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Published: June 29th 2007
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The drive to San Diego was fairly uneventful I guess if you compared it to the previous San Fran - Vegas haul. It was a long way again, as everything in the US seems to be, but it was straight down I15, to the outskirts of LA and then down again to San Diego. We made good time getting to LA, then crawled along in traffic for an hour or so before arriving in Diego by late afternoon.
We didn't have anywhere to stay. We had tried to book a couple of days prior, but with it being a Friday night everywhere on the net was booked up. At the end of the day if worst came to the worst, the car would have to double up as a bed for the night.
When you arrive in a city the first thing you want to do is get your bearings, this can be a bit of a pain when trying to find somewhere to stay at the same time. Our Knowledge of San Diego prior to arrival was pretty much limited to what we knew from watching Anchorman!! We did it however. We actually managed to find a hostel,
called Hostel Cat which had just opened it's doors to business that very day. A guy called Chandler who had previously managed the USA hostel in the city had decided to go it alone and open up his own place. Being the first night, he had plenty of room, and brand new beds!!
We took a long while to find the place, primarily because some women had directed us about 10 miles in the wrong direction. Finally just before the sun we down, we found the place. Not the conventional hostel, Hostel Cat is a converted warehouse / lock up, located in a street where you wouldn't really want to leave your car parked out over night. Luckily we didn't have to as Chandler said we were welcome to park it in the lock up, which also doubles up as the hostel lounge area. It's a strange set up, but it actually works quite well. We had two nights stay there, and although it wasn't yet busy, it still provided us with a good base, within easy walking distance to the city centre.
By the time we had sorted our stuff out it was getting late, so we
Crossing the Boarder
The Americans couldn't care less when you leave their country, getting back in however, that's a different story!! bought some food from the supermarket and went back to eat. This was the first time we had cooked in the US as unlike Australia and New Zealand, a lot of the hostels aren't geared up for it.
Next day was Saturday, the weather was warm. (I don't think ive seen a cloud in the sky yet since arriving in the US) We jumped in the car and headed out to the popular beach area, of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. The place was packed and we spent a good day in the sun, had a Mexican for lunch, and then back on the beach for the afternoon.
That evening we went into town for a night out with Chandler. This was a result, because as he knows a lot of people in town, we didn't have to que to get in anywhere, or pay the cover charges.
Next day, our last in San Deigo, and on the West Coast, we drove the short half hour drive down to the border of Mexico. It's apparently a bit of a nightmare to take your car over there, and the hire car companies won't cover you insurance wise. Therefore it's far
A Different Style of Hostel - A converted Warehouse
Hostel Cat in San Diego was open for it's first day of business by its owner Chandler when we arrived. It was actually pretty good easier to park in the US and simply walk over to the boarder town of Tijuana.
Once arrived it was a bit of a mad rushed look around because we only had a couple of hours before we had to give the car back. We had been told the queues can be somewhat unpredictable getting back into the US so wanted to be sure of leaving enough time. And queues there were. Stretching further than the eye can see, it just goes to show that the Americans couldn't care less when you leave their country, but getting back in is another matter. Thankfully we made it back into the country and returned the car at San Diego airport, with about 15 minutes to spare. As our flight to New York wasn't till 10pm, we made our way back to the hostel to pack up, eat, and get ready to leave. Luckily rather than lug our bags back down to the airport of several different buses, Chandler offered to give us a lift, which was good of him.
I enjoyed the West Coast of America a lot, and I'd say overall, more than I expected to. It's an excellent
The Average Temparture
Keep that air con blowing! I should have really taken a photo of this when it showed 114, but I didn't think of it and typically it didn't reach it again! place to drive around, with some fantastic and varied landscapes to see. I think given more time I would of easily been happy to explore more!! Now it's over to the East Coast and our final area before flying home to England.
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