The greyhound bus folk wanted passengers at the terminal one hour before departure. Seemed a bit excessive but I wasn't going to tempt complications so I allowed plenty of time and was there about 75 minutes before departure. I cruised through check in and wheeled my bag to where I was shown and the ticket person at the next departure door asked did I want to catch the earlier bus that was just ready to leave. Shit yeah! Strike off a one hour wait. Excellent. I board the bus, and get a seat to myself. Double Shit yeah! Heaps more leg room than a plane. Yeah, I was liking this greyhound bus idea. I took out my iPod and headphones and tilted the chair back and we were off. Luxury. A day of music and scenery. The only bad thing about the trip was the burger king lunch. I made do with French fries and an iced coffee - an iced coffee without strawberry, chocolate or caramel that is. Americans excessive? Never!
I got into LA at peak hour. That was dumb. I thought when I booked the trip that 10 was a civilized time to get a bus but I didn't really look at the big picture. Bit like when I play pool, I can only ever concentrate on the shot in hand. So getting into the terminal and then the cab to Mar Vista where I was staying took nearly two hours. But was I in a hurry, no. I just sat back and soaked in the sites.
I'd arranged a place to stay through a website; www.airbnb.com. I'd done my homework and found a place as close as I could to my cousin cathy's place. Cathy had kindly offered me the couch at her place, but Being such a shit sleeper I didn't think I'd fare too well on a couch for 4 nights. One maybe. The place I'd booked is an old airstream trailer that sits in a secure backyard. Very retro. It's been totally refurbished, with a lot of class. Yes folks it's a classy trailer, no trailer trash for me! All that's missing is the star on the door. The bed linen is a zillion thread count cotton sheets, that smell divine. Plump towels. Waiting for me was a little cheese platter, ground coffee and a plunger, and a bowl of fruit. Everything so thoughtful. An iPod dock, wifi, a little outdoor sitting area along side a water feature and beautiful heaps of bougainvillea. Such a far cry from my 'host' in San Francisco. Faith in humanity restored.
I let Cathy know I'm settled in and she's over in no time. We head out for some dinner with her 15 year old son, winton. I can't remember when I last saw Cathy, but years and distance vanish and not just the family connection but a like mindedness kicks in and we are immediately chatting our heads off. We drop winton off after dinner, he's bored with our chatting - he is 15 after all, and we go on to a little local bar for a nightcap.
The next day, Friday, is traditionally sista day for my 3 cousins. When they can, they get together and do stuff. So this Friday I was to be included. They'd planned a BBQ. It was a lovely day. We sat around, more chatting, and watched the gorgeous 3 year old Addi wear herself out swimming in the heated pool. We ducked out to the Mall briefly as Lenny had me on a mission to get him a genuine New Orleans Hornets jersey. But alas, they only had limited sizes, this being LA after all, so he will have to settle for a t-shirt.
The BBQ was fantastic. My family, on both my mothers side and my fathers side are all, I am proud to say, brilliant hosts and cooks. I enjoy watching some of the many cooking shows these days and I'm always a bit peeved when the Italians come on and suggest they have some sort of exclusivity on the whole food and family thing. When my family comes together it is generally around a dinner table with lashings of gorgeous fresh food prepared with love and care. I could think of no better way to be spending one of my three days half way across the world in LA with my 3 cousins and their family. Streak that had been marinating all day, marinated veges cooked in a basket on the barbie, and Vivienne - that mushroom sauce was to die for!!!! I could have eaten a plate of that on it's own. A wonderful day, thanks cuz girls and Scott and Kevin too. And yes, I've figured out how to attach pics!!!!
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That trailer is magnificent!!! And hooray for you figuring out how to post pics - you geek you!
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