I didn’t really know what to expect from Arizona. I knew it was the desert and I was going to the Havasu Balloon Festival and that was it. It has been absolutely amazing, full of activity and so many beautiful sights. A huge thank you to Dianne and Linda who have been taking care of me while I’ve been here!

Dianne came to pick me up at the Las Vegas airport and we drove to Arizona, catching up after a long time. She casually asked if I would like to see the Hoover Dam, I got excited and so we made a stop there. We did get checked by the police, because they take security a lot more seriously here.

In Lake Havasu City I got to eat at In-N-Out, a Californian fast food chain, and we checked out the balloon festival for the first time. As it was windy, the balloons only went up for a little while and we unfortunately pretty much missed it. However the next day Linda and I went to Oatman.

Oatman is an old gold mining town that now mostly survives on tourism. It has gone from 8000 people to 85, but there were still interesting things to see and people to talk to. It has the feel of old western movies, there are burros (donkeys) everywhere and it has about two streets.

There was also a staged gun fight between cowboys that was really fun to see. The cowboys came to talk to us before the show and it was definitely one of the more… interesting conversations I have had so far. Not sure how much of it was an act, but I will forever remember “the only good politician is a dead one”. Best not to mention I plan to major in political science in university.

When I was driving back from Las Vegas with Dianne I mentioned how the road kind of reminded me of the movie Cars. Turns out Route 66, which the movie got inspiration from, was right there! So on our way back from Oatman, Linda and I decided to go down Route 66.

Now it was finally time for the main event – the balloon festival in Lake Havasu City. The winds had finally more or less died down so the next morning we were up early and started chasing down a balloon, determined to get at least a few good pictures. It was funny, because Linda and I were not the only ones chasing balloons. Cars would stop in the middle of the road, zoom past each other and turn around, just to keep up.

We finally caught up with them at the golf course and watched them land. Quite a big crowd gathered up and the pilot was kind enough to take some kids up for free! I jokingly asked Linda if I could pass for a kid and the second time around they said big kids are welcome too, then asked if Linda wanted to come too and we ended up going up in a hot air balloon.

We kept busy during the day, had lunch at the Blue Chair by London Bridge (the actual bridge from London brought over in the 60s) and headed over to the festival grounds. We took part in a little scavenger hunt, looked around at the market, I had my first ever funnel cake and we took pictures by the lake and lighthouse during sunset.

After sunset it was time for the balloon mass ascension (where they all go up tethered at the same time) and all glow. There was music, lots of people, lots of balloons and beautiful sights as they all lit up at the same time.

The next morning we were once again up early to go see the mass ascension where they would actually fly. It was the perfect day, barely any wind, we could see the sun rise and so. many. balloons. It was absolutely amazing and 100% worth the trip.

I had a super chill day after that watching American football and learning about the game, had some Japanese food for dinner and time to pack again for the next place.

My adventures start in New York City on a cold day in January. I had arrived late to my AirBnB because of delays, but still in a good mood thanks to my Russian Uber driver Sergei, who talked to me about tourist attractions, the current political climate and the former Soviet Union when he found out I was Estonian.

The next morning I was up bright and early, grabbed a bagel on my way to the subway and headed to Manhattan for a day of exploring. First stop – Empire State Building.

I was lucky enough to go at a time where there weren’t many tourists so I could bask in the views without interruption. Up on the 102nd floor I was all alone with floor to ceiling windows and a 360 degree view of the city. The worker was kind enough to snap a picture of me and I was surprised to hear that she had actually heard of Estonia.

I had planned on buying an American sim card so after I had had my fill of looking at skyscrapers I headed towards a T-Mobile shop. It turned out that the sim card was a different frequency from my phone so it didn’t work, but I could get a phone for free if I paid for two months in advance. They were unfortunately out of the phone, but that gave me the opportunity to go to the next place on my agenda – Times Square.

I finally got a phone and a working sim card (with internet!) and took off toward Central Park. I popped by Rockefeller Center first, though. I strolled around in Central Park, saw the carriages and the ice rink, took some pictures and decided it would be time for lunch at a cafe from the brochure my AirBnB host had given me. A good 40 minute journey later I arrived in East Village only to see that the place was still closed. Never one to give up, I kept walking around and stumbled upon a small pizza place.

Stomach full of delicious pizza and legs still tired from all the walking I had two more things I wanted to do – walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and go to Red Hook. I figured I would walk across the bridge, head home, rest for a bit and then visit Red Hook and have lobster for dinner. Instead I fell asleep once I got home and ordered asian food for dinner when I finally woke up.

In just a day I had seen quite a few of the famous sights in NYC so come next sunrise I could leave in peace.