DAY SIXTEEN - Saturday 30 April 2011: Fiesta! Arriba, Arriba!

Oh go on then. One last gut busting breakfast on our final full day in San Diego.  Of we trotted to the Open Bar on Mission Blvd for a feast not only of the food variety. Our guide book said you have to know what you want and have your money ready. We didn't have either of those things prepared but we did manage to get a breakfast fit for a trencherman, unlimited coffee and orange juice. And... goes without saying... a fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean... No more trotting after that!

The guy with the dreadlocks in the shape of a pineapple must have been well into his 40s and I couldn't help thinking he was having a much better time than his UK counterpart who would probably be washing his car and mowing the lawn on a Saturday morning

We'd been humming and hahing (how do you spell that?) all our time in San Diego about taking out a motor boat around Mission Bay and, this morning, fuelled with salsa'd eggs and sour dough bread, I agreed to do it. Neal purloined a parrot from the tropical garden at the hotel and we were all set. I hope you realise I just made that bit up.  This was a scary moment for me because we had once hired a motor boat on the Thames and after about ten minutes Neal was bored and sat on the bonnet (if a boat has a bonnet) with his back to the way we were going to try and spice things up a bit.  Anyway, no chance of that today. It's amazing how you can turn up at the jetty, tell them you've never driven a motor boat before; they give you a three minute introduction and a couple of life jackets which, when we tried to put them on, they said we didn't have to bother with, wish you bon voyage as they push you away from the security of land, and it's all about a quarter of the price you would pay in the UK. The only proviso is that you must, under no circumstances, head out to sea.  Hmmm... nothing to worry about there then.

I love the way everybody is going about their own watery business - so much to see, kyakers, water skiers, wet bikes, motor boats, sail boats, pelicans, cormorants, pirates, Blind Pew... oh, there I go again!

Back on dry land, we read the local 'what's on' and spotted a fiesta in Sandiego Old Town. Although we'd been there a few days before to visit the museums etc., we thought Tequila!  It couldn't have been more different from the first time we visited.  Mariachi bands, who were never ever going to play a wrong note, mixed with bands covering the Kinks and the Knack, a brilliant show of kids drumming on plastic bins, water containers and steel drums (a bit like Stomp), tag wrestling, ballet, equestrian side-saddle shows, folk singing, story telling... colours and ideas everywhere!

free tequila shots

Strawberry margarita masquerading as a slushy!



Gimp mask anyone?

The history of this fiesta is more interesting than anything I can tell you ... here's the link: http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/cinco.html

One last look at the sunset as we say goodbye to San Diego... what a fabulous place

DAY FIFTEEN - Friday 29 April 2011... Royal Wedding Day

Didn't manage to stay awake until 1am to watch the Royal Wedding but did catch the total immersion of Fox News into 'all things Royal'...it looked very nice - what can I say. William's got a bald head and Kate has got that twisted upper crust, munching mouth thing going on...still, they make a pleasant couple and at least she's an anarchist and won't obey, so we might at least get a beheading in the future. Something to look forward to. Unfortunately, it will hike up the entry fee to the Tower of London and the Beefeaters will become very unpopular with the tourists for a while.

Rather a grey start to the day and many 'debates' about what to do.  On the list - USS Midway http://www.midway.org/ - a great thing to do, but a trek into San Diego on the bus again; how about a sailing boat on the bay opposite our hotel... good idea but costs around £60 and is Neal really the best skipper in the local seafaring community with his half hour lesson and hour on the lake messing about in boats on his own? Okay then, how about Belmont Park with it's roller coasters and water slides?  Perhaps not. I can't tell you how much this cold has affected me and I find it very annoying and debilitating. But not quite debilitating enough!

Next thing I know, I'm on a 'beach cruiser' bike in a fetching green and white - handlebars reminscent of Dennis Hopper's motorbike in Easy Rider, and Neal's on roller blades and we're off up the boardwalk from Pacific Beach to Mission Beach in a flash!  And, worringly, we said no thanks to all the questions like do you want protective head gear - no; do you want knee pads -no; do you want to get out of this unscathed - no! 

As Neal's balance is, to say the least, a tad precarious, I'm taking the photos from a distant and rather wobbly position on my cruiser. Still, it all works out quite well and we didn't smash into anyone so a great success all round.

A well deserved beer follows:

What next?  The wooden roller coaster in Mission Beach?  It looks amazing, built in 1925 and saved on numerous occasions from being demolished - probably one of only a few wooden ones left still operating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Dipper_(San_Diego) No, I didn't go on it, but Neal did!  (Another wimp out... this has got to stop!)

After lunch at a seafront cafe - yet again, zingy fresh salads and vegetables, we decamped to the Wavehouse - a wave machine, bar and music. We loved it because as well as the athletic, toned and tanned young things, there were 'old timers' still surfing. The chap below and one particular woman, who was probably around my age, were so fantastic - they'd obviously been surfing all their lives but I had to admire a woman in her 60s, drinking what appeared to be a Jack D and coke, smoking a fag and surfing as well if not better than any of them. There was a great atmosphere and certainly no age barriers. Positive, life affirming stuff!

This guy was brilliant - probably in his 60s, just lost his hat and VERY cool!



This guy was a bit like a Nigel Kennedy of the surfing world



Fag on!

Came back home via the Bahia Belle Boat http://www.bahiahotel.com/hotel-dining-entertainment/bahia-belle-boat-cruise/... did I say home... (oh dear!)

DAY FOURTEEN - Thursday 28 April 2011 Old Sandiego

Neal has finally succumbed to the San Diego culture and was up and out early this morning, jogging, followed by a swim and jacuzzi. My excuse is that my cold just won't go away and I'm far too poorly to try jogging or anything more physical than picking up a cocktail glass.

We headed off to old town San Diego by bus - now that we've returned the hire car, we got a day pass for $5 each so we could jump on and off the public transport at will.  Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California and San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement.  A little known, but fascinating fact, is that there were absolutely no horses in America until the Spanish invaded and introduced them. A lot of the stuff we've been fed by the cowboy films is just historically incorrect.

The buildings have been kept as the originals and furnished as they would have been in the day. Sacramento old town was far more commercialised than this and it was a refreshing experience to see they were being true to reality as far as they could.

The old town is a fascinating area, now designated a state historic park. Unlike a lot of our UK museums and historical sites, it is free!  They do have the usual gift shops but the merchandise looked like it was authentic and good quality.  This is no dusty old museum piece either, it's surrounded by 'real' Mexican restaurants, lively cafes and shops http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/index.html.

Soaking in all that history is thirsty work so we sidled into the Cafe Coyote for a margarita and a couple of tacos in that order.  http://www.cafecoyoteoldtown.com/

We made two new friends - Yolanda Borja and Jennifer, from Kentucky. They've given us their address and invited us to stay in 'the middle' of America if we get a chance to come back.  Call me cynical, but I can't see it happening.

By the time we got back, we just had time for a quick shower and off along the 'prom' (or boardwalk) for a stroll to watch the sunset. It's amazing how many people are waiting for it - locals and tourists alike. It's an almost spiritual experience... or is that the margaritas talking...



The ducks pics should go before the sunset photos but for some reason this blog won't let me do it!



American wood duck in the garden



Mandarin duck