So, we're hoping to hear back from the laptop guys really soon to see if they can replace the screen before we head off next week. Insurance will take care of the costs (eventually), but having the laptop whilst on the road is something we had pretty much banked on, from checking out local attractions to route planning to booking tickets. As soon as we get hold of the laptop, I can start uploading picture and stop writing so much!
Before I get onto the day, I have to talk about the wonderful dogs that live with Sara's family. Chloe, Mongo and Marklar are three wonderful Daschunds. They are incredibly energetic, and their energy seems to be focused into getting as many hugs as possible. Both mornings have started with at least one dog bursting into my room, leaping onto the bed, and demanding hugs and cuddles galore. I've always been a cat person, but these three wonderful dogs are definitely helping to bring me around! They will be missed when we get going on the road - unless we can dognap them in our boot!
So, today was about meeting a very old friend of Sara's, and collecting our passport to freedom, our rental car. Emily is probably the oldest friend Sara has. We met up today for lunch, to hang out, and to grab a lift to Burbank airport to collect the car. I kinda put my foot in it by greeting Emily with the phrase 'It's so nice to finally meet you', only to be reminded that I had already met her, 3 or so years ago, when she crashed at our house overnight before continuing on to France. Ooops!
Social awkwardness aside, the lunch and afternoon was great. We went to a fantastic health food store and restaurant called Follow Your Heart, where I had a vegan burrito (well, almost vegan - I cheated by having real cheese!), which was delicious. The leftovers are in the fridge! We then went for some retail therapy, as in window shopping, in a huge mall. I surprised myself by finding a copy of the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman novel Good Omens, which I used to own once upon a time, and can only seem to find in hardcover in the UK. A quiet cup of coffee later and we were on our way to grab the rental car.
Unfortunately, as we made our way over to Burbank, the heavens opened. The rain wasn't so bad on the freeway, but standing around and waiting for the shuttle to the rental car was pretty horrible.Thankfully we were soon out of the rain and in the office, filling in forms and pursuading the agents that our online insurance was better and cheaper than theirs. Finally, the car was ours - a white Suzuki something-or-other compact. The rain was pretty heavy, and as we were avoiding the freeway whilst getting back into the swing of driving, we hit the water pretty hard. LA has no real drainage system. The water just runs down the roads until it tips into a storm drain. At pretty much every intersection there's at least one channel of water, several feet wide and at least three inches deep. It made for some pretty slow going, which probably suited us as we were re-learning how to drive. In Sara's case, just back into driving after 3 years absence. In my case, getting used to the wrong side of the road, and not having to use the clutch or gear stick!
Still, we made it back home without hitting anything or anyone, so that has to be worth something!
Sadly, the rain looks like it's going to continue into tomorrow, which is when we're going to hit up Disneyland. Still, if it does rain, it should put a few people off and reduce the queues. It's just a shame that Splash Mountain is closed for refurbishment!
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