Well, our Disneyland adventure is officially over =( Though to be honest, by the end of the fourth day, I think we were both a little exhausted and Disneyed out! Haha On the third day, after spending two days making fun of people eating these giant hunks of meat (turned out they were turkey legs) Mum decided she actually wanted to try one - check out the photos, they're priceless! And the turkey legs - enormous! It's like caveman style eating lol Also, when we went on this big river rapid ride (woah alliteration much) in California Dreaming, you sit in a raft that's round so you're facing about 8 other people on the ride. We just happened to get onto a raft with two of the cutest little boys imaginable. One of them was a hardcore badass with a Mohawk who'd clearly ridden the ride many times before, and the other was shy little boy with glasses who looked excited but incredibly nervous. Anyway, we basically got a heads up and running commentary from the Mohawk kid the entire way down the ride ("Here comes the big dip!" "Oh you're gonna get wet now!" "Oh you're in the spot where you're gonna get the wettest!!" haha gee thanks kid) hehe it was totally like mini Macaulay Culkin and mini Steve Irkle - super cute!

Today we went on a tour down to Orange County, and I developed a whole new appreciation for the beauty of Australian beaches. On our way down the driver informed us that while the average American's income is between 30 and $40000 each year, the average income of the OC residents is $35000 a month!! And for that they pay millions and millions of dollars to live on a beach that frankly, I was not all that impressed by. It was nice of course, but comparative to our beaches back in Aus, well suffice it to say I felt very lucky indeed to live in the country I do! We then went on to Balboa beach where Mum and I took a stroll down to the end of one of the piers on the beach and stopped for a strawberry milkshake in a classic American diner called Ruby's.

Later in the day we went to the OC's holy shopping grail - Fashion Island! The variety and size of the shops was amazing, one of my favourites was the multi-story Barnes and Noble bookstore with a Starbucks inside of it down on the ground floor. I also got to have a look inside the American Body Shop and see all the cool new stuff that hasn't made it's way to Aus yet. I was pretty amazed to find that when I bought a little burning oil, they tried to give me a plastic bag without even asking if I actually needed one (which I didn't - very un-Body Shop! The Aussie Body Shop girls will know what I mean!). But that seems fairly typical of a lot of the shops and food outlets here. The other day I got a sandwich given to me in a Styrofoam container!! I didn't even know those existed any more! I ate my sandwich feeling terribly guilty and personally responsible for all the environmental problems in the world. Anyway, it was mostly wandering and window shopping for us budgeting travellers but my token purchase for the day was a gorgeous pair of Lucky Brand jeans for only $55 (again, ladies, and males who are retail inclined, incredible shopping - cheap, good quality, lots of variety, a world of awesomeness!)

We're now transiting from Anaheim to West Hollywood for the next four days. It's actually a huge move to make even though it's in the same city because LA is just so spread out! It's been great so far, a bit of a culture shock in many ways, but lots and lots of fun! I hope you're all doing well…the next time you visit an Australian beach, take the time to notice how clean it is, how nice the sand is, how uncrowded it is…it's amazing how appreciative travelling can make you of your own home! =)

Love to all,

LIVxo