Wednesday 12th June 2002
The flight from Melbourne to Sydney was uneventful and full of businessmen. There was a little wait at Sydney because they had put me on an earlier flight from Melbourne. There were free computers with Internet access so I was able to chat with the Tnet gang to while away the time.
The flight from Sydney to Osaka was about 9 hours and I had an excellent seat …… a window exit seat in the upstairs section ….. this is usually configured for business class and it certainly felt like business class ….. one less seat across and a little box under the window to use as a personal locker.
The food was excellent …… I was impressed. It is an interesting experience being in the minority rather than the majority …… Most of the other passengers were either Japanese or Chinese. It was wonderful to be treated with such respect and courtesy.
Booked into the Kansai Nikko Hotel and went straight to bed. Had a great breakfast in the morning but did not even change any money into yen because everything was so expensive. I had a look around the airport as it really is quite an engineering feat . . . .a floating airport! Occupied myself on the computer only this time they had Japanese keyboards and it took me ages to work out how to get them going the right way.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
2002 LOS ANGELES
Thursday 13th June
Touched down at last. No trouble going through customs or immigration…..seems they will let anyone in these days……lol. My luggage did take a while to come down the chute though and since I was one of the first to book in at Sydney it is not surprising that it was the last to come out.
Just as I was about to phone Aggie to let her know I had arrived a voice behind me said, “Is that you Mobee?” And there she was with her sister. We left for her house chatting away as though we had known each other all our lives. Met Aggie’s mum and she and her sister, Cindy, are just the same as Aggie ……quite mad….lol
Touched down at last. No trouble going through customs or immigration…..seems they will let anyone in these days……lol. My luggage did take a while to come down the chute though and since I was one of the first to book in at Sydney it is not surprising that it was the last to come out.
Just as I was about to phone Aggie to let her know I had arrived a voice behind me said, “Is that you Mobee?” And there she was with her sister. We left for her house chatting away as though we had known each other all our lives. Met Aggie’s mum and she and her sister, Cindy, are just the same as Aggie ……quite mad….lol
2002 FULLERTON YOUTH HOSTEL & THE OUTBACK
Booked into the hostel, which is on the top of a hill with a nice open aspect. Comfortable 6 bed room and I was the only occupant that night……slept like a baby which is surprising but then I suppose it could be called the sleep of the innocent at this stage……lol.
Checked out the local supermarket, Rolfs…not bad and I do recognize some of the things in the store.
Checked out the local supermarket, Rolfs…not bad and I do recognize some of the things in the store.
2002 THIS AND THAT AND SHOPPING
Friday 14th June
Aggie picked me up at 8 am and we went to her school. I chatted while she worked and had a meeting. We had a lovely lunch at the Spaghetti Factory and then went off to purchase my cell phone. Next stop was a visit to Cher’s husband’s school, which was quite close. Dr. Bob is a delightful chappie and gave us the Royal Tour
When I got back to the hostel tonight I walked down to the store and had a long look around. Almost got locked out of the hostel because I forgot about the 11 o’clock curfew.
Aggie picked me up at 8 am and we went to her school. I chatted while she worked and had a meeting. We had a lovely lunch at the Spaghetti Factory and then went off to purchase my cell phone. Next stop was a visit to Cher’s husband’s school, which was quite close. Dr. Bob is a delightful chappie and gave us the Royal Tour
When I got back to the hostel tonight I walked down to the store and had a long look around. Almost got locked out of the hostel because I forgot about the 11 o’clock curfew.
2002 SAN DIEGO
Saturday 15th June
Aggie, Sylvia and myself set off for San Diego and lunch with some tnetters. The train journey was interesting and we passed by the home ball park of one of the Los Angeles baseball teams............the angels i think it was.
We were met in San Diego by Cin and Cher and taken to our hotel. Later we all met up at Casa De Bandini for lunch. There I met Bob Reap owner of the Chatroom and Tabasco Queen. Cin's daughter was there looking none too pleased at having been dragged to meet all these crazy women.
We had a lovely time and the food and margaritas were great. Later we wandered around the vicinity and just enjoyed each other's company.
Sunday 16th June
Before we had the chance to visit the Hotel Coroando del Mar I realized that I had lost my camera……panic ensued followed by calm with the realization that I had, in fact, left it in Cher’s car. A quick call to Cher confirmed this and her sweet darling husband dropped what he was doing and drove all the way to the hotel del mar to give it to me……thank you Dr.Bob.
We then proceeded to enjoy wandering around the Hotel Coronado del Mar and drinking in the history associated with it. It is a beautiful place. Some of the pictures I took from the internet to reflect this history.
Aggie, Sylvia and myself set off for San Diego and lunch with some tnetters. The train journey was interesting and we passed by the home ball park of one of the Los Angeles baseball teams............the angels i think it was.
We were met in San Diego by Cin and Cher and taken to our hotel. Later we all met up at Casa De Bandini for lunch. There I met Bob Reap owner of the Chatroom and Tabasco Queen. Cin's daughter was there looking none too pleased at having been dragged to meet all these crazy women.
We had a lovely time and the food and margaritas were great. Later we wandered around the vicinity and just enjoyed each other's company.
Sunday 16th June
Before we had the chance to visit the Hotel Coroando del Mar I realized that I had lost my camera……panic ensued followed by calm with the realization that I had, in fact, left it in Cher’s car. A quick call to Cher confirmed this and her sweet darling husband dropped what he was doing and drove all the way to the hotel del mar to give it to me……thank you Dr.Bob.
We then proceeded to enjoy wandering around the Hotel Coronado del Mar and drinking in the history associated with it. It is a beautiful place. Some of the pictures I took from the internet to reflect this history.
2002 AROUND HOLLYWOOD
MONDAY 17TH JUNE
The girls picked me up at 10:00 am and we headed off for LA. The plan today was for Cindy to drive us around the homes of the rich and famous………..Bel Air was the first place we hit ……..the gardens and vegetation were beautiful and many of the houses were spectacular. We saw the house where Steven Spielberg used to own and across the street where Sylvester Stallone might have owned and many that WE would have liked to own.
Rodeo Drive was our next stop …….. Apparently tourists are encouraged to look from their cars but strongly discouraged from getting out of their cars.
Next stop was Sunset Boulevard and by the time we finished that we were on our way to Malibu. Seeing the houses perched
on the edge of the cliffs, which are extremely prone to land slides makes one wonders where common sense went. We continued on some very winding road with almost hairpin bends. What a sudden change in the flora and fauna. The rock formation was volcanic and the area was called the Santa Monica Mountains. We hoped this would become Mulholland Drive and it did. On the way we passed Kelsey Gramer’s (Frasier) property. All in all a very enjoyable day punctuated with a great many laughs….. great for the soul.
We had a late lunch at a restaurant called Marie Callendars……..very tasty and very reasonable. Spent the evening pleasantly at the hostel tonight and there were new people coming in all the time. Looking forward to tomorrows trip to Cambria.
The girls picked me up at 10:00 am and we headed off for LA. The plan today was for Cindy to drive us around the homes of the rich and famous………..Bel Air was the first place we hit ……..the gardens and vegetation were beautiful and many of the houses were spectacular. We saw the house where Steven Spielberg used to own and across the street where Sylvester Stallone might have owned and many that WE would have liked to own.
Rodeo Drive was our next stop …….. Apparently tourists are encouraged to look from their cars but strongly discouraged from getting out of their cars.
Next stop was Sunset Boulevard and by the time we finished that we were on our way to Malibu. Seeing the houses perched
on the edge of the cliffs, which are extremely prone to land slides makes one wonders where common sense went. We continued on some very winding road with almost hairpin bends. What a sudden change in the flora and fauna. The rock formation was volcanic and the area was called the Santa Monica Mountains. We hoped this would become Mulholland Drive and it did. On the way we passed Kelsey Gramer’s (Frasier) property. All in all a very enjoyable day punctuated with a great many laughs….. great for the soul.
We had a late lunch at a restaurant called Marie Callendars……..very tasty and very reasonable. Spent the evening pleasantly at the hostel tonight and there were new people coming in all the time. Looking forward to tomorrows trip to Cambria.
2002 CAMBRIA & HEARST CASTLE
Tuesday 18th June
Today we set off for Cambria ...... a jewel on the Californian coastline. I was so glad Aggie shared this place with me ....... I would never have found it otherwise. It is so good to be shown these places by people who know them well. I feel less like a tourist this way and I am sure I see much more than the average tourist would see. I will let the pictures of Cambria speak for themselves. The Bluebird Inn was all it was cracked up to be.
Wednesday 19th June
We had a fairly leisurely breakfast at Linn's which is a well-known bakery and breakfast venue. Found out all about the Olallieberry ...which I would call a blackberry...then Aggie and I took a walk around the town while Myrth and Cindy did some business. After that it was a short drive to Hearst Castle. The tour was extremely informative and very well conducted and we certainly learned a lot about Mr. William Randolf Hearst.
After the tour we set off for Monterey. I was so grateful that the girls had suggested that they drive me to Monterey instead of me taking the bus from Los Angeles. We took the coast road and the bus would have gone inland and I would have missed some of the most spectacular scenery ever. After seeing the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas the coastline just became more and more breathtaking. We stopped at a few spots to enjoy it and to take pictures. From Big Sur to Monterey I couldn't stop "oohing and aaahing". Monterey itself had a great feel to it as we drove in......hard to describe but there nevertheless. The hostel was very nice and at $40 for two nights most affordable. Saying goodbye to Aggie, Cindy and Myrth was not easy. We had had such a wonderful time. Thank you, Aggie, Cindy and Myrth a million times over for your hospitality, generosity and wonderful company.
Today we set off for Cambria ...... a jewel on the Californian coastline. I was so glad Aggie shared this place with me ....... I would never have found it otherwise. It is so good to be shown these places by people who know them well. I feel less like a tourist this way and I am sure I see much more than the average tourist would see. I will let the pictures of Cambria speak for themselves. The Bluebird Inn was all it was cracked up to be.
Wednesday 19th June
We had a fairly leisurely breakfast at Linn's which is a well-known bakery and breakfast venue. Found out all about the Olallieberry ...which I would call a blackberry...then Aggie and I took a walk around the town while Myrth and Cindy did some business. After that it was a short drive to Hearst Castle. The tour was extremely informative and very well conducted and we certainly learned a lot about Mr. William Randolf Hearst.
After the tour we set off for Monterey. I was so grateful that the girls had suggested that they drive me to Monterey instead of me taking the bus from Los Angeles. We took the coast road and the bus would have gone inland and I would have missed some of the most spectacular scenery ever. After seeing the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas the coastline just became more and more breathtaking. We stopped at a few spots to enjoy it and to take pictures. From Big Sur to Monterey I couldn't stop "oohing and aaahing". Monterey itself had a great feel to it as we drove in......hard to describe but there nevertheless. The hostel was very nice and at $40 for two nights most affordable. Saying goodbye to Aggie, Cindy and Myrth was not easy. We had had such a wonderful time. Thank you, Aggie, Cindy and Myrth a million times over for your hospitality, generosity and wonderful company.
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