The Road Trip Diaries: Los Angeles, CA

Finally, this segment of The Road Trip Diaries has come to an end. Forty-four days, 6700 miles, endless tarmac, and it's done. We have arrived in a whole new landscape, a whole new discovery, and we intend to stay, to see, to explore, to taste, just for now.

So we spend our first few days in LA hitting the ground running. There's not a moment to spare with bank accounts to open, cellphone contracts to start, apartments to rent and life to begin. Luckily we're staying with amazing friends, who have not only opened up their house to us, but also lent us a car, and are full of useful hints and tips.

It feels like a blur to look back on it, even after only a couple of days - arriving, unpacking, returning the rental car. Waking up, falling asleep. Wandering new unknown streets, trying to find our feet. We're already struggling to remember which action fell on what day, what moment defined the rest.

Last night we visited The Grove - a big outdoor shopping centre. The air was nippy as we walked around the centre - but it felt exceedingly festive, having already been decorated for Christmas,  faerie lights around all the trees, a great big Christmas house in between the shops, and an extraordinarily large Christmas tree right in the middle. And not to mention the Christmas music playing through the sound system. Magical.

Now it just seems like another part of the blur.

The whole experience is completely overwhelming, mildly terrifying, and really, kinda fun. We're trying to keep our spirits light, and our attitudes good. We're fully aware of how stressful and tenuous a situation like this can be.