Phil Moore's Travel Adventures...

I left San Francisco on a bright sunny day that seems to have marked the end of the nightmare rainy period that has drowned the populous, heading down the coast the to the legendary surf/skate mecca of Santa Cruz.

The place was suprisingly small with a tiny downtown area and limited number of bars. But once you get away from the idea of this being a vibrant city and more a sleepy side surfing town things start to make sense.

By day, the beach and surf breaks are all you need for entertainment. I hired a surf board and took a surf lesson with a local dude who took me through the motions. 3rd time lucky it seems prevails as previous surfing attempts failed miserably but this time it all fell into place. Only snag that my shoulder popped out of socket each time I paddled too hard and have done further damage to my ligaments as a result. Nethertheless and fool hardy I am I carried on and had some successfull waves, even manage to get the board to turn. The instructor did point out that this is probably the easiest place in the world to surf so lets see what happens when I get to Indonesia (if my shoulder recovers sufficiently).

By night, the boardwalk with it's rollercoaster rides and sea front promenade entice you with the flashing lights and arcade machines (many retro games inside like Out Run, Mis PacMan and Asteroids) and Quarter slot machines. A venture to the local bars is an intimate affair and expect to end up chatting to ageing surfer dudes who have drunk far too much. The best way I found to enjoy the night was a stroll along the sea front past Lighthouse Point and the world famous surf break Steamer Lane at sunset is spectacular.

My accomodation for the stay was the HI Santa Cruz which is a really cute beach hut setup. Only snag is a daytime lockout and 11pm curfew. I met a top guy here called Joey who is travelling across America in his trusty rusty Toyota Supra, who I'll travel with here on in till LA.

Santa Barbara

A vibrant sea-side town with a strong Spanish influence, impressive architecture of gleaming white houses and brightly coloured ornate mosaics.

A different vibe to Santa Cruz on the whole as it does not have the surf breaks and skate parks in the same way. More over, a home for the rich and beautiful. The beach was spectacular and well worth a stroll down.

Met tonnes of nice people here including Lauren from Masachusets.

Santa Monica (LA)

A gnarly drive through winding mountain roads brings me to LA. Erring on the side of caution, I decide to take it easy and stay in Santa Monica which is a safer neighbourhood on the edge of LA.

Not feeling too great here, hence why the tale is lacking the usual luck lustre pazzazz. I managed a heated discussion with some creationists in the shopping precinct who staked a $250,000 bet that there is no evidence to disprove their insance beliefs, ha ha. Also, took a stroll down to the beach to experience the great white sandy beaches LA is famed for, and captured the obligatory Baywatch life guard tower picture.

Would like to have done more here but the stomach not up to it so a good time to catch up on the diary. Currently contemplating posting the laptop home for safe keeping with sister but not sure I can let go of my little baby, still undecided and my plane leaves in 3 hours. Will he do it? I guess we'll find out next time I write when I arrive in Fiji in 12 hours time, yay!!!!!

After much reservation and deliberation in visiting the current Most Wanted nation in the world, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a go. Perhaps playing safe and limiting my stay to what I heard to be the most liberal and forward thinking of all the US states California.....

Arrived in San Francisco on 8th April, with short 4 hour flight from Calgary with (sc)Air Canada. A to San Francisco. Thankfully no bags are lost in transit for a change - I'll have to remember to set straight the hundreds of people who thought this part of the standard service package, I guess it's only for the lucky few.

Lucky I am that I have again a host for my stay here, Julian my old flat mate/buddy from back in London, 2004. He moved out here last year with a rather cushy deal from work and set up himself up nicely with a sweet studio, and social network of like minded peeps so once again I am thrust into the social elite of another great city, ish.

Luck would have it too that Bridget (who I met in Golden, Canada) was in town on the closing leg of her trip. We met for drinks and the like one night with her man Steve which was great, it was as tho no time had passed since our last meeting. A good friend made there. see you soon Briggi!!

My first (and lasting) impressions is that San Francisco and it's residents are European at heart, so much so that you could easily be forgiven for forgetting where you are in the world. There are such a diverse range of neighbourhoods and districts, each with their own unique piece of the pie to offer - Castro with it's strong Hispanic influence and flamboyant proud gay population, North Beach as the Italian quarter offering the finest coffee house experience to rival any European city, Marina as the young professional heaven and glitzy yuppy bars to suit, Mission as the down/up beat student quarter where you find grungy bars and clubs and alternative arts, the Haight with it's heavy hippy influence which is where the movement started back in the 60's, and finally Berkeley with it's far left radical freespeech Bush-hating student (UCLA) and professional residents. I've no doubt missed some out but hey 8 days in just not enough time.

Without doubt San Francisco is a big party town and you're spolit for places to frequent. Within 2 hours of arriving in the city, I found myself in a house party, invited by Jules of course, but this set the tone. That night was a 5am finish with a free bar and 2 kegs to wet the appetite, and had much fun with Jules' friends Nathan and Greg. A new phenomena too, when the kitchen is off limits (due to the paid pro-bartender taking this area) simply head to the roof as the alternative hang out - what a view of the city.

Mission seemed to be our main hangout, with nights at a friends battle of the bands gig, restaurants and films. The highlight was the final how-down - a cowboy themed warehouse party with free bar and neat Jack Daniels cocktails, and mechanical bullriding which this time I stormed after my training in Calgary - being blind drunk really helps, and karaoake which me and Jules did a foul rendition of Me, Myself and I (thanks Gail). To finish the night I did a running backflip up the mirrored wall which I've never done before but seemed like a good idea at the time - I really was quite gone.

The city has arguably the finest cuisine in the world with the quality and value for money surpassing my experiences in other large cities like London or Paris. One particular highlight was a visit to
a Bolivian restarant called Pena Pachamama, where the food served was incredible notably these cornish pastie type things filled with speciy vegetables and we treated to an intimate flamenco dancing display but the most incredibly beautiful South American ladies - amazing!

The city too is a cultural and art mecca, I'd guess, not really my cup of tea but fun none the less. I visited the SF Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA) which had a special exhibition of 1906 earthquake photography - crazy to see a building split in 2 and each piece shifted 16 feet in opposite directions! On a rainy day in The Haight I went to see the documentary fim Sir No Sir @ Old Red Vic.

It was amazing, especially to find that the people in the audience with me lived and breathed these times, one woman even saw her husband in a protest, and fists were raised in defiance at the sight of their frequented coffee shop protest bases - it was amazing to watch a film with such local and historical importance, especially with the paralells to the current oppression, oops conflict in Iraq.

Other items to note include the Spike and Mike's Animation Film Festival - very very funny internet cartoons - check them out peeps!

The artistic flair flows over into the streets with the sides of buildings are decorated in the most spectacular murals, in particular in the Castro district, which for me shows the artistic influence of the local people, and the governments will to let people express themselves. Spend some time to wander the streets and take in the free gallery that many guide books seem to miss. This mural was painted on the side of Amoeba records in Berkeley depicting the Free Speech battles with police in the 1960s (learn more about the movement here.)

Julian's house was located in the North Beach district famed for it's strong Italian influence. Coit Tower is easily sighted at the to of the hill and provides commanding views over the city and bay for a measily $4. Also, close to Fisherman's Wharf which is the launch pad for all Bay Area ferries, and the tourist trap area close to the docks, overlooking the Bay to Alcatraz. On the Wharf at Pier 39 I was suprised to see a host of Elephant Seals basking on the jetties - pah, for all the excitement of Gabriola and their elusiveness, here it's given on a plate, ho hum, there is much more fun in the chase.

The wharf continues around the bay which is great for a long stroll, continuing all the way down to Bay Bridge and the home of the San Francisco giants baseball team. I stopped by the docks, to watch the ships roll in and watch them roll away again, and met a couple of guys fishing for bass but catching an endless supply of leopard sharks. I had a go and pulled up this beauty from the depths. I'd rather see them in the water and find the whole fishing thing a but weird but an experience none the less.

As far as touristy stuff goes, I took a ferry out to Alacatraz to do the mandatory tour of the famous prison. Was quite interesting to hear about the place but it was so packed with tourists it was hard to relax and enjoy. The audio guide is pretty comprehensive but the most interesting parts were talking to the ex-guards and ex-inmates about their experiences - some funny tales shared about Al Capone and his jailhouse conformist ways and physicillis induced insanity.

Besides the in-city entertainments, the San Francisco bay area has much to offer. A fun way to enjoy the sun was to take a cycle ride out to Sausolito and Tiburon, picturesque little seaside towns, and catch the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf. Most spectacular, the ride takes you across the Golden Gate Bridge -watch out for rabid lycra clad cyclists who are likely to toss you over the edge in a rage if you block their path.

A 2 hour drive north of SF will bring you to Point Reyes National Park, where myself, Jules and Nathan ventured one sunny day. Taking Highway (Pacific Coast Road) northwards was a gnarly affair with winding roads traversing the intimidating cliff edges. Worse still, the 26 days of rain in March had made the cliffs incredbily unstable and severe subsidence was in effect, at times resulting in huge sectins of the road slipping away.

Heading out to Lighthouse Point, we tried to catch a glimpse of the migrating Grey Whales that follow the coast line, unfortunately we were a little late as migration ends in April but spectacular none the less. The afternoon was spent sea kayaking in Tomales Bay, which was created by the San Andreas Fault shifting north-westwards. Much fun and splashing around, dodging diving Ospreys and the like with a well deserved beer at our beach destination.

In reflection, I couldn't help but think of San Francisco as a living breathing Brave New World where the focus is definately on indulgence and good times. To what extent that this reflects on San Francisco, or whether it was hearing the word Soma each day I can't be sure. For sure, the wealthy enjoy a luxurious lifestyle eating in the best restaurants for super cheap prices, dating is a relaxed affair and not unusual to have many interests running in concurrency so that fits with Aldous Huxleys vision of the future. How this applies to the poorer populous I don't know but I expect that these pleasures are reserved for the fortunate few.

Certainly from talking to other travellers, their experience of SF was quite different to mine, struggling to find the right places to go, eating out was costly, and difficult to find areas to wander where you didn't feel threatened. I'm lucky to have the guide I did so thank you Jules and friends - you is legends innit!

Gabriola Island

A short 20 minute ferry ride from Nanaimo and British Columbia's Queen of the Gulf Islands Gabriola Island can be yours to enjoy. Situated in the Sound between Vancouver Island and mainland British Coumbia, the island is a pleasant rural setting of forested parks and serene beaches and coves littered with driftwood.

The island's name is derived from Punta de Gaviota (Cape Seagull), the name given by the Spanish to the southeastern part of the island in 1791. Prior the Spanish 'discovering' the island, Native American peoples lived on the island for an unknown number of years, as testified by the wealth of ancient native stone carvings called petroglyphs. Also referred to by some as Granola Island (as inscribed on the wall of the washroom wall on the BC Ferry), it is now haven for approximately 4,000 residents consisting of workers commuting to Nanaimo, hippies, retirees and draft dodgers, it is truly an island paradise BC style.

My visit confirmed for me British Columbia as a true unspoilt wilderness. I know Alaska claims this title more so for the extreme mountainous terrain and total isolation - Gabriola Island is infinitely more accessible and much easier to explore given the temperate climate, and that you can circumnavigate the entire island on bike in under 4 hours.

My hosts for my stay were my Aunty Joy and Uncle Peter who recently moved to the island after a 27 year stint in the city of Calgary, seeking the dream of the peace and serinity (or is that senility) that island life brings. Like many people on the island, they have embarked on a project to build their own house, starting from picking a plot in the middle of the forest, clearing the trees and scrubland and building the property from the ground up (silly phrase that is, how else would you do it?). By the time I had arrived, development was in full swing with the ground cleared, foundations layed and timberframe and housing in place. Patrick, an eccentric big-bearded French man with a gorgeous wife had been doing an sterling job of leading the project, and a top guy and good friend he became.

Unbeknowst to me and highlighting my lehman knowledge in such matters, tonnes more work has gone into it as this house as many other on the island has no running water and no connected swerage so must be entirely self-sufficient. An incredibly complex septic system which drains into the front lawn, and a rain water capture/filter system to provide clean flowing water all year round is hidden behind the scenes - very impressive! I was to assist with work here utilising what skills I have, namely clearing up the site and building huge mansize fires hot enough to liquify metal - what fun that was.

For the now, they live in a rented property, pretty basic in their eyes but ideal to me after my ex-prison dwellings in Golden. In the garden lies one of Gabriola's secret attractions, a 20 metre plus tree that has somehow grown out of a huge rock, or straddled at some point in it's life, no roots can be seen tunneling through the rock and this is no work of a handy gardener. After much deliberation, I couldn't figure out a plausible explanation. Go figure.

The real draw for me on the island was the sheer abudance of wildlife. Each night, we would head out to enjoy the sunset at one of many spots, the favourite being The Lighthouse which looks out across the Sound to Vancouver Island, focusing on a small rock outcrop with, would you believe it, a lighthouse on top. Scores of elephant & harbour seals and sea lions were setting up shop for their annual mating ritual. Sitting on the shore you could listen to the males barking out their superioty and females cooing with glee at machoistic displays, which echoed across the Sound. Occasionally you would be lucky enough to catch a few seals en route to the island that passed close by the shore. Most passed by unpreturbed but occasionally you would be caught in a face to face encounter with a displeased seal - what they were saying I could not be sure but I think it was roughly along the lines of 'get orf my laaand'.

The bay was arife with crustacean life, and when the tide was out you could brave a treacherous walk to the water's edge along the rock outcrops. Colourful amemonies litter the rock pools, including this rather alien-like Aggregate Anemone (the green markings a result of the algae it feeds upon). My cousin also tells me it's highly enjoyable to poke a stick into their mouth and watch them close, a little cruel perhaps.

Brightly coloured Ochre Star Fish that can span over - 1 foot across are seen all over the island, attaching themselves to marina jettys and basking in rock pools. The beauty of this specimen is somewhat spoilt in this picture, a beauty and the beast compositon I'd guess.

This which brings enmass a proliferal of bird waders. The favourite with their almost luminescent orange bills and gangly legs were the Black Oyster Catchers.

Timing of the visit was impeccable as luck would have it, the Herrings were running en mass in enormous shoals. I'm not sure if this was simply a coincidence that the seals mating season is at the same time or another beautiful medley of nature, certainly they enjoyed the easy pickings. Whilst at The Lighthouse one night you could see a dark shadow of the herrings gathering under the surface of the water, a huge flock of Harlequin Ducks were fishing gathering on the surface in one group and diving simultaneously, remaining under the water for 30 seconds or so then returning to the surface as one, forming a neat line and leading to the next dive spot. I have never seen anything like this and was totally bizarre/awe inspiring.

Probably the best way to see the island is to hire a sea kayak and paddle out to the smaller islands off the coast. Setting off from Silva Bay on the south side of the island, within 20 minutes we were away from the hustle bustle (ha ha). Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife on the shore and the rewards will be yours - a small speck of movement on a beach in a small cove turned out to be two racoons washing their food in the gently lapping waves, a real treat given that they are primarily nocturnal creatures and quite timid, this little fella seemed fascinated with my kayak.

Around the headland, we stumbled across a rocky island that hundreds of harbour seals had set up home upon. The startled seals took to the water and I was surrounded by over 50 seals bobbing in the turbulent water, all staring intently at the strange visitors that disturbed their afternoon rest. Using the currents to repeatedly float past the island backwards (seals find this less threatening), we got closer and closer to the seals as they became accustomed to our presence. Some great shots of one seal who perhaps was just too fat to move.

My favourite place on the island was an area on the far southern tip called Drumbeg Provincial Park, a memorable place where I saw my first elephant seal (only 2 metres from the shore), with stunning views across the bay from serene beaches with twisted driftwood littered about. Truly magical. It was here that was probably the best spot to observe Bald Eagles going about their business, hanging around in trees waiting for the opportune moment to go check out the fish menu, or when the thermals were right for a little scout around the bay.

If you waited long enough, the eagle would put on a display for you and swoop and soar with effortless grace, and maybe catch a fish and return to it's perch but to show off it's style and grace in the air.

An another visit to Drumbeg, I met with an ex-Vancouver resident who too found this spot to be his favourite. It was a sunny day and whilst chatting about the island and his experiences, a River Otter climbed from what I found out to be his nesting site and sat on a rock no more than 20 feet from us to sun bathe. We watched the little chap enjoy the sun and it was only as it strutted away to the waters edge did I think to to snap the moment on camera. Sometimes the moment is more important than the picture.

If that's not enough, I decided to explore yet another aspect of the island by venturing into the 2 degree waters and checking out the sub-aquatic world to see if it lives up to it's promise of being 'Rated as one of the "Best" cold water destinations in the world'. Over the past 10 years, the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, along with the Provincial and Federal government's, Dive Shop Owners and many volunteers have joined forces to create arguably one of the best regions in the world for the establishment of artificial reefs through strategically sinking WW2 war ships, fishing vessels or other such craft they can get their hands, probably the most famous of which is the HMCS Saskatchewan.

Through Sundown Divers in Nanaimo, I joined a group of experienced divers visiting for the weekend from Vancouver. Unfortunately weather did not permit a dive to the exposed and current ridden HMCS Saskatchewan so this was off the cards. The first dive of the day was the wall of Snake Island which starts in 20 metres of water and you can descend to over 200 metres.

Wearing a 7mm wetsuit complete with feet, gloves, hood that left no skin exposed, I plunged into the freezing water for my first dive experience after the Red Sea in November 2004. What a shock - not only was it freezing cold causing my chest cavity to shrink to the size of a pea, on looking under the water visibility was down to less than 2 metres - I began to regret my decision and figured that my chips were up. With gentle encouragement I took the plunge and followed the guide line down into the murky waters.

To my suprise, the waters cleared at a depth of meters with greater than 20 metres visibility, and now that I could breath comfortably-ish I began to relax. Descending down the wall I was amazed at the amount of life down here - crustaceans, anemomies and urchins dominated life down here in stark contrast to the countless varities of fish that swarm around coral reefs. Huge white Plumose Anemomies dominated the rocky overhangs, with bright Dahlia Anemomies (pictured) adding splashes of colour.

Not to give the impression that this was a still life, far from it - huge armies of urchins migrating to shallower waters, orange coloured sponges that make great ping-pong balls, and a suprisingly broad variety of fish (though quite alusive) including Lingcod (pictured) and Rockfish.

To complete the dive we surfaced close to the island to watch the Harbour Seals at play, back in the < 1 meter visibility water, none were around until I realised that a layful fella was tugging at my flipper, and another 10 surrounded me in amusement.

The afternoon dive was to the wreck of HMS Prudent which whilst not as spectacular as the first was enjoyable none the less as my first real wreck dive. I tried my hand at underwater filming too and whilst the images were total rubbish, by sheer accident I captured the song of a group of whales that was only spotted on playback at home that night. I hope you can hear it on this video too.

What I intended to be only 3 day stay turned into a week long orgy of wildlife spotting beyond my wildest dreams, some quality time getting to know my Aunt and Uncle and becoming one (again) with another part of the amazing British Columbia. I hope to visit again next year, hmm that list keeps growing.

To close the Gabriola account, I leave you with a stunning sunset view from close to The Lighthouse.

Victoria

Now on my last legs in the country, I made the journey across to Victoria on Vancouver Island where I'd catch my connecting flight back to Calgary and beyond. Billed as more English than England, Victoria's apparent tea-and-scones-at-eleven-and-three Englishness was lost on me as I didn't seem to get that impression at all, I guess I saw the wrong places. Hooking up with an Aussie dude, we explored the city and it's sights including the BC Parliament as a highlight. The best part of this short visit was meeting the bass player of The 88's who were playing in town that night, unable to help in his quest for some pot we still had a good banter after which we were invited as VIPs to their gig that night. To be honest I'd never heard of them, apparently they were used on The OC tv hell show. The evening began with a night at the town's Irish bar where we celebrated Tartan Day (no idea what that was about but lots of Irish performers, jiggers etc) and met the mayor if Hollyrood, New Foundland who was an idiot and didn't know who Tony Blair was, after discovering he and his friend were RCMP in town for a conference with 400+ other enforcers we scarpered quick sharp and on the the gig. The venue was awesome, small intimare bar with friendly locals, The 88's were awesome and absolutely loved it - cheers dudes!

Calgary

Quick exit from Victoria the next day, and flew back to Calgary with WestJet (top airline and no lost bags) and just had time for one last night of hedonism before leaving for the USA. Hooked up with Megz (on special visit to the town), cousins and their football team and headed to the quality establishment Ranchmans (as seen in Brokeback Mountain) which is a cowboy styled bar. Made a fool of myself on the mechanical bull, I mockingly stroked it's hide on the warm up run which was all the lesbianator machine operator needed and she whipped it up into breakback mode. Ouch, the bruises have just about faded after 10 days. Anyhow, a good night all in all tho I felt inadequate in two-step dancing skills to the Cowboy who whipped Megz off her feet tho thankfully he was an inbred idiot with the brain capacity of a flea and looks to match (ha ha, how bitter I am ;o)

Just a single day in Rodeo city and time to head off already. Sob sob, I'll miss Canada soo much, I'll be back next year.

Next stop sunny (ha ha) California and the City of San Francisco.