On our last couple of days on the bus tour we went to a Mormon temple in Salt Lake City (yes, they tried to convert us), Bingham Copper Mine in Utah and finally back to Las Vegas for our last night - this time in the Stratosphere which meant we got free access to their observation tower and a pretty incredible view of the Las Vegas skyline at night - before being dropped off in LA so that we could get to our hostel in Hollywood.

We've only had a couple of days here but that's enough; we both expected Hollywood to be glamorous but it's a bit of a dive with homeless people and drunks on every corner. We fly out of LA in around a month so we'll have to return but we'll probably stay closer to the beach for a few days rather than in Hollywood.

On our first day here we caught the bus down to Rodeo Drive to see how the other half live and it feels like another world entirely. Chanel and Gucci sit next to plastic surgery clinics and overpriced cafes where women with fake boobs and sledge-loads of makeup sip on coffee and refrain from actually eating anything. We also hiked up to get a good look at the Hollywood sign and walked the Walk of Fame to marvel at the stars of the greats (and of the Rugrats!) before chilling out with a few beers at our hostel.

Yesterday we spent the day at Universal Studios where we got to see some of the sets used in Psycho, Bruce Almighty and Back to the Future - and drive through the real Wisteria Lane. We also caught several shows on things like special effects, training animals etc etc. They have a bloody scary haunted house and a wicked virtual rollercoaster that takes you through Springfield - and through Maggie Simpson's mouth! It's a good park and we both had a great day.

We checked out at 10am this morning and don't get picked up until around 5pm so we're just relaxing in the sun and enjoying a beer :-) Next stop - Anaheim for Disneyland!