Up at sparrow **** to get the chauffeur driven service to the airport. Picked up at 5 am by Chrysler 300, nice change from a standard taxi. It is now part of QANTAS service if you are flying business class. Flight to Brissy uneventful however the QANTAS Club in Brissy is sadly lacking and not enough seats, food was good though. Once we boarded the plane sparkling wine was supplied prior to take off. After take off it was a few beers, then a few Margaret River reds and then onto the Baileys as a night cap which set me up very well for a good sleep. They now supply a mattress sleave that fits over the seat when laid back which makes it just that bit more comfortable when sleeping. Landed on time in LAX and had the fastest ever clearing of customs and immigration. Landed at 0630 and was on the shuttle bus to the rental car park at 0700. We have previously taken anywhere up to 2.5 hours to clear LAX. We got upgraded to a Ford Edge which is very nice. LA was totally smogged in and it wasn't until we were 100K out that it started to clear. Called into T-Mobile and got setup with our new numbers while here complete with data. I thoroughly recommend T-Mobile if you are visiting USA, they have the best rates and data plans for temporary or pre paid, very quick to setup as well. For an extra $10 you get unlimited international calls to a good list of countries (Australia and Ireland included). If anyone needs to contact me my number here is 1 951 413 4000. Got to Palm Springs at midday however rooms not ready so a quick trip to Walmart was in order. I am happy to report that the people of Walmart have not improved at all. Now sitting at the pool at the Hilton having a few beers waiting for our room to be ready. It is 38C and a bit of a shock from Canberra. We are starting to feel the effects of the flight now and looking forward to our room for a quick sleep before dinner tonight.
awoke refreshed about 6pm and after freshening up we headed over to the Spa Resort and Casino (100M from our hotel entrance). I ended up playing blackjack switch, for anyone who has never heard of this it is like normal blackjack except you must play two hands, each you initially bet the same amount. Once you have received your second card on each you then have the option of switching top cards, EG if you have a pair of kings and a pair of aces you can swap the top cards and end up with two blackjacks. You can also do all of the other stuff like double split etc. Lots of fun and I walked away ahead. Had dinner at the Casino Steak House. I was a bit disappointed they didnt have pork spare ribs but I am sure I will have them quite a few times before I leave. Drinks, flutter and dinner finished off for a decent nights sleep then a day of shopping