After saying our goodbyes, Jonny and I
boarded separate flights, Jonny to Chile and I to Los Angeles, USA.
I was gutted to be leaving my traveling
partner and I kept telling myself it's only for four days and then we will
rejoin in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After 12 hours on the flight I
arrived in the City of Angels.
Los Angeles is sixteen hours behind
New Zealand due to the earth’s time line which meant I departed New Zealand in
the evening and arrived in LA in the morning of the same day!! Confused? I was!
But the good thing about it was I gained an extra day by crossing the earth's
time line.
I was a little worried about passport
control, as since 9/11, the Americans, me and passport control just don’t seem
to mix well.
So at passport control I was
forwarded to a desk with a Hispanic looking gentleman who sternly looked me up
and down and asked for my passport. Carlos, what else could he be called? continued to look me up and down a few
times and asked me to look into the eye camera and then for my fingerprints,
left index finger first.
I, perhaps a little nervous, stupidly
pressed my finger on the wet sponge instead of the glass! Carlos looked
at me with raised eyebrows and said 'not there!!!' Carlos shook his head and I
started to giggle like a naughty school child.
"Ha ha ha" I laughed
"I bet you've seen that before?"
Carlos not at all amused replied "I've seen and heard many things
behind this desk but no one has ever done that!" Ok so Carlos must have thought
I was a blundering British idiot!
Carlos then went on to ask what I was
doing in LA and how long was I staying. When I told him I was on
vacation for four days he just looked me deep into my eyes and
said "like I said I've heard it all before!"
I thought Carlos must be having a
laugh with me surely? However I wasn’t going to stick around and ask him!
The climate in LA was beautifully hot
but with a very gentle breeze, perfection. Unfortunately for Jonny, in contrast
Chile was very cold.
I hollered myself a cab and headed for
Santa Monica home of Baywatch. My hostel was two blocks away from the
beautiful beach and one block away from 3rd Street Promenade, the main shopping
and eating area.
In my dorm of 5 other girls I met
Cat. A cultured well traveled American. Kitty Cat and I clicked instantly and
before I could unpack my case we were discussing culture, politics, work ethics
and love, pretty deep stuff!
When I think about LA I just think...Cool. Generally on the whole the Americans were
very friendly and efficient and helpful. I thought I would find them irritating
and too full on for me but that was not the case, damn it!
One of the coolest things in Santa
Monica is to walk; cycle or roller-blade, whatever takes your fancy, down the
beach from Santa Monica to Venice Beach. It is not only stunning but a
whole lot of fun. The closer you get to Venice the more visually wacky it
all becomes but still very, very cool.
Apart from lots of alter egos
strutting their stuff everywhere you turn, you will also see fortune tellers,
artists, singers, Bush activists and lots and lots of people working out on the
beach whether it's yoga, karate or just rollerblading, it’s true that anything
goes in LA.
Venice Beach was very colourful
and vibrant if not a little wacky. You will find the famous Muscle
Beach here where men and women blatantly show off their muscled bodies and it
is weird to imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger working out here. Now he is the governor! It could only happen in LA.
A trip to LA is not complete without
taking in the sights of Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard and Beverley Hills. So
I boarded a coach full of tourists and took a guided tour of the Hollywood
Hills, where I saw the homes of the stars and the famous Hollywood sign.
I also went along to where the stars
sometimes hang out. Can you
believe I witnessed the very location where Brad Pitt used to dress
up as a chicken outside a fast food restaurant, before he was famous? Am I a lucky girl or what?
I definitely got the impression that
most people in LA either work in the movies or wants to be spotted. It is a
little shallow but it’s still fun.
I was only in LA for 4 long days and I
was surprised with how much I really liked the place. It does matter how
you look and what you do and who you know and at times I did find it intimidating
and superficial.
Although I couldn't live in La La
Land I did walk away with a huge grin on my face and I would love to go
back again.
