Los Angeles (USA) - Hey, are you going to pay our tourist tax?

Los Angeles (USA)
15 January - 19 January 2017

Back in Los Angeles, back to Hollywood. The theatre of dreams and the arena of the ruined.

The bright beaming letters of the Hollywood sign are the epitome of false idolatry. It represents all that is fickle, all the fools gold and falsities of promise wrapped up in a destination where the elite cast shadows of such impossible magnitude that we all, myself included, become brainwashed by its surreal majesty.

Hollywood is not Los Angeles of course. Los Angeles is comprised of another 71 suburbs also looking to find a CBD to call home.

I’ve had a personal struggle with Los Angeles. It’s not a manageable city, nor is it attractive. It’s not a city that seeks the type of love it commands by default, but with that said, never have I really given it any of my love previously. I don’t flat out hate it but I would have to think long and hard about real reasons for liking it.

Hollywood Walk of Fame - Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood - Los Angeles - USA

The Hard Rock Cafe at Univesal City - Los Angeles - USA

Outside Universal Studios Theme Park - Los Angeles - USA

Our first destination when it came to taking on Central America on the cheap was the Banana Bungalow located on Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood. 

Some of the comments I'd read of the Banana Bungalow on Booking.com were promising. Things such as free parking (which we needed), great social hostel (like most hostels), free alcohol and food on Wednesdays (yes, and kind of cool) and great location (true too, only 10 mins away from the ‘Hollywood’ we wanted to see). That aside, our room mates comprised of a Pakistani Uber driver that was literally calling the Hostel home, a junkie that sweat bullets and lived in a blanket cocoon for 20hrs a day, a girl who constantly had a fan/heater blowing on her and whose worldly possessions seemed to exist in the suitcase that was placed under her bed. Then there was us two, the newly engaged couple with global real estate investments bunkering down in bunks, all within the one sticky room.

Universal Studios Theme Park - Los Angeles - USA

Universal Studios Theme Park - Los Angeles - USA

Universal Studios Theme Park - Los Angeles - USA

Universal Studios Theme Park - Los Angeles - USA

I treat Los Angeles a little like the Gold Coast in the fact then when I think of them both the lights in my head flash ‘theme parks’. Thankfully Inga likes a good theme park as much as I do, so convincing her to head to Universal Studios on our first day was a breeze.

The oldest and most famous of all Hollywood studios still in use, Universal Studios Theme Park in Hollywood is a dedication to the industry that holds this town aloft globally.

The rides at the theme park are good, in fact very good and the theme park itself is compact enough to allow you to cover a lot of the rides in a day plus undertake a back lot tour. As an ice breaker into Los Angeles I think its fun and the accompanying Universal City acts as the perfect adjunct for post theme park activities.

Universal City - Los Angeles - USA

Margaritas at Te'Kila - Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood - Los Angeles - USA

Te'Kila - Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood - Los Angeles - USA

Our night in Hollywood existed solely within the confines of Hollywood Boulevard, in particular, the path that it took to walk from the Banana Lounge Hostel to a Mexican restaurant/bar where the drinks were good and the food wasn’t too bad either. Still, this Mexican joint did encounter our wrath one night when we noticed a 20% surcharge mysteriously appear on our bill with no itemisation. The line just read 20% tax (or perhaps it read surcharge). When we challenged the staff on the item the reason we were given, and I quote, ‘Oh, that a 20% tourist tax that we charge’. Now, aside from the absurdity of having a tourist tax, which of course we knew was bogus, the issues that a tax of this nature creates is just mind boggling. So first question, ‘How do you actually know that I’m a tourist?’, ‘Are you assuming this because of an accent?’. By the same logical deductui wouldn’t that therefore mean that half of Los Angeles would also now have to pay a 20% tourist tax based upon your reasoning?  Did you somehow discover my place of residency on entry? I don’t recall being asked where in the world I lived at this moment? Is this an international tourist tax or do you apply it to people from outside of the state, or indeed, outside of Los Angeles, or even further, outside of Hollywood?  In any case, the surcharge, which I assume was the value they added for what they considered was their right to acquire a tip was not paid. Much to the behest of the idiot that charged us. By way of proof I decided to show him my Wells Fargo card in any case, pointing out that I did have a piece of land in the US and would not be regarded as a tourist, not against my will in any case.  Incidentally, if anyone wants to know, the place is called Te’Kila, 6541 Hollywood Blvd – Don’t be a victim! Hold these punks to account!

Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Pacific Park - Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Pacific Park - Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

The next day we found ourselves heading out to Santa Monica pier and doing the walk down to Venice Beach. This ended up being a cool day. Beaches usually have a great vibe but Venice is like another world, it’s a catwalk for all sorts, some freaks too, but generally its very chilled and laid back with a good attitude. We both liked it. So much so that we did consider in future possibly occupying an AirBnB on Venice for a month or two in our futures, although, when I consider that I think directly about Rio de Janeiro and to a lesser extent the Gold Coast,  why would you stay on Venice when those two options have so much more to offer.

Inga was invited to partake in random dance improv on the beach

It really was as bad as it looks - although Inga was awesome ;)

Santa Monica State Beach - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Working the rings

Santa Monica State Beach - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

Working the rings

Santa Monica State Beach - Santa Monica - Los Angeles - USA

On our final day prior to heading out to Las Vegas was spent at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Santa Clarita.  An easy 40 min drive out of Hollywood, this place holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park and was just the place for a couple like us that loves thrill rides in general. 

I’ve been drawn to theme parks, but more so, roller coasters, since I was a kid. I love them! And some of the ones they have here are just insane. In particular I refer to Goliath, which for a brief period from February 11 to May 13, 2000, was recognised as having the fastest and longest opening drop (136 kph) from an initial height of 78 mtrs. It is AWESOME! Your stomach ends up in your eye-balls.

Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood - Los Angeles - USA

Being this close we certainly got a whiff of what THE ROCK was cooking

 Check out the stalker with the 'crazy doting' eyes - just over his right shoulder

Hollywood Boulevard - Hollywood - Los Angeles - USA

Heading to Las Vegas - just about to take a turn over the Pacific

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - Los Angeles - USA

Other fantastic rides at the park are the Twisted Colossus,  Freefall, Tatsu & Scream. I mean really, there’s too many to talk through them all other than to say that having a day like this is always a blast and makes you feel like a big kid.

Central America - 'Because it's there' tour

Central America
15 January - 12 March 2017

Politically tumultuous, chaotic and unfortunate in terms of geography, Central America has been the unfortunate ‘play thing’ of the USA, predominantly in the late 70’s and early 80’s, when Communist revolutions started to spark through most of those countries.

The USA has feared that any victory by Communist forces in those parts would lead to an isolation of South America, where it had ‘other’ interests. Hence it acted as a major protagonist in the Nicaraguan Revolution, Salvadoran Civil War, Guatemalan Civil War and the ongoing manipulation and coercion in Honduras and Panama.

Again, the spike in my interest for Central America came from the awareness of troubled part of the world in between North America and South America. Of course as an early teen I didn’t really understand the root of the conflicts but one moment that made the greatest visual impression on me was the United States invasion of Panama. During this invasion the defacto Panamanian, military and dictator Manuel Noriega was deposed.

So it was with this knowledge and these images that I put the idea forward to Inga for us to do a tour through Central America.

The attraction to this part of the world, admittedly, was never strong. I’d never had an overwhelming desire to visit these countries and neither had Inga, but, the desire for us to travel far outweighs our desire to see a city, country or area, and so we decided to put together a few months of budget travel. We designed a Central America on a shoestring adventure based upon back backing adventures that neither of us had really had and the fact that we thought that Spanish speaking countries as a whole are pretty cool places.

So I bring to you Central America – ‘Because it’s their tour’.

Riga (Latvia) - home for Christmas

Riga (Latvia) 
23 December - 27 December 2016

Inga & I made the deal that in alternate years Christmas would be spent in Riga or Belgrade. That deal was meant to last for as long as we were living in Belgrade, or indeed Europe, had that move eventuated. Our deal came within a whisker of failing at the first attempt.

Riga was going to be our first Christmas with family, be it Inga's or mine, but the idea unraveled so rapidly and abruptly on the afternoon of the 23rd of December whilst in terminal 1 of Nikola Telsa airport in Belgrade that the minor Christmas miracle that took place immediately after I believe has now ensured us for some time.

We had booked flights out of Belgrade to Riga, from memory, at about 16:45 that afternoon. Now these flights had been booked months in advance, so much so that from the booking date to the actual date, specifics tend to either become a little hazy or get mixed up along the way. For what seemed to have been weeks, the 16:45 departure time stood steadfast in our minds. In fact both of us had independently written down the time in support of our own understand of travel requirements.

Riga - Latvia

Riga - Latvia

Spa treatment Christmas present - Riga - Latvia

Riga - Latvia

Arriving at the airport around 15:20 we casually strolled into the terminal. Considering Belgrade is a small airport with low traffic, especially on the route we were flying, checking-in is usually a casual process. Over in 10-15 mins before easily passing through the 1st security check and passport control. This is what we had mentally prepared for.

The first thing you do when entering the airport is check the departure board.

DESTINATION            FLIGHT NO              DEPARTURE              

VIENNA                       JU604                       15:45                      FINAL CALL

ALERT - ALERT - ALERT - ALERT

I knew exactly what that meant. For those of us that travel enough a 'final call' is the death-knell if you've not completed the necessary stop of check-in, or, if you haven't checked-in online.

I could see that rush of panic on Inga's face and I knew where the realisation was going to end up. First, there was going to be a rush for the check-in desk, only to be told, I was certain, that checking in at this late stage was going to be impossible.

Correct - we tried, and yes, we failed.

I knew now that the scramble for a resolution would inevitably dive into why we tricked ourselves into believing that the departure was later than we thought, and in addition, had we know lost what we had paid for our ticket.

Yes, on both counts.

It's an entirely unsettling situation to be at an airport with your flight still at the terminal, not having even moved an inch but still, being forced to concede that you'd already missed it. It's infuriating and drives your anxiety levels through the roof.

Riga - Latvia

Where it all started in 2010 - Shot Cafe - Riga - Latvia

Where it all started in 2010 - Shot Cafe - Riga - Latvia

Doing some shots at the Shot Cafe

So now what?

Well, this is where we kind of flipped it. From being angry, to feeling defeated and accepting something of what our fate should have been we both stepped up to the flight and decided to treat the situation like an episode of Race Around the World.

Initially thinking that we could head for home, jump in our car, drive to Vienna and be there in time to catch the connecting flight to Riga, the reality of the situation and our own common sense prevented us from making a true hash of the situation. What we did was took up residence in from of the departure board and analysed all flights leaving Belgrade that evening, where their destination were and how likely we could get a connecting flight later that night.

There they were, Rome, Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Frankfurt. We quickly processed them all and then each undertook a connecting flight search via Skyscanner. This is where the 'tricky' part comes into play. In this circumstance don't just have to be able to get out of Belgrade but you have to be able to locate a Riga flight from that location a delay long enough that would allow you to pick-up luggage and check-in at your next location in order to make the flight in the allotted time.

 A Kelpe family Christmas lunch - Riga - Latvia

Christmas in Riga - Latvia

Christmas in Riga - Latvia

That time when I got myself a MULLET!

Riga - Latvia

We must have scanned the board for 30 mins, filtering through connecting flights before we landed on a possible option. An Air Serbia flight to Frankfurt and then a connecting Air Lufthansa flight to Riga - could this work? Did we really have the skills to make this? Could we actually have the skills to be successful contestants on Race Around the World? We headed straight to the Air Serbia counter to find out.

With our online Skyscanner connecting flight from Frankfurt to Riga ready to go, the Air Serbia agent confirmed that there were seats on the flight.

'Book 'em Danno'

I think the Hawaii Five 0 reference was lost on him as he asked, 'Would you like me to confirm the flight for you sir'

'Yes, yes I would Cha Chi'

Once Air Serbia was confirmed we immediately booked our Lufthansa flight online, and HEY PRESTO - we were locked in to make it to Riga. All we needed to hope for is an on time departure by Air Serbia from Belgrade - which thankfully happened.

Christmas in Riga

Christmas in Riga was really very nice. Aside from the city itself, which I find to be very attractive, it lends itself brilliantly to this time of year. Somehow Christmas in a Northern country, specifically a north European country, feels much more appropriate and real than being under 40 degree skies in Australia. With that said, I have missed having an Australian Christmas every now and then, so admittedly I try to have it both ways.

Skyline Bar  - Radisson Blue Hotel Latvija

The view from the bathroom - Skyline bar - Radisson Blue Hotel Latvija

Inga's family was fantastic for Christmas Eve. We had a nice family dinner and enjoyed on another's company. It was a far my pleasant experience than what has historically transpired in the Elisher house hold. Our Christmas Eve's were very predictable, boring and at times unpleasant. My mother, as great as she is, would often drink way too much, my aunt would be demanded and sometimes nasty. There were many times that I wished Christmas Eve's away...I mean they weren't bad, they just weren't anything that I really looked forward to.

Of the next few days I got to meet Inga's extended family as we had a post Christmas lunch to celebrate the time of the year and the newly engaged couple. From memory by that stage I do recall that we had nominated Summer of 2017 at the time that we wanted to get married. Outside of a rough time frame we really didn't have too much additional planned - with only 6 months to go getting everything together, I had assumed, was going to be quite
 chaotic. 

The new style of boutique barbers  - Wood Religion - Riga - Latvia

Inga's father at Wood Religion - Riga - Latvia

A Christmas Ginger bread house - made by Jurijs Nadiradze

Heading back to Belgade - Riga Airport

Somewhere over Poland - this is my Terminator look?

...and that was that....

2016 was an incredible year for travel. We had a lot of great experiences, celebrated some major events and were setting ourselves up for an even bigger year in 2017.

Not a bad life