We really pick the nights to get drunk!! Our last night in the hostel in LA was eventful but have the hangover from hell today and we need to drive to Santa Barbara! We had a drink in the hostel and were planning to have a quiet night until about 10.30 when we decided it would be a really good idea to join an organised group who were going clubbing. We told them we would find our own way to the club as we weren't ready. The getting ready itself was a task as none of us had a clubbing outfit between us so we all ended up wearing a bit of everyone elses clothes. The dorm we stayed in here was a mixed dorm so there were a few Irish guys also getting ready to go to the same club so we all went together. Of course the club that everyone says is 5 minutes away was nowhere to be found and we ended up walking for about 12 blocks. We were almost convinced to give up and when we came across it, only 2 blocks from the hostel...aaaarrgghhhh! The club was really quiet, it was a Wednesday and it
was just new but we had a good laugh anyway. We got thrown out at 2am.....what time is that for a club to close, huh! We were not amused! Staggered back to the hostel where the party continued. Security were not at all pleased with us and sent us packing down to the basement where there was an itunes set up so we had a great time singing and dancing our socks off where noone could hear us.
We were paying for it the next day though. Stopped at Malibu beach on the way to Santa Barbara. The beach is gorgeous and there are some really (big) beautiful houses there although we didnt see any celebrities strutting there stuff which of course we were quite dissappointed about.
Santa Barbara is a lovely town, very Spanish looking. We went for a nice Indian meal tonight to cure the hangover. The Fiesta Festival is on the moment here, it runs from the 1st-5th August. Its really celebrated here, the whole town turns out and makes a day of it. There was a great parade, one woman riding a horse unaccompanied...she was 105 years old!! Apparently she has been riding in the
parade every year since she was young. She got a standing ovation. Theres loads of lovely shops, pubs and restaurants here, it has a great atmosphere about it. The whole place is heaving because of the festival. There has been a huge forest fire aswell not far from here and a lot of people have been evacuated. The girls were having lunch outside in the town and had to go indoors as there was ash dropping into everyones food! ( A week later, when i was flying back from San Francisco to LA, i could see where the fire had been, it was still sending up huge bursts of smoke and ash).
Went to see hairspray last night, it was fab, really good fun.
Left Sanata Barbara to head up the coast toward San Francisco via the Big Sur. Stopped at a lovely little fishing village on the way called Morra Bay. Had a great lunch of clam chowder followed by fish and chips. The coastline is absolutely stunning and we stopped loads of times to take pictures - at least Judy and I stopped to take pictures! Catriona and Carrie-anne where a bit bored in the end up
with the huge task of getting in and out of the car :-)
We got a shock when we got to Monterey as there whas no accommodation to be had in the whole town. There were concerts on apparently and of course we didnt check so we had to drive out to a place called Marina where we got one of the last rooms in a motel. A couple of the girls slept on the floor but we had a couple of drinks and it was a nice change from sleeping in a dorm.
We drove back to Monterey for a look around and its not what we expected but its quaint and pretty. I guess we thought it would be a bit more glamorous but it was mobbed and it has a nice harbour where you can watch the seals and otters playing.
After Monterey we headed on up the coast and stopped for a couple of nights at Santa Cruz. That was a bit of a shock, its like the Americans version of Blackpool. Absolutely mobbed with a huge amusement park on the beach. The beach is really windy here, the sand was everywhere after a bit.
Our hostel is nice, its a small cotaage that we share with just one other room. Had a couple of margaritas to pass the time as you are not allowed access to the hostel between 11am and 5pm but that wasnt to much of a chore :-) Heading to San Francisco tomorrow.
United States' Flag
Map of United States