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We arrived in California with no real expectations or planning and thought we'd just continue the spontaneous travelling approach and see where we ended up. We arrived at Los Angeles Airport on Christmas day and were shuffled away to the local hire rentals where we picked up a rather super-sized Chevron which strangely enough was the cheapest economy option. The wholde driving on the other side of the road along with six lane roads freaked me out so I left the driving up to Trev..
We drove down to Santa Monica and stayed in Venice beach which is a vibrant, eccentric creative type place where all sorts of characters end up. There was a real buzz about the place and people were skating, surfing, dog walking, running, speed walking, basketballing and all sorts of other interesting activities which gave the place a very active feel. It kind of reminded me of Brighton beach front on a super packed day with a few added skate parks and basketball courts. We spent the evening enjoying the vibe and explored the beaches and promenade whilst we acclimatised to the cooler weather.
The next day we went Tom Tom hunting and found one for a steal, it ended up being a lifesaver and was definitely the best buy of the trip! The American roads are pure madness, it's not just the driving on the right side of the road, it's the rules, the 24 lane highways, the spaghetti junctions everywhere and the sheer vastness and saturated traffic situation, everywhere, anytime, all the time! With a bit of driving stress relieved we enjoyed a beach scenic road trip from Venice beach up to Santa Monica and up to Malibu. It's a stunning part of the Californian coastline with long white beaches, loads of surf spots, long boarders and surfers everywhere. There's some luxury mansions dotted all over the coastline and you see where all the Hollywood dollars get invested!
The next few days we explored Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Hollywood, Melrose place and the bling and glitz and glamour of the LA rich and famous capital area. We drove down Rodeo Avenue which is an exclusive area with super posh shops and found out that to go into a shop there's a $100 cover charge, no surprise we drove down and did some window viewing - needless to say. Beverly Hills was plush and we enjoyed driving around randomly celebrity spotting and checking out all these amazing, mansion cribs! Hollywood was fun and we enjoyed the walk of fame coming across a few famous stars, Bruce Lee, Michael Jackson, Jackie Chan, Charlie Chapman, Kermit the Frog and Britney Spears to name a few. The vibe here was electric and there were some amazing theatres dotted on the Hollywood Boulevard and some weird and wonderful wacko sites on the streets.
After city sightseeing we decided to hit the beach and headed down to the famous Huntington Beach, surf city central of California. We found a stunning little Motel with a sea view of Huntington pier and spent a few nights enjoying the beach lifestyle. This is where Baywatch was filmed and you can see why, it's a stunning set for a beach series and epitomises the Endless Summer movies. We used the promenade to do some training and enjoyed long runs on the promenade. Next stop was Santa Barbara and San Diego, more of the same. Beautiful beaches, surf, sun, chilling and enjoying the laid back lifestyle. It's worth adding that the Americans were super friendly, enthuastic, eccentric, passionate and really welcoming. We had a great time chatting with the locals and now have a new founded respect for Americans.
We picked up the American habit of an early coffee every morning - it's kind of a tradition that everyone grabs an early cuppa for the day and has a chat around the fire drums whilst they wake up and shake off the cob webs. I think this habit may stick as I'm craving my Starbucks and oatmeal already!
Next stop Las Vegas and after a marathon drive from San Diego we pulled into the Hard Rock cafe as the sun was setting. It's worth mentioning that the drive was an experience in itself, long dead straight baron roads cutting up the Nevada desert, I thought Australia was baron but Nevada takes the cake. The desert scenery was spectacular and the rolling mountains and vastness of the sand stricken landscape was an eye gem. The place is just what you'd expect it to be... If you've seen the Hangover movie you've got a good idea of Vegas. The hotels are super posh and are cheap as chips, a marketing psychology trick to get the punters through the door. It really feels that once you're inside, the hotel and casino has a way of keeping you inside; I can imagine people could easily go there and not go outside for a week and not know whether its day or night. We broke the mould and spent some time in the gym, explored the Vegas Boulevard and did some great shopping at the factory shops for mega discount prices. We even managed to drive past the Little White Chapel which actually does exist; you can drive through as if you were picking up a McD's and pick up your wedding papers. Don't worry Mum, there's no ring on my finger.
I'd love to elaborate on Vegas, but I'm sure you know that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. All I'll say is it was brilliant, lights action, music, shows, rock and roll, glam, glitter etc. it was great and I think everyone should experience it. We had a fun fuelled 3 nights there and ended up $20 down so I thought we did really well, after Poker, Roulette, Slots and features machines. We're not big gamblers but enjoyed the novelty and experience. We also got the chance to see a live Variety show which was brilliant, a number of acts from Americas Got Talent had made the line-up and we enjoyed a night full of comedy, magicians, acrobats, illusionists, tap dancing etc very entertaining and loads of laughs!
We thoroughly enjoyed our American trip and it rated as one of our fondest memories. The Californian lifestyle is something really special and we felt out of all the cultures and lifestyles we experienced that the Californian and Queensland quality of life suited us the best. We had an awesome, radical, amazing time and we'll definitely be back for a longer visit.
Next stop - Home :) what a trip!!
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