Peru Part VI: Los Angeles May 9 - 11th

A beautiful view of Venice Beach from the boardwalk

Ben and I decided to fly into and out of LA on our way to Peru because of the cheaper flights, but we ended up getting so much more than that! We stayed with Ben’s cousins, Dito, Carina, Andre, and Aunt Margarita and had an absolute blast. They were amazing hosts and even gave up their own room and bed for us (notice the standard we will hold you to, future hosts). When we got back from Peru we had a few days to spend with them.

Carina and Andre (and Dito in spirit) during our lunch

The first afternoon we drove down to Venice Beach and walked around the beach and boardwalk. There were some crazy performers and vendors in the area. One guy tried to get everyone to pay him for jumping onto a pile of broken glass...I think he should have paid me.

Carina and I on the boardwalk. Love that girl!

The next day we drove out to Six Flags: Magic Mountain. They had some coupons with their season pass, and we were able to go for free (which, everyone knows, makes it twice as fun). Since it was a school day, there was no one there, and we got to ride a ton of rides. I was amazed by how many huge roller coasters there were. We taught Carina and Andre the John Family favorite, encore, and we got some funny looks while we belted out songs in line (and even sometimes while on roller coasters).

Carina, Ben, me, and Andre by the beach. No pictures at Magic Mountain

That night we purchased an obscene amount of cheap sushi and pigged out. We talked until I fell asleep and said our goodbyes since we would be leaving the next morning.

A terrible picture of Carina and I. We just wanted to eat more sushi. Go away Ben.

Ben and I stopped in West Hollywood for a massive breakfast at a place called The Griddle Cafe before heading out. I highly recommend it - especially the Eggs Benedict. We didn’t eat for the rest of the day, but we probably still had over the suggested daily caloric intake in that one meal.

I had french toast with graham cracker crust and cream cheese topping (aka frosting). I like cake, so I liked it