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San Diego
Bed Count = 24/25
Hello again! Another blog in quick succession to help those who had 'the shakes' from the big gap I left last time!I'm writing this one during a turbulent ride over the Pacific from Fiji to Australia.The 'fasten seatbelt' sound has just come on for the fifth time and upon reflection attempting a toilet trip a moment ago was a bad idea!On the positive side, Melissa is asleep and has thus been saved from another sick bag incident, as she attempts some serious head banging in the land of nod!Now for those who haven't been keeping pace, please check back to the 'San Francisco' and 'Pacific Coast Highway' instalments to avoid missing anything so far….and now I shall begin….
Despite a street parking fiasco, we arrived in central San Diego in good time.It should have been 'rush hour', but things were mysteriously quiet for a 'big city'?!We dragged our cases and remaining bottles of wine a few blocks down the 'Gas Lamp' area of downtown.In a surprisingly central location we saw the banner of the 'HI Hostel' where we would be spending the next six days.We had ingeniously arrived a day ahead of Halloween, which we knew would be a big event over here.Despite cheap accommodation, we hoped to meet other party goers so we could share in some 'monster' celebrations.After arriving at the hostel desk, we were greeted by a nerdy looking Chinese chap, who seemed intent in asking cryptic questions during the check-in process.Now, my first impressions are usually pretty accurate and I didn't warm to him initially.However, he got a second chance when we asked about Halloween celebrations and he told us that he 'would have something waiting for us' when we returned to the desk?!Unsure of the item, we were pleased with the gesture…'maybe some tickets to the ghools and geeks house party'?!However after dumping our belongings in the room, the only thing he had waiting for us was the fact that he had absolutely no recollection of the conversation we had!To top it off, he also proceeded to tell us that we had missed all the Halloween celebrations as they had occurred on the Saturday & Sunday…nobody celebrates on a work day!Well silly us for having the audacity to think that people would actually celebrate Halloween on the day of Halloween!Despite rapidly plummeting in my estimation, the Chinese chap's smug grin (upon telling us this revelation) suggested that he was a trustworthy source.Utterly dejected that we had somehow missed this celebration, we solemnly returned the hire car before a 'late return' fine made the day any worse!When we returned we decided to get an early night in order to soften the blow of missing the Halloween celebrations.However, at the last minute we decided to brighten the mood by walking out for late night 'gingerbread latte' at the nearby Starbucks.When we neared the door to exit, a raging sound suggested there was a bit of riot on the streets of San Diego?!However, upon further inspection it became evident what all the commotion was about and neither of us were happy about it.It so turns out, that despite a work day…people still celebrate Halloween!Just about everyone was dressed up in crazy masks or scary attire…except us of course!Clearly we had been misinformed upon check-in and I could have throttled the Chinese guy!I have nothing against Chinese folk, in fact one of my good friends Nigel is part Chinese.However, I will have some serious trust issues moving forward, especially if any information is with regards to Halloween!
After travelling for over 2 months, tiredness was finally catching up.When you move from bed to bed every other night, it's actually quite a nice break to stay somewhere for a longer period of time.We had taken a gamble on the hostel, but despite the smug front desk staff, it appeared very clean.The room was basic (prisoner cell block H) but relatively roomy.The kitchen was small, but very quiet compared to other hostels, so it looked like we could cook a few meals for a change.Again, when you have the option of eating out every night, it no longer becomes a treat, but more of a chore.Therefore when we found 'Ralph's' supermarket within walking distance, we stocked up on a few essentials for our stay.The other thing that tends to happen when you're really busy and then just stop is that you get ill.I had been fighting a bit of chest infection over the last week, but it seemed to be getting a bit worse.Nurse Melissa insisted a doctor's appointment was necessary if there was no improvement, so I prayed it would clear in the next few days!
The next day, the sun was shining so we decided to make the most of it.Stepping out over the lunchtime period, we expected the town to be bustling, but it was 'ghostly' quiet…maybe this is how they celebrate Halloween?!For a big city, the down area is surprisingly compact and it had a much more relaxed atmosphere when compared to San Francisco.The weather was better as well and we enjoyed a pleasant walk down to the convention centre and along the oceanside.We had packed a picnic of smoked salmon sandwiches and we enjoyed these sat on the well-kept grassland…all very pleasant.After this we walked the length of the harbour and found ourselves alongside the 'US Midway'.This is a retired US navy carrier, which is open to the public for guided tours etc.Posing as students we managed a discount and entered aboard the impressive gantry to the ship.We picked up the free audio set and started our tour along the impressive interior.It was great to see the full workings of such a feat of engineering, but we hadn't fully grasped the scale of the ship…it was massive!So big in fact, that we had to cut the tour short, otherwise we would have spent the night finishing it!We did find time to see the aircraft exhibition and the control tower, which rounded off an impressive visit.After a long day's sightseeing, we treated ourselves to a meal at the nearby 'Old Spaghetti Factory'.We had visited one of these chains in Banff (Canada) and the food was equally good this time out and the value for money well received for a pair of 'student' travellers!
The next day involved my beloved trip to the hairdressers, which would become infinitively more difficult as Melissa needed highlights in her hair!Alas, why would we entertain the possibility of going two minutes down the road to the local barbers when we could travel half way across town (via taxi) to a totally random location?!I'm only joking; there was method to the madness, as the particular salon stocked the appropriate brand of colour treatment that Melissa required.Upon arrival, we located the salon and checked in for the pre-booked appointment.I was along for the ride, but it seemed like good timing to get my barnet snipped by a modern professional, rather than the amateur who savaged my locks in Kelowna.However, I really hadn't prepared myself for the social awkwardness that ensued thereafter.Moments later, I was ordered to strip to my under crackers and pop on a skimpy gown to cover my modesty…is this a haircut or semi naked photo shoot?! After surfacing from the closet, I was introduced to the only man in the salon who would be taking care of me personally.Quite comfortable with my sexuality, this wasn't an issue initially, but it soon became one very shortly!Now, in a posh San Diego salon it would appear that you get more than a haircut and you get a few extras thrown in.Like the film 'Fight Club', the first rule of the 'hair club (salon)' is that you don't refuse any extras…you're getting something whether you want it or not!Therefore when my options of a head massage, a facial and a hand treatment/massage were read out (you must choose two) it put me in an interesting spot!I promptly opted for the head massage and facial, to reduce the evidence that any of this ever happened to me (pink nails would have been a giveaway!).Decisions made, I was immediately marched to the vacant sink in the back and the proceedings began.The massage was suitably intense and I found that closing my eyes during the whole ordeal helped ease my conscious somewhat.After the chap had finished vigorously caressing my bonce, he moved swiftly onto the 'facial' without any further prompting….no escape then, even if I wanted to run!The next 15 minutes shall remain engrained on my memory forever….for all the wrong reasons!Never before have I had my eyelids massaged, lemon scented liquid drizzled on my forehead (I really hope it was lemon!) or felt the claustrophobic wrath that a pair of cucumber slices can impose when placed over closed eyes!After all this, I didn't really give a hoot about my haircut and the conversation became increasingly light!After finishing, I escaped from the salon for a coffee to gather my dignity and had some fun explaining it all to less than sympathetic Melissa later on!To take my mind off things, I booked us in for a 'surprise meal' at an exclusive restaurant later on.After getting into our posh frocks, we headed back out in the taxi to go to the mystery location!We dined at 'Bertrander and Mister A's' on the edge of town and apart from the comedy name, this is a great restaurant with a superb view.It sits on one of the top floors of one of the financial buildings and you can watch planes flying past the window whilst gazing out over the bright lights of the city.
The next day involved a slight hangover, a lazy lie in and some general admin for our next leg of the trip.Unfortunately my chest infection hadn't cleared up, so reluctantly we went to a local clinic.Despite paying over the odds, I did get seen quickly and left with some antibiotics in hand.Despite feeling sorry for myself, we had something to look forward to in the evening, as we would be going out with an ex-Pfizerite (Dave) and his wife (Sylvia).We had a great evening chatting the night away at a local Mexican restaurant, although we had a slight overage of guacamole!
The following day we checked out and made our way to the train station to catch the 'Coaster' train to visit friends Sarah and Shawn in a suburb called Carlsbad.All went well, until we managed to miss the train after getting over engaged in a conversation with another fellow traveller!Unfortunately this meant that we missed the sunset on the train and the beautiful scenery that this coastal trip offers up.However, we did arrive to a very friendly greeting at the station and after a cold 'local' beer, everything seemed better!Sarah currently works for Pfizer in La Jolla (nr San Diego), but used to be based at Sandwich back in the day!Her and husband Shawn were very welcoming hosts and their apartment near the beachfront was an amazing retreat.The evening ended with a Jamie Oliver home cooked mushroom risotto and smiles all-round!
The rains cleared when we woke in the morning and we all found time for a walk to beach.After coming from the downtown area, it was literally a 'breath of fresh air' to experience the sun, surf and friendly vibe that this place has to offer.There was also some exciting news to celebrate, as Sarah is 5 months pregnant and a new arrival is expected next March! Later that day, we joined Sarah and Shawn in what is probably a golden moment of any prospective parent - the buying of the pram!As we were picking this up from the local Nordstrom, Melissa made sure that I endured my fair share of shoe shopping!Interestingly the shop floor followed the same pattern as a shop in San Francisco, as NATO has clearly switched this to a primary target, after Afghanistan.Suspecting a recent bomb detonation, shoes were sprayed on the floor and frantic women were running around desperately trying on shoes before the next attack!However, the young male assistants had it all under control and they seemed to be genetically linked by identical haircuts and a token earring in their right lobes!After this experience, we all headed out to 'Pizza Port' for beers and you guessed it - 'pizza'!I really liked the relaxed vibe about this place, takeaway pizza counter, microbrewery and picnic benches set up inside so you could enjoy the experience.
The next few days were pretty lazy, but allowed us plenty of time to plan our next leg to Fiji.We found time to pop out and visit yet another Pfizer colleague (Mike) and his family in a beautiful housing estate across town.We were greeted by friendly smiles and a meal of 'fish taco's', which is a local delicacy over there and something that I had been after sampling for some time.What better way to do this than with great company and relaxing surroundings.It was great to catch up and get some great insider tips on the local tourist attractions (thanks guys!).
As our kind hosts (Sarah and Shawn) had cooked us some great meals themselves, we decided to repay the favour in part by cooking them a couple of meals.The 'Wholefood' shops were outstanding over there and despite been pretty costly, they have some great produce.However, if you have read the San Francisco blog, you will realise that 'sarcasm' is not tolerated/understood, so choose your quips wisely if attempting to crack a joke!Despite some misunderstandings at the fish and diary counters, we returned with the ingredients to make our 'fennel trout bake' and the old faithful 'pasta and crouton bake' for the following day!
On our last day in the area, we travelled across to the 'San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park' after some recommendations + free pass coupons that Mike and Heather kindly gave us.This is different to the San Diego Zoo, which we unfortunately didn't get time to do this time out, but more of a safari experience.We had a great day there and saw just about everything from giraffes to rhinos, along with the star of the show - 'the cheetah'.Not only did we see one prowling around the grass, we also witnessed the 'cheetah run', which as the name suggests involves a cheetah running!I think this will be the one and only time that I will witness this and it was pretty awe inspiring.At top speed they can hit 70 mph, which is hard to comprehend…until you see it in action.Along a 100 meter sprint, the fastest human will do it just under 10 seconds and at this exhibition they let a dog run the gauntlet first and it completed it in 10.52 seconds.However when the cheetah hit the track, it nailed it in just over 5 seconds which is phenomenal!Check out the video to get the full effect here!After this excitement, we found time to stop at the 'Stone Brewery', which is the local brew-house making the beers that I had been kindly drinking from Shawn.This is a great little microbrewery and their stoned garden setting, with waterfalls made it a very relaxing place to stop for a quiet drink.
The next day, we embarked on our onward travel to the LA airport to catch a flight to Fiji (more on that in the next blog).However, I will conclude in saying that we really enjoyed our time in San Diego and more notably Carlsbad.Great weather, great atmosphere and great friends….we will be back ;-)
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