West Coast USA - of long, hot car tours, dizzying heights, and disappointing truths.

Hello, it's me again. In this blog, I want to tell you about my tour on the West Coast of the USA. It was actually just a part of a short world trip in the summer of 2016, but I think it makes sense to separate the blogs from each other.

But let's start from the beginning. I actually booked the flights through an acquaintance in Minden. It was Carsten Gerdsmeier from Dschungel und Meer (he's the expert for long-distance trips! Still is!)

Why did I do it this way? Well, it's simple - at that time, I wanted to plan a very special trip for myself and my partner and go around the world once. I didn't know enough about open-jaw flights and stopover locations. So, we flew in the following route:

Bremen - Frankfurt - Los Angeles - Cook Islands - Hong Kong - Frankfurt Bremen

I paid about 1800 EUR per person.

Alright, back to the USA. I have previously traveled to the USA multiple times. Despite the many stereotypes, I have to say that I really like America. Such a large country, so much nature, and images that still linger in my mind, make me want to travel there again and again.

When we arrived in Los Angeles, we picked up the rental car. Of course, it was a Ford Mustang convertible =D If you're going to do it, do it right. All or nothing. And we zoomed to our (no surprises) AirBnB (75 EUR per person per night Great Price and Location 2BD, Pool).

A nice accommodation with a pool in a residential area in Los Angeles. Since LA doesn't have a real center, but many centers, it was difficult to see everything in the short time of two days.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the food, but other than that, I found Los Angeles to be just a normal big city. We did a lot of walking and found some nice spots, but most of it didn't really impress me. The most disappointing part was the free walking tour at the Walk of Fame. Contrary to the belief that the tour should be 'free,' we had to pay 20 dollars per person on-site because only three people showed up. Hmmm... if we had known what we would see there, NO ONE would have paid that money.

A big dirty main street with stars lined up, kitsch, and big old run-down buildings. Everything was rather run-down and sad. The most surprising thing was the fact that the Oscars are awarded in a shopping mall (Yes, I didn't know that). Outside, there's a Subway and Dunkin' Donuts, and then through the doors, which resemble an entrance to an old school auditorium from the 60s, to the Oscar ceremony... Terrible...

The beach, on the other hand, was very nice. Sitting there with an ice cream at Muscle Beach and watching the 'athletes' posing or strolling through the little fairground was amusing.

Next stop, Las Vegas! Again, not a place for everyone...

To be honest, I had imagined everything to be much more glamorous. Dressing up, going to fancy restaurants, sipping on exclusive cocktails, and then gambling. Gambling with style ;)

But unfortunately, I was quickly disappointed here as well. Everywhere, there were the typical Mallorca holidaymakers (this time English-speaking), drunk people on electric scooters, or the already failed existences at the slot machines.

Nevertheless, the stay was cool because it was simply different, and one night was more than enough. This time, we stayed at the Best Western Hotel on the Strip. I don't remember the price, but it was affordable ;)

Next, we went to the South Rim, to the Grand Canyon. Wow!

A short stop at the world's largest dam, south of Vegas, and then we continued to the canyon.

It was truly breathtaking! We slept right on the cliff edge in a small bungalow (El Tovar Hotel 217 USD per night for two) and captured some amazing impressions with a sunrise tour. We also flew 40 minutes in a small plane directly over the Grand Canyon. The flight cost about 100 USD per person with Papillon, but it was absolutely worth it!

Then we went back to LA. A long tour through the desert to the airport in LA.

It was really great, but you definitely need enough time to explore the Grand Canyon even more!

Goodbye, Sabrina.