The Occupations of Vietnam: Ha Long Bay

View from the top deck of our "junk"

A group of us arrived early in Vietnam in order to visit Ha Long Bay, which was not on our school itinerary. We booked a two-night, three-day tour with Vega Travel, out of Hanoi. Our days were filled with kayaking, swimming, caving, biking, eating, and rock climbing in a bay punctuated with tall limestone karst islands mostly covered with thick green jungle. This was all in extreme heat and humidity, with a constant soundtrack of buzzing cicadas. The landscape was gorgeous. Jellyfish and warm salty water tamed my usual enthusiasm for swimming.

Kayaking transport boat with karst islands

Show cave in Ha Long Bay

Floating fishing village

Cow on Cat Ba Island

View from the top, Cat Ba Island

Floating fishing village

I was struck by the floating fishing villages in Ha Long Bay. Colorful turquoise and red houses float on the water, with boats and walkways on the side. For those living on the water, their entire existence is caught up in their livelihood. These families farm fish for sale. Some of the floating houses provide kayaks to tourists. According to our guide, Dem, the government required families who have not been living in the bay for a certain number of years to relocate to land. There are now less people living on the water than in the past. The bay is naturally stunning, yet I found the floating fishing villages to be the most interesting part of the trip. Ha Long Bay is on the World Heritage List. The World Monuments Fund writes on their website that the fishing villages form, “an integrated landscape and living tradition” (https://www.wmf.org/project/fishing-villages-hạ-long-bay).

            

My biggest disappointment was the litter. There was a lot of trash in the water of Ha Long Bay. 

Cat Ba Town, view from our room at
Hung Long Harbour Hotel Cat Ba

MONSOON!

Cat Ba Town's bay is filled with fishing boats and floating restaurants. Dem told us there was also a floating fishing village in the past that has been cleared out. We feasted on crab, lemongrass fish, spring rolls, morning glory (water spinach) with garlic, mantis, and grilled squid with lemongrass at Dolphin restaurant, about a block from the bay. We stepped outside after dinner and a mass of people were running towards us up a slight hill, away from the ocean like their lives depended on it. Trash flew through the air. A wood frame with a net flew onto the street from the sky. We were confused. We didn't know what was happening. Our group decided to head to the hotel straight away. It was a monsoon! The rain soaked through my clothes and undergarments within seconds. We ran against hundreds of people running in the opposite direction. Everyone sought shelter while we forged on. The wind picked up anything not bolted to the ground, all sidewalk signs were knocked over or tumbling through the streets.

Eventually, I stopped running. I was wearing flip flops, running through buckets of rain, through a river of water in the street while locals all stood under awnings or inside businesses. It just felt foolish. My classmate stopped with me and he asked a group of men seated at a big restaurant patio table, "How long to monsoons like this typically last?" They spoke no English, but offered him a shot out of a plastic bag in a tupperware. He was dubious, so they pulled out the plastic bottle the liquid came from and it looked like pee. They all took a shot together. Next, they offered me a shot, which I accepted. It tasted like a mix between tequila and sake. The monsoon cleared up in about ten minutes, and we were able to walk to the hotel, soaked but no longer in danger of a flying sign hitting us in the head.
 

Floating fishing village

Limestone karst island

Madeline on the boat

SaveSave

Leaping Humpbacks!

I got mad at Nicole when she told me she had no pants. She had come to visit me in Santa Cruz in July, and she brought no pants. No pants! What about our cool foggy mornings? And now, she had talked me into going on an 8am whale watching trip on the Monterey Bay, and she had no pants. I laughed at the flimsy dress she thought was appropriate boat wear and gave her a pair of tights, some wool socks, a pair of tennies, a beanie, and a wool coat to put on. As we drove south to Moss Landing, I regretted forgetting scarves and gloves. I work for Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching, and part of my job is to explain appropriate boat wear to customers.

Moss Landing Harbor, Dock A, where the adventure begins

I probably shamed Nicole a bit too much for her lack of warm clothing, since she was visiting from Philadelphia, where it is currently hovering around 100 degrees, but I was cranky because we got up so early to catch the boat. Shortly into the trip on the foggy ocean we spotted Humpback Whales. Sometimes we could hear spouts from their blowholes, but not see them for the thick fog. Their giant dark grey humped backs sliced out of the ocean, we heard the sound of releasing air, then down for a moment, then, when we were lucky, the tail flukes lifted out of the water as they dove down for anchovies. Each whale has a distinctive white pattern under the tail fluke, which can be used to identify different whales, much like a human's fingerprint. The edges of the flukes are lined with barnacles that sometimes dangle like earrings as the whale propels itself down to the depths.

We were hanging with these whales, probably about three of them, and sometimes we'd lose them and have to listen for their blowholes and point in the direction of the sound so the captain could move the boat closer. Suddenly, one of the whales fully jumped out of the water, propelling itself vertically up out of the ocean, and twisting in the air as it splashed back in. We gasped in delight. It was the first time I'd seen a breaching whale!

Soon after, another whale jumped clear out of the water. Then one of them turned to its side, stuck its fin out of the water, as if it was waving to us, and slapped the fin down on the water, over and over again. Before we knew it, there was another breach. It was impossible to tell the whales apart, since we'd just met them, but I think two of the whales were alternating jumps, as if they were playing with each other.

The leaping went on and on! I counted 12 breaches before we had to motor back to the harbor. I have a feeling the whales kept putting on a show after we left too. I caught two breaches in a one minute video I shot, which you can see above. I still cannot believe my eyes when I watch the video.

With all the fog that morning, everything we saw felt like an ethereal dream. We couldn't see the shore or the horizon. The whales were close enough to see details, while mist shrouded the surrounding ocean. Nicole saw these amazing creatures for the first time, claiming, "You know Madeline, it really isn't that cold!" Meanwhile, I was reminded how magical whale watching can be, all the while wishing I'd brought my scarf and gloves.

Link:
Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching

Garrapata Beach (and August Photo A Day - Days 11, 12, 13, 14)

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Day 11 - Mirror - I picked up the art deco compact mirror at a stoop sale in Brooklyn years ago. The mirrored glass pot holds a homemade candle from my sister Melissa. She also gave me the vintage souvenir compact with the lady scarf inside. The cover says, "Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk."

Hobo Queens and Surfing Princes

Santa Cruz's Main Beach and Boardwalk, where the San Lorenzo River enters
the Pacific Ocean.  Venetian Water Carnival floats ended their journey here.
Photo by Madeline Horn

Santa Cruz’s 1895 Venetian Water Carnival featured a mock battle by the Pacific Fleet, a Rose Regatta with flower-draped floats on San Lorenzo River, water sports olympics, a bicycle velodrome on West Cliff Drive, a masquerade ball, burlesque, a floral pavilion for costume balls, and the coronation of a carnival queen. Unforgettably, a male “Hobo Queen” in a dress paraded in the street, then floated down the river on a garbage barge, where he was pulled to his throne by ropes. The event occurred annually through 1912.

Norman Bates house from Psycho film - Alfred Hitchcock, Santa Cruz
 resident, in front.

The Venetian Water Carnival was funded by Victorian businessman James Phillip Smith, who lived in a mansion on Beach Hill called Sunshine Villa, where my 96 year old grandmother now resides, with a view of the ocean from her assisted living apartment. Sunshine Villa was dilapidated through the 1980s, before the assisted living company renovated the old mansion. The house is said to have served as inspiration for the Bates Motel in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Hitchcock was a Santa Cruz local. He had a home for over 30 years in Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Scotts Valley redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Photo by Madeline Horn

Santa Cruz is flanked by the Pacific Ocean and giant redwoods. While smelling the ocean, you can look up and see the tops of the redwoods just outside town, visible over the buildings. The cool ocean climate draws a flood of tourists from the hot surrounding valleys in the summer. The most popular tourist spots – the Boardwalk and Capitola Village both started as tourist tent camps. In the 1890s, a family could rent a tent on the main beach for a month for ten dollars, including four pillows, and three logs to use as backrests. Today tourism generates over $500 million per year for Santa Cruz. Agriculture and Education are the town’s two other primary industries in this city of 60,000.

Capitola Museum's historic beach cottage.
Photo by Madeline Horn

Life revolves around the ocean for many Santa Cruz residents, which has been the case for over 100 years. In fact, Santa Cruz was the first place that anyone surfed in the Americas! In 1885 three Hawaiian princes who were attending boarding school in nearby San Mateo surfed on the main beach on 100-pound 15-foot surf boards crafted from Redwood from the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was such a spectacle that it was reported on in the Santa Cruz Daily Surf newspaper. The great surf breaks on Cowell’s Beach, at Pleasure Point, and at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River soon inspired others to take up the sport. The Santa Cruz Surfing Club was established in 1936.

West Cliff Drive surf statue,
 dedicated to all surfers, past, present, and future.
Photo by Madeline Horn

Jack O’Neill opened a surf shop on Cowell’s Beach in 1959, offering his new invention – the wetsuit – allowing surfers to brave the chilly Pacific Ocean year round to catch waves. When surfing boomed in the 1960s, so did the O’Neill brand. Internationally-known O’Neill, still based in Santa Cruz, is the top selling wetsuit in the world.

O'Neill Coldwater Classic 2012, West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Photo by Madeline Horn

As Jack O’Neill said, “The ocean has been very comforting to me through the years. When you get all screwed up, and you jump in the ocean, everything’s alright again.” I think Santa Cruz’s many visitors would agree about the regenerative power of both the ocean and the redwoods of Santa Cruz.

When the Blue Whales Arrived

Stinky the Humpback whale.
Photo by Michael Sack, sanctuarycruises.com

The Sanctuary, Sanctuary Cruises' vessel
Photo by Madeline Horn

Dorris tours the boat with a black piece of whale baleen - whales’ filtration system in place of teeth - used to catch krill, one-inch long pink shrimp with black bulging eyes. Whales suck mass amounts of water into their mouths and use baleen like a sieve to catch krill as they push the water out again. Dorris also carries a small specimen jar filled with krill.

“I didn’t know krill was so big. I always thought they were the size of Sea Monkeys. Do people eat krill?” I ask.

“Some places.” Dorris answers.

“When I scoop krill up, I have people eat ‘em. I dare them…Live.” she tells me.

“Why do you do it? Just for fun?” I ask.

“Yeah!” she says, smiling and nodding conspiratorially. She reminds me of my grandpa right now, who had a mischievous sense of humor. He was also a sailor.

Dorris is my mom. She is part owner and naturalist for Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching on the Monterey Bay.

Dorris showing baleen to passengers.
Photo by Madeline Horn

The Sanctuary is a white vessel with a bright blue deck, punctuated by orange lifeboats and life rings. A silver railing rings the boat. Black and white Orcas grace the bow of the boat, painted next to the boat’s name. 

The motor is loud. The anti-sea sickness band vibrates on my wrist every thirty seconds. I can feel the motor vibrating through the deck. I am barely keeping sea sickness at bay, with two Bonine pills, aromatherapeutic oils, and ginger candies.

I’m out today because the Blue Whales have just entered the Monterey Bay. I have seen Humpbacks before, but never Blues, the largest animals on Earth.

“Do Blue Whales act the same as Humpbacks?” I ask my mom.

“Nah, Humpbacks are much more interesting. Blue Whales just come up and breathe.” she says.

Humpback lunging in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Photo by Michael Sack, sanctuarycruises.com

The sky is grey. Moss Landing Harbor smells like fish, sea lions, and diesel fuel. On our trip out of the harbor we pass Sea Otters, Sea Lions, Black Egrets. As we gain speed, the ocean is glassy and dark grey, aside from the white wake of the ship. We spot an orange and translucent jelly fish floating near the surface and a silvery salmon jumps clear out of the water three times.

The boat is filled with high school science students. Their teacher Jane wears bright yellow foul weather gear. Jane spots Black Footed Albatross. Their wings gracefully arc into a point. Dorris tells us over the loudspeaker that the Albatross will travel from Hawaii to California and back to feed their young. They are endangered. Dorris tells the sad story of mama Albatross unknowingly feeding plastic trash to their babies.

As we approach a colorful blob floating on the ocean’s surface Dorris asks, “Is that a balloon?! We gotta get it.” She grabs a net with a long handle and directs captain Mike to get close to the cluster of yellow and silver balloons. One of the balloons says “Congrats Grad.” The kids cheer Dorris on, yelling, “C’mon we gotta get it!”

Once she hooks the balloons and brings them to the deck a kid cheers, “Yeah! Nice!”

Dorris fishes balloons out of the Monterey Bay
Photo by Madeline Horn

Further out, it is cold, windy, the water a choppy grey. Ten miles from shore we find a trio of Humpbacks. “He breached!” yells Dorris, pointing excitedly. I look over and see a massive white splash, but I missed the Humpback’s jump out of the water. “He’s putting on a show.”

“Will he do it again?” I ask.

“Probably not. They usually only do it once.” Dorris answers.

The tops of their humped backs rise out of the water. They spray white water into the air. When they dive, their flukes point dramatically into the air, then disappear. Dorris explains that each whale has a distinctive pattern on their tail, allowing scientists to identify them.

We leave the Humpbacks in search of a Blue Whale. Dorris and Mike ask the passengers to scan the ocean for whales and to yell outs if we see one.

Sea Otter munching on a crab
Photo by Michael Sack, sanctuarycruises.com

After ten minutes motoring at a clip, Mike and Dorris spot a Blue Whale ahead. As we approach I squeal and exclaim, “There he is!” pointing, when I catch my first glimpse of the long back of the Blue Whale.

Blue Whales reach eighty feet in length. As we approach, first we hear the slate blue whale’s bellows-like blows. The dramatic plumes of white water last for about three seconds, as the graceful back that goes on forever slowly reveals itself. When the whale has had enough air, it dives into the water to feed on krill, lifting its twenty-foot wide fluke out of the water completely.

Once the whale enters the water, it could resurface in any direction. The boat bobs around and the crowd waits expectantly. Each time the whale resurfaces the person who spots it yells out in joy and points so everyone else can spot it quickly.

Whales have an otherworldly quality that leaves me shaken. Their massive ancient presence reminds me how little I will ever understand the world that I live in. I was raised on the Monterey Bay, yet I could not grasp the majesty of these animals until I witnessed them with my own eyes.

Our five hours at sea leaves me utterly drained. My mom drops us off on the dock. I ask her if her legs are wobbly after the trip. She brushes off the question and gets right back on the boat to lead the afternoon tour.

Boats in Moss Landing Harbor
Photo by Madeline Horn

Humpback lunge feeding
Photo by Michael Sack, sanctuarycruises.com

Links:
Sanctuary Cruises - www.sanctuarycruises.com
831-917-1042

Road Tripping the 101

Solvang Danish Village, California

In Search of the Beach
Ventura is a beach town with urban planning problems - the 101 Freeway acts as a divider between downtown and the beach. On a bike ride from my sister Natalie’s house I crossed two freeways and passed many strip malls to reach the ocean, just two miles away. 

San Buenaventura Beach

Seaward Avenue near the beach is lined with weather-beaten buildings offering fish and chips, tacos, beer, real estate, surf gear, and hot dogs. I saw a man smoking a cigarette outside a row of tiny apartments the size of hotel rooms half a block from the beach. Homes in need of a paint job have big decks upstairs for the ocean view. I felt comfortable in this neighborhood. It felt lived-in. The beach is wide, long and lovely with soft light sand, aqua blue water and small waves. I could have spent a happy beach day there if I had more time. 

Madeline and Mark with the famous Solvang big clog

Solvang Danish Village
On the drive north on Highway 101 from Ventura to San Francisco, my travel partners Mark and Marcin and I did some classic road trip activities. First we stopped at Solvang Danish Village, an entire town built to resemble a Danish hamlet. The shops of Solvang Danish Village sell pretzels, cookies, folk dolls, and postcards. 

Madeline and Mark with Danish phone booth

When we stopped at a bakery to eat a “Danish waffle,” a crispy elongated pastry filled with chocolate and whip cream, Mark pointed out that Solvang seems to be a seniors’ vacation hot spot. Everyone aside from us was part of a grey haired heterosexual couple. Me, Mexican American Mark and his tall Polish husband Marcin stood out. A couple in the bakery asked Marcin his height, then challenged him about it, accusing him of being taller than he said he was. 

Even if we didn’t fit in, I loved Solvang Danish Village. Without paying admission, we stepped into a Danish theme park that felt like an alternate universe.

Gold Rush Steak House, Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, CA

Madonna Inn
Our last stop was Madonna Inn, a 1960s rock and carved wood confection with themed rooms like the “caveman,” “edelweiss,” “espana,” and “hearts and flowers.” Click this link for photos of all the rooms http://www.madonnainn.com/features.php 

The Gold Rush Steak House is a misleading name for the main restaurant at the inn. Cotton Candy Fantasy would suit it better. Apparently they serve steaks on those pink tables in pink booths, with diners seated in pink chairs atop a rose carpet flanked by red velvet wallpaper lit by golden cherub chandeliers. Seems like awfully feminine decor for a steak house, but maybe that’s just me. I would expect to eat caviar, champagne and ice cream sundaes in those booths. Casual visitors can have a cocktail at the bar with an equally misleading name, Silver Bar, which features the same cotton candy decor as the restaurant, with pink naugahyde bar stools and carved wooden grapes. 

Melissa Burman stayed at the Madonna Inn for her one year anniversary in the Swiss Rock room. She was dazzled by the sparkling red walls in her room. She also enjoyed the colorful cut glass goblets at the Gold Rush Steak House. 

Melissa’s favorite part of Madonna Inn was the pool with a waterfall. She said, “The pool is built in to a cliff overlooking the inn and San Luis Obispo, and it’s heated to 86 degrees and open until 11pm, but beware of the $30 pool fee when you check out.”

Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California

Road Tripping

Unhurried road trips are the best. I love it when the people I travel with are open to stopping whenever we feel inspired to explore a roadside attraction. We reached San Francisco in time for me to have dinner at my dear friends Sarah and Tomas’s house before driving myself back down the coast home to Santa Cruz. As always, the road trip got me thinking of all the cool places I have yet to explore in my home state. Time to start planning! 

Links
San Buenaventura State Beach
Solvang Danish Village
Madonna Inn

Surf Lessons!

Madeline and Natalie waiting for waves
Photo by Paddy Bex

I grew up in Santa Cruz’s Pleasure Point neighborhood, world famous for surfing. Jack O’Neill himself (inventor of the wetsuit) lives a short walk from my house. Getting held under by the freezing ocean current, face in the sand, feet pointing towards the air, instilled a healthy fear of the ocean in me. I had no interest in surfing. I wasn’t chasing big waves before class in high school like many of my classmates. 

I realized that surfing was something that I might actually be able to do in my early thirties, when a bunch of my art museum colleagues from San Francisco started the sport simply by taking lessons at Cowell’s Beach, near the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. 

Mondos Beach, Ventura
Photo by Madeline Horn

My sister Natalie heard that Ventura is the best place in California to learn to surf. She was on a hospital rotation in Ventura, so we signed up for a private lesson with Paddy Bex, a lady surf instructor who provided all the gear. 

Permanent oil rigs are visible in the ocean on the drive to Mondos Beach from Ventura. We arrived at the crescent-shaped beach on a sunny day. The Channel Islands stood in the distance, so large that they felt like the other side of a bay. Scrub-covered mountains reached the beach. Despite the rigs, the ocean sparkled a deep blue and welcomed us in.

Madeline sunbathing pre-surf
Photo by Natalie Horn

Most of the boards in the water were yellow or blue foam beginners’ longboards. Other people were learning to surf there too! I watched two dads casually catching waves with Coronas in hand, while teaching their three kids to surf. 

Paddy’s student before us was a tan tattooed former surfer who had been hit by a car five years ago. He suffered physically and also had brain damage. This was his first time surfing since the accident. He was thrilled to be in the water again. He told us he had surfed Pleasure Point, our Santa Cruz neighborhood, many times before the accident. We were touched by his perseverence and his enthusiasm. Paddy’s skill with him made us feel completely safe with her. 

She instructed us to paddle with our chest up, give two extra paddles after we felt the wave lifting our board, push ourselves up to standing, then look at our destination, not at our feet. We put on wetsuits and simply walked into the calm water. We never reached water that was over our heads. Paddy pushed us to give us a head start on the little waves. To my utter amazement, I stood up on my third wave! Surfing felt good, like gliding. I was in disbelief that it was happening. I didn’t know I had the coordination in me. 

Natalie at Mondos
Photo by Madeline Horn

Our dismounts were uber-unglamorous. Since the water was so shallow, Paddy instructed us to sit, fall back or belly flop to dismount - no diving in. Before we knew it, our hour was up. I could have stayed in for another hour. Paddy Bex was enthusiastic and friendly, making us feel comfortable. Most importantly, she got two famously uncoordinated and un-athletic sisters to stand up on surf boards in the ocean. She even brought a waterproof camera to document the lesson and emailed us photos later!

Now, I’m back in Santa Cruz during an especially cold winter, where the die-hards surf regardless of the weather. I’m not a die-hard, but I look forward to trying the waves here in Pleasure Point when the weather warms up. 

Sign up for classes with Paddy here: http://www.paddybexsurf.com

Huaraches and Boba in Ventura

Ojai
I never intended to arrive in Ventura with a raging hangover. I had been in San Francisco for one evening, which spontaneously turned into a night with friends - dinner, an art show in a garage, drinks at the Rock Bar, and then, ill-advisedly, more drinks. The only sleep I got was in the back seat of the rental car on the six hour drive south. Mercifully, Marcin, our Polish driver (and my friend Mark’s partner) handed me a 7 Eleven breakfast biscuit as soon as I hopped in the car. That biscuit was like a gift from heaven. I know not to party till the break of dawn before a big trip, but sometimes I forget lessons I've already learned. 

We met my sister Natalie in Ojai at The Farmer and the Cook. Natalie is in medical school and she was finishing a rotation in a hospital in Ventura. As it turns out, Natalie was recovering from a night of tequila. What a blessed coincidence! Neither of us had to feel remorseful for squandering our good health and spirits by overindulging the night before. We could lazily allow our companions to shuttle us around and not have a care in the world. 

The Farmer and the Cook is a health food market with a Mexican-inspired breakfast and lunch counter. My matcha green tea smoothie refreshed and revived, while just half of my huarache filled me up and satisfied. Huarache (“sandal” in Spanish) is a Oaxacan specialty, consisting of an oblong (shaped like a sandal) cornmeal patty covered in Mexican goodness, like salsa, meat, avocado, and beans. Desert surf hippies dined outside on the patio with us. I felt a mess, but the tan men with blue eyes, messy long blond hair, and fashionably disheveled clothing cheered me up a bit. Mark, my friend who grew up in Ventura, and brought me south on this trip with his husband Marcin, called them the “commune people.” 

Watermark on Main
Photo by Madeline Horn

Ventura

Although we didn’t run into any more sexy commune people the rest of our trip, we did manage to enjoy ourselves. On Ventura’s palm-lined Main Street thrift stores that cater to low-income families and have been around for decades co-exist with newer upscale boutiques and restaurants.

My first night in town Natalie and I met her medical student roommate Jen and her boyfriend Adam for happy hour at Onyx Bar in the stunning 1920s brick and Spanish tile Watermark on Main restaurant. They had run out of artichoke dip - the dish that had lured us in for happy hour - so they offered us calamari for a discount. Our hangover bellies welcomed the fried squid. 

Before we knew it, Adam’s face was on the flatscreen TV behind the bar, in an ad for Finding Bigfoot, the show he works on. This prompted him to tell us about the time he had to walk through the forest in total darkness, as to not disturb the “squatch,” as they call them, and a stick poked right into his eye. He called Jen for advice on what to do, and like a good medical student, she panicked and googled it. Miraculously the eye healed perfectly. He now wears goggles when walking in the forest in the dark, which he has to do often for the show.  

Natalie's tamale breakfast at the Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market
Photo by Madeline Horn

Oxnard

I can’t say Oxnard in my head without hearing the Ill Repute Song “Oxnard!” I often “sing” the song to Mark, which is just me yelling “Oxnard!” in his face. The next morning Natalie and I met Mark and Marcin at the Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market. The harbor felt like vacationland with bright sun, a wide open blue sky, palm trees, and townhouses hugging canals. We made breakfast out of a taco al pastor and a chicken tamale and bought produce for a barbecue later.

Sisters at the Vogue Theater Swap Meet
Photo by Mark Almanza

Vogue Marquee
Photo by Madeline Horn

The rest of Oxnard is a mixture of mid-century architecture and nondescript 1980s and 90s buildings. Mark brought us to the Vogue, a movie theater he used to go to, which now houses a swap meet and a Mexican grocery in the lobby. Vendors in the windowless old theater sell fuzzy Mexican blankets, shoes, clothes, and baby items. An arcade with 1980s video games sits against the side wall. A sloppily painted black and silver beauty parlor is stuck in the corner. 

Boba Tea Machine!
Photo by Madeline Horn

Boba
Photo by Madeline Horn

Next, Mark took us to White Rabbit, a new Filipino fusion restaurant that started as a food truck and got so popular that they opened a brick and mortar restaurant. Their menu features dishes like Carne Fries, any meat on top of fries, covered with swiss cheese. White Rabbit brews each boba tea individually with a shiny chrome tea machine larger than most cafe’s espresso machines. Baristas shake the hot tea in cocktail shakers with ice to cool it down. Natalie and I split an almond tea with aloe and boba. I had never tasted boba or aloe so fresh. 

Links:
Rock Bar, San Francisco: http://www.rockbarsf.com
The Farmer and the Cook, Ojai: http://farmerandcook.com
White Rabbit, Oxnard: www.whiterabbitcafeLA.com

stay tuned as my Ventura adventures continue...

Gypsy Guide to Santa Cruz

I've added a new section to the site - the Gypsy Guide to Santa Cruz - with links to my favorite places and resources in Santa Cruz. Click the link to visit!

Beach Street, Santa Cruz
Photo by Madeline Horn

Surf's Up! O'Neill Coldwater Classic

Sunset at the Coldwater Classic
Photo by Madeline Horn

Yesterday I spent most the day at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz’s most famous surf spot, for the O’Neill Coldwater Classic surfing competition. As I walked through the tan, mostly blonde, athletic, surf casual crowd I heard Australian accents and Brazilians speaking Portuguese. In 2012, the Coldwater Classic is part of the (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Championship Tour, meaning the world’s highest ranked surfers are here to compete. Competing surfers dominated the waves breaking below the cliffs as a crowd of hundreds cheered them on. The announcers used the word “gnarly” freely and without irony - grown up Spicolis from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Towards the end of the day I caught Kelly Slater, eleven time world surfing champion, take the water. As the ocean tried to eat him alive, Slater confidently stayed upright, cut back on waves and caught air in a 360 degree turn. 

The Coldwater Classic feels like a surf carnival or a surf movie come to life, with bands and food to entertain the crowds. I highly recommend checking out the action if you are in Santa Cruz. If you are not in town, you can watch a live feed and lear more here. 

Surf statue on West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Photo by Madeline Horn

From the bleachers, Coldwater Classic
Photo by Madeline Horn

Waves!
Photo by Madeline Horn

Woody tear drop
Photo by Madeline Horn

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