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Published: January 31st 2009
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Well after our good intentions of staying awake longer to counteract the time difference and ease jet lag, we find ourselves awake at 4.30am on Fri morning and starving. So what do I do?? I phone my mum to tell her we've got here safely and it's gorgoeus weather! Then attempted to doze before having a shower and sampling the breakfast (which luckily starts at 6.30). Breakfast includes toast, bagels, home made waffles with syrup, cereal, fruit and muffins as well as coffee, juice and milk. I'm impressed again and we stuff our faces before stealing some blueberry muffins and head on back to our room - we've also got a list of leaflets for "attractions" to go and see. These include Sea World and the Zoo, both in San Diego (where we will be going in 6 days time), Universal Studios, a Hollywood visitors guide and "Medieval Times" dinner and tournament - like the scene from Cable Guy where Jim Carey fights that other guy while all the diners watch on! I thought that would be pretty funny to go to one evening.
So after our huge breakfast, we decided to go to Venice Beach via the Metro -
we were dead lucky with the location of ouf hotel as there is a Metro station right next door - v handy! LA isn't as generous as the London underground with their allocation of maps so while we were trying to work it out, one of the Metro staff came over and told us how to get to Venice Beach - involved using 2 buses as well as 2 underground trains but you can buy a day pass for Metro lines (which include both the underground and some buses) for $5 so we got one of those and wound our way down to the beach. There were some interesting characters on the bus - in particular, a middle aged black guy who had droopy eyes and wore a grubby white pork-pie style hat. He kept chewing his teeth, then dozing, and then just shouting out randomn stuff to no-one in particular. Didn't want to make eye contact for obvious reasons.
We actually arrived at Santa Monica beach first and walked along it, under the pier and on to Venice beach. While we sat and ate our stolen muffins from breakfast ande watching some energetic folk play volleyball, there was
Paul
Paul in a very scenic shot with the pier in the background. Wasn't the person who took this, an excellent photographer... a girl nearby who was on the phone - she was talking to her boyfriend who wasn't being very accomodating concerning the meeting - apparently he was like this yesterday and she'd alreasy been to the Doctors this week who'd diagnosed her with stress and this didn't help - "Goddammit, don't you give me this shit - now you listen to me...." you get the idea - it was like something out of Jerry Springer! Paul and I reckoned she should give him the boot - sounded like he didn't appreciate her. Anyway, back to the er diary? story? oh whatever, I'll continue. Picture the scene - Santa Monica beach was full of families, children playing in the sea and on the sand with parents sunbathing, the pier with it's fairground rides and sketch artists, cyclists and rollerbladers all over the place and a 20 minute walk away well.... dubious looking characters holding placques up saying "I'm not gonna lie - I need a beer" or "Spare some weed", stalls selling sage (Yes, I wondered about that - it has magical properties apparently), tattoo parlours, random guys trying to stop you to listen to some new artist they are trying
Santa Monica Beach
Looking down just after getting off the bus. How pleasant for a stroll in January. to promote, tie-dye clothing, crystals, palm reading - all sorts of "alternative" stuff - I thought of my ex boss Jane straight away - could just see her sitting in one of the bars "relaxing" talking to some of the entertaining locals....not that I'm implying anythng of course...
By now, we must have walked for about 3 hours in the glorious sunshine, paddled in the sea, got sunburnt and we were feeling a bit tired - afterall, it felt like 3pm when we left the hotel owing to still adjusting to the time difference so we decide to head back. It took a lot longer than the way in owing to waiting for a bus for 30 mins but 3 bus rides, a 20 min walk and 2 metro trains later, we get back to the room and eat the leftover pizza we had last night. We know how to live!
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nicola
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American Buses
Hannah, I'm so impressed you've managed to write your blog already, sounds like you are having a great time. I forgot to warn you about the buses in America. My American friends tell me never to use the public buses...they are for people who can't afford cars. And if you don't have a car in America you must be a vagrant! I guess it's going to be pretty impossible for you to avoid the buses though while backpacking. I hope your Virgin flight was ok, and don't forget to keep putting your suntan lotion on, we don't want you coming home like a leather handbag! I've been on standby all day and haven't managed to leave Putney, I really hope to catch up with you at some point though xx