Cell phone and shiny cars epidemic...

in the land of silicone and surfer dudes. It's spring break on E 24/7.

Thirty hours away and I am in a whole new dimension. I walk down a street that was so wide that, in most of the countries I was in, could have fit three rows of houses and a couple of dirt roads inbetween. Don't forget to add the stray dogs.

I was in a daze. Boys and girls are all quite perfect, in their designer clothes and perfect hair. I couldn't walk down the street without seeing at least 5 people on their cell phones.

Conversations overheard most certainly contained the words "like" or "dude" or "whatever." Most people were smiling. On a chilly day of 25C, people were out on the beaches suntanning. Actually, they were all slathered up in sunscreen as most tans seemed to have been acquired at any of a number of 24Hour/discount/internet cafe/ laundry tanning salons.

In a gas station where I was picking up loads of chocolate bars that I had not had since leaving Vancouver, the clerk praises my English. "It better be [good]," I replied, "I'm from Canada." I guess they get a whole lot of Asian tourists down there who randomly and individually go into out-of-the-way gas stations to buy a lot of chocolate.

I spent an afternoon playing mini-golf and went go-carting. Then we proceeded to have dinner at an Asian chain restaurant which was overpriced and not very authentic. It wasn't a fusion restaurant, they were trying to do the real thing. Trying was the operative word. Think trendy med-range restaurant with skinny, pretty waitresses. The food wasn't bad but, I would not be a repeat customer. I'm so spoiled from living in Vancouver.

Overall, it was a nice city. A pretty one, to boot. Just a bit of culture shock on my part, adjusting and noticing that my perceptions have changed over the past year and a half. I could have been any number of those cell-phone toting, "like-whatever," primped gals before I left.

Growth is good.

In San Diego, US of A

Beach 15min walk away from my buddy's house...


After a 30 hour gruelling bus ride from Mazatlan to Tijuana, I made it into the USA. Little luxuries that you don't realize that you miss:

Cops are the good guys.
Cross the street according to the lights, not run when it is kinda safe.
Hot running water with adequete water pressure.
Flushing toilet paper down the toilet.
It's OK to carry your credit card with you - all day.
Clean sidewalks.
People driving in the correct lanes (most of the time).
Cell phones.

This is what happens in bars....

Sigh.......... anyways, I'm visiting a friend here and will probably be back home sometime next week. I've gotta book my tix.