Hang on I thought we had just passed immigration procedures for the United States of America.... We arrived in California to meet up with Jeff and Kristy, who we hadn't seen since their wedding in 2002. Unfortunately they weren't in due to a family bereavement. They were very generous and let us stay in their house in Santa Monica. We wandered around the many blocks of Santa Monica and found Venice. Several small canals where people have built their dreamhomes, some in italian renaissance style. We then drove through the desert, passing forests of Joshua trees to arrive in Las Vegas, which can only be described as "completely crackers" (quote J. Knox). It is a bit like disneyland for adults. Along the "Strip" ie las Vegas Boulvard there are huge hotel complexes (with several thousand
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