Mountains and beaches

It's the Memorial Day weekend, and we are finally settled in well enough to go on our first road trip! We decided to check out the claim that you can go skiing and surfing on the same day - we went to Mount Wilson and then to Santa Monica beach. It is entirely possible to do this in one day, however we decided to take it easy and go on two days, since it's a 3 day weekend.

Navigating the LA freeway system is no problem for those of us from KL - it's just the same except that making mistakes here does not cost $$$ in extra toll! Just like KL, LA has a multitude of highways and many ways to get to each place. In fact, we found a lot of similarities between KL and LA:

1. Both cities are referred to by their initials.

2. Both cities are located in valleys, with mountains to the north-east and coast to the south-west.

3. Both cities suffer from frequent hazy spells.

4. Both cities have lousy public transport systems, with mickey mouse Light Rail transport that does not reach most of the densely populated areas.

5. Both cities are notorious for traffic jams.

6. Both cities have terrible drivers and a common habit of cutting into other lanes to get ahead.

7. Both cities have a large migrant population from a nearby country.

8. Both cities are great places to live once you know them a little better.



Anyway, we took a drive to Mt. Wilson observatory which I learnt was the leading observatory in the world for several decades, with 2 of the largest telescopes in existence at the time and where many astronomical discoveries were made. Unfortunately Lucas was not so impressed (I guess his future is not in astrophysics), and also the view down to LA was obscured by fog/haze, so we didn't spend that much time up there. However, it is definitely worth a trip up, and I intend to go back when the weather is clearer and when the guided tour of the telescopes is on.




On the next day, we headed for the beach at Santa Monica. This was more Lucas' cup of tea! He enjoyed the swings and the fresh sea breeze, and was in a good mood throughout. It was fascinating seeing the people on their rollerblades and Segways, and practicing their yoga and acrobatic moves in public. Unfortunately it was still a little cool for the Baywatch set, so we had to content ourselves with watching the fishermen on the pier instead of the bikini clad babes running in slow motion!

Next we'll be heading for Hollywood, and perhaps fame and fortune for Lucas...