Travel nightmare!!!

This series of unfortunate events will make you cringe (mostly on behalf of my parents). Before I left for LA, I had to decide if I wanted to take my passport or just let my mom bring it since I will be meeting them at the airport on the 28^th of Jan. I don’t need my passport to fly to La, so why carry it (worst decision ever)!!! That Tuesday morning my parents had a flight scheduled to leave Atlanta at 12:30PM and arrive in LA at 2:30PM. This was right before shit it the fan in Atlanta because of the ice storm (and 2 inches of snow). Our flight to Sydney was scheduled to leave LA at 9:30 PM so they had ample time to make the flight….NOT. They boarded their Delta flight and then were returned to the gate 3 hours later because federal law says that you can’t sit on an aircraft for more than 3 hours. The whole process on de-icing the plan had taken that long, so now it was delayed 3 hours, leaving 4 hours to make the connecting flight. At this point Atlanta was freaking the hell out, schools still had kids in them that couldn’t get home, people were having to leave their cars on the road and walk places (most of you know because you were probably stuck in the madness). The flight ended up being delayed for full day and they only arrived in LA at 12:30AM. As you can remember our flight to Sydney was leaving at 9:30, so we missed that flight. Delta was kind enough to say that they could put us on one of their flights leaving non-stop for Sydney at 4AM, but since we were traveling on Fiji Airways, they would not sign the tickets over because they did not want to lose the money we paid for our tickets…RUDE and so selfish! Needless to say the reps on the phone were no help and kept saying we would have to pay $1100 plus to purchase new tickets, because we were “no shows” for the flight. Excuse me person but I am not going to be a happy camper if my $1400 ticket turns into a $2400 total!!!! You stupid ding bat, my mom called the airline to say that our flight had been delayed and we would not be able to make the flight, but you couldn’t answer the damn phone! Luckily she was able to send an email, not that it helped they still were trying their best to make us purchase new tickets. Needless to say I got a taxi to the airport after partying it up with Alex and David, but we could not get on the delta flight. I was drunk and exhausted, we could not even get a hotel room because all were booked so this chick just slept on the floor while I charged my phone. It’s probably a good thing I was drunk, because it would have been way more uncomfortable! Finally at 8:30AM (8 hours later) we got a hotel room! The Fiji employees only got to the airport at 4:30 so we went to the hotel, ate some waffles, all took showers and little cat naps and then headed back to the airport to plead our cases and try not to pay $1100 each for our new tickets. Luckily we were able to be put on stand-by and just had to wait to see if anyone had cancelled their flight. The flight itself was overbooked by 5 people so it was going to take a miracle! Leonard, the Fiji airways supervisor was a blessing! He was very helpful and apologized for the information we had received from the 1800 number representatives (which was all false!). We were never going to have to pay for new tickets that was only if we refused to go on stand-by. He worked really hard to get us on the flight and at 8PM on the 29^th we were on our way to Australia! We board the plane which is scheduled to leave at 9:30PM but of course that isn’t the end of the series of unfortunate events….The plane which we had just boarded had an mechanical problem with the electrical wiring of the fuel pump. This delayed us 3 hours, but eventually was fixed. Now our connecting flight from Nadi, Fiji was scheduled to leave at 7AM. The delay made us miss that flight too, luckily a good majority of the plan was catching that connecting flight so they quickly did some switching around and problem was solved. The only bad thing is our family in Australia doesn’t know we are 2 hours behind, since our new flight to Sydney only departed Nadi at 9AM…oh well. I guess they will figure it out sooner or later!

Just a little 4 day joll in LA!

Thursday: Arrived in LA safely, the flight was easy and no problems occurred! Maureen picked me up and off we went to her new apartment which was in Hollywood, about a block off Hollywood boulevard. Perfect location! Runyon Canyon was nearby and then we had all the bars, restaurants and shops right there too. That evening we went down to Venice beach, which was completely dead for some odd reason. Walked around there and saw all the medical marijuana places, which was probably the best thing to note from that area! After walking around a while we found a nice little Mexican restaurant. The Mexican places are real authentic places, serving the flour tortillas and stuff. So yummy! After that we drove to Rodeo Drive and down Sunset Boulevard. Rodeo has some amazing houses and all the fancy shops that I would only dream of being able to purchase something from! Sunset is kind of like Hollywood Boulevard, just a lot of places to eat, shop and play.

Friday: The next day we went for a hike in Runyon Canyon, it is walking distance from the apartment and half of it allows off-leash dogs. Maureen has a German shepherd so we took him and he had a blast. The hike was very enjoyable but boy were my legs burning! Some people run it and I’m convinced those people are aliens! From the top of the trail you can overlook LA and see all the different areas: Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City….there are so many that make up LA. The weather is great compared to Atlanta and I love it!

There is a nice Irish pub down the street called Jameson’s and they have happy hour from 12PM- 8PM so of course that became a place we frequented a lot! One evening Maureen and I started there drank and ate a little bit and then her roommate works at a nice restaurant called Lexington’s, since he is a bartender he was able to hook us up with some drinks! I have an old friend from high school that had moved out to LA about a year ago, so I met up with her and we went across the street to another place called Wood and Vine. Maureen and I had met some nice Aussie dudes at Lexington’s, they were doing a pub crawl and were really fun and sweet! So we tried to find out the route of the pub crawl and were successful but Sharon and her friend suggested Wood and Vine. Just chilled there until we called it a night.

 

 

Saturday: The next day we woke up and went to Santa Monica to see the boardwalk and explore the area. Everything in LA is pretty easy to get to, the only downfall is you might live 4 miles away but the traffic is so stop and go that it still takes you 20-25 minutes. The boardwalk is cool because it has an old wood rollercoaster and some more attractions. We watched people fish for a little bit and got to see two seals that came to join the party, as well as a pelican. Walked around Santa Monica and got some corn dogs for lunch, and then fed the seagulls our left over fries. Happy day for the birds, probably not supposed to do that but whatever they were cute and YOLO! Even though it was a tad bit chilly we had to sit on the beach, but we were lucky enough to so a small pod of dolphins!

 Later that evening I met up with Dr. Bunkley. I work with her at Banfield and she had been in LA for a few months. We went to an awesome Thai place in West Hollywood, then Sharon can over to meet me and we went to a dance club called Hemingway’s. Super cool place, minus the fact that we had to stand in line for almost an hour! That’s LA clubs I guess, if you don’t get there in time! We met up with some her guy friends, all of them were nice except this one guy. He was drunk and annoying, I swear I told him I went to Valdosta State about 10 times. I hate when people keep asking the same question over and over again! I then proceeded to tell him I was born in Johannesburg and he goes “Oh…yea….” I could tell he had no clue either what I had said or knew where it was, so I humored myself and asked him if he knew were that was…his answer definitely humored me. Apparently Johannesburg is somewhere in Georgia…NOPE. Maybe they don’t teach world geography in California schools, since he stated 20 times he has lived in Cali all his life. Gah! Stupid (or just drunk) people. After getting inside Hemingway’s it was really cool, it is old library themed! So lots of books on the walls and those sliding ladders. The DJ was super cute, so of course he was my main focal point J. Wasn’t too bad either, I liked his style!

 

Sunday: Did a little bit of volunteer work with Maureen on Sunday! She volunteers at Westside German Shepherd and the last Sunday of every month they take all the shepherd for a walk on the beach or Griffith Park. This Sunday it was the park, which was named after the guy who donated the land to the city after he passed away. It’s a very pleasant hike and the top is the Griffith Observatory. They do shows at night, but we never got to make it up there for one.  My dog’s name was Olivia, she was a shepherd mix and was a little butthead when it came to some other dogs, so she definitely kept me on my toes! Her litter mate was Flynn, who Maureen had to walk. Once we got to the top we hung out for a little bit played with our pups and then returned them to the shelter. Ate lunch at El pollo loco, very yummy and I think we may have one to two in Atlanta. We were not planning on doing anything that night, but since it was the Grammy’s, we decided to go to the W hotel on Hollywood. Maybe see some celebrities! Plus Shane, Maureen’s roommate, knew a girl that was singing there and there was no cover. The one thing learned about LA, is that most girls get hit on by 40 or older men, because most girls come to LA to pursue acting/modeling and all those entertainment careers. So a 10 year or more gap is not unusual at all, kind of weird to me, but hey life is all about connections! After the hotel bar closed we went around the corner to a great burger place called Stout! There sweet potato fries were a gift sent from heaven! The group that we went with were all of Shane’s friends. Amy, the girl that sang that night, is from Sydney and her boyfriend was too, I believe. Then there was a girl from London and I can’t remember were the last guy was from, but them all together was very entertaining!

 

 

Monday: As of right now I cant remember, but if I do then you will definitely hear about it!

Tuesday: Sadly all good thing must come to an end, and Tuesday was my last day in LA. I love this city! It has the city feel but then you can also turn around and go hiking up a mountain. Reminds me of Cape Town! Maureen and her husband need a roommate come April, so there has been major talk about if I want to move. The jobs out here and very plentiful and the rent split by 2 would be about $900. A little bit more than I would probably spend but who knows, I have been looking into university of California, the Los Angeles campus. If I get in-state tuition it cost the same as going UGA. The plan would be to get a serving job and/or bartending job to make some money while I either apply for my Masters or find a big girl job with a wildlife organization. There are so many more opportunities to work with wildlife out here versus Atlanta. Any who back to my last day because it gets very interesting!!! So that morning we woke up and went back to Griffith Park but this time picked the Hollywood sign route. We took both Maureen’s pups for some exercise. You hike about 45 minutes up the paved path to the front of the Hollywood Sign and then you can go around back of the mountain and get a little closer and take pics over-looking the huge letters! So beautiful, I wish the smog was not as bad though. With only a few more hours to spare we walked around Hollywood boulevard again, went to eat 99 cent tacos and then went to CVS to get some last minute things for the plane. This is where it gets fun! So Maureen and I are just wondering around, looking at the candy bars and such. We are approached by this guy, he is from Australia and asked if we were from the south (he heard our southern accents and said he was on a mission to find and nice southern girl – HELLO I think he just hit the jackpot…ding ding, I’m right here). Just kidding, but he is very attractive, and his accent could make ice melt in 2 milliseconds. So we started talking, he and his friend had just bought beers (yes they sell alcohol in CVS here) and were drinking their beers in cvs out of a brown paper bag. We talk for a good 20-25 minutes and then we decide to go to Jameson’s to all get a drink (since its happy hour). Plus the cvs manager kicked them out the store for drinking their beers inside ha! At this point my parents are supposed to be flying in from Atlanta, so we can catch our flight to Sydney at 9:30 that night. Atlanta was hit with huge ice storm so they are delayed right now (but that situation will be explained in more detail by itself later!). So back to Jameson’s, these guys are wasted and it’s only 2ish, but they were cracking us up! So we drink at happy hour only one drink each and while there, I find out that my parent won’t make it to for the flight at 9:30 and I can’t even fly by myself because my passport is with them. So that means one more night in LA for me! After leaving happy hour Maureen and I part ways with the crazy Australian and make plans to meet up with them later for something to eat/drink. Take one guess where Maureen and I decide to back to eat dinner/drink….Yup that’s right you are correct if you guessed Jameson’s ha! I told you we were regulars for the Past 4 days. The boys had not responded to the message about meeting up later so Maureen and I were just planning on eating and going home, but of course right before we are finishing up they message us back. So we meet them at a coffee shop near our apart (like how I start referring to Maureen’s apartment as OUR apartment, I’m already in moving mode). Ok and I’m sorry I never introduced the two fellas we met. Alex, he is the Australian. He has just flown into LA at 9AM that morning, and was jetlagged so he started drinking redbull and vodkas, and that is how the cvs thing lead him to us. He is a world photography and also does seminars everywhere for aspiring photographers. David is from LA and used to be Alex’s travel manager, now he is more in charge of sales of the seminars (I hope I am getting all this right). Ok so know that you are introduced it’ll be easier to follow the series of events. Alex met us at the coffee shop, since he was super jetlagged and not too soon after David followed. From there we decided to go to a bar called the Rusty (or Dusty) Mullet. Super cool place, $5 shots all night and other good drink specials. We danced, drank and were having us a good old time (Maureen left a little early) so it was just me with the boys. Apparently Alex is a love guru so he was trying to help David pick up girls and such. Very entertaining to just watch the two of them, I learnt some valuable things to take with me to Australia from Alex! Some events that occurred during the evening include Alex and I getting engaged (which he secretly changed on my Facebook page – I really should put a lock on my phone). It might still be up there because every time I try to it back to single, it will still says engaged…great I’m stuck with him!!! So thanks to whoever congratulated me but it’s not real. Another event to document is Alex getting undressed in the bar…first it was taking his shirt off (and was quickly told by the bouncer to put it back on) and then his shorts (the bouncer didn’t say anything about that – maybe he didn’t see it). Shorts did not spend too much time on the floor though, whoo that’s my fiancé! My parents were keeping me updated with there were abouts and one time my dad called me and David picked up the phone and started talking whatever language he can speak, I later learned my dad had thought I had be kidnapped! At the end of everything I had to go to the airport to meet my mom and dad, so we could catch the next flight out (which was SUPPOSED to be at 4AM – key word there supposed…) Alex and I walked back to the apartment, I changed, pack some last minute things in my bag, and called an uber. Alex and I parted ways sadly, he was a lot of fun and I wish I would have met him earlier! $54 later I arrived at the airport, I believe I was slightly intoxicated, since we had been drinking with guys since 9PM, and that was the end on my last day in LA – or so I thought….THE END.

 

Stressed to the MAX!!!

Hello again blogger.com,

It's been a while since we have gotten together! I'm taking a new adventure this year and ready to get out the hella cold weather in Georgia (aka Antarctica, as of right now). As of tomorrow I will be heading to Los Angeles to spend some time with a  good friend and then it's bye bye, see ya later, adios muchachos... America and off to AUSTRALIA!!!

I have been packed for about 3 weeks, since I have been bored and praying to the good luggage gods that my one giant suitcase does not weigh more than 50 pounds, other wise some things are going to be kicked off the island. I don't even want to start thinking about what I really can do without...because if I could do without it I probably would not have packed it so, tomorrow when I check in at Delta it should be VERY interesting!

Now that I've done my little test post, I shall go back to staring at my suitcase and worrying about what I am forgetting....FML.

Talk to ya tomorrow peeps!