Welcome to my first blog from LA...its a long read so dont get too bored but i will put pics on facebook and blogs on here..

How are you all at home, I hope you are well, i am missing you and its been very strange being somewhere sooooo different but its kinda a cool place...very very big..its taken me a while to realise exactly how big LA really is. The roads are all straight and interections, crossroads with many traffic lights. I really underestimated from the movies how large a block is. To walk a few blocks can take 20 mins its soo big and spaced out. Both myself and russ cant quite get used to the layout of the streets, everythig seems to be built as an after thought or a seprate entity to anything else on the streets, its all very random. Its so big no-one drives as its soooo far to get to anywhere.

When we first arrived jet lag really hit us hard and we gave in to staying up late and went to be about 7pm which i know is bad but i was sooo tired i manged to push my sleep through to 6am..so i helped myself out abit there...but it still took us a fair whle before I really settled down and getting myself back on track. The first tw days rained in LA and really srong rain, so bad that tour busses coudnt get up to beverly hills because of risks of flooding and large amounts of water running down the hills..apparently the stars have there house sandbaged up. During this time we chilled out and wet for a few walks and ate a fair bit when we could get out.

Tuesday we went for a tour of LA on a bus which cost us $54 and $5 for petrol which is abit of a con as it was advertised as $54...we have found every price in america is not quite what it seems...normally without tax so when you come to pay you have that added too.The tour took us to hollywood boulevard where we could get pictures of the stars on the floor to which I took way too many as you will see from my pics but it had to be done, it took us around the stars home to show the houses in Beverly hills, but before you get too excited, it was that great..the best house we got was adam sandlers white house to which we could see a fair bit of it...bu the majority of the time all we could see was peopls gates and rooftops, we drove past quite a few starts house, adma sandler,madonna, nocole kidman, tp cruise, johnny depps and a fair few more that i cant remember now. I realised it was abit ubbish when the bus stopped outside Britney Spears mother and daughter house to whuch as we could seewas a gate anyway haha... it was funny though. The tou also took us to the hollywood sign where we have pictures from afar but the pics are arent that greta to be honest, we went to sanata monica beach for abit to which i broke my silver atch being a kid climbing on a cannon with russ to get a pic as you will see...im still annoyed its broken but it can wait now. We ddnt realise this sunday it is the oscars so i took some pis of the kodak centre on holywood boulevard.

Wednesday we went to universal studios where we had a great time..its not as big as alton towers and they do have some fast rides like jarassic park and the mummy, we saw quite a few shows also including waterworld, and special effects shows, not to mention the studio tour where it took you through the movies sets of hollywood, alot of thesets where multiusable sets, but we passed through sets from the film war of the worlds where there was a plane crash, the original hotel from norman bates psycho, to which an actor was playing him putting a body in a car then scared ups by starting to chase was very good. we drove past the set of wysteria lane from desperate housewives, and many other multipurpse sets that just get redecorated for each movie..its was very cool and was glas we did it. Also the tour took us to rodeo frive and showed us the shop and hotel that Julia roberts was in from Pretty women..that was very swanky and poah and very rich people walking down or in the shops. It was there me and russ met the ambassador of Hollywood, a guy with a red jacket and top hot that can talk 32 different languages to meet and great newcomers it was very good.

Thursday we and russ went santa monica beach for abit more time there just for a chill out, we just sun bathed and played frisby enjoying the beautiful beach. That was where they once filmed baywatch many years ago so it was very cool, the pacific is beautiful and i loved just looking out to sea. We went for a walk on the pier which had lots of people doing things on stands as was very interesting. We got to the end of the pier where there was a black guy playing chilled ot music on the piano which made the experince so awesoem and chilled it was spine tingling with the music whilst looking out to the most amazing sea for for miles..really was a moment you had to be there for. Santa monica is a fantastic place to shop and get some lunch was a very up-class shopping place for average people it was very nice.

Friday we went back to Universal studios to do the few things we didnt get a chace to do on wednesday, we had an allweek pass for the park so coul go whenever we fancied it. Also we bought a all you can eactwrist band on he wednesday we were cheeky enough to leave on our wrists till friday and blag eating all we can on friday too..bit cheeky but a good shout to do it. Also on friday we went back to hollywood blouvard and took a bigger look into the preparations for the oscars and took come more pics.

That night we di something that we both had bene looking for all week..."the LAKERS game". This was one of the single most amazing experiances I have ever had in my life, a rollercoaster of emotions thoughout the whoe evening. We got the tube to game where on the tube we met some of the nicest people we have come across and kinda tagged along with them who were also going to the game, they were the Larsons, Jessica a gorgeous blonde who was awesome and had fun with us and her parents Quintin who was really great and Laurie who was awesome too...they helped us find the staples centre and our way back..they were great...jessica took our details and is gonna stay in touch..to which i think she added me on facebook today actually. They all were great and made the expriance very cool. We arrived otside and took some pictures with them as by this point they took us under there wing. Jessica lived in LA so was directing us but her parents were down from denver. Acros the street people were lining up to take free throws in front of a crowd. I went for it..missed the first two but sunk the third shot and got a little basketball..wahoooo.

We went int the staples centre to watch the game as was in awe of how lush the place was. it started to fill up gradually just before and was enetertian thought. I got alot of pics of the teams warming up and of course everyone you know I loved the laker girls...hahaha..im still me everyone haha. Before the game the players lined up, the national fla was projected onto the court and national anthem was sung by a singer...I videoed it and experainced one of the best moments i have ever expercianced, I had goose pimples and im not even american..it was vet patriotic and i liked that. The game was great and very very close, the hornets were a great team and seemed to sink every free pointer they attempted which kept them in touch with the lakers. with 20 secinds to go of the game the score was 95-98 to the hornets, lakers call a timeout. with 14 seconds to go fisshers sinks a free pointerto level the score...I have never seen a stadium go wild..it was amazing and crazy as everyone thought wehad lost..it was mazing high fives and jumping and singing everywhere..it was like somehting out of a moving...ive never loved a sporting event any more than that moment..it was perfect. After the game the Larsons helped us gte back and said bye.

Today we chiled ut before our flight to Fiji at 10.30 tonight..we did our washing and checked out and will be getting picked up very very soon. I think 6 days was abit too much in LA but I have experiaced things here that just has blown me away and i have loved..its been a pretty good start to our trip but im glad to be moving on now. Walking everywhere has killed us, the bus sytstem has baffled us and the american people in general have been mixed in the hospitality but its been an experiance which is exactly what i wanted...Im ready to move on and still miss you all. We have met some great peole in the hostel also which have moved on. I mader a video tour o our hostel so i will try to post that on facebook also soon.

I hope you are all great..I want you to mail me and tell me how you are as i would love to hear from you..but sont worry anyone i am safe and getting on well...ive taken america..now to fiji. Hurricaine Mark 'goose' corben is moving on.

i love you all and miss you so much...you shall here from me again very soon..i will have to see the technology status in fiji to see if I can get in touch with the net.

so till next time i loe you alla nd thinking of you and cant wait to hear from you. Tell me how yo are now.

Love you all and hoe yuo are great

Mark xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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