Welcome to Tinseltown
Ah, finally! With a mixture of emotions, I must say that this is the last City I’ve been to in U.S, which takes us to the end of this series.
From Las Vegas, we were driven to Los Angeles by bus. The landscape was mostly dry, sweltering desert. I could have sworn I saw one or tumbleweeds rolling across the desert, making up for a believable Wild West scene (Not my fault, any video featuring Wild West needs to have Tumbleweeds rolling, it’s quite mandatory). We had lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant along the highway, with actual chopsticks and all. Nevertheless, I stuck with my fork and spoon. After that scrumptious lunch, we were on our way, stopping by gas stations to restock our supplies (If I’m being specific — Gatorades, because we were in a freaking desert). By about 4 P.M we reached Los Angeles, and proceeded to meet our guide for the city, Mr. Bobby.
Our tour of the city started off from the Beverly Gardens Park, which had the iconic Beverley Hills Sign. And of course, something to remember by…
We were then dropped off at Sunset Boulevard, which was a really beautiful sight. After that, the tour mostly involved us walking on the Rodeo Drive, gaping at extravagant shops and at eccentric pedestrians. I mean I don’t think there is even a single major fashion brand that doesn’t have a shop there. And, on top of that there were some shop owners who doubled as collectors with strange tastes. An example of strange tastes……How about a neon yellow Rolls Royce Phantom? Yeah, there were many other interesting things to see too. For those who want to experience the almost same walk through Rodeo Drive, without leaving your seats, you can experience it in GTA V (I hope Rockstar games gives me affiliation allowance or something, but whatever). After more than an hour of window shopping we were then taken to Hollywood Boulevard, where we visited the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards® (yeah, I had to put that registered symbol there). That being said, I was more interested in the building opposite to it, the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where the Jimmy Kimmel Live shows are taped. How cool is that?
Also, Hollywood Boulevard is famous for something much more… the Hollywood walk of fame.If I were to record the stamp of each and every Hollywood celebrity, it would have taken an eternity. Since, I did not have the luxury of time, and patience, here are 2 of them, both of whom were familiar from my childhood.
And, since we are on the topic of famous people — from past and present, I also had the rare chance to pose with one of the most famous actresses of all time. Truth be told, she wasn’t feeling that ‘lively’.
Well, that was it for Los Angeles — ‘the city’ tour. We then made our way to Crown Plaza Harbour Hotel, which, no surprise, was near the Los Angeles Harbour. With that we come to the end of LA…. or not. The next day would have been the ‘dream come true’ destination of any 7-year old. Sadly, I was thrice that. Yeah, welcome to Disneyland, L.A (not that I’m complaining, I actually liked it there).
So, the next day, like ‘normal’ 19 and 21-year-old kids, we came to Disneyland. Apparently, US kids have their summer break from June to September. We were harshly reminded of that when we saw the stampede of kids. Not that it mattered, we excitedly waited our turn for the most dangerous car ride: Autopia, ‘it is a race car track Disneyland attraction, in which patrons steer specially designed cars through an enclosed track.’ Yeah, I googled it. Notice the keyword ‘enclosed’. The ride was literally just stomping on the accelerator and hitting the person riding in front. As ashamed as I am to admit it, we rode it 4 times, cause, why not?
In addition, the Pixar Fest was also going on. You remember the beginning of most animation movies where a lamp came out of nowhere and stomp on the ‘I’ in ‘Pixar’. Yeah, that Pixar. So, there was a parade that happened during fixed intervals that had giant floats of all those awesome nostalgic animated movies — Toy story, Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Up, Finding Nemo etc. Damn, I feel old. After the parade, we also visited Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones™ Adventure attractions (after all I was a diehard fan of both the franchises). We also had a mini roller coaster ride on an attraction called Matterhorn Bobsleds.
We also had these annoying Stormtrooper cosplayers who would come behind you, and scare the hell out of you, all in the name of the Galactic Empire. I really had so much fun and when the day was finally coming to a close, I noticed a Starbucks café. Well, you don’t visit America, and come back without trying out a Frappuccino, right? Well, that objective was done and dusted right then. And so, after a full day of action and nostalgia, I had to admit, Disneyland does have that ‘something for everyone’.
With that, we left L.A… for a cruise. The last leg of the tour was a three-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. Carnival was the cruise Company. Let’s have a F.A.Q. section for this:
Q. Approx. how big is a cruise ship?
A. Huge, so huge. As a matter of fact, the ship had 12 floors. You have to see one to appreciate its size.
Q. What does one do on a cruise ship?
A. You have unlimited food (open 24/7), a big swimming pool, a casino (where I was allowed), a shopping centre, a jacuzzi, and a ton of time scheduled activities hosted by the carnival manager. This would range from treasure Hunt (I lost, big time. But it was one of those everybody’s a winner event, no worries) to Stand up comedies and raffles. In addition, it was nice to go ‘sightseeing’ around the deck, if you know what I mean.
Q. Was there any special event (other than the above mentioned)?
A.There was this formal event called ‘Dinner with the Captain’ where everyone dressed in their most formal clothes and had their dinner with all those versions of knives(Dinner, Steak, Dessert, Butter) and spoons(Teaspoon, Soup spoon, Dessert spoon). In short, it was exceedingly formal. I did not have to worry about a Tux … since I never had one. But, I wore pants (as opposed to jeans), you have to give me credit.
Q. Where exactly did you go in Mexico?
A. Ensenada, port city on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. We reached there on the morning of the second day. After some customs checking, I and my brother proceeded to the beach, took some photos, saw what Mexico was like and went goofing around the town until it was time to go back. The town was famous for its many wineries and tourism. My parents had gone for the wine tour, but they did not like it, so we decided to just see the place and go back.
Like all FAQ sections, never providing the necessary information, just enough that the author thought was necessary, I also must follow in their footsteps to stop mine.
We (my brother) made some friends on the cruise, some with cool dance steps, some with cool voices, and a little girl who always did the floss. Damn, she was annoying. Anyway, on the third day of the cruise, we were back at L.A. Most of the group members were actually glad that the cruise was over, never wanting to see a burger again, they claimed. Me, I had mixed feelings, but I guess everything must come to end at one time or another. So did my 3-day streak of eating pepperoni pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We were then taken to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), from where the rest of the group would continue their American trip from Florida, while we came back to Kochi, through Dubai.
Reaching back, I couldn’t believe that the trip had ended so quickly. I guess I took it for granted that I was seeing places that I always wanted to, from a young age: New York, Washington, Niagara, Las Vegas, Los Angeles…. I know that I was incredibly fortunate to get this opportunity, but wished I had some more time. All things aside, my life’s just beginning( even though I have grey hair) and I hope to continue having more adventures and experiences, having the following phrase at the back of my head : ‘This is not the end of everything, just the beginning of what I can look forward to, provided I work hard’.
With that, I bid farewell, thank you keeping up with me and I hope to write about something other than my travels. Peace out!!
