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Tuesday Jul 28, 2009

New York and it's time to go home!

With the 21st of July came the time for me to leave Mexico, after a month of being there I was quite sad to be leaving the place, after having gotten so used to the seemingly nationwide friendly and laidback approach to life, I was really going to miss it! I was and still am sure that I will return there some day though, so I set my mind on the next couple of days, and seeing New York instead.

I had never been to the US before (other than on my journey out that is, and airports don't really count) so I was pretty excited at getting a look around the Big Apple for the first time. We only had one actual full day to spend in the city, but we crammed plenty in, buying tickets for those "hop-on hop-off" open top bus tours (around £40) like they have in London and other cities in the UK, which lasted for 48 hours so we were sorted for transport for the whole of our stay!

So firstly, we got on the bus and listened to the tourguide until we reached the stop for the Statten Island ferry, which is free and gives great views of the Statue of Liberty, although there's really not much to do actually on Statten Island, you can just get the free return back again! Then we walked over to the Liberty/Ellis Island ferry, as our bus tickets included free entry onto this ferry as well, and went over to get a closer look at Lady Liberty. Got to admit, she wasn't as big as I thought she would be, but still really impressive! Was a great sunny day when we were there so we stayed and wandered around the tiny island for a little bit just to enjoy the weather really. Unfortunately, you have to book about 3 months in advance to go up the statue now, as it's been so busy since they re-opened it for entry, but it's still great just to go over and see it up close anyway!

Then we got back on the bus tour (which are great by the way, although it largely depends on the guide) and then wandered around Central Park, as we were in a hotel that was only about 2 blocks away from the South end of the park. The park was maybe my favourite part of New York, completely man-made it's a real escape from the bustling city, and yet it's always busy as well, filled with people jogging and cycling and just generally relaxing as well. It just felt strange to see all this wildlife, in the middle of such a giant city, but it's obviously really appreciated by everyone who lives there, unlike loads of the parks in the UK.

Anyway, one bit of advice for anyone going to New York, go up the Empire State Building at night! We went at midnight (it's open until 2am) and firstly, the bright city lights are beautiful to see, but also and maybe more importantly, there was barely any queue! During the day we had seen the queue outside the Empire State Building stretching right around the block (bearing in mind there's miles of queues inside the building as well), yet at night we were able to walk almost straight up, with only a short queue near the lifts. Definitely a great experience (and Empire State entry was included in the bus tickets too).

The next day we decided to check out the uptown loop of the bus tour, which unfortunately wasn't altogether exciting so we got off and wandered around the Northern side of Central Park instead, before spending our last hour or so in the Central Park Zoo. It costs $10 for entry, and although it's pretty tiny, it is a nice place to visit with lots of animals to see including two Polar Bears and some proper show-off Sea Lions! Of course after working in a monkey sanctuary last summer, I always love seeing the monkeys, so I thought it was a great way to spend the last little while we had in the city. But with that, it was time to get to the airport and head home!

So after a 7 hour overnight flight, I eventually arrived home again. I loved every minute of Mexico and really enjoyed New York too (finding it much less busy, and much more friendly than movies portray it to be), but I have to admit I'm glad to be home again. 5 weeks away from my boyfriend has been really tough, and I'm not sure if I've ever grinned more than when I saw him waiting at the airport! He's been really supportive the whole time, and I guess knowing he was on the other end of a phone line really helped me anytime I felt things were tough at the Refugio in Puerto Vallarta. I guess voluntary work (especially abroad) is always a bit tough, and you need to be confident and a bit brave to go it alone, but it really does help when you have people at home who support you with it, whether they realise they're helping or not.

So with that, I guess I'm finished! My time in Mexico will stay with me forever, and I really hope I will go back some day, especially to see the children at the Refugio. It's encouraged me to take up a proper Spanish course as well, so hopefully in future if I go back I will be able to speak to them properly. So until next time, adios! Fi.

Posted by Fiona ( 11:40 AM )
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