Los Angeles - Week 1

Seven weeks at home and I was getting itchy feet.

I'd spent quality time with the family, reminded my niece and nephew what I look like, politely nodded as my friends jealously abused me, but I just didn't feel settled. Three months in the mountains made coming home to the claustrophobia of England all the more uncomfortable.

My time in Canada had only increased my craving for the outdoor lifestyle that comes with snowboarding, so after a few weeks freelance design to top up the funds, I packed up the snowboard again and set off for the winter of New Zealand. But first, a short break in California.

The last time I was in LA, I ran out of petrol in Compton, South Central. This, if you don't know, is a rather dodgy area and I'll save you the details but it all went downhill when I asked the hispanic gang member working at the gas station if I could possibly use his toilet.

Anyway, here I am, some seven years later, keen to see a better side of the city. With the sun blazing and temperatures in the 80's I checked into a cheap, serial killer type Motel in Santa Monica, and looked forward to spending a few days people watching on Venice beach.

LA really is nuts. Properly nuts. If you've never been it is exactly as you imagine it. You have the bearded down-n'-out's saying "daym man, we done had it better in the 70's" a lot. You have the blond roller blading girls in lycra carrying a rat dog. You have the guys on bikes carrying surfboards under their arms. And there are the musicians wearing bandanas and aviator shades strumming their latest folk masterpiece to anyone that's interested.

And of course you have the film crews. I spent most of Tuesday watching Dreamworks take over Santa Monica pier as Eddie Murphy was filmed buying an Ice Cream Sundae. Very dramatic. Something tells me I wasn't witnessing one of the classic scenes of cinema, but it was fascinating none the less. I managed to chat to the struggling actor who handed the Sundae to "Mr Murphy" and he said the movie was called One Thousand Words by a Director he'd never heard of. Oh well, not quite the Beverly HIlls Cop 4 I was hoping for, but I'll still be looking out for it when it comes out, if only to see if my stint as "dodgy looking English guy drinking a smoothie" made it to the final cut.

It's common knowledge that you avoid the beach front In the evenings (it's a popular venue for gangland "arguments"), so I stuck to the cheap food and drinks of Santa Monica's town centre. Staying in the same Motel as me were two girls from Brighton doing the classic Big Sur road trip, so I hooked up with them on my last evening.

It was the night of the biggest basket ball game of the year, the equivalent of the champions league final - the LA Lakers were taking on the Boston Celtics so we were looking forward to a lively night. But a) like a twat I'd left my passport in my room so couldn't get served at any bar and b) The Lakers lost, so the expected party atmosphere was replaced by a lot of Lakers fans moaning.

Anyway, a few days of Los Angeles is enough for anyone. I'd heard the weather in New Zealand was -20, so off with the shorts and flip flops, and on with the goose down puffer jacket. A few of the guys I'd met in Canada were already there and raving about the incredible scenery.

So, time to see what all the fuss was about.
Next stop, Christchurch, South Island!

Laps.

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