The place where I stayed in San Diego turned out to be really good. It was close to the beaches and not too far from the harbour and downtown.
Laughing to Danish Jokes
In the night I arrive there was also a group of Danish university students staying in the hostel. One of the girls in the group was celebrating her birthday. The rest of the group organised a party for her. A number of the group gave some speeches. I have no idea what they were saying, however, whatever it was, it certainly amused the others, if not her.
The laughter was infectious, and I other non-Danish speaking people in the room were laughing along with the group.
Bike Ride
In the morning, I booked into a bike ride offered by the hostel. The ride took us to the end of Point Loma and through the Cabrillo National Monument.
The guide was a girl who works at the hostel, she was a real character with a personality ideally suited to the hospitality industry.
One of the other people on the ride was young South African bloke. It was interesting to chat with him over the next couple of days.
The view from the lighthouse of the point was spectacular. San Diego has a great harbour. Unfortunate the photos do not do it justice as it was a bit foggy.
There is museum near the lighthouse with information on the early Spanish explorers that visited this part of the country.
Leaving the end of the point, we rode down to the ocean to see some tidal rock pools.
There were lots of people doing the same thing. The pools are known for their sea life including octopuses and crabs.
We rode back up the hill to the Cabrillo National Monument. This is a cemetery for naval ex-servicemen and their families. The US services may not look after their current servicemen and women too well, but they certainly look after their dead.
Down to the Waterfront
As we headed back to the hostel, I left the group and rode down to the waterfront. I stopped by the San Diego Yacht Club. It is famous for having hosted the America’s Cup between 1988 and 1995.
Yacht clubs of this type never cease to amaze me. The moorings always seem to full with few, if any, of the boats actually sailing. I guess its proof of the old adage: ‘the two happiest days of yacht ownership are the day you buy one and the day you sell it’.
However, I suspect that most of the members of this yacht club are so wealthy they don’t care.
Further along the waterfront, I found a fish restaurant and had a very good, if somewhat expensive lunch.
After the lunch, I continued onto the ‘downtown’ area. I rode up to the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in California.
I had been told that you need to set aside the best part of a day to see it properly.
That was to be my task for the next day.
An Uber Ride
I was looking forward to seeing the Midway and walked down to the main road near the hostel to catch a bus into the ‘downtown’. I was mortified to find that the buses were only running every 45 minutes.
I decided to catch a ‘shared Uber’. The quoted price was USD 4.64 which was not much more that the bus fare. I booked a ride and within minutes the car arrived. It already had one passenger and, after picking me up, stopped for another.
Interesting job for a Young Female Sailor
The other passengers turned out to be sailors – one bloke and girl. Their ships were in San Diego being repaired. It was interesting to hear them chat about their experiences.
The girl said that one her jobs was to stop “contractors of her ship from ‘dumping’ in the ‘bathrooms’ on the ship”. Apparently, the sewage system had been switched off during the refit. However, notwithstanding numerous instructions and signs, the contractors apparently continued to want to relieve themselves in the toilets. Her job was to put a stop to that.
I guess you get some interesting jobs in the navy.
A Comment on Uber
The Uber thing is interesting. I have used it and similar services in South Africa, India and Australia as well as the in the USA.
Unfortunately, in South Africa it is being for security reasons as well as for convenience. In India it is good way of not being ripped off by the taxis or Tuk Tuk drivers.
The use of the Uber is a city like San Diego is almost a necessity because of the poor state of most of the public transport. As I noted above, the buses are very infrequent. This encourages the use of Uber. However, it also reduces the patronage on the buses. It becomes a ‘vicious circle’ with less people using the buses and less incentive to improve the services, driving even more people to use Uber.
USS Midway
If you are ever in San Diego, I can highly recommend a visit to the USS Midway. It is fascinating.
The building of the USS Midway aircraft carrier was commenced in 1944 and she was commission right of the end of WWII.
She was in active service for 42 years and saw action in Vietnam and the ‘first Gulf’ war.
My tour of the ship started with a video of the ‘Battle of the Midway’, after which the ship is named. This battle took place in the Pacific after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour.
It was to play a crucial role on the outcome of the war in the Pacific.
I then started the walking tour of the ship will the aid of an ‘audio set’. The set was activated at various points on the tour. What is really good about audio set is that the people describing the points of interest are former sailors that served on the ship.
In addition, at various points along the tour, there are volunteers who are able to tell you more about the ship. Many of these volunteers are also former US Navy sailors and some also service on the Midway.
One of the things that really struck me is the sheer scale of the ship. When it was built, it was the large ship that had ever been built. When it was operational over 4,500 sailors and aircrew lived and worked on the ship. As they say, it was ‘floating city’.
Another thing that was interesting, was how the various groups on the ship were accommodated and the interaction, or lack of it, between the groups on a day today basis. The living quarters for the officer and the men were totally separate as were the living quarters for the sailors and the aircrew.
A number of people speaking on the ‘audio sets’ spoke about the fact that they only “met and interacted with people in their own teams or groups and there was limited, if any interaction” with other people on the ship. One bloke talked about “going for days on end without going above deck and the only way of knowing if it was day or night were the meals he was eating”. “I am eating breakfast so it must be morning”.
The comments by the pilots are particularly interesting. Some of the experiences they describe are quite harrowing, particularly when comrades were lost.
There are a lot of planes on the ship covering the period that it was in service. Part way through its service it was extensively modified to enable it the carry the newer planes including the marine version of the FA18.
At the end of the tour I went up to the bridge and the flight control centre. This it a good idea to leave this part of the tour to the last.
Australians Onboard
As I was headed to the exit, I came across some servicemen practicing a drill. The instructions were being ‘barked’ at them in an unmistakeable accent. They were Australians. They were rehearing for an ANZAC Day ceremony has was to take place the next day. I chat will them for a bit. All of them were on temporary attachments to the US Navy in San Diego.
I didn’t tell them about my ‘Alien’ experience at Camp Pendleton on my ride to San Diego.
‘Shelias’ built the Ship
I have neglected to mention probably the most important fact about the USS Midway. That is. The vast majority of people involved in its construction were women. This was of course because most of the able bodied men at the time were serving in the armed forces and women were conscripted to do the work. This fact was mentioned a number times on the tour. Comments were also made that, “because the women built it, the ship was completed on time and under budget”.
Down to the Border
Next day, I went for a long walk to the ocean beach near the hostel. The area close to the beach was a bit shabby, but interesting.
I also took the ‘trolley’, i.e. train down to San Ysidoro which is on the Border with Mexico. I understand that this is the busiest international border crossing on the planet. While I was there, there were hundreds of people streaming in and out of Mexico.
I wonder if Donald Trump has ever visited this border crossing. There seemed to plenty of wall and razor wire. I am sure that has been there long before Trump.
Gaslamp Quarter
Another interesting area in San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter. It is full of trendy bars and restaurants. It is very ‘touristy’ but good.
Old Town
Another area is the ‘Old Town’. I was underwhelmed by it.
Interesting Chats
Once last comment.
I mentioned that one the people staying at the hostel was a young South African bloke. He is from Durban and is on a gap year before attending University in Stellenbosch. He was very social and chatted to just about everyone.
The tables in the common room in the hostel facilitated interaction. It was fascinating to participate and listen to conversations.
The South African was particularly interesting. I had worked out that he was from a very wealthy Afrikaans family. His father owned a chain of Spar Supermarkets and they travelled extensively overseas. His also confided that “Dad has moved most of his wealth to London and Australia” in the expectation that things will go ‘pear shaped’ in the RSA.
It was interesting to hear his young bloke talk to other guests in the hostel including people from the USA, China, Germany and some of the Danish students.
Two of the ‘locals’ were very surprised that there were any white people in South Africa. The other nationalities at the table rolled their eyes and moved on.
Flickr Links
San Diego
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmiiBpP9
USS Midway
https://flic.kr/s/aHskzZRUku
Garmin San Diego
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2647595793
About the USS Midway
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Midway_(CV-41)
billrider2013 