The weather in the South West US states was glorious. Kizzy had a new understanding of what hot weather feels like when we reached Phoenix and the temperature hit 118 degrees Farenheit - 48 degrees celcius. Waiting for ten minutes for the bus takes on an element of danger to be undertaken only with adequate water and shelter.
Arriving in LA was pure joy. The preceding 6 months in Latin America were fantastic and fantastically challenging. Suddenly we found ourselves in the gorgeous and relaxed neighbourhood of Santa Monica where we could speak the language and we were amazingly well looked after by our lovely friend Kim Stevenson. Not only was the hospitality such a welcoming taste of home (Boags lager, Green and Black's chocolate), Kim also set out a blueprint for fantastic lifestyle. I was so motivated I even went with her for her morning run.
Four nights with Kim was enough to want to stay in the neighbourhood (in her living room, eating her food, sampling her restaurant recommendations) for the next four years but the itinerary drew us back to Arizona, this time in our own set of wheels. Driving on the right hand side and other traffic quirks (turn right on red, really?) were soon overcome and we found our way through the desert to the Grand Canyon, which is every bit as awe-inspiring as we had been led to believe.
Our departure from Flagstaff was marked by Kizzy's birthday. We started with cake and cards - she was truly delighted by all the messages from home. Plans for an easy jaunt up to Vegas and a luxury hotel hit the rocks when we discovered that a) the hotel reservation had been cancelled and b) I had lost my wallet (how?!?) but all worked out in the end and we stayed in a very big and flashy edifice, styled after the Egyptian pyramids but augmented by an exterior of mirrored glass and a fantastic swimming pool.
Vegas was the ultimate culture shock. I have never been anywhere quite so unreal. Kizzy loved it, "but only for a little bit, too much of this will get creepy". The fabricated environments were amazing. The floors of really rather frantic people were disconcerting. The free meal and US$50 we got for enduring a two hour timeshare sales pitch was actually quite welcome, especially as they fed us throughout the whole affair.
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