Anyone ever been to Las Vegas? Well I haven’t. But that changed when I left Los Angeles two weeks ago. Yes already two weeks ago. On CouchSurfing.org I was looking for people who were interested in making a small road trip to the Grand Canyon and also making a stop in Las Vegas. And to my surprise I met some people!

After some emails I met up with Sara – a 27 year old girl from Sweden – who was also in Los Angeles. We had a cup of tea on the Hollywood Boulevard and decided to rent a car and drive all the way. We rented a car for a week from Dollar.com and got a pretty good deal. 135 US dollars for the whole week. Well of course without taxes and stuff so the grand total was just under 200 bugs.

So the next day me and Sara met again at the airport to pick up the car and without knowing we got two more free surprises.. the first being an insurance. Yes of course we need an insurance but we didn’t know the price per day which was 21 US dollars. DAMN. Anyway, we took the insurance and got our next surprise. A free upgrade to the next class! WHOOHOO.

We entered Hall 2 where we could choose our car. About 40 vehicles were lined up. My eyes fall immediately to a real American car, a 2009 Dodge Journey. A nice big car which was save to drive in, had all the luxury you need, and was big enough to sleep comfortable in.

Exit LA

We left Dollar Car Rental and turned right, no clue which way to go. After doing some study on the map and trying to find the best way to leave LA we entered our first highway. It took us about 1,5 hours to actually leave LA and be on the Interstate 15 towards Las Vegas.

I love driving and doing that on the American highways was really fun. They have a strict speed limit which I tried to follow, but sometimes the highway was so straight forward and just asked me to drive a little bit faster. Also other car where passing me all the time so I figured out it would be okay to do it.

The surroundings along the way didn’t change very much. It was all desert once you get out of LA until you enter Las Vegas. Boring but also quite interesting. Here and there we passed huge settings of gas stations and restaurants. And as quick as they came, they disappeared again. Driving to Las Vegas was very strange.

I see the strip!!

Around midday we got closer to Las Vegas. And by the time I saw the 5 mile sign, I also saw small parts of a city that’s know as Las Vegas. We closer we got, the more I saw and the bigger the hotels got. In front of me I saw the Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip. We took the exit for downtown, drove just 2 minutes more, turned left, and there I was.. Driving my rented 2009 Dodge Journey onto the Strip. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! One hotel after the other, one bigger than the other. Luxor, Excalibur, Tropicana, MGM, New York New York, Monte Carlo, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bellagio, Flamingo, Caesars Palace, The Mirage, The Venetian, Palazoo, Treasure Island, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and in the distance the Stratosphere. WAUW!

I chose the middle lane of the 5 we had  – yes 5 lanes each way – and drove as slow as I could. My camera was taking photos of every meter we drove. I must have said ‘Aah’, ‘Ooh’, ‘Look at that!’, ‘Oh my god’ and ‘What is that?’ a thousand times. Driving here was really spectacular!

After all that excitement we parked the car at a diner, went inside, ordered a big hamburger, opened our laptops and checked for any new messages. We were waiting for couch request to be answered. Luckily for us a German couple invited us to stay at their place for the night. So we finished our lunch, got in the car and navigated the Dodge to their house, a 20 minute drive west from the Strip.

Willkommen auf der bank

Julia, Tim and their two little girls from German – who came to Las Vegas about 5 years ago – welcomed us very friendly. Before we left I send about 20 couch requests but not one had been answered, but Julia decided to host us last minute which was really kind of her. It was only for one night because the next day we continued our way to the Grand Canyon.

Tim and Julia gave us many tips for what to do and what to see here in Las Vegas, but everything there is to do happen to be on the Strip. So we drove back and parked the 2009 Dodge Journey at Treasure Island and started our walking tour.

The Strip

Everywhere were you go on the strip something is going on. We started at the Treasure Island which has a show every hour called The Sirens of TI involving 30 half naked beautiful women dancing on a pirate boat and being attacked but 10 half naked men from the other side. Singing, dancing, fire, water and big explosions – 15 minutes of entertainment for free.

Then we walked over to the next hotel which had a active volcano. Unfortunately no half naked women dancing around, but still 10 minutes of free entertainment. And then there is the Bellagio with their huge water fountain that spits the water around and up to 20 meters on all kinds of music. Every 15 minutes or so, a 5 minute show starts.

Then there are the casinos. Amazing to see! By just walking down the strip I must have said ‘Aah’, ‘Ooh’, ‘Look at that!’, ‘Oh my god’ and ‘What is that?’ again a thousand times. It’s impressive how they come up with such great ideas for buildings and ways to attract people. And not only the big casinos and hotels are amazing, but also the cars driving around and the people on the streets. The whole Las Vegas Boulevard is one big entertainment show.

And than we entered some of the casinos and again I started saying the words ‘Aah’, ‘Ooh’, ‘Look at that!’, ‘Oh my god’ and ‘What is that?’.. Especially in the Bellagio I was very much impressed. But I can’t remember a casino which wasn’t special from the inside.

Free drinks in Vegas!

While Vegas is build to spend money in, there are ways of getting some things for free. Drinks for example! By just sitting in front of a slot machine and pretending your playing, a nice lady will walk by asking you what you want to drink. And 2 minutes later you will have your nice cold beer. No one cares if you play or not, or if you get up and leave. But you have to give the lady a dollar tip.

But don’t tell anyone about this secret!!

After a long day of driving, walking up and down the strip we found ourselves in a nice bar with live music and a free drink in our hands. We both were pretty exhausted so we went back to our couch for a good night sleep.

Danke!

Julia, Tim und Kinder, vielen dank für eure Gastfreundlichkeit! Es hat mich gefreut euch zu treffen und wenn immer ihr mal in Holland seid, seid Ihr auf jeden Fall herzlich willkommen um auf meiner Bank zu schlafen.

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Who would have though, that I would end up in the states after an incredible journey through south and central America? Well I wouldn’t, but it happened. All it took was some good news from back home and there I was with some extra months to spend.

I decided to do something totally different because I didn’t want to spend my days in Mexico or any other country down south. So I booked a flight up north to Los Angeles to start a road trip called ‘West coast‘. Yes, I am making my way up from LA to.. well, let’s keep that a secret for now!

It has been a while since my last update, so here is a mega update! Enjoy!

Long Beach

United Airlines transferred me from Mexico City to Los Angeles within 4 hours.  Right after I got out of the airplane everything I knew about the American stereotype thoughts became reality! Everything I saw was big or even bigger! Cars, the people, the distances, food portions, drinks,..

I made my way down south to Long Beach, a part of Los Angeles County and about 32 kilometer away from downtown LA. But getting there is easy because some parts of LA are good accessible by public transport. First I took a free airport shuttle to the Green Metro line, than I took the green metro line to the blue line, and the blue line took me down to Long Beach. Once there it was another 20 minutes bus ride and a 10 minutes’ walk before I arrived at my destination in Belmont Avenue.

During my way I was amazed by what I saw!! Streets are at least 3 lanes wide, the cars driving on it are big, lots of people walking on the street or in the metro where at least three sizes too big, many all-over-tattooed gang members in XXXL t-shirts, screaming Afro-Americans with big asses, bellies and too tied cloths talking some sort of slang, fast food restaurants at every corner, drive through everything everywhere to make it easier and why is everyone all the time playing or talking in their cell phones?

Anyway, it is fun seeing all this coming along my way, I couldn’t wait what more I would see here in LA or in the states.

CouchSurfing

A new way of travelling! I did it already in Mexico but now here in the states I want to do it more often. It’s not only cheap – because you don’t pay for sleeping at someone’s couch – it’s also fun and interesting. You meet local people and see how they live and what they do. They often know lots of things to do in their city so a guidebook is not necessary.

Here in Long Beach I stayed with two incredible people – Jordan and his roommate Christa. They live in a nice apartment deep in Long Beach – about 7 blocks away from the beach and 2 hours by public transport to Hollywood and Downtown LA. Both have their room but share the living room and kitchen. In the living room they have this hugh couch where two people can sleep on easily and which became my bed for the following days.

I arrived here the 31st – Halloween! Yes my first Halloween party ever. There was plenty of beer and other alcoholic drinks, Jordan was the DJ and played an amazing mix of music, lots of friends and friends of friends came by and danced, smoked and drunk. Everyone was dressed up so funny that my dress was slightly boring – they dressed me up as a Viking. I think that during the whole night more than 100 people showed up! I talked with so many of them that I can’t remember who was who..  It was really a great Halloween party until the police came by and shut down the music. A classic end of an amazing party.

Downtown Los Angeles

The next day my hangover wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, so me and Dudy – an Israelian guy I travelled with in Mexico and who was also here in Long Beach – headed to Downtown Los Angeles for some sightseeing. The skyline of skyscrapers was amazing and made my neck hurt. We walked around for some hours taking photos. We also sneakt into the City Hall without a visitor pass and made our way up to the highest floor from which we had an amazing 360 degree view over the city.

Downtown is nice for a day, it hasn’t as much to offer as I thought. There are a couple of buildings you have to see – like the public library and the City Hall – and a couple of museums – like MOCA. I am sure there is much more but that couldn’t bothered us. We headed back to Long Beach after a long day.

Hollywood!

Visiting Los Angeles and not going to Hollywood is like drinking tea without hot water. Jordan took us up to the Hollywood Boulevard where he worked. It took us almost two hours to get there – imaging doing that every day in the morning and in the evening!! There he showed us the important tourist things and pointed us into the right direction for another nice day walk.

First a short walk over Hollywood Boulevard, down to Sunset Boulevard, and at the end up to Hollywood Boulevard again. It took us the whole day walking to see most of it, taking tons of photos and searching for the famous stars. Hollywood Boulevard is a great place for watching people passing by and being watched by others. Everything here is normal, even not normal people.

Oh and then there is the Hollywood sign! I always thought this was so big that you could see it from all over LA. It is big, but kind of hidden and you need a good spot to see it. I didn’t made my way up the hills to see it proper. Something for the next trip.

Did I mentioned that I saw Drew Barrymore, Tom Hanks, Stevie Wonder and Johnny Depp?

Long Beach

As said I stayed in Long Beach – for me the best place in LA. It’s a save area with everything close by. I took Jordan’s bike many times to go to the beach and ride the Long Beach Bike Path – a fabulous path along the beach which goes all the way to downtown Long Beach where the port is. Going the other direction it took me two hours to reach Newport Beach. Both bike paths are superp!

Near their house there are many bars and cafes with free wifi. Many times I sat there enjoying a cup of tea and reading the news, and somehow not updating my website – shame on me!

Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Bevery Hills and Bel Air

These are the other parts of Los Angeles worth a visit of course! But I can be quick with those parts.. for all of those parts you need a car! They are big and public transportation sucks here. For Beverly Hills and Bell Air you need someone that knows the area and knows where the famous people live. Venice beach wasn’t as awesome as I thought it would be, but Santa Monica was! The bike path in Santa Monica is nice as well!

I didn’t spend too much time in these areas, so no good recommendations here, maybe another time.

Best host every – the nominee goes to

Of course by two fabulous hosts Jordan and Christa! Thanks guys for letting me stay that long and making me feel like being home again. I stayed here for 10 days, sleeping on their couch, using their bikes and internet. It was great sharing the fun with you guys, having great conversations and spending some great moments with you. Take care guys and see you hopefully again somewhere on this planet! Oh, and wherever I am, a couch is waiting for you!

Photos

..are here of course.

Coming up..

Okay first post about Los Angeles is done, I hope I didn’t forget something. Anyway, coming up: Las Vegas Baby! Fucking Las Vegas!! Stay tuned.

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Yes! I am in Los Angeles, Long Beach, California! Just a 4 hour flight from my last destination – Mexico City. Its just as sunny as there but the culture is totally different! I don`t know where to begin but I will write more about this beautiful country later Oh and yesterdays Halloween party was the bomb!

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