Jolene from Flight Centre phoned - San Francisco hotel Chancellor now booked.

Visas sorted: you don't need one for Singapore; we've got eVisitors for Australia; and for USA we're eligible under their Visa waiver scheme (had to promise not to overthrow the government though).

I think the only bureaucratic thing left to do now is to get an international driving permit, and you can only do that within three months of leaving the country, so nothing to do for a while....

All going smoothly

Jolene from Flight Centre phoned today, on return from her hols. Everything - flights, transfers, accommodation and car hire - is booked. The sole exception is the Chancellor Hotel in San Francisco, where she can't get next year's rates yet. She'll try every couple of weeks.

We want to stay at the Chancellor on the recommendation of Todd and Kenzie, who have provided us with an insider's knowledge of things to do there - and not to do.

You don't need a visa to get into Singapore, and for Australia you can get an e-visitor, which replaces the previous non-visa arrangement. For the USA there is a visa waiver scheme, but it seems quite a lot of fuss and bother. Need to look into this.....

More exciting developments soon.