Well Hello there our lovely readers, hope you're all well.

We are now in sunny LA after a crazy ride on the Mexican subway (packed out at 5am!) followed by a rather bumpy flight from Mexico. We have been staying in Venice Beach at the Hostel California, in a huge 40 bed dorm where people have hung blankets up to make a sort of den for privacy, not unlike a refugee camp! Unfortunately the coughs and splutters of the fellow refugees mean that disease spreads fast and everyone in the room was soon sick, including Cal (only flu though, glandular fever has not reappeared, praise the Lord!). The hostel was in a nice area, not far from Santa Monica - a very nice and sought after location right next to the beach. It is just like being on Baywatch (although i'm not too sure I will try the bright red trunks) so what have we done...? We have been to the famous Hollywood Boulevard and seen the stars on the floor, seen the Hollywood sign from a distance - all in all quite a grubby place really. Cal was overjoyed to put her hands in the handprints of Julie Andrews - the hills are alive! Then went off to a Hollywood studio to watch the making of a tv show where we were in the audience, a good crack I must say. It was the talk show of Meagan Mulally, who plays squeaky voiced Karen in Will and Grace. She was the only star we had heard of out of the list of shows they offered us! We got a free DVD and some M&Ms so all good!

We have spent time lounging on the beach watching dolphins play and jump around in front of a beautiful skyline. Walked along Venice beach watching MTV camera men film programs, and listened to live street music. Matt has been down to the Venice beach open basketball courts (famous among ballers) while Cal stayed in bed with the flu and hustled with the true street ballers in the area, very difficult to play (they wouldn't let him have the ball!) but gave his all. A very good experience not to be forgotten.

We spent a day walking around downtown LA and saw many buildings and well you know, things that belong in city centres. Then off to the Staples Centre to see the LA Lakers play (basketball) A dream of Matts for many years now. A good night altogether as the Lakers won.

We didn't see any famous people apart from Meagan Mulally and guests (a woman off 'House' - Hugh Lawrie's boss, a man from JAG...no we'd never heard of it either), but Cal thought she saw Helen Hunt rollerblading on the sea front, and apparently Jack Nicholson was at the Lakers game as he usually is. So close!

We also realised the joy of the 99c store down the road and as the budget has become a little tight we became closely acquainted with potatoes, eggs and pasta (every day for a week!).

The military coup in Fiji meant that we had some decisions to make - the British Foreign office warned people not to go there unless strictly necessary, but some local Fijians laughed off our concerns and said the coup would not affect the touristy islands at all...decision time!