11:00am 06/05/06
Hey ho,
Diary update and yet more pics!
Well we finally got into Salt Lake City at about 1.00 am local time today, Saturday morning. Our Thai flight from Bangkok to LA was amazing; business class seats that folded almost flat. We all slept for most of the 14 hour flight, waking only for the odd meal or two. Best idea ever to junk the official Gumball plane. When we arrived in LA we were greeted by the NetJets man, who brought us to our private jet in another terminal. Lots of vodka cocktails on the plane, so by the time we arrived into Mormon Utah an hour and a half later, we were in fine spirits. Our late arrival did mean we missed the MI:3 “premiere”, but that was more than compensated by the fact we didn’t have to sit in cattle class for 17 hours!
The hotel is fab — huge rooms (suites actually) — but they stop serving alcohol at 1.00am (no good for us), and the strongest thing in the minibar is 3.2alcohol beer. Oh well, we made the most of it with a party in one of the Americans’ rooms. No lighters or matches to be had in the hotel either, and we couldn’t even bribe the room service people to bring us vodka. What a place!
Contrary to what the hotel in Bangkok told me, Julie doesn’t have my still camera, but she is going to ask the other staff if anyone else picked it up. Good news is that my video camera was in my bag all along. Hopefully my still camera will turn up soon.
The good news is that tomorrow we head for Nevada, where there are no laws really to speak of, although everyone has warned us how bad the American cops are if we’re caught speeding. No paying a fine by the roadside, it’s off to court (or jail!) first, then you pay up. Not good. We’ll see how we get on.
Our first checkpoint is at the Bonneville Salt flats (home to several land speed record attemps), followed by a run down to Las Vegas, where we’ve been promised the party of all parties.
Some new pictures for the gallery, and I’ll update you all again tomorrow!
C.
