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Hey,
Hope and I arrived in Joshua Tree around midday from Arizona. We pulled up to the park gate and grabbed some maps and park guides and were soon on our way. The drive through there is amazing. The trees and rocks spring out of the sand and create a scene that looks almost alien. It is to this day one of my favorite national parks. On top of being one of the coolest looking, it is probably the least crowded of all the national parks. The stars are also a perk. There are no cities for miles and no trees to obstruct your view. Truly a star gazers paradise.
There was one problem we encountered that was really annoying though. When we arrived to set up our camp site, bees started swarming us. They swarmed my car,my body, my tent, and anything that we brought (even my shoes) I found out later that the place is being over run by killer bees. I was shocked because a few years ago when I came, there were none. It made the experience a bit tough to enjoy. The day before Hope and I arrived, a guy got swarmed by 100 bees and was taken to the hospital near by. There have been numerous complaints at the park and have been forced to shut down several camp sites. The explanation that I got was that because of the drought, the bees are now constantly searching for moisture. That is why they are over running the camp sites. People leave trash, bottles, food and attract the swarms. At night though it cooled off and the bees left us alone. A little dissapointed, Hope and I drove out of Joshua Tree the next morning.
We arrived in Santa Barbara later that day and immediately went to the beach. Staring into the Pacific was amazing. It finally hit us that we crossed the US in its entirety. The water shimmered with dancing sunlight on its surface. The beach was filled with beautiful Californians lazing about on the sand. Boats and jetskis cruised by splashing and creating wakes that eventually reached us on the shore. Hope and I played frisbee on the hot sand as the waves rolled in closer and closer. One throw got away from Hope and I was forced to jump in the water fully dressed.
We soon learned that the Santa Barbara fiesta started the same day we arrived. The fiesta is an annual party that has been taking over the streets in Santa Barbara for years and years. This long standing tradition, (lucky for us) happens in the first week of August every year. State street becomes overrun with energetic mariachi bands who sing for passerbys. The streets are filled with white plaster buildings covered in curved red clay roof tiles with make you feel like you are in a Mexican city all the more. Mexican childern sell painted eggs filled with confetti for quarters on every corner. I learned the hard way that the point of the eggs is to smash them on people's head. They may be freinds or complete strangers. In my case it was a stranger. Either is acceptable during the fiesta.
One night I went out and got sucked into a spontaneous 100 person parade. A tuba player was out playing followed by a trumpeter. Me and some friends I just made began clapping and jumping to the beat behind them as they walked. People began to follow us and join in. After a block, there were 20. After 2 blocks there were 40. Pretty soon we had a about a 100 person parade that dominated the street. Mexican girls with flowers pinned in their hair were dancing in the front of the group making our parade even more magnetic. It was like being in a trance. Everyone was smiling and shouting at the top of their lungs, "viva la fiesta". At one point, someone hoisted me up on their shoulders. I could see the two or three blocks of side walk covered in our drunken parade. I pretended like I was conducting the band with my hands swaying back and forth to the beat.
Santa Barbara is definitely a great spot to check out if you are in the area. Everyone should make it out to the fiesta at least once.
Hassan
PS- Hope and I actually parted ways. She rented a car and headed up the coast to Oregon. Flying solo now. Good bye Hope. It has been a lot of fun so far. Good luck!
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