Hello Everyone!
We greet you from Long Beach California, where its 32 degrees and stocked with copious amounts of filter coffee. So far we have learnt a few things about life in America…1) everyone assumes you are Australian (even a Kiwi made the mistake.) 2) everyone breaks the speed limit, as we later learnt that speed cameras were made illegal in California & 3) one American meal leaves us with leftover lunch for the next day, so our budget is looking very healthy.
We don’t want to bore you with too much detail, but we have seen and learnt a lot in one week of travel together. The first story involves Matt losing his credit card and license on day 3 in America. We checked into our motel, Matt gave the receptionist his cards to scan and upon receiving them back he lost them between the reception and our room. Three days later (and with countless hours of stress and back and fourth with Rodney the handy-man) I decided to put on my shoes, where I discovered Matt had stashed his cards due to not having enough hands available when bringing our gear into the hotel. We learnt a very important lesson early on in our travels - Jade gets to carry all important documents and money, and should check her shoes regularly. Hopefully we don’t have to tell that story again.
San Diego was incredible, we visited the Old Town and learnt all about the history of California and the native people. We also tried real Mexican food and margaritas, so Matt was in his element. Our highlight was visiting La Jolla Cove and witnessing a newborn sea lion feeding from its mother, minutes after being born. We had no idea that people can freely swim and sunbathe amongst the sea lions and seals, no need to visit San Diego zoo! We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Capri Duffee, our local host! She took us to some incredible places, and we hope to return the favour when she’s next in NZ!
We then arrived in Los Angeles, welcomed by our friends Tom & Marilyn who have already been in the states for 3 weeks. We are in a small inn right next to a school, so unfortunately get woken up by kids playing tetherball and bouncing basketballs. Who needs a sleep-in anyway?
Some highlights of LA included soaking up those famous movie scenes, with bike roads along Venice Beach and strolling along the Hollywood walk of fame. Bike riding in California is a completely different experience, they have two way cycle lanes on all the roads and public beaches! We also visited a classic American diner, went thrift shopping and attended a Baseball game at Angel Stadium (LA Dodgers vs Anaheim Angels). It was crazy walking down through the stadium with thousands of people still cheering for their teams post-match. Americans have so much enthusiasm. Another big highlight was going to Universal Studios! The Harry Potter section was naturally the highlight, but we also got to see the “animal actors show” where we saw the actual owls used in Harry Potter movies, along with eagles, dogs, rats, cats, flamingos & guinea pigs that are all trained and used in films we watch.
Our final day involved a trip to Downtown Los Angeles, where we drove along Skid Row and ventured into the Arts District. It’s very contrasting to be in a theme park one day and amongst extreme poverty the next. A very powerful reality check and some of the saddest sites we have both ever seen. The strange thing being that you’re right next to designer stores, you turn a corner and it’s lined with tents. We couldn’t quite wrap our heads around what we were seeing.
Our first week has taught us a lot, and we’re grateful for the journey we’re on and the people we are meeting along the way.
The Bradleys x