San Francisco to Los Angeles

So, the day before we left San Francisco, we attempted to do ‘49 mile drive’ around the city which I had altered to suit what we wanted to see and do. I had spent ages studying the map and writing down concise instructions. So we set off after lunch. Just up the road Phil said to me ‘look there’s a topless man jogging in skin tight, skin colour shorts!’ We came to a red light so I glanced across, turns out he was stark naked! He had his mp3 player and earphones in! He ran across the pedestrian crossing in front of us, that was a sight. Pretty much straight after this, we took a wrong turn and proceeded to get completely lost. After about 10 minutes of driving completely the wrong way, I pulled over and tried to figure out a way to get back on track. Eventually we made it to the first attraction, Twin Peaks, which had the most outstanding views over the city. It was like the equivalent of sitting above the Hollywood sign looking over LA like you see in films. We sat there a while taking it all in and then got back on the road for the next part. It was supposed to take us right through Golden Gate Park round all the major attractions, we managed to drive along side it, but could not find the exact road we needed and by this point we came back across a road that was near our hotel, so just gave up on that and went back! I get very frustrated when we get lost. It was nearly tea time by this point anyway. 

Phil and I at the top of Twin Peaks

We left the next day for San Jose, didn’t come across a petrol station the whole way and we ended up hitting  the red light very close to the end, but we made it to the motel and luckily there was one just up the road. We were about an hour and a half early for check in, so we got a map and went off to find ’Guadalupe Park and Gardens’ to relax in the sun. Found it, but it was just some dried up barrow land, home to a homeless guy who’d made a pretty good fortress out of various things he’d collected over time! Instead we found a nice little rose garden in a very nice suburban type neighbourhood. It was so picturesque. There was one of those laughing therapy groups having one of their sessions on the grass area, it was funny to watch, I should've joined in! I felt so much more relaxed in San Jose than I did in San Francisco. We got to our room despite having to wait another half an hour after the time they said as it still wasn’t ready (poor management!). We needed food supplies and so after a very confusing conversation with reception who despite various different ways of saying it, didn't quite get what supermarkets! So we just went for a drive to town, saw Plaza De Cesar Chavez which was quite unimpressive, I thought it would be a big complex, shops, restaurants, entertainment and maybe a nice feature like fountains or a garden area. It was just a very small area of grass with a bench and a statue on it. So we just drove in a circle round it and found a nice supermarket called ‘Trader Joe’s’ which had loads of nice stuff for very good prices. Later on Phil went for a dip in the pool which was cold, I sat at the side. We didn’t last long, we felt a little out of place as there seemed to be a lot of ‘regular’ types hanging around and drinking outside their rooms etc. Can only think they had some sort of living arrangements with the owners as there was a Mexican restaurant in the same building as the motel and it looked like they worked there. They proceeded to be very noisy until late at night, and then again first thing in the morning.  The alarm in our room went off at 5am, playing some creepy country music and I couldn’t turn the thing off! The volume button was broken, I tried pulling the battery thing out but that didn’t work but eventually I managed to do it! We got up early and had breakfast, Phil ate 3 Danish pastries in a row(!), and then we left for Santa Cruz.

En route to Santa Cruz we visited ’The Mystery Spot’ which is a strange area that compasses can not settle on, forces pull things in strange directions, trees grow in strange ways, and many other odd things go on. There is a cabin that was built in the 1930’s that supposedly slid down the hill towards this ‘mystery spot’ and stopped when it reached it and has been there ever since. It made us both very dizzy and we almost had to get out at one point! A lot of it was an optical illusion due to the angle of the cabin, but there were some very strange things that couldn’t be explained. It was really cool. After that we drove to West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, parked up and walked along to the beach and The Boardwalk. It was quite like an English seaside resort, but nicer! And we laid on the beach for a while. There were loads of surfers about. I had a Mr Whippy type ice cream which was the biggest ice cream I’ve ever had and it was delicious, more like Haagen Daz ice cream! We got to the motel later in the afternoon, it was a bit of a grim one but it did the job. Phil went for a dip again but it wasn’t a very private or nice pool, it was right on the pavement and the side of the car park with only a waist high wall separating you from the road! We went and got a McDonalds for dinner and went to bed pretty much. We got woken in the early hours by a couple arguing outside the door. We worked out there must have been an affair going on! It was like a soap opera.

Strange happenings at The Mystery Spot

We had breakfast and then left for Monterey. Arrived by 11ish and our room was already ready! Very nice people who owned the motel but the smallest room ever. With just my suitcase open on the floor you actually couldn’t get out the door! The service made up for it anyway. We went out and did ‘17 mile drive’ which would’ve been a lot better if it wasn’t so foggy and grim, but still lovely all the same. Saw a big stag wondering around on a golf course! Stopped on a nice white sandy beach. And stopped at ‘Seal Rock’ where hundreds of seals live on a big rock that is just off the shore. It’s amazing how they climb up to the top of it. They were so noisy, we saw some in the water flinging themselves around and having a great time! After that we went into town and did the Monterey Bay Aquarium which was great. Saw a great white shark but it was only young so wasn’t as big and impressive as we’d imagined! I was absolutely fixated on the jelly fish, they were so stunningly graceful. There was one so small it was called a ‘sea gooseberry’ and it shone like a crystal. They’re so fascinating I could’ve watched them for hours. We went for a ‘Carl’s Jr’ that evening, another fast food restaurant(!) they had the biggest portions so we were both totally stuffed. When we got back to the motel, my camera needed charging so went to do that but I couldn’t find the charger anywhere. We emptied both our bags, rifled through our suitcases and triple checked the car. I was so gutted. Neither of us could think how we’d managed to lose it, we’re both  very vigilant when it comes to checking the rooms before we go. Last I actually used it was in San Jose. I emailed the previous two motels to ask if they’d found it, in the time I had internet I only got a response from one of them and they hadn’t found it. I spent all evening trying to locate where I could get another charger. Eventually sussed out there was a Staples near our motel in Monterey and they did like a universal charger that you plug into a USB port. So the next morning after breakfast (which was very nice) we drove to Staples and got the charger, and it worked, and I was happy again! When we got back, Phil managed to watch some of a Forest game that was on TV via Skype! Despite my laptop having no sound or web cam. I’d just written a long email response to Mum and just as I sent it the internet went, and we couldn’t get back on, I was so annoyed as I’d spent ages writing it! We were due to leave anyway so we checked out. I had been trying to post a postcard to my grandparents for weeks, so asked the guy on the desk if there was a post box near by and he said they collect it every day from there, so I left it with him, hopefully it’ll make it!

Amazing jellyfish at Monterey Bay Aquarium

We took ’Scenic Road’ via Carmel on our way out of Monterey to Highway 1. Again it was very foggy but it was a very nice town and residential road along the coast. The houses were like they’d been built for Disneyland, some hidden away in trees it was like a fairytale. We stopped at Big Sur, and clambered around there for a while! We got to the gorge and waded across it, nearly falling over many times, the current was so strong. It bought back memories of a field trip to Cedar Gorge when I was in primary school. There were kids on rubber rings and in dinghies having a great time. Looks a great place to camp and have an adventure. We went on a little nature trail but didn’t see a lot. And we got back on our way to Santa Barbara. There were such bendy roads again it was like a roller coaster driving round the cliffs along the coast. Great fun but seemed like we were driving forever along there. And it was so foggy visibility was very poor. Eventually we stopped for a rest at a place called ’Elephant seal point’ where there loads of seals on a beach area below us and they were very funny to watch for a while. Elephant seals are far less noisy, they sort of just make a grunting noise. We carried on again, and then stopped at Taco Bell for dinner. I love Taco Bell. But I can’t handle anymore fast food for a while now! Eventually we reached Goleta where we were staying (just outside Santa Barbara) at 8pm pretty much! That was a long day of driving. We were in a Motel 6 which was all newly remodelled, it’s very IKEA-esque and had a funny little shower pod thing.

The next day we lazed around in the morning and headed into Santa Barbara for the day. We parked at 'Shoreline Park' which was a nice area, and walked along the beach to Stern's Wharf. There were fisherman fishing off the side of it and each fisherman had a pelican sat beside him hoping to get lucky! It was funny to watch and amazing being so close to a pelican. We walked through all the people selling art at the edge of the beach, and then grabbed some food from a Thai food van. I got a nice burnt face, we'd been in the full sun nearly 5 hours without a break, I didn't realise how quickly the time had gone. Got to our motel in Thousand Oaks (for Malibu) and crashed pretty much. I slept for 12 hours and my head thumped all night. I woke up this morning feeling pretty weary. Definitely too much sun.

So today we stopped at Malibu en route to Los Angeles. It didn't live up to any expectations! There's a little lagoon area which is quite nice, pelicans have made it their home. But the beach was pretty grotty and the pier left a lot to desire. Still, we managed to use a few hours there, and then we got back on the Pacific Coast Highway to Hollywood. Traffic was pretty bad, as expected, but we made it in good time and the hostel we're staying in is very nice. The drive up Santa Monica Boulevard was very nice, Obama was visiting so there was lots of security about! (Didn't see him though). We had to park the car in a multi story car park as there is no street parking, which was a couple of blocks away, and we had to walk along the Hollywood Boulevard to get back so that was really cool. We are 2 seconds away from it so we'll have fun checking out all the stars. We've signed up to do some fun stuff this week, and we're off to Universal Studios tomorrow!

The past week

Grand Canyon

Last Wednesday we took off up to the Grand Canyon, which was about an hour drive from Williams. There are various routes and tracks you can take, and activities you can do, but due to time and money, we just did Desert View Drive which takes you along part of the South rim, where there are various view points you can pull over in. There had been wildfires up there the past few days so we saw a lot of destruction. We stopped at pretty much all of the view points, as every new part to see was just as exciting as the last! It is truly, truly spectacular, no photos can do it justice, you really have to see it for yourself. It is so vast and incredible, it’s hard to take it all in, and we barely touched the surface with what we did! We spent a few hours up there anyway, little isolated thunderstorms were moving across the canyon which was fascinating to watch, and in a few minutes the storm started to close in so we decided to leave and set off to Boulder City. We stopped for a toilet break on our way out of Grand Canyon in a secluded porta-loo thing, and we spotted a huge muddy paw print on the concrete right outside the toilet door! We both got freaked out, after I’d been I ran back to the car to wait for Phil! We really left at the right time as it absolutely started hammering it down, hail and all, which settled on the ground to make the roads a bit icy. Amazing how only the day before there had been fires, and then within 24 hours there is ice on the road! So it was a bit of a treacherous drive for the first hour or so, then it calmed down and we could see about 3 different storms happening around us in the distance, lightening left right and centre, we felt like storm chasers! And an eerie storm warning broadcast interrupted the radio saying a big storm was heading towards Flagstaff and moving about 15mph.

Hoover Dam was a couple of miles away from our hotel, so we stopped there on the way. We’d driven across the bridge over the dam on the way up to the canyon, but when we got all the way down to the dam we didn’t realise how high up it was and got a bit wobbly! Hoover dam was very cool, it took 5 years to complete in the 1930’s and lots of people died in the making of it. Including a dog that the workmen found as a stray puppy on the site, and so adopted it as their work buddy. It was 11 years old when it got run over by a lorry it was snoozing under one afternoon. Very sad. We got to the hotel and there were nice views of Lake Mead from the car park with a trail you can walk, we went a little way along it, took some pictures and then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

We left fairly early the next day, said a final good bye to Las Vegas as we drive past it! I was excited and nervous to drive across Death Valley with all the safety precautions you are told to make! But it was a very easy drive, and in total there are about 3 petrol stations across the width of Death Valley so it was no where near as dangerous as the drive to Vegas where over nearly 5 hours there was absolutely nothing! Drove through Furnace Creek and went past the turning for Badwater (lowest point below sea level in North America) but we reached -190ft below sea level whilst driving so were happy with that! Passed signs warning of ’extreme heat’ and eventually got to Stovepipe Wells Village and checked into our little cabin style room. It was very hot, but actually not as hot as Palm Springs.. Unless Palm Springs just allowed us to acclimatise to the heat easier. Either way it was nice to get back to some proper warmth! There was a great little gift shop next to our room that I spent ages in, could’ve bought a lot of stuff from there. Then we drove up to a place called Mosaic Canyon which was just round the corner, known as a ‘geologic wonder’. A narrow path created by waterfalls leads you through a canyon of naturally polished marble. It was very interesting. Another attraction near us was the Mesquite Sand Dunes, so we went there as the sun set. It was absolutely stunning, so peaceful, and we had a great time running up and down the dunes and getting covered in sand. We drank nearly 2 gallons of water that day! When we got back we had a dip in the pool to cool down but got freaked out by some huge bats that kept dive bombing into the pool to eat the bugs!

Mosaic Canyon

Walking along the top of a high dune!

We had planned to get up at 6am and leave early the next morning for Yosemite as it was about a 6 hour drive, but we overslept slightly and didn’t leave until half 8! It was an incredible and terrifying drive out of Death Valley, along bendy roads going higher and higher up the sides of mountains, much of the time with no barrier at the side, it made us both pretty shaky! We stopped at one point to take in the view over a canyon at 10,000 ft above sea level. Eventually we came across some greenery again and drove through a couple of funny little Western style villages. Finally we reached more forestry and entered Yosemite National Park. SUCH a beautiful place. I almost expected to see some little fairies hopping across a stream it was like an enchanted forest! We saw another coyote wandering around very close to some tourists, but we couldn’t stop in time to get a photo! Also saw chipmunks and a kangaroo rat! Each place we stopped had a different beauty to it. We again reached a height of 10,000 ft above sea level and again there some scary parts of the roads going up and down the mountains. We got to where we were staying which was kind of a run down brick wall with a tent on the side.. Not very secure, especially from bears as there are bear warnings and information everywhere! We were basically being held in by a couple of ties. We went to a little beachy area by the river near us, did our laundry, and attempted to get some sleep, though terrified of a bear coming in! I found a stick and kept it next to the bed. There are bear lockers outside your area that you have to lock EVERYTHING that could possibly be scented in, cosmetics, toothpaste, food, bottles, even just rubbish that might have food smells on them. We didn’t sleep particularly well, there were various screams throughout the night, coyotes howling and park rangers roaming (which did help make us feel a bit safer!) but we made it through and were up early to leave for San Francisco. We had friendly neighbours (although the man snored all night!) who we had chatted to quite a bit the night before, and again in the morning. They had recently been to the UK for the first time for a months holiday, and he gave us his number as they lived in San Francisco.

The drive for San Francisco involved the most tightly bended, hilly roads, not so scary but a lot of fun! We ended up driving through a very small, seemingly very religious, town that had a carnival going on, the whole population must’ve been on the street to watch, we felt extremely awkward driving through!! We just smiled and casually carried on.. We saw some eagles on the drive. And got to San Francisco with no problems, crossed Bay Bridge on the way through which we confused for Golden Gate, despite the fact it was grey, not orange! Found the hotel but had a lot of stress trying to park. Luckily we got told about the parking rules on a hill with wheels needing to be curbed, as we’d have ended up with a hefty fine and needing to retrieve the car otherwise! The hotel is nice and safe, but we are very close to ‘Western Addition’ which is a pretty sketchy area, so I began to feel very edgy about going out. We just chilled out in the room for the afternoon anyway and recuperated, I think we've both felt a little homesick for the first time. I did a lot of research on areas to avoid, read too many horror stories too. The next day we got psyched up to go to Golden Gate Park, but upon realising the bus stop was pretty close to a bad area I bottled it, so we got in the car and drove to Lombard Street instead which was great but annoying because we got stuck behind someone who was taking loads of pictures and so we were pretty much standstill for ages! I wanted to drive the street not sit on it! We needed food supplies when we got back, so Phil ventured out to the supermarket (I wasn’t brave enough) and I sat and worriedly awaited his return.  Took him about an hour and he described walking through Western Addition as frightening and the most intimidated he’d ever felt. I will never feel unsafe in London or anywhere in the UK again after being in the States I don’t think! Yesterday was Phil and my 4th year anniversary! I was feeling a lot more positive as we had a better plan for the day, we had to get up early to move the car for ’street cleaning’ so went and drove Lombard Street again which was way more fun this time, then went across the real Golden Gate Bridge to Marin Headlands/Vista Point for some spectacular views of the city and bridge, just as the sun was still rising above the city skyline. It was really lovely, and refreshing, there was a lot of fog sitting on the water below us. When we got back we got on a bus that took us straight to Marina, had to keep our heads down and brave Western Addition where there were lots of scary people on and off the bus, but it’s only a couple of blocks wide so we were fine after a couple of minutes. At Marina we then walked to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, saw the seals (who were celebrating their 21st birthdays!) and did major touristy bits. And when we’d done enough walking, we got on a totally rammed bus and went back to our room, got a pizza takeaway (been craving pizza ever since we left home!) and just had a really nice day overall. 

Golden Gate Bridge, complete with fog

Today we are going to do ’49 mile drive’ which takes you round most things you’d need to see in San Francisco! It is a very pretty city with the steepest roads I’ve ever experienced, but I definitely didn’t feel particularly safe for the most part, apart from yesterday, which prevented me from really being able to see it all and enjoy it as much as I could've. Tomorrow we leave for San Jose.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas ate us both alive.

The drive leaving relaxing Palm Springs, to Las Vegas was absolutely incredible. Best drive yet. Stunning scenery and long desert roads, disappearing over the horizon in the blazing heat. It was everything I had ever imagined and it felt great to be doing it. When we had our horse ride in the morning, the lady said there are two ways to get to Las Vegas; the dense traffic way, or 'The Hills Have Eyes' way. We went the latter.. It was pretty creepy at first going past all the little shacks and ranches as we were departing civilisation, but once we were in the desert it was great. We hadn't managed to get to Joshua Tree National Park whilst in Palm Springs, but drove along side it for a while and saw the trees so I was satisfied with that! We saw another coyote, it ran across the road in front of us and then looked back as we went by, very startled. Poor thing. I don't expect it comes across roads and cars very often. And we drove through the Mojave Desert Reserve too. After about 3 hours, I really had to stop for a wee, having not come across a soul for hours I figured I'd be OK at the side of the road.. Just as I'd found a spot, of all people, out of nowhere, a highway patrol car comes along and stops to ask if everything is OK! So I thought I better wander back to the car, he just advised us not to go far off the side of the road as there are a lot of snakes in the bush, and that there was a service station about 50 miles away and that we could get food and 'other things' there. It was hilarious but I was totally embarrassed and couldn't believe that had even happened. But I definitely couldn't wait 50 miles so stopped again further up.. It was a very eventful journey but we got to Las Vegas after about 4 hours and 45 minutes and with no problems.  

Long desert roads

We checked into the first hotel I'd booked, which was way posher than I thought, so it was a nice surprise. It was very, very nice and had a little kitchen in it. It was about 5pm when we got settled, so we cooked our meals and had some beers, and headed out to explore The Strip. We only managed MGM Grand, Excalibur and New York New York, before being lured into the Monte Carlo by a promoter for the VIP club experience. Things were already beginning to blur by this point. We were given our own table/barmaid and a bottle of vodka with pineapple juice to mix. It was all very nice until my mind goes blank. Next thing I know, Phil and I have lost each other, but he has my bag with everything in it, and the hotel key. Security come over and sit me in a wheelchair and take my details. Ring home (!) saying I'd lost my purse. I tell them which hotel I'm staying at and they get me back there, but you can't actually get into the hotel past 10pm without the key, not just the room. So I have to get reception over to issue another key, my nose starts pouring with blood, I get to bed and conk out, still minus Phil. I wake up the next morning with a bloody pillow, but with Phil by my side thankfully, and all my belongings. We both just look at each other and say.. What. Happened.?? Turns out Phil didn't know how we lost each other either, and next thing he knew he was wandering up and down The Strip talking to himself, struggling to navigate himself back to the hotel, when he eventually did he was very relieved to see me there. Couldn't believe that happened on our first night!

The beginning of the end for us that night

We both felt extremely rough the next day and had to check out by 10am. We went to the next hotel which was absolutely stunning, but couldn't get in our room until 2pm so wandered around until then and just  flopped for the afternoon. We went out in the evening to explore the rest of The Strip that we had intended the night before, but sober this time. We saw a little show outside Treasure Island, went to The Mirage and saw the volcano, Ceasers Palace, The Belagio and saw the beautiful fountain show, and finally The Flamingo. All hotels are just incredible, it's hard to take it all in.

The next day we got on The Deuce and went to Fremont Street Experince, North of the Boulevard. It's better to go there when it's dark though as there is a huge roof made out of LEDs which put on a show. But we stopped in a casino to spend a few quarters in the slot machines which was fun. Stopped at Stratosphere Tower on the way back, but you had to pay just to go up it, so we didn't bother. Carried on and went further South of The Strip to Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and went back to New York New York again where I got some sweets and also went back to the Flamingo to see the outside habitat bit. We then went to 'O Shea's Casino and had a couple of drinks.. I had an Irish car bomb which is Guinness, Bailey's and Irish whiskey, but I didn't do it properly and it curdled so it was pretty disgusting. Then we wandered back, via Harrah's for an expensive cocktail, and walked through The Venetian and Palazzo to get back to our hotel - Wynn Las Vegas. We had a couple of beers in the room and then went to the casino and played some more slots. I won a fair amount of money before spending most of it again!! But it was all good fun. I absolutely loved it in Vegas and want to come back when we're not on such a tight budget and really get out of it what it has to offer.

Our hotel

So this morning, we ended up leaving later than planned for Williams (near Grand Canyon), had a pretty stressful time trying to leave Vegas and wound up in a dodgy area again. We stopped to get some food from a supermarket and the cashier said to me 'Are you German?' I said no, English. And he said 'ah close enough, I can tell you're European, you don't blend very well round here' .. Eek! But he was perfectly friendly himself and asked about our time in Vegas and wished us a good trip, but we definitely knew to leave, pretty sharpish! After an hour, we finally get onto the road we were meant to, and we were on our way. But it wasn't a particularly nice journey, there was heavy rain which made some of it a bit dodgy to drive. Big trucks causing problems, nearly got pulled out in front of by one, luckily we both forced heavy breaking to avoid a collision, but it wasn't a relaxing drive. Though we did have some nice scenery, including a glimpse of Lake Mead. We got to our place after about 5 hours! It's on West Route 66 which is really cool, there are a lot of souvenir shops along the road. We'll get an early night tonight and head up to Grand Canyon tomorrow morning before heading back to Lake Mead / Hoover Dam later in the day.

Last few days..

On Wednesday we went back up to the Mission Bay area and Mission/Pacific Beach as it was another scorcher, so we just felt like lounging after the previous day. And it was lovely. Phil tried to have a little swim in the sea but it is very cold, and I just paddled my feet! We saw some dolphins swimming quite close to the shore too which was amazing!

Too cold

Later in the afternoon we ventured into Balboa Park to see more of it, and hopped on the free tram that takes you round the main parts. It's a huge park with loads to see and do. We didn't go in any of the museums or anything but it's a nice place just to wander around. And then I'd been dying for a Taco Bell all week so we did that for dinner, and despite the stress it caused us trying to find the damn place, it was delicious!

Noon on Thursday we left for Palm Springs, it took just over 3 hours to get there. Drove through some amazing scenery. It was unbelievably hot when we got out the car, as expected! So we just dived in the pool and relaxed for the evening. The next morning we headed out to Coachella Valley Preserve, saw a lost Doberman running around in the road on the way, very tired and thirsty the poor thing. A lady had stopped to try and help it but it wasn't very interesting in approaching her. I hope he got some water and found his way in the end. The preserve was very interesting, we were walking on/around the San Andreas Fault. We saw chipmunks and road runner birds! There wasn't a soul about though and and there was a sign warning about mountain lions living in the area and although rare, have been seen and can attack. Fear got the best of us and we didn't last too long there, it was too hot to be out in the sun for long anyway! So we went back via a Walmart (so big, and so cheap!). Later in the afternoon we wandered into Downtown Palm Springs, went in a pet shop to get treats for my dogs! There were two lovely 7 year old yellow labs in there having a 'photo shoot'. They were Sisters and very friendly. It was a typical American pet store, so many funny things to buy for your pet. On the way back we stopped for a Jack in The Box again, had a homeless guy make us feel very uneasy for a while, and then when we got back we relaxed for the evening. There is a party atmosphere here at the weekend, and it's a very gay friendly area, so it was like Club Tropicana down by the pool last night! Looked a lot of fun.

This morning we went for a horse trek which was very enjoyable, Phil's a bit funny about horses but he coped well! We saw a wild coyote which was fascinating and another road runner - cartoons come to life! It was like being in the Wild West. The lady who took us out was very nice and we chatted to her the whole time.

So, we are getting ready to leave for Las Vegas now! Can't wait!

My horse was called Sally, Phil's was called Cinnamon.

More San Diego

Sunset view from the balcony above us

Grim weather aside, we went to Knott's Soak City on Monday (Labor Day) it was a bit expensive for what it was but it was fun all the same. We only lasted a few hours though as I just got so chilly in between rides it was beginning taking the enjoyment out of it! If we'd gone on a day like yesterday it'd have been perfect..

We got back around 2.30pm and wanted to make the most of the day, so we headed up to La Jolla (which we didn't realise was pronounced 'la-hoya'.. Never mind) and it was beautiful, apart from it being overcast. There were pelicans and seals everywhere, we could've watched them all day. We went down onto the little cove beach and climbed on some rocks, got soaked, and then just wandered along the promenade. We stopped off at the Mission Bay area on the way back to the hotel, which was also lovely.

Yesterday we woke to heavy rain again, couldn't believe it! Even the weather channel didn't know what to say about it and it was chaos on the roads. They react to rain like England does to a bit of snow. So we dressed slightly warmer for the day and stepped out the door, only to be hit by a wave of heat that very much took us by surprise. One last look at the weather said it would be a high of about 24C. So got changed back into cool clothes and headed out. By the time we got on the trolley, the sun was blazing and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

We stopped at Old Town, a historic reconstructed Mexican/Spanish state park area giving you a feel of early San Diego. Hopped on again and stopped at Little Italy, although after a couple of minutes of trying to find the actual Little Italy area and failing, I realised I didn't want to be wandering around looking like lost tourists in the city. So we just headed for the big bay and walked down towards town. Having lost the trolley after that we wound up in Gaslamp Quarter which is a little hub of restaurants and bars, and home to Horton Plaza, an uptown shopping mall. Then a Greenpeace activist stopped us and lured us in with a load of blurb, which was all very interesting, before asking for us to sign up and make $20 monthly donations. We kindly declined, I played the 'my Brother is involved with the Green Party back in the UK' card, and he let us go. One of the things they are campaigning against currently, is the irresponsible fishing of tuna in the US by companies John West and Chicken Of The Sea (because it is illegal to do it in the UK now, so they do it in the US where they can get away with it). As much as I agree with it all, I realised I'd bought Chicken Of The Sea tins of tuna yesterday for my sandwiches, oops!

The heat was incredible and I said to Phil, wow 24 degrees over here is a different kind of heat to the UK, you'd never be this hot! So with a pounding head, pouring with sweat and blisters on my feet, and feeling increasingly edgier the further we were heading into the city, I wanted to get back on the trolley and find our way back to the hotel. We stopped at a particularly dodgy stop, as I realised we were going the wrong way, so needed to change lines. In trying to act casually and not obviously be tourists, made a blunder of trying to get on the trolley the wrong side to be shouted at which way to get on, then was sat near a guy who repeatedly mentioned aloud 'white man' amongst other things.. Of which Phil was the only one in our carriage. A bit scary, but we got on the right track eventually and stopped by at Old Town again to go a saloon for a refreshing margarita! And when we got back we went straight in the pool to cool off which felt great. We later found out upon watching the weather again that San Diego had reached record high temperatures and we'd been walking around in 42C heat! No wonder we felt so knocked out.

Today I think we'll head back towards Mission Bay and go to a beach to relax, it's scorching again. And hopefully see a bit more of Balboa Park too.

Lovely little La Jolla Cove, shame about the weather!

A little area of Mission Bay, hope to get better pics today.

It never rains along coastal California.

It's 5am and I can't sleep because I got woken by rain so hard the gutter overflowed and was spilling onto a metal unit attached to the wall outside our room.

We're (nearly) on day 3 of San Diego. We had a smooth journey down and are finding it easier to get around now! It's much harder to find your way if you get lost in the UK than it is here actually. Whenever we have gone wrong, it's only taken a minute to get back on track.

On Saturday after checking in, we were going to venture into Old Town but got as far as Fashion Valley, where the 'trolley' stop is, and after wandering around there we decided we were too tired, so headed back and had a (large) bite to eat at the restaurant next door, then crashed out for 12 hours, it had all caught up. Felt much more refreshed in the morning, which was good because I don't think I'd have survived a long day at the zoo yesterday..

We started the day by going to a Jack in the Box fast food place for breakfast. $2.99 for a 'Jumbo Breakfast Platter' which was scrambled egg, a big flat sausage, loads of mini pancakes and loads of mini hash-browns. Then for $1 you can get a HUGE cup of drink, easily a litre, if not more. I had strawberry Fanta and Phil had Dr Pepper - we were buzzing by 9.30am. That sorted us for the whole day so we only had a sandwich for dinner when we got back!
Anyway, San Diego Zoo was amazing, I can see why it's dubbed one of the best zoos in the world. The enclosures for the animals are excellent. I saw a panda bear for the first time which was fascinating, and saw polar bears having a great time splashing around playing with each other from a close up viewing box. It was incredible. My camera battery was dying at this point, so I didn't manage to get a film of them, but I got a few snaps. They were chasing each other, belly flopping into the water, pushing each other into the water, boxing, this went on for about 10 minutes until one settled down to eat a carrot. The place is huge and there is so much to see, but we managed to get round it all and were done in by 6pm.

I will go back to bed shortly, but today we're going to Knott's Soak City which is a big water park. And for the rest of the time we will hop on the trolley and explore the different parts of the city.

Panda bear munching on bamboo!

Polar bear diving into the water

Boxing bears

Polar bears playing

Laguna Beach

This is the view outside our room from the balcony bit, of the pool area.

Leaving Long Beach this morning was very stressful, still hadn't really got used to the roads so kept getting confused, going round in a circle and winding up back at our motel. This happened 3 times. It was like a horror film and we were trapped in a nightmare! We ended up down a quiet residential road where a lot of people stared at us, we just kept calm and sailed through, pretty scary.

Reached Laguna Beach finally and it's really lovely, some of it just looks like you're in Disneyland. We had trouble finding the Travelodge but we came across lots of friendly people who helped us. This hotel is so much nicer than the last and we're in a great location although slightly out of town. It was very grim this morning but scorching this afternoon, it feels truly California now! We wondered down to the beach, which is right opposite us. There is a 'high tide' at the moment so can't really go in the sea, but as we were watching the waves crash against the rocks, a huge one came right over us suddenly and we got totally soaked! It was funny. Then we drove into town to a sea mammal rescue centre, where they rehabilitate seals and sea lions who were found struggling for life along the coast. We watched one get taught how to catch and eat fish properly. It was very interesting.

We're just relaxing at the moment, it's all catching up on me now so I think I'll have a snooze then we'll go for a swim in the pool and head back down to the beach and watch the sun set.

We'll continue down the Pacific Coast Highway tomorrow to San Diego, where we're settling for a while.

We're here!

We had a very long, stressful day travelling yesterday. When we first left, we got stuck in traffic on the M40 which was very worrying, but we managed to get there on time thankfully. It was awful saying goodbye, I was a mess going through passport control and security! Found it hardest saying goodbye to the dogs though.

The flight was great anyway, it seemed to go on forever, but when we finally arrived, we couldn't believe 11.5 hours had just passed. The airport experience at LAX was horrendous, 2 hours of chaotic queueing to get through customs, it was absolute madness. The luggage carousels couldn't handle all the new luggage that was continually coming through and so there were just piles and piles of suitcases all over the floor, falling off the carousels and just people everywhere looking for their stuff. Not what we wanted to do after a long haul flight. Then to sort the hire car out, which I said we would collect at 3.30pm, it had gone 5pm by this point. Had a very confusing conversation with the desk guy, was being charged a lot of money but couldn't understand why, my card bounced, the conversation went round in circles and in the end I couldn't be bothered so I just agreed and left. Now I've got to sort stuff out with the bank and ring the hire company back to finish paying. But I'm just not going to worry about that at the moment as we haven't had a chance to enjoy it here yet, or even have it sink in that we're really here!

Once I'd got used to the car, driving was a stressful, scary, but fun experience. We only got lost once, and I only drove on the wrong side of the road once (!) we'd been awake nearly 24 hours by this point, but we figured it out in the end and got here safely by about 7.30pm.

We are currently in Long Beach, which I wouldn't recommend personally. I just booked us a cheap motel for the night to rest, so we could get going properly the next day (today) and I'm glad that is all it is. We're in a very rough area (most of Long Beach is quite dodgy) you just have to keep your head down, or just don't leave the room. There were gun shots last night, we think our car alarm or the car next to ours went off and there was very loud, powerful thumping on either the wall or our door (I couldn't tell) all in the early hours, so not a particularly restful sleep but I'm wide awake and ready to go now, we can crash again later. The room itself is OK though, free WiFi so can't complain on that part!

Laguna Beach is next, in a slightly more secure hotel, and with no bad areas in Laguna Beach, I can't wait to actually wander around, take it all in, relax on a beach, feel the sun on my skin and really enjoy that we're finally here.