R.P. BenDedek
Alexander Vernon Stewart became well known around Brisbane (and the wider world) as Captain Sandy, Bus Driver for the Brisbane City Council Sightseeing Tours. In that capacity he had the good fortune to meet many interesting and/or 'famous people'.
After a life on the buses, and after many years as a union representative causing havoc with each new administration (and sometimes the union itself), he retired. Last year, he was diagnosed with 'altzheimers disease'.
Since then, he has been doing his best to see as much of the world as possible, and so that he can relive those experiences after the actual memories have faded, his wife encouraged him to write down his stories.
This is Captain Sandy's Second article here at Magic City. - R.P.BenDedek
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| Real Trip - Fake background |
From the Land Down Under to Canada, USA, Bahamas, & Mexico
Canada
It was early in the morning on March 29th 2005 that our daughter Lynette arrived from Kingston, 110km south of Bribie Island Queensland Australia.
She had graciously agreed to drive her mother Elaine, her sister Sharon and I, to the Brisbane Airport, from whence we would commence our holiday journey.
We left Brisbane on Air New Zealand flight NZ 316 bound for Auckland, and from there continued on flight NZ6 to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles we transferred to Air Canada flight AC555 to Vancouver. Having left Brisbane on March 29th at 11:15 am Eastern Standard time, it was interesting to discover that 36 hours later, we had arrived in Vancouver at 7:15pm on the same day we left - March 29th.
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| From Bribie Island looking toward the Glasshouse Mountains |
Feeling a little 'jaded' after such a long flight, we eagerly set off for the 'Sandman' hotel at 180 West Georgia Street Vancouver. It was almost 8.30pm (29th March) before we finally put our feet under the table at Moxies Bar & Grill for some really good 'tucker' [Food]. I mean steak that melts in your mouth with vegies [vegetables] piled high on the plate and Canadian beer from the springs as pure as the driven snow - WOW!.
After dinner we settled down for the night; our first time on this foreign soil. To our amazement, we awoke early our first morning with no jet lag! We were all OK.
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| Captain Sandy is an old Trammy from way back |
March 30th: Today we went on a Trolley Tour of Vancouver. Along the way we stopped at Gastown, named after (Gassy) Jack Deighton. One feature of Gastown is its' old steam clock. Its' cobbled stone streets and old buildings are where Vancouver began.
From there we went to Stanley Park to see the Aquarium, Beaver Lake, the Lost Lagoon, the Totem Poles, and the only place to see the Mountie in full dress.
Daughter Sharon said she wanted to see a Mountie. I told her the best way to get her MAN is to speed on the freeway. 'Do that and you will get your Mountie soon enough. Actually we did not see one until we came to Prospect Lookout gift shop.
He wasn't very talkative. He was only made of wood. From the lookout we could see the Lions Gate Bridge and the north shore. Granville Island was the next place we wanted to visit and so headed off to the markets where we tried chestnuts for the first time. I can't say I liked them. They tasted a bit like sweet potatoes.
One thing I did like were the buskers. We found the people in British Columbia very friendly and obliging. A very friendly Trolley Driver topped off our day by taking us back to our hotel.
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| Local 'old Joes' |
The next day Thursday March 31st, we were up early for our 9 o'clock pick up for a tour to the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island.
The day was overcast, and as our coach boarded the B.C .Ferry for the crossing to the Island, the skies opened up and the rain pelted down. After what seemed like a long trip across the channel, as we docked the rain eased off. Our first stop was at Victoria, a very old English style village with very clean streets and the capital of British Columbia. Here we visited the Empress Hotel; the hotel where Kings and Queens stayed.
There the girls (Elaine and Sharon) bought jackets, purses, etc, etc, (as they are want to do) after which we headed off to the Butchart Gardens. It was still raining as we alighted from our coach but this did not deter us; and the plants loved it. Butchart Cove, where the seaplanes and boats moor beside the Japanese Garden, was very pretty.
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| Sunken Butchart Gardens |
Our favourite place was the sunken garden.
It was dark as we boarded our ferry for the night trip back to the mainland.
By now it was our third day in Vancouver and so it was time for us to pack up and head for Toronto.
While having breakfast at the airport we met Bernice, an Aussie who was doing a round the world trip. Guess where she hails from?
That's right! From Bribie Island Queensland Australia of course! We had to go all the way to Canada to meet one of our neighbours. At 10am west coast time we boarded flight AC184 Air Canada and headed off to Toronto, which, according to Bernice, was 'pure gold'.
We arrived in Toronto April 1st at 5.30pm local time. It was just on dark as we boarded the coach for downtown Toronto. On our way we turned into a long avenue. The driver called it disco street as there were red, yellow, and green lights. The green lights were all flashing, which is apparently a Toronto road rule to caution motorists to look out for pedestrians when turning.
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| Butchart Gardens |
We finally arrived at the Days Inn Downtown hotel at 30 Carlton Street, and it was here that I embarrassed myself. As I alighted from the coach struggling with one of my bags, I stood on the cuff of my trousers. This dragged my trousers down to my ankles and revealed my beautiful pink long johns. There was little to be done about it. My wife burst out laughing and a couple in the street eyed me a little strange. Just then it started to snow, so taking the cue, I dropped the bag so I could pull up my trousers, and then, with all the dignity I could muster, I headed for the hotel and safety.
April 2nd: Today we went on a City Tour of the Harbour, Casa Loma, Sky Dome and the CN Tower. As it was snowing we made our main stop the CN Tower. As we approached the main door we noticed that there was plenty of security. We stopped to take some photos with the white bear then proceeded to the lift entrance.
The entrance was really unusual. The girl on duty told me to put my feet on the yellow markers, and as I did so, there was a 'whoosh' of air, and strobe lights, so I called out BEAM ME UP SCOTTY. I thought I had won 1st prize. She explained that it was a new electronic security sniffer dog.
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| Can't keep away from the things |
We went up in the tallest glass elevator in the world. The observation deck had a glass floor and there was a 360 view.
We arrived at Restaurant 360, 1815 feet high (553.33 m) in CN Tower and guess what? It was snowing, and we couldn't see a thing.
Upon leaving the tower I wanted to go for a ride on a tram, which in North American they call street cars, but because of the snow, I gave it a miss.
Back at the hotel a man who was putting Hessian bags around some trees said that we were in for a snow storm. He wasn't wrong. It was still snowing as we boarded the coach at 9:00am next day (April 3rd.), headed past Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls a 100 kms away.
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| Two Aussie Shielas out and about |
We traveled through the town of Niagara and on to the falls. What a disappointment. The Falls were only running at 20%. It was nothing like the advertising on TV. It was only 100 ft high and Oh so tiny, and definitely not the great roaring splendour we had been led to believe.
We traveled on past the falls and the 775 foot Skylon Tower to the famous Sheraton on the falls, where we had a Buffet lunch and a superb view of the falls and the Rainbow Bridge. We saw cars lined up waiting to cross the Border into the USA.
After lunch our driver took us back to the falls for our tour, and as luck would have it, we ran into a snow storm. We were standing 100ft from the falls and could not even see them. Then we were informed that both the 'Maid of the Mist' and the tour behind the falls had been canceled. Despite all the bad weather we still had a great time. We did get to see the IMAX special on the falls!
On the coach my wife asked the Driver: 'How many seasons do they have over here?' His reply? We have four seasons the same as you. The 1st season is called Its almost winter. The 2nd is called winter. The 3rd season is also called winter, and the 4th season is called 'construction season', as that is when we get things built. We all had a good laugh over that, but its all true.
On our way back to Toronto we stopped at a winery and yours truly gave the local wine and a few other brands a good nudge. Back outside in the snow we had our pictures taken with the Driver. Then with all on board, we headed home to Downtown Toronto for the night.
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| Tourists everywhere |
April 4th: U.S.A.! Here we come! At 9.55am on April 4th we were ready to board our flight but US Customs temporarily had other ideas, and insisted on searching Elaine. After that little delay, we boarded Air Canada flight AC906 from Toronto to Orlando Florida, and 2 hrs 34 mins later, we were on the ground in Orlando. We had gone from 1 degree Celcius in Canada to 28 degrees in Florida! Boy did we feel warm!
The first thing we did was go to 'Thrifty' to pick up our hire car for the coming week. They pulled out a great looking convertible for us, but we had to pass it by as we had too much luggage and needed a hard top. After switching to a Chrysler, we were on our way.
As we left Orlando airport we kept driving around in circles, which I thought was a good start to the day. Firstly the steering wheel was on the wrong side of the car, and to make it more difficult, the traffic was travelling on the wrong side of the road. What chance have we got? I asked myself.
With Sharon at the wheel, we had another crack at it. We headed down the south access road and set off west into Boggy Creek road, and got lost. Stopping at a servo [gas station], we asked for directions.
A lady customer told us she was going to Kissimmee and suggested that we follow her. This we did, and on our arrival, she showed us how to get onto the 192. Then we headed west to Silver Lake Resort.
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| The dangerous animals are on the bottom |
We had booked into the Silver Lake Resort (a timeshare), from the 4th to the 11th of April. It was a great place. From the top floor you can watch the fireworks at Disneys Magic Kingdom for free.
Tuesday [April 5th.] we took it easy around the pool. We had hamburgers and a few Budweisers for lunch, and for dinner, shrimps and pizza. Wednesday 6th we went shopping at the Supermarket Publix. They tell you how much you save by shopping with them. I bought 1 dozen Buds. For $8:71. Hows that?
Later we headed off to the Nike store, where we found sand shoes, hats, and coolers were really cheap. The shopping was so great that I wondered if I would be able to get the girls out of the store before nightfall. I was worried that I would miss my opportunity to have dinner at Sizzlers.
Thursday April 7th., My wife Elaine woke up feeling unwell. She had been fighting the flu for a few days and I thought we might not end up getting to Disney World. Not a problem. She rallied round, and sallied forth.
Out of its' 7 worlds of fun, we picked Disneys Animal Kingdom to visit. First we went on the Kilimanjaro Safari. 110 acres of Savannah land with Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Wilder Beast, Hippos, Impala, Nile Crocodiles, Zebras, Monkeys, Wort Hogs, Gorillas and Pink Flamingos.
From there we went to a 3D show called A Bugs Life, and then on to the Dinosaur ride where we had our photos taken. Our mission? To save the last Dinosaur! Last but not least, we headed off to Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade. This was another great experience.
Travelling back to Silver Lake in the car, the rain just poured down. Although many drivers found it necessary to pull over to the side of the road, Sharon, who is used to driving in Queensland's far north tropical rains, had no problem with it, and soon had us back at Silver Lake Resort.
Friday 8th Elaine stayed in bed. She was 'crook' [ill]. Sharon and I however drove to OLD TOWN, Kissimmee. Admission and parking was free, and there were lots of shops and rides. We found an old caf (Happy Days style), went to the wax museum, and saw many of the old cars, and we saw a very old 50s style clock in the main street.
Friday and Saturday nights in Old Town are 'Cruise nights' and you can see many cars dated from 1972 to1987. We had the opportunity to see our first real Squirrel, bought a few souvenirs and ate ice cream. On our way home we went to a camera shop and found a great deal on a 180% camera lens for the video camera.
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| Hobnobbing it with some spaced out characters |
Saturday 9th. Sharon and Elaine had a lazy day around the pool. As for me, I went off to the Kennedy Space Centre.
I took a bus headed out through Titusville and on to the Cape, where I met a couple of blokes [men] with whom I spent the day checking out the Shuttle mock up, the Rocket Garden, and the IMAX theater (Space Station in 3D). We had an Astronaut Encounter.
Then we went through the Apollo Command Centre. The space centre is on a 140,000 acre site. It was very hard to see everything in one day and so I missed seeing the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
We did take a tour to Observation Gantry L C 39, passing on our way the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Crawler Transporter and could see by the crusher dust on the crawler way, that the Discovery had been rolled out.
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| Sandy just loves fillies |
We caught the lift to the top of Gantry LC39 from which we could see all over the Cape. Glistening in the sun on the launch pad was the Space Shuttle Discovery. What a sight! Later, Discovery made a successful flight and a smooth re-entry.
Sunday 10th we had a lazy day and packed up our gear for our trip to Fort Lauderdale the following morning.
In the evening we went to the Arabian Nights Dinner Show, where we had a very enchanting evening, (with complementary drinks) and we got to keep our souvenir glasses.
With our VIP passes we were allowed prior to the show, to pat Walter Farleys black stallion and other horses, and got to meet the riders, and got autographs from them.
I had my photo taken with the ring master (a beautiful girl).
The rest of the guests entered the 1200 seat arena as we were being plied with drinks and a pleasing dinner that was followed by a piece of the Princess Wedding Cake for dessert.
We sat there 'gob smacked' [stunned] as 60 horses and riders played out the romance of the Prince and Princesss Wedding. It was truly a great night with action and excitement and fun for all.
Monday the 11th we left Orlando at 7am with Sharon back at the wheel. We headed east along the 192 then south along Floridas turnpike toll road. 342 kms further on we pulled in at 'Thrifty' at Fort. Lauderdale.
We had planed to go down to Miami and on to Key West but we had misjudged the distance and plainly ran out of time. Checking in the car, we caught the shuttle bus to the Comfort Inn Motel at 3551 W. Commercial Boulevard. We booked in, went for lunch, and then spent the rest of the day resting up in preparation for our sea voyage the next day.
BAHAMAS - ON Grand Bahama ISLAND.
Leaving our Motel at 6am, Tuesday 12th 2005, we headed off for the Cruise Ship 'Discovery' and a five hour trip to Freeport Grand Bahama Island.
The first thing we did after boarding the cruise ship, was head off to the Buffet Breakfast. Then it was off to play in the Casino. We did have some fun but the pokies [slot machines] were too tough for us, so after a while we settled for some of the other onboard entertainment. We had a great time.
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| Sailing the Bahamas - just can't find the right ship |
At Freeport we were bustled into a taxi and taken across the Island to The Island Seas resort. After settling in we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a walk along the beach, where we met some of the locals at a beach cafe.
That's where we met a Bahama Mama who plied me with a local beer called Kalik (8% alcohol), and from whom Sharon and Elaine bought a few trinkets and a black necklace which is alleged to be good for arthritis.
A 'Bahama Mama' is also the name of a drink. [1oz.Coconut Rum, 1 1/4oz. Gold Rum , 1 1/2oz Nassau Royal Liqueur, 2oz. Orange Juice, 2oz. Pineapple, Dash of Anogostura Bitters (optional), 1/6oz of Grenadine, 1 cherry and a slice of orange.] Two of these will put you on the floor.
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| Life of Luxury |
The following day, (Wednesday 13th) we did our induction tour of the Island Seas Timeshare. The timeshare people served us a breakfast which provided us an opportunity to try for the very first time, something called 'grits'. It tasted like porridge.
That night we headed off to Tranquility Shores Taino Beach to see a Native Show, and dine in the 'Stoned Crab' restaurant.
First we had dinner. I had the baked conch (Pronounced konk), which is a local delicacy, while the girls dined on lobster. These were followed with brown rice and pigeon peas (YUCK). Definitely an acquired taste. The desert however was superb. During dinner the Bahama Mama Booze Cruise went past the resort and we all gave a cheery wave.
After dinner we saw the floor show. Wow! Island dancing girls, a fire show, a great calypso band, and sing, sing, sing. What a great night!
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| A blue sky - a refreshing breeze, the salt air and plenty of booze will make anyone happy |
The following day (Thursday 14th) we did the Grand Tour; the Bahamian Getaway. The day started at 8:45am as we headed off to the International Bazaar which you simply could not miss. The Japanese Torii Gate stands about 60feet high.
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| A Bunch of kids with a clown |
Although the big casino hotel was flattened in the September hurricane of 2004, the Bazaar is recovering nicely. Elaine bought an eel skin money pouch and key ring for our son Brian John, and more post cards. [Although We posted them in the Bahamas, it took a whole three months for them to arrive in Australia. We beat them back.]
The tour continued to the grand Palace, where some of Colonel Saunders Family live, then on to Millionaires Row, where we saw two pink 1975 caddies in front of one house. The driver said the owner is known as the Pink Lady.
From there we went to the local bottle shop for rum tasting; rum and mango 30% proof, rum and banana 110% proof and the best rum and coconut. Yours truly loved that.
While still able to see clearly, we went off to see the new estates where the uniformed School Children study in a 'lockdown' environment. No child can leave until they are picked up in the afternoon.
Later back at the resort, we went for a walk and ran into some lovely people on the beach, one of whom was a Prince from the Solomon Islands, and one was an air hostess. One of the girls in their group was having her 40th birthday, and they invited us to her birthday party scheduled for Saturday. Sadly we had to leave on Friday. We undoubtedly missed a terrific party.
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| Local Entertainment |
On the afternoon of Friday 15th we headed back to the mainland. We packed our gear early and spent the rest of the day lazing around the pool. At 5pm the bus picked us up and took us back to Freeport. The return trip was on the Discovery Sun, a ship of 11,000 ton, 441 feet in length, 7 Decks, a crew of 350 and a speed of 20 knots.
By 6pm. we had boarded. At dinner we met Brian Smith. He was a very nice man, a builder from the Bahamers, who even extended us an invitation to stay at his place. After dinner Elaine and Sharon played a little bingo, and then we headed off to watch the floor show.
After we docked at Fort Lauderdale, we set off once more for the Comfort Inn. By 11pm, we were ready to call it a night.
Back in the U. S. A.
Next morning we ran a bit late for breakfast. It was nearly over by the time we got to the restaurant. We were lucky enough to be able to tag onto the end of the cue. We saw that Virginia was still cooking her famous omelettes (the best omelettes in the USA). Mmmmm! They're great!
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| The Cavalry is coming |
After breakfast we packed our bags and headed off to the airport on our way to Las Vegas via Philadelphia. I told Elaine that she must look like a criminal because we got searched by Customs again, but she said they just pick the innocent ones so that they can be spared the paper work. Nevertheless, we still had to go through the body search again.
We took flight U.A 2109 to Philadelphia at 1.15pm; changed planes at 5.10pm in Philadelphia to U.A.2768, and arrived in Las Vegas at 7.30pm. Coming in to land at Vegas we could see the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. What a great sight! As was the airport. Pokies at the Airport?
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| Looking a bit lost. Where are the people? |
We caught a cab to the Plaza Casino Hotel Downtown No 1 Main Street. The entrance of the hotel was lit up like a Christmas tree. We booked in and Elaine went downstairs to the casino. Sharon and I stayed upstairs and out of trouble.
Sunday I woke up early and went for a walk down Fremont Street. The casinos were all going strong. The vendors however, were not in action yet. Had a fantastic time at the Plaza Casino, (free drinks).
At night, Fremont Street was all glitz. We walked past the famous Golden Nugget; Frank Sinatras old haunt that opened in 1946. We saw a couple walking down the street sucking beer through a straw from a plastic foot ball. (Only in Vegas). Bought a Vegas jacket for Elaine and myself, a bargain at only $20 bucks each.
I loved Downtown Vegas the best. Caught a cab to the Las Vegas Hilton from which we had a good view of the 100 story Stratosphere. It was brilliant. As an old Trekie fan, I could not miss The Star Trek Experience. It was the greatest! Sharon and I bought souvenirs.
We went on the Monorail to the top of The Strip to the MGM Grand; played the pokies and walked The Strip as far as the new Wynn Las Vegas. Barry Manilow was playing the Las Vegas Hilton; David Copperfield was at MGM, KA - Cirque du Soleil was at MGM, Celine Dion was at Caesars Palace, American Superstars were at the Stratosphere, Le Reve was at Whynn, and of course Elvis, the King in Concert was at Elvis-a-rama.
At 1 am. we caught a cab back Downtown, and what a ride that was. The cabbie kept saying he was tired. We were belting along the freeway at 120kmph when I had to tell him where the turn off was. He turned off, but as we pulled into the Plaza, he hit the barrier. We jumped out, paid the fare, and then had to dodge the cab. As he tried to reverse, he almost ran over us.
The security guys appeared out of nowhere as the cabbie was driving off. One of the guards asked: didn't you tip him enough? I said: Mate I gave him 20 bucks and went for my life.
Monday 18th we surfaced at about 11am; had breakfast at La Bayou at the Corner of Fremont & Main, then went back to the Plaza. In front of the Plaza is the biggest poker machine I have ever seen; 6ft. high, 4ft. long, with a 3 ft long old style handle. You needed two hands to play this one. Monday must be promo day as the Show Girls were giving away free tokens to play this monster. We had a go and won free passes to the Russ Nagel show on the third floor showroom.
The show: Oh get up, you're not hurt!, was a good comedy. Afterward we went for another walk down Fremont Street. Elaine took a picture of me with a couple of show girls, and I made a video of the lights.
When we got back to our rooms, I found myself in a most undesirable position. As I went into the toilet, I tripped and fell into the bath. I tell you true - I hadn't been on the turps [Alcohol]. The girls came running to check on me, but instead of helping me, they just stood there in fits of laughter. I am still trying to live this one down.
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| Ma and Pa Kettle at Disney |
Tuesday 19th. We traveled to Los Angles. We set off for the airport at 8.00am. I had to tip the Bell Boy, then the cabbie, and at the airport, I had to tip a Porter who only carried our bags 3ft. Then I had to tip some more guys to put our bags on a conveyor, before finally arriving at Customs where we waited for ages.
When we arrived at the front of the line, we were separated and told to go along that wall and turn left.
I began to think that this wasn't looking too good for us. When we arrived at the designated point, there were four Customs Officers waiting for the three of us. One said You must be the Aussies. Finally we understood why we had been searched so many times. All those searchers had targeted us because we were Aussies. And, we were body searched again. [While we were unpacking in Log Angeles, Elaine even found a note in her bag to say the T.S.A. had inspected her checked baggage again. Homeland Security is very tough here.]
We did eventually make the flight. U.A.1485 was scheduled to leave 10.46am., but we spent 50 minutes sitting on the tarmac, while other planes went around us. By the time we flew over the Rockies, we were feeling better. They look so great from the air; all covered in snow.
We landed in Los Angeles only 15 minutes late. The Captain made up time over the mountains because the tail wind pushed us. We landed at 12.10pm and caught the shuttle to Anaheim's Radisson Maingate 1850 South Harbour Boulevard.
That night we dined at the hotels Pickfords Restaurant, it was very special. To our surprise there was a strawberry farm right in the middle of town next to the hotel. They were the sweetest strawberries we ever tasted.
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| A couple of old dinosaurs |
HOLLYWOOD AT LAST(My apologies for the title ---I did love the Movie)
Wednesday 20th. Was at last, our day to visit Hollywood. The tour bus picked us up at 9.00am and headed down an eight lane highway to Los Angeles and then toured the city sights.
We went past City Hall in Spring Street, (built in 1926) where the 1953 version of War of The Worlds was filmed.
The Driver then showed us the entrance to Route 66. We went past Marilyn Monroes House at 12305 South Helena Drive, and said our own personal goodbyes to Norma Jean.
Then we went to Beverly Hills where we saw the Hollywood sign and then to Rodeo Drive where we stopped to have a gander [take a look around].
We saw a bloke [a guy] on the corner dressed up like a ring master. He comes over to us and says: Gday Mate! [Strine for Hello! - strine = Australian language]. I thought we were back home in OZ. He turned out to be the Welcome Wagon for Rodeo Drive.
We walked up a lane and saw people having Breakfast at Tiffanys; drove past the famous main gate of Paramount Pictures at 5555 Melrose Avenue; then onto the Sunset Strip.
We couldn't find 77 or Efraim-Zimbalist Jr. or Ed Burns who stared as Kookie in the T.V. series 77 Sunset Strip.Sadly Dinos Lodge owned by Dean Martin at 8524 Sunset Boulevard where 77 was filmed has GORN! [Strine for gone]. If you look near the front door of 8524 Sunset Strip there is a plaque confirming that 77 was filmed there between 1958 and 1964.
Headed down Hollywood Boulevard past the Corner of Hollywood and Vine you come to Graumans Chinese Theater. We stopped for a look. Oh! My dear reader, what a mess; rubbish everywhere, not the pristine sight we see in the movies. How disappointing that the hand and foot marks in front of the theatre were all grubby and that the foot path was cracked and unkempt.
The whole area looked run down. I had my photo taken with Raquel Welch's star. The first star placed here was Joanne Woodward's, on the 9th of February 1960.
For lunch we went to Farmers Market. Nearby is a beautiful area with a nice park and a water fountain which moves up and down to music. A Double Decker tram in the1800's style runs through this area, and takes you for a fun ride.
After lunch we went to Venice Beach where the Baywatch Babes hang out. I was down at the beach having a paddle when Elaine and Sharon told me they saw Pamela Anderson drive past on the beach.
I was not happy that I missed seeing the girl of my dreams. It turns out that they fibbed [lied]. I had to be content having my photo taken with a couple of Aliens.
The one thing we did not have enough time to do was go to Long Beach to see the Queen Mary.
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| All stars in their own right. |
Mexico : Tijuana : Baja : California.
On Thursday 21st we headed for Tijuana. The two hour journey took us through San Diego down to the boarder town on the Baja Peninsular. We had to change at Mexicoach bus station to a shuttle bus to take us across the boarder. It cost $25.00 Pesos. Mexican Customs checked our bus and sent us right on in.
The Driver pulled up right at the back door of a shop. We got off and step into an arcade in the main shopping area. As soon as our feet hit the ground, it started: You buy from me - You buy from me.
We made it to through to the main street, Revolution Avenue, which was constructed in 1889. Still the hawkers were every where .We headed on down towards the Monumental Arch. There's a bloke standing beside me with both arms filled with silver, saying, you buy - $28. I just kept saying 'No'. We went further down the street and crossed the road, and the silver guy is still standing beside me.
We went into a shop where Elaine bought a suitcase for $39. What a bargain! It was $69. Sharon bought two gold bracelets for half price and got a third one for free. I wanted to buy a gold chain. I bartered the man down from $380 to $150, but Elaine wouldn't let me buy it.
We walked outside and the bloke with the silver is standing beside me again. He said Good Silver come from Taxco. His $28 bracelets were $5 down the road. Meanwhile I see the bloke from the shop chasing Elaine down the street crying Lady! You buy chain make offer.
She made him an offer, but he said: No! No! I can not sell for that price but I make special deal, you pay only $90. She said: I will pay $50. To save face he gave it to her for $50. What a bargain! When you barter in Mexico cut the price in half then try to get down to a quarter, even if you need toilet paper.
I saw a sign that read: 'Clean Restrooms'. Since I needed to go anyway, I went. When I got there, I saw another sign selling paper for 25 cents a sheet. Fortunately I had no need to barter.
Sharon was nabbed by a very honest shop keeper who told her: I rip you off less. For his honesty, she bought a leather bag for $13.
Eventually we got back on the bus to return to USA. Naturally this meant that we had to go through customs again. Certain that we Aussies would be pulled up yet once again, we were surprised to see the bloke in front of us nailed. We couldn't believe that the Customs guys just stamped our passports and let us go on through. This would have been the only time Elaine wasn't searched. She didn't even have to open her suitcase.
Back in the USA we found that we still had some time to go shopping at Reebok before catching the coach back to Anaheim.
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| Definitely Slippery |
The following day,April 22nd, we left the USA and headed back to the Land Down Under.[Oz, the Great South Land, Australia]. As our plane was due to leave L.A.X. at 9.30pm., we spent the day at Universal Studio. Wow! What a place.
As soon as we arrived we did the Behind the Scenes Tour. Shortly after it started we came to a river which amazingly parted so that we could drive through. This was the set for the parting of the Red sea.
From there we went on to The Psycho House which was next to Bates Motel; then past the lake where Jaws and Mc Hales Navy were made, and then to an old western town.
We watched as the town was flooded, only to then dry up just as quickly.
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| Tram Drivers are not qualified to fly planes! |
We drove through a building which held the Earthquake set. We were in the world's largest studio and theme park as we drove down Bing Crosby Drive and saw the Truman set for the 1998 movie starring Jim Carey. The big blue back drop screen was still in place, although the lake had been drained.
Then we passed the Invisible Man set. He was standing right beside the green door, but I couldn't see him. After that we came to the War of the Worlds set - Steven Spielberg's version of the 1953 movie. It was still smoldering as we passed.
Then we finished the tour by going to Wisteria Lane where the filming of Desperate House Wives was in progress.
After that, we went to see Backdraft the show and discovered the I Love Lucy area; a walk through museum with Lucy, Desi, Fred and Ethel, and to The animal planet, a live bird show.
I had my photo taken with the Apollo 13 crew and Charlie Chaplin and then the time for us to board our bus and head back to Anaheim.
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| Sure this is only a movie set? |
We got back to the hotel just in time to catch the Super Shuttle to Los Angeles Airport. At 9.30pm we were on flight NZ 7201 and on our way home to Brisbane Australia, to arrive at 9:00am, April 24th 2005 . We lost two days on the way home.
In Brisbane, daughter Lynette met us at the airport and drove us home to Bribie Island.
We all had a great experience on our trip. I hope you enjoyed reading about it.
Alexander (Sandy) Stewart
Pebble Beach
Sandstone Point
Queensland Australia. 4511
Larger and Different Photos at Kingscalendar
Brisbane City's Captain Sandy Stewart
R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (http://www.kingscalendar.com/), and is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China.
Photographic Stories from China at Magic City
"The King's Calendar" is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls
© Copyright 2002-2008 by Magic City Morning Star
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