I'm out of here #4: Big Island of Hawai'i - Lava Flow, Cascades & Hilo Bay

Being sick wasn't exactly my plan in These days, so I'm apologizing already for a shorter post than usual. But there are some things in life that aren't predictable, that's why I'm trying to make the of it by being deep in love with a couple of painkillers.

We drove to the town of Pahoa, which was affected by Lava flow back in November 2014. It was pretty impressive to see closely how thick actually Lava can be, and how much it can destroy on ist way. There were also some People that died under the flowing heat, which made me very sad. Pahoa is a Little town 15 minutes away from Hilo, so it's pretty easy to reach.

After our short stop in Pahoa we went up to Volcano to visit the Volcano National Park. The Park is really huge, and surrounds two craters that are still active. It was quite interesting to see the earth fuming everywhere. The shorter part of the trail takes around 2 hours and it's a pretty easy hike, so it won't be a big Problem if you'll bring Kids. It took us around 1 hour to drive up there. There are entrance fees: 10$ for vehicles and 5$ for pedestrians.
The park includes the pretty volcano house, a Hotel with Restaurant overlooking the active crater, and the Volcano art Center, which Features a lot of local art, mostly inspired by the heat and the volcano goddess Pele.

Today instead, we decided to visit the closer located Akaka Falls, a beautiful state park fullfilled by jungle plants and the lovely cascades coming down from the hill. It's a nice asphalted trail, so it can even be walked in flip Flops. The entrance for pedestrian is 1$ if you park your car just before the park Begins.

Later we went back to Hilo to see our homebase by day. It's a lovely vintage City overlooking the bay, the most buildings were built back in the beginning of 1900, and there are plenty of Little cafes, vintage Shops and Restaurants for every taste. Another pleasant surprise was the Farmer's Market, which Features a lot of local Food and fruits, and some Souvenirs.
If you have more time, make sure to visit the art deco building of the Tsunami Museum. For those who want to hit a lovely beach, Richardson Ocean Park was my favourite, as I showed in my latest post.

I am a big fan of colorful places and vintage homes, that's maybe why I liked Hilo so much. I really hope to come back soon to this lovely place. And my host Kawehi just made it a lot better <3.

I'm out of here #2: California dreamin'

California, especially an enourmous City like Los Angeles, was always something that inspired me somehow. You'll see tons of different People every day, even just like sitting in a cafe, and I caught myself many times wondering about their stories. LA is for sure the City of dreams for most, awaiting to get lucky and be discovered. Some People will succeed, others won't. Others will Keep on trying for the rest of their lives.

Kodak Theatre

Well, I didn't come to LA to become famous, I literally wouldn't have any idea where to start. I came back for the third time, just to be here. Actually just to BE. I love the vibe, the different parts of the City, you can catapult yourself in different worlds in the same place and have a bunch of good conversations. I have a lot of friends that have been here already, and everyone tells me to get a car. Why? I mean, don't get me wrong, I could totally have needed a car if I wanted to go way out of town and see places around that are far away. But I wanted to stay in the City, I wanted the Feeling to be part of it, and I wanted to be surrounded by normal People. It's nice to get a car that brings you fast to your main Destination, but actually you could miss a lot on the journey itself.
So I went by bus (yeah, by bus!), and it really isn't bad. I didn't have big schedules or appointments, so I really enjoyed the rides that took me around one hour everytime for a very fair Price ($1.75).
All I wanted was to relax, so one of the first Thing I've done was getting a spa day, including massages, the whole mani-pedi stuff that I wouldn't do in Switzerland. I even got a shampoo at a salon because I thought it fitted to the whole day :)
My rental was in West Hollywood, well surrounded by Shops and Restaurant. And the very famous madness of the Walk of Fame was a couple of minutes walk away. After regenerating from a hard year (I know, it seems I live a golden life but it can also get a wee stressful sometimes :D), I decided to take my friend Sandra and wander around to a couple of places that really are my favourites here in LA.

Venice Beach

I love Venice. I really do. It's one of those places I would like to live. It's a colorful place right on the ocean, covered in streetart, that embraces People from every class and race. It doesen't seem to matter what you're wearing, or if you feel weird: you'll find another Person weirder than yourself a couple of seconds later. You feel accepted. And it's a beautiful place as well. I've seen the best sunsets here, and I wasn't disappointed this time too. You can see how the sky gets pinker, and the colours really Change until the sun is totally disappeared. Venice offers a couple of good places to hang out as well. Treat yourself well and have a drink during sunset on the Roof of Hotel Erwin, or get a coffee just before hitting the sometimes very busy boardwalk at Cafe Collage, or if you're hungry, just have a seat facing the ocean at one of the waterfront Restaurants. There is a mexican sugar skull store that's absolutely to die for! I already bought two handmade pieces for my Apartment.

Santa Monica

Santa Monica is reachable from Venice in an approximately 45 minutes walk along the boardwalk. You can really see how the mood changes from beachy-hippie-whatever place to a very cute, more luxurious quarter. The Pier, at the very end of route 66 is a must for every Tourist. I've been there several times already and I like it how you're able to walk out over the water, go and Play games or just have a bite. Santa Monica offers also a lot for Shopping, and they really have good (italian, sorry!) coffee on 3rd street in a place just in front of the Nike store. Thai Dishes is another good Restaurant for a bite if you find yourself in the area.

Meeting my friend Will in Santa Monica

Santee Alley

I went to Santee Alley the first time. I had no idea. Usually People told me NOT to hit downtown LA. This place is crazy! You're basically not in California anymore, you're in Mexico. But you know what? It's fun! If you're not afraid of People screaming around (because it's normal, not because their angry), then go! It's a big marketplace that includes clothing stores, 1$ places to buy the impossible, and eat some real street tacos.

Tacos :)

Useful Tips:

Where To Sleep
Hollywood: If you wanna stay in the very epicentre of the Happening, and live just behind the Kodak Theatre, then I can highly reccommend the Celebrity Hotel. You'll have huge rooms for a reasonable Price.
West Hollywood: I opted for Neda's Airbnb Apartment this time. It's a two bedroom, vintage Apartment with garden and cool neighbors, you'll feel at home instantly.
Venice Beach: Hotel Erwin is the best and fanciest choice. I loved staying here and, as I've already mentioned, nobody can beat the view over Venice from the rooftop bar.

Food & Drinks
L'Assiette on Melrose is a nice Restaurant offering different kinds of meat and portobello mushrooms plates.
Dress nicely and hit the pool bar at the Roosevelt Hotel for People watching. Watch out, it's a bit pricey, and they automatically add around 10$ tip on two Drinks.

How to get around
As I told you, buses are totally ok. Otherwise Uber is another good friend too. Just in case you'll be discovered on the street and invited to an Audition you should be punctual at :)

Shopping
Mainstream: Everywhere on Hollywood Boulevard and the streets surrounding. Same for Santa Monica (Santa Monica Place)
Alternative: Venice Beach - you'll find a bunch of good stores there selling good laid back fashion
Fun and Cheap: Santee Alley7Fashion District (see above)