MARCH 09 : BRISBANE & ADELAIDE

Just booked flights back to Australia for first two weeks of March.... Two of Pamela’s friends are getting married in the first two weekends of March (Lucie and Joanne)... and since I have 35days annual leave for 2009 (I carried over most from 08)..... it is good enough reason to use it up.

It was actually cheaper with a Saturday stop-over in Brisbane (Sully will be there, so I will catch up with him).... so it should be good times for all.

Looking forward to seeing everybody again!!

COUNTRIES I HAVE VISITED

DRIVE BACK TO OC ALONG THE COAST

Solvang (a Dutch village)

Santa Barbara

VIEW FROM COIT TOWER

BOAT CRUISE AROUND THE BAY

The Bay Bridge

Alcatraz

San Francisco skyline

The Golden Gate Bridge

SAN FRAN

We left a day later then expected ...(due to Pamela’s ankle, which held up ok through the weekend) ... and made the 6 ½ hour drive from Newport to San Francisco .....and spent couple of days checking out SF ... and it is a pretty amazing place.

Around the Golden Gate Bridge

World's most crooked street

Painted Ladies (thats what these old houses are called)

Ice skating at Union Square

A Ride in the Cabel-Kart

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2009

We really didn’t make any plans for New Year’s Eve, other than to celebrate the night in Newport beach....unfortunately, a fog hang around the area for 2 days (in OC they call it a “marine layer” and at night the visibility was less than 40 metres).

We were planning to drive to San Francisco on New Years day ... so neither of us were expecting to have a huge night (and we already had a string of drinking nights, so this was literally just another night)... but to celebrate the occasion ... we did have a shot of Gray Goose Vodka that is sitting in my freezer for special occasions (my dad brought with him from New Zealand, during his visit in October).

Unfortunately, at 12:05am ... as myself and Pamela were going out the door to check out the activities on the Peninsular, Pamela missed a step (probably the shot of Vodka hit her as she was declining altitude), and injured her ankle .... not a great way to start 2009..... we didnt end up going anywhere .... Straight back to bed, and an ice pack.

TOURISTY CRAP

So it took me few days to recover from the Xmas drinking ... and we decided to take Sully to do some LA’s touristy stuff: Venice Beach, Mulholand Drive, Beverly Hills, Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Strip, and Rodeo Drive....all up a pretty big day (some 200 miles)

The highlight was an adventure trying to get close up to the Hollywood sign (its on top of an unpopulated hill, and there is no access to the public) .. and with a bit of persistence we got pretty damn close.... followeda bunch of narrow, winding side streets to get to Mulholand Highway (which is just called a highway, but in fact it’s a dirt amenity road .... not open to the public .... which drives around the back of the sign, and some public utilities which are located on top of that hill).

Oh .. and thought I'd mention the freak (LA is full of them) we met on the way back from the Hollywood sign ... this guy built a car that looked like a rocket …. Except on closer examination it’s jet engine is fake … and it has a rotor that spins just like an electric fan … not to mention flashing lights that belong on a xmas tree.

THE SOUTHERN CROSS FLIES IN NEWPORT

When I was in Australia in November, I was looking to buy an Aussie flag to fly of the flagpost on my balcony..... well ... I didn’t get around to it ... . and on return to USA ...was a bit disappointed with myself.

Well a little surprise arrived in the mail from Pamela’s aunty (Pam) ..and there was my Xmas present .. a massive Aussie flag..... very excited to receive it ... and it took me less than 5 minutes to proudly fly it off the balcony!!

SULLY IN NEWPORT FOR XMAS

So Sully decided to get away from London chills, and visit us for a couple of weeks in Newport Beach (over Xmas and New Years).

Now the lad travelled on Xmas day, and while I was doing the airport run to pick him up (LAX is a 3 hour round trip), Pamela was left at home with the responsibility of cooking a roast (Beef, as per Sully’s request)

After a 12 hour flight (and 8 hour time-zone difference) ... I thought the best thing for him to do was to stay up ... and so we did what 2 Aussie boys do best ... ate the dinner, and got thoroughly drunk... (3 bottles of red wine, and dozen or so beers ... with a few Vodka shots thrown in).

To his credit, we were up till 2 am .. so that is 10am for him on London time!!

It starts off very civil...

... and as each bottle of wine gets emptied ....

..... the boys get worse ....

.... and worse!!