Rainy Beaches

Before noon I got on a rental car with this cool guy from Germany and we headed out to Los Angeles. No funny thoughts here, okay? He's got a girlfriend in Germany and things aren't flirty or anything. It's rather nice that all the pressure is off because it's a clear platonic relationship and there's no constant hinting of our intentions (or lack thereof).

Their scenery reminds me of Egypt too!

His plan was to see the Los Angeles beaches, mostly Santa Monica and Venice beach close by. My plan was to get to LA to see as much as I can here. So I joined him on the beach tour and went to those beaches with him. And you've all seen it on TV - all those beaches so full of people that you barely have a place to stand... Today there was no one! It was calm, quiet and void. Just empty abandoned sand as far as the eye could tell. It was a nice walk and we had a nice conversation. A very pleasant way to spend my day. The wind in my hair and cool sand under my feet. Somehow very relaxing. Usually such cloudy weather can leave a bad feeling with everything, but the nice gray sky was almost pretty to look at.

Empty Baywatch beach.

Finally it was time to split up - I was going to find my friend Rachel in Los Angeles and he was going to get back to San Diego. I called Rachel and she said that the car ride to her place is 20 minutes so maybe the German guy could just drive me there. Seemed simple. We got on freeway 5 and it was HELL! We could barely move. So much traffic. After 20 minutes, we got off freeway 5 and took a regular road. That seemed faster, but driving was still too slow. We drove for a long time and called my friend again. "Perhaps a bus...". So she directed me to the closest place to get a bus ride to her place. Wasn't too far, but the traffic, oh the traffic. Finally we had been stuck in traffic for 2 hours and we had gone 6,2 miles!

A long beach street with small stores Can you say, Egypt.

We reached the right road and got on the outer lane, so I could get off the car at first opportunity. And again, seems simple! We drove 2 km under the sign "NO STOPPING at ANY time." And there was so much traffic that we were driving slower than I usually walk! So eventually I just got off the car under the "no stopping" sign and just walked back those 2 km in the middle of no where, next to the cemetery. Well, fortunately the German guy would have went the same way if he would have just gone straight to San Diego because we didn't get far enough to get too far from his route. And once I was out of the car, it was pretty easy and fast to get to the right bus stop on foot.

Would look sooo much more dramatic if I wasn't laughing.

Bus made me nervous. I can barely recognize nickels and dimes because they don't have any currency markings on them. Dime is smaller and is 10 cents and nickel is bigger and is 5 cents. Otherwise they look pretty much the same. Bus ticket costs $1.25. I thought I'd just calmly figure them out as I was waiting for the bus, but the bus came right away, so I quickly started comparing the silver coins and calculating for 25 cents. If only I hadn't spent my quarters at a vending machine to buy a pack of Cracker Jack's (caramel covered popcorn and peanuts. Tasty.). So anyway, I just showed my coins to the bus driver, "is that the right amount?" and he said, "yes" so I put them in the ticket machine in the bus. Worked. And then I started looking out for the right streets, but then there was another bus blocking my view, so I just asked someone. And they helped me figure out where my stop is.

So I finally met up with Rachel, my friend since early puberty. She's American, but she used to live in Estonia near me for 3 years. It was very nice to see her after a long time. The last time I saw her was at my wedding 1,5 years ago. I saw where she lives and found out that she also has a cat. She doesn't have a kitchen, but her neighbour has a kitchen and is away from town since Sunday and has given Rachel the key, so we actually have access to TV and a kitchen if we feel like it. We'll be kooking Estonian apple-cheesecake and sour kraut with pork for the big Thanksgiving dinner at her friend's place, so we'll put that kitchen to good use.

Pouring down rain in Los Angeles.

So anyway, now I'm comfortable and nicely set up in her place. We got dinner and we got caught in heavy rain and then we got groceries with her friend who has a car. Rain! Like really heavy rain in Los Angeles. Rare stuff here. And I was here just in time. I don't mind - I was in London when they were having their (almost) only sunny days of the year. :) It's only fair to see some rain here. Lots of plans for the next few days, gonna have lots of fun.

And I'm almost starting to feel like California is just like New-Egypt or something. I'm looking forward to stumbling on the pyramids!