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Holiday of a lifetime to United States

01 Jul, 2011 12:00 AM
ARARAT - Supported Choices, an Ararat organisation which arranges holidays for people with disabilities, assisted three local men to enjoy a holiday of a lifetime in the United States.

Karl, Chris and Damien, along with carers Jill Williams and Wayne Williams, arrived in Los Angeles on May 2 - two hours before they left, which was a bonus for Chris as it was his birthday!

First stop was a tour around LA, including the Hollywood Hills, where they saw the house where Michael Jackson died, the house where the Osbournes' reality TV series was filmed and the expensive Rodeo Drive.

The next five days were spent in Memphis, where all things Elvis ruled.

The group then hired a car and drove to Tupelo for the WWE and were lucky enough to meet some wrestlers and divas.

They also visited Elvis's birthplace, the house he was born in and the church he first sang in.

"In Tupelo we stumbled on a Gum Tree Festival named after the Australian gum trees that line the street it was held on," Ms Williams said.

Back on the road, the group visited Nashville to see the Grand Ole Opry and the highlights of Nashville.

"We turned in our car and flew to Las Vegas via Denver, but the plane ride was really bad, there were micro bursts and tornados and our bums were leaving the seats. We were diverted to Pablo, Colorado and landed in a paddock to refuel - out the window we saw the petrol truck come from the petrol station in the town to fill the 200 seat plane," she said.

"We finally got to Denver then off to Las Vegas, a little late but alive!"

Staying in the Stratosphere Motel Casino, the live shows enjoyed in Vegas were a highlight.

The group marvelled at Caesars Palace with its replica streets of Rome and The Ballagio with gardens and art work of fresh flowers.

"Damien, Karl and Chris all really loved the glitz and glamour of this city," Ms Williams said.

The group then reluctantly boarded another plane to Seattle, where their first stop was the Space Needle where they enjoy the views of the city and snow covered mountains.

They also paid a visit to the grave site of Bruce and Brandon Lee and the family memorial to Jimi Hendrix.

"Our last destination was back to LA and with our last bit of strength we tackled Disneyland for the whole day and most of the night," Ms Williams said.

"Damien, Karl and Chris got to meet Mickey Mouse and some of the other Disney characters and it sparked lots of childhood memories and generated lots of conversations.

"We spent our last day in downtown LA looking at the stars on the walk of fame, on Sunset Strip and shopping for those last minute gifts."

While the flight home 'seemed to go on forever', Ms Williams said the V Australia staff made the flight most enjoyable and a fitting end to a fantastic trip.

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Supported Choices, an organisation which provides disabled people with holidays of a lifetime, recently took Damien, Chris and Karl to the United States for a holiday. The trio are pictured outside Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
Supported Choices, an organisation which provides disabled people with holidays of a lifetime, recently took Damien, Chris and Karl to the United States for a holiday. The trio are pictured outside Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

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