Enroute to Orlando, we stopped in LA and had time to rest before our connecting flight onto Orlando. I was so tired that I stayed in the hotel room while my colleagues went out to Santa Monica (Sheryl Crowe mentions this place in her song 'All I Wanna Do'). When I got slightly better, I logged onto the internet and searched for 'Shopping malls near LAX (the LA international airport)'. Then I went to Fox Hills Mall, and had my lunch, which is what you see above- a chunk of pizza and a cup of Mountain Dew. The cheese somewhat helped to perk me up, after over 16 hours of flight time (very tiring, and jet lag was no joke too).
Above is photo of the foodcourt at Fox Hills Mall, which I had my lunch. Fox Hills Mall, strangely on a Thursday afternoon, was pretty busy (sorry no photos of this). It is a two-storey shopping centre, with main stores being JC Penny, Macy (US versions of Robinsons), Target (US version of Carrefour) and Best Buy (US version of Best Denki). Didn't find a bookstore though. Mainly I browsed quickly through the stores and then went back to the hotel (no serious shopping took place).
This is what the shopping centre looked like from the outside. I was outside on the main street, trying to hail a cab. I successful boarded one after half an hour I think. The taxi driver said he was from Ethopia, and mentioned that getting cabs in LA was not easy unless you phoned one; hailing one on the street was virtually impossible, unlike in New York (where cabs are everywhere, he said).
Ok, this is the last meal I had in LA. I was already at the airport, and I ordered just the filet burger (no coke lah- had plain water only).
Flying sure is no joke, in terms of jet lag and general discomfort on the plane. I'll think twice if asked to fly to the US again.
I'm staying at the Rosen Centre Hotel. We actually arrived in Orlando at 6am yesterday (Thu Nov 11), and then took a cab to Rosen Centre Hotel (the cab ride cost USD50!). Having arrived early, there were no rooms available yet. So my colleagues and I went to have breakfast nearby, which was Dennys'. We all ordered 'Grand Slam' from the menu, which meant 4 items from a breakfast selection which include sausages, hash browns, pancakes, granola, yoghurt, chicken patty, eggs, egg white, etc. Whew. I had pancakes, hash brown, 2 eggs and 2 strips of turkey bacon. I couldn't finish it- breakfast was too much. Think I was knocked out by combined forces of jet lag and indigestion.
Then we picked up the rental car from the hotel next door. Enroute I could remember thinking wow the weather was hot! The sun was beating down on us, the sky was a clear blue with very little clouds. At the same time, there were gushes of wind that blew at us. So it was sunny and very very windy.
After my boss figured out how to drive the rental car (driving on the left hand seat instead of right), we set out and visited 2 themed hotels. During the visits, I think I was visibly very very tired, while taking photos of the hotels. So not too long after, around 12pm, we headed back to the hotel. Still no rooms available for us to check in.
So we all dozed off (my two bosses and I) in the hotel lounge while waiting for the rooms to be available. Around 2.30pm I was tapped awake. One of the bosses had found out that the rooms were available. Yipee. I was very relieved to check in. After a short nap, I went downstairs to explore. There was a nearby supermarket. Here I bought a loaf of bread and a bottle of creamy peanut butter, intending to have this for breakfast every day instead of repeating the massive pancake meal (makes more sense to spend USD5.40, which is what the loaf and peanut butter cost, which will last me the entire 8 mornings I am here, rather than to spend USD10 every day for the Dennys' breakfast).
After the supermarket trip, I went back to the hotel. Then slept from 5pm onwards. I woke up at 2am. I couldn't go back to sleep, having already slept 8 hours. So I called back home, went downstairs to the hotel lobby to fill up water from the water cooler, went back to the hotel room, had a shower, watched Prison Break Season 1 episodes from my laptop, until 5.30am. Then I got ready, packed my laptop, made a peanut butter sandwich and here I am at McDonalds. Then I ordered an orange juice, ate my sandwich (which tasted good), and used Skype to call back home. It is now 8.20am here.
Miss you very much, YY, meimei and xiaodi.
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