Like everything good these days, this holiday needs a SOUNDTRACK. Here are the first two contenders. I’d appreciate your suggestions.

Contender #1 – California by Phantom Planet

Obviously this song is location specific, but I could imagine landing at LAX with this blaring out of the overhead speakers. It’s got to be better than I Still Call Australia Home sometimes played by that airline that would like to be anything other than Australian!

Check out the lyrics of California.

I have a short clip of the chorus here, sorry about the bad quality, but if you really want to here it and can bear Orange County then watch Channel 10, and remember don’t steal music!

{Note from 2024 – back in the days before broadband and high quality streaming – see YouTube link below}

Contender #2 – Jacqueline by Franz Ferdinand

Apart from being a better band, this “post-punk” (or so says my player) song applies to all holidays. Perhaps I should let the lyrics speak for themselves. Consider this chorus:

It’s always better on holiday

So much better on holiday

That’s why we only work when

We need the money

Check out the lyrics.

Not so sure that the rest of the lyrics are that pertinent, but the chorus is good.

I’ve also got a short clip for you here.

{Note from 2024 – back in the days before broadband and high quality streaming – see YouTube link below}

Leave a comment below to nominate more contenders.

Here’s one for the public transport enthusiasts out there. Brisbane airport now has a private funded rail link between its domestic and international terminals, making it a doddle to transfer. Even better it was free, at least for Qantas passengers.

It uses the existing QR rolling stock and operates on an elavate railway. I wonder if it making a return.

Brisbane certainly looks better from the sky than close up, or perhaps my memories are just jaded.

There must be something about me… after clearing customs at the Brisbane airport I was “randomly selected” to undergo testing of particles in my bag and on my clothing. They must see me coming.

Testing involves them putting a large wand in your bag, on the pckets of your jeans, and sleeves and then testing to ensure no explosive chemicals (or anything else) is on you. Of course I was clean!

Now we are going to experience all the delights of Brisbane airport coffee… bring on the short black!

LA has been added to our list of US downtown areas that change character within a matter of a block. We caught the 16 to downton LA. Like the buses in Washington DC there is a very specific customer group. I doubt many tourists use public transport.

We got of in the wrong block, it reminded me more of Cuba (the rundown glory) than the richest nation in the world. Fortunately, we got our bearings and are now in the extremely pleasant and extensive LA Central Public Library.

I am about to head off searching for the funiculair. After, we will catch the Metro to Hollywood.. Need sleeep!

Tomorrow we head North.

On the plane….

Just in case you wanted to know what we ate (also so I can get rid of a piece of paper) we had:

Lunch

Green leaf salad with herb Vinaigrette

Coq Au Vin – Chicken with red wine sauce (kym)

Braised beef with potatoe mash & peas (Helen)

Cheese and Crackers

Snack bag was provided:

Magnum Ice Cream

Cheese sticks

Museli bar

Bottle of water

Chocolate bar

Mint lollies

Breakfast

Helen – continental breakfast

Orange juice

Cereal

Muffin (which really did taste like it hadn’t been cooked, but Kym liked it)

Seasonal melon in fruit syrup

Kym – hot breakfast

OJ

Seasonal melon in fruit syrup

Muffin

Spinach egg cake with slow roasted tomatoes (which he really liked)

We watched:

The Day after tomorrow

Shrek 2

Friends and some other comedy crap!

Hi we are on the road with Mazda 6 and Neverlost (or so it claims).

We looked forward to the funicular, but it Angels Flight was closed until further notice and we’ve receive word that 2 of the 3 San Francisco cable lines are closed. The public transport angel is not looking kindly on me.

Visited Hollywood – imagine Hindley street, but bigger and lots of movie kitsch, an experience only required once. Lots of interesting museums like Ripley’s Oddities and yet another wax museum. The Erotic Museum is probably the pick, but I don’t know it cost $US12.

LA really is a donut city. The Downtown is less busy than Adelaide, even though it has many buildings twice as high as the Santos building. Quite a surprise really. Imagine Elizabeth and Adelaide being switched.

Santa Monica was where I’d live… if I was required to move to LA. But I will investigate other areas when we return.

Santa Barbara was just gorgeous, and no I am not just referring to the cheerleaders roaming the street. Classes are back at the UCSB.

This blog is being typed from SLO San Luis Obispo a pleasant town a few miles inland. We’re off to find a hotel near Heasrt Castle.

Looking forward to your comments, we don’t just want lurkers!

We’ve been on the road for a couple of days and haven’t managed to find an internet terminal. Now that we are in San Franciso… I can inform you of our interactions with the wildlife – and I don’t mean the locals! (will put up some piccys once we remember to bring a cable with us)

Deer = 5 (including an encoutner with two – nearly running one down while driving in search of a lighthouse at dusk near Carmel-by-the-Sea, okay before you start writing complaints I was only doing about 5-10 miles an hour – give me a break I’m on the wrong side of the road!!)

Elephant Seals = large group too many to count on the beach on the drive to Big Sur.

Seal Lions = lots!!! I got excited when we saw one from a distance on the 17-mile drive round Carmel by-the- Sea, on the Monteray Pennisula. At Santa Cruz they were all under the pier on boards sleeping – what a load of noise they made. Then later when we went to look at another lighthouse (name has escaped me again) there were more on teh rocks sunning themselves! I’ve never seen so many in teh wild in all my life. Totally amazing. The pier wasn’t even mentioned by the guidebooks – talk about slack! Wait until I send them an e-mail.

Squirrel = 1 at a vista looking at some of the rocks and view on the coast to Big Sur.

Cows = lots!

Road kill = 3-6 dead things on the side of the road. This is rather surprising – given that the coast road is similar to the Great Ocean Road (only a better surface), it is rather surprising!

I’m sure there will be more to come…..

Okay, I wasn’t driving….. but just let me say I never want to experience that again.

Too many lanes. Cars going way above the speed limit (not us!) going in all kinds of different directions. All I can say is thank-god (and I mean this) we got Never-lost with the car. I think at one stage I counted 10 lanes and 3-4 different directions.

I am hoping that the entry to Seattle and Portland is not like this one!

By far the most spectacular scenery this holiday has been this past two days, a two lane highway, cliffs and mountains on your right and the pacific on the left. A complete buzz, it is surprising to see so much wildlife, but I am sure Helen’s post will keep you upto date.

The roads into San Francisco are mad!! I love eight lanes of freeway followed by the steepest streets I have ever seen in my life. I am sure even our automatic would have rolled back.

The highlights including the stunning vistas, Santa Cruz and its sea lions, a Lucia’s standard Mocha in a little town called Half-moon Bay there was even a “parking sign” indicating that only Australians could park there! The best little supermarket I’ve seen with extensive organic goodies.

Santa Cruz is certainly much more radical than Santa Barbara despite both of them being University towns. Perhaps SB specialises in accountants and SC anthropolgists. Who knows, but the is much brighter hair and more holes in SC.

Cambria, is a mock English town, a bit like Hahndorf but less tacky and decidely more successful. We opted for the cheapest clean hotel in Town. The british flag was the magnet. We went to the “recommended” top notch restaurant, I’d still prefer an Aussie country pub than this stuff. Oh well! I am looking forward to San Francisco food, we’ve already sampled a Crab Sandwich. Yummmmmy!

Sorry, I forgot to bring the cable so no photos yet!

This is KDT signing off.