Next, we were brought to Grand Canyon. One of the Seven Wonders of the World! The view was breathtaking. We went there at sunset and just seeing the sun set at the Grand Canyon, it really took my breath away! The sun tinted the azure blue sky with shades of orange and yellow. In pictures, the Grand Canyon doesn't seem so spectacular but to see it with your own eyes, it was really amazing. The weather there was even colder, so cold that when I exhaled, there was smoke. After a night's stay at one of the hotels there, we moved on to the theme parks!

This was the main part of the trip that I was waiting for. First, we were brought to Disney Land and they had an expansion of the park built called California Adventure. Two times the Fun! First we went to Disney Land. There was nothing really fun there just the occasional ride that took my breath away. There was an Indiana Jones ride and the water works show which was filled with great special effects! (Real explosions! I could feel the heat even though I sat quite far away from the stage) What I really was waiting for was the California Adventure park. The first ride was a simulation ride that showed you gliding over California. They showed you video clips and you were hovering in mid-air! The best ride was the California Screamer. I was really hesitant to take it at first as I had a phobia of heights. The ride was really terrifying! At the start they would move the roller coaster at a high speed towards a high slope(about 10 storeys high) then there would be a steep drop and the coaster would zoom through 2 more high drops of the same height and there was also a 360 degree turn. The worst part was that it was outdoors so I could see the drop. My butt literally flew off my seat. if I wasn't strapped in, I would have flew out. Another of the best rides was the one where they launched you about 15 storeys high and then drop you. (It is not an exaggeration, it was really a 15 storey high drop.)

Next was Universal Studio, most of the rides were simulations. The best was the Jurassic Park ride, same concept as the California Screamer(just that the drop wasn't so high). There was also a Simpson's Ride. It was one of my favourite rides, it was like we were flying around and when they showed us free-falling, the effect was really there! When we were splashed into water, there would be some kind of nozzle that shot water at us. After the theme parks it was finally time to head home. I was really craving for Singaporean food like chicken rice and fried carrot cake! (None of the Americans could cook it with a Singaporean style)

The trip was one of my best visits to a foreign country. If anyone has the chance, I would strongly advise them to go there. (One of the hotels in Las Vegas was shaped like a pyramid, it was called Luxor. I stayed there at a 5 star hotel!) The only flaw in America was that we had to give tips everytime we ate at a restaurant or if someone served us. The state there is also a tad pitiful. There were vagabonds sleeping on the walkways, wrapped up only in a thin layer of clothes.