Last 2 weeks!

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Hi all

Sorry about the delay but as most of you know I am now back and my life is back to being completely chaotic so have only just got around to typing this!

Well the last 3 days in Bolivia were pretty uneventful mainly because we did very little. As we were Boliviad out we spent one day just looking round La Paz which is a challenge in itself due to the altitude. The second day we went on a tour which comprised of just the 2 of us, a driver, a guide and a trainee guide??? The tour took us up a mountain to a view point which was very spectacular but very cold with snow on the tops of the mountains and the drive up there was another scary journey. In the afternoon we went to Valley of the Moon which was just on the outskirts of La Paz and is basically an area of land which is very bizarre and literally looks like the surface of the moon. We had a walk around but it was so hot we didn't last long and were soon back in the van and on our way back to the hostel. The last day we had our flight in the evening and we were going to pop into the centre of La Paz for a final look round. We went into reception to check out and heard alot of noise coming from down the street and were informed by the staff that there were protests going on. They put the TV on and the minors were not happy about an increase in their tax so were therefore in La Paz protesting and throwing sticks of dynamite. As you can imagine at this point we decided that we would not venture out of the hostel and we spent the day sitting around doing nothing which was mind numbing but it was not safe to go out. We got hungry about 3ish and walked across the road to a local cafe where I decided to test my Spanish for the last time and ordered 1 tea, 1 coffee and 2 spaghetti bolognaises and ended up with 1 coffee, 1 hot chocolate and 2 danishes so that went well. That night we left Bolivia (hooray) after the usual couple of hours delay and arrived in Miami early the next morning. We managed to get an internal flight the same day to San Fransisco so by that evening we were back in civilisation which was wonderful. We found a great hostel right in the middle of the city and basically crashed out. The next morning we woke to it chucking it down with rain and being pretty cold so we had some acclimatising to do. San Fransisco is amazing, the city itself is only 7 miles by 7 miles but it is beautiful and we spent the first day walking around and discovered they had some amazing shops. This was the Thursday (8th Feb) and we decided to spend a week here and then go onto LA. On the Friday we went on a city tour which took us all round San Fransisco and we got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay, Alcatraz (from the shore) and loads of places where famous films have been shot and many other sights so it was a really good day although the weather was still rubbish. The hostel we were staying in was pretty good and had free internet and breakfast was included which comprised of every type of bagel you could think of, toast and tea and coffee so we would eat as much as we could in the morning to save money on lunch. The next day we caught one of the famous trams down to the harbour and they are great fun. The hills here are mad and I would hate to drive over here as you must need a new clutch every few months! The harbour here is fantastic, it is sooo beautiful and there is a famous peir called Pier 39 which is very touristy but great. It has tons of shops and loads of restaurants mainly specialising in seafood as their main industry and the aquarium is on the pier as well as a theatre and street entertainers. We went into the aquarium as we have been doing everywhere we have been due to Robs obsession with sharks and things and we then had a very wet walk up the pier as still chucking it down. At the end of the pier are the Sealions which are pretty cool as they are just lying there on the jettys making alot of noise but really good to see. We spent the rest of the week looking around and just enjoying the city and on the last day we went on another bus trip which actually went over the bridge and back again. Luckily the weather had brightened up by then and the sun was actually shining on some days. On Thursday (15th) we left San Fransisco and flew to Los Angeles and decided that as we had no transport we would stay right in the middle of Hollywood in easy reach of all the main attractions. Well we found a hostel which had been recommended to us but only had dorms sleeping 8 so we booked in here for 2 nights to start with. It was not the most friendly hostel we had stayed in and was full of glamed up snotty people which we then went on to discover was pretty much the norm in LA. Hollywood was not at all what we expected and we were quite disappointed as very seedy and tatty and very unfriendly place. That night however there was an LA Lakers game being played so we got a taxi and managed to get tickets. The Stadium was huge and we were right at the top so the players looked like little midgets. It was fun though as the atmosphere is amazing although the game seemed to drag on for hours. The best bit though was that Jack Nicholson, Zack Braff and Jayzee where there watching so we saw them. On the Friday we went on a tour which took us round all the major sights in Hollywood. We started off visiting Hollywood Boulevard and seeing the Hollywood Walk of fame where all the famous actors and actresses have their names on the pavement and we saw Manns Chinese Theatre where the Oscars are held. Alot of the street was closed as they were preparing for this years Oscars which was just after we were leaving LA so they were getting it all ready. We were then taken up to Hollywood Hills which gave us a fantastic view over Hollywood and we got to see the famous Hollywood sign up close. The tour then took us to Venice Beach and Muscle Beach and again not that impressed as full of all types of people basically showing themselves off and it all felt very false and that everyone was out to compete with each other so we had lunch here and then headed back into the tour van. In the afternoon we were taken to Beverley Hills and drove round the houses of the rich and famous including Britneys, Tom Cruises, The Spellings, The Osbounes and Madonnas. I found this quite interesting being nosy and into all my celebrity gossip so this was good and some of the houses were amazing and you could easily get lost in them for days. We ended the day by going to Rodeo Drive and got to use the loo in the hotel from Pretty Women - Whoopie! Nice loos with handcream and everything. We walked down Rodeo Drive but all we could afford was a Starbucks but never mind when I win the lottery I will treat myself. On the drive back we went past famous places like the club that Johnny Depp owns and places that famouse stars are seen at etc, unfortunately we didn't see anyone. That night we wandered down the road and found a Comedy Club which we had heard of as quite a few big comedians started here. Luckily as we were early there were still tickets left so we had dinner and then went into the Comedy Club and it was brilliant as quite a small room and it was very funny. The next day we had to check out of the hostel as we had only booked 2 nights and we were not keen on staying their as we had hardly any sleep due to the rooms having 8 people in and people were coming in and out all night and no one was particularly friendly. It took us ages to find accommodation as it is always booked up in the middle of Hollywood and we needed to stay central as LA is a pain to get around without the car, the public transport is useless. In the end we found a motel which was dead cheap and right next to Hollywood Boulevard. It was ideal as we had our own room so we could unpack and start sorting our stuff out for coming home and after staying in a dorm in San Franscisco and then here for 2 nights we were knackered. That day was pretty much a right off as by the time we had sorted ourselves out we were worn out and the thought of a night in being able to watch tv, eat in and have an early night was very exciting. So we ordered a chinese which was delivered to our room (I love that they do this in America) and basically we slobbed out and it was sooo nice to have a room to ourselves again and we must of slept for about 12 hours. In the morning we went to a mall which everyone had raved on about and being the expert shoppers we are we spent the day mainly window shopping due to lack of funds but we did get a couple of bargins. We had 2 and a half days left and we were bored of LA already so we went to Universal Studios and the pass entitled us to free entry for the whole year! Not sure the point in this as we live in England but I guess it is good for the locals. It was fun and we got to go on a studio tour where I got to see Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives and loads of sets from famous films and all the rides where fun. In the evening we stayed their and went down the entertainment area which is just outside and wandered around which was good. On our last full day we went back to Universal to finish off what we hadn't seen and we managed to get tickets for the Jay Leno show that afternoon. Jay Leno is a chat show host and his show is huge over here so we thought this would be fun plus the tickets are free. So off we went and we found out that we had guaranteed tickets which are very rare so we were straight in and got put right at the front so it was fame at last. The show lasted about an hour and although there was no one famous on that we new when we watched it in out room that night when it was broadcast we were on it loads. Such a shame it is not shown in England and no one got to see our 5 minutes of fame but never mind. It was then our last day and whilst we were happy to leave LA it suddenly hit us that this was it and we were going home! It felt really strange and very sad and I had to keep reminding myself that I would be seeing family and friends again soon to chear me up. So I am back home now as I expect you all know and straight back into work, homelife etc. It seems like years ago I was travelling and I can not believe how quickly it has all gone. Anyway thanks for reading and hope I have not bored you all too much, you can all breath a sigh of releif that this blog is now over.

Thanks Love Beckyxxxxxx

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