Long Friday at the Backpackers LA

Wow, Friday was a long day and it’s still not over yet. Thursday night we popped out for an Indian just down the road called Indian Taste Buds and we both agreed that it was one of the best meals out that we have had since we were in Australia. We woke early Friday morning around 6am, packed up, checked out and got a taxi to the airport where we discovered, whilst checking in, that we hadn’t an American visa. Neither of us had thought too much about the last leg of our holiday as it was an Australian holiday mainly with a couple of stopovers. We both understood that all our visas and airport taxes were part of the original around the world package that we bought but it didn’t include the USA visas. In the old days you had to send your passport off for a visa weeks before your holiday so I had visions of and extended stay at the airport. Luckily you can now apply free online so we headed off to the internet café and it was all sorted out in about 15 minutes.

By the time we had got through security etc, we barely had time to get something to eat and one drink at the bar that Claire had to leave most because we had started to board. We took off around mid day Friday 19th Feb but we were scheduled to arrive in LA at 7am Friday 19th Feb, before we had even left, and it was a 13 hour flight with Qantas. They were very good but we had a little trouble with a passenger 2 row in front when he moved back into the empty seat in front of us. Just one of those selfish prat’s that can’t keep still, constantly getting up and down, blocking the gangway, in and out of the locker and moving his eat backwards and forwards. As we were arriving so early and we knew we would be knackered I decided to book a cheap hotel so we could crash out when we got there. Trouble is you can’t usually check in until 2pm and we needed to get the room by 8am. I phoned before booking online and they advised me to book the previous night and the same night to be sure our room was available, which I did, and he also assured me that we would be ok not checking in until 7am and that I should ring the number that I had called on to get picked up from the airport. So get this, we left on 19th Feb on a 13 hour flight and had to book a room for 18th Feb so we would have a room when we arrived; I felt like we had been through a time warp.

We arrived a little early at about 6.30am rang the hotel and were picked up about 15 minutes later. The immigration in the USA used to be horrendous but this time it wasn’t too bad. We arrived at the Tradewinds, backpackers Hostel and I handed the paper over at reception and the lady said that we had booked for 18th and it was now the 19th and as we hadn’t checked in our reservation had been cancelled. I explained that I had rang before we left and actually booked 2 nights. She did try to help then and only charged us for one night but we had to wait while our room was made up. Claire wasn’t very happy with our accommodation as it was “mingin” and the ceiling seemed discoloured and there was a damp musty smell. We did somehow manage to get a few hours sleep and then had a walk around in the local area but it seems a little dodgy to say the least.

We want to get out of here as soon as possible but Claire wants to get the bus to Las Vegas and I want to get a car so we have our independence and can stay where we want. We can’t get the wi-fi in our room so have to take the laptop to the reception area with all the dropouts. Anyway, I will finish on a happier note with a picture of the Robb family on holiday in the Dominican Republic. Wish we had gone there now, its freezing here and Claire is wearing two coats, even in the room and its still only 4.30pm on Friday.