View From The Plane
Some Words for The Class of '09
17 years ago
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Friday, July 22, 2005
Beverly Hills / Hollywood
We didnt have to check out of the hotel until 12 midday which was nice as I was used to having to check out at 10am. The Hotel in Beverly Hills didn't look too far away on the map and there was a bus which went quite near it so we decided to get that as it only cost $1.25 each. We got our lunch at the Sizzler first and then hopped on the bus which dropped us off the top of the road out Hotel was on. It was only a 10mni walk from there but it was pretty hard going with our huge backpacks on in the baking sun.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which was really nice and went to have a look around the area before going out for a meal at an indian restaurant.
The next day we went for a swim in the morning at the hotel and then headed to Rodeo Drive which was about a 15min walk. Rodeo Drive was filled with all the designer shops and had bouncers on most of the doors so we didn't bother going in any of them haha. Hollywood didnt look too far away on the map so we set off on what ended up being a marathon walk which took us all day! There were shops and stuff to stop pff at on the way on Melrose Ave and we also passed Hollywood High School so It didnt seem too bad.
By the time we got the Hollywood Blvd it was dark so we just had a look around the Kodak Theatre and watched some awesome break dancers on the street spinning on their heads and stuff. We also had a look at the Chinese Theatre where all the handprints are in the pavement. We then got taxi back as we really didnt feel like walking anymore and it seemed so far on the way back. We then went to a restaurant which was quite near our hotel so we didnt have to walk too far!
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which was really nice and went to have a look around the area before going out for a meal at an indian restaurant.
The next day we went for a swim in the morning at the hotel and then headed to Rodeo Drive which was about a 15min walk. Rodeo Drive was filled with all the designer shops and had bouncers on most of the doors so we didn't bother going in any of them haha. Hollywood didnt look too far away on the map so we set off on what ended up being a marathon walk which took us all day! There were shops and stuff to stop pff at on the way on Melrose Ave and we also passed Hollywood High School so It didnt seem too bad.
By the time we got the Hollywood Blvd it was dark so we just had a look around the Kodak Theatre and watched some awesome break dancers on the street spinning on their heads and stuff. We also had a look at the Chinese Theatre where all the handprints are in the pavement. We then got taxi back as we really didnt feel like walking anymore and it seemed so far on the way back. We then went to a restaurant which was quite near our hotel so we didnt have to walk too far!
Sanata Monica
Well im having real trouble trying to find somewhere to upload my pics and as were camping most of the time on our tour It doesn't look likely that I will have much chance to do and writing! The following posts will be pretty short just so It doesn't take ages to write.
Our first day in Sanata Monica was really nice, we got the free hotel shuttle bus down to 2nd Street which was only a stones throw away from the sea. We were right near the Sanata Monica Pier so we went and had a look down there and got some lunch. After that we walked on the beach all the way down Venice Beach where we went inland to check out all the wierd people in the area, its a really good people watching place. There were quite a lot of things to look at and you got some guy every 10 metres asking you to listen to his rap CD, I think they were trying to sell them but I didnt stop to find out.
We then made our way back along the beach to where we started and went to the 3rd Street Promenade where all the shops were. We spent a couple of hours there looking around and then got the shuttle back to the hotel.
On the second day emma woke up looking like lobster as she hadnt put on much sun lotion the day before!! We spent most of the day down at 3rd Street Promenade again looking around the shops but neither of us bought anything.
Our first day in Sanata Monica was really nice, we got the free hotel shuttle bus down to 2nd Street which was only a stones throw away from the sea. We were right near the Sanata Monica Pier so we went and had a look down there and got some lunch. After that we walked on the beach all the way down Venice Beach where we went inland to check out all the wierd people in the area, its a really good people watching place. There were quite a lot of things to look at and you got some guy every 10 metres asking you to listen to his rap CD, I think they were trying to sell them but I didnt stop to find out.
We then made our way back along the beach to where we started and went to the 3rd Street Promenade where all the shops were. We spent a couple of hours there looking around and then got the shuttle back to the hotel.
On the second day emma woke up looking like lobster as she hadnt put on much sun lotion the day before!! We spent most of the day down at 3rd Street Promenade again looking around the shops but neither of us bought anything.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Los Angeles
The flight to LA wasn't to bad as the only free seat on the plane was in between Me and a german guy who was sitting on my row so I had room to stretch my legs out. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep I think before landing. It was hassle free getting through customs and much easier than I had expected. Emmas plane was landing in an hour so I went and sat on one of the chairs near the arrival and waited. The plane landed on time and the first few people started to filter out of the exit so I kept my eyes peeled. About an hour later and most people have gone, eventually Emma strolls out with her big backpack on!
At this point we didnt really know how we were getting to our hotel in Santa Monica so Emma went to find out what our options were while I looked after the bags. We ended up getting on the Super Shuttle which dropped us off right outside our hotel which was handy. I acually found a mobile phone on the back seat of the shuttle so gave the numbers in the phone book a ring, I thought 'mum' and 'dad' would be my best bet....but no answer machines!! After ringing several numbers and listening to answerphone messages I eventually got through to someone who said "wow your home, how was it" before I could even say a word to which I replied...eeerr sorry Iv'e just found this phone on the back seat of an airport shuttle!!! Well after a few words I found out the owner was on a flight back to Hawaii where they lived haha so their wasn't much chance of getting it back to them. In the end an american woman on the shuttle said she would post it back to them so I handed it over and left her to sort it out.
We were the last drop off and we were so glad to get to the air conditioned hotel and check into our room. The room was really nice and I just lay down on the bed for a while as I was completely knackered. The room had cable and was also equipped with an N64 but you had to pay to play so I didnt bother. I did try and find where it was hidden though without any look but I did stumble across a pristine copy of the 1985 April edition of playboy which was hidden under the bottom drawer!!! Hopefully I can make some money on eBay with that :)
At this point we didnt really know how we were getting to our hotel in Santa Monica so Emma went to find out what our options were while I looked after the bags. We ended up getting on the Super Shuttle which dropped us off right outside our hotel which was handy. I acually found a mobile phone on the back seat of the shuttle so gave the numbers in the phone book a ring, I thought 'mum' and 'dad' would be my best bet....but no answer machines!! After ringing several numbers and listening to answerphone messages I eventually got through to someone who said "wow your home, how was it" before I could even say a word to which I replied...eeerr sorry Iv'e just found this phone on the back seat of an airport shuttle!!! Well after a few words I found out the owner was on a flight back to Hawaii where they lived haha so their wasn't much chance of getting it back to them. In the end an american woman on the shuttle said she would post it back to them so I handed it over and left her to sort it out.
We were the last drop off and we were so glad to get to the air conditioned hotel and check into our room. The room was really nice and I just lay down on the bed for a while as I was completely knackered. The room had cable and was also equipped with an N64 but you had to pay to play so I didnt bother. I did try and find where it was hidden though without any look but I did stumble across a pristine copy of the 1985 April edition of playboy which was hidden under the bottom drawer!!! Hopefully I can make some money on eBay with that :)
Sunday, July 10, 2005
RLS Museum Then Home
Today was my birthday by date but it didnt really feel like my birthday and I didnt think of it as my birthday. I had to check out of the hostel by 10am and then leave my bag there as my flight to LA wasn't until 1am the next day. Jason was leaving today and there was no-one else about so I went on my own little adventure. I decided to go and see the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum and Grave (He was the guy who wrote Treasure Island and Jekyll & Hyde).
There was a really long drive leading up to the house and on my way I met a woman called vivian who was travelling with her two kids. She was from the UK so I got chatting to her and went on the tour around RLS's house. It was a guided tour which lasted about 10mins and then I was able to go around the house again at my leisure and look around a bit closer. The house had been restored to its original glory and made into a museum which was now owned by some rich american guy. To be honest I havn't actually read any of his books though I kind of know the stories but anyway it was still quite interesting. After I had finished wandering around the house I started the walk up to the gravestone which was located on the top of a bill hill next to the house which took about 40mins to walk to. I took the short route but It was super steep so was a lot harder on the legs but I eventually made it and got to see the amazing view from the top. I was slightly out of breath from the climb so lay down in the shade and relaxed for a while.
I took the long route on the way down which was better but still pretty steep, god knows how they god that gravestone up there!! When I got back to the house I met back up with Vivian and tagged along to go and see the B'hai (something like that) Temple which was a short cab journey up the road. The temple and the grounds were really impressive it looked kind of futuristic, anyway we didnt stay there too long as we wern't really interested about the religion.
This place was out the way of everything so it was unlikely that a bus was going to pass by and there were no taxis about. Luckily someone pulled in and offered us a lift into the town so we all clambered into the back of this van sitting on the floor and had an uncomfortable but free ride back into town where I made my way back to the hostel.
I had a few hours to kill before my shuttle came so I made some dinner and then went and sat in the lounge area. There was absolutely no-one around as everyone had left, so it was just me sitting on my own twiddling my thumbs waiting until 10pm with only the girl working on reception to talk to. When I got to the airport I was pretty much straight through, so paid my departure fee and waited until boarding.
There was a really long drive leading up to the house and on my way I met a woman called vivian who was travelling with her two kids. She was from the UK so I got chatting to her and went on the tour around RLS's house. It was a guided tour which lasted about 10mins and then I was able to go around the house again at my leisure and look around a bit closer. The house had been restored to its original glory and made into a museum which was now owned by some rich american guy. To be honest I havn't actually read any of his books though I kind of know the stories but anyway it was still quite interesting. After I had finished wandering around the house I started the walk up to the gravestone which was located on the top of a bill hill next to the house which took about 40mins to walk to. I took the short route but It was super steep so was a lot harder on the legs but I eventually made it and got to see the amazing view from the top. I was slightly out of breath from the climb so lay down in the shade and relaxed for a while.
I took the long route on the way down which was better but still pretty steep, god knows how they god that gravestone up there!! When I got back to the house I met back up with Vivian and tagged along to go and see the B'hai (something like that) Temple which was a short cab journey up the road. The temple and the grounds were really impressive it looked kind of futuristic, anyway we didnt stay there too long as we wern't really interested about the religion.
This place was out the way of everything so it was unlikely that a bus was going to pass by and there were no taxis about. Luckily someone pulled in and offered us a lift into the town so we all clambered into the back of this van sitting on the floor and had an uncomfortable but free ride back into town where I made my way back to the hostel.
I had a few hours to kill before my shuttle came so I made some dinner and then went and sat in the lounge area. There was absolutely no-one around as everyone had left, so it was just me sitting on my own twiddling my thumbs waiting until 10pm with only the girl working on reception to talk to. When I got to the airport I was pretty much straight through, so paid my departure fee and waited until boarding.
Sliding Rocks
My third day in Samoa was a Sunday which meant everything ceased for church. All the shops were closed and there were not many people around as they were all at church or home with their families. The taxis were running though so we decided to go and check out the sliding rocks which wern't too far away.
There was me, Jason and a few other people from our hostel that decided to come along so it was a full taxi. There were quite a lot of steps to conquer before getting down to the rocks and the hand rails had been generously donated by australia haha or so it said. The rocks and pools were really nice, and the sliding rock looked pretty dangerous so Me and Jason decided to wait and see someone else do it before we attempted it. Luckily there were a few people already there who demonstrated for us so we decided to give it a shot. The sliding rock is part of a river than runs over it causing it to get really slippy, you had to sit just left of the waterfall as the rock was smoother and lean forward as not to do your back any damage.
Sliding down the rock felt really smooth and within a couple of seconds you hit the pool below plunging underneath the waterfall. After a few goes I realised holding my nose when I went down was a good move as I kept getting water up my nose. There were a few other slides which looked a bit harder, but the water below was really shallow so I didnt bother to give them a go.
After spending a couple of fun hours there we all got a taxi back to the hostel and then Me and Jason went down to the Marine Reserve again as it was such a nice day. Surprisingly it was really busy, mainly tourists and probably because it was a sunday too plus the weather was great. I went for another snorkel and the sea was soo warm it was beautiful. After we had finished up there it was back to the hostel for food and beer as I was kind of celebrating my birthday seeing as it really was my birthday, back home it was anyway!
There was me, Jason and a few other people from our hostel that decided to come along so it was a full taxi. There were quite a lot of steps to conquer before getting down to the rocks and the hand rails had been generously donated by australia haha or so it said. The rocks and pools were really nice, and the sliding rock looked pretty dangerous so Me and Jason decided to wait and see someone else do it before we attempted it. Luckily there were a few people already there who demonstrated for us so we decided to give it a shot. The sliding rock is part of a river than runs over it causing it to get really slippy, you had to sit just left of the waterfall as the rock was smoother and lean forward as not to do your back any damage.
Sliding down the rock felt really smooth and within a couple of seconds you hit the pool below plunging underneath the waterfall. After a few goes I realised holding my nose when I went down was a good move as I kept getting water up my nose. There were a few other slides which looked a bit harder, but the water below was really shallow so I didnt bother to give them a go.
After spending a couple of fun hours there we all got a taxi back to the hostel and then Me and Jason went down to the Marine Reserve again as it was such a nice day. Surprisingly it was really busy, mainly tourists and probably because it was a sunday too plus the weather was great. I went for another snorkel and the sea was soo warm it was beautiful. After we had finished up there it was back to the hostel for food and beer as I was kind of celebrating my birthday seeing as it really was my birthday, back home it was anyway!
Friday, July 08, 2005
Cave Pools
Me and Jason had decided to go to the rock pools today as we would not be able to go tomorrow due to them being below a church and Samoans are very religious. To get to the cave pools we had to get a local bus which was an expereince. The buses had no timetable and just turned up when they turned up. The bus station was next to the market in town and long wooden benches were full of people waiting for a bus.
The buses were so funny and totally different to buses back home. They were quite high up and looked more like big 4 wheel drives, which were decorated on the outside by spray paint. They had things like 'god loves you' on and stuff as well as pictures such as spiderman so It was pretty random. Anyway these buses blasted out music 90% being the bass haha. They also had songs like 'lady in red' playing but it had been re-recorded in Samoan with a big fat bass "boom---boom-boom" thundering over it haha. Then there were the seats which were wooden and the most uncomfortable things ever. I don't think there was a passenger limit on these things either as people just got on even if there wern't any spaces left which meant young people had to sit on older peoples laps.
When the bus set off from the bus station we were expecting it to turn right as this was the direction of the cave pools but instead it turned left and we started to wonder where it was going. It then pulled up to a warehouse where about 15 crates of beer and soda drinks were loaded on to the bus in the middle aisle haha. I was sitting quite near the back and the stack was up to my shoulder. It was quite funny when people were getting off the bus as they had to scramble over these crates plus any people that were in the way it looked like something from the crystal maze.
After about an hour and a sore bum we got to the stop where the cave pools were and made our way there. The cave pool looked really kool and the water was super clear. It was funny when you went in the water as the fish in the pool came up to investigate and you ended up having several fish around your legs. There were two cave pools and you could apparently swim from one to the other through a tunnel which connected them underwater. Me and Jason went into the cave and at the end it was pitch black and we couldnt see a thing so decided it wasn't such a good idea. We then went for a look in the other pool and spotted some light under the water on one side of the cave.
Jason had some goggles on him so went down to have a look. When he came back up he said the tunnel went through to the other side but came out in a totally different place to where we were looking originally. I had a go with his goggles and went throught the tunnel to the other cave, which wasnt very far and you were only under the water for about 10 seconds. We then went and got the bus back to town so we could get some food for dinner, as we were aware that a lot of the shops closed early on a saturday for some reason - probably another religion related thing. I needed a well deserved rest when we got back so I had a couple of hours sleep before dinner time.
The buses were so funny and totally different to buses back home. They were quite high up and looked more like big 4 wheel drives, which were decorated on the outside by spray paint. They had things like 'god loves you' on and stuff as well as pictures such as spiderman so It was pretty random. Anyway these buses blasted out music 90% being the bass haha. They also had songs like 'lady in red' playing but it had been re-recorded in Samoan with a big fat bass "boom---boom-boom" thundering over it haha. Then there were the seats which were wooden and the most uncomfortable things ever. I don't think there was a passenger limit on these things either as people just got on even if there wern't any spaces left which meant young people had to sit on older peoples laps.
When the bus set off from the bus station we were expecting it to turn right as this was the direction of the cave pools but instead it turned left and we started to wonder where it was going. It then pulled up to a warehouse where about 15 crates of beer and soda drinks were loaded on to the bus in the middle aisle haha. I was sitting quite near the back and the stack was up to my shoulder. It was quite funny when people were getting off the bus as they had to scramble over these crates plus any people that were in the way it looked like something from the crystal maze.
After about an hour and a sore bum we got to the stop where the cave pools were and made our way there. The cave pool looked really kool and the water was super clear. It was funny when you went in the water as the fish in the pool came up to investigate and you ended up having several fish around your legs. There were two cave pools and you could apparently swim from one to the other through a tunnel which connected them underwater. Me and Jason went into the cave and at the end it was pitch black and we couldnt see a thing so decided it wasn't such a good idea. We then went for a look in the other pool and spotted some light under the water on one side of the cave.
Jason had some goggles on him so went down to have a look. When he came back up he said the tunnel went through to the other side but came out in a totally different place to where we were looking originally. I had a go with his goggles and went throught the tunnel to the other cave, which wasnt very far and you were only under the water for about 10 seconds. We then went and got the bus back to town so we could get some food for dinner, as we were aware that a lot of the shops closed early on a saturday for some reason - probably another religion related thing. I needed a well deserved rest when we got back so I had a couple of hours sleep before dinner time.
Samoa
Although I had got to bed so late I still set my alarm for 8.30 so I could get up in time for breakfast which was included so I could at least meet whoever else was staying in the hostel. One of the guys that was in my room the night I arrived had left and the other guy Jason was staying for a few more days so talked to him for a while then went for a stroll into town to check the place out. The weather was really nice and there were loads of people around, especially around the market area in town who just seemed to be wandering around and not doing an awful lot. I then bumped into Jason in town and walked back to the hostel with him. There was a Marine Reserve 2 minutes down the road from the hostel so I went with Jason the check it out. I got a mask and snorkel and went to find some fish! You had to swim out quite a way before you got to the reef but once you were there tons of fish were swimming around which were really kool to watch. I even managed to spot a blue starfish which looked awesome. It was a really nice relaxing swim looking at the sea life and the water was quite clear too. In the evening I went out with Jason and an old couple that were also staying at the hostel to go and watch the Lions 2nd test match in the local sports bar.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Two Places At The Same Time!
I had to get a flight to Auckland first and then the connecting flight to Samoa. The flight from Auckland was about 15min delayed so by the time I landed and had got off the plane in Auckland it was about 9ish which was cutting it close for getting my 10pm flight to Samoa, plus before I could go through to departures I had to go and pay a departure fee at the bank and also get some money changed so it was quite a rush but I managed to get on the plane in time.
You didnt get your own tv on the plane but they were showing Robots the computer animated film so I sat and watched that which was quite good before getting a little sleep. The flight was around 4 hours and landed In Samoa at 3am on the same day I had left NZ, which meant I was having the same day all over again because of the dateline. When I went through customs and stuff the guy didnt even look at my passport photo or anything and just told me to go through which seemed quite bizzare. I had booked a shuttle bus from the sirport to my hostel and there was a white board with my name on it when I came out of arrivals. I was the first person on the shuttle so had to wait for the other few people to come before it left.
The ride in to Apia the capital was approx 40mins and I was the last drop off. By this time it was nearing 5am and I was completely knackered as this was still 4am to my by NZ time. I got off the shuttle and they unloaded my bags, but my small backpack wasn't there, great!! So I told the driver and they said it must have been dropped off at the last hotel. Apparently they had told me to wait and they would go and have a look but I didnt hear them so I started to walk towards the hotel. I had walked a few minutes down the road when I shuttle buss passed me and then reveresed back - it was my shuttle bus that had just gone back and collected my bag (luckily it was there) and wondered why I had walked off haha. Anyway I was glad to get my bag back and then went to check in at the hostel. I though I would make a lot of noise getting into bed but my bed was right next to the door which gave me enough light to get into bed without making too much noise, plus there were only a couple of other guys in the room anyway. Mission Accomplished!
You didnt get your own tv on the plane but they were showing Robots the computer animated film so I sat and watched that which was quite good before getting a little sleep. The flight was around 4 hours and landed In Samoa at 3am on the same day I had left NZ, which meant I was having the same day all over again because of the dateline. When I went through customs and stuff the guy didnt even look at my passport photo or anything and just told me to go through which seemed quite bizzare. I had booked a shuttle bus from the sirport to my hostel and there was a white board with my name on it when I came out of arrivals. I was the first person on the shuttle so had to wait for the other few people to come before it left.
The ride in to Apia the capital was approx 40mins and I was the last drop off. By this time it was nearing 5am and I was completely knackered as this was still 4am to my by NZ time. I got off the shuttle and they unloaded my bags, but my small backpack wasn't there, great!! So I told the driver and they said it must have been dropped off at the last hotel. Apparently they had told me to wait and they would go and have a look but I didnt hear them so I started to walk towards the hotel. I had walked a few minutes down the road when I shuttle buss passed me and then reveresed back - it was my shuttle bus that had just gone back and collected my bag (luckily it was there) and wondered why I had walked off haha. Anyway I was glad to get my bag back and then went to check in at the hostel. I though I would make a lot of noise getting into bed but my bed was right next to the door which gave me enough light to get into bed without making too much noise, plus there were only a couple of other guys in the room anyway. Mission Accomplished!
Sunday, July 03, 2005
My Birthday!!
Just letting everyone know it's my birthday tomorrow (4th July) just incase anyone forgot :p
Im having a good time in Samoa just relaxing not doing an awful lot which is nice. The Internet is super slow here and really expensive too so Im not going to bother updating my blog with my Samoan adventures until I get to LA. Ive been living off omlettes so far in Samoa as there really cheap to make but I have sausages and spaghetti as my bday dinner :)
The time difference here was really confusing me but I reckon Ive worked it out now and im 12hrs behind the UK so I will have to wait an extra 12hrs until im 22 which is rubbish!!!
Im having a good time in Samoa just relaxing not doing an awful lot which is nice. The Internet is super slow here and really expensive too so Im not going to bother updating my blog with my Samoan adventures until I get to LA. Ive been living off omlettes so far in Samoa as there really cheap to make but I have sausages and spaghetti as my bday dinner :)
The time difference here was really confusing me but I reckon Ive worked it out now and im 12hrs behind the UK so I will have to wait an extra 12hrs until im 22 which is rubbish!!!
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