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Just gonna give an overview of my time in California as it feels like a lifetime ago now.
Yosemite park was stunning but because it was summer hardly any water in the park. It mean't only one water fall was flowing and the river was super low. I saw a few deer but no bear. The flys were so annoying!
Only managed a few short walks due to the crappy tour I did that made it damn impossible to get a long walk in without being stranded in the park at night. So a bit annoyed by that.
After a few days in the park I went back to San Fran and seemed to get suck there for a while. This is about the time I was getting frustrated with America. Everything was just awkward, like transport or booking hostels.
I did take a day trip to Santa cruz which gave me my first beach day and it was lovely.
Eventually I discovered the train and this dominated my California travel.
I went to San luis obispo - nice place but not a lot to do. Too many churches for my liking.
Then on to Santa Barbara. Maybe it was due to the hostel I stayed in but I thought it was generally a bit of a dive.
The hostel was right near the beach and the railway station plus was cheap. This obviously meant that the staff could be a s***ty as they want and the place could be as shoddy as they like because no other choice.
Again not a huge amount to do and the beach was full of homeless folk.
Did have a few good vintage shops were I picked up a lovely purple corduroy jacket!
San Diego next which I did like actually. Again way too many homeless for such a wealthy country. It's simply disgusting how America screw over there own people. Anywho, first night I stayed in this YMCA hostel that I found out was full of veterans and was a bit of a halfway house. Wasn't really a hostel. Like the kitchen had no utensils and no food was left in the fridge because proletariat just walked in off the street and stole it.
So met this guy who looked like he was from deliverance. This guy was mr I like to live out in the woods with just a knife and a teapot- so weird but interesting. The guy was shot like three times, which put him in a coma for like five years or something. Then he told me he had a wife and kid but the kid got hit by a car and died then he found out, when they removed the bullet from his head!!! That he had brain tumours and he was undergoing treatment again to get to of the cancer!! This guy was a walking x factor sob story. So strange.
Then I befriended another guy who was in his forties and a veteran. He made me chicken and we drank beer. He then told me he was on all these anti depression meds. He offered to show me round, so I went out at night with this nutter. Who kept saying" can't believe you feel ok about being alone with me!!"
So I was getting a few warning signs here! Before anyone says it I know this was slightly stupid on my part. However we were in public place and we went to the Hilton to have a cocktail and see the view which was great.
He showed me around the streetlamp district - something like that. We salsa danced in this bar that was offering it for free, I was horrible at it so stopped five mins in. Eventually he stopped to talk to some guy so I ditched him and walked rather fast back to the hostel and checked out first thing in the morning!
Next day in a normal hostel- did a nice walking tour on the morning and went out with a normal guy from the east coast to a local bar. Had to hide from him in the hostel too, he was actually really nice but he was drunk and had a beard!
Next day had a beach day and no men, strange or otherwise approached me so it seemed the universe restored itself back to normal thank god!
From San Diego I went to Santa monica- which is by far the weirdest place I've ever been. The freak to normal person ratio was way out of proportion. Most people were on skateboards, or off their faces, or trying to sell you their a rap cd. This is maybe Venice beach specifically, but it was intimidating and I was glad to get out of there. Like " hey baby not too Fast come say hello to me" and " will let you kick my ass for a dollar" just desperate kind of people.
So that was my California times
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