Sunday, August 10, 2014
Since I booked my flight with United miles leftover from my previous life as a posh businessman, routing wasn't ideal. Can't complain when the flight/s were free though. Plus, I've gained a hell of a lot more patience on this trip. I boarded my flight in BsAs the evening of the 5th, which put me into Houston the morning of the 6th. From there I had relatively painless flights to San Francisco, and then on to LA.
Reuniting with the motorcycle was a long process, but fairly easy. LAN Cargo is very close on Avion, so you can actually take any of the free hotel shuttles and walk the one block or so to the office. A brief thanks to Dan (PlacesBeyond) for the tips. Once there you present your paperwork and pay your fees, then take a taxi to US Customs where you fill out a few forms and get stamped in, then after all that, head back to LAN where your bike will be delivered via forklift. I unwrapped the bike, reconnected the battery, mirrors, windscreen, and luggage, and was on my way.
My good friend Sam lives in Santa Monica and offered his place for Dyann (my friend and current/new riding partner - see last post) and me to stay for a couple of nights. Talk about culture shock, after 9mos of slummin' it I found myself in a deluxe oceanside penthouse w/ ample garage parking. Sam if you read this, THANK YOU so much for the hospitality and for showing me/us around the area. I've spent some time in LA, but never really explored Santa Monica, Main St, or Abbott Kinney, all of which are great. There is also a Deus Ex Machina location nearby, and I ended up there three times in two days having coffee, drooling over custom bikes, and enjoying fantastic conversations with new friends. We sampled fantastic cuisine, craft beer, amazing coffee, and expensive wine. We even ended up at Jumbo's Clown Room (don't ask) one of the nights for several pints of piss, bad decisions, and a solid headache the next day. Long story short, I really enjoyed my time with Sam and Dyann, and hopping around the city. A great way to start my reintroduction Stateside.

My good friend Sam lives in Santa Monica and offered his place for Dyann (my friend and current/new riding partner - see last post) and me to stay for a couple of nights. Talk about culture shock, after 9mos of slummin' it I found myself in a deluxe oceanside penthouse w/ ample garage parking. Sam if you read this, THANK YOU so much for the hospitality and for showing me/us around the area. I've spent some time in LA, but never really explored Santa Monica, Main St, or Abbott Kinney, all of which are great. There is also a Deus Ex Machina location nearby, and I ended up there three times in two days having coffee, drooling over custom bikes, and enjoying fantastic conversations with new friends. We sampled fantastic cuisine, craft beer, amazing coffee, and expensive wine. We even ended up at Jumbo's Clown Room (don't ask) one of the nights for several pints of piss, bad decisions, and a solid headache the next day. Long story short, I really enjoyed my time with Sam and Dyann, and hopping around the city. A great way to start my reintroduction Stateside.


Being back has been surreal to say the least. This morning I was abruptly awakened by a tree cracking and falling near our camp. It startled me, and for a second I didn't remember where I was. For a brief moment it felt like the whole Central and South American portions of this trip were a dream, and that I just woke up back home. It was a strange feeling.

I guess that's it for now. I'm in a café inside the park getting caught up, but am gonna go check out a few sights on the bike. Dyann went to tour one of the caves, but I can't be bothered with throngs of tourists at the moment, so I opted out. I'm gonna take a few fire roads to enjoy the perfect weather, and get lost in some good tunes. Until then...
~ D
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