Walnut
2139hrs
Today we had breakfast in the hotel. I had what was described on the menu as 'fat-free yoghurt with fruit'. The yoghurt was lovely and creamy, with chunks of apricot or something in, and the fruit was a bowl of some of the nicest strawberries I've ever had. You get what you pay for.
Not that I did pay for it. The rooms had already been paid for (Colin and I had to share a bed, but you can't complain when it's free), and everything else was bought for us. We'll give them some money when we go, if they'll take it. We must have cost them quite a bit already.
Not least in phone calls. International calls from Britain are a horrendous price, but Pete told me that because of all the competition between the different phone companies here, it's only about 2p a minute. I therefore felt no guilt in phoning home, and called my mum.
Instead of connecting immediately, I found myself speaking to an operator. I'm trying to call England, I explained, and was put through.
It was the first time I'd spoken to my mum all holiday, and we had a long chat. But that was okay, I thought. It can only have cost 20p or so.
Later on (or possibly the next day) I rang my sister. Once again I was spoken to by an operator, and began to explain the situation.
On this occasion, Pete happened to be in the room, and heard what was going on.
"Don't call via the operator!" he cried. "It costs hundreds, just hang up!" Apparently, in order to talk for 2p a minute, you have to dial some other number first which he had previously failed to mention. That first call home must have been very expensive.
We spent the afternoon driving back to Walnut, and didn't do a lot this evening, although we did plan out the rest of the week. Tomorrow we're going to Universal Studios, on Tuesday it's Disneyland, and on Wednesday we're off to San Diego. There's a big zoo there that Colin wants to see, apparently one of the best in the world. Presumably it has some legitimate purpose and isn't just a prison like so many zoos. With its reputation it must have.
Then on Thursday, we catch the plane back to Britain, where we arrive on Friday. And that's the plan for the whole of the rest of the holiday.
So, it really is almost over. In a way I'm quite relieved - we've seen and done so much already that we both feel like we've had quite enough holiday, and it will be nice to return to an ordinary existence. Of course, by this stage I've got quite used to American life, and the first day or two back in Britain will feel like a foreign holiday in itself.
