The Philippines part of the vacation went remarkably well, me and Jo are now engaged with the hope of a November wedding in the UK.
In the USA they nicely arranged a 5.3 earthquake for me to living up my evening, that was fun.
I might have got one of the biggest tingles from walking up the mountain to the Hollywood Sign
There is something special about being at a location we’ve grown up with our entire lives so far away from our normal existence. Other places, of course, came in alongside this in the ‘wow’ factor
Some sights are obvious tourist spots, others needed research, just for fun!
The very first Disneyland was a must though, for some time I seriously considered not going!
My feeling was that it might not be as good as the other parks and, as such, not worth the money, time and effort. On the contrary, it’s got some of the better rides of the parks albeit, the park is on a par with Disneyland Paris rather than Orlando.
Red Rock Canyon was a place I discovered whilst reading about Las Vegas when I was in the Philippines, one I decided I had to visit and I am so glad I did. A short drive and just $7, it was well worth it and a far cry from the sleazy and tack of the city.
I didn’t like Las Vegas. I suspected I wouldn’t. I don’t like gambling, drinking on my own feels somewhat sad, everything is over priced.
Of course, I wasn’t going to deny the photo opportunities the strip presented and I am glad I’ve been just to be able to say with confidence it’s not my sort of place rather than telling those who’d been I wouldn’t enjoy it!
The entire trip was set around finding out if I and Jo were suitable for each other? Did we get along well enough to translate our 7 month online relationship into a life long partnership either here in England or in the Philippines.
As much as I love the country and feel I could make it home, the lack of legal recognition for same sex relationships I know is not something I could live with. That meant, with the Philippines not an option for out future, we needed to decide, was the UK somewhere we could settle down together, get married, and live happily ever after?
I am pleased to say it was.
What now?
Now we’re working toward our immigration objective. It costs a fortune and is quite complex which is why I have entrusted this first application, for a fiancé visa, to a solicitor. At the time of writing, most the documents are prepared. We’re awaiting a date for the tests Jo has to do over there. Here I need to set a wedding date. Signs are good for Jo arriving here in September this year.
I am generally happy and in good health, life is good right now.