The West of the States

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Hollywood
The dream - the home of superstars! Oh the glamour, the ritz, the wealth on every street corner.
The reality - dirty streets, tacky tourist shops, traffic and long, long bus rides.
Actual number of celebrities seen over a 2 week period - 0

There are plenty of goodtimes to be had though. Universal studios is a blast and, with Shrek as our escort on the public transit, it was a great way to meet the locals. The La Brea Tar Pits are worth a visit to check out the ice age animals that were caught in the pits. The beaches are quite nice. The smog creates a nice glow at sunset but at least two hours is needed each way to catch the bus there through the traffic.

San Francisco
The drive up from LA along the coast is lovely but best done during daylight hours so you can actually see something. Also of note, it's quite important to stay on the right hand side of the road here. It's a little disconcerting to discover that you have four lanes of traffic driving straight towards you. San Fran is a beautiful city right on the harbour, national parks near by and Alcatraz just a hop skip and a jump away.

Las Vegas
Make sure you've had a good night's sleep before you go to Vegas because you sure as hell wont be getting any once you arrive. With a squillion casinos, Venice's gondolas, chocolate waterfalls, Paris Hilton's nightclub, the party never stops. Then there's the Grand Canyon around the corner. Warning - Only Celine Dion fans should take the scenic flight. Another point of note is that the Greyhound bus drives via a prison on the way back to LA so you may wake up and find yourself sharing a seat with an ex-inmate.

Los Angeles
Back to LA just for a night this time at Hermosa Beach. Much nicer than Hollywood. Stocked up on medical supplies for the next four months in Latin America. Who knows how civilised it will be down there.

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