lengthy!

Well I'm finally in Atlanta, after a very long day! Flight left Gatwick at 12.20 and it was a direct flight of about nine hours. Very excitingly bought a camera from Duty Free before I left - a Fuji FinePix f10. It's really lovely! Sadly I've had to wait until I got here to play with it as it needed a charge, but tomorrow, I enter the digital world!

Flight was ok - watched War of the World (just ridiculous) and Mother In Law (entertaining enough, was nice to see Jane Fonda on screen again!).

Atlanta Airport is apparently the busiest airport in the world (but don't they all say that?). Anyway, lining up for immigration took forever, we had to get our fingerprints and photos done. There wasn't a major questioning of "what are you doing here?" etc. thank goodness, but I had all my bits of paper printed out if there was. Then after going through customs, and picking up luggage, there was then another security check, our bags were taken off us again, we had to be scanned and take our shoes and belts off to be scanned. After putting shoes and belts back on again, then we had to travel on the transit to the entrance to the airport where we retrieved our luggage again! Rigmarole! I guess the US is on a higher state of alert at the moment though.

Travelled into Atlanta on the metro which is known as the MARTA here. Found the guest house that I had booked, and it was all shut up - I'm really unimpressed! I booked through Opodo, and had confirmed the booking with them. But according to the B&B next door, the guesthouse where I was meant to be staying has turned into an accomodation bookable only by the week. It looks quite dodgy now, and apparently one of the current guests has a pig in his room! The lovely woman at the guesthouse next door recommended the Hotel Indigo nearby, so that's where I am now. It's really lovely! Can't wait to go to sleep in the lovely bed! It's a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay, but when you've been travelling all day, you don't really care!

Needless to say, I've sent Opodo a stroppy message, demanding an immediate refund and an explanation. Not nice being in a strange city, on your own, lugging round a suitcase with nowhere to stay!