Favourite Place: San Fransisco
Favourite Hotel: The Encore Winn in Las Vegas.
Funniest thing: Being pushed back on the track by a truck when we where riding a trolley car in San Fransisco.
Best Bar: The bar outside the nightclub in Las Vegas where David and I sat and watched the people lining up for the nightclub .
Best view: From The Getty in Los Angeles.
Best meal: Press Restaurant in St Helene and Sinatra in Las Vegas.
Most Beautiful Garden: Hearst Castle on The Californian Coast .
Best Gallery: The Getty in Los Angeles.
Most Comfy Bed: Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa in Los Olivos
Most interesting thing I learnt: Learning about Ronald Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Library .
Best tour: Alcatraz in San Fransisco.
Favourite Food: The food was like our Australian food only bigger serves. The only thing I tried that was different to what I have eaten in Australia was tri tip steak. It is the large, tender, triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin of the animal. It is barbecued over an open pit burning with red oak and cooked until medium rare. It is delicious.
Best experience : Flying into the Grand Canyon in a helicopter .
Hardest part of our holiday: Being away from my kids for 3 weeks.
Best part of our holiday: Spending time with David holding hands and sharing happy times with friends.
I am sitting quietly today thinking about our holiday to America. We had the most wonderful time seeing beautiful places, eating scrumptious food, learning about new cultures, and making special memories. One of the things that travel reminds me is that
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou
And lastly I would like to comment on the political environment of Australia and America. I was so overwhelmed by the Ronald Reagan Library and the leadership that Reagan showed during his presidency. I am not at all overwhelmed by the leadership that Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton or Bernie Sanders are showing in the race to the presidential election in America in November. I am also not at all inspired by Bill Shorten or Malcolm Turnbull. I leave you with some thoughts from Suzy Kassem from Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER
To vastly improve your country and truly make it great again, start by choosing a better leader. Do not let the media or the establishment make you pick from the people they choose, but instead choose from those they do not pick. Pick a leader from among the people who is heart-driven, one who identifies with the common man on the street and understands what the country needs on every level. Do not pick a leader who is only money-driven and does not understand or identify with the common man, but only what corporations need on every level.
Pick a peacemaker. One who unites, not divides. A cultured leader who supports the arts and true freedom of speech, not censorship. Pick a leader who will not only bail out banks and airlines, but also families from losing their homes — or jobs due to their companies moving to other countries. Pick a leader who will fund schools, not limit spending on education and allow libraries to close. Pick a leader who chooses diplomacy over war. An honest broker in foreign relations. A leader with integrity, one who says what they mean, keeps their word and does not lie to their people. Pick a leader who is strong and confident, yet humble. Intelligent, but not sly. A leader who encourages diversity, not racism. One who understands the needs of the farmer, the teacher, the doctor, and the environmentalist — not only the banker, the oil tycoon, the weapons developer, or the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyist.
Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows corporations to outsource jobs for cheaper labor when there is a national employment crisis. Choose a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls. Books, not weapons. Morality, not corruption. Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance. Stability, not fear and terror. Peace, not chaos. Love, not hate. Convergence, not segregation. Tolerance, not discrimination. Fairness, not hypocrisy. Substance, not superficiality. Character, not immaturity. Transparency, not secrecy. Justice, not lawlessness. Environmental improvement and preservation, not destruction. Truth, not lies.
Most importantly, a great leader must serve the best interests of the people first, not those of multinational corporations. Human life should never be sacrificed for monetary profit.There are no exceptions. In addition, a leader should always be open to criticism, not silencing dissent. Any leader who does not tolerate criticism from the public is afraid of their dirty hands to be revealed under heavy light. And such a leader is dangerous, because they only feel secure in the darkness. Only a leader who is free from corruption welcomes scrutiny; for scrutiny allows a good leader to be an even greater leader.
And lastly, pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters of a given nation strive to emulate their greatness. Only then will a nation be truly great, when a leader inspires and produces citizens worthy of becoming future leaders, honorable decision makers and peacemakers. And in these times, a great leader must be extremely brave. Their leadership must be steered only by their conscience, not a bribe.”
Until next time
