London transportation

The fastest way around London is by the tube. But you're underground, breathing foul air, herded like cattle at transfer stations. The most expensive is by taxi and it can be very expensive. The slowest is by bus. Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend in Belgravia. What a treat it was to walk down Sloane Street past the achingly beautiful and wildly expensive shops and then take the bus back to the flat in Maiden Lane. I sat on top in the corner and watched the world go by. We lumbered past Hyde Park Corner, the Wellington Arch, Green Park, the Ritz Hotel, up Piccadilly past the Royal Academy of Arts, around Trafalgar Square, up the Strand to Maiden Lane. A great way to see London and get home at the same time.

Last Day in Bali

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and, I'm not kidding, caviar I wrote this in my diary: My friends and I have just finished body surfing in the most glorious warm ocean waves and now the pool boy trainee is polishing my sunglasses.

The beauty of Bali has been praised outrageously. The thing is it's true. The simplest farming village is festooned with decorations and elaborate carvings. It's going to be hard to leave paradise and go back to reality.

To Bangkok and Beyond

I'm off tonight for Bangkok and Bali. I'll be gone three weeks and five days. Not much for my European travel companions who take off a month every year, but my American friends are astonished. I've spent the whole day packing. I was only going to bring carry on luggage, but my German friend, Peter, said "Loraine, the only time you will touch your luggage is when you take it to the airport in Los Angeles." I'm not taking my computer, but I'll try to blog from time to time and send photos of some of the most beautiful islands in the world. My husband, Carl Eastlake, is staying behind because he's running for the board of the Writers Guild of America. Now that's dedication.