Wednesday, 2 May 2018
I’m travelling the entire route of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Much of the seven-and-a-half-hour trip takes us along central and southern California’s coastline where the track often runs mere metres from the edge of the sand cliffs above the beaches. Approaching Santa Barbara I can see the Channel Islands in the distance and almost wish I could have sailed here on my way south. I am surprised to see nearly a dozen oil platforms in these waters, having assumed those are a fixture of the North Atlantic only. Then a group of low-flying fighter jets approach along the shore… ah, no, they are silent, ghostlike — a squadron of brown pelicans in perfect formation.
I can see why early explorers from Spain felt at home here, so similar is the landscape to what I have seen on my train travels on the Iberian peninsula — sandy soil with shrubs, rather than large trees, clinging to the parched earth.
A few days ago, when I found out that my boat journey was to end in Morro Bay, I spent many hours trying to find suitable accommodation in San Diego, from hotels to couch-surfing contacts, from bed-and-breakfast homes to vacation rental suites. On my recent travels in Europe I never attempted to stay in hostels, but this time I find a place that intrigues me — funky, colourful Adventure Hostel in the downtown quarter of Little Italy. Here I am lodged in the five-bed attic room of the Farm House, a building set aside from the main hostel. It features a vegetable garden, chicken coop and, for hardy souls, an outside shower!
Mornings I take advantage of the simple continental breakfast included in the price of accommodation, and at night I socialize with my youthful fellow travellers at hamburger barbecues or for next-day planning chats in the common area. Although the hostel offers several other social events, such as beach hikes, walking tours, boat trips, and pub crawls, during the daytime I strike out on my own.
Thursday, 3 May 2018
Wherever one travels, there are always must-see attractions, such as the Monterey Aquarium or the San Diego Zoo, that come with a hefty price tag. But I usually travel on a budget and therefore also search out free experiences that aren’t always on many tourists’ radars. This day I begin with a stroll across the more-than-a-century-old Spruce Street suspension foot bridge spanning Spruce Canyon and follow that with huge and hugely popular Balboa Park with is gardens, museums (although most aren’t free) and zoo. The latter is truly in a beautiful setting, and it stresses its dedication to wildlife conservation and preservation at every turn, but I can’t help feel that some animals such as the big cats pacing behind thick glass wish they could trade places with us on the other side. For we can leave here and roam the country at will.
Friday, 4 May 2018
A short trolley ride from the centre of the city is Old Town, a historic theme park with restored buildings acting now as museums that line a large central plaza. The displays show visitors what private and business life was like in San Diego from the early 1800s Mexican colonial days to the US American period later that century. I particularly enjoy Casa de Estudillo in the centre of the plaza with its adobe brick buildings surrounding a garden. The Seeley Stables Museum is fascinating, too, as it has displays of all sorts of wagons—from ox carts to stage coaches—and detailed descriptions on how they were operated. If the stone and bleached wood buildings look somewhat drab, the Fiesta de Reyes compound shows off all the splendid colours of a Mexican marketplace, with shops surrounding yet another square of open-air restaurants with the tempting aroma of corn tortillas at every step.
I top off the day with a bus ride to the communities of Pacific Beach and tony La Jolla before returning to the hostel for an early night’s rest.
Saturday, 5 May 2018
My short visit to southern California comes to an end in the early morning hours of Cinco de Mayo. I take the short bus ride to the airport for the trip home via San Francisco to Victoria, British Columbia. The weather which, I am told, had been unseasonably cool during my absence, has suddenly turned for the better. Now that I’ve travelled off the west coast of the USA in calm and rough waters I look forward to returning to my job as Victoria Harbour Ferry skipper and a mild spring and summer in the protected waters of my hometown. To those who have followed this travel blog I say, “If you live in (or visit) this city, look me up and come for a ride!”
Photos: 1.) Arriving at the train station in downtown San Diego; 2.) barbecue time on the ITH Adventure Hostel patio; 3.) Spruce Street suspension bridge; 4.) the cruise ship Disney Wonder contrasts with old square riggers Star of India and other tall ships; 5.) Crystal Pier off the Pacific Beach boardwalk; 6.) déjà vu… Strait of Juan de Fuca with Cape Flattery and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
