australia

Howdy
I'm in Fitzroy, wrapped in a flannel-lined 70s sleeping bag, coopers beer in hand, numb hands. Back in Australia.

I arrived on Monday, and have spent this week wandering around, half still on holidays, and just passing time for school to begin next week. My list of things to do is pretty huge- all house/friends/uni/clothes/exchange/centrelink-ish stuff but I still feel a bit removed from obligations, responsibilities, etc. What I do know is that come Monday when school starts it's all going to pick up again very quickly and slap me in the face.

Last Thursday I left La Ceiba at 5am and drove the long trip back to Antigua. It was smooth this time. I read a lot, wrote, and was not inclined to vomit. Win! Friday passed super quickly.  I found a book fair, bought some English language books which I'd promised to send to our guide in Flores, so that he could commence his English education. I mailed my 'central america america on a shoe-string' guide book back to Judith, my housemate from NY who had traversed the terrain last year. It felt bizarre parting ways - like I was giving up the sacred book I'd be doomed without. I wandered around the town, buying a few things, and trying to ignore the growing distance I felt with everything around me. My shuttle to the airport never came, so luckily a nice tour agent called Hektor got his girlfriend to take me out to Guatemala City. I transferred my monies, lempiras and quetzales back into US dollars, got felt up by security, and prepared to part ways.

I got back into LA at around 1am. I'd booked myself into a shmancy hotel at the airport full of fluffy white towells, soft white linen, hot water, a huge cable tv, squishy carpets, no bed bugs. It's beautiful to come back the small things! I watched MTV until about 3am, then crashed.
Saturday I'd chatted with a few couch surfing people to meet up, but none of it worked as I didn't have a phone. I went ahead doing my own thing- eating at an amazing indian restaurant along venice blvd which had been recommended to me, as well as attending the Museum of Jurassic Technology. This was a bizarre experience, but ultimately pleasing.

And crazy enough one of my couch surfing chums was there and casually told me that he had a FREE TICKET TO MOBY that night and it had my name on it. So we found his friend, jammed in the truck, drove around Beverley Hills smashing out Spanish.

Moby played outside, as part of a series of summer shows. His band was brilliant, and singing was shared entirely throughout the performers. The sun set amongst the buildings with the Hollywood Hills in the background, with acoustic We Are All Made of Stars, Bobby McGhee and Porcelain weaving into my final few hours. As I left to get my cab out to the airport, the band were singing Helpless by Neil Young. I had a few tears, like the other 4000 people there.

Goodbye America!

So that was my trip. Thanks for reading, hope you've enjoyed.
Love love G