'Hora Feliz' - Happy Hour at Cafe Coyote - 'Where San Diego goes to Howl'!!!!

Travelled back to our hotel from Sea World - our stop in Old Town made us walk right up the main street.... and we knew it was still Happy Hour at Cafe Coyote!  $4.95 margaritas and $2 tacos!!!  Stopped in, of course!  Thirsty from our big day out.  George, our barman, was happy to speak to us in spanish and we stayed for about two hours, eating tacos, tacquitos and margaritas.

There is a waiting line to get a table at this place.  It was not this busy nor popular when we were here last.  The food is amazing, the service was excellent.  There was a mariachi band of three hombres (men) who came and serenaded us as well.  Took a photo but it had 'margarita shake' and didn't turn out so well - never mind!  What a great day!

More Sea World!

There were also plenty of other lovely creatures of the sea to interact with!

David and I had a great time feeding the sea lions who, once they know you have fish, are like 'barking dogs' insisting that you feed them!  The seagulls were also very cheeky, and if you weren't quick enough, they'd take the fish right out of your hands!

We went in to the 'Shamu Show' and to be honest, I thought the orcas would be 'just another show' - however - I was pleasantly surprised at how great it was and how much I enjoyed it!  They are big and can be dangerous - but they behave just like obedient dogs, really.....  anything for a fish treat!  You can see how big they are in this photo, out of the water, beside the adult, female trainer!

Fortunately, we managed to choose seats just one row out of the 'splash zone' and didn't get completely saturated by these huge mammals flicking their tails at the edge of the pool - people were soaked!

Sea World is definitely on our list to visit if we are ever again in San Diego!

Swimming with the Dolphins!

Thursday we went to Sea World San Diego - and participated in the Dolphin Interaction Program!!! 

Had a great day, sunny and hot.  We had to don wet suits and boots, remove all jewellery.  We walked through the park to the dolphin pool and went in with a trainer, Lindy.  There were six adults in our group.  The other two couples were younger than us and good fun.  We spent almost an hour in the pool, being led by the trainer to touch the dolphins, feed them fish, pour warm water into their mouths (apparently they love it, it's a real treat) and the ultimate - swim along with them.  There were three dolphins in the pool, a 26 yr old called Dotti, and two 4 year olds 'in training' - Callie was with us.  I swam with Callie, she wasn't keen when the trainer first asked me to hold her dorsal fin, she started to shake and the trainer said 'let go' - which I did.  Then we had to reward her and talk nicely to her.  Then we tried again and she was happy to give me a ride.  So much fun!  David went for a ride with Dotti, who was very fast and very strong - he loved it - so smooth!  Sea World photographers took the pictures, which we were happy with.  Would do the whole thing again in a heartbeat!!!

Down on the Border

Wednesday - our first day in San Diego.  We bought a two day pass for the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) which allows travel on buses, trains and trolleys for 48 hours - $US9.  From where we are staying in Old Town, the station is about a 2 minute walk.

Old Town 'The Birthplace of California' - was 'discovered' by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542.  It was re-'discovered' by several explorers from places such as Spain and Russia over the years. It has a long and interesting history.  It was a Spanish settlement in the early 1800's but by 1846, the first American flag was raised in the plaza of Old Town.

We have visited this area twice before, and were attracted to its charm.  This time we decided to stay here and we have been amazed at the transformation of the main street, it is bustling with tourists and extremely popular.  

On Wednesday we caught the trolley into the CBD to have brekky before once again, catching the trolley to San Ysidro (40 minutes ride).  San Ysidro Police Station is the proper name of the station and it is right at the border with Mexico.  Some very interesting sights and smells - particularly as we were standing at the traffic lights waiting to cross the road and noticed the strong smell of cannabis as a big, black car drove around the corner - windows down!

It was a short distance over the pedestrian bridge to the shopping mall and restaurants.  The manager of one of the stores recommended 'Achiote' as a good restaurant for authentic mexican - and she was right! 

Riding the 'Stagecoach' Hume

One of the best things about travelling at this time of year, is that I turn a year older.... twice! September 24 Australia time - thank you to those who sent Birthday messages!   Then today, my birthday US time - and more birthday fun!
David and I have spent the last two days travelling around Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Temecula and San Diego, doing a few errands and some sightseeing and shopping.  Standing in Wells Fargo bank yesterday, we read about the bank's Stagecoaches and how they operated 24/7 from the early days in the 1800's.....  Wow!  They definitely delivered!
We both really feel at home in Palm Springs and have met some lovely people, who, upon hearing our accents, have been interested in asking questions about Australia or telling stories about their home town.  Our favourite haunt has definitely been Sherman's Deli where we went for brekky three mornings in a row - service was fantastic!

One of the highlights of today was stopping at, of all places, Walmart.  It was to be a quick 'commando raid' - limited items on the shopping list - in & out in ten minutes.  All went according to plan, until -upon leaving the store, the door 'Greeter' spoke to us and wished us a happy afternoon.  It was then that I spotted the Halloween decorations (air filled) and decided that David should pose with some of the characters! (pictured below)  I had a few difficulties because the light was right behind them and I fiddled around a bit - David said that the Greeter was looking at us over the rim of her glasses and shaking her head - not in a cranky way, but obviously thinking what are those two adults doing???

Well after that, I got the giggles and we had to leave!  I was hoping we weren't going to get into trouble!

We are so pleased with our hotel in San Diego - right in the heart of Old Town.  Tonight, for my birthday dinner, David took me to 'La Piñata'.  We have been there twice before and have always enjoyed the atmosphere, the meal and the people who work there.  It was built in 1932 and has been serving meals continuously since then!!!  So thoroughly enjoyed it and then a wander through Old Town on the way back to our lodging.  Having a nice, relaxing evening!

Out & about in the San Bernardino National Forest!

The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the length of the San Bernardino National Forest, winding from Mexico to Canada.  Outside Palm Springs, there is a picturesque drive called the 'Pines to Palm Highway', and is about 100km long.  So this morning, we hit the road.  The first pic above is David getting into our hire car out front of our hotel, the second pic is the view from part way up San Jacinto (at the top it's 6000ft high!).  Very dry on the eastern side.

We stopped at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center for a look, and to find some info brochures.  As we got out of the car, David looked at me and calmly said, 'I don't want to scare you Scarlet, but you need to be aware of rattlesnakes'.....!@#%$^?  

You may like this interesting info about rattlesnake bite victims, from the fact sheet:

-Vast majority are men between ages 17 and 27

-85% of all bites are on the hand or arm (because people tried to pick them up)  [good grief I say!]

-In more than 30% of cases, the victim is drunk  [well that's a no brainer!]

-Over 20% of victims have tattoos  [does this show some affiliation for getting pricked?]

-One vial of anti-venom is about $3000.  Initial treatment is 4-6 vials ($12000-$18000)... Some people     need up to 50 vials.  That's $150 000 just for the anti-venom without doctor and hospital costs.

-Recently killed rattlesnakes can still bite and inject venom.

-Most bites occur between April and October  [OMG! What's the date today?]

We continued on to the little town of Idyllwild which has its origins in the early 1900's from pioneers in the area who realised the area's potential as a location for camps (as in summer camps).  Idyllwild developer, Claudius Lee Emerson began donating land to religious and Boy Scout organisations.  Today it is known as 'an inspirational setting for the art world, as well as for recreational activities ranging from hiking and biking to camping, relaxation, music, dance and theatrical productions'.

We stopped for lunch at the 'Red Kettle' cafe and had enormously sized meals for very reasonable prices.  Upon leaving, we rounded the corner to find a 'rescued racoon' sitting on top of a rubbish bin with her carer.  I made friends and we were allowed to pat the racoon and have photos!  So exciting! Poor baby was only 3 months old and will stay with her carer until about 8 months old.  No human contact for the last two months of her stay....   Made my day!

Finished up also seeing alpacas, but we didn't pat them, they were eating!  Drove back to Palm Springs via the outlets and the wind farms.....  Great day!

Breakfast amongst the Palms

Last night on our walking return from diner at the Mexican restaurant we found a very obviously popular "Shermans Deli".  We made a pact to go back for breakfast.  It was pretty obvious that they took care with their food preparation as they were Kosher on all items and Gluten free on a select range.  We walked down Tahquitz Canyon Way through an avenue of palms in the cool dry morning and had a freshly cooked egg breakfast.  Our choices could have been a three fish banquet ( Cod, Fresh Whitefish or Lox (smoked Salmon)), steaks, waffles, pancakes all with choices of every meat you could think of on the side.  Our table was on the sidewalk under the awning with a backdrop of the Palms and the sunrise.  What a great morning.  We both felt at home and no rushing.

Here are photos of the Palms and the sunrise and Palm background at breakfast.

Palm Springs - under Marilyn's skirt!

Can't believe we're in Palm Springs!  Fine, hot and sunny!
Arrived LAX airport yesterday morning, only about an hour late.  Good flight, the Captain was very informative.  We were able to pick up the hire car and hit the road.  We have a Nissan Ultima which David says want to take off on him all the time.... (lead foot!)
Achieved David's goal of eating at an Italian restaurant in Chino called 'Pizzaioli' which had excellent reivews - and we found out why - the food was almost as excellent at Bruno's - I had a margherita pizza with a crispy base and sauce to die for!  We then went to their wine shop nearby, called 'Napacabs' and purchased some Chilean wine which we really like, but can't buy in Australia.
An easy drive to Palm Springs, arrived at 3pm, timed perfectly for a swim in their pool and a relax in the afternoon.  Hotel shuttle took us the few block to downtown at 6pm and the concierge recommended mexican restaurants for us to check out, we ended up at 'Las Casuelas' - unreal food!  There is a HUGE statue of Marilyn Monroe on loan to the city, in the main street, so many people were lining up for photos, but it was worth the wait!