Even if you don’t know a lot about US history, Washington DC is still an amazing place. There is just so much to experience and see. The city itself is quite easy to get around, all the action lies around the National Mall. For those who don’t know, the National Mall is the huge space between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol and whether it’s intentional or not I thought it’s quite apt and rather ironic that the most important space in the most market-driven country on earth is called the National Mall.

Here in Washington DC, to save money, we decided to stay in a cheap motor inn outside the city centre. However none of us realised just how outside we’ll be. Our hotel is so far out we’re actually not even in DC, we’re in the STATE of Marylands. It’s like visiting Canberra and staying in a hotel in Goulburn. And let me tell you, it’s quite a journey to get to the city centre. The trip takes over an hour and half and involves catching a bus (which comes once every hour) then two subways. It’s a bit of an inconvenience but that’s the price for not watching our spending in South America.

It may be a pain in the arse to get to the museums, memorials and monuments but once you’re there it’s well worth it. The National Mall is such a beautiful space; the Smithsonian Institute is great; the phallic Washington Memorial is awe inspiring; US Captiol is splendidly grand and the White House is… a big white house with snipers on top. It’s great here, so much culture so much history and all free!

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