This morning was one to be impressed with the LA bus system.

The trip back to Santa Monica to pick up my Visa card cost US$1 .00 with the $1 note fed into a small machine at the front door.

No Myki mess, no zones, no 2-hour versus all day options. Just $1 for as far as you like (or about $3 for an all day ticket.) For a Sunday morning, the buses ran every 15 minutes and were FAST.

And the sight of my returned Visa was delightful. How much I depend on it now compared to cash! (And I was down to US$10 in $1 notes...)

We had a couple of hours to explore the clearance racks before returning to pack and contemplate venturing back to LAX.

A drink in the iconic Encounter Bar ticked another must-do off the list (and disposed of all remaining change) before queuing to check in for VA12 home.
Did I mention previously how V Australia seemed to have their customers' needs sorted? Catchy music played above the check-in queues. No-one seemed to mind the slow shuffle here as the masses jiggled along to Boy George!

On board, with a bulkhead behind our seats that eliminated all possibility of kids kicking, I slept for about 6 of the 14 hours and bounced out at Tullamarine at 5.00am in a ridiculously awakened state for me.

THAT won't last, but the memories of the weekend of a lifetime will!