Los Angeles - Hacienda Heights

Taking it easy today after having one too many drinks at King's Head the night before. I decided to drive out to Hacienda Heights to visit one of North America's largest Buddhist temple, the Hsi Lai Monastery. The Buddhist temple consisted of 2 halls - the main hall housed 3 Buddhas -- Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha and the Medicine Buddha. I walked into the hall without any knowledge of the significance of each Buddha and promptly planted myself in front of the Medicine Buddha to offer my prayers and to meditate. Imagine my surprise finding out afterwards that I had subconsciously picked the Buddha that heals all physical and emotional wounds. A coincidence? I think not.

Sara and I took her dogs out to the park at Hollywood Lake, where the famous Hollywood sign was prominent enough for me to take some cheesy touristy shots. That was the extent of my Hollywood experience, and it was enough. We then went for a much needed massage, only to find out those guys are from China! They are everywhere!!! When I got a massage in NYC, we had Chinese masseuses too! I didn't realize how much I miss the Chinese massage until my massage lady sought out and rubbed fervently at my sore spots. She knew exactly where to find them. Amazing. Can I pack her into my suitcase please?

I had intended to try the much talked about In-n-Out Burger but after that massage, greasy burgers were out of the question. Sushi, however, sounded absolutely divine. Sara brought me to Yen Sushi on Ventura Boulevard which was uh-may-zing. The sashimi was so fresh that every bite was an orgasmic explosion of flavor. Why would anyone choose burgers when they can have this?! They also served edamame drenched in garlic and spicy peppers. Enough said.

I leave tonight, so there wasn't anything to do after but my laundry and pack. I'm glad I had my own unique experience of the city instead of trying to do the usual touristy stuff. Having friends in different cities show me around has been the best decision ever. This has been a such a well paced vacation, I hate for it to come to an end!