PALE BLUE DOT

I saw this on a friends Facebook status (thanks Alan) and for some reason it hit a chord with me and wanted to share the verse......

But for us, it's different.

Look again at that dot.

That's here.

That's home.

That's us.

On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

It is up to us.

It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

Carl Sagan

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

PP. 8–9

OFFICIALLY THE LAST ENTRY-NOT ON YOUR LIFE XX

So here I am back in Brisbane. 

Back home-with friends-my best friend and my god daughters.

How do I feel that the ‘true’ Odyssey has finally come to an end? 

453 days.

59 international flights

230 cities

54 countries

430 blog entries and 35,000 hits

Countless friendships made

60,508 photos taken and 85% of them loaded on Facebook

And memories to last a life time………

I have had a lot of people ask me how I feel about going home.  It is sad that my trip has come to an end.  Who wouldn’t feel sad?  Not having to go work each day.  Not having to worry about bills.  Seeing a new country, town or place each day.  Anyone would feel a little depressed about going home.  BUT NOT I.  I am lucky.  I get the best of both worlds, even though Bernie’s World Odyssey officially comes to an end I get to start Bernie’s Ethiopian Odyssey in it’s place.  I am in a great position as I am home for 7 weeks and then I head to the UK for 3 weeks, so Bernie’s World Odyssey continues again, and THEN I go into Africa and start my Ethiopian journey.  So yes I am blessed.  I get to move to a new country with someone I love and see my own country before I do that massive leap of faith.  I am not really sure how I would handle things if I was coming home for good, with no more travel on the books and the reality of settling back into a Western world and integrating myself back into my ‘circle’ of friends lives again and surroundings.  Finding a place to live/buy, finding a new job and purchasing a car to name a few things.  What a daunting task for anyone right!????  I am a changed person my priorities are different from when I left and I just hope that my friends lives haven’t changed too much that we don’t have anything in common anymore.  15 months is a long time to be out of people’s minds.  It will be an interesting first few weeks. 

It is so hard for me to explain to people how I just don’t think I could go back to the way that I lived before in Australia after seeing what I saw in Africa.  My 4 months there changed me.  Even before I had met Zeme I had plans of returning to this amazing continent and trying to help somewhere and anywhere.  I was the first one to raise my hand when it came to keeping up with the Jones back home, especially with electronic gadgets, new dresses, concert tickets etc….  Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy all that, will do all that when I go home for visits, but I feel there is more to life that I feel I can offer, and to people who need the care and the nurturing.  If I can somehow get involved into making their lives more enriched then this is what I want to try and do.            

My whole Odyssey has been a magical and life changing experience for me. 

It has been a trip of a life time that only a small amount of people would ever get a chance to do-ever.

It has been an emotional ride that started on the 27^th November 2008 when I got the news that my mum had passed away suddenly. 

I lost my ‘family.

I reconnected with my dad and his family in 2009.  I now have 2 half brother’s that I am in contact with and my little bro got married last year and has recently had a baby boy.  I would never have thought being an only child that I would EVER become an Aunt.

I discovered ‘new’ family.

After 10 years of being with my ex-husband we decided that we were just 2 different people heading in different directions and separated in August 2010.

I lost ‘love’.

After travelling for only 7 months I arrived for my 16 day Ethiopian Adventure in October 2011.  Never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would find my soul mate on this trip and what was to become a whirlwind romance and my understanding of love at first sight.  It happens and it happened to me. 

I found love.

So this is what it feels like to be smiling on the inside.

I write this last ‘official’ entry with sadness but with hope for the future.

My future in a new country, with a new culture and with the love of my life-Africa will be my new home.

I will never forget this adventure and the reason why I found myself here. 

I’ve had the time of life and it was all in honor of my mum.  I think about her every day and hope that she is smiling down on what I have accomplished and I miss her also every day.

My advice to anyone reading this is to live life to the fullest.  It may not involve a 453 day trip around the world, I could be a weekend with a loved one.  Spending the day with someone you haven’t seen for a while, a phone call or text message to someone, a trip to the beach you’ve always promised yourself or that book that you wanted to read with no interruptions.  Do it.  You just never know what is around the corner and what fate has in store for us. 

Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them. 

Live your dream and share your passion.

When you eat, appreciate every last bite.

Some opportunities only come only once-seize them.

Laugh everyday

Believe in magic.

Love with all your heart.

Be true to who you are.

Smile often and be grateful.

…and finally make every moment count.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

TELL THE WORLD IM COMING HOME

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: I’m going to see my ‘family’ in 14 hours

BUMMER OF THE DAY: My Odyssey, as we know it, comes to an end

WORD OF THE DAY:  Has it really been 15 months?

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 11,810km

TELL THE WORLD IM COMING HOME.

It is hard to believe that I fly out tonight.  453 days later and I am at this point of coming home.  It is actually quite a surreal feeling and if I was coming back for good I am sure I would have a whole set of different emotions.  But it is officially the end of my Odyssey, as I am coming back to Australia, which completes my circle, I am only home for 7 weeks and then I will have another 3 weeks of blogging on the World Odyssey site before I arrive into Addis Ababa on the 1^st September and I then start my new blog Bernie’s Ethiopian Odyssey, which is now all set up and ready to go. 

My flight wasn’t till 11.30pm tonight.  So my morning was spent packing for the last time.  My Facebook status was: P.A.C.K.E.D for the last time. I have packed 235 times on my trip and I finally get to have 7 weeks in one place, one bed, a 'wardrobe', new clothes and best of all my friends’ xx I am sad and I am also HAPPY all rolled into one..... I am eternally grateful for my 453 days I have experienced and the friends I have made..... Tell the world I'm coming 'HOME'.  235 times I have packed…….  I am an old hand at it now and I was also lucky I could throw out some clothes I didn’t need any more or I just know I would not wear once I was home after having them in my backpack for 15 months.  I tossed a long pair of trousers (original piece of clothing), a pair of cargos I bought in Africa in August last year, some underwear and 2 tops (one of them an original piece of clothing).  May as well lighten the bag a little, even though I didn’t buy anything here in LA and Qantas aren’t as Nazi about baggage weight, why carry it if I didn’t need it. 

I spoke to Zeme to spend the last of my US credit and it seems likely that he won’t be getting his visa in time, again.  Time is just ticking away and we only have 35 days till he was due to arrive into Oz and the Embassy requires 21 days, it was just pushing the envelope to get it all done.  So I now have an extra 44 days till I see him again, but after 5 months what’s another 5 weeks.  It sort of works out okay as we now have plans of coming back at Christmas, so we are saving an airfare in July and he still gets to meet everyone.  So even though I am disappointed, it is one of those blessings in disguise type of scenarios and also my ‘positive’ spin on a piece of bad news.  That’s all I am going to say on the whole thing.   

So with everything all airline packed just before lunch I spent the afternoon processing some ‘photo movies’.  This is my latest thing that Tippy’s 12 year old showed me when I was in Las Vegas.  Nick downloaded an app onto my IPod that turns your photos into a video and you can back it to a song.  It is an awesome idea, so I am now going to ‘produce’ one for each section of my trip.  It will pretty be a ‘highlights’ vid with the people I spent my time with.  I have done photo of the day in Facebook, but this will be a little more personal.  I did my African one yesterday and watching it back it was actually quite emotional and to just re-live the people, the places and the fun was really heart bursting.  It is hard to explain but to see those photos again really choked me up.  I jumped the gun doing Africa first, but I am going to start at the beginning of my trip and work my way through.  The most time consuming thing is looking for the 40-60 odd pictures, depending on the length of the song.  Once that’s done it only takes 20 minutes to compile them, process them and add them to You Tube.  So today I did my Trans Mongolian trip and Contiki Ireland with 16 more to go!!!  Once I start something I really know how to get it done.   

So that helped wile away my last afternoon till Christy got home and then we loaded up the Audi and drove the 45 minutes to LAX.  I always like to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare, especially in a US airport and today was no exception with 3 hours up my sleeve.  I didn’t check my ticket and assumed I was leaving out of the Tom Bradley Terminal and got Christy to drop me off there.  So with hugs and kisses, and a last hug I waved goodbye to my Trans Mongolian friend.  I started my first days of my Odyssey with my Browns and quite fittingly I finish my last days with them also, even if Eric was still in Cannes.  He phoned just as we pulled up to the curb, so I did get to say goodbye to him, which was nice.  I was tankful to have been able to see them, they have busy schedules, typical LA style living in the film industry and I know that I was super lucky to catch them when I did.  So thank-you Browns for hosting me for the week and I hope that we will meet again somewhere in the future.  Ethiopia, Australia or a return visit to the US.  Who knows but I will miss you guy’s xx

I entered the terminal, located the Qantas counters which only had the Melbourne and Sydney flights flashing on the check-in counters.  Weird.  There was no-one waiting so I walked over to the counter and asked if I could check in for the Brisbane flight.  She asked if I was on the direct service, which was a yes, and I was told that those flights leave from terminal 4.  The good news terminal 4 was the next one along and was only a 10 minute walk.  I should never assume, even at this late stage, and with a thanks, I made my way to T4.  This is why you allocate extra time and as Cheryl calls it in Chicago ‘snaffu time’, so I was in no rush knowing that I still had time on my side.  I had no problems checking in and with my 2 checked bags I had 32.5kg of luggage, not bad after 15 months.  In saying that I have posted 19 boxes home over that time as well, but still not a bad effort.  I was back to my round world ticket so I was allowed to have 2 pieces again with no charge.  With my last boarding pass in my hand (well for 7 weeks), my window seat booked I dropped my bags at the TSA screening and I was on my way for my 59^th flight of the trip.  The security lines weren’t too bad this late at night, which I jinxed myself once it was my turn to walk through the scanners.  I was fine, my Ethiopian bangles not an issue, but my rolly bag was checked the hell out of.  Everything had to come out, everything, it was rescanned, rechecked and then I was given the all clear to continue through.  So I had to try and repack that bag like I had it before and nothing ever goes in the same way, but I got it zipped up and I was gate side.  I had 1.5 hours till boarding and I needed to bet some Disney presents for the god-daughters as I told them I was going to Disneyland (even though I knew I wasn’t) and I was just going to buy them some Disney paraphernalia.  Well T4 isn’t the best international terminal in the world.  They have like 20 gates and a book shop, a newsagent and a few small self-standing stalls and that is it.  There was not one piece of Disney, Mickey, Minnie or Donald in the whole terminal.  This is LA, the home to the original Disneyland and they don’t sell a single thing here.  That is ridiculous isn’t it?  So I shot Shelly a text message letting her know so she could break the news to the girls, as I would hate to turn up and crush their little hopes of not having pre-warned them I was Disney-less.  I had Burger King for dinner and at 10pm I made my way to my departure gate.  The damn glass picture I have been carrying is becoming a real pain and I am glad I only had to carry it for 4 flights.  It is driving me nuts as it takes up an arm leaving me to do things with one arm when I am walking around.  I sat down and then pulled out my purse to see how much US coin I had left as it felt quite heavy.  Well I had 11.35USD and even for me that is too much money to not spend, so I went to one of the self-standing shops and as I was waiting in line with my chocolate purchases there was a lady in front of me trying to get rid of her coins also and she was 1USD short from buying what she needed, so I stepped up and told her I had a wad of coin and I gave her what she needed.  She was so sweet and shook my hand, introduced herself, thanked me and was on her way.  I felt so good being able to help out and I am hoping I get the same feeling when I move to Ethiopia and help people who are less fortunate than me.  That was my good deed done for the day and it felt good.  I was just hoping now that I had enough coin for my own purchases, which I did, but it wouldn’t have been an issue, I had notes, but good to get rid of 99% of the coin.  I also pulled as much USD as I could out of my Travelex card.  I am guessing that I am nearing the end of its life (maximum funds) on the card and I can always use the USD in Ethiopia to get me started.  I have also worked out it would probably be cheaper withdrawing the money here in the States than using an exchange back in Australia, so with enough money left on my card for the duty free shopping in Oz when I land it is the last use for this card.  The Travelex cash cards have been amazing for my trip and I didn’t have a single problem with them at all on my whole trip.  They give you 2 cards for the account, one is a backup if you lose one, and I didn’t even have to crack out the second card through my whole trip.  I can highly recommend the use of these cards and when I did need to speak to them they were very professional and returned my calls and emails.  They have been fantastic.  I will be getting a new set for my next trip in 7 weeks and I think this is how I will have access in Addis for the time being till I know exactly what I am going to do with funds.  I wonder what you need to open an Ethiopian bank account?

My flight was called on time and I was sitting in row 61K.  I was thinking that since I was such a high seat number I would be called first, but they called seats 75-70, then 70-65 where most of the people got up and then I was the next call.  The line was long, so I was guessing it was a full flight and not realizing till I got on the flight that the economy cabin started at 40 and not at 1.  I got to my seat and there was plenty of overhead space for all my stuff and then I settled in for the 14 hour flight home.  The aircraft was a 747-400 with a seating configuration of 3x4x3.  I had my usual window seat and there was a young lass on the aisle and I had a massive smile on my face when the plane doors closed and we had a spare seat between us for the flight!!!!  This trumps a bulk head/exit row seat any day.  We could spread out!!!!  We pushed back and then sat for 20 minutes all locked up ready to go, and then when we finally started to move we taxied for 40 minutes to get to our turn at the end of the run way and with a tear in my eye I was on my way home.  I was on my way home.  I WAS ON MY WAY HOME………..  This bought me think about my mum, about Zeme, the people I have met and the places I have seen and I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face.  I WAS ON MY WAY HOME.  What is home though?  I don’t really have a home in Australia, I am no longer a flash packing bum, and at the moment I don’t have a home in Africa.  I am well and truly homeless and that made me cry even more.  I little of self-pity, fear of the unknown is allowed a little bit and I chose my last take-off to deal with these feelings for really the first time.  Shelly and Shane have always welcomed me into their home and it is the only home I have, so with a smile on my face thinking of what was waiting for me.  I was heading ‘home’ and there is no better way to finish the trip on this flight being Qantas, it felt like, well Australian.  There was no better feeling than landing back into Brisbane on the Big Red Roo as my heart swelled with pride for what I had accomplished and what laid ahead for me. 

Qantas have always been a great airline to travel with.  People rag on them a lot, a little bit of tall poppy syndrome I think sometimes, but after being on over 22 different airlines, this aircraft was a breath of fresh air.  My last 7 flights have been on American Airlines and considering they were the largest airline in the world till the United/Continental merge, their aircraft also feels like the oldest in the world.  They really need to retire some of the planes that I saw and being on this flight was very refreshing.  The in seat TV’s are always a great thing on my flights even though I find I really don’t use them that much on night flights.  I want to, and there were over 4 movies that I wanted to see on this flight, but I just wanted to listen to my IPod, inside my own thoughts till my eyes got too heavy and I fell asleep for 9 hours.  Yep I am a sleeper on planes and with a fist pump when I woke up and realized I only had 4 hours left of the flight I decided to watch some TV.  I couldn’t be bothered watching a movie and I actually found something even better and I watched 16 episodes of Modern Family instead.  I was laughing the rest of the way home, I love that show and it probably helped take my mind off my floating emotions.  After breakfast was served at 4am before I knew it we got the prepare the cabin for landing call and as the sun rose up behind us we landed into Brisbane at 6.45am on Friday 22^nd June 2012.  It was bittersweet as I thought about Shelly waiting for me and I was actually home. 

I’ve come full circle.

I wanted to try and get home to be able to walk the girls to school, so I didn’t dilly dally too much but on my way to immigration I stopped to buy a bottle of vodka for myself, a bottle of bourbon for Shane and a bottle of perfume for Shelly and I.  Luckily I had left that 300AUD in my Travelex card so I was able to snap my purchases on that and then I headed for the e-gate, which allows Aussies with the chips in their passports to get processed through a machine and not have to wait in line with all the plebs.  We still had a line for the e-gates, but there were say 50 of us there, there was 300 in the other lines.  So I was processed through, found my baggage carousel, waited around 10 minutes for my bags and then into the customs line.  When I got to the front I was waved straight through, no x-ray or check and as I headed for the doors to release me back into the general Australian population I had to hold myself back from running with my trolley and you just try and take that smile that I had on my face off.  As soon as I came out I saw Shelly and we ran the length of the barrier for a long long long overdue BF hug.  We both were crying and both totally couldn’t believe that I was home.  Man it was so good to see her.  If we made good time in the traffic I would be able to see the girls before they headed for their last day of school before the holidays. 

So….. I am HOME.  There will be some blog entries to follow with stats, thanks and some information while I am home.  So please keep checking my blog it is not done and dusted at all.  Especially with 4 weeks in the UK to go, it certainly won’t be the last entry either.

BUT I will thank everyone now for their support, comments and feedback with my blog.  It was you guys that also gave me the incentive to write every day, sharing my ups and downs on what was the trip of a life time for me.  It was worth every tear, dollar and smile and I can truly say it was priceless in most circumstances and something that a dollar value would never buy you-ever.

I am the luckiest person in the world and it feels good to be home. xx      

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART AND 1100 MATCH BOX CARS

WEATHER: Glorious and 26C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The cool LA Museum

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Can’t think of a single thing

WORD OF THE DAY:  Matchbox cars

The day started at 1.30pm today with a drive to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Christy wanted to see an exhibition there that she had heard about involving over 1000 match box cars.  Sounds awesome and to get a little culture while I was in LA sounded like a good idea.  After we had parked, I would call this section of town Museum City.  There are approximately 5 museums all next to each other that have been nurtured over the last 40 years.  We had to walk past some food trucks on the way to the entrance and couldn’t help in stopping for a small bite to tide us over till dinner.  The gourmet food truck craze that started in Los Angeles.  Hundreds of gourmet food trucks are roving the Los Angeles streets, selling everything from Korean tacos to grilled cheese sandwiches, Indian street food to $12 hamburgers.  They are a phenomenon and you can find them all around the city and at big events.  They are pretty cool and they really do have a massive variety of food available.  The only thing I don’t like is there generally aren’t any seats or tables, so whatever you buy has to be consumed standing up and if you have something tricky like tacos or something that requires knives and forks it could get a little awkward. 

While we enjoyed our ‘truck’ food we were able to appreciate some outdoor art.  It’s not often one spots pieces of the Berlin Wall along Wilshire Boulevard.  A series of the panels (decorated by Berliners nearly two decades ago) rise on the lawn of 5900 Wilshire Boulevard. The exhibition is part of Culver City-based Wende Museum's commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Wall. The panels came from Berlin via boat--a trip that went through the Panama Canal---and arrived to Wilshire Boulevard via flatbed truck.  There were a total of 10 panels will go up and the exhibition constitutes the largest concentration of Berlin Wall panels outside of Europe.  The 11-foot-high panels, which were originally housed on a private property near Potsdamer Platz in Berlin and weren’t blocked off by any ropes.  It was pretty cool to be standing and taking photos of what was an amazing part of history. 

We crossed the road and then paid the 15AUD entry fee for the LACMA.  The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum in Los Angeles.  It is the largest encyclopedic museum west of Chicago and attracts nearly one million visitors annually. Its holdings include more than 100,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present. In addition to art exhibits, the museum features film and concert series throughout the year.  The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established as a museum in 1961. Prior to this, LACMA was part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, founded in 1910.  Early trustee Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. made the lead donation of $2 million, convincing the museum board that sufficient funds could be raised to establish the new museum. In 1965, the museum moved to a new Wilshire Boulevard.  Money poured into LACMA during the boom years of the 1980s, a reportedly $209 million in private donations during director Earl Powell's tenure.  In 1994, LACMA purchased the adjacent May Department Stores building that increased the museum's size by 30 percent when the building opened in 1998.

The museum's best-attended show ever was "Treasures of Tutankhamen," which drew 1.2 million during four months in 1978. The 2005 "Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" drew 937,613 during its 137-day run. A show of Vincent van Gogh masterpieces from the artist's eponymous Amsterdam museum is the third most successful show, and a 1984 exhibition of French Impressionist works is fourth.  LACMA's more than 100,000 objects are divided among its numerous departments by region, media, and time period and are spread amongst the various museum buildings.

Directly in front of the new entrance to LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard is Chris Burden's Urban Light (2008), an orderly, multi-tiered installation of 202 antique cast-iron street lights from various cities in and around the Los Angeles area. The street lights are functional, turn on in the evening, and are powered by solar panels on the roof of the BP Grand Entrance.  It was an amazing photo to see so many street lights; it would be cool to have seen them lit up at night time.  The outdoor exhibit we stopped at was the called the Penetrabile.  The piece invites one to plunge into the colorful soft plastic tubing and regard the world from within a forest of glowing color.  The piece required 20,000 linear feet of the specially manufactured plastic tubing, and a complete back up set is on hand to facilitate ongoing maintenance. There are between 2,000 and 2,500 tubes suspended from the overhead grid. It took two teams working 2.5 full days just to swap out the tubes, each of which was precut to the perfect length to rest lightly on the ground, resulting in a gentle bend that catches the light. It was a weird sensation walking through the tubes and as an afterthought, I wonder how hygienic, but I guess you don’t think about those things at the time.   

After looking at a few exhibits just killing some time for the Metropolis exhibition.  You can view the exhibit anytime, but the cars only run on a schedule over the course of the day, as they can’t be run all the time due to the heat caused during the operation.  Chris Burden's Metropolis II is an intense and a complex kinetic sculpture, modeled after a fast paced, frenetic modern city. Steel beams form an eclectic grid interwoven with an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one 6 lane freeway, and HO scale train tracks. Miniature cars speed through the city at 240 scale miles per hour; every hour, the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cars circulates through the dense network of buildings. According to Burden, "The noise, the continuous flow of the trains, and the speeding toy cars, produces in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active and bustling 21st Century city."  And it was just that.  It was pretty noisy but oh so cool to see these 1000 cars shooting around on the road ways. 

The newest work by renowned Los Angeles artist Sharon Lockhart (United States, born 1964) is a multimedia meditation on the achievements of Israeli dance composer and textile artist Noa Eshkol (Israel, 1924–2007). She discovered Eshkol’s groundbreaking work during a 2008 trip to Israel. Eshkol is best known for developing in the 1950s, with architect Avraham Wachman, the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN) system, which uses a combination of symbols and numbers to define the motion of any limb around its joint. Eshkol developed a dance practice based upon its simple structures. Lockhart filmed Eshkol’s aging students and a newer generation of dancers performing her choreography in an effort to bring her visionary work to light. Sharon Lockhart | Noa Eshkol, conceived as a two-person exhibition, presents Lockhart’s five-channel film installation and series of photographs of EWMN spherical models, together with a selection of Eshkol’s carpets, scores, drawings, and other archival materials.

Our last stop was the Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico.  It follows the historical trajectory of the life and epic stories of the culture-hero and deity, Quetzalcoatl. The exhibition examines the art and material objects of late pre-Columbian and early colonial societies across Mexico to explore Quetzalcoatl’s role as founder and benefactor of the Nahua-, Mixtec-, and Zapotec-dominated kingdoms of southern Mexico. These socially and culturally complex communities successfully resisted both Aztec and Spanish subjugation, flourishing during an era of unprecedented international entrepreneurship and cultural innovation. On view are painted manuscripts (codices), polychrome ceramics, textiles, and exquisite works of gold, turquoise, and shell that reflect the achievements of the Children of the Plumed Serpent.  It was amazing to see how many Mexican looking people were walking through this large exhibit.  Trying to see some of their own culture perhaps. 

On our way to the car we past the La Brea Tar Pits that are part of the Page Museum.  They are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed.  Asphaltum or tar (brea in Spanish) has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with dust, leaves, or water. Over many centuries, animals that were trapped in the tar were preserved as bones. The George C. Page Museum is dedicated to researching the tar pits and displaying specimens from the animals that died there. The La Brea Tar Pits are now a registered National Natural Landmark.  Tar pits are composed of heavy oil fractions called asphaltum, which seeped from the earth as oil. In Hancock Park, crude oil seeps up along the 6th Street Fault from the Salt Lake Oil Field, which underlies much of the Fairfax District north of the park. The oil reaches the surface and forms pools at several locations in the park, becoming asphalt as the lighter fractions of the petroleum biodegrade or evaporate.  The tar pits visible today are actually from human excavation. The lake pit was originally an asphalt mine. The other pits visible today were produced during the 1913–1915 excavations, when over 100 pits were excavated in search of large mammal bones.  They smelt like a new road being laid and for effect they have some large mammoths walking on the edges of the tar pit.  It looks quite authentic except for the large wire fence that runs the perimeter of the tar pits for safety.  It was fascinating to see the pits bubbling away in the middle of a massive city like LA. 

By the time we left the museum it was after 5pm and the guys wanted me to try one of the best burgers in town at Fathers Office which is an upscale pub featuring craft beer and wines.  You aren’t allowed to make any changes to the menu as their slogan is ‘No Substitutions’ and with a hamburger and sweet potato fries that arrived were absolutely delicious.  They had a wall of beers on tap but I couldn’t see an Australian beer, but Eric said they would definitely have one there somewhere.  It was a funky little place and it was our last meal as a ‘family’ as Eric heads to Cannes tomorrow and Christy back to work.  I tried to change my ticket to come home earlier but the flights on Monday go via Sydney at an additional cost of 170AUD.  I wasn’t too worried about the cost, but to go through Sydney?  I was over air travel and after 14 hours the last thing OI wanted was to have a 3 hour layover and then an additional 1.5 hour flight to Brisbane.  So I am just going to chill at the Brown residence for the next 3 days.  Christy mentioned about borrowing the Audi and going for a spin which I declined in a micro second.  Firstly it’s an Audi (a very nice one), secondly I haven’t driven for 15 months and thirdly they drive on the opposite side of the road.  Add all that and just oozes disaster right!!  I have some ‘office work to do to keep me busy and after 450 days, 3 days of guilt free rest at home is always welcome.  I think I am a little tired.      

RIDING AROUND VENICE BEACH

WEATHER: A gorgeous day and 26C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: On a bike and no HILLS

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Can’t think of a single thing

WORD OF THE DAY:  Two-fer again

It’s the week-end.  That doesn’t really make much difference to me but it means that Christy has 2 days off so the three of us can be together before Eric flies to Cannes on Monday.  Our plan for today was to go to Venice Beach.  This is the area that Eric and Christy used to live for 8 years before buying their place in Hollywood.  Christy’s ex brother-in-law moved into their Venice Beach home and this is where they had kept their bicycles since the move last year.  So the plan was to take the bikes for a spin (I would hire one) and then the biked would be dropped at a friend’s house for further storage.  There really isn’t anywhere where the bikes could be ridden where they live now, so they are keeping them that side of town. 

As it turned out I didn’t have to hire a bike as Christy’s brother-in-law (ex) had his bike there, so after collecting them we hit the road as they guys gave me a small tour of their neighborhood as we made our way to Venice Boulevard and then onto Abbot Kinney Boulevard.  We stopped at their shopping district; locking up the bikes we took a stroll.  There were pubs, groovy little shops selling things from light fixtures to funky chairs and art.  It was a very alternate area and the people living there also came from all walks of life.  It had a great vibe to the area and after a small walk we decided it was lunch time and we stopped at a place called Local 1205.  It was pretty much the inside of an old warehouse, gutted out and they had bench seating with tables and the main menu items consisted of 10+ sandwiches options.  It was an organic/health shop where they also made great fruit shakes and sold some local produce.  My sandwich was 14USD but I have to say it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten and there really weren’t that many ingredients on it.  I have never really understood or noticed if organic foods taste better than the run of the mill supermarket stuff, but today I think it just proved that it definitely tasted better.  12 out of 10 for the sandwich.  After lunch we continued looking at the shops and then circled back to the bikes.  The guys had told me, even though the bikes were locked up that it is a common occurrence that they could get stolen, even though they were locked up.  I hoped that they would still be there, cause if the bike I was using was stolen I would have to pay to have it replaced.  My mum always told me to never borrow anything that you couldn’t afford to pay back.  All I can say is thank goodness they were still there when we got back!!!

Venice Beach was next and only a short ride from where we were. Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles.  It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors. Venice Beach includes the beach, the promenade that runs parallel to the beach ("Ocean Front Walk" or just "the boardwalk"), Muscle Beach, the handball courts, the paddle tennis courts, Skate Dancing plaza, the numerous beach volleyball courts, the bike trail and the businesses on Ocean Front Walk. The basketball courts in Venice are renowned across the country for their high level of street ball; numerous NBA players developed their games or are recruited on these courts.  Venice was home to some of Los Angeles' early beat poets and artists and has served as an important cultural center of the city.

Venice of America was founded by tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a beach resort town, 14 miles (23 km) west of Los Angeles. He and his partner Francis Ryan had bought two miles (3.24 km) of oceanfront property south of Santa Monica in 1891. They built a resort town on the north end of the property called Ocean Park, which was soon annexed to Santa Monica. After Ryan died, Kinney and his new partners continued building south of Navy Street in the unincorporated territory. After the partnership dissolved in 1904, Kinney built on the marshy land on the south end of the property, intending to create a seaside resort like its namesake in Italy.  When Venice of America opened on July 4, 1905, Kinney had dug several miles of canals to drain the marshes for his residential area, built a 370 m-long pleasure pier with an auditorium, ship restaurant, and dance hall, constructed a hot salt-water plunge, and built a block-long arcaded business street with Venetian architecture. Tourists, mostly arriving on the "Red Cars" of the Pacific Electric Railway from Los Angeles and Santa Monica, then rode Venice's miniature railroad and gondolas to tour the town. But the biggest attraction was Venice's mile-long gently sloping beach. Cottages and housekeeping tents were available for rent.

The town's population increased; it annexed adjacent housing tracts, and changed its official name from Ocean Park to Venice in 1911. The population (3119 residents in 1910) soon exceeded 10,000; the town drew 50,000 to 150,000 tourists on weekends.  By 1925, Venice's politics became unmanageable. Its roads, water and sewage systems badly needed repair and expansion to keep up with its growing population. When it was proposed that Venice be annexed to Los Angeles, the board of trustees voted to hold an election. Those for annexation and those against were nearly evenly matched, but many Los Angeles residents, who moved to Venice to vote, turned the tide. Venice became part of Los Angeles in November 1925.  The canals of Los Angeles' Venice neighborhood were modeled, on a smaller scale, of those in Venice, Italy.  Los Angeles had neglected Venice so long that, by the 1950s, it had become the "Slum by the Sea." With the exception of new police and fire stations in 1930, the city spent little on improvements after annexation.  Stretching about one a half miles along the manicured sands of the Pacific Ocean, the boardwalk is a large part of what makes Venice unique. On the west side of the "walk" are hundreds of street vendors and performers. You can see everything from break-dancing to broken glass walking. Mimes to musicians, jugglers to jesters and everything in between make up the human landscape. You can have your fortune read, get a temporary tattoo or have your name written on a grain of rice. If souvenirs is what you are after then the boardwalk is the place to go. The Westside offers unique arts and crafts, odds and ends and one of kinds only obtainable here. Paintings, photos, rocks of various sorts and sculptures are among the popular offerings. On the Eastside are the store fronts of the boardwalk. Here you will find every sort of t-shirt under the sun. From the politically motivated to sexually charged to the plain old Venice Beach t-shirt there is sure to be one for everybody. In addition, there are tattoo and piercing stores, skate and surf shops, medical marijuana dispensaries and more. You can buy sun glasses, vaporizers, beer and shoes. This is all in addition to the large selection of restaurants, juice spots and bars. In summary, packed into its one and a half mile, the boardwalk has more diversity in demographics and retail then probably anywhere else in the world.

It still looks a little seedy today, but there were a lot of people here, remembering it was Saturday and the vibe here was high.  It was too busy for us to ride our bikes, so we hopped off them and walked the main beachfront, weaving our bikes through the masses of people.  We saw Gold’s Gym and there were a few beef cakes working out in their swimming trucks and nothing else.  Too muscly for me but whatever you picture Gold’s Gym to be is exactly what it looked like.  It wasn’t that busy in there though.  They obviously have no shame working out as hundreds of people walk past taking pictures of them all day long.  The other thing that was in your face, besides all the people is the Marijuana Medical Centers.  It is legal to consume the drug for medicinal purposes so they have these guys hawking out the front of these ‘medical’ centers, offering people ‘consultations’ to see if you need to have any of the stuff for your ‘health’.  Funny as, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t get too close to those guys as I didn’t want them leaving any residue on me anywhere as I was leaving the country in 4 days and didn’t want to be swapped and found positive for cannabis or something.  Imagine trying to explain that one to customs.  No thanks. 

We then left the busy beach front and headed down to the actual canals of Venice Beach.  You can’t come all this way and not see the actual canals.  It was so calm and quite here after the bounce and chaos of the boardwalk.  There are footpaths that lead all over the canals and we rode a few of them looking at the amazing homes and just enjoying the tranquility of the area.  There are some beautiful homes and gardens to just marvel at as we rode past.  The quaint bridges that stretched from one side to the other were really picturesque.  Eric’s friend didn’t live far from here so we pedaled our way from the canals and when we got to his mates house there was no-one home.  After a few attempts a calling and knocking on the fence we just decided to head back to the car and they would have to drop the bikes off another day.  The best thing about riding around the area was it was all flat as a tack.  Not a hill to be seen which is a great thing, firstly I hate riding hills and secondly hopefully it will lessen my saddle soreness tomorrow.  The last time I rode a bike it was on Death Road, so this really was a walk in the park compared to that-but I think any bike ride will pale in comparison to that ride of 65km downhill extreme riding. 

During our ride Christy and I spoke of all my belongings in storage back home and what was I going to do with it all?  It is a great question and one I really don’t know the answer to just yet.  The reality is that I am going to have to get rid of 90% of what is in the shipping container eventually.  It is just wasted money now paying 300AUD a month to have it stored when at the end of the day I am going to get rid of most of it.  My main thing I am hesitant about is some pieces of furniture that was my mums.  It has great sentimental value to me and I defiantly would be reluctant to let that go.  The unfortunate thing is that the furniture is not in my taste, so I would never really use it.  So is it worth me trying to hold onto it when you take all that into account?  I would certainly offer it to her sisters first before I did anything as drastic as donating it, but it is something I need to seriously think about along with the rest of my stuff.  Will I need 300 Elmo’s?  Will I need 60 bottles of Vodka (maybe)? Will I need 3 beds and 2 TV’s?  Probably not.  Will it be worth shipping it all and then donating stuff once I am there?  I am sure after my first 3 month stint I will have a better idea on what I will and won’t need and then I can figure out that headache in December when I return and I have to go through it all then.  A job I am not looking forward to, but hopefully Zeme will be here then too and we can go through it all together.  He will probably have a heart attack when he sees all the crap, um I mean stuff, I have. 

We were home by 6pm and decided to have a quick meal at home and then head to the movies to see Rock of Ages that had been released just 2 days ago.  It starred Tom Cruise and this was probably the closest I was going to get to him here in Hollywood.  I have always been a Tom Cruise fan.  Even with all the Scientology guff that he is into (and seems weird to me) he is still a good looking man and to think he is 50 in 2 weeks’ time is just mind blowing.  50!!!!  I didn’t know too much about the movie itself but once we go to the cinema, bought my popcorn and Icee, I found out it is a movie based on a musical and that Tom would be singing!!  Now this should be good…..  Rock of Ages is an American musical film and is an adaption of the 2006 Chris D'Arienzo comedy rock/jukebox Broadway musical of the same name. The film stars country singer Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta with an ensemble cast including Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Åkerman, Bryan Cranston, with Alec Baldwin and Mary J. Blige. The film featured the music of Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Twisted Sister, and REO Speedwagon.  It seemed a little cheesy at the start and a bit Glee-ish from what I have seen of the TV show, but I have to say I enjoyed it and being a 70’s child I enjoyed the 80’s music through the whole movie.  The last movies that I saw was with Kate in Buenos Aires in January and then we saw The Vow in Caracas in April.  I just love the popcorn that you get from the movies, they seem to be the only ones that make it just the way I like it, salted.

So we were home by 11pm and another great day in LA as they start to tick down to my departure home.  It seems quite surreal that I am at this part of my journey and I am feeling a little mixed about it all.  Sad that my Odyssey is coming to an end.  Happy that I get to see my best friend and my god-daughters and then excited for what my future holds.  Fold all that up into one and that is a whole lot of emotions going on there!!!!

MALIBU AND SANTA MONICA

WEATHER: Cool and 21C in the morning and 25C in the afternoon

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Santa Monica Pier was a hive of activity

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Christine had to work-bah humbug

WORD OF THE DAY:  Two-fer

Christine had to work today (boo) so my sightseeing tour was all up to Eric today.  He had a plan of getting to the beaches today taking in Malibu and Santa Monica and what-ever else we could find in between.     

We started heading 45 minutes out of LA through the San Fernando Valley (where the Kardashians live amongst other celebrities) and through the Santa Monica Mountains to get to Malibu.  The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean.  The range extends approximately 64 km east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.  The Santa Monica Mountains have more than 1,000 archeology sites of significance, primarily from the Californian Native American cultures of the Tongva and Chumash people. The mountains were part of their regional homelands for over eight thousand years before (and after) the arrival of the Spanish invaders, known as the Spanish colonizers. They mostly became extinct after USA annexation of the area.  It really was a beautiful area and quite dry and can be known for fires in the summer as it really gets dry around here.  There were still spots of green on the mountains as we drove through and even got some fog that dropped some spots of rain before we descended into the Malibu area. 

It was coming on lunch time so we stopped for lunch at a place right on the (Malibu) beach called Paradise Cove.  There was an indoor and outdoor area in the sand.  We decided to sit outdoors, even though it was a little cool, they had a plastic cover over the rafters and heaters going on around the tables.  It was quite busy so we had to check in at the entrance and given a lobster bleeper to let us know when a table would be free.  So we just ‘had’ to get a cocktail while we took a seat and waited and it gave us an opportunity to check out everyone’s meals as they come out of the kitchen.  The one thing that was all in common with all the plates was that the servings were MASSIVE!!!  The ribs were MASSIVE, the calamari was MASSIVE and the seafood platter was MASSIVE.   We only had to wait 10 minutes then we were lead back outside to our table.  It was nice to kick off the shoes and run your toes through some white Malibu sand.  I was leaning towards the calamari; it really was a massive serve in a massive cocktail glass that seriously would fit 10 cocktail drinks in.  I asked if they did a half serve, but the answer was no, so with Eric promising to have a few I ordered the calamari anyway.  While we were waiting there were a few seagulls hanging around tables and jumping from the umbrellas hoping to get some scraps from people while they weren’t looking.  A few tables over a seagull came all the way in, grabbed some chips right off her plate and swooped out again.  Cheeky buggers.  Service was super quick and before you knew it I had my calamari in front of me and I rekon there would have been enough fried octopus to feed a family of 15 in that glass.  I gave it a good crack and I ate just over more than half.  I had finished eating when I saw a seagull eyeing off our table.  I warned Eric to watch out as he was coming in behind, when before we knew it this massive bird swoops in from a stop still start at the table, flaps in, grabs a big piece of my calamari, lands right back near our table, gulps down the stolen food and then flanked me on the other side and looked like he was going in for seconds.  Well not on my watch now that I was on the case and I picked up the drinks menu ready to swat this bird if he took a second flyby.  I think he must have known I meant business as he looked once more and then flew off.  Everyone around us was just as amazed as us at the gallness of the seagull and I am just glad that I had eaten my fill as I am not sure I would want to eat anymore after the gull had been in there.  In his defence he didn’t knock a thing off or over on the table in his grab, so points there need to be given. 

On our way out of Malibu the sun started to poke its head out of the gloomy clouds.  It was pretty impressive to see all the seafront homes knowing the cost of these puppies and somewhere amongst them all live celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston.  Malibu was originally settled by the Chumash, Native Americans whose territory extended loosely from the San Joaquin Valley to San Luis Obispo to Malibu.  Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo is believed to have moored at Malibu Lagoon, at the mouth of Malibu Creek, to obtain fresh water in 1542. Malibu Colony was one of the first areas inhabited after Malibu was opened to the public in 1929 and it is one of Malibu's most famous districts. Long known as a popular private enclave for wealthy celebrities, the Malibu Colony today is a gated community, with multi-million dollar homes on small lots. The Colony commands breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, affording a spectacular coastline view stretching from Santa Monica to Rancho Palos Verdes.  Like all California beaches, Malibu beaches are technically public land below the mean high tide line. Many large public beaches (Zuma Beach, Surfrider Beach) are easily accessible, but such access is sometimes limited to some of the smaller and more remote beaches. Some Malibu beaches are private, such as Paradise Cove, which charges an entrance fee to keep the crowds at bay.

Our next stop was Santa Monica Pier.  The sun was now shining and it was like we were in a different part of the world.  It was busy and after paying 8USD for parking we walked along the busy pier.  The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier located in Santa Monica and is a prominent, 100-year-old landmark.   The pier contains Pacific Park, a family amusement park with a large Ferris wheel.  It also has a carousel from the 1920s, an aquarium, shops, entertainers, an arcade, a trapeze school, a pub, and restaurants. The end of the pier is a popular location for anglers.  Santa Monica has had several piers over the years, however the current Santa Monica Pier is actually two adjoining piers that long had separate owners. The long, narrow Municipal Pier opened September 9, 1909, primarily to carry sewer pipes beyond the breakers, and had no amenities. The short, wide adjoining Pleasure Pier to the south, a.k.a. Newcomb Pier, was built in 1916 by Charles I. D. Looff and his son Arthur, amusement park pioneers.  The Carousel was built in 1922 on the Pleasure Pier and features 44 hand-carved horses. It was rebuilt in 1990 and has a calliope that provides the musical accompaniment.  The bridge to the pier and entry gate was built in 1938.  It was really nice to have the wind blowing in my hair, walking amongst people that had won large stuffed toys, people walking with fairy floss and ice creams and the general vibe down here was contagious.  We also got great views of the beach from here that was littered with people, and the crazy people were swimming!!!  Even though the sun was out, the water temperature would have been 13C.  Brrrrrrrrrrrr-not for this little black duck.  There were the usual tourist attractions-souvenir shops, painted pictures, t-shirt stalls, get your name on a grain of rice and pool floaty toys that seems to be a worldwide tourist thing, even when there isn’t any water around.  They must sell that crap right? 

On our way home we travelled through Pacific Palisades and turned right onto the very start of Sunset Boulevard.  We had all intentions of running that through all the way to Rodeo Drive, but as traffic can be unpredictable in LA we got stuck in a good old fashioned California traffic jam.  We sat for 45 minutes before Eric had had enough and we did a U-bolt and took a different way into Rodeo using Google maps to keep us out of whatever the issue was with the jam.  I don’t mind sitting in traffic if it is moving, but not to move more than a few meters in 45 minutes was crazy, even though it was very nice of Eric to give me an LA traffic jam.  A very authentic experience.   

Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County that stretches from downtown LA to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. The street is an icon of Hollywood celebrity culture and the phrase "Sunset Boulevard" is enduring shorthand for the glamor associated with Hollywood.  Approximately 39 km in length, the famous boulevard roughly mimics the arc of the mountains that form the northern boundary of the Los Angeles Basin. Sunset (along with Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards) is frequently congested with traffic loads far beyond its design capacity. As a result, it is also notorious for cracks and potholes. Traffic on Sunset is often slow-moving, with bumper-to-bumper congestion not infrequent during rush hour in both directions.  It was at the corner of Sunset and Courtney Avenue that actor Hugh Grant pulled over and picked up prostitute Divine Brown in the early morning of June 27, 1995. Many young, struggling actors, musicians, and other artists continue to live in the area.  The best-known section of Sunset Boulevard is probably the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, which is a center for nightlife in the Los Angeles area.

We took a left on to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills passing the shopping district known for its designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south. Rodeo Drive is mostly frequented by tourists as celebrities usually shop in more discreet areas of Los Angeles.  But it doesn’t hurt to still try and spot a celebrity on our pass through. 

So that was my day with Eric visiting Malibu and Santa Monica.  Christine got home around 6pm and we made a reservation for 7pm at their local Italian restaurant just down the road.  It has been awhile since I have had a good pasta and this one was delicious.  It was nearly exactly the same as the pasta I order at home at Avanti’s, it was just missing the minced chicken and now I can say I will get that pasta in the next few weeks once I am home.  That is something that still hasn’t sunk in yet-I literally leave in 5 days’ time and with the international dateline I am home in 7 days. CRAZY and EMOTIONAL all at the same time.