Day 3

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DAY 3 - Sunday, 23 November 2008
Bit blurry this morning - it was a good night. Probably not helped by the fact that every time I asked for ‘water’ of the music, bar tenders kept confusing that with ‘Corona’ - fortunately a couple of Neurofen before I went to bed seems to have spared me a crippling hang over. Trying to remember the bards I went to last night is a little difficult, I think, but don’t quote me, I went to Trunk, Mothr Lode, some Cantina place that I can’t really remember the name of and possibly a place called the Loft or the Factory, which was a having a handbag night called Cherry Pop - and oddly the place smelled like Cherry flavoured candy. Think the Loft or the Factory was where the pretty people in LA hang out - pretty divey everywhere else. Ended up there by mistake when I met some people in one club who said we should go but they balked at the cover charge after I had already gone in. It was only $10 - these LA queens… Left the club after they announced the bar had stopped serving drinks at 2am - odd time for a city where you can buy alcohol in the corner shop… Got a cab home, could be bothered waiting for the next bus and woke up at 10am this morning…
Had a good time down at the beaches, Santa Monica, Muscle Beach and Venice beach - my legs are aching but the walk was very pleasant. Venice beach - now there’s something different. Every pot head this side of Hollywood must have been there sprinkled with some family fun. Can’t quite get my head around “Medical Marijuana” - apparently you get a card, like a licence. Not sure if that means you sign up to a ‘pot head’ register but this Jamican girl was trying her very best to get me to go upstairs and get my card… Whole lot of tourist shops along the esplanade with market stalls selling everything from chakra alignments (I know, there on the street in front of other tourists! Can you imagine) to bobblehead dolls celebrating Obamas victory - anyone for a $5 t-shirt?
Took a stroll up Santa Monica’s shopping mall, dodging the buskers all hoping to be discovered on American Idol - its really weird to be listening to a 12y.o. girl singing Whitney Houston in one ear and some freestyle rap by a 25y.o. guy from downtown LA in the other. The bus driver was a little odd - got him both ways up Santa Monica Boulevard - very informative yet every time he said UCLA - it was like he was some College fraternity guy cheering at a football match. It was so staccato and accented in the way he said U C L A it made me laugh each time he said it. I just wanted to get out of my seat, stick my hands like horns on my head, skull a beer and shout “YEAH!” - but luckily sense kicked in.
Off for a quieter drink this evening - just a couple of cheeky ones before I check in again for my Universal Trip tomorrow.
On a personal note - think I need to do some laundry. Fortunately there is a Laundromat across the road so I’m gonna take my book across tomorrow evening.
More later

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