When nature has other plans || Solo exploration of San Diego, California

Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed.


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating.


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.

She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. 

Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. 


Before I go on to Day 3 of my stay in San Diego, I should talk about the amazing dinner I had on Day 2. I came across the restaurant known as Flavors of East Africa at around 5PM (odd time for any meal) and decided to give it a try. I had barely had any food on Day 1 and an early breakfast on Day 2, then nothing. So I felt that I deserved a proper meal. And I had never tried African food before this. Needless to say I was excited. Because of the odd time, I was the only customer there and, as a result, had full attention of the 4 servers. I asked for their advice on what I should order. They asked me how hungry I was. I said I was very hungry after walking 20,000 steps. They then suggested that I should go for their goat curry which they normally serve with rice, but for me they arranged a naan-like bread to go with it. And for drink, I had coffee. The meat was pretty good, and the curry rich. The preparation seemed to be quite familiar. Goat isn't such a common meat in the west (they prefer lamb), but we in India are quite fond of mutton. And it seems that the cooking methodology is very similar to the one used in mughlai cuisine. Anyway, technicalities aside, it was just what my drenched, cold, and hungry self needed. Then I walked back to my hotel and removed my shoes. Only then did I realize how soaked they were. I put them close to the blower to dry them. By now, I also realized how tired I was, so I just crashed. Weather channel was predicting rains throughout the next day and the one after that. I prayed that it would somehow clear up and I would have a good chance to see the Seaworld. Next day I woke up to my friends messaging me about flood warnings in the bay area. I quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, there were flood warnings in San Diego too. In India, we tend to take things lightly, but here the situation seemed different. My hotel was in a low-lying area and I was worried. I checked the website of seaworld and saw that it would be closed for the day because of predictions of heavy rains. I started making alternate plans. I had one full day with me, my bus out of the city was at night. There seemed to be plenty I could do even without Seaworld being on cards. I could explore the various pubs, go to the beach, visit some of the many museums in the Balboa Park area. But I had just got ready to move out when a flashflood warning flashed on my phone. Apparently there was serious risk in the very area I was in. I looked outside and water was flowing fast and freely on the streets. I had planned to leave my backpack at the hotel cloakroom and then come and get it later, but looking at the situation, it appeared that it may be difficult to come back to this area. So I decided to carry my backpack with me. But then I decided to check the weather channel one last time. And I am glad I did so. The flashflood warnings were everywhere now. And friends started advising me to take an earlier bus out of San Diego. The thought was at the back of my mind too and their messages helped me take the decision. I saw that a bus was schedule to leave San Diego in 1.5 hours and booked a ticket on it. I cancelled my ticket for the night and booked an Uber with some difficulty. Clock was ticking and I could see the water flow faster on the streets and the levels rise. Uber managed to arrive after some delay. The driver asked me what time was my bus - I told her in one hour. She said, "okay, I will try my best to get you there in time." This sounded ominous. She monitored google maps and figured out that there was a huge jam on the freeway that we would need to cross to get to Westfield UTC Mall, where I would be able to board my bus. Even though google maps showed that we would still make it in time despite the jam, the google driver said that the information is not to be trusted. She said that if this was because of a vehicle crash or breakdown (which is what google maps indicated), it is only going to get worse in the current weather because of heavy rain that continued to fall and showed no sign of abating. She took a detour and went through the city instead. On the way we talked about her family. She mentioned that she was a single mother with two children to bring up. She has been working hard for years, making the ends meet. And she said that Uber had helped to make the situation comfortable. I hope she is doing fine right now, in the current Covid-19 climate. Anyway she did keep her word. She navigated expertly through increasing traffic and got me to the bus station just in time for the bus. I thanked her and tipped her and boarded the bus. Soon we were on our way out of San Diego. I hadn't got an opportunity to pack any food and was kind of counting on the stop in Los Angeles to pick something up. That turned out to be challenging because they stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had about an hour and a half to get some food and get back. So I searched for the nearest place to eat and it about about 700m away. Distances somehow seem longer in US and it was still raining a little. Anyway, I had no choice but to walk, and walk fast. So I started. It turned out to be quite difficult because I had to walk along a busy road with a very narrow sidewalk. But I kept at it. And very soon, I was in a very vibrant locality, known as Olvera Street. There were brightly colored shacks selling Mexican food and colorful items. Many of the shops were shut but all that was open was very tempting. I wish I had more time on my hands. But my priority was food. So I went to a cafe that looked really nice - Casa la Golondrina Mexican Cafe and ordered coffee and cheese nachos or tacos, I can't really remember. I did not have too much time on my hand so had to rush back. And yes I managed to catch my bus again. I thought the journey onward till San Jose would be pretty unexciting, but then just when I was about to reach I learnt that there was a chase going on where police cars were after armed miscreants and, yes, right in the area where I was supposed to de-board the bus. Anyway, I did not get caught in the middle of crossfire, thankfully. By the time the bus pulled into the bus station, the chase was over. I took an Uber back to the hotel and was so happy to see that my friend was back from work and waiting for me for dinner. We had a nice dinner and by the time we were done, I was ready to crash. This was the perfect culmination of a trip with various ups and downs. I am glad that I managed to go with the flow without feeling too disappointed. Sometimes things don't work out as you had planned. Sometimes life has other plans. One can't argue much with nature. Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone.


Note: All photographs used in this series of posts are ones from the trip VJ made to San Diego. Unfortunately I lost all my photographs when I broke my phone. 

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