2. Sydney to LA LA Land

Dorothy once said "There is no place like home!" when she found herself in the Land of Oz.
We plan to see how things differ from home when we leave the Land of Aus.

What better way to start off a trip than a relaxed afternoon and evening in Sydney with great friends, old and new.

Sydney put on a remarkable show of weather and sights to entice us back to the wonderful land of Aus.

For those who remember the Susan Raye song from the 70s, we landed at LA International Airport, where the big jet engines roar, LA International Airport I won't see you any more; that is except in another few days.
Straight to Hollywood to seek our fame and fortune (or more to the point, spend a fortune as nothing is cheap).

The famed Hollywood sign has been modified over the years to read as Hollyweed and Holywood to suit various senses of humour and occasions. 

We were bewildered by this sign on the hills which also appeared on buildings, trees and sky as our bus drove along. 

Los Angeles River near our hotel.
More suitable for car chases than river boating. 

Subway showing more class and cleanliness than most. 

Plus providing education on history rather than graffiti. 

Then on to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, where pumping iron and beach volley ball in bikinis is all the go!  We felt right at home.

Surfing at the famed Venice Beach is akin to surfing at Warners Bay.
We are not sure what would have happened if a wave had come along. 

Venice Beach
Said to be birth place of skate boarding.  No doubt due to lack of surf. 

Wheel chair accessible fishing spot. 

Down on the updated boardwalk.
A slow ped can be seen in the foreground; as per the sign. 

On a bicycle built for two from Venice Beach to Santa Monica. 

For the true road trip enthusiasts.
The end of Route 66. 

Surf, sand and sea pigeons. 

Failed early attempt at creating a paddle boat at Santa Monica.
Later adding flotation and lowering the paddle into the water proved successful.  

The endless crowds applying pier pressure. 

Hollywood, and a chance to meet fellow stars.

 

Picking a good way to make people laugh seemed effortless for Charlie; simply relying on talent and timing without the backup of sound or special effects. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's turned out to be more like morning tea at Tiffany's.
Audrey was so much looking forward to porridge.

Raquel trying to teach 70s dance moves from 10,000 years BC. 

An affinity to river cruising was apparent from the very first scene. 

All I said was "We need some rain man!", and he got all down in the mouth.  He was evidently needing a friend to talk to.  

Sharing a joke about the White House residents. 

Jack is always good for a laugh!
We waxed lyrically for quite a while. 

Meghan was good for a chat, however, Harry's mind was elsewhere. 

Feeling lucky despite no gun to draw.
He made my day!

The Chinese Theatre is the centre of Hollywood.

Actor Billy Zane was the only non wax, hence live personality we saw.
He is seen here sporting less hair than in his Titanic days, however, still believes ships and icebergs are not a good mix.
Like the others at Madame Tussaud's, it looks as if his head had been waxed. 

We did a tour of the homes of stars.
Here is Julia Robert's home when Richard Gear carted her off in Pretty Woman.
It wouldn't happen now as the limo would have too much difficulty with the traffic congestion, give up, and a new movie ending would have to be written. 

Concrete will never be the same with messages, hand and foot prints.
Archaeologists in future years will study these prints in the way they do now with dinosaur prints.
.

Everyone's favorite.
What a clever little girl!

Expensive paving. 

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Keeping her age well, although her measurements appear to have changed from her heyday. 

Others with stars laid in the sidewalks.

The most popular star as noted by the crowds trying to take this photo. 

Nearly slipped on grease on this one. 

Disneyland had the edge taken off, by firstly taking 3 hours to get in the gate from our hotel.  Then it was a case of standing in wait lines for rides for 1hr 45, 1hr 35, and a couple of just 45mins.

Unbelievable crowds.
The line-up for shows approaching 2 hours gave us a chance to meet fellow shufflers in the line.  

Decorations for Halloween at the Haunted Mansion. 

Our lunch for the day which only required a 20 minute line up.
AUD$16 for two ice creams. 

The happiest place in the world!
Not today though!!
Kids and strollers add to the fun of the parents. 

The highlight of the day was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, in that we only had to line up for 20 minutes.
An hour and a quarter quicker than some other line ups. 

We were in Fantasy Land!
What more could we ask for?
And from the smell of legalised Marijuana in the streets of Hollywood, many people are living in Fantasy Land. 

Universal Studios had smaller crowds, plus we paid for an upgrade, and gained easy access for all the rides.  Money talks in the USA!
We upgraded after our day in Disneyland, where 40 upgrade customers would enter a ride to 5 of commoners. Hence not many rides in the day for those who didn't pay extra!!

Arriving early to avoid the crowds.
Such a shame the gates weren't open. 

Fake light weight facades which have been in many movies. 

We travelled back to the future for this shot. 

A typical Mexican village before the rains. 

And after the rains. 

Jaws evidently has a good dentist.
He has been showing his pearly whites, or great whites, for 44 years. 

The War of the Worlds played havoc with a 747.
The Martians haven't been back to clean up their mess. 

Kings Cross Station Platform No. 9.75

The snow on Hogwart's Village roofs indicates a temperature of 26F and not 26C. 

A hairy potter was known to have resided in this castle. 

On now to San Francisco, with flowers in our hair, and the aim of keeping up the average steps per day of 18,000.  No time to gain weight so far.

Hoping all are keeping well!!
Cheers, Don and Carrol.