Hawaii was the first step into the big USA. But when flying into los angeles we got a feeling of how big it really is. We needed a car to get around town and the east coast and have been looking for a rental agency since Ireland. The US charges a ridiculous amount of money for people under 25 and even more for insurances because the risk of getting sewed over a bump or scratch is high . We could rent a car for 250 dollars for 2 weeks but including insurances and the underage fee it became a whopping 1100 dollars. And that was a cheap car rental. We have been calling the whole morning of our arrival and finally found a company that seemed reasonable. It was easy to haggle with her and we had a lot of fun meeting and talking. I don't know if anyone knows consuela from family guy, the Mexican cleaning lady with the extreme thick accent? Well this was either her best friend or the sister because they looked and acted exactly the same. It started off by 1200 and eventually became 800 dollars including all the fees and taxes and she even threw in the gps for free. When I wanted to sign the contract she asked where we were planning to go. We told her last Vegas and.......We stopped there. She seemed disoriented and a bit shocked when we told her even the first city of our long trip. she said, that is a lot of miles. You have the contract for a limited up to 500. If you want to do this you have to have unlimited mileage and that is again 200 dollars extra. Lizet and me stayed silent and just looked at each other and waited. And then she said oké I give it to you for free. When would you like to deliver the car back at what time? Well in the afternoon if we can we said. Maria told us that this would cost us . Lizet made a bluff and said, but on your website it said we could have one day for free and that we should ask about it. She had to think about it for a while. We just waited again and after a minute of silence we had an extra day and even a drop off at our hotel for free.

The car was fine, a bit sticky from melted candies and greasy from left over pieces of chicken from the previous renter but apart from that it was a smooth riding Toyota yaris. Traffic is different than in Europe as in completely different. You can pass cars both ways and at the stoplight make a right turn through red. It sometimes felt like need for speed on the highway. Americans don't shy away from telling you how you drive and honking the horn is second nature to them. Since our car didn't have one of those big rental agency stickers we were subject to West coast hospitality. We were handled like all other Americans and received a few middle fingers and honking concerts when we tried to get to Hollywood. We liked hollywood. Made a lot of pictures of the sign as well as some of the moviestars stars. We compared the size of our hands with the ones of harry potter and tom cruise. And walked the walk of Fame. It was a lot of fun being at the place where so much movies are made. We just stayed one night in LA and figured that this city although big had not that much else to offer. It is so big that it takes more than half an hour to get from one place to the other. We didn't bother and after a day and a night we made our way to Las Vegas.

A long drive through the desert awaited us but halfway out of los angeles a yellow light began to beep in the car, that we had to check something. We pulled over at the nearest gas station and popped the hood. We couldn't figure out what it was so we asked the associates at the counter to help us. The brother of one of the cashier worked in a repair shop for cars and she said she call him for us. We waited at the counter and talked to the other cashier who was helping clients . All of a sudden she shoved a 20 dollar bill towards us and told us that the last lady that came in and paid gave the money to her and told her to give it to us. We asked why? She simply thought that you didn't have money for gas. We didn't know whether to feel ashamed or blessed but it was a nice gesture and we saved it for in Las Vegas. The cashier's brother told us that it was wiser to go back and swap the car. We called the company and Maria asked us to come back. We did and we felt really stupid afterwards. The reason that the little yellow light flashed with check was simply because I didn't screw the gasolinecap tight enough. The maintenance guy who looked after the car reset something with a machine and the light disappeared. Wasted a good 5 hours on the drive back and forth. Maybe it was a good thing though, along the road to Las Vegas we saw numerous cars overheated next to the highway. Trucks were losing their wheels, rubber was flying around the highway and we've seen tons of it too. During our whole trip in the desert it was 119 Fahrenheit or around 50 degrees. Insane.

Just before the dark kicked in we arrived. We had high hopes of Las Vegas since we watch CSI a lot before we go to bed. Falling asleep with a murder case just solved in a city full of sin and lust. It made us wonder of how much was true. I expected music as soon as we got out of the car since I've never seen the city without a cool soundtrack. Or perhaps the scream of a murder victim drawing a last breath. Gunshots or explosions. The lights were on and flashing at least that bit was true to TV. But apart from that the parking lot was rather boring. We stayed at the excalibur the hotel that looks like an old castle. I loved it. From 38 degrees to 22 is such a wonderful feeling! the opening doors were an attraction on itself. Once inside we were lost. There are almost no signs to guide you to the check in. It was so massive that it took us 5 full minutes to get from the entrance to the front desk. So many machines so many tables to play and so many different people pushing their luck. On the one hand really sad on the other it was awesome. Before we came to Vegas we heard that there are whole bunch of mind tricks to get you to spend as much money as possible. That in the room there would be no bright light and a lack of oxygen to get you downstairs. In the gambling halls there would be no clocks and set up like a maze. All of it was true. You have no sense of time once your in the gambling area. You feel a bit trapped. Strangely enough we found Vegas to be the most budget friendly, the room the food and the drinks were cheap! We still spend a lot of money though mostly thanks to me. Like most people I thought I was special and deserved to win a million at least. Fat chance. We considered it part of the las Vegas expierence to lose and not win (stupid movies, they all win there!) . We both loved to walk around in the casinos and see the difference between them. Some of then were interconnected so you could stay in the cool artificial breeze. It was funny to see the sort of people and the amounts they bet. To get free drinks in the one and nothing in the other. The walk on the strip was excruciating because of the heat either day or night but worth it to see the lights shine. Everything in Vegas was so over the top, the coupons the people in the streets giving out flyers for the tons of strip clubs and call girls. Disney land for grown ups. Sadly the bad had to come to an end so we left after 2 full days of having sinned.

On to the part we didn't tell Maria about. Our itinerary was long. Next stop is the Grand Canyon.