Day 12- Pumping our guns on Muscle Beach

After a grand nights sleep we had another makeshift breakfast and then headed out to the gorgeous sandy beach, about 10 metres from our hostel door. We spent about 2 hours exploring Venice beach and all the interesting market stalls that lined the promenade. The area itself is a very diverse one with a number of people skating or cycling with dogs in tow or spray painting various artworks to sell on the sidewalk. We also saw the weightlifters on the beach who give it the name 'Muscle Beach' and whilst I was tempted to show them my guns I decided to refrain so as to not embarrass them.

We decided to walk the 2 mile stretch up to Santa Monica Pier along the boiling sand, occasionally having to dip our feet into the Pacific Ocean to cool off slightly. Along the beach were stationed a number of small lifeguard huts- the ones used in Baywatch but unfortunately for me (and luckily for Maika) all the lifeguards seemed to be muscular tanned and good looking males! We also found large flocks of seagulls that Maika couldn't help but chase which provided the oppportunity for some cool mid flight action shots of the birds (the flying ones, not the sunbathers)

At Santa Monic pier we found a small attraction park with a rollercoaster and some other fairground type stalls. There were also a number of caricature artists around and such like but we were too poor to afford such luxuries! After walking the 2 miles back, again caught up in the hustle and bustle of the market stalls we got some HUGE savoury crepes (half of which was saved for breakfast the next morning :) before catching some really cool photos of the sun setting over the ocean. There were also some pretty big waves jumping some rocks a little way out to sea which also provided good conditions for the 20 or so surfers who were still out in the water. We also saw a number of pelicans fly on by which was cool.

After our long day out in the sun and with our feet aching slightly we headed back to the hostel for the night.

Day 13- Jackson's Funeral

Today was the day we left Venice Beach for downtown LA but due to differing check out/in times we decided to spend the morning again wandering up the promenade to purchase some stuff we had missed out on the day before. After wandering around for another couple of hours we jumped back on the public bus heading down the hour long stretch of Venice Boulevard (one long road) and finally reaching the corner of venice and 7th where we were to pick up another bus towards our hotel. However as we arrived here we noticed that the Staples Centre was literally 3 blocks down the road. We had heard some of Jackson's funeral on the radio in the morning but as we were laden with bags we decided to go find the hotel first and check out the area after. We later learned that the funera had finished an hour or so earlier anyways and we wouldn't have been able to get any nearer than the street we were at due to a safety cordon they had in place so we didn't feel too hard done by.

After dropping our bags in our new very comfy motel style accommodation we jumped on a 25 cent shuttle bus back the couple of miles to the convention centre where there was still quite a lot of action going on. A number of large LCD screens were showing pics of Wacko Jacko and there were a number of large boards where people had signed and written messages. There was also a huge heart made from red and white roses which was being closely guarded by the LAPD. Huge crowds still stood around the 20+ TV camera's and reporters (all different companies) and it was really interesting to hear the passion and heartbreak that many of the people there spoke with. Many were also dressed all in black with fancy hats and bags as though they were attending the funeral of a family member. Maika and I milled around for a while in the heat, possibly getting on some Spanish news station and also watched some MJ look-a-likes who were wandering around before heading back up to the hotel via 7-11.

As we had a microwave in the room and not finding too much food in the surrounding area we ended u p with microwaveable pizza which was pretty skank even by my standards but having a TV again was cool and we found a good film channel and saw some Ben Stiller movie set in San Fran!

Day 14- Prehistoric fossils and mammoths named 'Zed'

Having not had any internet access for a while we hadn't done too much research into what we were going to do whilst in downtown LA so after finding that the 'continental breakfast' we were promised was actually a plain croissant and sugar donut we grabbed some leaflets and headed back to the room to decide what we wanted to see. Hollywood and Beverly Hills etc was a definite must but as we had had a slightly leisurely start to the day we decided to wait for the day after to make the most of it. Instead we decided to head up to a part of the city called 'La Brea' to see some tar pits!

The first thing we noticed as we stepped off the bus was a very sulphury type smell which was actually methane bubbling up from the tar pits which sat right next to a main road. There were also large wooly mammoths (fake of course) that had been conveniently placed at each end of the pits which made for some amusing photos. Since we were feeling cultural etc (!?) we headed for the museum to see how difficult it is to walk in tar and look at a load of bones, some dating back a few million years! We both agreed that the museum was put together really well with two short films informing us about what we were looking at and a bit about the mission of the scientists who were working there (only 2 out of about 30 were paid, rest were volunteers!) There were also large recreations of all the different bird skeletons and mammals that we being uncovered. They also had an interesting part whereby the lab in which a lot of the bones were being cleaned and assembled in was actually open to public viewing behind a large glass screen! The temptation to make silly faces to disturb them was almost too much but we managed to behave ourselves :) We also saw 'Pit 91'- the latest project of the group which had been ongoing for about 12 years as they only work during the summer months when the tar is easier to dig through and even then can only complete a very small area each season. It was however the site of the first full mammoth (tusks and all) to be unearthed which they have named 'Zed'.

After a lunch of pizza (a really nice one this time) for a late lunch we had another long journey home getting slightly lost in downtown before jumping in the pool back at the hotel for a quick swim. Again we struggled for food nearby and ended up with a quick pasta dish which again fell way below expectations. It was true what we had read- a car is a must in LA! Again we were pretty knackered from our days sightseeing and had a fairly early start planned the next day so climbed into bed to get some Z's.

AC & MS xxx