I have now reached my very last port of call for the trip - San Diego.
Just like Los Angeles, I have opted to stay on the beach. I'm in a place called Ocean Beach, about 8 miles from Downtown San Diego. The hostel I am at is great. It is the USA Hostels Ocean Beach, and just a few blocks from the beach. It is very modern, sociable and a little quirky. The staff are also super friendly, and organise various different activities at least daily.
One example of these activities was Taco Tuesday's. I had only just arrived at the hostel, but thought I'd give it a go. As a solo traveller, it was a great way to meet people from the hostel - with about 15 from the hostel there. Their specialties were all fish tacos. I'm not actually a huge fan of fish, so I played it safe and opted for cod (one of the few fish I like)... But, it did taste pretty good actually. I also got chatting to some of the group. The great thing with hostels is that you have people from all over the world. In this case, we had someone from Sweden, a few Swiss and someone from the UAE as an example. Plus you always get loads of Australians... We also had camp counsellors (whoop whoop!) so naturally bonded over stories of camp.
With San Diego being so close to the Mexican border, Taco Tuesday's very quickly became Tacos Pretty Much Everyday. Over my time in Ocean Beach, I tried a range of local places - eying everything from the Cali Burrito (beef Burrito with chips INSIDE the burrito), rolled mini tacos and a huge range of different tacos. But my favourite place to eat wasn't actually a taco place. After seeing recommendation in Lonely Planet, and queues out the door, I ate at a place called Hodad's Burgers. It was very quirky and seemed to be the pit stop of choice for surfers - many of whom still in swimwear. I had a great burger there, and didn't pay through the roof either. Would definitely recommend!
I spent my first day exploring downtown San Diego. The main areas I explored were the Gaslamp District and the Embarcadero. The Gaslamp is the main area of San Diego, lined with restaurants and shopping. The Embarcadero is similar, except it stretches along the coastline. Whilst I didn't visit much, San Diego is home to the aircraft carrier USS Midway, various museums and the zoo - made famous by Anchorman. Compared to other cities, there is perhaps less attractions in San Diego, but it was still worth a visit.
Another freebie provided by the hostel was a weekly shuttle to La Jolla. La Jolla is a large village just outside of San Diego. It is home to a few small beaches, rock pools and coves - and was highly scenic. It was also home to a large sea lion colony, who lived right in the main cove. They were relatively fine with human presence - meaning some chose to swim with them. Although, given the smell, I chose not to...
I also had the chance to do something completely new, but that I really wanted to try - surfing. Our hostel was able to offer discounts at a local surf school. Beginners lessons cost me $80 for three hours, including all equipment/boards. An unexpected bonus was that I was the only one booked onto that mornings lesson - basically meaning I had a one-to-one lesson. Given how clumsy I am normally, I am always really surprised when I am good at something requiring balance (ice skating for example). But, I did actually manage to pick up surfing really quickly - and being a very strong swimmer and a lifeguard did help a lot. I was quite proud that I was able to catch waves and stand for an OK length of time. Must say it was great fun!
I also ventured out to nearby Mission and Pacific beaches - both a short Uber away. These were smarter areas compared to Ocean Beach - perhaps also as they were more touristy, where Ocean Beach is more local. The beaches there were great too - albeit a little busy.
My final San Diego experience is another first - Amtrak. I usually enjoy travelling by train, hence why I booked this over the Greyhound coach for my return journey. But, there are four words I hate to hear when travelling by train - Rail Replacement Bus Service. I had booked tickets weeks before, so was a bit gutted when I found out. Given that I'm travelling to the airport, and extra two hours onto the journey isn't ideal. But, for the section that was by train - it was certainly worth it. The Pacific Surfliner ran pretty much on the beach following the coast from San Diego to LA - providing incredible views of the Californian Coast. What better way to cruise back to the airport whilst gazing out the window...
San Diego made a good calling point to end the trip. Whilst the tour was very busy and full on, this was more chilled out. As I make my way to LAX to catch the flight home, all that is left to say is... "You stay classy San Diego"
