They say you should start as you mean to go on, and if the beginning of our trip is anything to go by, then this holiday may be the end of us. We are going to rack up so many bucket-list experiences that we are going to give the impression we are on our last legs.

Starting off with a fairly harmless wait at the airport (punctuated by a fire alarm) and a 15 hour flight with excellent entertainment and surprising comfort, we arrived in Los Angeles with barely any sleep. Having been up since 5am (AUS) and arriving at 7am (USA) we launched head-first into our holiday to avoid the jetlag. After a politically-conscious taxi ride to Venice Beach (we didn't want to offend anyone when we'd only just arrived) we were able to check into our hostel at 9am to shower, change and go for a wander.

Now before we planned our America Trip I tried to warn everyone about Los Angeles, particularly Venice Beach. But the guys either didn't believe me, or wanted to experience the 'magic' for themselves, but they soon came to understand my trepidation. Venice Beach is an...interesting place; on one side of the boulevard you have a run-down row of cheap and nasty shops selling trashy t-shirts, tattoos and medical marajuana, while on the other you have a run-down row of homeless people. The beach is beautiful, but pockmarked as it is with unsavoury characters you just can't relax or enjoy the view. Even when you think you're witnessing kindness, it turns into a scam: Dumsday witnessed this first hand, accepting a demo CD from a 'struggling' R&B artist, which he then wanted to 'sign' for an appropriate donation.

After wandering the beach, deserted except for the spaced-out locals, and checking out the (almost) abandoned Muscle beach Sav, who had no intention of going to Universal what so ever, turned to Dumsday and Anita and asked "So, when are we leaving for Universal?".

Not wanting to stay in Venice Beach for one second longer, us weary travellers jumped on a Hostel Hopper to Universal Studios, a one hour drive featuring an overly friendly Californian girl with an unhealthy attachment to her phone. The device never left her hand, even going so far as to Google or YouTube conversations that we were having. While driving. And driving in Los Angeles is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

The next few hours were spent in a blur of churros, coke, rides, 3D experiences and studio tours, providing the adrenaline we needed to stay conscious. Hostel Hoppering back to Venice Beach we again left as quickly as possible and walked (with much shoulder checking and gaze avoiding) down towards Santa Monica. Santa Monica is where Los Angeles earns some more credit. As you walk along the boulevard the run-down shed-like shops transform into boutique apartments and quirky bars, and the people transform from drug-addled tramps to dog-owning joggers. We watched the sun set and twilight bleed across the sky as the pier got closer, beautiful at night with the ferris wheel transforming and flashing with an array of lighting effects.

Embracing our touristic need for 'American' experiences, we sat down for dinner at Bubba Gump on the Santa Monice Pier. By this time we were beyond exhaustion and didn't reach the pier until after 9pm. But damn we were hungry, and for a commercial touristy chain, Bubba Gump does some amazing food. Sharing shrimp mac 'n' cheese, popcorn shrimp and onion rings, our mains were varied but all delicious: pork ribs, lobster, fish and pasta, washed down with cocktails served in take-home jar goblets. Catching a cab back to Venice Beach (there was no way we were walking back!) we collapsed (or passed out) at around 11.30pm after staying awake for 35 hours.

Highlights: Transformers: The Ride 3D; Churros; Bubba Gump; Santa Monica beach walk

Lowlights: Feeling unsafe in Venice Beach; extreme tiredness; LA traffic; gathering enough enthusiasm to talk to our Hostel Hopper driver (while hoping we wouldn't die in a car accident)