Riding north on beautiful Coastal Highway 1 I continued to Los Angeles where I was to spend a few days with Armando, a University of California student and a friend whom with I shared a bad host-family experience for a short while during our few months in Rio. Armando’s family welcomed me in the hospitable manner Mexicans are known for.
In the morning my friend suggested a pleasant bicycle stroll through the neighborhood and I innocently accepted not expecting the butt-busting 60+ mile tour of greater Los Angeles. But by now it should be clear to everyone even besides the side effects, sightseeing on two wheels, weather it be a country or a planet, is simply the best way to go about it.
In LA I also had a chance to reconnect with other dear friends I made while in Brazil and I am very grateful for that. One night we went out to see Armando’s brother Pedro perform live at a joint in Hollywood with his band, “Them Howling Bones” The show was killer, and the performance matched the screaming rock and blues that ripped through the speakers and everyone’s bodies in that place. These guys really know how to show a good time so check them out.
My last evening in LA Armando and I visited the first and only gym constructed specifically for the development of Parkour and Free Running. The place is called the Tempest Freerunning Academy and is an incredibly extensive playground of fun that makes it possible to test out personal limits in a less bone-breaking way. Among the vast floor space and various formations of wall and monkey bars there is an olympic trampoline and a large sponge-filled pool into which you may dive safely from whatever failed trick you attempted from the 20 foot platform above. For those wanting to get a taste of the amazing sport that is Parkour, or for those just wanting to witness marvels of the human body in motion, this is the place to go.
And after so much action in the City of Angels, a good place to replenish your energies in a completely excessive manner is to pay a visit to the famous In-N-Out Burger and a little insider tip that isn’t on the menu; make sure you ask for your onions grilled.
A huge thanks to Armando and his family for their hospitality. Always great so see old friends.
