet! As the taxi drove me down towards my new sleeping quarters I realised I didn't really know this place at all. Nothing was familiar. We avoided The Strip which it seems is slow moving at any time of the day or night and instead took an alternative route which avoided anything I may have found remotely recognisable. This wasn't quite what my imagination had conjured up before arriving here!

I arrived at the Sin City Hostel, tired and drained sometime around 1am o find people getting ready to go out. I managed to grab a beer or 2 and got chatting to a few people outside the hostel for a while before my body and soul brought me to my bed and not long after, to sleep. I would need to be well rested. I was in Vegas now. The party was about to start!

Its a Funny Old Game

It was always going to be rather strange being in the US for the World Cup. This is, afterall, a country where the term "football" means something quite different than it does at home. I knew it wouldn't be the same as watching it in England but in a strange way I was looking forward to experiencing it in a totally different environment. I hadn't really know what to expect before I'd left home. I didn't even know if the games would be shown anywhere let alone in local bars and so on.

I had been in Nashville for England's opening game and amongst many a Brit also interested in seeing the match. The owner of the hostel was himself interested in watching the game and had meant an early start for all interested parties as we gathered in the common room for England v Paraguay. There was some frantic channel flipping to find the game where we discovered unlike the coverage back home, the programme started just as kick off was being taken. The performance on the pitch unfortunately didn't exactly excite the room and would have been enough for anyone unsure about the sport to wonder what all the fuss was about!

I'd watched the third of England's group games at the hostel in Dallas. Sat in the living room with the owner. As a guy of Mexican origin he was pretty exited about the Tournament and we had watched Mexico's game together as well. Obviously with no bars around it was pretty much my only choice for watching that particular game and was pretty enjoyable to watch it with a fellow football fan.

The Tournament itself had been given a lot more press and coverage in the US than I figured for. Advertisements were all over the TV and posters and fliers donned many a bar, however this extra effort seemed to have gone unnoticed in many parts with the majority of Americans I spoke to blissfully unaware that there was a tournament even going on.

One of my favourite moments was while sat up at a bar in St Louis when a guy got wind of me being a Brit and approached me, nervously and excitedly. He just wanted to talk football with someone! You could tell it was like sweet relief to him. Thoughts that had been bubbling around in his mind for God knows how long were bursting forth now and he looked like he was loving every minute of it! THAT is what its all about. I was equally as excited to be able to share that conversation with him.

I was in Albuquerque for England's Quarter Final game against Portugal. I was due to catch my flight later that morning and the airport shuttle bus was due to pick me up what was likely to be spot on full time. I'd had trouble persuading the owners of the Hostel to get their TV out. They didn't believe there should be one in the hostel and it had taken some swift talking to persuade them otherwise. I felt like I'd jumped into a DeLorean and zoomed back 40 years as I watched the game with fuzzy reception on a black and white set that appeared to be on its last legs. It was better than not watching the game though!

As full time approached, England down to 10 men my shuttle arrived. The scores were level and my shuttle was here. I tried to put it off for as long as I could but I knew I'd have to jump ship on the game and get on that shuttle to catch my flight. I asked the driver to try and find the game on the radio but no one was covering it. Not one single station out of the seemingly endless thousands that jam the airwaves here.

I arrived at the airport and disappeared off to the departure lounge just in time to see some disheveled England faces on the screen there. They'd gone out on Penalties, as they so often seem to do. I may have been in different country but that hurt feeling was still there ingrained. My plane was delayed a few hours to add insult to injury! Despite being several thousand miles away I knew I was going through the same emotions as all those on English soil. Still I had Vegas to look forward to! Vegas baby!!!

Opportunity Knocks

There's something relaxing about Albuquerque. Maybe its the lack of major tourist attractions, maybe its the incredible heat, maybe its the good beer, chance are its a combination of all the above along with a few other unknown mysterious factors that make you just want to kick back, have a beer and read a book.

I'd kept my brain ticking over by visiting more museums than you could shake a stick at, I'd also tried my hand at something a little new. Feeling like I should take up opportunities that present themselves. Such an opportunity was gifted to me whilst awaiting fellow hostelers in the Old Town Plaza. Ladies and Gents, I, Dave Dimmer took the Chance to have a go at playing the castanets. Don't worry, I didn't already know how to play, I along with 30 or so other castanet clickers were being taught just how to do it. Needless to say I wont be giving up the day job (yeah I know, I have to have one first) any time soon!! I may have been absolutely terrible and it is more than likely I would never have dreamt of doing this at home but this is part of what this trip is all about - Trying things you wouldn't normally get to, after all who here cares if I make a prat of myself?


I also took it upon myself to take advantage of being here in New Mexico by sampling some Mexican grub. Now, I've had my share of said food back home but there's nothing like trying it in a somewhat more traditional environment. Green chili burgers were advertised everywhere around here but I'd taken myself to a half decent restaurant to sample a proper meal and I'm glad I did! The taste is unquestionably different to similar food back home. I guess its what you'd expect but its only by sampling it for myself can I rant and rave about the real deal here with justification!

This was just about as much energy as I exerted here. I had to recover from my over exposure to the sun but maybe that proved to be a tad beneficial. Sitting outside, book in hand it was a real chance to unwind for a couple of days before I would be taking on Vegas! I could be sure there would be very little let up when I arrived there especially as I'd be there for the 4th of July festivities.

I may not have seen loads in Albuquerque but I'm glad I made it here. Its undoubtedly a very different side of the US and as I progress through this land I realise just how varied the Country is! Vegas next, and you can be damned sure thats going to be different again!

Anyone For Museums?

One of the great things about visiting some of the Worlds Great Cities is that you get some of the Worlds greatest museums. Whether art, history, or something just plain bizarre the US has had no shortage on this front. New York undoubtedly has some world beaters in that department, Albuquerque cant quite make that claim but its got its fair share of cultural Centres to keep you occupied for a good few days!

Albuquerque is hot! Make no bones about it, its not just "Ooooo that's nice!" hot its "Damn, I need to get out of that heat" hot. You really don't want to be doing too much walking in this sort of weather and with Albuquerque's Old Town being a small compact area there's no need to stretch yourself too much.

Most of Albuquerque's attraction are confined to a small area centered on the Old Town Square, lined with Turquoise sellers a plenty and other street sellers hawking their wares and surrounded by Pueblo styled buildings make this area quite distinct and there's a certain throwback feel to the place.



I took it upon myself to give some of these museums a try. Most central of which is the rather bizarre Rattlesnake Museum. Yep, Rattlers a plenty along with a few other scary beast are housed in a tiny space just off the Central Square. As Museums go its not likely to win too many awards but for just a couple of dollars it was worth 30 minutes of my time.

Maybe even more surreal is the Atomic museum, playing home to, well all things atomic based! I guess you can have a museum for just about anything and without doubt here was the proof. Its not exactly the British Museum but then it doesn't pretend to be. Its the sort of place that's ideal for kids, I was just fascinated by the story of the Isotopes Baseball team! There's a mountain of information, if only thy had an audio guide to ease the burden!

I even managed to learn all things Turquoise at the imaginatively named Turquoise Museum. I'd love to say I could now tell you the difference between real stuff, cheap stuff, expensive stuff and fake stuff but, really, I cant. I know have a rough idea where to start, in reality that could prove to even more dangerous than not knowing anything! Mind you, I wasn't really in the market for semi precious stones. Or even precious ones for that matter. I'd be home a lot sooner than planned if I was!

The best of the Old Town museums was without doubt the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. With entry at just $4 it was time and money well spent. A plethora of artifacts and information await you here and not really knowing much about the areas history it was a well designed museum that left me more than satisfied.



The most recommended of Albuquerque's museums is actually a short way out of town. I'd checked the map and decided it was worth the walk. The Indian Pueblo Culture Museum was seemingly the Town's biggest indoor attraction and I'd been advised by other travellers that Lonely Plant wasn't wrong when it gave this place two thumbs up.

Unfortunately my decision to walk was not the brightest one. The heat beaming down on me,I arrived feeling drained and dying for a drink. The sun was taking its toll on me and all I could think of once I'd got about half way round was water! There wasn't anywhere there to purchase a drink but I had seen a Wallgreens on my way in, that would be ideal. Well it would have been had it not been closed! Briefly baffled by the fact that a drive thru Pharmacy actually existed (next to Wallgreens) I did manage to locate another shop to sell me liquid beverages and guzzled them down like they were going out of fashion.

I'd found what I saw and remembered of the Museum absolutely fascinating and a shame I was feeling pretty rough at the time. Despite cutting my trip a little short I ended up suffering from a minor dose of heat/sun stroke that had me bed bound for the next 24 hours or so.



You can certainly learn a LOT in Albuquerque including just how damn hot that sun is!

The Route To Cult Status

I have to admit, I wasn't too disappointed to say goodbye to Dallas. It was unquestionably time to move on to pastures new. Albuquerque was said new pasture. As destinations go it was something rather different to the barrage of Cities that had been my home from the start of this trip. That's not to say the place isn't big, it is, but that the environment and atmosphere are from from the high rise, hustle and bustle of the Big Cities which had preceded it.

This place is different. Make no bones about it! I appeared to step back a decade or 2 when signing in at my new hostel. The Route 66 Hostel is a rarity on many levels. Hostels in Albuquerque are few and far between. I believe there may be one more floating around somewhere but that aside it was this or a motel. So here I was being told about their rather antiquated chore system. Yep, you heard that correctly. Now I was aware that's how hostels may once have worked but in this day and age its far from common. SO each morning before you leave its case of taking a card (each with a simple chore on it) and carrying out said task. I've yet to find another hostel in the world that still does this, I guess it makes this place a little unique.


Travelling Route 66 is undoubtedly one of those romantic notions of travelling the US. I might not have had the chance to do that but I was staying on a stretch of the Original Route 66 and would have to walk down the famous road to get anywhere in this Town. Strange as it may sound, that made me glow a little inside. To be staying on such an historic road and to wonder about all the dreams that may have been realised as the Kerouac generation sped down here in search of their own freedom.


Now, I'd already met some weird and wonderful people on my travels but Albuquerque would host possibly the strangest of the lot. Staying at the hostel were a seemingly endless stream of religious cult followers. very few travellers were inhabiting the hostel, instead it was overrun by a group of people who had come to see their "Spiritual Leader", Amma. It seems these folk had come from far and wide to get a hug from this woman. I later found out that Amma is in fact India's primary Spiritual Figure and a woman who has hugged more than 21 million people over the last 3 decades! They were as inoffensive a group of people as you could wish to meet. A little peculiar for sure but they came across as a pretty harmless bunch.

The result of infestation of Amma lovers was a real lack of travellers. I'd found a couple kicking about in my dorm room although our plans to find the local bars had put paid to one of them joining us. With US drinking laws stopping you drinking legally until you're 21, our 20 year old room mate wasn't able to come. We tried to convince him otherwise but he had decided to do other things instead. I wasn't going to argue a 2nd time.

Albuquerque's bar scene is centered around the 4th and Central area, about a 10 minute walk from the hostel and gave me the chance to try another local beer. Fat Tire is the beer of choice around these parts and whenever I asked for something local I was always "Have you tried Fat Tire"? Well, I'm delighted to say I have and what an awesome brew it is too! The further into America I get the more I realise just how good their beer really is. Its just a case of staying away from the Bud, the MGD and without doubt the ugly side of Yank beers, the Pabst Blue Ribbon! The bad side of American beers can, unfortunately get even worse than that, for the sake of everyone, pray you don't end up going down that avenue!


Albuquerque's night life may not be world renowned, heck it might not even be the best in the State but its got a bit going for it. The happy hour bars, the good beer and seemingly plentiful supplies of live music make it a good fun place to while away the hours. That said, watching thrash metal bands does not a happy Dave make. Still the beer was good. The people here seem to enjoy their nights out and like a good chat too. Sat in a few bars someone would start up a conversation 90% of the time. I like them odds!

Cowboy Country!

Texas! Its famous for its malls, its barbecue ribs, its accent, and , of course, its Cowboys. Deciding that a couple of days in Downtown Dallas was more than enough I took to the DART again, this time in the opposite direction. Destination: Fort Worth.

I'd been told by a few people that one of the must see things whilst staying in Dallas was to take a visit to the Stockyards, home of all things Cowboy. It was an adventure in itself just to get here. Again, the area showing its lack of interest in tourists, it was a case of taking a regular bus there once I'd arrived at the Fort Worth DART station. There weer no signposts and no indication from the bus or bus driver as to where we were and as a result I stayed on the bus as we drove right passed it. It was nothing a backtracking walk wouldn't take care of but I figured there would at least be some indication of where it was.

It was however, unquestionably worth the effort. You can quickly see how this place might have looked in the days of yesteryear. Its catering for tourists now, of course but it retains a classic air. The old stores, the roads and the historic railroads, than whilst now no longer have helped keep the traditional cattle industry history alive. The Stockyard station is now an uninspiring bunch of shops that are neither here nor there but I did get my fill of Texas Barbecue Ribs at a nearby restaurant. The offer was an all you can eat one and it was difficult to turn down the chance to experience a real taste of Texas in the heart of the place itself.





Hearing that there would be a Cattle Run in the late afternoon I decided to stick around to see it and take in some of the other sites around the place before that hour came around. I passed by the Rodeo. I had really wanted to take in a show while I was here in Texas but with the last train back to the hostel being so early it rendered it virtually impossible. I would have to face up to missing out on that one. I caught "Billy Bob's" out of the corner of my eye and headed over. I'd been told this was a "Texas Institute" but had absolutely no idea what the place was about or what lay ahead inside. I decided the dollar entry was worth it to find out!


Billy Bob's is a bar. But no ordinary bar. Its a all in one, super sized mega bar! The giant arena plays host to not only the bar but a restaurant of epic proportions, 12 pool tables, a whole entertainment area and a Bucking Bronco that looks like some sort of "Ultimate Edition" if such a thing was available.






I had to pass on the Cowboy Hall of Fame unfortunately. I remain intrigued as to just what is inside that building. Maybe I'll find out one day but I was here now to see the Cattle Run. Crowds had gathered all around the area and had packed the streets to see what was a daily occurrence here. The cattle were brought down the streets with the Cowboys in control of their beasts. It wasn't anything fancy but I'm glad I did stick around to see it.




Getting back to the hostel could easily have taken me a couple of days. I had been waiting for the bus to take me back to the station when I heard a voice calling to me "That only runs on a Saturday. You'll be there all night if you wait there!". Once again, the helpful signposting here had nearly played havoc! Fortunately I was correctly informed and found my way back home without too many problems. There's no doubt that this trip is worth it and its certainly something different to Dallas! That in itself is a bonus!!

Down Town Dallas

My run in with Mr Con Man may well prove to be a valuable lesson especially with South America and South East Asia still to come on this trip. Nothing bad came of it, just an awkward half hour or so and a couple of dollars out of my pocket. It could have been a lot worse, that's for sure!

I did eventually get to the 6th Floor Museum, alone. Formerly the Texas Book Depository, famous for being the sight where Lee Harvey Oswald "supposedly" shot down President John F Kennedy in 1963 from the aforementioned 6th floor. Its a totally unispiring building from the outside, indeed the whole area surrounding it, including the infamous grassy knoll is just a sight where something happened once upon a time. Tourists mill around the place and their presence is the only thing to really tell you there is anything special about the place.




The museum is fairly well done but its one of those you need to be in the mood for reading to get the most out of it. Fortunately I was in one such mood although I can imagine the whole thing being a tad dull if you aren't! Of course its worth the entry fee alone to have a peak out of the window from which those famous shots were fired.


Its strange to think that there is much build up to Dallas and the JFK stuff but when you're actually here it somehow seems to drift into the background as if no one is quite sure what to do with it. There's certainly a few museums dedicated to the events and the conspiracies attached but I felt like the 6th Floor Museum had all but covered that for me and for anyone other than a hardened conspiracy nut.

In reality this is just about as touristy as Dallas seems to get. It comes across as a City that isn't quite used to the tourists and with its infamous shopping malls seems to have its financial gains covered elsewhere. Its a City not short of impressive structures and buildings but many of the attractions seem sparse and spread out. I allowed my feet to do the wondering for a few hours, no real aim in mind other than to just explore the City. Its also a City that seems to love its fountains!





I have to admit to being disappointed with Downtown Dallas. It has some impressive buildings but its Skyline falls flat when compared to New York or even Chicago and there feels like there's even less to draw you here than Downtown St Louis!

The feeling that this place wasn't really for me dawned on me quickly. I knew the evenings would be hard. The last train back out of here to South Irving was at 9.30pm, making staying Downtown for an evenings entertainment all but impossible. I knew that once I returned though there was even less to do back at the hostel. If I hadn't had a flight out of Dallas Fort Worth in a few days time I would have taken off somewhere else already. As it is, I would have to stick out a few days, have a few beers Downtown before it was time to go home and just catch an early night or two. Probably time to catch up on some sleep and some washing anyway!