Hi Everyone

Welcome to my 1st official blog - What else can I say... but what a start to our travels. I'm sure everyone is aware of the T5 troubles back at home and I'm araid we were caught up in it. After boarding the aircraft we were delayed for 3 1/2 hours because they had put the wrong luggage on our plane. 14 long hours later we arrive in LA to be told that only half our luggage made it. Well, I was one of the unlucky ones. The BA people were not very helpful. I then spent the next hour and a half on hold listening to Mozart on a banjo, running up a bill, I'm sure, well in excess of my next years pay check. After finally getting through to customer help, they tell me nothing other than they don't know where it is. I am stranded in LA with nothing but what I am wearing.

Anyway, our hostel is at Venice beach, just down the beach from Santa Monica and the world famous Muscle beach. The hostel is great and the staff are very friendly. Last night we had pizza and a few beers and went to bed. This morning we went for a walk up the beach to explore. We went to Santa Monica pier which is world famous and saw the original Muscle beach.

After that we met up with my cousin Pete on 3rd street Promanade in Santa Monica, a very famous area where the rich go. He then drove us to downtown LA (definately an experience worth affording) where we jumped on a train to Solano Beach in San Diego. My uncle picked us up and we went out for beers at a place called Pizza Port, where they sell the best beer in California. The beer is pale ale, 8% stuff, very different from anything you get in England and after a few pitchers of that, we came home and carried on drinking there. Needless to say, I woke up at 5 the next morning, wide awake, with a headache.

Right, I must go, I have another thrilling hour planned on the BA customer helpline in store. I'm not feeling confident.

Nick xx