This is LA, California!

LA, California USA.

We arrived in LA, after a pretty crappy 10 hour flight from Fiji, to a beautiful smiling face – Jinny. It was great to land in the mighty USA, and having Jin meet us at the airport gave me a sensation like we were coming home.

We landed in the states on Thursday May 6th at 1.30pm, which was actually Friday 7th 8.30am for us. It was great to get to relive the 6th May again, but because we got very little sleep on the plane, we were a little hanging. Jin didn’t need to ask to know this – her first stop was to buy us a tall iced coffee. We were incredibly grateful. And alive again. Actually, I would even go as far as to say that that was quite possibly the best coffee I have ever had – despite a 20kg pack on my bag, I was able to bounce all the way to the bus stop with Karlos and Jin. Caffeine hit? Or perhaps I was just really happy to be in America...

Before arriving in the US I’d heard everyone who’s ever been to America’s version of “oh, US customs are terrible, you gotta be careful,” and was therefore a little anxious about arriving in LA. However, despite the relatively long queues, I don’t see what the issue is that everyone goes on about. I was expecting to be asked a multitude of interrogating questions by the customs officer, and produce evidence for what I ate for breakfast and all sorts – but a simple photo, finger print, and “where are you staying?” was all I was asked, before my beautiful maroon passport got herself another stamp.

Hollywood – we have arrived, baby!

We caught the bus from LAX to Union station, and then the metro to Hollywood, where we were delighted to learn is where our Jin lives! The ceiling of the Hollywood metro station is covered in film reels, and is such a pretty building – a far better experience than the piss-smelling european metros I’ve used in my time – and the moment we walked out of the metro, I was faced by the grand ‘Pantages Theatre’ displaying a CHICAGO banner. Hello? What? CHICAGO is currently showing here? Oh, Hollywood... I like you already!



Karlos and I spent a really cool few days with Jin in LA. Sushi and saki on our first evening, at a really cool restaurant in Franklin Village, started us off well... followed by a very stereotypical american day. I loved it! We had breakfast with Jin at a place called ‘Waffle’ on Sunset Boulevard – consisting of OJ, bacon and hashbrowns, and the like. A pleasant trip was then made to the local Target department store, in order for us to buy some US mobile phones, and to people watch! I’m always fascinated by department stores and supermarkets, when in a new country. I figure it’s a perfect place to see locals going about their daily routine. And there are always opportunities to browse for unusual foods, products etc too. I’m glad our visit to Target was relativiely short though, as Jin had forewarned us of the crazies that tend to visit the place. E.g a woman who went mad and stabbed a whole load of people there a few weeks back. Apparantly she was having a bad day...

After we survived the Target visit, we cruised along Hollywood Boulevard and then stopped to visit Madame Tussaud’s waxwork museum. On the way we walked past the Kodak Theatre, where the Oscars are held, and walked among the stars along Hollywood’s ‘walk of fame.’ Not literally - just the names on the floor... but Jin showed me where Marilyn Monroe’s hand prints are in the concrete, so I of course got to hold hands with her! Haha. When we eventually reached the museum, I was such the excited tourist! Karlos, Jin and I had a lot of fun that afternoon – running in and out of the various rooms having our photo taken with all the movie stars. It was actually freakish how realistic the waxworks looked. At one point Karlos sat in a chair and I went over to him, sat in his lap and gave him a kiss. A woman gave me a funny look when I stood up and then burst out laughing saying, “oh my god I thought you were kissing a waxwork!” Jin and I thought that perhaps she thought Karlos was Bruce Willis...

I was particularly happy about Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman’s waxworks being in the same room... I strategically placed myself in the middle of the two, and spent some time considering whether I should look left or right. Hehe.

After the Hollywood buzz we grabbed a slice of pizza. And not just some little slice. Oh no. This is America, baby. Everything is larger than life – and this slive of pizza alone was bigger than my head! How I actually managed to eat the whole thing is beyond me... hmmm, could be because it was SO DARNED TASTY perhaps?? Yep!! I have not had a decent pizza in like 5 years, since I was last in Italy... listen up New Zealand – your pizza is shit. Sort it out.

This very american day ended with Karlos and me nabbing tickets to CHICAGO at the Pantages. Oh I was so happy to get to see this amazing show in Hollywood! I loved it – especially the chorus girls. They could sing and move with such power, and class. I went to sleep this evening thinking – I want to be on the stage and I need to do it...

When we left the Pantages Theatre that night, we walked home along Hollywood Boulevard and after a short distance heard a lady’s voice yelling out “KARLOS” from a passing vehicle. We were both really surprised, and wondered who on earth that could be, before turning around just in time to see our Jin driving along in her jeep looking for us. What a sweetheart. So we picked up some delicious Thai food and all went back to watch movies and chill out. We’re not sleeping until 4am these last few days, so why not! (As an aside: Men Who Stare At Goats, and The Wrestler – aaaawesome movies).

I must say, LA is a really great place to eat. We’ve had some of the best sushi, pizza, Thai food, Mexican, and cheeeeeeeeseburgers that I’ve ever had. And it’s not too expensive to eat out either. Oh, you’re impressing me LA...

More good stuff to report? Well, we’ve also met some really cool people here in LA, good friends of Jin’s, and I’ve been blown away with just how friendly everyone has been in general. It perhaps helps that we are awesome of course ;) haha. I was honestly expectsing to meet a lot of really fucked up people, and a lot of falseness (and I don’t doubt for a second that they exist out here), but from my brief experience so far, there is also a real pulse underneath the facade of the city and the feeling that this is a pretty special place to be.

*

After 3 days in LA, we hired a car and went on a roadtrip to Las Vegas with our friends from NZ, Stasia and Johnny Mac. Stasia was to turn 30, and this of course had to be celebrated in style!

So we said goodbye to Jin and her kittys (who, by the way, are THE cutest!!) for a couple of days, caught the metro to Union station (where a drunk mexican asked me if I wanted to “see something cool”and then proceded to POLE DANCE in the train just for me, awesome), then a bus to LAX, and picked ourselves up a sweet 2010 Ford Fusion, ready for our journey to the Sin City...

Fun is being had, and hair is down.

And this is living.

Peace and love,

~ Comet xo