New York, New York!

The Big Apple. I'm still not sure why they call it that, but man is New York overwhelming. What a place! The sidewalks buzz continuously 24/7. We arrived at LaGuardia airport and took a car service to our hotel in downtown Manhattan, right next to the Empire State Building. The air was humid and thick and we were pretty tired after a long red-eye flight. We dropped our bags off and got straight on a tour bus to give us some idea of this overwhelming island. The skyline was covered in skyscrapers and a mix between beautiful old Parisian influenced architecture and 20th century fire escapes. There were people everywhere, all the time. We toured downtown and found ourselves in Times Square in the midst of a tropical thunderstorm. It rained and rained non-stop. Luckily we had been given incredibly dorky rain ponchos by the tour bus. We explored the city for the remainder and the afternoon and then went to bed early in an attempt to conserve some energy for our very long to-do list.

Our first full day in New York found us lining up in Times Square to purchase discounted tickets to various Broadway shows. We then went to Macy's, the Worlds Largest Store, and shopped to our hearts content. Before we knew it we were taking our VIP seats at the Imperial Theatre watching Billy Elliot, the musical on Broadway. I cried the entire time and was absolutely blown away. I wished so much that I could have shared that moment with everyone in my life but can only beg you to go and see it. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. My first Broadway show was obviously quite the hit in my books.

Later that night mum and I headed out to the Upper East Side and drank cocktails at one of NY's loveliest and classiest venues, the Bemelins Bar at the Carlyle Hotel. We had our own private jazz band and came out a few too many pennies poorer and a fair bit more intoxicated. One of the best highlights of our whole trip!

The next morning we jumped on a tour bus and hit uptown (Upper West, Upper East and Harlem). We jumped off at Central Park on the Upper East and played with toy sailboats in the lake and visited the Met (The Metropolitan Art Museum). After lunch we headed to the Lion King on Broadway and were yet again blown away by the magnificance of the show. Coincidentally, both were produced by Elton John. Unfortunately, though, we were both incredibly hung-over and tired that we couldn't enjoy it to its fullest extent. Was nonetheless breath-taking. Later that night we climbed the Empire State Building and sunset and enjoyed the illuminated views of Manhattan Island. What a place!

We enjoyed our last day in New York by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, standing in line for an hour all to enjoy 'New Yorks Best Pizza', Grimaldis. It was indeed the best pizza I've ever eaten, and well worth the wait. We also did some last minute shopping and picked up all the goodies we had been eyeing off over the last 2 days. We finished up our last afternoon in New York by taking the subway and catching the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty. We took a car service back to the airport later that evening and headed back to Californ-I-A for the remainder of our road trip over there. Oh New York, New York. You definitely swept me off my feet & stole my heart.

California Road Trip!

My mother arrived on a Sunday afternoon, after almost 2 days of traveling, at LAX airport. It was amazing to see her again after a year away from my family and home. We picked up a hire car from the airport and embarked on a Californian road trip. We had a hilarious time adjusting to driving in LA traffic (20 line highways and non-stop traffic 24/7) and not to mention driving on the right side of the road. Our first stop was Santa Barbara. We stayed in quaint little hotel, a stone's throw from the beach. We walked along the beach at sunset to the main street where we strolled the boutique shops and restaurants and retired early. Both mum was jet-lagged and I was emotionally and physically exhausted after a long season of work. Sleep came quite naturally on our first night.

We departed early, after an adventure at Wholefoods supermarket in the morning. Wholefoods is an enormous chain across the US that promotes entirely sustainable and/or organic products. It is one of the most mind-blowing shops you'll ever see, and of course mum was mind-blown too when she saw it and so a quick dash to the supermarket ended up in a 1.5 hour coffee, breakfast, exploration adventure. Who would have thought a supermarket would have been a tourist destination. Once we dragged ourselves away from the delicious raw chocolates, green smoothies and vegan burritos, our next stop was up the Pacific Coast Highway. Highway 1.

We arrived at my good friend Lloyd's property, Merlin's Perch, in Big Sur. Lloyd has a wwoofing farm and that is how I first met him if you recall back to a few blog posts ago. Lloyd had wwoofers from France, Iran and the Netherlands there at the time and we created a feast from home grown vegetables and authentic naans and the like. A few glasses of wine and a magic sunset through the fog overlooking the ocean, we were knocked out again!

Morning came, and we continued up Highway 1 to Monterey and enjoyed some of the renowned clam chowder and seafood. Our time in Monterey was relaxed and involved mainly walking on the beach and taking it easy.

Next stop: Where my US trip all started orginally, Berkeley! We basically drove around and I introduced my mum to Berkeley life and we explored Tilden Regional Park and went to my old house and caught up with my old housemates. It was so wonderful to be back in Berkeley and in typical Berkelyan fashion we dined at Cafe Gratitude (a Raw Food restaurant I've ranted and raved about for a long time now). Mum was introduced to the Biodisel petrol stations and homelessness that once fascinated me when I first arrived. We crossed the bridge and stayed in San Francisco for the night at a luxurious hotel nestled in typical San Fran architecture. I introduced mum to the life I used to live in the SF Bay and we met up with old colleagues for drinks at the local pub I occasioned after work. I later ditched the old lady (jokes, mum, I know you are reading this) and continued the night on with my friends and visited some iconic gay bars in the Castro district of San Fran (reference Harvey Milk). I woke up the next morning having not laughed so hard in months; my stomach muscles literally ached. I love those guys!

The next day was tourist time and we visited the DeYoung Art Museum, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, rode the historic trams, etc, before later that night departing out of SFO airport to New York.

* * * 

After New York we arrived back in California in sunny San Diego. People always tell me that San Diego reminds them of Perth, and yes, I can definitely see the resemblence. After a choatic two weeks (well, primiarly after a chaotic extended weekend in New York)  mum and I were ex-haus-ted. Tired. Worn-out. So we stayed in a little hotel in La Jolla near Windandsea beach and CHILLAXED. We went to a nail salon and got pampered, we watched movies and I got a hair cut and we drank wine, ate cheese, grapes and nuts and did I mention relax? I also caught up with another old friend whom I haven't seen in four years and inspired me to consider doing an internship in Washington DC. Another thing to think about career wise. Oh, little Laura. Another amazing evening catching up with old friends. 

Our trip continued as we drove up to Long Beach and dropped off our hire car and jumped on a ferry and headed over to... The Island. Yes, Catalina Island. This was another great time for mum and I to bond and she was really happy to see where I live and meet some of my friends and colleagues. We didn't get too adventurous with hikes or anything like that, but we did some rock-climbing and archery and had some great conversations overlooking the ocean. I guess there are no words to describe how happy and refreshed I was (albeit exhausted) after my mum left. It was no nice to reconnect with family and the notion of home. I know she had an amazing time too, and I am looking forward to seeing all my friends and family back home over Christmas. 

A Change in the Direction of the Wind.

So, I guess I better let it be known that a month after my last post things in my life have changed quite significantly. Diogenes and I decided to go our separate ways. After distance and more distance and then some more distance, we were both tired. We also realised that we want very different things for our futures and after many long chats and hearty discussions (yes, this has been happening for a few months now) we trusted our gut that breaking up was the best option. Our decision was completely mutual and I know I can at least speak from my end that I feel like it was completely the right choice. The distance certainly made the process a lot easier and I'm sure we will forever be amazing friends. Right now? I was lucky enough to have my mum visit from Australia for two weeks and we traveled and I came back to the island completely refreshed. My heart is completely open and I feel so much gratitude for my life right now. I have bonded really well with all the new staff we had come in and feel so happy every single day. The new season brought about new work; my job has changed a little for the summer and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I am starting to make decisions about where I want to go and what I want to do for my postgrad studies and the future looks so bright right now. The wind has certainly changed direction for me, but I am happier than ever. Isn't it incredible when one door closes that another one can open so quickly?

A Reflection: One Year Gone

I’m currently sitting on the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach California. The ferry came early and hence I have about an hour and half until my pre-arranged taxi to the airport picks me up. Instead of sitting, waiting and occupying my time drinking Pina Coladas at some cheesy “California Beach Bar” at LAX Airport like I did last time, I decided to do something touristy in Long Beach. A grand old retired passenger ship sits next to the ferry landing and it seemed quite fitting that I toured it given my childhood obsession with the Titanic (mostly for the Deep Sea elements than the ship itself). So here I find myself sitting on the Promenade Deck in the sun, writing. I contemplated whether to read or write, but I realised I hadn’t really written in a while. It’s not that I haven’t been inspired to write, but life has been daily if you know what I mean.

Catalina Island has still been heaven. In fact I was sitting out in a kayak this very morning looking around and there were sea lions floating and feasting beside me, the company’s pirate ship the Tole Mour had just entered the Cove, snorkelers were discovering giant black sea hares (yes, sea slugs that were 15lbs!), sea stars, octopus and more, the water looked like silk and the sun shone brightly. Catalina Island is not always so typically beautiful. This last week gone had huge surge that stripped the beach bare, there was not an animal in sight (well, the visibility was so shocking that even if there was we couldn’t see them) and it was generally cold and wet without much refuge from Mother Nature. Nevertheless, moments like today, when I was travelling across the channel back to the mainland on the ferry, and there were bait balls; fish, birds, dolphins, sea lions all frolicking and competing for a giant school of fish, or just the hundreds of dolphins that bow rode, jumped and breached continue to take my breath away. 

However, sometimes I feel like there is something missing. Missing? You ask. Impossible! You proclaim. What could possibly be missing from living life in paradise? Well, family and familiar culture for one. Huh? Yes, that’s right. I’m homesick. Okay, for starters the living situation at Fox Landing quite peculiar; 20-40 people you live, work and play with 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I have no qualms with the living situation and rather I absolutely cherish and adore each person in their own individual way, but I’m just very different and it’s a weird sensation that sometimes there is nowhere for me to go and just… well, be different. I guess I’ve always been different; from a different place, on a different path. If you know me well, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It was two months straight from the first time I stepped foot on the island to the first time I ventured off a couple of weeks ago to go and visit Di up in Monterey. Sitting in an air-conditioned car, mixing in civilization again, back in the city, using money to buy things from shops, meeting people from all different places, really made me realise how much I miss being involved in a broader society. Being at the airport in particular was a huge wake-up call reminding myself how much I miss travelling, Europe, home, and all the different people you could possibly meet at an airport; the diversity of life!

I recently turned down a Masters Program to go to a university in Norway to study International Development. Development and ‘world betterment’ has been a passion of mine for a long time, but being on the island has humbled me a little for the better or worse. Long story short, I realised the timing wasn’t right. I am at a stage right now where I am going to need to take a big think about my future and make some decisions. Decisions such as when, where and what postgraduate studies will I undertake. The timeline is currently being constructed with a goal to be enrolled in a Masters Program by mid-next year doing exactly what I really want to do and plan to make a career out of. Oh my. Crunch time. Being only 22 years old has given me some freedom to ‘take my time’ as I have continuously rushed through life since I was about 5 years old. So, the first step in my plan? To go home. I miss my family.

One of the things I have realised is that I am a “cold” country person. Not cold in relation to the weather, as I definitely love the sun and a warm summer. But in terms of culture. Australia (albeit divided in some parts), England, Germany, South Africa, Norway – all of those typical “cold” countries. The US is technically a “cold country”, except for the South. Brazil, Spain, Italy, Mexico are all examples of “hot” countries. It’s very interesting, because my whole life I’ve always been told I was very warm, open, etc, and so one might assume I would love “hot” country culture. And I do. For holidays. But just not to live daily life there. One of our bosses at work is a “cold” country person and, aside from myself interestingly enough, most of the staff have a hard time relating to him. I was talking to a good friend who was ‘trying to understand me’ a little better the other day, and we used the analogy – how would you feel if you went and lived on an island with 20 people just like that boss? Answer: A little bit out of place. And my friend quickly realised that is exactly how I feel sometimes in reverse. The US and Australia are similar because we both speak English and are Western societies, but I’m starting to realise there are far more differences than I had anticipated. It makes me miss home a lot and I often ask myself – why am I here, away from my family and friends, if I could be there doing the same thing there, with them, in a familiar culture? Walking around on the decks of the Queen Mary, listening to British tourists stroll and chat in their very British way and meeting fellow Australians only reiterates this feeling.

For now, however, the Spring season is coming to an end in a few weeks. My mother is coming to visit for a little USA Road Trip in the break, and then a summer filled with SCUBA diving and fun is ahead! So I have a lot to look forward to. Every day I am learning a little more about myself and how to cope in this big, glorious World. I am incredibly grateful for all my experiences. I look back at all the posts over the last year and its easy to remember how much I've learnt about myself since I left Australian shores one year ago.  I am flying up to Monterey for a week in a few hours to visit some old friends, go camping, relax and spend some time with the boyfriend. Hopefully this week and the two weeks with my mum when she visits mid-June will be rejuvenating and give me that grounding I need to keep understanding why I started this journey one year ago…

Easter in Los Angeles!

Easter weekend was one of those times in my life where I had to sit back and the only thing I could do was appreciate how blessed I was. As soon as the kids left the island, we all packed our bags and jumped on a dive boat. The dive boat was called the Sand Dollar and had an incredibly overt American Flag and Bald Eagle across the front of it! USA! USA! 

We dressed up in our sun dresses, played guitar, sang songs together and drank beer as the boat motored from Catalina Island across the channel to San Pedro in Los Angeles. The boat pulled up and we strolled a mere 50m to the front gates of the “Railroad Revival Tour”, an amazing music concert. Couldn’t have parked closer in a car! The evening was spent dancing and laughing watching three incredible bands: Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Mumford and Sons in a parking lot in the middle of industrial LA. We had a group of nearly 20, picnic rugs, and the best attitude in the whole concert. It just simply rocked! 

After the concert we got to avoid all the traffic and crashed on our boat. Throughout the night, the captain motored the boat over to an unknown island. The island was supposed to be Santa Barbara Island, one of the magnificent other Channel Islands. However, the seas were too high and we couldn’t get there. The island we woke up seemed awfully familiar… oh wait, that’s because it was Catalina Island.  Yay, back home. At 6am before breakfast we jumped off the back of the boat on the West End of the island and went SCUBA diving. This was my first time diving in a kelp forest and we saw all kinds of echinoderms, rockfish, nudibranchs and opistobranchs. I found the most magnificent pink abalone shell I could possibly ever find. Epic find, if I don’t say so myself. We ate, dived, ate some more, dived some more (on the last dive we dove Gregorian Fan Coral covered caves – incredible!) and then headed back to Fox Landing where a keg of beer awaited us.

 The rule was that we weren’t allowed to leave the boat until the keg was finished. With a bit of leniency by shifting the party onto the float, we spent the afternoon drinking and playing in the sun. We play games, jumped off the top of the boat, jumped off the pier, went for random dinghy rides, sun-baked and just generally had the best afternoon of my life! Afternoon turned into evening and we all crashed early to no surprise. 

We woke up the next day, being Easter Sunday, and did an Easter Egg hunt, some Easter Egg competitions and enjoyed a family dinner where everyone cooked and joined in. I called my family back home on Sunday night and went to bed at an early hour. The following Monday we all awoke before sunrise and ventured out on the flat-top boat with bags of cut up fish carcasses that we had prepared the day before. We dragged them along the side of the boat in an attempt to “Shark-Chum”. This is an event undertaken once a season where the staff all prepare some fish-guts goodness and hang out in the middle of the channel trying to attract sharks in an attempt to jump in and snorkel with them. Sounds kind of crazy, I know, and all I can say is I’m glad we didn’t see any sharks. Nevertheless we went for a sensational dolphin bow-riding session on the way home. The water was crystak clear, and we rode with the dolphins for a good ten minutes (that’s a pretty long time for dolphins to bow ride!) as the sun rose across LA in the background. It was magical. Later that morning we all raced back out onto the boats as a Humpack mama and her young was swimming by. We followed the whales for a good kilometer before they dove into the depths. They were a Type 5 (very dark) Humpack Whale and there are no other words to describe it but magical! Oh, and we also found a dead dolphin carcass floating in the ocean.  

ALL IN ALL, one of the most incredible weekends of my life. Over and over I kept repeating – we are so blessed! Can you believe this is reality? We are so blessed! Happy Easter everyone.