Well folks, I've had an action packed couple of weeks since I last posted so I'll crack right into it...

Leaving San Francisco I caught an 8 hour bus overnight into Downtown LA. I headed straight to my hostel, located on Venice beach, spending two days there in 90 degree heat, catching a few rays. The Pacific coast has got a vast stretch of white sandy beaches includinh Venice beach or 'Muscle beach' as it is otherwise known due to fact that there is actually a gym on the beach; Santa Monica beach, home to the famous Santa monica Pier; Malibu beach, famous of course for Baywatch, and if you head further south from LA, Manhatton beach and Newport beach. I spent a day each on Venice and Santa Monica beaches, pretty much doing nothing except read my book and top up my tan. After two relaxing days I then headed into Hollywood to play with the rich guys and gals, where I would base myself for the following two days, seeing from a far, the Hollywood sign, walking the 'Walk of Fame' and taking a stroll along the Sunset Strip and into Beverly Hills.

Now the fun starts! Having spent four days in LA, where the public transport system sucks, I caught a bus over to Las Vegas where I would drink and lose my money playing poker for the next three days. It wasn't all party party party though, and having made some new German friends at the hostel and one of them conveniently having a car we drove over to the Grand Canyon AKA 'Red Rock', which was not actually as red as I thought it would be. Nonetheless, we spent the day there on the West Rim, taking in some spectacular views. We first visited eagle point, where the rock formation has eroded away into the shape of an eagle and here we were also able to see a traditional Native Indian Village. Next we headed over to Guano Point where you get the best view of the canyon and are also able to make a small hike up the rock to see all that is down below. Having exhausted ourselves at Red Rock we headed back to Vegas for drinks in the hot tub and another night on the town. It is true that you really aren't aware of what time of day it is in Vegas, the only indication, other than if you cheat and look at your watch is when it got dark around 5pm. With bars open all night and degenerate gamblers playing hours on end in the casinos, you don't really need to know what time of day or night it is actually. Las Vegas is like a non-stop 24 hour show, no one lives there, and people only go there for one reason. It does house some rather impressive Hotels though, none less than the Bellagio, who put on their World famous water show every 30 minutes to one of 30 songs they sync their fountains to. Really quite impressive to see. I did also get a chance to meet up with a friend I made in Montreal and later bumped into in Seattle and we managed to bag some free tickets to a Poker gameshow in the Vinitian hotel (incidently the place where I lost all my money) where the audience actually has a chance to win $1 million! the gameshow is called the Real Deal, and every day 6 people selected from the audience get the chance to sit at the table and play poker with two pros. on this occassion the pro's were Eli Elezra and Scotty Nguyen, who between them have scooped $millions worth of prize money and competed in the biggest and best tournaments against the biggest and best players. Those in the audience not lucky enough to be seleceted still get to play along aswell using a touchscreen system infront of you, and the idea is to try to accumulate points through wagers on the action at the table. The elimination process results in the chip-leading pro, the final surviving amateur and the point leader from the play along audience, for the chance to win a $1500 Real deal bracelet. The chance to win $1 million comes from one of the number of prop bets played during the show, but to win you must select a Royal flush from 52 cards face down. The chances minimal, but I suppose possible.

So, having spent 3 days and 3 nights in Vegas I headed back to LA and told myself I would hold back on the drinking, but easily convinced to go out and with no real concept of time I did exactly that before chilling out the next day and then heading 2 hours down the road to San Diego. There I stayed right on the beach, in a cool little hsotel where I met a bunch of English guys and girls (nick, Guy, Charlotte, Jemma and Hayley) and as you can probably guess, that led to more drinking, but only in the evening this time. During my days I headed down to Ocean Beach, to catch a bit of sun and take a dip in a pretty chilly Pacific Ocean. I also visited San Diego Zoo, arguably one of the best in the World and it did live up to my expectations as I made my way through 'Elephant Mesa, 'Bear Canyon', 'Gorilla Tropics' 'Tiger River' and 'Polar Bear Plunge' , but disappointingly, had no penguins! Nonetheless, a very impressive zoo, hands down beating London zoo, or the slightly better Whipsnade Zoo!

Today I caught a ride back up to LA with the three girls and fly out to Colombia to meet Claire tomorrow (Friday) evening, so I'm very excited about that. when I next post, I'm not quite sure, but I will be in touch soon, to tell you the tales of the next leg of my journey.

Adios Amigos!