Ten days in San Diego - Going with the Flow

Time to hit the re-set button

This trip to the States has been coming on a while now, and finally came about as I needed to hit my ‘reset button’ and go and have a much awaited adventure.  

Having fallen in love with Swing Dancing and also desiring to travel where I felt more like one of the locals (ie some kind of westernised culture), I found a cheap flight to LA, then quite quickly found a Blues Dancing workshop in Atlanta, and away I flew!!

Already two weeks in to my trip, this blog post tells of a synchronous flow of events that started when I was fast-tracking (unexpectedly) from Phoenix, my arrival to San Diego Leaving Saturday morning, I began researching on Thursday night.  Knowing no one, I needed to figure out where I would stay once I got there, and what I would do.  Some strange thing was calling me to San Diego … so the plan was to just go with it and see what happened.

Preparations with two days to departure …. 

Step 1 - book the bus
What am I doing?  Why don't you just fly?  But there was a bus that left at 2am in the morning on Saturday morning, and got me in to SD at 10am... stuff it, $60 got me the last web fare, and it was done.

Step 2 - find somewhere to stay. 
First stop www.airbnb.com.   

There's a caravan (funky retro variety) for $48 per night, in a driveway, super central in a funky neighbourhood that looks good... I fire off an email to Lucas and he responds almost instantly.  I also email a woman called Laura, who is a loosely connected friend of a friend from Victoria, about maybe staying with her.  Laura comes back very quickly too, and she sounds wonderful.. So I get back to her and express that maybe I'll save up a stay on her boat in the marina for a treat at the end.  Over the next 24 hours Lucas and I to and fro with some confusing commentary on both sides, and I finally book in four nights in the trailer (caravan in Aussie lingo) … (which will be two nights in one and two nights in another).

Stuff it I think, I'll figure out the rest when I get there.

In the meantime I'd managed to also get myself logged in to www.couchsurfing.com, and after sending off four emails, got one reply, from a couple who would have loved to host me, yet were going travelling the day I arrived, so no could do.  Whilst it didn’t open any doors this time, it got me on the site, and realising the possibilities lying within, so all good.

Step 3 - Find the dancing and make some connections
By now I’ve also sussed out the local swing dancing community via Facebook (joined the relevant groups and posted) and a friend called Danielle, who is Tasmanian also knows SD dancers, and she puts me in contact with Carl.  He gets back to my Facebook email within hours (she's in either Africa or London at the time!!), and lets me know he will greet me at a dance on Sunday evening at Tango del Rey and drive me home.....

Things were flowing and lots was just working out

Overnighting on a the bus again

I was a little hesitant as I arrived at the bus station.  I'd been visiting my lovely friend Bob in Phoenix who very kindly dropped me off, at 1 am in the morning...  I'm like.... why on earth aren't I flying?  This is ridiculous.  It was essentially a bus station full of people who looked like latinos, who (I presume) didn't have the money to travel any other way.  Not a problem in itself, just at that kind of dark hour, in a seedy neighbourhood, I felt out of place.  But you know, what the heck, it's interesting to meet and just be in an interesting and different space.  The couple I chatted to were very friendly.  When I got on the bus, I sat next to a young boy, who wasn't Spanish or English, not sure what he was speaking, his mum and his Dad and brother were in seats nearby as they didn't get to find seats together.  He was very cute, and kept looking up at me to see what I thought about his smartphone that he was playing with.  He didn't really seem to know how to use it, but I think he was checking in to see if I was impressed or not.  He was adorable, and we shared a few connected smiles.My old travel days of travelling the length of South America on night busses kicked straight back in, and with my puffer jacket doubling as a pillow, and thanks to vivid memories of freezing cold air conditioning haunting me, even when it’s hot and balmy outside, I had socks and a woollen wrap as a blanket.  All set.  My sleep habits also returned very joyfully.  Basically, I passed out for the entire eight hours to LA.  I awoke to change buses in Santa Ana, and after basking in the warm sunny morning in between buses, I enjoyed the view out the window all the way marvelling at the pacific coast unravelling as we made our way to SD.  I was enjoying the fact that we share the same ocean on the east coast of Australia, half a world away.

Saturday: Day 1 - Finding my San Diego diggs and some snake medicine

Funky trailer home

My Love Zen Den trailer at Southpark

Straight in a taxi I made my way to my trailer (caravan) in very trendy Southpark, and immediately this gorgeous and bubbly woman, Helene greets me.  She shows me the trailer, the cute bathroom out back and gives me the low-down on the neighbourhood, a very trendy walking neighbourhood.  https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/301921 (I am in heaven as there is a coffee shop on the corner (2 mins walk), and other eateries and funky little boutiques to wander through.  Yay, living just like a local.

First obvious step after settling in for 10 minutes in the trailer is to walk to the corner and get a coffee.  See if maybe this coffee shop has good coffee.  Hmmm not too disappointing (about the best I can hope for in this country so I've discovered...), not bad, I settle in to a big comfy arm chair with my iPad and enjoy the widely free internet and wherever my nose takes me.

Snake medicine

I was reflecting upon a dream I had had last night.  I dreamed I was reading a book, and then as I turned the page, a big black snake slithered out from beneath the page, casually and happily moving off to the side, not interested by me and going on its merry way.  Having previously been in California on a native american ranch and done guided journeys about animal totems and significance of dreaming / visioning certain animals at certain times … I casually wondered when I might come across a snake (and what the significance of snake sightings were).  The next obvious thought was how unlikely that would be living in San Diego.

Well, almost as if on cue, I turn to see a father, son and his six year old daughter, who I later learned was Sofia, wander in to the cafe, Sofia with none other than a big white corn snake wrapped around her neck!!  I gasp at the concept, the vision and the synchronincity of it and quickly and easily engage them in conversation.  They all sit down and share the table with me, and not long after I find myself being hugged by Cornelius.  Slithering around my neck quite happily.  Amazing.

Cornelius the corn snake ... just happened to be at the cafe

 I later looked up the significance of snake medicine, and this is the gist:  “Snake Medicine represents transmutation, initiation, and transformation; psychic energy, wisdom, and creativity; mystery, the unknown, and life cycles....Snake's movements are sensual and provocative addressing the ability to attract sexually and stimulate the urges of reproduction. This, too, is linked to the cycle of life and charisma. With the movements that are entrancing and spellbinding, Snake caresses the path it chooses and attracts the eye of those who observe that passing. Snake will teach you to attract others and gain from them the intimacy of their passions and desires so that you can apply them to your own. In this way you will enhance your achievements giving birth to success after success. “

Make of that what you will ....!

Joyous coffee shop concert
Anyway …. moving right along …. given my vast social network in SD at this stage, I’m overjoyed to realise the local coffee shop that night (Saturday) has a Neil Young night.  Rock up, sit on the couch, play with the computer whilst cover artists perform, it was wonderful...

Neil Young night at the local cafe

I make my way back my trailer, crash, and sleep is welcome and easy in my funky little home away from home.

Sunday:  Day 2 - long lost friends from Atlanta and going with the flow

(Not so) long lost Atlantian friend
Next day, wondering what on earth I'm doing with myself, all I have planned is to go to the swing dance (live band at Tango del Ray), at 7pm or thereabouts.  Figuring I’ll do my usual thing and go hang out in the coffee shop, I go, I chat to a local college student for about an hour, and then I get a FB message totally out of the blue:


'Hey young lady.  I'll be in San Diego with a friend from about an hour from now until early evening If you'd like to connect down there, send me a message or give me a call".  I'm like 'yeah baby!!' ... I met Bryan in Atlanta, on the other side of the country, in Georgia (‘deep south’) at the blues dance exchange a couple of weeks prior and as with many of the people I met there, we were connected on FB.  Yeah, flow is me today! 


Brazilian street party
I tell him where I am, stand out on the street, and he and his lovely friend Tord whisk past and  pick me up.  I have my dance shoes already for tonight, and no clue what the day now has in store.  After relaying a small smorgasbord of possibilities before me in the car, we settle on the brazilian dance festival down at Pacific Beach!  Brilliant and fun. 

Brazilian street festival at Pacific Beach

Tord tells us that he has a business associate he is meeting at the local wine bar for a business meeting at 6 pm.


A glass of wine with three lovely men over sunset :-)
Finishing our brazilian revelling at around 5, I suggest we get a glass of wine, so we go to the bar where Tord is rendezvousing with his businness associate, Reza.  We're a little early.  It turns out his Reza is also there a little early, so we all meet, laugh a lot, drink wine and eat some appetisers whilst watching the sun disappear very specacularlyin to the Pacific Ocean.  

Watching my first sunset in to the ocean at Pacific Beach with Bryan, Tord and Reza

Coming up close to 7, I excuse myself and am kindly driven to my dance event by Bryan, leaving the other two to have their delayed meeting.  Bryan informs me (when I wonder if I'd been a welcome distraction from business discussions, they, whilst I was in the bathroom had all agreed it had been fun).

As I stand to leave, Reza, the only one from San Diego tells me that if I need anything whilst I’m in SD, here's his number.  I thank him, and we text each other then and there.

A night of swing dancing on the other side of the world

Dancing that night was wonderful and after the usual slight trepidation of walking in to a whole room of people I don't know, I'm soon dancing my familiar lindy-hop and feeling so blessed to be able to share this dance with people on the other side of the world.  It's a blessed and wonderful community.  I meet Carl and we have a hug.  He's a honey. He drives me home.

Monday:  Day 3 - A chance meeting and moving to the beach

Groovy cafe conversation and new connections
Monday I wake up, no plans today (although SD magic is telling me that won’t last for long!).  So I head over to the breakfast place Helene recommended 'the Big Kitchen', apparently where Whoopi Goldberg used to wash dishes whilst she was beginning her comedy career.  Awesome little divey place... and delicious to boot... but the main thing was I sat up at the counter, which I love to do, over here, all the restaurants have the option of sitting up to the bar and eating which is very social especially when on your own.  This place in particular had a little U shaped bar, where the waitress would walk inside and all those around could easily talk to each other across the room.

So, I struck up a conversation with Robert, a retired SD fireman and a 75 year old retired dude who was talking about the 9/11 memorial article in the paper.... Robert talks about the tragedy from the ‘firies’ point of view, and I learn that about 370 fireman died in the disaster, and that it completely changed the fire department's approach to fighting fires in tall buildings.... somewhere along the way I told him I had two more nights booked and that after that I wasn't sure what I was doing with myself.  Me thinking 'yeah, going with the flow'... so outside he offers me his spare room if I would like to stay in it!!

I am not immediately enamoured with the idea and it's a bit left of field, but what the heck, we swap numbers and I go on my merry way.

My new bad ass ninja roomie
I arrive home to  Helene my host telling me I can go move over to the trailer across town at Ocean Beach if I like .... I’m like yeah!!! Beach baby meeeee and apparently a funky little hippy community.

We trek across and totally hit it off in the car.  She's like, 'I’m going to get you a roomie!! ... ya wanna come shopping?''  Of course I do!! So we go to this funky little homeware shop, where she buys a little wall hung bubble fish tank where my siamese fighting fish will reside with me in the bigger zen airstream trailer she's renovated at the beach property

Helene selecting coloured sand for my new siamese fighting fish roomie's tank

My new roomie!! Even though I opted for the bedroom inside the end

Bad Ass Ninja Food

When we arrive at the house over at Ocean Beach .... Helen and Lucas both warn me that it's still a construction zone and that i'll have to put up with lots of noise ... which is why i get it cheaper than normal price.  I love it! (And really it was just the odd cute tradie wandering around... I think I can handle that.  Not that much noise!)

When I arrive, I end up with the whole house to myself as well as the trailer, she tells me I can just sleep wherever I want as its empty and a construction zone! ... so I choose the gorgeous and very comfy bedroom with a view of the trailer instead.... https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/692649

Helene comes and goes...

I have a wonderful time chilling out, zooming around the neighbourhood on the beach cruiser bike and having a lovely time.

More sunsets and a fine night trouncing new friends at Jenga
So, Monday evening, wondering once again what I’ll do with my self, I go hang out at an open air bar to watch the sunset.  Funnily enough I get chatting to this really cool English guy Spencer (works for the UK embassy in DC) and Irish chick Patricia (Spencer's school friend, nursing in Ireland and dreaming of moving to the States) ... it's like we are long lost friends, before long I'm back at their condo for a pre-dinner drink and then we're off again, to tapas, wine and a night at the bar.  A game of giant jenga and a shuffle board later, with a couple from New Jersey and the night is complete.

I am reigning Jenga champion ... not one row with more than two in it!

Spencer wondering how he can beat me ... (fail)!

What fun!!!!

I can't believe how brilliant my few days have been so far, just by meeting and going with the people I am meeting along the way.  Nay a lonely time.

While I'm out with those two, Reza happens to call me to see what I’m doing... when he realises I have company he declines my invitation to come join in the fun, and suggests we will meet up some other time.

Tuesday:  Day 4 - another dance adventure and where will I stay next?

Next day, I wake up knowing I have only one more night officially booked and what is my next move?  I reflect on Robert the ex fireman from the cafe’s offer and whether it’s a good idea or not … then I remember my idea of going with the flow and seeing how the week unfolds ... and also my desire to enjoy the hospitality afforded on the couch surfing site, and so, I figure this must be something I'm meant to do as it came so out of the blue and what the heck?  I ring him and tell him I’d love to take him up on his offer, and we arrange for me to arrive the next day.

More beach hooning and reading my Shades of Grey trilogy and then I put it out there on FB that I need to get to the swing dance lesson tonight and could anyone pick me up from the beach?


More superb acts of generosity from strangers and AWESOME dancing!

Before long, (unkown) Jeff messages me from the FB group and informs me not only will he pick me up and drive me to the lesson but first he will take me to Humphries (on the marina) for a drink, dinner and a blues dance at the live band, then after our Hang Ten Hoppers dance lesson (with Joel), will take me to Gaslamp district downtown for the rockabilly at Henry’s, more dancing!! and then home.

The night was absolutely stunningly perfect.  So much dancing, friendly faces and a feeling of belonging to this wonderful dance crowd.

I am also made an honourary 'Hang Ten Hopper' by Joel.  Sheepish blush.

Wednesday:  Day 5 - Moving house and some organic couch surfing

Goodbye Helene hello Robert

So, next day Helene is back at the property, showing more contractors around and (sadly) offers to drive me up in to town.... lamenting my loss, yet bubbling over at how I should extend my trip and how I am welcome to come stay and help her renovate!   She invites me to come brazilian dancing on Sunday in the park, and drives me to Robert's place in Hillcrest .... via Hawaiian shirt shopping at the opp (thrift store)shop.... success!!

Any mild concerns I had at going to a strange man’s house were allayed when Robert's 
sister Maria received me on the sidewalk outside the house, just as Robert drives home.  She lives out the back of his house, alongside their Mum.  Their house is situated in the middle of a very funky suburb ... gay central in fact.  The local coffee shop is on the corner, and its owner later says Hillcrest is affectionately known as the gaybourhood.  Very cute.

More wandering and me thinking 'what am i doing?... the couch surfing idea was all well and good yet .... Robert kind of from a different world to me ... he's a lovely lovely guy.  Maybe one night will be enough and then I’ll find somewhere that feels more me?  However, soon after those thoughts, the evening arrives, and we have time for a chat on the couch, before I head out dancing again, and he goes out to meet his mates.  

We have a lovely chat and he asks me if tomorrow we should go to Mexico on his humongous shiny red Harley Davidson ... for lobster no less....

Um, let me think about that for a nano second shall I YESSSSSSS.... no way??!! I’m going to Mexico!!!! yayy!!!!!!

So after yet another awesome night of dance (this time lessons and then dance at the Firehouse ... to which Robert kindly drops me off), I awake the next morning ready to go at 9 am, to Mexico ... yeayyy!!!!

Thursday:  Day 6 - A day ride to Mexico for lobster

A ride on a big read harley

It just doesn’t get better than this.

A brilliant day, hot, fun, and yummy... with time for shopping thrown in with a chance to speak my long lost spanish, what better? 

Robert with our feast of lobster, guacamole, home made tortillas, cheesy bread, salad, rice and the all important and very potent margaritas!

On the way home from Mexico with Robert

We had a great chat, during which it was revealed to me upon him fluently conversing with the waiters he was actually born here!!  He then escorts me patiently on my shopping expedition!  

A warm ride back home (about two hours or so), and we get on with our busy social calendars! .. his to go out with his mates and mine, to go to more dancing!! .... he even gets his bicycle out and organised so I can ride it, which I do, through Balboa park, just absolutely stunningly gorgeous in the warm balmy weather we have been having..

A bike ride through beautiful Balboa Park
Truth be known this time, my dance classes fade lower on the to do list, as I am tired, very tired, and not feeling super actually, so I have a blissful ride through Balboa park, well after the sun goes down and then retreat my way home to sit on the couch and watch some telly....

Fountain in Balboa Park - an evening bike ride

Hospitality with strangers ... a natural thing
Robert comes home and we chat.  We had quite a giggle as we debriefed our meeting.  I'm like 'I can't believe I took up an offer from some random.  My friends were like 'what?  you went to stay in some strange man's house you don't even know?  what if he's an axe murderer or worse?'.  He laughed.... 'my friends were saying 'you what??  you gave the key to your house to some random Australian chick?!!'.  So funny.  And here we are just two lovely people who happened to cross paths, one needs a room, the other has a room, so what better than to share and be hospitable?!!  Media has a lot to answer to. 

Anyway, we retire ... ready for our Friday morning breakfast that Robert takes me to, before driving me to my next port of call, the boat with Laura!!!

Friday:  Day 7 - Magical Beachy the boat, goddess Laura and dark and handsome Reza

Living on a boat on San Diego Harbour - should I pinch myself?
I had been in loose contact with Laura all week, promising i was coming and could she be flexible and she was WONDERFUL!! 

So, when I meet 65 year old gorgeous tanned happy looking Laura, we hit it off immediately.  Robert helped me to the boat and checked it all out, and we had a hug goodbye.  Here we are floating at Sun Harbor Marina, on San Diego Harbour in the midst of their indian summer, amongst a community of other live aboarders all smiling and ready to stop and chat.  Laura stopped me at one point during my stay and relayed the cute guy enquiring “who’s the cute chick with the accent?”!  I like this place.

Laura and I at Sun Harbour Marina - Point Loma

Oscar our daily visitor in the marina - doing his charismatic best to attract some fish (from the fishermen on the docks!)

So back to our first night, Laura introduces me to Whiskey the blue heeler (they call them Australian Heelers over here) and we bond immediately.  She's going out pretty soon and it's just Whiskey and I for it... I took Whiskey for a lovely long walk and we just hung out together.... drank coffee at the cafe, chatted to the other very cute dog owner :-)  

Whiskey ... my new bud

By this time it's Friday night and I'm like, yay, I can do this, a quiet night... still just going with the lovely flow.

Enter a handsome alternative way of spending the evening
Then Reza texts me out of the blue ... how's your evening?

Ha!!

So a few texts backwards and forward and in half an hour he is waiting for me at the marina (around 9).

How freaking perfect is that? .... sigh.

We have a couple of drinks, then get hungry yet the kitchen is closed, so he drives me to La Jolla where he lives and takes me to a cafe for pizza and a glass of red zinfandel.

A lovely evening was had, amongst a conversation that had moved between Fifty Shades of Grey, thoughts and ideas of relationships in general, and some quantum physics thrown in for good measure, I am enjoying having met a man who's life is such a world apart from mine, it's like he's from a parallel universe.  Fascinating, sexy and quite cheeky, with a lot that he has done in his life.... he's been an actor, a shadow writer for romantic fiction, an Oxford PhD, the chief engineer on the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland and now runs a simulation software company, in between flying all around the world lecturing on the value of simulation in complex engineering projects (funny other link up recently discovered ... he will be presenting at the same conference on simulation as my brother in law in Salzburg next year! The world is a small place).

Anyway, I come home and my heart is all a flutter.

Holy crap it’s just a week in this town and look at the flow of people I have met.

Saturday:  Day 8 - Bombing off the boat and childs play

Fun in the sun (and I jumped!)
Today Laura's three adorable grandchildren (3, 8 and 11 year old boys:  Shooter, Cash and Ace)... came to visit.  We all enjoyed playing in the water during the the heat wave (40 degree day), paddle boarding around the marina, kayaking and then, jumping from the roof off the boat ... It was soooo much fun and those boys are amazing... as is Laura, who was jumping off too.

Laura, Cash and Ace jumping off Beachy whilst Whiskey looks on

Whiskey and I paddling the marina

Whiskey was a bit freaked out but ya know it was one big happy family.

More swing dancing at the tri weekly Parlour Party

Later that night after a goodbye phone call from Reza (on his way to Europe on business for two weeks), I went to the Parlour Party a little north, yes, more swing dancing, yet I admit, I was knackered... I think I nearly tripped over and the last three songs, I was not following anymore I was doing the dance equivalent of dribbling (belated apologies to you brave and tenacious leads - sheepish blush).

This time Franceska drove me home, bless, and lo and behold she invites me to her burlesque performance next Saturday if I decide to stay.... (which I am contemplating more and more by the day … I’m due to fly out on Day 10 … Monday).

Sunday:  Day 9 - Brazilian dancing in the park and snapping up some bargains at Macys

Girls day out in the park - Brazilian style

Today, I awoke to a text from Reza at LAX, and Helene coming over to get me at the boat to take me brazilian dancing in the park, along with her friend Aleka.  Now, that was huge fun, in the sun, with the band playing the percussion for us, it was just the best, and hooley dooley, I love this city.... I LOVE THIS CITY!

Gotta love a bargain
The girls then dropped me down town for my first shopping day since I left a month ago!  Macys was the place I stumbled across with a very attractive sale rack at half price with 20% off on top of that (two dresses and three tops for under $100, yeah baby)! Laura was giving happy sighs of approval when I strutted them through Beachy (the boat) for her this evening, so I think I done good.

Why take the bus when I can take a bike?

When wondering how to find the bus home, I wandered past a bike rental place and thought, stuff it!  That will be loads more fun than taking the bus!   I proceeded to rent a bike for two days.  The extremely cute guys working there informed me they would be there on my return on Tuesday (the day I’m due to fly home) and when I asked if it was normal to tip in situations such as these (bike service), they informed me beer was always welcome ;-)  I then set to ride the half hour home.


More fun
First though I needed to procure cheap lights to ride with, so I found myself a dollar shop.  As seems to be the theme at the moment,  how surprising,  I wowed the very cute turkish student behind the counter with my turkish skills (Merhaba (hello), Chok teshekur ederim (thank you very much) and chok ajiktim (I'm hungry))... he laughed and next thing he invites me to go bike riding (I'd unknowingly locked my bike up right next to his outside), in Balboa park tomorrow!!!!!

I must be oozing serious pheromones at the moment.

So to top the day off perfectly, I rode around the waters edge blissfully enjoying that feeling of freedom and the sun setting once again about half-way through my ride.  Heaven.

My new little bike :-)

I came home to the wonderful welcome of Laura and Whisky, and it was like coming home to my little family.

Monday:  Day 9

Karaoke and a bit too much vodka... and a surprising new friend
Tomorrow night thanks to FB, I am meeting up with Danielle my wonderful new Tasmanian friend, who is at the end of her African volunteer trip and so we will do something fun tomorrow night..... all very wonderful that we will cross paths.  Something we knew from a FB chat about a month ago.

My new Mum and a big decision

In the meantime I have a booked session to discuss with Miss Laura, my current sage-like Marm, all about the possibility of extending my trip for a while longer or not .... she informs me she is a wild adventurer of old and resonates very much with where I am at in life.... and I feel that our chat tomorrow will be a very supportive and inspiring one.

Day 10:  Do I stay or do I go?

All the signs so far are that, this has all been soooooo wonderfully easy, that it perhaps is the right place to be right now...


The point of all this
I think the point of my story here, and the elated revelation is that, when things are in flow they are REALLY in flow.  I came here knowing no one, and have been totally amazed, and joyful at the easy flow of wonderful new friends, moments, places and homes I have encountered in such a short time.  Which brings me to the second thing which is that, people are wonderful ... really wonderful and if I open my heart, and trust, things just work.

My hope is that this may inspire anyone who loves the idea of just 'nicking off' somewhere one day, with very little plan, to just see where their journey may take them.  And GO!!!

And there endeth my story (for now)

Gigantic hugs and love to you all from yonder shores.

J9

ps This post could not be complete without massive appreciation to all that have connected with me and given of themselves in some way to make me feel extremely welcome and taken care of.... and also in the support and decision making to even come on this adventure at all.  Me blessed. xxxxxxxx mwah

pps I ended up having an absolute ball with Danielle, after too many vodkas and a love affair with two karaoke microphones!  I extended my trip that night for another month (at the 24 hour last minute mark for changing said flight) and Danielle ended up extending her trip for another two weeks, so we got to play together some more and had loads of fun (including a Disneyland adventure!) ....  so much more I could write about, suffice to say that the six weeks in San Diego were among the best days of my life so far.  The best holiday I’ve had, and a sign of what life is like when I’m in the flow.  Here’s to more of those to come.  xxxxxx

PPPS  I LOVE COMMENTS!

40th Celebrations! Rafting the Franklin & Cocktails at Coningham: The nitty gritties and are you in?!!

Key dates:
December 27th a day at The Taste of Tasmania in Hobart (best food wine festival in Oz)
December 28th to January 5th (9 days) on the river
January 6th to 8th a weekend away with probably 30/40?? people to party saturday night - a number have said they will fly in from Sydney!!!


Hello there fellow 40th adventurers.

I am so excited to revisit the Franklin River after journeying it 13 years ago.

It is an immense, wild, soulful spirited as natural as it gets place of immense grandeur, beauty and serenity.

It's also full of wild rapids and some heart paced action!

I just talked to Graham who organised my expedition all those years ago. He is from Rafting Tasmania and still runs these trips. He is most highly recommended.

The nitty gritties:

This is normally a 10 day adventure, which includes a one day hike up the most dramatic of mountains: Frenchmans Cap (normally a 3 day walk from the highway ... can be done in a day from the river).

The only appropriate departure date he has after xmas (and in alignment with two other operators - who are not allowed to depart same day or share campsites on the river), is 28th January.

My party weekend where many others will be joining us will be Friday 6th to Sunday 8th near a beach somewhere in Tassie.

He has suggested we shorten the trip to 9 days in order to make the weekend party! (which means a half climb to the vistas on Frenchmans rather than summiting, which means almost same views for half the effort), and pushing a little harder on some days to make up ground.

We will exit the river into the Gordon river on day 10 and be picked up by a sailing ketch, 'Stormbreaker', and wind our way out the Gordon, to sail across Macquarie Harbour to Strahan. The bus will pick us up from there and take us back to Hobart by 6pm.

Cost: Still to be confirmed, and around $2500 each (which includes a 10% discount for me having booked the whole group, and shaving a day of costs off). Normally it costs $2800 per person (although he is still finalising prices for this season).

Food: gourmet wonderousness.

Maximum group sizee: 8 (and he can stretch to 10 with approval from Parks and Wildlife).

Please comment below and let me know if you are definitely in!! WE need to pay the deposit pretty soon to lock in the most popular date of the year.

Lots of love
Janine

To Barbara Sher's French Retreat: I am in love with everything French

I am in love with France

How can one country get everything so totally right!!!???  Ok I am sure they are just as in debate and conflict about their politics, their breakdown in social values, their immigration policy, their economy and their environmental record and blah blah, and from my brief and voyeuristic point of view, these people are sooooooooo lucky to live like this.

Never before have i witnessed a town and a culture that I think has got it soooooo right....

For one, it is so beautiful.  the architecture is so gorgeous, consistent, old, full of character, no doubt steeped in a rich history of which i have little desire to fathom.  The cobbled windy narrow little streets have surprises and eateries and little boutique shops at every turn.  There are hardly any cars!!! everyone walks and they have a city sponsored bike scheme, with lots of bike depots so you get a card, take a bike, ride it across town, then leave it at another station.  I mean, how evolved is that??

the bread, pastries, cakes oh my god and I haven't even tried the yet ... the presentation is done with such beauty and flair ... The freaking cheese section in the supermarket was almost as big as our whole cold section!!!

Wine and beer is enjoyed with gay abandon and is so cheap .. Long social lunches are the norm.  People dress with such style and finesse, they speak with such finesse I mean .... For goodness sakes!!!  MUsic is in abundance, there is a teeming night life... So much going on, yet with flair.  Beautiful romantic, seductive and downright juicy and passionate french flair.

So as for me, when i turned up two days ago, I was sooooo Tired i walked around half starving too scared to attempt french with anyone. .... I felt deeply embarrassed that i couldn't speak any French .... And the couple of people i parlesvou anglais-Ed, did not!!!  I couldn't even say anything to that, quite awkward really .... That day i was finding it hard to muster up a smile or any friendly body language either .... Although i finally after two hours of pathetic and wishful wandering finally plucked the courage to venture in to a little eatery.  she took a while to warm up after i said 'bonjour ... Par les vous anglais'? And she said 'a little', then said 'hmm I think the english menu is good for you, yes?'. thank god thinks me.

I sit down in this little bustling and rustic restaurant ... Full to the brim.  then after perusing the menu, the guy comes over with his note pad presumably asking me what i want, to which i respond sheepishly, par les vous anglais ? to which he eyeballs me with a straight 'no'!!

big sigh ... Right then um, so i get my finger out and point, probably looking dazed, confused, tired and um, embarrassed .... So then he softened and had a go with some english,

I ended up settling on the fish with white sauce, ordered vin rouge, and waited for my beautiful piece of fish to arrive.

In about sixty seconds flat, a plate piled high with mashed potato and a piece of bread arrived.... Ooooh, that is not what i imagined at all!  I taste it and it is like a big pile of fishy mashed potato .... Sooooooooo Heavy. Tasty , but, a whole plate of the stuff with  nothing to break the monotony either,  i decided i needed a salad to go with it but wasn't game !!! .... I made it through half of it ,,,, it was quite tasty.

I then ventured on to the chocolate mouse and un cafe au lait. the mousse was also so heavy and rich i could eat only a third which is saying something for me.

The whole time i sat at the table with my nose in my phrase book trying to figure out what to say next!!  When I asked for l'adittion, the female waitress said with a beaming smile 'trae bien' he he ... I had managed to woo the guy over too by the end and he taught me a bit of French,

I walked past the same restaurant again last night and yelled 'bonjour' feeling all excited that i had a friend in there to say hello to to which he happily responded, and then a little later realized i should have said bonsoir.  Man couldn't even get that right and there i was feeling all savvy for one moment,

so after my nine hours sleep then another whole night sleep just two hours after  waking from that, I awoke ready for a toulousian morning.  Off to get a bike and go riding along the canal .... And on the way i found a patisserie.

feeling a bit more game with my finger to point.,,,, I go in to see a little sign 'pain au chocolate' ,.... And there are none there

the smiling shop assistant says 'bonjour', I say 'bonjour', confidently.... I say with a questioning look 'oh, no pain au chocolat', she replies 'no'' I go 'oh', with a look of dismay..... He he, so far she doesn't suspect a thing how exciting i can ask for chocolate croissant fluently in French what a revelation.

well next i move across to the baguettes, and say 'un jamon au frommage silvous plait' and she corrects my pronunciation of jamon .... Nicely ... I pay and leave with an 'aurevoir', and I'm off,

He he ... That wasn't't so bad.  Never ceases to amaze how a good night sleep can make the ability to function happily so much more available to me.

there is Not that much more to say really, I love this place and I wish our culture was more Ike this.  I don't go there very often, down the wish path for things that are clearly not possible, and I really do wish australian culture had more flair and more music and more, community.

anyway i met up with most of the group who will be on the retreat last night,  and they were sooooo lovely.  In procuring ourselves a reservation i asked the girl on reception if she could recommend something.... She went over to the wall of office of tourism sponsored brochures and plucked one out reading from the back why I would like it so much.  there was no connection there,

so next i ask her 'if you were going to take a best friend out for dinner where would you go?'. A little smile crept over her face and her eyes lit up .... She Told me of a little crazy spanish. French tapas bar that had bench style seating and could get quite loud and fun later in the night .....

Now that sounds more Ike it... So she booked.  I wasn't quite sure how my Our party of American and. Swiss scanners.would go as i hadnt met them yet, and it was great.  We all squished in to a table, hardly able to open our elbows.  It was so packed! and full of noisy happy people, and it was just good fun,,,, they are all so lovely.

today we get picked up for our next six days in our nearby medieval French village and inn, for our retreat with Barbara so you may not hear much from me this week,,,, my room mate I hear will be Gloria, and if the beautiful, full of life and interesting buddies I met last night are anything to go by, it is going to be an awesome week.

Stay well.

Love
J9

Ps thank you for your kind comments. Part of me feels indulgent writing these!!! The act of writing them is dusting off a lost desire, recovered by Barbara when we had my coaching session...

To Barbara Sher's French Retreat: London calling

Day 8

OMG I am in love again.  I remember why I loved london so much for all those years.

Last night i landed at heathrow and got myself on the Picadilly line, late, thanks to signal failure, to meet margie at covent garden at the end of the opera.  I had  been hoping to join her at intermission but alas, i was too late ... So i ask the english dudes along the way 'where is The Globe pub?' ... And the old guy walks me over all the while in his broad english accent, talking about Tasmania an how he hasn't been yet ... Wants to.

i am already in heaven at being in central london with the cobbled streets and the beautiful old buildings, REAL pubs and interesting and varied little shops .... I open the door to the pub, huge red suitcase in toe, and the beaming barman greets me in his very sexy italian accent 'so you must have just arrived from Australia!' ... 'is it that obvious?' says me, wondering if the trademark freckles and sun damaged skin, which usually make an Aussie stick  out like dogs balls on the tube (against all the pristine sun deprived english or glowing olive skins on the Europeans) .

He he, no your friend Margie asked me to call her when you arrive ,... So he hands me his iPhone and i pluck her number out ...

That sounds like margie, quickly and charismatically wooing the barman to go out of his way to  re-unite us!!

Anyway I am still standing at the bar deciding between the three real english ales he just poured me to taste when she arrives ....

I could feel her beaming smile before she even came through the door ... And next she was beside me giving me a huge and lovely hug.  MArgie and i met on the back of a Turkish dolmus (bus) on the black sea coast in 1996!!!  we hit it off instantly and I looked her up when i got back to London and she so kindly put myself and traveling companion Ange up in her west london flat (in the ceiling) to co-habitate with herself and her two raving vegan/swedish/canadian flatmates!!

anyway back to the globe, we shared a pint, and a chat (god, where to start?) and  soon we were in a big ole double decker heading home to their little south london flat and a warm cosy and lovely welcome by her partner Dave (also now, long lost friend) and Barbarella, their 18 year old Ginger cat who drools all over me whenever he revs up a loud purrrrrr.

After more chats, pasta and some wine, 1.30 am, sleep was welcome with it 24 hours since I woke in Thailand to hop on the plane.

the new day dawned and with my hosts off to work, the only thing i wanted to do was walk over to my old home and playground, Brixton. 

Brixton still rocks!!! freaking yay ,,, it has gotten better!!!   I love it.  A mixture of all the old greasy spoon cafes and pubs and 'offies'... Mingled now with suave little street side coffee shops ... New as I don't think coffee good and proper had hit london ten years ago ... Unless you count the infiltration of star bucks, which really darlings ... I don't think so.

so as you can imagine this is janiney heaven.  I am now sitting in a little colombian restaurant in Brixton arcade ...

brixton markets generally are a mixture of the most wondrous fresh produce, fish markets, coffee shops, op shops, wigs, gadgets .... And cries of oi darlin' ....

And i walk in here, to my colombian lunch place, nearly all the punters are south american and i get to have a blast from the past with my South american trip .. South american cuisine is not exactly proliic anywhere i have seen ... So this is just gorgeous and quirky and highly authentic.,.....

FReaking delicious!!! can't believe it.  Frijoles, rice, beef, scrambled egg and the thing that totally tops it off and flew me straight back to colombia ... The salsa picante and the arreppa!  Did I say I am in heaven??

Love it ... With the planes flying overhead, the ambulance sirens flying by, the latin rhythms then around And about thrre is the organic fruit juice shop, free trade community shops with the 'give and take' table ... And very edgy eclectic mix of every shape, size, ethnicity and persuasion of interesting looking people!!! He he.

Next stop is the little place right around the corner that says 'best coffee in brixton' ... And now i am here, my god ... It is!!! The Anzac biscuits on the counter clued me in, and so was unsurprised  (and rather proud) that the guy was an aussie.  The five punters that flowed through my table all concurred that it was bloody good coffee .

I sit Down at one of the few tables. Which get shared because there are more people than table space and instantly get chatting to the punters ,,,, after a couple of mad english men asking if you have to have an iPad to be allowed to sit at this table cheekily engage ,,,, we have a laugh and then the canadian girl and i strike up a conversation.   She's been living here for Three years and just finished her art degree ,,, and lo and behold she is a yoga teacher!!!  by the end of our chat I have the address of the best yoga place in Camden and her phone and email!!!  so sweet .   funny how these things work hey?

The canadian girl said 'what is it about you aussies ... Are you just good at everything???' (referring to the great coffee) He he thinks me... Then the english guy said 'yeah .. I heard the kiwis and aussies are getting so obsessed with coffee ...they even have barista competitions that are Full on ( like der ... That's meant to be newsworthy??) I told him my local coffee place in hobart has a coffee menu and tasting notes to help me choose the blend i want  for the day!

Sigh ... I miss this stuff i realize sydney had nothing Ike this either ... I have a sneaking suspicion that melbourne might though :)

alright ... I thought i had heard it all ,.. And from my last time here in Brixton ,,, being asked for money at many a turn by the abundance of homeless bods... I am reminded again whilst sitting at my coffee table, by this beat up looking woman that 'I need to get a bus ticket please mam' ,,,  'please help me', she had a scar on her nose, a red face and eye ... She sounded desperate and continued ... 'he just hit me i am leaving, I need to get home, I live in middlesex,  you are the only one who has listened to me, please help....' when I look her in the eye and pause she continues .... "I will give you my name and address mam, please...."

I looked Her straight in to the eye for a long time, and thought 'con?' ,,, give her money or not? of course she's faking it, she's a great salesperson, yet, I had so totally engaged with this woman,  I thought, ok, here you go,  2 quid .... She said thank you it is four forty . I said well,  here is 2 and all the best i hope that Helps ....  I got to be generous anyway... Bless her ...,

She probably saw my camera an thought, ahhh here we go then!!!

So I found my bus home eventually after the aussie guy told me i was the friendliest customer they had ever had, he he, must be the hick Tasmanian not yet bruised out of me by the nonchalance and solitary nature of normal too-busy-to-engage Londoner mentality .....

margie and dave take me to their local pub with their mates and we chat about factoral combinations of three letter urls, And god knows what else, then wash that down with a good ole English indian curry.  bloody brilliant

By the time i fall in to bed after 12 with my alarm set for 4.20 am, I am beginning to feel my travels, my time zones, my jet lag and my lack of sleep creep up ...

so little wonder i managed it out in to toulouse today for lunch, then fell asleep at 2 pm ..... To awake at 11pm .... Now i am here in the lobby of my hotel, listening to the abundant night life of toulousians, ready to go back up for more sleep,.... I will then be refreshed hopefully for the next week's adventures.

Loads of love
J

Ps i saw my little spunk muppet out and about on facebook!! Thanks so much sonja for looking after him.

Pps i am iPad keyboardily challenged so thats why the capitalization and punctuation sucks on these blogs .... You get the picture anyway i hope :)