Flying out at 11pm local time, I’m coming home Australia! 
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Happy happy washy washy!
Today was set aside for last minute packing up and cleaning of the RV before having to return it tomorrow at 11am in LA. We folded down the dining table and stacked our suitcases on it, the floor and my bed and began repacking all our stuff out of the RV into our bags. It took forever! Once we’d finally finished packing most of our stuff away into one bag or another we drove the RV up to the cleaning area. We used the high pressure hose and two soaped up cleaning brushes to make our RV nice and shiny. I did the ‘happy happy washy washy’ dance – luckily no one else saw.
By then end of this process it was well past lunch time and I was starving! Since we leave tomorrow we’ve been eating out our cupboards of all our leftover food. We had fruit and crackers with cheese, tomato, salami, peanut butter, vegemite, nutella and well, you get the picture… After our healthy and nutritious lunch we went for a walk along the Malibu beach. There were hundreds of seagulls, just chilling in massive flocks at different intervals of the beach. Naturally, we chased the seagulls and pelicans so they would take wing and fly away, giving us a cool photo. We saw a few seals, popping their heads up above the surf and one sunbaking on a rock – soo cute!
As we were heading back to the RV Park we got invited to have a drink with Lesley (who we’d said hello to as we walked by on the beach and started a conversation… I tell you, people just can’t resist us awesome Aussies! ). Her house was mad! The beach houses on Malibu are all lovely to look at, but apparently they’re just amazing on the inside. They had a whole lot of bamboo furniture, bear fur rug, stone cobbled pathways, backyard decorations, marbled counter tops and great ocean views. We sat and chatted at her house for an hour or so before strolling home through the ‘rich water front’ area – boy did we feel out of place and a little bit bogan in our flip flops and rolled up jeans.
I chilled upon returning to the RV while M&D sorted out receipts and such from numerous different places and activities. Leftovers were for dinner and of course the ice cream needed to be eaten as well – I was only too happy to oblige. This is our last night in America – although it’s been great fun, I’ll be glad to be home.
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Raindrops keep falling on my window
With high hopes of sunbaking on Malibu beach today it was a little disappointing when it rained on and off – ALL DAY! We basically chilled in the RV for most of the day, reading, watching some TV shows and sleeping. It was a great relaxing day.
M&D went for a stroll along the beach around 5pm when the sun was breaking through the clouds. I stepped outside the RV to snap a few quick photos of the sunset then settled back in to watch The Longest Yard before dinner.
Our last self cooked meal in America was sweet and sour pork with rice – delicious. Even though I don’t cook that often, I’m still looking forward to our full sized kitchen at home.
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Third time lucky!
Today was pretty uneventful. Even though it was Valentine’s day, there were no roses or chocolates waiting for us when we woke up this morning – sigh, sad life we live… Saying that, Dad did make Mum some heart shaped toast – didn’t make me any… We bludged around the RV park in Van Nuys till about 11am, then we drove to Malibu RV Park, stopping off at Sears and Macys in Van Nuys for Dad to buy some clothes. I was feeling a bit car sick from driving up and down the Malibu Canyon so I had a sleep when we arrived and M&D went for a walk along the beach, just across the road from us.
Beef stroganoff was for dinner tonight and I have to say, third time lucky! We almost had all of the ingredients and it tasted much better than the past two attempts.
I’m looking forward to the next few days of soaking up the sun and relaxing before jumping back into the hectic life of Redcliffe!!!
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Hollywood Boulevard
With another city hop-on hop-off bus tour on the cards for today, we woke up reasonably early to get ready and head into West Hollywood. As it’s coming to the end of our massive holiday, we’re all a bit worn out and over everything, but never the less we were at least a little excited about seeing Hollywood. As we got ready this morning and proceeded to wait for a taxi, we realised that since it was overcast and showering on and off, it was a bit of a crappy day for a tour, but what could we do? I wish I’d taken my ski jacket – it was freezing in the city! 
The Star Line City Sightseeing tours took us around Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Miracle Mile. We didn’t get off at any of the stops because it was wet and miserably cold, so we just did the bus tour loop all the way back to the beginning.
It was 1pm ish by the time we had finished the tour and I was so hungry I felt faint, so we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for some grub. OH>MY>GOODNESS! I had steak, mashed potatoes and vegies – it felt like heaven in my mouth! I’m going to eat at Hard Rock Cafe all the time! Just thinking about it now is making me hungry!
Following our scrumptious lunch, an exploration of the merch shop and a chat with the shop assistant about photography, we headed out onto the street to check out the local souvenir shops. They all had the same products as each other, like any other city, but we managed to find some cool trinkets, etc.
As we were walking down the street to find a taxi, we were approached by this random guy who asked us if we wanted to be on the Jimmy Kimmel LIVE show. He looked shocked and disappointed when we didn’t recognise the name or the show, but apparently the guy and his show is a big deal in America. We said yes, we’re only in Hollywood once; why not go on national television. Long story short: M&D were going to be in the practice run, which wouldn’t actually broadcasted, but then they were swapped over to be in the actual LIVE broadcast. This meant that we had a few hours to kill before they needed us back. Naturally, we went shopping!
I know what you all are thinking: no it wasn’t me who did all the shopping! M&D did some shopping too – Dad even bought 4 pairs of jeans!
For those who have been following my blog since the beginning, you will be excited and relieved to learn that today I found my letterman jacket! That’s right, you heard me! A letterman jacket that actually fits me and isn’t over $300! I had actually given up hope in finding one, but it seems that when you give up hope, hope can be returned to you when you least expect it.
With over an hour and a half to kill before we had to be back on set for the JK LIVE show, we went to Mel’s Diner for a small dinner. We were all pretty full from lunch still so we just had a sandwich (Dad), apple pie (Me) and a banana split (Mum).
Upon arriving back on set, we were ushered inside, given wristbands and told to wait. It pretty cool being on set, even if we didn’t know what the show was. I was sad that I wasn’t allowed to take photos, but I guess you can’t really do anything about that. The TV crew had collected two other couples for the Milkshake drop: M&D were to be second.
[SIDE NOTE: the milkshake drop is when one person stands on top of the studio building and tips 5 milkshakes over their partner. I wasn’t really sure about the purpose of such an exercise, but it was hilarious to watch.]
ANYWAY, so we watched the first couple go through the milkshake tip and we’re getting ready for M&D to have their turn, only to have the director come and tell us that they liked it so much the first time that they didn’t need us – I was shattered! To compensate not only for our disappointment but our time spent waiting around to be on their show they gave us 4 show hats, $60, they let us be in the audience for the musical guests and we were even allowed in the Green room, which was stocked with alcohol and nibbles. It was an unexpected turn of events, but it was still a once in a lifetime experience.
We stood in the LIVE audiences while the guest artists, Lana Del Ray and Robin Thicke, played their set and the cameras were rolling. All the locals were so excited to hear Lana sing, but all I could think about were her moustache, gold tooth and visible g-string. Robin seemed to have the ladies of the audience in the palm of his hand and the more crude he was, the louder they screamed. The interesting thing was that he was wearing a ring on his wedding finger – if I was his wife I’d have something to say about his stage attitude.
When the performances were finished, we headed to the main street to catch a cab back to the RV Park. We turned the furnace on as soon as we got back – the RV was FREEZING!!
I’m looking for to the next few days at Malibu. The RV Park is right on the water front – bring on the sun!
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Say goodbye to the city of lights, smoke and promiscuity
After so much time in one place it was strange to get up and start driving off to the next city today. We left Las Vegas this morning and drove South down to Van Nuys, which is approximately 12 miles north of Hollywood. Vegas was quite an amazing city, with lots to see and do – will definitely have to bring some friends back with me next time so we can hit up the clubs!
Dad might visit an old school friend this afternoon or tonight, but Mum and I will be relaxing and enjoying the quiet. Not long till we’re home now!
- As my bruise develops
Recovery day
I’m shocked to inform you, but can you believe it, I was first out of bed this morning! I know! Unbelievable! We had a lazy morning and didn’t get going until around 10am when we headed to the Red Rock Canyon. The visitors centre was very well set up for tourists, with a little walk through the interactive area with information about the Canyon’s weather patterns and inhabitants. Snapped some pictures from the vista point and then did a drive through tour around part of the Canyon in the RV.
On the way back to Circus Circus RV Park we stopped in to do some grocery shopping, etc. M&D braved it on their own while I chilled in the RV. This afternoon I caught up on all my photos and blogs from the past few days while Mum slept and Dad researched LA RV Parks.
Tonight will be pretty lazy in comparison to the previous two nights, but we definitely need a relaxing finish to our holiday instead of a busy busy one.
We ended up heading down to the Freemont Street area for the Freemont Street lighting experience and then back into the Vegas Strip for the Treasure Island Pirate show and an exploration of the Venetian Casino. The Treasure Island show was basically a public 20 minute strip tease between sailors and sirens with bad lip syncing to not only the music, but also the spoken dialogue throughout the ‘show’. I was very disappointed after hearing so much about it.
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Lighting up the town
Today was purely devoted to checking out the tourist shops and all they had to offer. Instead of going down the Vegas strip as we had the day before, we headed to Freemont Street, which is the old casino area of Las Vegas. It has this big street mall that is covered in and used for mega light performances as well as a variety of old school casinos.
Down this Old Casino Strip there were people selling things from belt buckles to make up, there were girls dressed up in Cha-Cha outfits and ‘sexy-feathery’ outfits, which show off their chest and half of their bottoms for a photo and a tip. We got taken in by this guy selling collagen in make-up who insisted that Mum was the most beautiful creature he’d seen, yet he needed to show her how collagen could make her beautiful – doesn’t quite fit does it? We eventually escaped his clutches and continued our exploration down the strip. There was a Zip-line ride that went the stretch of the road, with many tourists screaming as they flew above everyone.
Jumping back onto the Vegas Strip bus we headed back to our RV for a chill out session before another intense night of lights, escort cards, passive smoking, lots of walking and of course our Las Vegas show, KÀ Cirque du Soleil.
We headed out on the town after a short rest, grabbed some dinner in the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand and then scrambled to the theatre to make it in time for the beginning of the show. The performance was unlike anything I’ve ever seen! The set alone was unbelievable! The stage itself was on some sort of hydraulic system that allowed the stage to move almost 360 degrees while still having trap doors, etc like any other stage as well as the projected visual effects onto the stage when it was vertical. It was breathtaking to watch the aero acrobatics of the performers with the enhancement of the visual effects of the production crew. Check the video preview and details of the show at http://www.vegas.com/shows/cirque-du-soleil/ka-las-vegas/ .
When the show had finished we made our way back to the RV Park, stopping in at the Hard Rock Cafe to check it all out. They have a great view from their balcony which overlooks the intersection below. We were pretty wrecked from both days of strutting the strip, etc, so we hopped on the bus and headed back to our warm and comfy beds. Such a relief to put our feet up and relax.
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Viva Las Vegas!
After leaving the RV Park we drove out to the West Rim of Grand Canyon to participate in a helicopter flight, a boat ride on Colorado River down the middle of the GC and a bus tour that took us around several different stops, including an American Indian Village and the Sky Walk at Eagle Point, Guano Point and the tourist visitor centre which was the GC airfield.
The helicopter flight wasn’t particularly long but it was pretty cool that it took us below the rim of the GC so we could get a good look at the rock formations and the Colorado River underneath us. In the middle of the flight it dropped us off at a section of the GC where we hopped on a boat and went for a trip down the River with a local American Indian guide. It was a lovely moderate temperature today and the guide was very friendly – it was lovely and relaxing.
When our boat ride ended, we jumped back into the helicopter and flew back over the rim of the GC to the visitors centre to hop on the tour bus that would take us to Eagle Point and Guano Point. As we got on the bus we made friends with some English guys and then we seemed to be following them throughout the rest of day. At Eagle point we took some pictures of the Canyon and the glass Sky Walk, although we didn’t go on it because it’s ridiculously expensive and you’re not even allowed to take your camera on it because they’re worried about someone would drop their camera and break the Sky Walk – how stupid! We checked out some local markets, cultural dances and typical Indian villages before jumping back on the bus to the next stop: Guano Point.
Once again, photos of the GC as well as an old Cable car that was used when people mined out Guano for profit back in the day. Dad was constantly worried that we were too close to the edge, especially me with a swollen ankle, but we survived so it’s all good. :)
By the time we got back to the tourist centre and into our RV I was starving and wrecked and ready for a nap! We drove from here to Las Vegas, with a quick stop over at Hoover Dam. M&D really enjoyed seeing such a famous area.
Upon our arrival in LV we chilled in the RV before making some dinner prior to heading out for a night walking around town and photographing the mad strip lights. We took the city bus all the way to the end of the Strip (Mandalay Bay Casino) and slowly made our way back, stopping in at the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Caesars to have a looksee, as well as watching the fountain and light display at the Bellagio. We ended up taking the bus back to Circus Circus (which is right beside the RV Park) from Caesars because we were pretty buggered by then (at midnight).
We collapsed into bed when we finally got back to the RV. My feet and back were aching from so much walking, I was glad to finally be in bed.
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That’s just how we roll
Grand Canyon was on the list of activities for today and I was very excited to finally see this magnificent place that I’ve heard so much about. Words cannot describe how insanely gobsmacking the view is, and that’s just for from vista points at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I can only imagine the aerial view from a helicopter – it would be amazing. You see all these mad photographs of the Grand Canyon and you think wow, that’s incredible, but in reality it’s even more remarkable than you could ever show in a photo. I’m glad we had the opportunity to go and have a look.
Mum and I liked to venture out past the concreted paths, not in dangerous areas, but just closer to the edge for a better photo. Dad was freaking out that we were too close to the edge, but meh, we’re still alive. Dad was worried that I might overbalance (since I have a head cold and my sense of balance is off) and hurt myself on the ledge but the funniest thing is that I actually managed to roll my ankle on the concrete path, a good 6 metres from the ledge I might add, by stepping the wrong way on a tree branch – what are the chances?! Naturally, this impeded my ‘dangerous’ ledge explorations, but not by much. We put some snow on my ankle for a while, and I could still walk, if a lot slower and like a robot.
After we left the Mather Lookout on the South Rim, we went to the Watch Tower about 25 miles down the road, stopping at a random vista point to grab some quick pics of that section of the Grand Canyon. The Tower gave us ‘360 degree’ view of the Canyon but it had a lot of stairs, especially for someone who had just twisted their ankle. Lovely view, so I suppose it was kinda worth it.
Into the car again and I could finally take off my shoe, put some snow on my throbbing ankle and put my foot up. M&D stopped at some ancient Indian ruins as we were leaving the Canyon area, but as I was all set up with my snow, pillow and blanket, there was no way I was getting up. Leaving the Canyon we drove to Kingman KOA RV Park for the night. It is supposed to be approximately 10 degrees Celsius tonight so I’m much happier that I won’t freeze throughout the night, but also a little sad that there is no snow to make another snowman. Oh well, no one could ever replace Ernie!
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