THERE are five "VIPs" always guaranteed a room in Memphis, that's five "Very Important Poultry".

The five ducks in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis stay in the Royal Duck Palace on the roof of the hotel. The ducks are always guaranteed a room -- unlike us!

Arriving during the Zydeco blues festival (the festival our guide books failed to tell us about) left us searching relentlessly for a room.

Without a means of transport to take us to an out-of-town motel, we had to stay in downtown Memphis. We therefore decided to wait in the lobby of a centrally located hotel and wait upon any cancellations. Fortunately we were in luck, and now, like the ducks, we too had a room.

The festival was taking place on the historic Beal Street -- the home of blues music and the soul hits from the Stax label.

Walking along Beal Street there are brass musical notes embedded into the

pavement, honouring musical greats such as B B King and Howlin' Wolf while, in the bars and cafes, new blues acts grace the stage on a nightly basis.

Of course, you also can't forget the presence of Graceland, just 10 miles out of town, the home of Elvis Presley.

We decided to pay the $25 for the Platinum tour, across the road from Graceland at Graceland Plazza. The tour included the Graceland mansion ($16 separately), Elvis Auto Museum ($7 separately), Elvis Custom Jets ($6 separately) and Sincerely Elvis Exhibit ($5 separately).

Once we had the tickets, we were taken by bus to the steps of Graceland. Although the mansion looks rather modest, this wouldn't have been so in 1957 when Elvis paid $100,000 for the then substantial house.

As the upstairs of the mansion is closed to the public (out of respect for Elvis's own personal space), you are led round the ground floor and basement levels of the mansion at your own leisure, using the included audio tour. The rooms are still preserved in their original 70s designs. The Hawaiian-themed jungle room was a personal favourite, with green shag carpet ceiling and its own waterfall feature -- it was a design I'm surprised I haven't seen recreated on TV's Changing Rooms.

The tour ends in the Racquet Ball Court where Elvis played on the morning when he died. The house alone is worth the entrance fee as it's a great insight into the King's life. The bus then transports you back to Graceland Plazza where you can then enter the rest of the museums.

Memphis has even more to offer with the National Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio, the Riverfront Pyramid and the famous Mississippi river. I didn't find any sunshine in Memphis as it rained all week -- but I found that the spirit of Elvis is alive and well!

Next week a route change, bypassing New Orleans and heading to Dallas. All will be explained1