Apr 2009

[Desole! Pas de version francaise aujourd'hui! Utilisez Google Translate! :-P]

Last night I went to bed at 21:00 and I got up this morning at 7:00! Jetlag'd, moi? I don't think so!

I got everything I needed yesterday, including a great adventure hat.

The GPS is an absolute life-savior. It's not only a very detailed map and a very patient copilot, it is also the Yellow Pages! I can pretty much find anything now.

I'm starting to get used to the car and driving in the US. This is really car kingdom here. Every thing is far. I found natural to drive from a parking lot on one side of a street to a parking lot on the other side (slight exageration). The streets are really wide. Most often 3 or 4 lanes each way. The cars are big. I've never seen so many pick-ups and SUVs! Pedestrians look like an anomaly. Outside very commercial areas, it gives the feeling that no one's really out there. No life. Everything is so sparse, it feels like it doesn't have the critical mass to start crystallising history. Just keep cruising. (uh oh, I'd better change subject, I'm getting philosophical).

Driving through Phoenix reminds me a lot of playing Grand Theft Auto. Mostly because of the number of pick-up trucks. I've even seen a black 4-wheel drive just like the one in Back to the Future!

The fact that every big chunks of the city seems to be divided into either commercial, industrial or residential areas makes me think of the game Sim City. I remember finding the concept odd when I first played. This is so different to European cities.

Automatic cars have some interesting features. One is what they call "Overdrive". I like the name because it makes me think of the opening scene of "Back to the Future". It simply means the car will tend to use a higher gear to save fuel. In a manual car, you'd have much more control on that.

You also have the opposite possibility, where the car will maximise the engine braking.

Another feature I love is "speed control". The car will maintain the speed your going at without you having to bother with the gas pedal. Very nice to relax on a long trip. You can then adjust the speed by pressing buttons on the wheel. This feels so much like playing a video game, it's unbelievable!

Sometimes it's difficult to realise you have to stop. Streets are straight for miles here. When you suddenly see a red light, and you stop accelerating, the car doesn't slow down that much (because it's an automatic). Then you have to add to that the fact that the traffic lights are situated *after* the junction. It is a big deal because the typical street is twice 3 or 4 lanes, so you actually have to stop some 20 meters *before* the lights. Compared to Europe, this takes some getting used to.

A nice feature is that in some place, you can turn right when the light is red, provided you stop first (and give way).

On big roads (easily 5 lanes), the lane the most on the left is only allowed to cars carrying more than one person. Which means I can't use it, boohoohoo!

Oh, and one was thing that is cracking me up: my car has a built-in compass! It tells me if I'm headed North, South, East or West! I don't really use it because of the GPS, but it's very useful, seeing as most streets are aligned with the cardinal points.

People in shops are very friendly. I was in Safeway (like a small Tesco or Carrefour grocery store), minding my own business. I crossed the path of an employee, and he just stopped, greeted me and asked me how things were going. This never happened to me before. Not in the UK, not in France.

I've read and heard before that Americans tend to be more enthusiastic. Or at least they look like they are. It can be hard to tell what they really think of you -- that's usually pretty easy with Europeans.

Right, now I'm getting out of Phoenix and into the desert. I've already driven almost an hour and I'm still not out of here!

10 Apr. Healthy lunch at Heathrow.
Sain miam-miam a l'aeroport.

In the hotel. 19:52, but it feels like 3:52. 8 hours of difference.
A l'hotel. 8 heures de decalage horaire!

I can't believe it's raining! They say it does happen from time to time. Shocking!
Il pleut! Ils me disent que ca arrive parfois. Quel scandale!

American breakfast. (ah well...)
Petit dej americain. (bof)

Check out my ride!
Vise un peu ma bagnole!

American lunch. (I prefer Japanese food, to be honest)
Dejeuner americain (je prefere la bouffe japonaise!)

Everything is huge here.
Tout est enorme ici.

My car (second on the left) hardly looks out of place...
Ma voiture (deuxieme en partant de la gauche) ne deparait pas...

A couple of quickies:

So when you press the "lock" button on the car key the first time, it locks the car silently. It doesn't flash the hazard lights for instance, like I'm used to. But then if you press it again, it actions the horn! That really surprised the hell out of me the first time. That also means that busy parking lots are usually not really quiet places.

Internet access here is so expensive. $12 an hour (in Fedex Kinko's). Three years ago, I paid 1 euro the hour in Dublin. What a rip off.

Rapidement:

Quand tu presses le bouton "verrouiller" sur la clef de la voiture, ca verrouille silencieusement. Les clignotants ne clignotent pas pour confirmer, comme j'ai l'habitude. Quand tu presses encore, ca actionne le klaxon! Ca m'a vraiment surpris la premiere fois. J'ai eu l'impression de me faire engueuler par ma bagnole! Entre autres, ca veut aussi dire que les parkings ne sont en general pas ideals pour la sieste...

Internet est super cher ici. $12 pour une heure. Il y a 3 ans, je me souviens payer 1 euro l'heure a Dublin.

[En francais plus bas]

Yay! I'm in Phoenix, Arizona!

The US authorities now have the fingerprints of all ten of my fingers...!

The flight was alright. It was funny in the plane, once we were all seated, to be greeted by a very (commercially) friendly voice saying very slowly and clearly "Hi. I am George Michael, your cabin service director." He didn't do any cover of "Faith", though! :-P

At the car rental company, I was telling the guy it was my first time in the US, and that I was going to a tour to see Sedona, the Grand Canyon, etc. Hearing that, the guy insisted I should upgrade my tiny super-economy car (Phoenix to Flagstaff is 145 miles and 2,000 meters of elevation). Because I was new to the US, he made me a deal and upgraded my car up 2 levels for the price of one. I went for it because it seemed to make sense and I was too tired to argue for ages. Sure, it's a bit more expensive, but you should see the car! I feel very American suddenly. It sure is going to be a lot safer and comfortable.

I found it surprisingly easy to drive an automatic car. I'd thought I would be wanting to move the gear stick or use my left foot all the time, but I didn't at all.

I also rented a GPS unit, which I discover is absolutely invaluable. The hotel was much futher than it looked on Google Maps.

This morning I first woke up at 3 AM and struggle to stay in bed up to 5. I had to wait for 8 to get some breakfast!

This morning I spent a lot more time than I thought looking for an internet cafe of some sorts. I don't really understand the roads here. It's all very wide, with plenty of lanes. Easy to miss the correct lane to turn, or find oneself on the "MUST-turn-right" lane (the uppercases are in the signs!). I've got the impression I've driven for miles through sparse industrial/commercial estates. It's all very dispersed and sparse here. Every corner looks the same.

In Europe, you go to the city center, it's all very busy but you have all the shops, cafe, etc in the same place.

Anyway, I don't like cities anyway, so I'll get out of Phoenix tomorrow to go "into the wild".

Before that, I need a few supplies: gas canister for my stove, local pay-as-you-go mobile phone, food, water and a few other things. Wish me good luck!

• * * * *

Ca y est! Je suis a Phoenix en Arizona!

Les autorites americaines ont maintenant l'empreinte de tous mes 10 doigts...!

Le vol etait ok. C'etait marrant dans l'avion, une fois que tout le monde etaient assis a sa place, d'etre accueilli par une voix tres amicale (commerciallement) articulant lentement: "Bonjour. Je suis George Michael, votre stewart en chef." Mais il a pas fait de parodie de "Faith", malheureusement! :-P

A la location de voiture, je disais au gars que c'etait ma premiere fois aux USA, et que j'allais faire tout un tour pour voir le Grand Canyon, etc. Du coup le gars insistait pour que je prenne une voiture un peu mieux que la minuscule voiture super-economy que j'avais reserve (il y a 145 miles de Phoenix a Flagstaff et 2,000 metres de denivelle). Parce que j'etais nouveau aux States, le gars m'a fait une affaire et a augmente ma voiture de 2 niveaux pour le prix d'un. J'etais fatigue et ca avait l'air sense, donc j'ai accepte. Ca fait un peu plus d'argent, mais faut voir la bagnole! Je me sens tres americain d'un seul coup! Conduire pendant les 3 prochaines semaines sera beaucoup plus sur et confortable.

J'ai trouve tres facile de conduire une voiture automatique (ils ont quasiment que ca ici). Je pensais que j'allais vouloir changer de vitesse tout le temps ou chercher l'embrayage avec mon pied gauche, mais en fait non.

J'ai aussi loue un GPS, et j'ai bien fait parce que j'aurais vraiment galere sans. L'hotel etait beaucoup plus loin qu'il ne paraissait sur Google Maps.

Ce matin je me suis reveille a 3 heures du mat, et j'ai du mal a rester au lit jusque 5 heures. Et j'ai du attendre jusque 8 heures pour le petit dej!

Ensuite j'ai galere bien plus que je ne pensais pour trouver un cafe internet. Je comprends pas vraiment les routes ici. Tout est tres large, avec plein de voix partout. C'est facile de rater la bonne voix pour tourner, ou bien de se retrouver sur la voix ou tu DOIS (en majuscule sur les panneaux!) tourner a droite. J'ai l'impression d'avoir traverser des tas de zones vaguement industriels/commerciales. Tout est tres disperse, et pas dense du tout. Tous les coins de rue se ressemblent.

En Europe, tu vas dans le centre-ville, c'est plein de monde mais tu as tous les magasins, cafes, etc, au meme endroit.

Enfin bref. J'aime pas les villes de toute facon, donc je quitterai Phoenix demain matin pour aller "into the wild". :-P

Mais avant cela, j'ai besoin de deux-trois trucs: une cartouche de gaz pour mon rechaud, un telephone local pre-paye, de la nourriture et diverses petites choses. Souhaitez moi bonne chance!

Very short entry tonight as I'm very tired. Will develop later. Main message: I'm all ready to go tomorrow morning!

Je fais tres court ce soir parce que tres fatigue. Je developerai plus tard. Le message principal: tout est pret pour le depart demain matin!