Clarion Hotel Downtown L.A Los Angeles

... general public, so Universal would be the first test of my patience on the trip. Once we got there it wasnt very busy at all, I guess one of the bonuses of going out of season. Was a great day, everything we went to watch or ride, we had no queues...literally jumped on anything we wanted and managed to do all the rides etc in a day. Ended the day with dinner at Bubba Gumps.....went home feeling bloated etc etc...again another early night!!

Next day we took ...

... s and, once Katie & Chris had returned, started discussing the evening's entertainment. This being October 31st we obviously had to go out - the Americans do Halloween in a very big way - probably along the lines of our New Year's Eve in terms of the party atmosphere. Lydia had been very anxious to find a street party and "mingle". I don't think the rest of us really knew what we were letting ourselves in for when we settled on the West Hollywood Halloween ...

Well tomorrow is the last day of our two weeks in america! L.A has been great - we have walked the walk of fame on hollywood blvd and seen floyd mayweather and marquez warming up pre-fight! michael jackson's star was covered in flowers and hundreds of people taking pictures! we went to santa monica beach and promenade and to venice beach with the gym outside on the beach. we had amazing frozen yogurt last ...

... I decided it was time to venture into the closed rooms.

I pushed the first door open and was greeted with volumes and volumes of books. Still no pictures. Nothing confirming Alex was indeed the resident here.

The second door clearly led to a bedroom. Through the crack I saw what appeared to be a figure sprawled out on the bed. This made sense. Alex said he would be taking a nap. "Alex!" Still no response. Naturally, the sleeping occupant had his pillow ...

... Pelican cases to replace the existing cases the equipment is traveling in is in the mix. Every list creates a sub list of needed supplies. T Daspit was a source of info having lived in Bayanga before with his wife and 2 kids. Anti-fungal is a key word he used in getting ready. Hmmm "I love the smell of napalm(clorox) in the morning". Young production crew here planning this venture has me a little wary. "Why are they asking me that?"

... across the street pretend not to notice but are obviously snickering, and we run in to Justin's apartment where I spend a glorious half hour dunking my face into soapy cold water unable to see straight. The final judgment: definitely a damned good idea.

The rest of Los Angeles was pretty humdrum with a few interesting points. Among them are the wonders of a subway system (which in my 18 years of living there I had never even ...

... for a fun (but dangerous) driving experience. I tried to capture what I could on the camera while driving (folks, please don't do this at home... do it on the road). My near death experience happened in Utah on a climb up another mountain. It was drizzling and then I saw a sign that said "Slippery When Wet". Okay, I'm no idiot. I slow down... a bit. And then the incline starts. As I'm driving up with the windshield wipers on, I see solid build up on the side of ...

... the last place on Earth I´d live... great place to visit with heaps to do but the traffic would drive me insane. The people are extremely friendly though... very easy to strike up a conversation with most people Pablo and I have met up with. Always willing to help... and answer our questions. From what I see, the Americans are quite interested in Aussies... we have such awesome reputations wherever I´ve been.

... How could there be such a thing!? Anyways, I went out then to go to the washroom, and, lo and behold, ran into a woman who had an actual "wagon" with four little doggies in it, all wearing matching t-shirts! And she was holding another one in her hands as she was registering for the conference at the registration table and yet another little sweet pea of a dog in a bag hanging on her shoulder, who was wearing a black cap. Although it was ...

... offered. 9:30 AM we were in the air, leaving Seattle behind. Could I make the connection? 11:45 On the ground in LA. How long does it TAKE to open the door? "Go to Customer Service and they will help you find the LAN Chile desk," offered the flight attendant. "I have no idea where it is." RUN. Ah, Customer Service desk. 27 people in line for one Customer Representative. Quick multiplication in my head. 27 people times a conservative 5 minutes each equals 135 minutes. Plane ...