Los Angeles

Saturday 3 August

We were due to be flying from Fiji straight home, but we quaked at the idea of two 10-hour flights back to back.  Luckily we managed to beg an 80-hour layover in Los Angeles.  Just about enough time to recover and get us used to having people around again.

We fly out of Fiji at about 10pm on Saturday, but we’re once again crossing the dateline, so it’s about 2pm on Saturday afternoon when we arrive in a very busy LAX.  It takes us a full 3 hours (yes, 3) to clear the airport and pick up our car.  By the time we get to our hotel we’re about ready to collapse.  We manage to drag ourselves out (via a few wrong turns) for some food and then hit the sack.

Sunday 4 August

We’re a little zombified today, but decide to try to rectify that with some fresh air and exercise.  We’re staying at the Marina del Rey, with miles of beach in both directions.  We start off wandering south with what is left of the morning.  After a quick pit-stop for lunch we head north, walking up through Venice Beach and Santa Monica.

On the way back we stop off in Venice Beach for some Mexican food before dragging our weary legs the last couple of miles.  We’ve clocked up about 16 walking miles today and our flip-flopped feet are feeling it.

Janet adds: there were a lot of news vans on Venice beach this afternoon, but we couldn’t figure out why.  When we got back to the hotel a google search quickly gave us the answer.  Yesterday some dude plowed his car down the walkway, purposefully hitting as many people as he could and killing a young Italian woman on her honeymoon L

Monday 5 August

We’re getting old and slow to shake the jetlag, so it’s another sleepy start for us today.  Still, it’s a bright, sunny LA morning and the views over the marina are lovely. 

We could do with replacing some of our ratty old clothes, so we drive over to a big outlet mall for some retail therapy.  We’re back mid-afternoon and I drag myself out for a run.  It’s the first in a while and it’s hard going.  I more than make up for it with some more huge portions of Mexican food in the evening – but with sunset views over the marina and $3 margaritas, who’s complaining?

Tuesday 6 August

Our stopover is at its end and we can’t delay coming home anymore.  We’re not flying until this evening though, so we decide on some more fresh air and exercise to try to see us through.  We’re staying slap bang on the Melvin Braude bike trail – a beach-side cycle path approximately 22 miles long.  We walk round the marina to a bike rental place and grab some wheels.  As we’ve walked most of the northern section of the track we decide to head south.  It’s a beautiful, breezy, sunny day and the miles melt away.  We take in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach before running out of track at Torrance Beach.

4 hours (with a few stops for lunch and shopping) and 25 miles later we return the bikes, only to be rewarded with free ice-creams (and how can you say no to free ice-creams?).  We’ve just got enough time for a quick spin around a nearby shopping mall before dropping off our car and heading to the airport.

And that’s it: our whirlwind South Pacific tour has ended.  In 4 months we’ve taken 31 flights, visited 10 countries and crossed the dateline 4 times.  We’ve done so many amazing things and been to so many beautiful places that I’m still pinching myself.  We’ve sunbathed and skied, swum with manta rays, jellyfish, stingrays and humpback whales.  Heck, we’ve even poked lava with a stick.

Janet adds: The End (for now).