Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

It was worth the walk. It was really, really worth the walk.

My camera was forever in motion, as every step, every angle revealed some new shape, some new form, some new visual excitement.

It is a building about which one can, and should, wax lyrical. It is a thing of beauty, that can only impress.

I felt strong emotions as I went around, indulging, and bouncing off the lyrical waxing of a designer who thought it was as fabulous as I did.

Shiny.

Setup began at eight; we were there around nine. Given that for the most part we were improvising, the table looked quite nice. I had to cackle when we discovered that the sheet I’d borrowed for a tablecloth was actually a fitted sheet, but with a bit of creative folding, nobody was any the wiser.

Entertaining too was the bowl of candy, to which many hardcore-looking bikers would sidle, grab a handful, and run away rapidly.

I learned that I was capable of greeting strangers, asking them to join my raffle, smile, and generally behave reasonably gracefully for a few hours. In other words, it wasn’t the terrifying ordeal that I, as the shy introvert, had been expecting.

Financially it was not hugely successful; in terms of experience, though, it was invaluable, and I made some good contacts and met some cool people. There was free food, loud music (a bit too loud; I couldn’t hear what my potential customers were saying) and a pleasant buzz. The morning fog burned off after an hour or two and I copped a bit of a sunburn.

I now know that I can carry my entire kit on a motorcycle, so if I do this again next year, I’ll take Beastie down and use him as a companion.

From the hotel we spotted an interesting looking building, and went to find it. It was the Thien Tau Temple, a beautiful and ornate structure with a strong sense of spirit around it–a warm kind of spirit, welcoming. An altar for burning incense was in front of it and every space seemed decorated in some way. As we explored, several people came and paid their respects…I found the place very peaceful and moving. It gave me a little breathing space in the city.

http://www.chinatownla.com/temple.htm

The temple is dedicated to the goddess Lin. I know it’s culturally different, but it really is a funny old world.

Chinatown has a central plaza that was built fairly recently (I forget when). It’s a symbolic centre to the area.

Authentic Chinese night club?

Nearby dragons span the road. At night, their eyes are lightbulbs and seem to flame.

In L.A. each restaurant displays a letter code to show how well it did at its last health inspection. We spent so much time looking for an “A” that we got too hungry to think, and had to just pick somewhere. It was American-Chinese food; ok, but not great. But at least, no food poisoning.

So, the bus. I’ve never travelled by Greyhound before, though it’s just like National Express, and I’ve done my share of travel that way. There’s a song by “The Divine Comedy” that sums it up; just a long 7-hour haul. There were two Los Angeles buses leaving within an hour of each other; we’d paid extra to be on the express, which takes 7 hours. The one we got on (and nobody checked to see we did the right thing) would have taken twelve hours, stopping more often. The driver was mellow about it and brought us back to the terminal.

We stopped for breaks here and there; lunch at Coalinga Junction. Much of the route is rather dull, right through the Central Valley, mile after mile of agricultural land. You know you’re getting close to Los Angeles when you enter the mountains.

We got there a little early, caught a cab to the hotel — Best Western Dragon Gate. Pricier than my usual thing, but not too bad for a city’s downtown. Settled in, then went exploring in Chinatown.

I’m going to be in Los Angeles this weekend, though I’m not taking my laptop. It’s a sick puppy and, actually, I’m looking forward to having a few days “away from keyboard”.

So saying, I think I’ll make the occasional telephone post, so “watch this space” :-)