9th October – Palm Desert, you are one hot, hot, hot temptress
This morning we say goodbye to San Francisco. We have had such a lovely time here, it was wonderful to see Shanthi and B. Wonderful to see Francisco. And just wonderful in general.
Like all big cities she has her issues, homelessness is a big problem here, the downtown being deserted by businesses, and inflation. Even with all that in mind I would come back in a heartbeat. Even Jason likes it, and that is saying something.
On the upside we are off to see Mark and Mari!!! We have been really excited about this. We have seen photos of their home and the ranch where they spend so much time, and now we finally get to visit.
We have not seen Mark and Mari since the visited us in Brisbane in 2019. I can hardly believe its been that long.
Mark has been sending pictures of the whiteboard with the number countdown on it # Days Until Jo and Jason arrive. Also, has been accumulating the essentials, such as wine, beer, and giant sized containers of M&Ms. God love them!! Mark and Mari that is, not M&Ms. Though, I mean, they are lovable too.
Uber is booked, we are packed and loaded with plenty of time to spare. Its early and traffic is very light, even as we arrive at the airport the terminal we are flying out of is brand new so lanes are plentiful.
We are flying with Alaska Airlines again, it has been a pretty good experience so far. Today we are flying FIRST CLASS. Don’t get excited. Think of First Class as premium economy. On the up side we don’t have to play for extra bags, and we get to board first. The flight to Palm Springs airport is only 90 minutes so not too much time to be pampered with food or anything.
As we start to load our bags I realise they are pretty heavy, actually they are too heavy. They should be 50 pounds each.
We have three bags, one filled with all our hiking and warm gear that we had in Alaska. We had both bought new hiking footwear as our trail shoes were not sufficient for some of the tracks in Alaska. Without thinking we had dumped it all in our suitcases, including some food snacks and other items we had left over.
As we are checking in, Candy, weighed the first and the second bags, both were slightly over 50 pounds. She mentioned that it would cost an extra $100 USD. Jason, lifts the last bag and confidently states that this one was lighter. He pops it on the scales and boom, it was heavier than the first two.
Candy: Oh come on guys!
Candy: You are flying first class, just get another suitcase.
JKW: Candy, you are my kind of girl, keep talking.
Jason: No, I can wear the heavy stuff and put it in my backpack.
Candy: It would make more sense to have another bag guys.
Candy is officially my favourite person. She waves the cost and gives Jason a glare. We will be getting another suitcase!
All checked in, we get through security, with shoes removed. Normally First Class has access to the lounge with the ticket, but as we are only going a short distance we would have to pay. Its not long until our flight so we opt to find a seat and hang out, eat our leftover pizza and berries.
The flight is on time, and we are on our way to a heat wave.
First Class was very nice. Comfy seats, lots of leg room. The best way to travel, a shame First Class on other airlines doesn’t cost the same.
Palm Springs is brown, just as you would expect a desert to look like really with the exception of rich neighbourhoods that have irrigation, where you will see patches of bright green grass and even swimming pools.
Off the plane and through the airport which is already outside. Its so weird. The roof is up high and the walls don’t go all the way to the top. Fans are going and its very relaxed. I like it! Our bags come out super fast, and just like that we are in Palm Springs.
You, like me, may be thinking Palm Springs? Palm Desert? Where are you? Good question. We land in Palm Springs, that is where the airport is. Mari and Mark live in Palm Desert but the airport is Palm Springs. There you go.
Mari is picking us up from the airport and here she comes in a big, white RAM. Jason’s dreams have just come true. He has been drooling over these massive trucks since we landed in Vancouver. I seed him the front seat so he can enjoy the full experience. The sound, the comfort, the height. He has so many questions, poor Mari.
The rest of the afternoon we hang at Mark and Mari’s house, waiting for Mark to get in from his appointment, and slowly but steadily winning over Aurora their dog. She was not having a bar of us when we first arrived. We were told, in no uncertain terms, that we were not trusted. But we had treats, and patience, and an absolutely NEED to make her LOVE ME!!!
Sure enough with the right amount of treats, sweet talking, and gentle pats, we make friends. She is such a sweet girl. For the rest of our time together we are now one of her team, to be watched, and included, and, of course, talked back to.
Mark arrives and its time to hit the road to the ranch. I have seen this place on many of their Facebook posts, but there’s nothing like seeing it in person. Just stunning and remote.
We are staying at Garner Ranch, a historic property located in the scenic Garner Valley, near Idyllwild in California. The ranch was originally established in 1905 when Robert F. Garner purchased 1,700 acres of land. Some of the original buildings still stand and are being used. Garner Ranch has been featured in several movies and TV shows due to its stunning natural beauty,
It is also an amazing backdrop for movies and TV shows and can be seen in The Big Valley, The Gene Autry Show, The Rifleman, The Lone Ranger (with Johnny Depp, I have breathed the same air as my man Johnny), The Quick and the Dead, to name just a few. There are a load more but I cannot remember them (Garner Ranch (moviesites.org)).
Ted and Meg own the property. Meg is Meg Garner, yep from the original family! We got to meet Ted and he is a wealth of knowledge about the area, the ranch, the family history, and the history of the indigenous people who lived here. The area was originally inhabited by the Cahuilla Indians, who followed ancestral trails from the desert heat of the Coachella Valley to the cooler climates of the San Jacinto Mountains. They used the California fan palm for food, clothing, and shelter. There is a large collection of grinding rocks that have been found and collected – they are right by the front door and you can see them every time you enter the property. How amazing.
These rocks were used by the Cahuilla people to grind grain for food.
Because we are up high it is not as hot as Palm Desert. We are sitting at around 5000 feet above sea level. The temperature up here in the high 20s and low 30s, but there is a really nice breeze going on, so it feels very comfortable.
Down in the valley it was 40 plus when we left. This is much more comfortable. It is very dry though. Quite different to Brisbane heat.
You can book to stay in one of the original homes on the ranch and I HIGHLY recommend you book this if you are in the look for a stunning, remote, historic location with accommodation that has everything you need ((3) Facebook and About Garner Ranch – Garner RanchGarner Ranch | The Best of Southern California West | Mountain Center, CA | Established 1905).
We unpack the truck and sit on the veranda, sipping drinks, eating snacks, and catching up. I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be here with Mark and Mari. Its like a soothing balm to the chaos of our trip.
Tonight we are heading into Idyllwyld for dinner. There is a brewery there, yes the theme continues, and the menu looks pretty good. We get there, park up, only to be told that they are not serving food tonight. OH!
They offer another option called Gastrognome, just a wee bit up the road, we should try there. This place is also shut – sigh.
We settle on Fratello’s Restaurant, an Italian restaurant run by a local Mexican family… yup (Home | fratellosidyllwild). This place is overrun, there is not enough staff to handle the number of people that are dining here, but bloody hell they are giving it a good go. Dashing about like mad people, and doing it all with good humour.
A couple of lessons we learnt this evening. A “split bottle” means a half bottle. Oh good to know. The other is the Half Pour, which is a small glass of beer. Huh. Now we know.
Apparently they are one staff member down after he was, rumoured!!!!, to have been taken to the train station. Enough said.
The server is doing an amazing job and we are really appreciative of the fact they took us in, the food is good and the wine is cold. What more can we ask for?
According to the entitled, whinging, stuck up, prats that are sitting at the next table. You can ask for so much more, and you do. Then when you get it you complain about it. Wankers.
We enjoy our food, very much, and then climb back into the truck to head home. We have had a busy day, Aurora (the lovely girl) has been so good. Curled up under the table and not begging for food, she can teach a lot of dogs a lot of manners.
As we pull up to the gate Mari and I see a creature moving in the headlights. Is it a rabbit, a hare, NO!!!! IT’S A BOB CAT. Add that to the list of creatures we have seen on this trip. How bloody fabulous.
We go to our respective accommodation and turn in for the night.
What a great day.
10th October – Boom, Boom Baby
As is expected in the desert it got quite cold overnight, and we wake up to a very brisk morning. Jason makes a coffee and heads outside to look at the view.
Mark and I sit at the table and have a chat, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. It is the funny Aurora bouncing up and down at the door, trying to get my attention. I get up and open the door thinking she wants to come inside, but she runs up the path, looks back and keeps going.
I think she is just being a goof so go back inside and keep chatting. Next minute, the crazy girl is back, bounce, bounce, I open the door and she runs in, runs out, and up the path. OH she wants us to come with her. All her peeps need to be in the same place. So, we do. I put on another couple of layers and head to the veranda with the others. Aurora is much happier now, she goes back to sniffing out goffers.
We have a lovely breakfast prepared by Chef Mark. We need to get our energy levels up, today we are doing something special. We are spending the morning with an NRA instructor, trying out some different weapons.
Jason is very excited.
Tracy, our instructor, turns up at 0900 hours. I get the impression he is never late. He is efficient, matter of fact, polite, and to the point. I am a little nervous. Its been a long time since I have fired a weapon and I feel the pressure rising.
We set up camp a few hundred metres into the property, away from animals and people.
Jason and Tracy start talking and exchanging stories. Oh yeah, this is Jason’s happy place.
We start of with a 9mm Glock. Jason and I have our own targets and Tracy gives us the instruction to start. He gives me advice on how to hold the gun to get the best result.
I find the Glock very heavy and feel like I don’t have good control over it. Regardless I still manager to hit the target. The guy won’t be making a comeback but it was not a quick death. Jason’s target, on the other hand, never stood a chance. The grouping was as impressive as you would imagine. Tracy and Jason continue to chat.
After firing a 9 mil I get an appreciation of the damage this gun can do. Until you have fired one you really can’t understand the power. It’s a killing device, no doubt about it.
Jason fires around 100 rounds and continues to rock it. After about 70 or so, Tracy hands me a 22 pistol. This is my bag. I love it. So much lighter and I feel more comfortable and confident. In Switzerland I did a lot of small bore target shooting with a 22 rifle.
Next on the list is the shotgun, there are two different types we are firing here.
One was as semi automatic shotgun on an AK47 platform. I.e. it looks like an AK47, king of works like one, but it’s a shotgun.
The second was a pump action shotgun that held 14 rounds. There was no spring in this sucker and it packed a punch.
For the shotguns we did not use our targets, because it would obliterate them, instead we aim at pinecones. Those fuckers are dangerous and need to be brought under control.
Jason, as always, has it nailed. There are no pinecones safe around him and the shotgun. He starts with the pump action first and looks terrifying, and a tad sexy, if I am to be honest.
I am trying out the semi-automatic shotgun, this has a spring load, so the kick back is not bad. All the same I keep that baby as close as a lovely bottle of cold rose on a hot summer’s day.
I would like to think that I eliminated my share of pinecones, but the truth is I struggled to control the fucker.
If I thought that was hard, Tracy then handed me the pump action. After a few rounds I had to pause and regroup. That shit was so intense. No matter how tight I hugged it I could feel it bucking into my shoulder. Thank god I had shot large weapons before, otherwise I would not have held it so tight and my shoulder would have paid the price.
At this point my Apple Watch gives me a warning about ambient noise. NO SHIT!
Jason continues to be magic! Grinning from ear to ear he tries out different weapons and he and Tracy continue to bond.
Last, and possibly least, we go back to the 22 pistol. I have found my groove. I nail my target and finally start shooting where I want it to go. I am not proud of my efforts, but I am also not embarrassed. Both Ted and Tracy tell me I did very well. Sweet talkers!
What a wonderful way to spend the morning. An expert guiding you in their expertise. Everyone has an opinion on gun control and how it works or doesn’t. The USA is vastly different from NZ and AU, I have been around weapons for a long time and have my own opinion on what works, regardless, we loved the experience. Especially Jason who found a kindred spirit when it comes to weapons and being able to talk through the different styles. Thank you Mark and Mari for arranging this. It was amazing and we had a great time.
I received a couple of injuries, yes, of course I did, a blister from a rogue 9mm shell that went down my top! That sucker hurt. And a bruise to my shoulder from the kickback. Not bad, but it looks amazing.
Though neither of these things become evident until a day or two later. I feel better when Jason admits to having a bruise too!
After the adventure we hang out and decide it is time to head to lunch. We are trying the Idyllwild Brewpub (Idyllwild Brewpub) again, after last night’s disappointment we are a little concerned they may not be serving, but sure enough lunch is ON.
And what a lovely lunch it is. The food is very tasty, Jason really loves the beer flight. Aurora has a nice outing with some pats from strangers (plus a couple of little treats under the table). And we all enjoy our meals. It was well worth the effort of coming back.
After lunch Jason and I go for a walk about Idyllwild, it is a beautiful and very small town. We see people eating ice cream and decide we need one. I ask one of them where they got it, I swear it should not have been this hard, it took all 5 people in her group to tell me it was just around the next corner. Bless.
Mari, Mark, and Aurora sit in the shade whilst we wander. We find ice cream and head back to meet them.
Back at the ranch everyone has a nap, even I rested for a bit. Yeah, a belly full of food does that for ya.
Our plans for this evening, hang out, look at the horizon, watch the sunset, eat, sleep. The hardship of doing nothing. I love this. And yes, I find it VERY hard to do nothing.
After our nap Jason and I go out for a walk, there must be some paths, we were unable to find them. After some serious thought we determine that whacking our way through unchartered, for us, territory in rattle snake country would be a dumb idea. We stick to the open areas and look for creatures – none seen.
As we head back to the accommodation Jason spots Ted pottering in the front yard and I lose them. They spend the next hour chatting and Jason learns how to trap goffers. I am sure this will come in handy in the future.
We have had such a lazy day, its hard to work up an appetite but Mari had cooked a beautiful chilli, and we have to try it. I am so pleased we did it was great!!!! With sour cream and corn bread, drool. Not great for the waistline but amazing for the tastebuds.
And just like that, the day is done. We wish our amazing hosts goodnight and fall asleep.
I am still sick, so Jason has, rudely/wisely, opted to sleep in another room as I continue to cough and splutter.
Tonight is much colder than last night; I curl up under the covers and sleep. I really, really love this place.
Thank you Mark and Mari for bringing us here.
11th October – Goodbye Calm Hello Chaos
After a wonderful night’s sleep our amazing hosts get up super early to drive us back down to the “mainland” to meet our transfer to LA.
It is very early and boy, is it cold. We all load into massive RAM with Aurora supervising the men in the back we head down from the mountains as the sun comes up.
I feel so sad.
I cannot thank you Mark and Mari enough for their kindness and hospitality. Not only sharing the ranch with us, feeding, and entertaining us, but supplying enough sugar in the form of MASSIVE jars of M&Ms to help us through the rest of our trip.
I booked Day Trip (Daytrip: Private Car Transfers with Sightseeing) as the transfer to LA. I looked into other options, train, plane, etc, but all were very convoluted. A quick Bing search turned up Day Trip. It’s a really great idea. In this instance we used them as a transfer service, if you are so inclined you can stop off and sightsee on the way and the price will vary accordingly. It is a 2 hour trip to Anaheim and whilst Mark and Mari offered to drive us, that would have pushed the friendship too far.
Today we travel to Anaheim and plan to spend the day sightseeing around LA.
Our driver drops us at Hilton Anaheim, between the chaos of the LA traffic and the chaos of all the people checking in here, we know we are no longer in Kansas, Toto. The peacefulness of the ranch is a distant memory, now we do battle with queues.
We are too early to check in, instead we store our bags and have breakfast at the hotel, before heading into the city.
The idea is to find the Hop On/Hop Off bus, I really want to see the La Brea Tar Pits. I have heard about them for ages, and never seen them. La Brea recently featured on the show Dirty Jobs where they continue to excavate bones of saber tooth cats**, mammoths and mastodons. How cool is that!
An issue becomes very evident, getting from Anaheim to anywhere is a fucking pain. No easy public transport, all tours for the day have already departed, instead we have to book an Uber. I do some calculations and find the closest HOHO bus stop will be in Little Tokyo. The Uber is booked and an Angel arrives.
His name is Angel. And he was fabulous. Gave us the run down of LA, and there is a very important game of baseball on today. It is the final game to go through to the next round of the playoffs. The LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres are currently sitting at 2 each, and it’s a best of 5. Heavy stakes indeed. This means around 70,000 people will be converging on Dodgers stadium and we do not want to be caught up in that traffic. Best if we leave town around 300pm.
We arrive in Little Tokyo and now we need to find the bus stop. Which is not as easy as you would hope. As they don’t seem to believe in signage of any description. Luckily my eagle eyed man spots the bus coming and we make it in time. I was worried we would miss it, that was senseless. As is the way with most HOHO buses it does not go very far very fast.
The tour starts and the automated narration tells us about the attractions we are passing. I have been to LA a few times and I don’t think it is getting any better. In fact I think it has got louder, dirtier, and harder to get around. My thinking was underscored when I was staring out the window, and observed a homeless chap shitting into a plastic bag. He was not down an alleyway or hidden behind a bush. Just between his cart and a small fence on the sidewalk.
Welcome to LA!
This display inspired me to not look at the passing scenery too closely. The natives are wild.
We finish the blue route and need to swap to the red in order to get to the Brea Tar Pits. Time was on our side and we managed to jump on the waiting bus that was due to depart in 10 minutes. Amazing.
Of course, things are never that smooth. A gaggle of women turn up and are in two minds, actually I would say 5 minds regarding whether they would get on the bus. The bus driver, who previously spent 5 seconds or less interacting with passengers as they boarded, and was very curt with us all. Suddenly loses his spine and we sit, we wait, they discuss, one pops off to go to the toilet, the bus does not move.
The driver asks his supervisor, do I go or do I wait. A few of us start offering our views on the matter, we are now 20 minutes after our expected departure time. The woman who had gone to the bathroom cannot be seen, the other four are only halfway through purchasing their tickets.
Finally the gaggle board the bus and we go.
We see the usual sites, Hollywood sign (from a distance), Beverly Hills, Viper Club, I remember having done this tour previously, nothing has changed, well… that is to say, nothing has improved. Rodeo Drive. Blah, blah. If you have not been to Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, its kind of interesting and you see a lot of sights you would have seen in the movies, otherwise, its another big city, with big city problems, and without a lot of charm. My personal opinion.
Eventually we make it to stop 10, this is us La Brea Tar Pits. We get off and walk the 10 minutes to the park, most of which is free to walk around. How cool is that. You can see where they have found many of the artefacts. You can overlook where they are currently excavating and see them working through the debris and cleaning off bones. It is really interesting.
If you are in LA and you like this sort of thing, you really have to go! There are many statues of the animals they have uncovered here. We walk the park and then pay to go into the museum proper. It is not overly expensive and there is a lot to see, they also have experts walking around with items you can touch as you ask questions about them.
The tar pits have been a treasure trove of fossils, preserving the remains of animals and plants that lived in the area over 10,000 years ago. Some of the discoveries include mammoths, saber-toothed cats**, dire wolves, and ancient plants (yawn, more cats please).
** If, like me, you are thinking saber-tooth cats? I thought they were called saber-tooth tigers?? Well, here comes today’s lesson. Cats is the more accurate term because these prehistoric pusses, are not directly related to modern tigers or any other big cats we know today. They belong to a subfamily called Machairodontinae. So, calling them “saber-tooth tigers” is a bit of a misnomer—they’re more like distant, ancient cousins with some seriously sharp dental flair. Phew, that is a lot
Its really cool to stand and watch, because the tar pits are still active, with tar bubbling up from the ground, and ongoing excavations continue to uncover new fossils.
After an hour or so its time to get an Uber and head back to the hotel. Our room is ready and we are ready to relax. The worst case scenario has happened and it will take 2 hours in an Uber to get there – to be clear, it is 59kms. Meaning we are traveling 30km per hour. There are options to take buses and a train, but that would take 2.5 hours and there is a high likelihood that we would get lost! We commit to the $106 fare and get into the Uber. It is also important to note that we have not eaten since breakfast, it is hot, gross, late in the afternoon, and we are over it. This has probably tainted my view of LA a little as we sit in the car and spend 2 hours travelling only 59kms. I was in a foul, hangry mood!
I will never complain about Brisbane traffic again. Ok, we all know that is a lie, but it will add some perspective to situations.
We finally get to our hotel at 430pm. Hungry, disgruntled, tired. We collect our luggage, though the lovely man says he will send it up to our room. I am thrilled with that.
At the Hilton you can do remote check in, all on your phone. Including a digital key. Once your room is ready the send the details to your phone. Using the Hilton Honors App you will be sent a digital key. This key gives you access to the lifts and your room. You don’t need to set foot near the reception desk. Well that is the theory.
We get in the lift and immediately have issues getting the digital key to work. Luckily someone swipes our floor for us. Accessing the room works though, and its pretty amazing. You don’t have to worry about leaving your key in the room, or putting it next to your phone and accidentally wiping it. Instead it is all on your phone, you can share with others too. So if Jason was inclined to go anywhere without me, he could have the app and the key on his phone too!
I love the theory, and when it works it is amazing. When it doesn’t, it’s a royal pain in the ass. I did figure out that you need to add the key to your wallet in order for it to work in the lift. Lesson learnt.
Anyway, we make it to our room and it is fucking massive. It is about four times the size of the room we lived in on the boat. There is a kitchenette, with the only useful thing being a fridge. You don’t get any cutlery or cups.
The first thing I do is scan the QR code and order some drinks. STAT!
Our bags arrive in record time and I unpack the snacks I had in the suitcases. Some cheese, crackers, M&Ms (thank you Mark and Mari – god bless you and your amazing planning).
Moments later the drinks arrive. Cheese, snacks, wine, beer, a seat and some quiet. It feels magical. I feel like we have wasted a full day.
We spent 5 hours in varying cars. To get to Anaheim, to get to the HOHO bus, to get back to the hotel. I am not sure if there could have been another way. Maybe extending the Day Trip booking or something. One thing is sure, we will not be going back to LA anytime soon. Unless I am receiving some sort of award – I am sure that is going to happen right?
Once we have eaten and have calmed down, I start scanning places to eat. We both really want Mexican food but the place we want to eat at does not have a booking until the seriously adult time of 800pm. Noooooooooooooooooooooo thank you. I book that for tomorrow night and decide that tonight we shall do something quite quirky.
Hello Bubba Gump Shrimp company.
Yep, all based on the Forrest Gump movie. We walk there, it’s only 15 minutes and its nice to be on the move, through Anaheim and arrive.
We are seated, given menus, and promptly forgotten. Man are they poking the bear or what!!! They have no idea the kind of day we just had. Jason heads to the people who seated us and enquires whether we need to order at the bar.
I was not privy to the conversation, but apparently, they asked if we seated ourselves. No, we did not seat ourselves and fetch our menus from behind the bar (I could smell the sarcasm dripping off him when he returned). Oh no, have I made another error in judgement by coming here?? It this going to be another cluster fuck?
It all gets sorted, the server comes out, apologises that he did not see us and promptly takes our order.
There are so many options here, and the food is good. We both enjoy our meals, the cocktails are great. Jason’s beer is cold and refilled quickly.
Calm overtakes us. We walk back to our mansion sized hotel room.
Tomorrow we wade into the breach, we head to Disneyland.
12th October – Disneymadness
We have a bit of a sleep in, comparatively speaking. Disneyland opens at 800am, due to it being October and Halloween is a big deal – apparently.
Up and ready, we leave the hotel at 730am to walk there. Along with hundreds of other people. There were not this many humans around last night when we went for dinner, but suddenly they have all come out of nowhere. Wearing mouse ears and walking like the undead.
If the undead walk 4 abreast and have no consideration for anyone else on the sidewalk.
The queues to get in are insane. We are early but some of these people must have been queued up since 700am. We are only really interested in the Star Wars section and rides. Our goal is to do all three rides, go to the cantina, and then GTFO.
I purchased the lightening track pass and it paid dividends. Initially when we lined up for the first ride it was 15 minutes within an hour it was 75 minutes and kept climbing. The longest we waited was 10 minutes and we had a great time.
Probably the best one was the Millenium Falcon, smugglers run. Simply for the two young Japanese women who were on the ride with us. They were just hilarious! Squealing and apologising for crashing the Falcon. OMG, how much fun. They were delightful and the ride was amazing.
After 5 hours we call it a day. Jason has done exceptionally well with all the people and we have had a wonderful time.
I had wanted to get the grandies a set of Mickey Mouse ears for something a little different, but bloody hell they know how to charge. A standard set of ears, without the sequins and sparkles that some have, $35!!! For a headband with mouse shaped ears glued onto them. Well, I love my grandgirls. All of them are special and beautiful. But they did not get any mouse ears.
We considered eating at Disneyland but decided we would like decent food without extravagant prices, and we stumbled across the Cheesecake Factory. I have heard so much about this place, we have it in Australia but it really is just for cakes. Not the endless pages and pages of salads, burgers, and other dishes. They even have a skinny menu if you want food with less calories. Very thoughtful.
Lunch was tasty and we feel energised to face the walk and the struggle of shopping. We walk the 5km to the shopping centre, starting from the beautifully manicured area of Disney Anaheim, we walk through many different neighbourhoods and they are not all Disney fantasy. Many are dilapidated and worn, but most appear to be lovingly cared for by their residents. With little gardens and ornaments placed amongst the dust.
We make it to the mall. The day has been so long already Jason is out of patience. We spend some time going in and out of shops and investing in our new suitcase. Thank you very much Candy! Unlike the outlet malls in Australia this one has no luggage stores, only a Nordstrom Off the Rack. But it does the trick, suitcase in hand, we Uber back to the hotel and chill out.
It’s our last night in LA, we have dinner plans, and we need to readjust our suitcases before check in tomorrow.
Tonight’s dinner is at Puesto, we could not get in last night but held a place for this evening. We are both really excited, we have been craving Mexican food and this restaurant gets great reviews.
It is very close to our hotel and when we turn up it is pumping. It looks like every table is full, with people lined up to get in. Luckily we have a booking, so we are shown over to our table.
The service is very attentive and within a heartbeat of time we have our drinks and are trying to decide what we want. Guacamole, goes without saying, you have got to. And when the guacamole comes out it is fantastic. There is something different in there, it takes a while to figure it out. But I am not going to tell you guys! I am going to try it at home and see if it makes the difference. Excited.
The rest of the food is great. The flavours are amazing. The prices are representative of the food, so its not cheap. But I would highly recommend dining here (Puesto Anaheim | Hours & Location (eatpuesto.com)).
The only downside, and this is showing our age big time, is the ambience, it is loud. All those young folks will love it.
We waddle our way back to the hotel and start preparing for our departure tomorrow. But there is something really weird happening, the floors in our kitchen and bathroom are wet and there is water leaking out of the vanity…
This is not good. I am super freaked out about slipping and injuring my hamstring again, so this makes me nervous and I am tip toeing about. So I ring reception and tell them about the new water feature. I am not optimistic that we will get any attention, boy was I wrong.
Within 30 minutes we had a plumber in our room. In an hour he figured out what the issue was, organised replacement parts, fixed the leak and mopped up the floors. We are amazed at the level of service here. We get to bed a little later than we had hoped, but tonight was a lovely way to end out time in LA.
My desire to stay away from LA has not ebbed, but I enjoyed parts of our experience and we are so lucky to have these problems.
Tomorrow is the start of the last leg of our journey. I can’t believe four weeks have gone by so quickly.
Palm Desert
Los Angeles
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