Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Monday 15th December 2003, Day 93/273 - Hollywood, California

Went and reserved a car today for our drive up the Pacific coast to San Fran which starts on Wednesday. $52 a day.

Finished book 9 now. John Grisham's - A Painted House. Really easy to read and well written, but not sure I actually learnt anything and I was left with more questions than answers.

Movie night in the hostel tonight. 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was the first film. Too weird for me so I left. I think you need to be on drugs to appreciate it. That's alright for most of the people in the hostel (especially the staff), but my drug days are long behind me.

I'm so bored. Mainly because I'm not feeling well and not doing much, but also because I've spent about 20 nights in a row in hostels and this is my 9th night in this one. There's nothing much wrong with the hostels, but I guess I was happier on the Greyhounds doing the cities quicker.

I suppose I've always suffered from this. I was a nightmare on a weeks holiday. After I'd caught up on my sleep I was ready to go home or move on.

I'm tired of having the same conversations with different people that I've got nothing in common with. I haven't really bonded with anyone in this hostel, travelling isn't always enough. Everyone is doing the same route. I'm glad i've done it slightly different from the rest, but I am currently trying to work out what to do with my month in Oz.  I may need to extend my time there.

I have learnt that you can't be best buddies with everyone. You can't click with everyone. That isn't a bad thing either. They might find me boring, but you know what? I find them boring too. You is what you is baby!
Sunday 14th December 2003, Day 92/273 - Hollywood, California

Stayed in today because it's chucking it down outside and I've got a sore throat. I've tried to get in the Xmas spirit, but can't. I even listened to my XMas CD, but to no avail.

I've missed my favourite show of the year back home. I love the BBC Sport's Personality of the Year Show. Had to be Johnny.

I can't believe Saddam has been captured too and nobody thought to tell me.
Saturday 13th December 2003, Day 91/273 - Hollywood, California.

Mx and I took the free hostel shuttle out to Venice Beach and followed the same route I did the other day. Still beautiful. On the way back we stopped of in Rodeo Drive where we relieved ourselves in the Beverly Willshire Hotel.

In the afternoon we went to the cinema. First we watched 21 Grams which isn't exactly a laugh a minute comedy, but is bloody good. Afterwards we caught the special edition of the 2nd Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers. I hadn't seen it before and Mx needed a refresher before the 3rd part comes out on the 16th. I'm not totally blown away by these films and why does it need to be 3 hours 40 minutes long. Frodo and Sam still have the ring and are still trying to throw it into the fire. Pippin and the other midget are still missing. The human, the elf and the dwarf are still looking for them and fighting any evil they find on the way. The bad wizards are still trying to destroy middle earth. So we're no further forward than we were after the 1st film. The books are probably better.

Monday, December 15, 2003

Friday 12th December 2003, Day 90/273 - Hollywood, California.


Today turned out to be quite a nice day so I took a walk up to the Hollywood sign. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the reservoir at the base of the sign and then about an hour to walk around the lake. I was a disappointed not to get closer to the sign and the view of LA was not as good as I expected.





When I arrived back at the hostel Mx had arrived fresh from Vegas. We had the hostels $4 roast chicken and then went to watch the new film 'Stuck on You' with Matt Damon. It was lighthearted and an evenings entertainment.

I'm so bored of American food. You can't even find a decent snack. The English get a bad rap for not having very good food, but what is America's national dish? A greasy burger? A fatty steak? or a dodgy mexican? Back in England we have a far better selection of DECENT and affordable food. Take Fleet for example. Population 20,000. You can eat from a variety of Thai, Indian, Chinese, French, Spanish and numerous pubs serving decent fare. In LA. Population 20,000,000. You can eat in any number of different take aways like McDonalds, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, KFC, Jack in the Box, IHOP, Pizza Hut, Popeye's, Denny's, Wendy's, Hardee's, Carl Jr., What A Burger, In n Out Burger, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, El Pollo Loco or Starbucks. Can't find a decent meal with vegatables anywhere. Please England don't go anymore American.
Thursday 11th December 2003, Day 89/273 - Hollywood, California

I had intended walking up to the Hollywood sign today, but the weather is pretty chilly so I went to the library and finished book 8 (Stephen King's - The Dead Zone).

Tonight is the Fluor Finance XMas party. Where would I rather be? Here in Hollywood or there? I miss the people but not the company.

Had $4 Spag Bol in the hostel.
Wednesday 10th December 2003, Day 88/273 - Hollywood, California.

What a nights sleep I had. The bloke in the bunk above me rocked up at 4.00 am drunk as a skunk. He couldn't walk, it was quite funny. He tried to clamber up onto his bunk but failed miserably so opted for the passing out on the floor option. He woke again at about 5.30 and proceeded to pee in the wardrobe. It's quite funny to be able to laugh at someone else's inebriation.

Today I took the metro one stop north from Hollywood and Highland to Universal City. From there I took he free shuttle up the hill to Universal Studios.

It costs $47 to get in. I had a good day, but I think I'm suffering from theme park fatigue. It didn't have any rollercoasters, but most of the rides were pretty good. It's got the Mummy, Back to the Future, Spiderman (which was shut), The Blues Brothers (Live Show), Shrek 4D (very good), Jurassic Park (very wet), Backdraft (impressive), the Special Effects Studio, The Studio Tour (with Jaws and King Kong), Animal Planet Live and Terminator 2 3D (which was good until it broke down).






I had the $4 Chicken Teriyaki in the hostel and then it was comedy night again. This time it was funnier. The dollar beer helps.

Comedian - So how long have you been in the States?
Bloo - 3 months
Comedian - Wow! Whats the best place you've been to?
Bloo - Hooters!

Friday, December 12, 2003

Tuesday 9th December 2003. Day 87/273 - Los Angeles, California.

Took the free hostel shuttle down to Venice Beach. It took way longer than I thought it would, about 45 minutes. I finally got my first view of the Pacific Ocean and it was pretty stunning.



Venice Beach



Venice Beach


The beach is exactly like it is on the TV. There are the open air Basketball courts from 'White Men Can't Jump', the 'Baywatch' beach lookouts, the exercise nuts flying down the strip on rollerblades, skate boards, bikes or just their feet. The beachfront is lined with shop selling all sorts of wares.



Basketball Courts


I took a walk up Venice Beach will all the other beautiful people, passing Muscle Beach and up to Santa Monica pier. I'd take this place any day over Miami. It's far nicer.



Muscle Beach



Muscle Beach


As you move away from the beach you pass the nice looking shopping district, but the best thing about Santa Monica is that it has a pub called the 'Britania'. Yeah lets hear it for the Brit. So I had a beer and then took the public bus back to Hollywood. That took chuffing ages too.



The Brit


Good news though. I've booked tickets to go and see the Harlem Globetrotters in Portland, Oregon on the 24th January 2004. That's another ambition to cross of the list.



Baywatch



Santa Monica Pier



Baywatch
Monday 8th December 2003, Day 86/273 - Los Angeles, California.

Today I'm doing walking tour of the stars LA homes. It's organised by the hostel at a price of $7, way cheaper than any other tour.  We took the bus down Sunset Boulevard to Holmby Hills. On the way we passed the spot where Hugh Grant got arrested with the prostitute, the George Michael toilets and the Viper Room (owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died 10 years ago) plus many other celebrity hangouts.

Holmby Hills is LA's most expensive district with house prices ranging from $20m to $90m. The $90m house belongs to TV producer Aaron Spelling. Holmby Hills is also home to the Playboy Mansion and Baby Face.



The crooked house



Anyone recognise which film this is from?





The gates to the Playboy mansion



From here we walked into Bel Air where the prices range from $10m to $20m and we saw the former homes of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. In these areas there aren't many great camera opportunities because of all the security.

We ended up in Beverly Hills which is a city in its own right, not a suburb of LA. It was all beautifully manicured lawns and wide palm tree lined avenues. The houses are reasonably priced at $2m to $10m and include the house from Beverly Hills II and the bizarre Hanzel and Gretel house.

We ended up on Rodeo Drive where we ate lunch (how posh) and stared in the windows of all the designer shops before ending up at the Pretty Woman Hotel, where a suite will cost $5000 for the night.



The Pretty Woman Hotel



Rodeo Drive



In the evening I had a cracking beef curry for $4 cooked by the hostel chef (Omah) (Happy now Stan).

Monday night is movie night in the hostel party room. First up was 'One Hour Photo' in which Robin Williams is great. 2nd up was 'Bad Boys II' which is long.

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Sunday 7th December 2003, Day 85/273 - San Diego, California to Los Angeles, California.

I've had a few complaints about the standard of my blog recently. I guess as time progresses and my rehabilitation continues it becomes harder and harder to lay my soul on the line. I'm over the stage of saying "Hi my name's Stuart and I'm divorced." I think it's a good sign as far as I'm concerned, but can understand how it becomes a less interesting read.

Since leaving Vegas I've found it hard to get motivated in the morning. I haven't slept too well. I've had a lot of dreams and keep waking up regularly. In a way I'm missing the routine of getting up everyday and going to work. Some of that is due to the fact that I see my balance in my savings account diminishing, but it is also the fact that I just miss being settled. I've had at least 30 different beds since I came away.

Money worries or any other reason won't make me return early. If I come home with a little debt it will have been worth it. I have changed significantly over the last 3 months, but I'm concious that the trip to normality is far from complete and there are still many things that I need and want to see.

In some ways I also find it a disruptive knowing that my Mum and Dad and Big Steve are coming out to see me soon. That may sound strange. Obviously I miss them all and want to see them, but I haven't seen anyone from the real world in 3 months. Them coming over makes me think of my own home coming in June and that feels so very far away. Maybe disruptive is the wrong word. Excitement is more accurate, but of a kind that I've never experienced before.

Of course I could be wrong about all of this and my lack of motivation could just be a post Vegas hangover.

San Diego has been really nice. I enjoyed my time. I would say in the main it's a nice, safe place to be and the hostel is placed right in the centre of the happening area.

California does seem to attract all the stoners. I think they are attracted by the sun and in the main are totally harmless and some are quite amusing.

Today I'm on the 8.30 bus to LA. From LA I caught the 11.30 to Hollywood arriving at 11.50.  Total cost of $15.

For some reason 'The Littlest Hobo' theme keeps popping up in my head. I guess that's what I feel like.

LA itself is a bit of a concrete jungle and has 19 boroughs. Like most American cities it spreads out as opposed to up and looks a bit daunting to get across. In truth it's a bit of a dump. Hollywood is a little bit nicer. I like the sight of the 'Black and White's - To Protect and To Serve'



I'm staying in the USA Hostel on Shraeder Boulevard for $17 a night. The hostel is ideally situated between Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard.

I went for a walk down Hollywood Boulevard where the walk of fame is with all the stars in the pavement. I found myself walking with my eyes looking at my feet staring at names that I mainly didn't recognise. There were fewer names that I did recognise although I'm a bit dubious about the awarding of a star to the 'Rugrats'. 'The Simpsons' goes without saying. It's fair to say that there are more stars than I imagined.

The next thing I knew I was at the 'Chinese Theatre', which was pretty unassuming.  This is where the stars put their footprints, handprints and names in wet cement. It's also where I believe the Oscars are held, I'm sure someone will correct me if wrong. It definitely hosts a number of film premieres so I decided to take in the new Tom Cruise movie 'The Last Samurai'. It was good, if a little too Americanized. The American audience loved it needless to say.














As you can imagine LA is filled with many weirdo's again attracted by the bright light's and sun. There are also many more travellers in LA and on the west oast in general. Obviously this is because LAX is a major stop off on the way to and from NZ and Oz.

In the evening I stayed in the hostel for the comedy show in the party room. There were a string of comedians who I felt increasingly sorry for. Admittedly most of them were awful and the racist joke didn't impress the Zimbabwean girl who threw a bottle. It kind of went down hill from there and not one of the comedians could get the audience back. The audience was full of cocky young travellers (mainly aussies) who think they know everything, but in the main were just plain rude.
Saturday 6th December 2003, Day 84/273 - San Diego, California

My final day in San Diego and I still haven't seen the Pacific ocean. Apparently the waves are good and the beaches beautiful with lots of good surfing. I'll save the beaches for Los Angeles.

In the evening Mx, Sean (from Farnham), Yon (from France) and I went ice skating on the outdoor rink ($8). It's something I've always wanted to do. It looks so cool especially to the back drop of a giant christmas tree and christmas carols.

It was my first time skating in 11 years. I remember my last time vividly as it was with a whole group of new friends that I'd made when I first moved to Fleet and included Nikki. She was a decent figure skater and skated rings around everyone, whilst I spent most of my time on my arse. The first time I went skating, I fell over and someone ran over my hand.  Luckily their edges were blunt and I had gloves on, but I still have the scar to prove it. I never felt the need to go skating again and embarrass myself further.

This time however after an initial lap of holding on to the barriers I surprised myself with my balance. The rest of the time I spent dodging sprawling kids, but I didn't fall over and I do believe that I can now stop on ice skates without using the barriers for help. Yon being 22 years old and French spent his whole time trying to chat up girls. It was embarrassing, he was like a dog on heat.



After we all went to TGI Fridays (again) and ate and drank copious amounts of Margarita's.
Friday 5th December 2003, Day 83/273 - San Diego, California

Today I'm off on a hostel arranged trip to Tijuana, Mexico. It cost $6 and then $5 for the trolley ticket. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the border town. There are no guards on the crossing to get into Mexico and I a bit gutted that I don't get a stamp in my passport.  That was one of my main reasons for coming here.

We are greeted by numerous street traders and kid's offering all sorts of wares that I don't want. The shopkeepers are all trying to lure you into their shops. The majority of the shops are pharmacies. You can buy any drugs you want and you don't need a perscription. There are also lots of seedy little strip clubs. 'Hey teenagers. We make you men.' the guys outside say. I'm flattered he thinks I'm a teenager.

We went to a little Mexican bar for lunch. Remember if your paying more than a dollar for Corona's then you've been done. Everything is paid for in US dollars. In that way this place reminds me of when I went to Yugoslavia in the early 90's. We drank the bar dry of Corona's, but it's okay because the tequila man comes round to pour it straight down your throat. God I hate that stuff, but it's $2 for as much as you can drink. I have found a new talent.



For some reason in Tijuana they feel the need to paint stripes on donkeys to make them look like zebra's. No one could give me a satisfactory explanation as to why they do this. It's very strange.



After lunch the shoppers and the drinkers split up. I've got no room left in my rucksack so I went with the 9 drinkers. We were in search of dollar Corona's. We went in a few of the dodgy strip bars (Mx included) as they were free and beer was cheap. The first bar strippers stayed distinctly fully dressed. In the second bar we demanded to see more flesh. We got it, she had cellulite popping out all over the place, it almost put me off my beer. It's okay though, I don't want anyone to get upset with me for visiting a strip bar, because we had Mx with us the whole time as our responsible adult. She made me go into these places. There's no stopping that girl when she's had a margarita.















Tijuana really is a hole. If it's an advert for Mexico then it's not a very good one, but at least I've been. I'd never go to Tijuana on my own and I'd definitely never leave the main strip.

Right, so back to America, the land of the free and the home of expensive beers. As we'd had a taste for the beer we decided to kick the arse out of it so we went to the 'Kansas City BBQ'. This is also known as the 'Top Gun Bar' as it is where the Goose singing 'Great Balls of Fire' scene was filmed. It really is a grotty little hole and to prove how much we had to drink we all bought the $12 T shirts. The 'Top Gun Bar' was so grotty that it made Hooters appear classy. Hooter's really is a family restaurant. It has a kids menu. I know if I had my time again and my parents asked me where I'd like to go for my 13th birthday party, I'd say Hooters every time.