Sweet Dreams My LAX

No...not a Rachel Stevens song, but my final US blog...

So after the highs of San Fransisco, I took a couple of days to attempt to recoperate in Santa Barbara - not without its dramas (as nothing ever is...long story!) I did manage to spend a day at least on the beach, and had some quiet time, and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Then on down the coast for one last stop in LA.

I was staying with Brian, another American I met this Summer in Edinburgh - and he and his lovely girlfriend Dianna showed me the sights, and treated me wonderfully for my final two and a half days. I loved LA, it gets a really bad rep, and clearly is mad, crazy, and slightly surreal, but I think if you get swept up in the glamour of it all and just roll with it then its a really exciting place to be (even if there are a lot of cars!). We did all the Hollywood walk of fame stuff, which was great fun, and spent a day at the Universal Studios theme park, which was just totally awesome.

My final day in the US was pretty chilled, Brian and I spent the morning in Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. I tried shamelssly to spot a movie star, but to no avail... Then in the afternoon took a stroll along the pier in Venice. To have made it to the Pacific Ocean on this last day of the trip seemed like the perfect end, to what in all honesty has just been the most perfect two months...

I can't belive the US is one country, I've spent two months here and have seen and been through a huge variety of cities and landscpaes; yet I've barely even scrathched the surface of what this place has to offer...I guess this gives me even more reason to come back again....

So I've done it...two years ago my planned American summer adventure ended in disaster....and two years on I've finally completed the journey that I then started; this time minus the singing ten year olds.....!

Now...let's just hope Obama wins on Tuesday.....

I somehow managed to get an upgrade on my flight to Melbourne, so the 15 hour flight was pretty much the most incredibly perfect way to end that stage of my travels...

Australia here I come!

Rich
xxx