30-11-06 LA to SAN DIAGO

So last night was a good one. was just messing about on the computer in the common room, and ended up talking in a big group of people from all different ends of the world. There were 2 guys from Chile, an Italian Guy. 2 Spanish guys, a girl from alabama, a guy from Germany, and me and another guy from the good old UK. So as you can imagine, it was quite an amazing thing, even just communicating with them. I guess thats one of the things i was looking forward to when coming on this trip, meeting all different kinds of people from different areas of the world. So what was meant to be an early night, as i had to be up for 8, turned out the group sat there talking to 3 am, which wasnt too bad, but enough to make me sleepy when i woke this morning.

I mentioned yesterday about the pancakes, and that i was going to try and eat more than one. well again, i was defeated, i literally could only manage one, and i did try, i started my second, but it wasnt working. So anyway, i got up about 8ish, checked my emails to see if either Ford or sherri (the person ill be staying with in San Diago) had replied. Sherri had, but i hadnt heard from ford, and we are meant to meet up in San D, as we are planning to go up to Yosemite following day. oh well, im sure ill get one later. So i said my goodbyes to everyone after breakfast! was actually a great stay, as i met loads of new faces there, and got a few email addresses, so all in all a good time, and headed off with one of the guys i had met to catch a tube back to union station. He was going to some guitar guys house as he was over here to learn about the ways of life or summit, as he was going to play music in the UK for a living when he got back. Real nice, private school educated guy. So sat now in the station at LA, waiting for my train. wonder how delayed this one will be!!

Ok it wasn't delayed at all, and for the first time on a train i had power! well for the first time on the west coast anyway. This train was only a 2 hour one to take me to San Diego, so got there in no time, especially seen as i slept most of the way. so anyway, i arrived a little after 3. I tried to call our family friends, but for some reason, the cell number they gave me didnt work, and nobody answered the home phone so i just headed to the hostel in downtown to put my bags there. When i got to it, i tried them again, but again to no avail, so i checked in, and went up to my room. For some reason i was feeling really tired today, its not as if it was through lack of sleep as i had had a pretty good nights sleep in the hostel the night before, as well as a little bit on the train. But i just curled up on my bed, and before i knew it, i had fallen asleep and it was 8:30pm,oops. So not much was done that night.

01-12-06 SAN DIEGO

So after a good nights sleep, and not doing a whole lot the night before. i decided today i was going to head over to Balboa Park, to visit the zoo, and see some festival the city puts on every year on the 1st day of December. This would include a trip to the world famous San Diego zoo. As i packed my stuff up, i got speaking to one of the guys in the room, told him my plans, and he asked if he could come along.....why not, the more the merrier hey. So to get to the park, we had to get a local bus from the city centre. We decided to go the "scenic" route, and took a trip through a shopping mall. This shopping mall is so backwards, its untrue. You cannot see it from the outside at all, all thats around the outsides are car parks, and street shops, its not until you get inside the block, that you realise how big it is. Its like a whole village, that if someone didnt tell me was there, i would never had guessed it was a shopping mall. So we took a walk through it anyway.

We got collared by this woman, she did the whole, "do you have two mins". I stupidly said yeah, i reckon we probably have about 3, maybe 3 and a half. She had us there, bearing in mind, the guy who was with me, was a big stocky american/hawaiian guy, both with our hands over this bowl rubbing salts from the dead sea into our hands to make them softer, and moisturised. Then she was telling us about all her products, and pulled out the nail gleamer, or whatever it was she called it. anyway, she got this guys finger and started to give it a file, then a polish, then something else, that at the end made his nail all shiny and smooth. I give her her dew (spelt right?) the products she was selling were pretty good, but i think more geared towards females...just maybe. Benefit was, i was to have smooth baby soft hands for the next two days!! Yeah, so anyway, lesson learnt was to say when someone asks, "do you have a minute", just say, no, sorry!!

Anyway, the bus....yeah the bus, we got it up to the zoo. By now it was about 12 when we entered the zoo, so it was getting pretty warm. I thought this was great, and kind of novel that it was so warm the 1st day of december, but the zoo is amazing, we walked around it, and it took us nearly 5 hours. There's loads to see and do, hence the photos. Which i apologise for as most of them are taken through cages, so it kind of spoils them. But if you ever get chance to go there, def go and see it. After the zoo we went to this Festival thing. didnt quite know what to expect as i only found out it was on from another guy staying in the hostel. If you have ever been to the german market, or wherever it is from, in manchester, think of this, and its about 10 times better. It full of different things from all over the world, so we took a walk down china, india, american, mexican, spanish, german etc. Along the way i got a tri-tip sandwich, which is like a steak sandwich, but you've guessed it, better, and these de-li-ci-ous strawberries on a skewer, dipped in chocolate and dipped in sprinkles! funny name also: Dingleberries.

So by now, it was time for me to head back to the hostel, grab my bag and head down to the station. All the time up to this point, i didnt even know the guys name. Turns out it was Ken, but it was funny that i had spent the whole day with him, and didnt even know his name, it didnt even cross my mind. anyway, i got to the station a little early, so accessed the net, and did my research on Yosemite, as this was out next destination, then waited for ford to turn up. So from there, we got a bus to take us to bakersfield, and then in the cold of 4:55am, we are heading down to Merced, to then get another bus over to Yosemite. Not sure where we are going to stay yet, plus i have also left my sleeping bag at the hostel, which is kinda annoying, as it was pretty much new, so i dont have anything to sleep in. oh well, and its gonna be freezing, but ill let you know how it goes!!