Hey

So, since we got to Los Angeles its been a frantic, non-stop tripfull of silly silly things/people and a massive variance in climates and terrain! From 117 degrees to 34, deserts to cities...

Starting off in LA, we did all the typical touristy stuff - first day we went to Hollywood, walked the walk of fame, met Freddy Kruger and Jason, saw Beverly Hills and especially Rodeo Drive - no shopping for us though! The next day was Universal studios - probably the highlight would be the special effects tour or Terminator 3-D. Funniest thing was that we were all held for about 20mins at the end of the day as this security guard had to call down Spongebob sqarepants (Cartoon character) as two of the swedes had patted him on the head - apparently that counts for Assault and/or battery! Got let off though but got a good telling off - silly Americans! Next was Venice Beach for a beachside workout and some tanning - got some cheap t-shirts. Drove to Palo Alto nr. San Francisco to meet up with Mark (from home) - spent the night there and left in the morning for San Francisco.

Loved San Francisco - good people and a good range of things to do. An interesting thing to do is to walk along Market St. and see the difference as you pass into the 'hood' from a nice shopping area! I think it was the smell of urine that marked it! Nice. Saw the Golden gate bridge (no fog as we were in a heat wave - over 30 degrees). Spent a couple of hours on Alcatraz which was cool! Saw chinatown, had a massive burritto :), and a walk around the shops. Good couple of days :)

Windy drive to Lake Tahoe - stunning place. Had a run along the south coast, and did a 6+ hour hike along the western coast, to a place called Emerald Bay. I recommend if u dont have a heart condition to jump in - the water's lovely...and cold! Still in Heat wave :)

7.5hour drive to Yosemite N.P. as the 120 Freeway was closed! :( Cost us a lot of time on this trip - and money in petrol! Had a bit of bad start to the first day as our washing up liquid had leaked in the night and a lot of protein bars had opened up and melted in the night - so a little time to clear up that mess. Did a hike to the top of Yosemite Falls - 4+ hours of steep climbing and descent - would definitely recommend - as the views from the top/and on the way up are amazing!! Almost as amazing as the blisters on my feet after! haha

Next was a stop off in Fresno on the way to Death Valley. Hot night, couple with a bit of snoring form Matt didnt make for a nice sleep! Funny though waking him up! MAde it to Death Valley ok - over 47 degrees here! Spent the night in a tent with boulders on the inside to stop it blowing away - read lots of stuff about the mountain lions, coyotes and rattlesnakes that frequant the area, fortunately none were seen!

Had a good dribe around the area, saw Badwater (the lowest point in the western hemisphere at -216m i think it was), Artist's palette (multi-coloured rocks) and Dante's view (where u can simultaneously see the highest and lowest points.

Drove to Willams - just south of Grand Canyon. A bit cold... the next day drove up to the grand canyon in the snow!! Got some quick views in before the snow storm came in!! I think it got down to 1 degree! After trying to see the canyon we drove to Boulder City, just outside of Vegas.

Just leaving Las Vegas this morning after spending the weekend here. Just as I expected, very false but impressive! My personal fabourie was the indoor Venice - along with fake sky and gondolas! Did some gambling, not very successful, some drinking and a lot of sightseeing. Good weekend though. Funny times with our Swedish travelling companions and Manuel (a Swiss guy we met in Fiji).

Next is Orange County, San Diego and maybe Tijuana...good times!

Photos to come...