Last Day... Time to head to LAX

After checking out of the hotel we hit the road bound for LAX. Interesting to see how technical Palm trees are in Palm Springs! 

We decided to go to the outlet shops, we flagged it away after 45 mins as the price + Pacific Peso = nothing really that special.

We enjoyed being topless again. Interesting trying to use spray on suntan lotion with the roof off, going 65mph. We managed.  

Ryan did the driving today and did a mighty fine job. 

We arrived in one piece to the airport where we got ourselves a day hotel room so that we could have a nap, shower and a Denny's pig out.... Not sure what it was, but it had cheese, lots and lots of cheese!

We are now sitting in TBIT (Tom Bradley International Terminal) awaiting our big bird home.... And enjoying the view.

Fingers cross the Qantas hospitality is just as good as it was coming over.

This trip has been a nice time away from the usual grind, it is always fun and fulfilling experiencing the world with those who you love. And Daggie - see you soon lil man!

This has been the first 'big' trip without Mum checking in on the antics and I've certainly felt that little piece missing this time around. But I know that she has been with us the whole way and enjoying the trip too. 

With that aside, thanks California you've been great.

Until next time, bye-bye now.

Time to plan the next one.

xx

The hot and the cold of it...

Bit of a delay in posting as we've been out and about.

Yesterday was a mixed bag. The first half spent in the heat of the day driving around the desert with the roof off the Beetle..

The Joshua Tree National Park is simply stunning - a reminder of both NZ and Oz. 

Who would have expected sunburn in winter. Anyway. The next part was spent up a hill, quite a big hill, looking at the Cochella Valley and the San Andreas Fault from above. 

It was a great way to have a complete escape from normality... No mobile signal....nothing!

Ryan is out there somewhere doing his best to imitate one of the trees...

Some interesting sights out there indeed..popcorn anyone?

The Cholla Cactus Garden was angry looking, but gave us some inspiration for our backyard at Chateau Nundahpants.

Next stop.... The cold bits! 

So the 5000ft bit wasn't enough, so we caught the Tramway up to the Mt San Jacinto State Park. It was only 8500ft, and 4 degrees, real teeth chattering stuff.

There was a great view from the top (and on the way up - as the car rotated so everyone could get a view of the surroundings).

Clyde hasn't seen snow before, lucky for his fur coat.

As it is a state park the wildlife were rather protected, so there was no feeding of the little critters!

But, yet again the view was rather boring....not! Nice to escape into the wild again.

Not much to report...

It has been a quiet few days in the desert, and maybe a few vodka fuelled nights. We have certainly caught up on a lot of sleep which has been well overdue. We managed a trot around downtown and just checked the place out. Bumped into Lucille Ball, she's looking great.. Just a little bit flirty!

Yesterday was rather cold.... And it snowed. Today is the complete opposite, expecting high 20's. 

Right after breakfast we are heading out in Bertie Beetle to Joshua Tree and to the Tramway (to play in the desert snow!).

Food has arrived, so time to go.

All Sorted...

Hmm, the pissed-off-ness has been rectified.

1. Get in convertible Beetle.

2. Take lid off Beetle

3. Go cruisin'

4. Accidentally find Westfield

5. GO SHOPPING

6. GET VODKA (Belvedere = US$25... That's about AU$700 right?)

7. Drink said Vodka (once back at the technicolor rave hotel)

8. Prepare to go 'downtown'

Sorted.

Now, please enjoy a random photo of a Palm Tree.

Now, where is my drink.

Hangover to follow....

That is all!

Hello Palm Springs...

Well, here we are... In the middle of the desert in California.

Yesterday was a long day with only a few hiccups. We learned very quickly that the exchange rate is far uglier than it was the last time we were in the States. So when rental car companies take a "little" bond... It converts to a rather large one.  And when the hotel doesn't tell you that they are taking a US$95 per day bond....it then wipes out the travel card completely.

Oh well, the very helpful hotel manager certainly had words to his Receptionist who was more interested in telling us where to get drunk...handy, kinda, not really...Certainly not on the top of the list after a day of travelling and minimal sleep.  It was also fascinating to hear all about the Receptionist's love of various Australian skaters.  Quite frankly, I couldn't give a f..k! But hey, feel free to over charge my card by US$500, and thanks so much for reversing it, I am sure we can make good use of the currency by the time it is available...when we are home next week. Dickhead.

It is almost impossible to get a spot by the pool unless you are up at 8am reserving it and as for a quiet time... The rave / house / doofdoof started at 10am.  It would be almost acceptable being some disco music, you know a touch of Donna Summer... Not sure what the kids are listening to these days.  So, in lieu of a seat by the pool, we opted to sit out the front of our room on the grass..... The grass where Guest's dogs happen to crap....and can't be f..ked to pick it up afterwards.  Nice to see some of the furry friends running around, makes us miss our little bundle of trouble more. Shame their owners have no idea.

Anyhow on the brighter side of life.. we had a fab flight on Skippy's 747-400. Friendly, engaging and organised service a really lovely experience. Ryan knocked off 4 movies, I managed 2. The 2.5 hour drive from LAX to Palm Springs turned into a 3.5 hour trek, that Los Angeles traffic leaves the Gateway at peak hour for dead. Our hire car turned out to be a convertible Beetle... A little camp indeed, but lots of fun.

This morning we went for a quick walk about the block.  This place is a renovated exposé of what happened in the 60's and 70's.... And it is nice to feel young (in comparison to many others here).

Clyle had a quick peek around the 'hood too. He is brought to you by the letter 'S'.

First impressions of PS is that it is very funky, relaxing (apart from the hotel pool party thing that is going on). 

The time in the sun was not too bad at all, just super noisy and a little on the nose after 'Fluffy' dumped a surprise next to us.

Yep, we are in the middle of nowhere. 

Later we will venture out and explore...and lose the cranky-pants in hope of finding some serenity. Oh the serenity. 

Although really disappointing, I know we will make the most of it.  Two words. FACTORY OUTLETS. 

Maybe time to take advantage of the free transport here...

Things could be worse...

Are we there yet....

Obligatory "Wet Wipe" of seat area, gotta be careful of them plane germs, and nothing beats a good moist towelette!

Operation ChapOtto Desert Storm

So, here we are again. More than ready for a week away from the usual chaos and a plane ride on a 747.

"Nullarbor" is the beauty taking us away today.

I hope the jet lag plays nicely!

Next stop LAX and Palm Springs.

Time to Go Home!

All good things must come to an end, and what a better way to do it than with Singapore Airlines. Love, love, loved the Airbus-A330-three-hundred-series-non-stop-service-from-Changi-International-to-Brisbane.  This grumpy old bastard may tend to be a bit fussy with certain (OK...many)  things; air travel might just be one of them.  From the time we stepped on board every flight we were made to feel welcome by an immaculate crew.  The timing of every aspect of their service was consistent, so you knew what and when to expect the magic, with the delivery of the service being flawless.  I did enjoy the roast beef lunch that was served and a good nap too.  The view in between movies was OK too!

A  great way to wrap up an incredible vacation.

Next one: already booked.

Bert and Ernie Go To Singapore...

A picture says a thousand words...

Even tthe artwork was crooked....  but at least we had somewhere to put our suitcases for the night.

On our way to the airport we were given some great facts by the cab driver.  One day we will go back.

The best parts - the Louisiana style chicken dinner and the create your own Sumo Salad dinner the next night (such foodies that we are)...feeling very content with having a Thai Beef Salad with croutons rather than nuts. Winning!  The shopping for Daggie was lots of fun, not sure he will like one of the presents, but it will certainly be a Kodak moment.

The cab driver to the airport was full of interesting facts about his city, a nice last impression. Singapore Airport was a highlight, as it would be for any plane-nut.  

Got a little bit giddy seeing the new Airbus A350

and many other nice things...

Hmmmmm

So we thought that we had the jetlag monster at bay...until the trance nightclub kicked off in the early hours of the morning....8 floors below and clear as day (not a Singapore day, the haze is crap).

After moving rooms at 3am, we are completely  screwed. Still waiting for the hotel to sort out our room, so we've given up and settled for the twin Ernie and Bert room with two single beds.

So, beyond that we tried to do a spot of shopping but our bodies were saying a big NO! Got a bit done (some fun stuff for Daggie)  and headed back for a nap.

We haven't seen any of Singapore and looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. Not sure what sort of sleep, if any, we will get tonight. Singapore has been a waste of time and money. In hindsight it would have been better to spend the extra time in Europe and fly straight through. The thrills of travel, we'll know better for next time.

Apart from that it has been an incredible adventure.

Hi Singapore, we haven't met before...

Well only for a few hours when we just popped through.

It seems like a long time ago that we were hauling 45kg of luggage up Te street to Earls Court tube station.

The first flight to FRA was delayed a little bit, but we had a substantial connection time. Well needed after spilling a cup of tea in the pants and having to have my nuts sitting in a lovely brew of English Breakfast. No help from the crew, but we have moved on from that after a quick wash of sorts in a Frankfurt Airport bathroom

The stopover was relaxing and then we got onboard and headed for Singapore.

Someone patiently waiting..

Big Bird..

Funnily enough Birry Erriot was on one of the movie channels, so we sat there and enjoyed watching most of the same cast spin their magic. Yep, and that post "the letter" number almost got me again, so I just concentrated on eating my supper for that 4 minutes.

Ryan didn't sleep the best from what I see, however my concoction worked a treat....

I went to bed here -

And woke up, here, 5h14m later :

Talking of Big Birds, while Ryan was attempting take#2 of a sleep, I watched a really touching doco on the big feathery, loveable bird himself. A really good story indeed and a good way to pass the time until breakfast (at 3pm).

We are now at the hotel, feeling OK. Not faaaaabulous, but doing better than we thought...so far. This may help!

Meanwhile, Clyde is guarding the room... They told us double rooms are all full (they don't really like our kind here)... They also don't like tired grumpy old buggers like me in reception. Problem magically sorted and we have the room we had paid for.

Anyway, time to hit the pool in 'hazy' Singapore.

Farewell London...

Just signing off from the Queen's Land, and time to head toward Queensland.  Yesterday we caught up with Louise, a friend of ours (originally working with Ryan when he lived here - she's as mad as a cut snake), Elliot my pal from school also joined us for a few cocktails too.  We just planted our butts at the Brixton Markets and ate gorgeous nibbly bits all day, with some fancy drinks along the way.  They were 'healthy' drinks... with melon or mint... there may have been some giggle juice in them cups too.

We then had Jamaican for dinner.  Ryan and I stuck with the spicy chicken (probably not a good choice when facing a long haul flight). Only now just getting the feeling back in my lips now.... the Goat on the menu was not that appealing.

Great to reconnect with these two after many years.  Looking forward to seeing them downunder after many persuasive travel conversations.

Clyde is all packed, just taking it easy at the apartment before heading to Heathrow, next stop Frankfurt for 4 hours then on to Changi. Looking forward to Heathrow, as I've never departed from LHR so a little royal walkabout is on the cards....and hopefully the ever so efficient Lufthansa will through check our bags as we are on two different tickets to Singapore. We have a vintage aircraft for our non-stop-Boeing-737-FOUR-HUNDRED-series-service to Frankfurt.  Then the big bird B777-300ER on to Changi.  Not a fan of the 777 to be honest (Singapore Airlines are fabulous, just dont find this piece of metal to be the most comfortable), but that is what Melatonin, Valium (don't worry Mum, they're only used to get something that resembles sleep on an aeroplane) and noise cancelling headphones are for!

The fridge magnet collection is all packed too, again magnetic north appears to be pointing to Kensington right now.

Best to sign off, need one final shower before the trek south.  Looking forward to a little bit of Singapore shopping....and possibly the hop-on-hop-off-hop-on-hop-off bus trip to quickly see the sights.  We have been trying to work out how to manage the sleep patterns on the flight, still a bit confused but may try to realign with BNE time as soon as possible.  With that being said it must then be time for a vodka (kidding, we are sensible flyers thank you very much)

See you soon....ish Singapore!

Jet lag management report to follow at some point...hopefully we will be lucky again, doubt it as we really should be going to bed again now!

 

A Weekend in London...

It's been busy busy. Making the most of our Oyster Cards... with a few late nights since we missed all of that last time we were here. Hitting the a shows was a nice change of pace too.

Some interesting place names too...this must been a crap neighbourhood.

So, Friday night we headed to the Victoria Palace Theatre to see Birree Erriot (aka Billy Elliot). After seeing the movie a couple of times we were prepared for the musical. Sort of.  Not sure what happened but the individual performances and that of the ensemble (sorry just wanted to get all thespian and use words proper)... right yeah - it was incredible.  "The Letter' was a piece about Billy's late mother... a real tear jerker.  I wasn't the only one being a sook in the theatre, thank goodness.  Then they bloody reprised the song later on....think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. (Didnt really want to walk through the vestibule afterwards with puffy eyes.)  But in true Elton John (the music creator) ensured everyone left feeling uplifted, Then there was the dancing bit...wow!  

After the musical we headed out for a drink...only one, which ended up as 5...why, because they water down the vodka.  Even ordering a triple didn't make a dent.  So we headed home and had a good sleep.  I got the feeling that homosexuals hang out here.  Not quite sure.

Yesterday we caught up with an old school pal, Elliot.   It was great to see him and to catch up on old times and what else has happened in the 29 years since we last saw each other. The lunch at a Jamie Oliver restaurant was very nice indeed.

Clyde enjoyed meeting him too, we managed to get a picture - just need to download it from the camera...later on.

After a quick shop for Dagwood (yep, new clothes and collars coming his way), we managed to get a quick rest before enjoying an evening with Boy George and Culture Club  Nice to see the band actually finally get along.  The Hammersmith Apollo is a stunning theatre indeed.  It has been renovated well.

They  haven't changed a bit, maybe just a little less makeup these days - but some fancy hats. The crowd were hardcore fans; I sat next to one... I think her tattoo gives it away.  

By the sounds of it their new album will be great. Looking forward to seeing them again when they finally manage to make it downunder.

We decided to have a few drinks at home afterwards....the Tesco was closed, so we ordered our grog through the internet...and continued enjoying CC tunes until the weeee lil hours.

About to head out again now to see Louise, a crazy friend of Ryan's.  You can't have a dull day around her.  Hopefully we will get to see Elliot for a pint later on, before commencing Operation Getting You Shit In A Bag, tomorrow we are bound for Singapore, via Frankfurt.

Happy Father's Day too.  We have been thinking about you both (Tim and Lyle) and have suitable european gifts for you when we return.