Posted Sun, 21 Jan: It's the beginning of another beautiful day here in Santa Clara! Yesterday was not the most enjoyable experience I must admit, as I only got in about three hours sleep on our 12 hour flight. However, we made it, touching down at 12:45pm, and got another shot at Saturday the 9th of July.

We arrived at our hotel in Santa Clara just before 3 o'clock San Fran time, and unpacked before heading to the gym and pool to relax. It was interesting getting to know a few 5th grade boys in the spa pool, who were all very outgoing and had their own opinion on politics! One was a passionate Trump supporter, while the other one was backing Clinton to win. At their age, all I knew about NZ politics was the name of our prime minister.

After passing out in the bath, it was dinner time. Our posse headed to 'Sizzler', an American steak house and we each ordered meals ranging from steak and ribs, to double bacon mega burgers. The air was thick with cooking smells and grease which made me feel slightly ill, as did the greasy food (I guess my body hasn't adapted to American food or the time zone just yet).

Next, we walked back and tried to get some sleep to prepare for the next day.