In My Life

L.A. 12.09.12

Yesterday was chock-a-block, we went as far east and west of downtown as possible.  We started out at the Griffith Observatory – high in the Hollywood Hills – a site used in the movie Rebel Without A Cause.  From there you can see the whole city – which is in fact many cities that have become one.   Every suburb seems to have three or four train stations – so big are they. 

We ended the day at Santa Monica Beach – a two hour bus trip from downtown.  It was like Vanity Fair – an overblown Noosa or Byron Bay with snake handlers, ferris wheels, and a memorial of crosses in the sand for the soldiers killed in Afghanistan. 

Everything is big – including small coffees. 

There are damaged people all around.  On the train, in the buses mini dramas are being played out.   Mexicans are very short.  Afro-Americans are very uninhibited – talking aloud, airing grievances.  We are always totally engrossed by sights and sounds.

Our hotel has been great – clean – close and owned by Chinese people but run by Latinos.  The lady in charge of the dining room looks and acts like a Nazi if and when someone steps out of line – toasting a muffin or moving a chair.  So far we have escaped her ire.

Today the train journey begins – to Portland, Oregon.

Los Angeles

10.09.2012 

My first observation – L.A. is a city of tall, skinny palm trees – they’re everywhere.  It’s un-seasonally hot and humid the locals tell us.  We have come ill-prepared for this weather – we packed for a brisk autumn.  I was forced to cast off jeans and get into shorts and thongs – everyone seemed to be looking at my white legs and flip-flops. 

What a diversity of cultures – mainly Asian, Latino, or Afro-Americans.  We sat for a while at the train station people-watching and saw what seemed like many broken or wasted lives.  In the streets we came across old prams or wheelie bins chock full of the humble belongings of people living on the street – left in a favourite sleeping place.

We’ve had Monday twice this week and it’s still not over. We got here 4 hours before we left after a 12-hour flight over 12,000kms at 11km above sea-level.  A couple of body parts are still recovering from the crush.   Thankfully the passenger in the aisle seat often went for walks or water refills so we had no customary toiletry hold-ups. 

Our hotel has seen better days but it’s close to the station and almost in downtown L.A.  When we arrived we were surprised that our room wasn’t ready – thinking it was mid-afternoon when it was just 10.30am.  But they soon made it available so we could shower before going back out to face the heat.

We’ve got heaps planned for tomorrow including a swim at a beach and catching some views of the whole city from two vantage points. 

Feels like we’re on a merry-go-round we won’t get off for a long while yet, but we have high expectations of seeing some spectacular views of creation and rubbing shoulders with people we would otherwise not have met.  I’m thinking there will be some eternal purpose in whatever unfolds. 

At last I think I’ve got it.

This has been a very steep learning curve for me. I’m still trying to work it out.