More LAX things to do

Don't get too excited, there isn't really much to do here. Except for maybe get lost, or stuck on one level. I think their tag line should be - Welcome to Los Angeles Airport - figure it out for yourself! Information is pretty lacking around these parts.

Before you enter your terminal and pass security, go the Theme Building, kinda in the middle of the ring road that links the terminals. On the weekends, you can go the outside viewing deck on the top (we missed this, it closes at 5pm - when we arrived I thought we had a couple of mins up our sleeve, but were promptly told to turnaround and take the elevator back down - the deck was closed). So we headed to the Encounter restaurant and bar, a level below the deck, but you need to take a different elevator - confused! We had a drink at the Encounter bar, which is decorated on an attempt to emulate it's Jetson-ish Mid-Century Modern exterior. You may become mesmerised by the Lava Lamps. The best thing about this place though, is observing the planespotters that gather in the bar. I have no idea what they are doing, but I know they are very serious about it. They seem to spend their time peering through massive binoculars at landing planes and then making notes - I wonder if they are playing plane bingo?

So that's about it for how to waste time in LAX. If you need WiFi (and it is a need), you are going to pay $8 for the privilege (this $8 will last you for 24hrs of WiFi - here's hoping you would never need it for that long in an airport!). To access, just open your laptop, the T-Mobile page will pop up and you go ahead and pay by credit card: tip, you will be asked for a Zip code, and you will need to enter a US zip code, they won't recognize international ones.

LAX sucks the bag

Well, here we are in LAX. We have managed to spend a couple of hours by searching out an In N Out burger - and what will become the last on our list of US burgers. We have unfortunately had to accept the fact that we will miss out on tasting a Denny's burger, but we gave it pretty good shake of the sauce bottle. Burger ratings will follow.

But back to the In N Out time waster. If you are stuck in LAX for a while, take the free shuttle bus to parking lot C, and walk to Sepulveda Blvd, turn right along said blvd, you will see the In N Out in the (not too far) distance. If you are lucky, you will have the bejesus frightened out of you as you approach the diner, as the planes fly over very low on their way to land. I have some brilliant photos of half of planes and tails of planes, and single wings of planes flying overhead that I was hoping so much to share with you, but I cannot find the cord that connects the camera to the laptop.....I know how disappointed you must be.

101 ways to spend 15 hrs in airports.....

Okay, so we head back to Australia today - and this is the first post I have written during our whole holiday! The reason for this will soon become clear.

During our holiday I have honestly not felt the need to sit at my computer typing out about our experiences - I have been too busy having the actual experiences!! Now, however, things have changed. We are currently in Portland waiting to get a flight to LA, and then the flight back home. We have already been at this airport for nearly 3 hours (we had to return our rental car earlier), are about to board a 2.5hr flight to LA, where we will have the pleasure of waiting 10hrs in LAX for our midnight flight. Hurrah!

PDX is a good airport - reportedly voted the best airport 4 out the last years by Conde Nast travel. The free wifi is great, and offers an easy option to while away the hours if you have your laptop, iphone, ipad etc. Fortunately we have!

Okay, time to board - see you in LAX!

I also made a hat!

Sunday - La Luna day

Okay, so I haven't posted a smidge about our Melbourne trip - and it's going to have to wait, because there is something more important to report. I finally tried Holy Goat 'La Luna' cheese!!! For those unfamiliar, La Luna is an organic washed rind goats cheese, it has been referred to Australia's best cheese by more than one food critic, and has, until now, been unattainable here in Brisbane. After what has been literally years of longing to try this cheese, I was soooo excited to find it on Friday afternoon at the hideously overpriced James St Market.

Since then the eating of the La Luna has very much occupied my mind, and today was the day. We purchased figs at the markets (later caramelised with butter and honey) and journeyed to a bakery several suburbs away to ensure we had the best baguette to carry the cheese (the bakery is Bannetton in Ashgrove, but if you get the chance, go to the Kelvin Grove Markets on a Saturday, where they bake and sell the bread on the spot!). The cheese was taken out of the fridge a couple of hours before the intended eating time - I tell you, this cheese eating is a strategic business. Then there was the issue of the wine! What would one drink with this expectant cheese? After considering the smell of the cheese - real barn yarn stuff, I decided to go with a pinot grigio with pear flavours and a dry finish. The wine chosen - The Ned 2009 Pinot Grigio, Marlborough , NZ. It turned out to be an excellent choice!

Back to the cheese. After so much build up in my mind about just how excellent this cheese would be, there was a real risk we would be let down in the tasting. But, I am very pleased to say, the cheese was absolutely delicious! At first I found the taste too salty for me (I have a pretty low salty threshold) but this quickly dissipated and the true flavour of the cheese emerged. It was so good, all musty and goaty and ripe.

I implore you, if you see it, be it in deli or a menu - buy it!

Long time no blog!

It's been sooo long since my last blog! And it's not like I haven't had stuff going on that I could talk about, I just haven't been getting around to typing it down....... I need to tell you about our weekend in Melbourne for the food and wine festival, but I'm going to have to break the story down into installments, because I can to be a bit long winded in my prose at times.

Stay tuned for the first installment, imaginatively titled 'Friday'.

Wheel up with a good book

You love to read, you love to sit - you love the bookinist! This is seriously the most fun reading chair I have ever clapped eyes on!

Check it out in all it's glory at this website www.moormann.de/en/furniture/seating/bookinist/image-gallery/