Off Again !!

Well, I wonder how many of you still get the alerts for new blog entries here ? Guess I'll find out.

So, it has been decided - I'm heading to the the ol' US of A. Been thinking about it for a while and finally decided it needed to be done. The $AUD is pretty good at the moment, so it seems like a good time.

Heading there in June. VISA pending though. The VISA process is a nightmare. This is because I plan on staying for more than 90 days (I will be there almost 5 months !). The 90 day VISA costs $14 and can be organised 3 days before arrival. I need a 'B2 - Tourist' VISA to stay the extra time. Firstly, you need to fill out a lengthy form on the web. I was having a few problems with the questions and terminology, so I downloaded a VISA Application Guide ($48). Turns out this had no information relating to the form I was completing ! After completing the form, I then had to purchase a PIN number ($14) to enable me to schedule an interview. The interview is at a US Consulate. Guess what - there aint one in Brisbane ! The closest is Sydney. So I need to fly to Sydney for the interview - add $200 to the cost. I also need to actually purchase the VISA ($140). And to top it off, all the information above is across multiple websites - seems there is not one site that has ALL the relevant information. Talk about painful. I guess it would be best if I don't raise these complaints during the interview !!

Anyways, I plan on arriving in Chicago in early June, just before a free 3-day blues festival. Most of my trip will be music based. I plan on going to Chicago (Blues), Detroit (Motown), Cleveland (RnR Hall of Fame), Memphis (Blues and Elvis), New Orleans (Jazz) - you get the picture. Some of the non-music attractions I would also like to visit are, Gettysburgh, Grand Canyon and, Las Vegas. There are more, but I just plan on 'winging it' once I get there.

So I am resurrecting this blog. I would think I would have less trouble keeping this up to date, compared to my earlier trip through China, India etc. That was 3 years ago !! I am actually surprised this old blog still exists.

Bye for now