Take Off Tuesday to Malibu

I take the 5 Freeway to the 134 West until the 101 North. I just want to be on the beach. I have my surfboard, ice chest, and tent.

I left Pico Rivera, Calif. and 1.5 hours later I made it to Sycamore Canyon Campground that is settled in the Santa Monica Mountains off PCH in Ventura County.

Canyon- Campground- Beach

I set up camp and head to the beach. My cousins are there, about 12 deep.  I spot them chilling under a few umbrellas with drinks in hand. I feel like I am walking into a commercial.

It is a slice of prime shoreline on the Pacific Ocean, the sand softer and rich in dark tones.

If you come out early in the morning while the fog rests in the canyon I feel like I am in Iceland. The pictures I've seen show black sand and cold water with white spray.

I dive in this morning. A rush of sensational fills all holes in my body and I close my eyes underneath the surface. I am weightless and blind in that moment.

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A small sandy bluff into some rocky terrain and then you hit the parking lot that sits against the canyon cliffs.

Sycamore Canyon host 51 camping sites with about 5 restroom facilities. The beach is a short walk under a tunnel. The hiking trails to the west lead into a barren burnt landscape from a past fire. The paths are challenging as the inclines steepen quickly.

Charcoal gray, white, red, and splashes of green come alive from the slow growth of sprouting bush. New beige and rust colored bark expose through the black branches.

My cousin Kaelynn, Jess and I gain elevation over a hill and start up a trail that expands only two feet wide. We relish in the accomplishment of making it up the trail to the peak.

A high ridge overlooking the sea, it reminds me of Baja California, Mexico. I am in Malibu I remind myself.

The fog and sun hold hands. They take turns gracing us over the course of three days.  I enjoy the two naps I get in the sand. My cousin quickly fills my time with sandcastles, Frisbee, and jumping in the waves.

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Bike rides, campfires, and good food, this is a summer vacation I could get used to. Short walks in the morning along the shore followed by meditation sessions.  The sand is a soft gritty kind. This is the type of observation I notice these days after being too so many beaches. I like the quality overall.

FRESH FRUIT

CHORIZO CON FRIJOLES

RIBS & TRI-TIP

PANDULCE

HUMMUS & VEGGIES

FRESH VEG FROM COUSINS GARDENS

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     A three-day two night is just what the doctor ordered. Sycamore Canyon is a great getaway, 20 miles north of Santa Monica, Calif.  Turn off the phone and turn on the adventure!!!

Born to be Bondi

South side of Bondi Beach (top left)
Tamarama Beach (top right)
Bondi Beach (center bottom)

       This was it guys, the second moment where I knew I belonged in Australia. If you live in a city where you just wish it would slow down a bit and people would just appreciate what they had more then you should come here.

      I arrived to Bondi Beach at 10 am and walked towards the northern point, this has become a pattern. I run into the Bondi market that is held every Sunday from 10am - 4 pm. It showcases Australia's up and coming designers as well as local merchants. It is like the Rose Bowl flea market cut in a quarter.

 

True blue at every angle

        Sound of music that strikes the right chord

A bouquet of flowers for me

Or maybe a paisley print tee

Leather bound journals 

Tarot card readings

This is rad man 

Skull candle for the rebel It's like the 311 song "I'll be here a while"

I fell in love with Australia

Again

       Across the street I landed at the beach, where the soft sand sucked in my feet. Waves are bigger than Manly Beach. The surfers come in full wetsuits. It is weird to me since the water is so warm compared to California beaches. People here are more tattooed and gorgeous.

Me at Bondi Beach

I meet up with all the girls from last night and we decided to do the highly recommended walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach. 

Along the way you pass Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly, Gordon's Bay before arriving at Coogee Beach.

I swam at Bondi, Clovelly (more of a inlet then a bay) and Coogee.

Bronte was definetly the coolest but only offered natural rock baths to swim in as well as built baths.

Clovelly had the warmest water.

Coogee had the best waves but really course sand.

 

Surfers at Bronte Beach

Waverley Cemetery- RIP for real

Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay from south side

We made it to Coogee Beach

The views were the best part. They got better the farther you traveled south. The walk measures 6 km (3.5 miles). I was so glad I found a churro store ( San Churro) before I started the walk.  Just have to tell you they make them fresh and serve it with a dipping sauce, I got caramel. The best churro I have ever had.

Lounge area at Goldfish
Photo from goldfishkigscross.com

I had to follow-up this awesome day with an awesome night out. Tonight I was nomad, I knew nobody so I made friends at the bar next door. Mostly all London boys, we headed back out to Kings Cross where I met Brett, an Aussie who was over hanging out with his friends so we split and found Goldfish. Goldfish is a club that has unisex bathrooms and a live band that plays todays hits. We danced the night away and then settled for some kebabs (gyros in US) at 3am. Kebabs for Australians are like the Jack in the box tacos for Americans.

In the morning it boarded the train back home to Wollongong. It was not 48 hours before that I was nervous and not sure if I could make it all by myself. Traveling alone you really learn who you are and how well you are able to adapt to the raw environment you are born in to.

Photo from my camera on my phone, pretty good!

Some of the things I have learned along the way

•    Keep your spirit awake and alive
•    Be true and honest
•    Live by a good code and know your limits
•   Trust only yourself but try to understand others
•  Don't be afraid to ask
• Never get comfortable and never stop trying

Seven Days Down

Goodbye Sydney, for now.

Sydney Central Train Station

I <3 Sydney

     It has been a full week since I left Los Angeles but only five full days of adventure. I am finally in Wollongong (Wool-long-gong), NSW. It took about 80 minutes on a train to get here. The weather is a mixture of sun one day and rains the next; you can't plan a day at the beach it just has to happen. My sunburn is almost healed. The city is beautiful sits along the eastern coast with soft sand beaches.

Stanwell Lookout Point of Wollongong

I feel like I am going to school in the rain forest.

      With the beauty comes the price. Australia is expensive. A good meal costs about $25.00 minus the beer. I usually start the morning with any piece of fruit I can get my hands on. The standard staple for lunch consists of a piece of white bread covered with either tomato or BBQ sauce and a chicken sausage link. The causal meat paired with salad and chips for dinner.  To wash this all down I grab a beer, I am really taking a liking to Coopers Brew Pale Ale.

       

Uni Campus 

       Aussies at my place are all friendly and very mature for a group of 18 year olds. See in Australia 18 is the legal drinking age so most of them started around 16-17. The first couple days the groups were segregated boy/girl but now that we been in close quarters it is starting to mix. For instance, we visit the North Gong Pub for an $8 steak (Note: Steak is cheap here), after we all mingle and chat like 25 year olds (Great scene, all we really needed was a fire but then its 75 degrees outside). 

We talk about:

1.Kangaroos

2. Guns and how screwed up the US is- "If we had America's gun laws, 20 of us would have walked into the bar tonight and only 5 of us would of walked out," says the mate Michael.

3.Rugby

4. Beer- If an Aussie male drinks cider, he is a "pussy".

5. The influx of Asians in Australia

6. All the towns everyone is from and what is NOT special about each

      We are all staying at Flinders Motel for a month. There is a consensus it will extend past.  I like the motel because it is only five minutes from the pubs, beach and mall.  Plus it has this ratchet kind of dodgy ("shady" in AUS) look all dark with common kitchen and laundry with no dryer. Spring Break 1978! Where we are suppose to go to in a month reminds me of the new lofts in Pasadena, Calif. My room is shared with a girl from Indonesia who is here to learn English. Yes, she knows very little and she chose Australia to learn English, not my first choice.

North Wollongong Beach 

       Australia does have the potential to be my first choice in the category of where I want to live for the next few years. Aussies have done amazing job with their country, they have found that balance between appreciating what they have and wanting to progress ahead. Their backyard is amazing, full of history and natural resources while a sustainable and efficient vehicle sits in the driveway. I read somewhere on pamphlet that Australia holds the records for most inventions, and I can definitely believe it.

Turtle Love