Los Angeles, Days 179-186

Christi and I arrived in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. We were met at the airport by Christi’s mother and step-father and a lot of hugging. Christi’s mother (her shoulder healing well after the recent fracture) flung her arms around Christi and would not let go. I think her family are just pleased that nothing scary happened. And if you’ve read all my blog posts you’ll know that neither Christi nor I ever intentionally put ourselves in dangerous situations!

We’re trying to keep our brief layover in Los Angeles reasonably quiet because first we’re absolutely knackered. I think adrenaline kicked in on day 1 and kept us going the entire 6 months we were in South America. Now that we’re home (albeit briefly) the adrenaline levels are already subsiding and I expect exhaustion to set in at any moment. This could be a problem because we didn’t return to Los Angeles primarily to rest, but to complete a host of chores, including unpacking and repacking our bags (we won’t be seeing too many glaciers in Africa so its out with the warm-weather clothing). We will also be camping initially so we’ll need sleeping bags / mat (the tent itself is provided by the tour company – more about that when we get to Africa). And we will be going on several safaris so I’m going to lug the big 500 mm lens around with me this time. And now that I’m finally back in Los Angeles I intend to give my camera some serious TLC. And what better company than Bel Air Camera in Westwood.

Perhaps the most important task is updating our passports. Christi’s is still valid but has run out of pages, while mine will expire before the end of our Year of Wonder. And as we only have a few days in Los Angeles, we will have to beg and cajole the authorities to do the work much quicker than usual. This will be quite risky because government agencies never seem to do anything quickly.

And in between all that I still want to immerse myself in a little Los Angeles culture for a few days. After all who could visit Los Angeles and not want to spend some time in Venice, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and the Getty Center.