Dec. 27- Jan. 1- Los Angeles part 1

Arriving in LA was like landing in paradise. The air was clear, the sky blue, the grass green and all the beautiful, lush gardens around the houses were just delightful. Coming here from polluted, wintery Beijing was like upgrading from black and white to a colour television.
We got to stay with our friend Stephen's mother, Susan and Stephen had flown in for the holidays so we had a great time catching up on stories. (Stephen is the guy whose wedding James and I rode to in Granby, Colorado, on July 14, 2012) On the day we arrived we all drove up to Griffiths Observatory, a famous LA landmark not far from the Hollywood sign. Gorgeous views of the valley from there.
Next day Stephen took us to Santa Monica beach. So beautiful! Mountains, blue ocean, sand and flowering plants everywhere. After the hustle and bustle in China we really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere here. Despite the crowds on the pier everything seemed so laid back; no pushing or shoving, no frantic little scooters zooming around and no honking. Everybody just seemed to enjoy themselves strolling along, soaking in the afternoon sun.
On the bus back to Susan's place we got into a conversation with a very outspoken, religious individual who was not shy to raise his voice and share his views with all the passengers. Homosexuality and American politics were the main themes of the conversation which eventually evolved into a one-man speech. Eventhough his voice got a bit too loud for our comfort and we did not agree with everything he said it was so liberating to witness the right to freedom of speech that North Americans enjoy. Such a scene would not be tolerated in many of the countries we had spent the last few months in and waves of relief and gratitude kept rolling over us for being able to call North America home.