Thursday 4 March 2010

Sum up of California and Arizona!

First week in US and Los Angeles:

Landed in LA on the 19th of January 2010, after a night stop in Chicago, had seafood dinner the first night with Rita and Dorin in Redondo Beach.
Salsa dancing in Redondo Beach, at Club 705, LA-style salsa, the people were so nice, I danced a lot even if I didn´t know anyone there, got some tips of other good salsa places in LA.

Downtown LA and visit at Dorin´s workplace high in the sky. Bought my jeans here, so happy that I can change pants to some more proper one´s.
Visit to Griffith Observatory and watched a show there too, my weight on Pluto was zero, nice :).

Went up to the Getty Museum, up the hill in a small train, good that it rained, less people and it was a beautiful exhibition about Rembrandt, sketches and drawings. This a place I truly recommend to you to visit if you´re in LA. On the same day as Getty Museum, we went to some beaches in LA, Marina del Rey, El Segundo, Venice Beach (with the crazy people and funny stuff happening there all the time).

Hollywood Boulevard and the walk of fame saw that too, not much to see actually, not impressive, too touristic for me.

Drove to Pasadena with Dorin, my father´s cousin, my uncle, and had a wonderful afternoon in the Huntington Park, what a place, the most beautiful garden I´ve seen, even in wintertime is was gorgeous. Took a garden tour a guide who know everything there is to know about the garden, the flowers, the trees etc.

Second week in US and Los Angeles/San Fransisco:

Garden visit number 2 to Descanso Gardens, not that nice as Huntington but very peaceful and quite place.

Malibu beach and my first encounter to Swedish people, didn´t talk to them, just listened and walk past them. Did a long walk with Dorin on the beach, many beautiful houses and we had dinner at Paradise Cove, a large plate of seafood of course.
More salsa dancing, in Santa Monica, at Zanzibar, a cool place, lots of cuban style music, lots and lots of dancing, bachata, salsa, merengue …

Had a rest day in the middle of the week, nice change, took a climb walk with Veronica and Dorin by the rocks of Palos Verde, what a climb! Had a wonderful good sushi with Veronica, Dorin, Andy and Marcella at a sushi place in Downy.

Took off towards SF (San Fransisco) on Wednesday, stopped for sleeping along the PCH (pacific coast highway) in San Lois Obispo and in Monterey before we arrived to SF on Friday the 29th of January. Memorable stops along the road were: Santa Barbara, Monterey and Hearst Castle. SF for 2 nights and 3 days, cable cars, Alcatraz Island, bike tour over the Golden Gate bridge, marrocean dinner in SF downtown – lovely good food and drinks there (instead of Bourbon and Branch, they didn´t let me in since I didn´t have my passport with me, left it in LA), salsa night at CafĂ© Cocomo – amazing good dancing to live band – probably more than 500 people there! Before we left SF we went to the Young Museum and walked in the gardens there, danced some swing, watched the view over SF and then drove back to LA on the 405 or 105, don´t remember no more.

Third and last week in US and Los Angeles/San Diego/Tucson:

More salsa dancing at Zanzibar in Santa Monica, live band and lots of good dancers everywhere. Thanks for the many salsa and bachata Miguel!

Drive to San Diego, 2 hours from LA, visited SeaWorld, too much of a hype around this place, did like it and didn´t like it at the same time. Terrible that the animals, fishes and birds are all caged in and can´t enjoy the free world … the coolest was the killer whales show with Shamu the big whale and all the acrobatic things they did with the help of some water. Dinner in downtown San Diego, had Mexican food, fish tacos for me, delicious.

Day off with rest on Friday the 5th of February, thai massage, bike tour to the beach, sport photo exhibition in Century City – saw the current expo of Iooss and Leifer …. grand photos! End of day with a Colombian party in the evening, where we celebrated Dorin´s birthday, congratulations Dorin! More salsa dancing here and lots of laughs and talk to nice Colombian people.

On Sunday 7th of February I took the flight to Tucson in Arizona, for 2 days visiting Miguel, who was there with work – one of the biggest jewelry and gems expo in the world … back in LA on Tuesday 9th of February just at couple of hours before my flight to Fiji, tough day and a very long one too.

Bye America and next adventure is Fiji!