Los Angeles

 

My friend Noel met me on my arrival in Los Angeles and we went for a walk around an industrial but arty part of the city with lots of street art and galleries.  Then we went to Downtown, the city centre, to a hotel bar for a view of the city and to join in a Oktoberfest celebration.  In the evening we drove to Noel’s cousin Jacqueline’s house in Orange County.  On the way we stopped off at Radical Botanicals juice shop in Santa Ana which does juice cleanses and amazing juice products in general.  I had a detoxing juice Green Blast and a powerful spicy shot!  All the ingredients are organic and the juices are made fresh onsite…yum!  We also stopped by Disney downtown to look at all things Disney related but at $100 dollars for the entry and my back hurting a lot, we didn’t go inside.  When we arrived at Jacqueline’s house we ate the delicious dinner she’d left out for us and went to sleep.

The next day we went for dim sum in the Asian area of town.  There are lots of micro communities in Los Angeles with areas of restaurants related to that culture.  It was really delicious food and we had a great time chatting.  After Jacqueline very kindly offered me a cupping treatment to help with my back and my fingers which hadn’t been functioning for over 3 weeks at that point!  The sensation is a little strange at first but once she put a few cups on my back I felt a release of tension and complete relaxation.  Jacqueline’s treatment room is so relaxing I fell asleep and afterwards I felt amazing!  For more details about her treatments contact Jacqueline De Regla.

In the evening we went to Hollywood, took the obligatory photo of the Hollywood sign and wandered round the streets filled with Hollywood stars names and strange street performers!  We drove on to Venice for Mexican food at Chipotle and to stay with Noel’s friends Matt and Janna.

The next day Noel and I went on a bike ride and stopped off for breakfast in a lovely place.  Then we rode back and I went to Venice Beach with Janna while Noel had a nap.  When he woke up we went for a walk along the promenade of Venice, with all the many characters selling heir wares or performing.  We saw Muscle beach where all the bodybuilders hang out too.  Janna had even seen Arnold Schwarznegger working out in the gym the day before.  We ended up walking all the way to Santa Monica and watching a beautiful sunset.  Then we all went out for a lovely meal in the evening before we went to live music venue Zanibar for their Luminous Movement night to watch a great band, had a few drinks and danced all night long!

The next day we went to Wholefoods supermarket where I was in ethical and health product heaven and bought a lot of palm oil free products!  Then we went onto Santa Monica pier where we saw a sealion trying to catch the fisherman’s bait and a sign that showed the end of the famous Route 66.  Then it was time for Noel to take me to the airport and on the way we stopped off at a drive-thru donut place that was used as inspiration in The Simpsons!

Big thanks to Noel for being such a fabulous Los Angeles host!

San Diego

 

I arrived after an 11 hour train journey to LA and then a 2 hour train to sunny San Diego. My friend Noel had put me in touch with his friend Max from Dan Diego.  Max advised me to head to the Old Town so I went to a hotel in the main plaza who kindly allowed me to store my backpack.  I got changed and freshened up in the hotel toilets and then went on a free tour of the area to learn about historical San Diego.  It was really hot and sunny so afterwards I climbed up Presidio Hill for a view of the city.  The city is very spread out and on the coast, only about 30 minutes drive from the border of Mexico.

Give it’s proximity to Mexico, the Mexican food in the city is amazing.  I headed to a restaurant that Max recommended, Casa Guadalajara which did $4 margaritas with a free buffet of nachos and quesadillas and chatted to some locals until Max finished work!

Max picked me up and we headed to Ocean Beach for a beautiful sunset stroll on the pier.  There was even pelicans hanging out on the end!  Then we went for food in a restaurant called South Beach for Mahi Mahi tacos. After we went to brewery bar Culture Brewing Co. Craft beer is a big thing in San Diego with many bars having their own brewery and most having a large variety of beers on tap and offering taster options.  I tried quite a few different flavoured beers while I was there like chilli and lemongrass and even salted caramel!  We tried to help a homeless man who asked us for food.  We went and chose a good selection for him from the shop but when we came back he was gone, with a large pile of burger cartons in his place!  Max took me for a spin around the city to see the Gaslamp area and Little Venice where there are lots of bars and restaurants.

The next day we started at Torrey Pines Gliderport where we went for a walk on Blacks Beach, which turned out to be a nudist beach!  There was giant seaweed washed ashore like I’d never seen before.  Then we went to La Jolla which is a lovely little coastal town.  We walked along the coast and saw a seal sunbathing on the beach as well as a variety of sea birds.  There was a lady fishing and she’d caught a small shark.  She was cutting it’s head off and eating it for dinner that night.  Max showed me some beautiful tide pools that he’d taken some amazing professional photos of previously.  If you would like to see some his shots he is at Max Vuong Photography.

In the afternoon we went to Max’s friends Yakitori party which was like mini barbeques and skewers. we stopped off on root to buy a ton of fish and vegetables from the Asian supermarket H-Mart which all kinds of weird and wonderful things, some of which were unfortunately still alive! The weather was scorching and Max’s friends were really welcoming which made for a great afternoon.  After we went to a couple of breweries in North Park, Tiger Tiger and Belching Beaver.

Sunday started with brunch for a friend of Max’s birthday at Great Maple.  The food was absolutely delicious but the portions were so big that we shared a dish!  After we went for a walk through Hillcrest farmers market, tasting delicious samples along the way and listening to the fab band that were playing.  It was so hot on this day so after a while we were just itching to get to the beach so we headed to Coronado.  We looked at the famous Hotel Coronado, hunted down some gelato (this was very important at this stage!) and then went to the beach.  After a little swim I fell asleep for what seemed like a long time but probably wasn’t!

We drive back over the bridge and saw a great view of the city centre and stopped at Seaport Village.  It’s quite difficult to park your car in San Diego but Max to always strike lucky!  We walked along, finding a cupcake from some contenders of Cupcake Wars on the way until we reached the Unconditional Surrender statue outside the naval base.  The statue is of a nurse being kissed by an officer who has just returned from war.  It is beautiful especially with the sun setting behind it as well. We walked back and then drove to Ballast Point in Little Italy where Max introduced me to one of his favourite drinks, ‘Calm Before the Storm’.  To finish off a perfect weekend we went for Vietnamese food where Max showed me crepe which is kind of like an omelette/pancake with a filling and optional herbs and vegetables and caramelised catfish.

Monday morning Max dropped me off at the Greyhound bus station to get the bus to Los Angeles.  I hope I’ll be visiting San Diego and Max again very soon as I had such a great time!

The Grand Canyon and Flagstaff

The 5 hour Greyhound bus journey from Las Vegas to Flagstaff was interesting in itself!  There were quite a lot of mentally unstable people on there, one lady talking to herself and saying some highly disturbing things for the entire journey!  I got a little nervous as we past the Pro Gun Club in the desert!  The bus was very uncomfortable and we stopped at a disgusting service station for a 20 minute lunch.  I had arranged to meet Holly, Daniel’s mum that I’d met in Lake Tahoe at the bus station.  Luckily I had an American number so I could contact her on arrival.  She welcomed me and took me into the centre of Flagstaff where she and her husband have a lovely glass-blowing shop called Fire on the Mountain.  I looked around the town until she finished work.  Flagstaff is a quaint little town with a hippy vibe.  Lots of art, alternative therapies and products, vintage clothes and organic food.  I loved it!  In the evening I went back to Holly’s house which was beautiful.  I helped her little grandson with his homework while she made a wonderful healthy dinner with things from her garden.  She gave me some natural remedies for my back and neck and to boost my immune system which I needed!

The next day Holly took me up to Walnut Canyon where I hiked in gorgeous sunshine.  It was beautiful and I learned a lot about the history of the indigenous people of the area including the Hopi people.  There were many wild flowers and over-hanging cliff cave dwellings to explore.  On the way back Holly came with her littlest grandson and we went to find Picture Canyon but after searching a while we couldn’t find it.  Holly has been trying to find it for years so it was a mystery!

The next day I said goodbye to Holly and went on a hiking tour of the Grand Canyon with the Grand Canyon International Hostel.  The scenery on the way to the canyon was amazing and the guide Dillon was full of information about the area and the canyon.  We even saw a family of Elk on the way in!  When I first saw the canyon at Yavapai Point, it took my breathe away it was so beautiful.  I have been to bigger canyons this year but none quite as colourful as this.  After a quick stop at the geology museum, we walked along the Trail of Time round the south rim and stopped for lunch at Grand Canyon Village outside a Hopi  and watched some traditional Navajo (Dine) dances including the amazing hoop dance.  Then we drove further round the canyon and hiked down inside the South Kaibab Trail, avoiding squirrels with the plague along the way!  As the day went on, the colours became even more vivid.  We reached an amazing look out point called ‘the diving board’ where I sat right on the edge and it felt like I was on top of the world!  Then we made our way back up and went to the Desert View Watch Tower on the way back for another amazing view.  On the way back we stopped at Little Colorado river gorge which is part of the Navajo Reservation and the Painted Desert. This was so peaceful with only a couple of indigenous people trying to sell their products by the roadside.  On the journey back we saw the sunset over the desert which was spectacular.  I felt so peaceful and satisfied after an amazing experience at the Grand Canyon.  I had an hour to spare before my Amtrak train was due at the station 5 minutes away from the hostel so I stocked up on snacks and had a shower ready to go.  Such an amazing day!

Grand Canyon International Hostel, Flagstaff, Arizona.  Tel: 1-928-779-9421  $20 dorm beds including breakfast and great hiking tours of the Grand Canyon.

Las Vegas!

Now, on paper Vegas is my idea of hell!  It’s a completely manmade affair in the middle of a desert with high rise hotels and gambling being the main attraction.  But I am the curious type who wanted to go and see for myself as usual!

I flew into the airport  on September 11th so I thought security would be high but it was fine.  I laughed at the slot machines in the baggage collection area and grabbed a shuttle to the hotel which is not far but with all the many hotels and one way road system, takes ages!  I was meeting Ciara at The Westin on the main strip.  I was feeling very ill with flu and was hoping Ciara wanted a night in….of course she didn’t, it was Friday night in Vegas baby!  So I had a little power nap and Ciara brought up dinner in bed from the hotel restaurant, got a beer down me and soldiered on!  We went out to Hakkasan nightclub at MGM Grand where we hung out in the DJ booth and got drunk in style!

Despite being out until the early hours of Saturday morning, I was actually feeling a lot better, see I knew partying was good for you!  The next day we relaxed in the hotel pool and went down for the hour of free food and drink!  then we got glammed up again and headed to out to see the fountain show at the Bellagio and look around there.  We were soon offered free entry and drinks to go to Hyde nightclub which we took advantage of before heading to Omnia at Ceasar’s Palace to see Ciara’s friend DJ.

After another heavy night partying we were really suffering on the Sunday and decided to have a lot of sleep and down time!  People had told me that 3 days is enough in Vegas and they were right.  I’d had enough of tall buildings, clubs, VIP lounges and hotels where you can never find the exit!  After a quick go at gambling the next day where I lost all my money ($15) on the roulette table, I got an early morning bus to Flagstaff, Arizona.  I wanted to see real trees instead of plastic ones.

Sierra Hot Springs and Lake Tahoe

After Burning Man we were all partied out and I definitely needed some relaxing down time.  We headed to Sierra Hot Springs as my friend Jon had recommended them.  We stayed nearby in the forest and I slept in the back of Sammy’s car which was actually quite comfortable.  The next day a few of us headed to the hot springs and some continued on to Lake Tahoe.  The Sierra hot springs were absolute bliss.  There were a few pools of varying temperatures and a sauna set in nature or in beautiful temple like spaces.  They were full of naked hippies from Burning Man.  In fact, it was more the vibe I expected at Burning Man than the actual festival was!  It was heaven and we all felt totally relaxed by the time we left and we floated along to the little village nearby Sierraville which looked straight out of an old American film.  We headed to the Mexican Los Dos Hermanos for authentic, delicious food and lots of laughter.  Then we drove onto Lake Tahoe, singing along to the radio, laughing and sleeping (Sammy!) and mainly being totally relaxed!  We arrived in Tahoe in time for a swim out to the rocks and the most gorgeous sunset before heading off to a restaurant for dinner.  The restaurant let us stay in the car park for the night too!

In the morning, the others had to leave early but Sammy and I woke up in the car a bit blurry eyed and headed back into Lake Tahoe.  We had breakfast in a café and then hired some kayaks on the lake.  We explored on our own and saw lovely beaches, gorgeous pine tree lake scenery and houses that looked like they were from Dawson’s Creek!  On our way back the guy who hired us the kayaks, Justin, was with his 2 friends Danimal and Red fox who’d come straight from Burning Man as well and invited us along with them.  We kayaked further round the lake and landed on a private beach where the sand was literally golden in the water!  We had a go paddle boarding and chatted before we headed back to enjoy the most amazing sandwich of our lives in an organic place they recommended.  We didn’t want to leave!

Los Dos Hermanos, 101 Battelle Street, Sierraville, CA 96126.         Tel: 530-1058

Burning Man

Lots of people want to give their very opinionated opinion on what Burning Man is or is not so before I give mine please remember that Burning Man, like everything else in life, is what you make of it. It’s what you want it to be and the particular experience you have, therefore it will be different for everyone.

But here is my humble opinion: Burning Man is a festival.  Others may say it’s a community, an example of another way life could be, an adults playground, an utopia, a hippy gathering, a week long party, an Arts event and the list goes on.  The only way you’re possibly going to know what it is for you is to go and find out.  I had wanted to go for years.  I heard the rumours and the legends on my travels from about 6 years ago and I just knew I had to go and find out for myself.

The setting:  The Nevada Desert.  Sorry, that made it sound easy, let me rephrase that:  The dry, boiling hot by day, freezing cold at night with high winds sweeping dust clouds around so you cannot see a metre in front of you Nevada Desert. The dust is crazy.  It’s not like normal dust, it’s alkaline and dries up everything including your feet, eyes, nose and any other exposed body part!  And it get’s everywhere, nowhere is safe! Even if you keep things sealed, it finds a way inside. It finds it’s way into places you didn’t even know existed!

Anyway, after a whole day ‘pulsing’ on the hot tarmac in our U-Haul removal van, we arrived in time for our first sunset on the playa and were rewarded by an ice cold beer gifted by a guy who wanted me to move the van 2 metres up so he could watch the sunset from his deck chair while we parked!  8:30 Illusion was our destination after some space negotiating.  The city is based on a clock face going from 2 o’clock to 10 0’clock with the man in the middle.  Esplanade is the name of the camps around the centre circle and then the streets are alphabetical A to L with fun names which help you to remember them such as Hanky Pank or Geek.

The effort, the planning, the obstacles, the weather conditions and everything that make it a nightmare to attend Burning Man are in actual fact part of the festival.  Many people will tell you this along the way but you won’t understand until you are there, living it.  My theory usually is, if something’s difficult then it’s probably worth doing and this is correct for Burning Man although you will question at various points whether it is all worth it.  The answer: of course it is! Everything is always worth it. Everything is experience and whatever your experience is, it is everything.

Getting there:  We all arrived in Reno on the Friday evening, stayed in an art community place just outside the city and the next day collected the van, went to pick up bikes, shopping for food and any last minute bits in Walmart and Saturday night we camped in a 24 hour Walmart using their facilities.  Then on Sunday morning we began the long journey to Burning Man, past Gerlach and into Black Rock Desert.

Our setup:  Many people have asked me advice about this already so to save me explaining it many times here we go!  In our group of 17, there were 2 RVs, 1 U-Haul removal van and one large car.  We parked in a rectangle formation and fashioned a parachute to act as shade over all vehicles and the centre of our camp.  This was a very small space for 17 people!  The car and van people also had small tents to store clothes in which acted like a wardrobe.

The U-haul was cheap, easy to clean but freezing at night.  The daytime temperature was fine.  To get in and out you need to open the whole truck which obviously is not great in a dust storm.  We put a large airbed in the back to sleep on.  It was not particularly comfortable but weighing it up, I feel still it was better than the stress of the RV costs etc.  With the 2 RVs at their capacity, it was also useful for putting the whole group’s bikes in for transporting.  NOTE: Triple check your booking! On arrival we were told they only had a van 2 sizes bigger and in another city for us despite booking a month in advance!

I naively thought that everyone attending the festival would be going for similar reasons to me and would be very keen to uphold the 10 principles of the community there.  In actual fact it was more of an average cross section of human life, ranging from absolutely amazing conscious, caring, giving people to people who just wanted to party and didn’t care about much else! The 10 principles are in my opinion are what Burning Man, and in fact life is about!

Before I went to Burning Man so many people told me how life changing it is.  Yes, if you have never considered the 10 principles as concepts in your life, then maybe it is a revelation. But in all honesty, many of the principles I strive to practise in my everyday life already and so should everyone.  The world would be a more beautiful place if we did. Basically it promotes inclusion, giving for the sake of giving, moving away from commercialism (a difficult one in these times but important), independence, expression, participating in your local community, responsibility, leave no trace and not harming the environment and connecting with the world and others.

I cannot explain every event that happened on playa so I will write a list of words for my memories (my camera broke in the first half hour there!) and if you are particularly interested in a topic, you can ask me in person!

Welcome home arrival, camp confusion, deep playa, Grandma and Becky, phone to God, wobbly bridge, el wire, night time lights, art car riding, golf buggy, Tutu Tuesday – girls, teddy bear castle, human carwash, eye tattoos, Playa Pops, temple, sunrise, dust storms, future father-in-law, Barmitzah invite, tequila, centre camp, the man maze, inside the man’s mind, goggles, dust masks, amazing 2 camps we danced at all night, Paul and Cuba, portaloo art car, moon cheese, sunset, sunrise, bunny march, giant hammock sunset – Lovely Day, Burner wedding, curry dinner, sunrise, yoga, crazy dust day, Becky’s wedding, OK rising out of the dust, completely lost in dust storm,Celtic castle, Thunder dome, Barbarella party, silver spacesuit, freezing cold, Hannah and Steve n co, giant hammock sunrise, the man burn, fireworks, psychedelic lights, fire dancers, bike drama, robot onesie, laughing, teddy bears, fire, smores, Noel, the eagle rose again,  Pink Mammouth, temple burn, walking round ashes with Ciara, chanting, 80’s classics at Planet Earth, long day leaving!  Phew! And that’s only some of it!

For everything Burning Man is and isn’t, for all the effort, the dust and the cold, it is still ridiculous amounts of fun! And there’s no doubting one thing: it is the best festival in the world.

San Francisco

After connecting through Los Angeles with American Airlines I landed in San Francisco where I booked a Super Shuttles transfer delivering me to my wonderful friend Jon’s door in for $17.  Even though Jon is actually from Essex, I’m pretty sure he’s as SF as they come and is even beginning to sound like it!  He greeted me with an avocado and we had a big catch up.

The next day I was feeling a little jetlagged but I wasn’t goong to let that stop me!  Jon took me to Eddie’s diner for brunch which was authentic American breakfast cuisine including ‘biscuits’ which are crossed between bread and cake, a bit like scones but lighter.  I loved the old fashioned diner style and the fact all the mugs were completely different novelty mugs.  After we headed into town via a famous viewpoint on the bus.  Jon gave me a bus card and helped me buy an American SIM card on route so we could stay in touch while I was there.  Then he went to work and I began exploring the city centre.  The weather was hot and sunny which is apparently not normal for that time of year when it is often foggy and cold.  I went to sunbathe and rest in a small park for a while as I felt faint from jetlag.  Then I ventured down to the ferry port, walked along until I got to the Presidio area where I decided to walk up the steep roads to go up the Coit Tower.  There was a 30 minute queue but I wanted a view of the city to get my bearings. After I walked back through China Town with it’s smelly stalls full of things I’d never seen for sale in my life before, including some that were still alive.  In the evening Jon took me to Lower Haight to one of his favourite bars where everyone was very friendly and to Haight street to look at vintage shops and hipsters!  Then he took me out in his local area for some sushi in an amazing restaurant.  We had oysters for starters and plenty of sake!

The next day I went in the car with some of the group over from London to Muirwoods.  We drove over the Golden Gate bridge onto some beautiful forests.  We eventually stopped in the main entrance and took a trail path up a hill.  The trails are not always clearly signposted but it is clear where the exit is.  The trees were gigantic and many different rich colours.  After a day hiking we stopped at Chrissie Field for a view of sunset behind the famous bridge which was gorgeous.  We saw a sealion who was waiting for the fisherman’s catch along the pier.  In the evening I was exhausted so Jon took me to get a burrito from one of his favourite local places which was delicious.

On Thursday I went to meet Hannah and Steve on Haight street where we had lunch with their friend Laura and then headed to Ocean Beach which is as far as the eye can see white sandy beach and cold surfing waves.  After a splash about on the sea and some sunbathing I headed on the tram across the city to meet Jon so we could take some orders back to his house.  Then we walked to sunset district and tried to get a beer except I forgot my ID and they can be very strict at enforcing everyone is over 21! We went for Vietnamese Pho and then back to grab my ID before we headed to The Castro which is the gay district.  There’s a few bars and everything is very gay friendly including the  coloured rainbow zebra crossing and interesting shaped cookies!  We walked past a cool record store and onto the Martini bar.   Here they serve many different types of martini cocktails whilst you sit around a piano listening to a very entertaining gentleman play and sing.  His song choice ranging from jazz to pop.

My last day in SF before I headed off to Burning Man I spent in the Golden Gate Park which is massive.  I walked around about half of the park before getting too hot and heading back to Jon’s to wait for Sammy to head for Reno that evening

.

This group asked me to judge them singing a song for some kind of competition with another team… they sang Baby Got Back!

Burning Man First Steps

I know a lot of people who are now planning to go to the Burning Man festival in the future so I thought I document my experiences (or those that can be documented anyway!)  One of the main points of the festival is that you have to be self-sufficient. There is no food or drink to buy, in fact there is nothing at all to buy apart from ice.  Here are 10 basics to get you started:

1. Getting a ticket:  I tried to get a ticket when they went on sale with 3 of us trying with 3 different devices.  I was put in a queue and then after over an hour it said they were sold out.  2nd attempt was to join the STEP program which sells tickets in queue order (so you need to do that quick when it becomes available) .  No luck there and I joined within 5 seconds!  Eventually some friends of mine who did have tickets managed to find me one as someone in their group pulled out. (Luckily!)  I think this is more common in Europe when people suddenly realise how much it will cost/how long it will take and can’t get time off work etc.
2. How will you get there, where will you sleep and who with?  Aswell as a flight to San Francisco, Reno or possibly Los Angeles you will need to get to the desert location of Black Rock City.  Luckily 2 other friends had not organised transportation yet so I joined up with them and we have hired a uhaul removal van! (I will let you know how that goes afterwards!) Other options include car and tents or a big expensive RV for a little luxury!
3. VISA! You need an American ESTA visa to enter the country up to 90 days.
4. You need a bike!  You can hire/buy from Walmart or other shop but needs to be organised in advance.
5. Outfits:  It’s extreme temperature change in the desert. i.e. very hot in the day and cold at night so you need to dress for both and attempt to look good at the same time!
6. There are rules!  Don’t forget to read information about Burning Man as there are some strict rules to follow.  E.g. A no trace policy, no dirty water on desert allowed etc.
7. Strange terminology!  There’s lots of new words and terms to learn such as MOOP, grey water etc.  That’s on top of American abbreviations and words! It took me a good while to work out that a genny is a generator!
8. Food and drink:  It’s a week long so this is important, A gallon of water per day is the recommendation.  How you keep food cool/heat it up is also an issue to consider.
9. What will you give?  The custom is to ‘gift’ at Burning Man.  This can be anything given without expecting something in return or it is exchange!  I am gifting 55 handmade Burning Man limited edition pegs all with different positive messages on and hugs.
10. Remember that everything you buy/take with you also needs to be found a home afterwards!

I will be writing more of these Burning Man posts and talking more about what the festival actually is/where it is etc later on.  Here’s an extensive Burning Man packing list you might need!