I have finally made it back to the States after three years, sitting on an open deck in a warm LA evening very much enjoying a Blue Moon Belgian White beer - which could be the nicest beer I’ve ever had.
I think my carry on bag weighed more than my luggage - bound to be the opposite coming back but damn do my cameras weigh a bit.
Will this Herbert managed to keep track of his passport this time? (So far, yes)
These airports love their long straight corridors - this was a sign of what was to come arriving at LAX, but that was on a far larger scale. Security took all of 5 minutes to get through and that included a whirring about scan as well. More of a delay was the twat at the foreign exchange ATM who was taking ages as the machine kept on telling him that he had insufficient funds in his many cards. He finally got a couple of hundred NZ dollars before telling me “I’m getting $2000, I tell you I’m going to be spending some serious money”. No you tool, you aren’t. He eventually gave up on the transaction declined messages and disappeared leaving me to get fleeced by the Travelex fees and commissions.
My row companion for the next 12 hours. Poor thing.
Plenty of leg room nearish to the pointy end, also helps if you’re short. Very easy to get up and out as well, thoroughly recommend Premium Economy. The food was a bit rubbish and the help yourself snack area was non-existent - Air NZ needs to take some pointers from Qantas.
I’m also pleased with my weight loss because I could put the fold out tray out without cutting circulation off to my legs.
LAX was a bit of a pain, lots of walking (I did hit my steps target for today, might have to increase it to make it a bit more of a challenge) and some significant queueing for customs. For the second time, it was utterly disappointing by their efficiency and reasonableness. The man asked how long I was here for (I didn’t bother replying “depends if I find an old wealthy woman with a nasty cough”), how much money I had on me - if he was after a bribe I failed completely at his hint, and what I did for a job. He seemed confused that I was able to be released from work for 67 days - apparently maths is not a required skill for DHS agents since I told him 5 weeks. After that I was free to pick up my luggage and before I knew it I was on the outside breathing LA air. No checking the vast wad of paperwork I had printed attesting to my vaccination status, my permission to be there by Mr Biden or even the opportunity to declare fruits that I didn’t have.
All up it was a pretty OK flight, no oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling. Onboard WiFi is fantastic, you can message people at all hours from half way across the Pacific Ocean.
Fiji by night at 32,000 feet
Sunrise
Catalina Island, and what I took to be some rich wank and his floating gin palace on the right.
It’s a small island called Bird Rock.
A thing that I think I’ve driven down in GTA V
I got a fantastic driver with Lyft and he gave me some great recommendations for places to eat (are you calling me fat? No, no don’t stop, tell me more places to eat great food) as well as his take on presidents (none of them actually do anything, although the orange baboon may have committed fraud a little more than the others), vaccines (they gave him arthritis for three months) and that I need to go to Tijuana.
LA is exactly like GTA V and various movies have educated me. The houses, traffic, roads and landscape all look how I imagined them. Palm trees everywhere and they are damn tall - three times the height of street lights tall.
The Moment Hotel is pretty cool, weird toilet, weird light switches, electric shade controls and a dual head shower - not as though the area is in an extreme drought condition or anything.
Now I’m off to get some dinner, either In-n-Out or IHOP and sleep!
Tomorrow probably Santa Monica Pier and Marilyn Monroe’s tomb. And a stop at T-Mobile so 2 Degrees doesn’t make me destitute with their daily roaming fees.
I'm so jealous! Just seems crazy that you are over there already. One day in NZ the next over in the real deal LA and both days I've just been sitting here on my couch.
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