Geoff Cooper
Jetboaters Admiral
- Messages
- 1,124
- Reaction score
- 1,256
- Points
- 262
- Location
- Thailand
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2006
- Boat Model
- AR
- Boat Length
- 23
Ok let me try to set the scene Oh and this is an absolutely true story by the way about my first trip to America, It was 1989 and an announcement had been made in the British media that Frank Bruno our beloved heavyweight boxing hope was to fight Mike Tyson in Las Vagas at the Hilton, During the next few weeks in England it was on everyone's lips there were discussions on Sports TV channels about it Newspapers were full of it it was a topic that was being spoken about everywhere so you get the picture.
I was a fight fan for many years and considered that i was lucky to have seen such great fighters as Ali and Sugar ray Leonard, Haglar, Tommy Hearns etc not in real life i may add only on TV, I fancy going to that fight in the states for real i thought so i called a friend who was also a keen fight fan and asked him if he fancied going, I'll have some of that he replied so i called the Hilton booked the tickets and also called and booked the flights and Hotel and the Car hire in LA Job done.
We arrived in LA just landed and got onto the courtesy coach bound for Alamo car rental, Nice weather and pleasant driver who engaged in conversation with us by asking us were we from Australia? No i replied we're from England! Oh we don't get many Brits here they mainly go to Florida it's nearer, We're here to go to the fight in Vagas i proceeded to tell him, It seemed to go over his head and i thought oh maybe he's not a fight fan, We arrived at the Alamo car rental and was greeted by the Guy there who took our Passports and rental details that had been faxed to me in England ( No emails in those days ) and started to prepare our paperwork, Are you from Australia ? I turned and looked at my friend and said do i sound Australian to you that's the second time in 10 minutes I've been asked that, You have my Passport and my documents and if you look at them you will see we're from England, Oh yes he replied, At that and after he had tried to upgrade us to a Ferrari or a soft top Rolls Royce which was perfect if we were going to Vagas he suggested, We settled for a 2 litre car with Aircon which was perfect and got instructions to our Hotel, 2 blocks down make a right and 4 blocks along on the right hand side we were told, Blocks what are Blocks i thought they were used for building i said to my friend oh come on we will find it.
Leaving the car rental we traveled for a while and turned right as instructions but not wanting to go to far and maybe miss the Hotel i spotted a police car parked with 1 officer sitting in it, I'll ask the policeman i said to my friend and stopped our car and ran over the very busy road to get further instructions, Excuse me i said as i approached the police car, Next thing i knew i was told to hold it right there and starring down the barrel of a .38, Wait a minute i said as my previous inflight breakfast was about to exit my backside, I just want instructions to a Hotel clutching my Alamo Map i had been given, Oh ok come here and show me and at that he said it's just over there and pointed in the general direction of the Hotel with strict instruction that i never run towards a Policeman again, Are you Australian he asked, No I'm from England i replied and thanked him and proceeded to my car muttering to myself " Fucking Australian I'm fucking English" we found the Hotel and settled in for the night as our journey started the next morning heading heading to Vagas.
We had a nice meal and relaxed and i thought i would go for a little walk and have a look around, You maybe have seen my other posts about looking around Bangkok so you know what i mean anyway as i went to leave the Hotel the receptionist asked me where i was going to?at which i replied just for a walk to have a look around, Oh you can't do that she said this is Inglewood! I said oh don't worry I'll be ok and left the Hotel and started to walk towards what looked like a small shopping center from where i was, It was about 10 pm and as i got closer i could see what looked like a Bar so i headed for that thinking i will get a Soda or something and see a little American social life, Where you going Man i was asked by a rather large Black guy standing at the door, I thought i would get a drink i replied, You can't go in there he said your white, Oh am i does it show i replied jokingly at that we were joined by 2 other black guys who although uninvited joined in with my brief conversation, You Australian one asked? No I'm not Australian i replied I'm from England, What you doing here the other one asked, I'm here for the fight naturally thinking that like England it was the general topic of conversation, You want a fight? No not me and went on to explain the situation to them as little did i know they knew nothing about the fight, I was refused entry for health reasons i may add and sent on my way back to my Hotel, As i walked away from the place and returning to my Hotel i was asked by another Black gentleman if i would take him to Vagas with me, No i replied and then the same guy asked me to lend him a dollar, No i replied i don't know you and i may never get my dollar back as was my English sense of humor which went down like a brick balloon, I walked back to my Hotel and 50 yards from the entrance i was approached by another guy who looked es-panic as you American say, Give me a cigarette man he asked, No i replied i don't smoke, Give me a dollar he said , No go and ask that guy down there he's got loads of money as i pointed to the Blackman on the Bar door, I'd only been in America a few hours and had been accused of being Australian, Threatened with a Gun refused entry to a Bar, Racially abused, Asked if i wanted a traveling companion, Approached for money and cigarettes, A good start to my trip i thought.
Next day we left the lovely Inglewood and headed on the Pacific Coast road through Carmel and through Yosimatee National Park and onto Vagas, Wow stunning views and a lovely trip, We reached Vagas at night and i think it was a good time to get there as it looked fantastic, We had good rooms and enjoyed the place, There was no hassle it appeared you could walk around undisturbed, We went to the fight and our British hope was no match for Tyson and he went down in the 5th not by a knock out blow but just the draft from Tysons glove apparently, We traveled back having spent a few days in Vagas and thought we would take a look at our Old London Bridge at Lake Havasu, so over the Hoover Dam we went and on to see London Bridge, Oh WOW it looked great unbelievable i had seen it many times in England but this was something else i had never seen it looking so good with the boats going under it i was amazed and pleased at the same time, What a great job you had made credit where credits due.
We had a hotel booked at Lake Havasu the Pioneer it was called if i remember right, It was ok and we settled in for a few days relaxing, We found that a replica of an English Pub had been built by the side of London bridge so a visit to that had to be made, As we walked it the first thing i spotted was a bar pull advertising Watneys Red Barrel Ale, This was a beer that was awful back home and had died a death years before, I suppose you want a pint of Watneys hinted the Barman, I looked at my friend an we grinned at each other and i told the Barman no thank you that's why we gave it to you, It was pleasant in there and we struck up conversation with some nice looking Ladies who were there for the Jetski world championship which was being held there at the time, Are you from Australia? one asked no I'm from England i replied as i looked at my friend by now this Australian thing was getting to much it was starting to get to me, Oh she said you sound Australian I've never been with an Englishman they're supposed to make good lovers, I'm in here i thought a girlfriend i don't have to inflate, I usually only go with Cowboys or Jews what's your name? she asked Hopalong Cohan i replied, At that we had a good time there and as we had left the Hotel and traveled about 20 miles i realized i had left my money under my pillow in the Hotel room the equivalent of $3000 in Sterling a quick return found my room being cleaned by a Mexican housemaid who was shocked to see me enter the room and duly handed me my money she had found under the pillow, I gave her $20 dollars for her honesty but i don't think she understood what the currency was worth so we carried on with our journey.
We went back through the desert to LA called at Kingman and Barstow and had a great time there listening to the Country and western bands in the Bars and was made very welcome, By now i had adopted Australian Nationality as it was easier than wasting time explaining the situation to everyone we come across, We had a great time and it eased our inner pain that Bruno hadn't put on a better display in Vagas against Mike Tyson but Tyson was a formidable fighter and although he was his own worst enemy you had to be in ore of his aggression and power alone, Some years later i flew into Florida and as we came into land the Air hostess said to me you will love Florida have you been here before? No i replied I've only been to California! Oh she said you wont like it here then if you've been to California first but i did and went back a few times later on my British Passport, Australian i ask you do i look Australian!!
I was a fight fan for many years and considered that i was lucky to have seen such great fighters as Ali and Sugar ray Leonard, Haglar, Tommy Hearns etc not in real life i may add only on TV, I fancy going to that fight in the states for real i thought so i called a friend who was also a keen fight fan and asked him if he fancied going, I'll have some of that he replied so i called the Hilton booked the tickets and also called and booked the flights and Hotel and the Car hire in LA Job done.
We arrived in LA just landed and got onto the courtesy coach bound for Alamo car rental, Nice weather and pleasant driver who engaged in conversation with us by asking us were we from Australia? No i replied we're from England! Oh we don't get many Brits here they mainly go to Florida it's nearer, We're here to go to the fight in Vagas i proceeded to tell him, It seemed to go over his head and i thought oh maybe he's not a fight fan, We arrived at the Alamo car rental and was greeted by the Guy there who took our Passports and rental details that had been faxed to me in England ( No emails in those days ) and started to prepare our paperwork, Are you from Australia ? I turned and looked at my friend and said do i sound Australian to you that's the second time in 10 minutes I've been asked that, You have my Passport and my documents and if you look at them you will see we're from England, Oh yes he replied, At that and after he had tried to upgrade us to a Ferrari or a soft top Rolls Royce which was perfect if we were going to Vagas he suggested, We settled for a 2 litre car with Aircon which was perfect and got instructions to our Hotel, 2 blocks down make a right and 4 blocks along on the right hand side we were told, Blocks what are Blocks i thought they were used for building i said to my friend oh come on we will find it.
Leaving the car rental we traveled for a while and turned right as instructions but not wanting to go to far and maybe miss the Hotel i spotted a police car parked with 1 officer sitting in it, I'll ask the policeman i said to my friend and stopped our car and ran over the very busy road to get further instructions, Excuse me i said as i approached the police car, Next thing i knew i was told to hold it right there and starring down the barrel of a .38, Wait a minute i said as my previous inflight breakfast was about to exit my backside, I just want instructions to a Hotel clutching my Alamo Map i had been given, Oh ok come here and show me and at that he said it's just over there and pointed in the general direction of the Hotel with strict instruction that i never run towards a Policeman again, Are you Australian he asked, No I'm from England i replied and thanked him and proceeded to my car muttering to myself " Fucking Australian I'm fucking English" we found the Hotel and settled in for the night as our journey started the next morning heading heading to Vagas.
We had a nice meal and relaxed and i thought i would go for a little walk and have a look around, You maybe have seen my other posts about looking around Bangkok so you know what i mean anyway as i went to leave the Hotel the receptionist asked me where i was going to?at which i replied just for a walk to have a look around, Oh you can't do that she said this is Inglewood! I said oh don't worry I'll be ok and left the Hotel and started to walk towards what looked like a small shopping center from where i was, It was about 10 pm and as i got closer i could see what looked like a Bar so i headed for that thinking i will get a Soda or something and see a little American social life, Where you going Man i was asked by a rather large Black guy standing at the door, I thought i would get a drink i replied, You can't go in there he said your white, Oh am i does it show i replied jokingly at that we were joined by 2 other black guys who although uninvited joined in with my brief conversation, You Australian one asked? No I'm not Australian i replied I'm from England, What you doing here the other one asked, I'm here for the fight naturally thinking that like England it was the general topic of conversation, You want a fight? No not me and went on to explain the situation to them as little did i know they knew nothing about the fight, I was refused entry for health reasons i may add and sent on my way back to my Hotel, As i walked away from the place and returning to my Hotel i was asked by another Black gentleman if i would take him to Vagas with me, No i replied and then the same guy asked me to lend him a dollar, No i replied i don't know you and i may never get my dollar back as was my English sense of humor which went down like a brick balloon, I walked back to my Hotel and 50 yards from the entrance i was approached by another guy who looked es-panic as you American say, Give me a cigarette man he asked, No i replied i don't smoke, Give me a dollar he said , No go and ask that guy down there he's got loads of money as i pointed to the Blackman on the Bar door, I'd only been in America a few hours and had been accused of being Australian, Threatened with a Gun refused entry to a Bar, Racially abused, Asked if i wanted a traveling companion, Approached for money and cigarettes, A good start to my trip i thought.
Next day we left the lovely Inglewood and headed on the Pacific Coast road through Carmel and through Yosimatee National Park and onto Vagas, Wow stunning views and a lovely trip, We reached Vagas at night and i think it was a good time to get there as it looked fantastic, We had good rooms and enjoyed the place, There was no hassle it appeared you could walk around undisturbed, We went to the fight and our British hope was no match for Tyson and he went down in the 5th not by a knock out blow but just the draft from Tysons glove apparently, We traveled back having spent a few days in Vagas and thought we would take a look at our Old London Bridge at Lake Havasu, so over the Hoover Dam we went and on to see London Bridge, Oh WOW it looked great unbelievable i had seen it many times in England but this was something else i had never seen it looking so good with the boats going under it i was amazed and pleased at the same time, What a great job you had made credit where credits due.
We had a hotel booked at Lake Havasu the Pioneer it was called if i remember right, It was ok and we settled in for a few days relaxing, We found that a replica of an English Pub had been built by the side of London bridge so a visit to that had to be made, As we walked it the first thing i spotted was a bar pull advertising Watneys Red Barrel Ale, This was a beer that was awful back home and had died a death years before, I suppose you want a pint of Watneys hinted the Barman, I looked at my friend an we grinned at each other and i told the Barman no thank you that's why we gave it to you, It was pleasant in there and we struck up conversation with some nice looking Ladies who were there for the Jetski world championship which was being held there at the time, Are you from Australia? one asked no I'm from England i replied as i looked at my friend by now this Australian thing was getting to much it was starting to get to me, Oh she said you sound Australian I've never been with an Englishman they're supposed to make good lovers, I'm in here i thought a girlfriend i don't have to inflate, I usually only go with Cowboys or Jews what's your name? she asked Hopalong Cohan i replied, At that we had a good time there and as we had left the Hotel and traveled about 20 miles i realized i had left my money under my pillow in the Hotel room the equivalent of $3000 in Sterling a quick return found my room being cleaned by a Mexican housemaid who was shocked to see me enter the room and duly handed me my money she had found under the pillow, I gave her $20 dollars for her honesty but i don't think she understood what the currency was worth so we carried on with our journey.
We went back through the desert to LA called at Kingman and Barstow and had a great time there listening to the Country and western bands in the Bars and was made very welcome, By now i had adopted Australian Nationality as it was easier than wasting time explaining the situation to everyone we come across, We had a great time and it eased our inner pain that Bruno hadn't put on a better display in Vagas against Mike Tyson but Tyson was a formidable fighter and although he was his own worst enemy you had to be in ore of his aggression and power alone, Some years later i flew into Florida and as we came into land the Air hostess said to me you will love Florida have you been here before? No i replied I've only been to California! Oh she said you wont like it here then if you've been to California first but i did and went back a few times later on my British Passport, Australian i ask you do i look Australian!!
Last edited:
