It may be a late update of my trip to Los Angeles over the Christmas, but it is better to be late than never, right? I was in Los Angeles, Torrance, for almost six full days, and life without a car in Torrance can be quite boring since the public transport is.. err.. let's put it simply as messy and unsafe to travel on. My initial plan was to travel to Las Vegas by plane and it didn't matter to me if I had a companion. But as we know, initial plans always changes, this colleague of mine was keen in going to Las Vegas so we planned to rent a car, drive down to Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, she fell sick on the day itself and there goes our trip. Instead of staying coop up in the room or hitting the malls every day, I was determined to spend at least a couple of days sightseeing. After searching on the internet, I decided on an area known as Palos Verdes, mainly consisting of coastal cities. The coast of Palos Verdes Peninsular is known for being photographed for the films of Pirates of the Caribbean.
My journey to the coast was not a smooth-sailing one, I was supposed to be alighted at Palos Verdes Lighthouse but it seems that the cab driver drove me to somewhere else which I have no idea where since I made the mistake of not bringing any map with me. So in short, I was lost. With no map and no guide, I had to resort to asking the people around the place. Okay, this guy sitting at Starbucks seems nice, and lucky me, he was. I told him where I was heading and he told me that there was no way I could walk to my destination, I sighed at the thought of taking a cab again and to add on to that, I have not seen any cabs passing by since I arrived. As I pondered on what I should do next, the guy told me that he would give me a lift to where I wanted to go. I was surprised and of course happy but wary of his intentions as well, he seems to have read my thoughts and told me that I could hold on to his driving pass, I laughed and accepted his goodwill. Hopped onto his car and we chatted as he drove me to my destination, he thought I was a Japanese... me... a Japanese? I see no resemblance of any Japanese features in me. Anyway, he was telling me that his car was in the garage... blah blah... I think he was trying to pick me up but in a subtle way, I was glad that my destination was in sight, and before dropping me off, he gave me his number telling me to call him when I decided to head back so he could give me a lift back to the hotel. Hmmm... dubious.
I was welcomed to the beach by a vast green field, and no words can describe how much I love being in such a big patch of green land. That is why I love going to parks, parks with clean green grass that I can roll around, fall asleep, have a picnic or read a book on, Hyde park in London is one of the park I miss the most! I can't wait to return in summer, back to the park where everyone else would be relaxing and chatting on the same patch of green. Palos Verdes beach has trails which you can hike, trails that lead to the top where you can oversee the beautiful scenery of the whole area or to the tide pool known as Abalone Cove where you can see beautiful starfishes and other marine lives.
The view at the top was amazing but a little chilly since it was very windy. With the wind in your face, it is as if the wind was trying to whisper some secrets to you, secrets of sea... After the hike, I visited the Wayfarers Chapel, its beauty was beyond words. I can see why many couples chose to hold their wedding here. The chapel was mainly made of glass with its structure supported by wooden beams, its beauty is greatly magnified as the rays of sunlight shine through the chapel, but when dusk comes, it welcomes the the colors of sunset with romance. Having a wedding there would seem impossible for me but if one day, I am able to renew my vows in the chapel, I would be satisfied.
Loving people who loves you back, laughing with people who make you smile, holding hands with people who carry you through thick and thin... for me, that is what life is all about.
