Hollywood, CA

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Having left Vegas minus one wallet, all my credit cards and my student ID it's fair to say I was a little nervous approaching LA. On top of this I was carrying cash - about $1000, to last the rest of the week and set me up for New Zealand. My hostel was right in the middle of hollywood, about 40m from the walk of fame. Having met a load of English people and a few girls from Australia, the first night was a great laugh. We ended up in a club alled Opera, just down the road. Entry was $20, but apparently it was popular with stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan, so we paid up. They didn't show but Cypress Hill turned up and played 2 songs to promote their new album. Somehow a few of us ended up in the VIP area with them - must be the British accent or something. Apart from that night highlights included a tour of the Canyon behind hollywood - where we saw Van Wilder running, and a trip to Santa Monica Beach on the bus, with the best informed bus driver in the USA, who showed us the spots where Hugh Grant got busted and Notorious B.I.G. (i think) got shot. I also met some Irish guys and we went out to the Sunset Strip, where Jonny Depp used to own the Viper Room, and had the best steaks ever. LA is kind of intense and very expensive, but great fun - especcially if you find out where to go early on. Next I packed up again and left for the Southern Hemisphere.

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