Well the trip has got off to a great start as successfully booked and checked into my flights, and made my transfer in Columbua, so right now sitting in a plane in Bogota Columbia bound for Santiago Chile! 

Not many blondies on board todays flights & there's lots of  Spanish being spoken ...  I'm making out words here and there and even had to speak a bit 'donde esta el bano' & 'agua por favour' & lots of 'si' & 'gracias' & smiles!

It also helped me find the boarding gate for my connecting flight here with little fuss as although I didn't understand the rest of what the helpful man said,  I did understand 'cinco' & the dirtection he was pointing so got to gate 5 ok!  

This is gonna be fun & thank god for those torturous Monday night Spanish lessons!

So surprise suprise I already have my first hang over for the trip!  Thank you Nina ... Eeevil woman  :-)  

Had an awesome 24 hours in LA and after a snooze on the plane hit the ground running albeit 2 hours later then scheduled due to plane departing Brisbane late (they were waiting on a connecting plane from Melboune that was late due to all the crazy weather!!!).

Weather was glorious in LA, beautiful clear skies & an unseasonably warm 25 degrees on a winters day (now i have 'California Dreamin' playin in my head!). 

Met up with Tanya's cousin, Max, who I'd met last holiday ... he picked me up from the airport & headed back to his place to drop off my luggage (all 27kg of it between day & backpack!!!). Then out for lunch & drinkies!

Car stayed at home & headed out on the bikes (so cool as no helmets compulsory in LA), and had to follow Max super close as I kept riding on wrong side of rd & checking wrong way at intersections!

Went to a place overlooking the marina via a nice ride along the Long Beach foreshore. 50+ beers on tap & of course Fosters was the Australian contribution! Had a pomegranate margarita which knocked my socks off (for same price as a Aussie basic spirit!) had some lunch then made plans to meet up with Max's mates & take a yacht out on the bay for the arvo!

Back on the bikes & down the sailing centre where Max works. Quick stop at a coffee shop for a triple shot latte to clear the jet lag & margarita induced lethargy, abused the free wifi to check log onto Facebook & let you guys know I'd arrived safely - and of course to gloat that I'm in LA and you're not - ha ha!

Met up with Max's mates Caitlin, Sasha, Manzo & high school Ian and motored out for a beer cruise on the bay (or in my case - pear vodka mixed with coke - dont recommend you folks try this stuff at home!) 

Hoisted sails but not much wind so just drifted instead & enjoyed good company & awesome views of LA with snow capped mountains in the distance!

On our way back to shore Max had a call from my favourite tequila swillin lady - Nina!

Plans were made for dinner, so rode home for a quick change of clothes then onward to Sashas place for pre-dinner drinks! 

Sasha collects 'beer coozies' so we picked out the 'I'm an Aussie piss tank' out of the bunch I'd brought for Max - swapped him for Californian life saving one - very cool :-)

As the only none beer drinker (so in-Australian of me!) they gave me a 'Four Loco'  - apparently now banned after too many kids spazzing out as is the equivalent of 4 redbulls & 3 beers in 1 oversize 12% alcohol can! Just what I needed for jet lag though!!!

Had big cuddles with the beautiful Nina when she arrived - had also met Nina and her husband Kevin on previous trip, and he very sadly passed away 7 weeks ago :-(

We had tequila s***s in memory of Kevin & of course a few more just for good measure!

Phoned home to Tanya for a speaker phone reunion. I'm not sure how much she understood with all the drunken american accents telling her to get into the Tequila in Oz too! Might have been a bit hard when she was at her desk woringk in Brisbane :-(

So we finally managed to drag ourselves out for food & more drinks at Irish Bar Gallaghers (I remember as found a card from there in my purse just before!), unfortunately Cuban Bar next door was shut as was 'Martin Luther King' public holiday.

So of course another few hours of fun & frivolity pursued (pics will be on fbook soon!).

Dropped all back at Sashas & said our farewells til June - somehow managed to ride the pushy back to Max's - by this time now 11pm & 31 hours into my January 17 & setting alarm for 5am to be up & ready for another 13 hours air time!

I can't say I didn't make the most of my 24 hours in LA and of course no rest for the wicked!!!

Will be back in June to do it all again before I fly home but will definitely stay longer next time :0)