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Published: February 5th 2009
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Snowy
There she is! Our little hire car - a Chevrolet Colbolt. named after the weather conditions in the UK.... We got up and breakfasted at 8am and were pleased to see the bagels were back on the menu (they'd been absent for the last 3 days which I wasn't happy about). We had to check out of our room at 12 so spent the morning packing and writing down directions for the car hire place. We left the hotel and headed for the metro lugging our really heavy bags, where we had to get 3 trains to get near the airport, to get shuttle to airport, to then get shuttle to car hire place. First one, no problem but we nip up above ground to get a drink and end up having chicken burritos in a mexican called Qdoba which were absolutely delicious! We descend the steps back into the dark underground and see the next train waiting there. We run over a bridge and Paul gets on - the doors start beeping and yep, you guessed it - they close before I have chance to get on! I look at him through the glass and hold one finger up and point towards the tunnel to indicate "get off at the next stop". He nodded, the train picks up speed and then he disapperars into the tunnel.
Right, so now what? I sat down on a seat and twiddled my thumbs, watching people around me. There was a guy selling belts to anyone who would glance at him, a Japenese couple who were trying to work out which line they should be catching, a few lone males skulking about and yep, the token drunk, who took it upon himself to sit next to me. Typical.... But saying that, other than him asking if it was ok to sit here (slurring his words) he didn't say anything else and soon sat with his head almost touching his knees in a stupor. I had to wait about 15 mins for the next train and the longer I had to wait, the more worrying thoughts kept popping in my head - what if he didn't understand me "get off at next stop" instruction? What if he were going to get the train back to me, and I get on the next train and we get trapped between the two stations for evermore? What if he get's asked for his ticket and gets taken away somewhere? (I had the tickets). What if there are no more trains? (that was stupid too as it was the middle of the day). What if I get asked what I'm doing here by the police and they ask to see my passport (Paul had them, along with both our phones?) - I know that's a stupid one as obviously, I'l waiting for a train, but you know how it is when you start worrying about something - logic goes out the window! Luckily, the next train arrives and I clamber on, wondering what I'd do if I couldn't see Paul waiting at the next stop. Luckily, he was there and got on the train to join me, whereas I started laughing - it just struck me as being really funny!
We change trains and get off at Aviation Boulevard which has the shuttle waiting, along with another couple of buses. Paul speaks to one of the drivers to check if they go near the car rental place, instead of going to the airport to then go to the car hire place. Luckily, she does but no matter how many times he said "Hertz" car rental, she just didn't not know what he was saying- "I know you wanna renna car, i jus' dunno what place you wanna go - I can't unnerstand you!" - in the end, he spelled it out to her (while trying to keep his temper) "Oooooooh, Hertz - Oh well A know where that is!" God, anyone would think we were talking Dutch or something. but she's does make an unscheduled stop so we only have to walk 10 mins in the scorching heat carrying all our wordly goods for the next 10 months. I have used the rucksack straps on my bag and feel like a 90 year old arthritic woman, stooped low under the wait of my bag. Finally, we enter the cool, air-conditioned office and get assigned our car - it's a white Chevrolet Colbolt. We get rough directions to get on interstate 405 and head out of LA - well, it takes about half an hour to leave LA as it's so vast but we settle into the drive - keeping our eyes peeled for signs for San Diego.. I was thankful Paul was driving as the interstate, in our direction alone, comprised of between 5 and 7 lanes.
After 2 hours from leaving the car rental place, we come to San Diego and luckily, our motel was along a road called hotel circle which was well signposted and we pulled up into the car park with no problems at all. We drop our bags off in our room and then go back out to go to a supermarket (there is no breakfast included and we have a little kitchen in the room). We find "Ralph's Supermarket" and it was bliss to be in a normal supermarket instead of seedy little licquor stores or fish market places like we had in LA - and yes! they have Cadbury's chocolate! So with that, clutched in my hand, we go back to the room and collapse.
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