Mulholland Drive & Hollywood day-sesh.

Thanksgiving feast.

The turkey.

Thanksgiving dinner.

The epic darts tournament.

It has been awhile.

My lack of posting has been, for the most part, inexcusable. The past month or so has seemed to be less fun-filled and action-packed as its predecessors, which has in turn forced me into the mindset that if it is not a good story, it is simply not worth writing about. However, I have come to realize that every single day here in an adventure in its own right. I now figure that there are in fact plenty of things to write about, even if they don’t take up the entire blog page in length. This story is not only for you, the reader – but a sort of ‘memory bank’ for myself and Paul – and a testimony for the future.

There have been a few changes to the work routine since my last post. Firstly, it has got noticeably slower. The pool at the Hyatt is no longer brimming with bikinis, boardshorts and the occasional and decidedly-hideous ‘Euro speedos’. The predicted guest drop-off, while initially a rather pleasant change, has resulted in the cut-back of plenty of hours and staff. This came as no surprise considering the seasonal nature of the hotels occupancy. However the rate at which ours have been cut back did a little. We were under the vague impression that our hours would stay reasonably solid throughout the winter, yet we seemed to be getting fewer and fewer days’ work. Thankfully, we were recently given the opportunity to job share. We are now hosting at the restaurant on property at the Hyatt, which is a welcome change and exciting to get some experience in another area of the hotel – as well as wearing some classy get-up.

Indeed, the slow-down in work has meant that we have had much more time just to hang out. This has been particularly refreshing, in that our social schedules have been noticeably busier of late. Chilling with friends has been at a premium, and we also decided to join a life group at the local church which has resulted in the meeting of a bunch of sweet new people who we now see at least once a week, sometimes more. However, there is a catch 22 to all of this. Unfortunately, a lack in work hours inevitably results in a shortage of funds. What money we would like to be saving for future escapades across the US has been cut down a fraction, limiting the options we have for our travels. It’s not all bad, though. We can always look for some more part-time work, and figure it out from there. So that is that.

We most recently enjoyed our second American Thanksgiving, the first having been when we dropped south of the Canadian border into the state of Montana a year ago. For the uninformed, Thanksgiving is a North American Holiday traditionally being a time of giving thanks to God for the harvest and to others for our many blessings. For us, we were blessed by being invited to the Johnson’s household for thanksgiving lunch and dessert with their family. Matt and Mark were some of the first Californians we talked to during our first week here when we bumped into them at church – and are still our good friends today. Here, we communed and shot a few darts, before barely making a dent in a feast of roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, fruit and vegetable salads, cheesy broccoli bake and – of course – a rather large roast turkey doused in rich gravy. The night concluded with games of ‘horseshoe’, music, a ton of dessert, general mingling and catch-phrase amidst fits of laughter as us boys dominated the competition in emphatic fashion. Yeah!

Another rather interesting note is that Paul and I have been living in the US for half a year now. In fact, it is over eight months since we first landed into LAX with only our suitcases and guitars in hand, and a whole brand-spankin’ new country to explore. It’s crazy to think just how fast it has all gone, and, how now we don’t really want to leave – not yet at least. Indeed, we do not consider the fortunes and experiences that we have had thus far to be of mere coincidence. We firmly believe that our journey has been directed by a force more than our own desires and aspirations, and are continually seeking Jesus through prayer and by learning to listen for His voice. It is truly refreshing to know that amidst all of the uncertainty associated with living this constant, nomadic-esque lifestyle is a Being who is ultimately in control of it all. We thank God for that.

Unsurprisingly, the next month is going to be defined by change once again. Our roommate is heading east to start up a business, so is moving out of the place. As of today, we cannot really justify continuing to live here. We do not own any of the furnishings in the place, so if we were to stay we would be left hopelessly looking for a roommate that would need to accommodate us with a fridge, couches, kitchen utensils and preferably an extra-large flatscreen TV. But it’s not an inconvenience. Rather, we see the whole situation as a ‘shake-up’ – and a catalyst for change. Indeed, moving places has really become our forte. Since beginning our overseas expedition, we have moved places six times, and lived with over twenty different people altogether. This next move represents the continuation of the adventure. So let’s pack our things and go. Are you ready?

The US open, from the grandstand.

The spectacle.

...The infrastructure for the event, all on the beach.

...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Incohesive Ramblings II.

So. In between documenting the events, shenanigans and good-times shared with the folks during their time in California, I have neglected to post any recent happenings over these past pew weeks. I realize this, and apologize. Indeed, I have struggled to find much time to write as of late – but more about that later. For this post, I am going to write it in a sort of bullet-pointed format, so to fill in the gaps as thoroughly and concisely as possible. Please bare with me…a bunch of stuff has happened.

- The job.

In my post a month or so earlier, I Mentioned the growing uneasiness we had in regards to the future of our jobs at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Our positions were only seasonal, and, if we were to be given the boot a the end of the summer, we would again be out of a job, and back to the drawing board in terms of finding our feet here in the US. Indeed, amidst the current state of the economy and the subsequent job shortage, I quietly questioned my mental stamina to be able to do it all over again. After a bit of debate, Paul and I figured that we should approach our boss about our future at the hotel immediately after my parents left back to New Zealand in order to give us a bit of time to figure out our financial situation if we were to be out of work soon. On the contrary, if we miraculously did work something out with the Hyatt, the next option would be to perhaps purchase a car, which would give us some much needed space and freedom - as well as for the first time being completely self-sufficient and independant in the US.

we nervously scheduled a little chat with our boss over the phone. He sounded surprisingly cheerful and optimistic, as if he'd figured out what we were going to ask him. A time later, he casually strolls up to the pool hut where Paul and I were stationed. "So, what did you guys want to talk to me about?" Paul and I look at eachother, glaring and considering who is going to inititate this potentially difficult conversation. I begin to open my mouth before the boss cuts me off, saying "If you guys were wanted to talk about keeping your jobs, I've had a chat to the other supervisors - and they want you to stay. So, if you'd like, you can stay working here until your visa expires next year." Paul and I were again speechless. "Really?! no way, that's AWESOME!" we exclaimed in joyous unison. We realised that this would be undoubtedly a significant moment in the future of this adventure. It has effectively 'set us up' with what we are doing and what we will do, not only in terms of living location, but in regards to friendships, connections and pretty much everything else. Thank you God, thank you.

- The car.

Pretty much right after the family left here, Paul and I figured it was high time to purchase a car. And, with the news that we were to keep our jobs past the summer, we figured now was a better time than ever to trade-in a few greens. The feeling of freedom and being able to go anywhere with the rental car reminded us just how important it is to experience as much as we can while we are here in the US. Obviously, the gameplan wasn’t to buy the raciest model available, but something that was affordable and reliable enough to take us through until the end of April 2010 with the expiration of our visas. Incidentally, the first car we checked out we happened to purchase. It was a local sale, within biking distance of our house in Huntington. The girl selling it was heading overseas and needed to get rid of it, so we ended up picking it up at a fairly decent price - albeit just within our minimalist budget. She's a white 96' Nissan Sentra with 179,500 miles on the clock. Beautiful.

The car has been so important over these past few weeks. We have been able to attend to church again and see our friends and get further connected with the Big Guy, something that has been really refreshing for us. After a month or so of straight work and being constricted to the Huntington Beach area, we now have the freedom to follow up on invitiations and really travel and explore the greater California. Soon, hopefully this will extend into further ventures throughout other states in the continental US. We can't wait.

- The US Open.

Soon after my family departed from America, the US Surf Open, one of the country's premier surfing competitions, came to town. As well as attracting a few of the world's best surfers to the event, It also boosted the population of Huntington by another 500,000 people. Beach space suddenly became hot property as the oceanfront became a hub of surfers, tourists, hippies locals and bums mingling in the summer sun. The infrastructure for the event was impressive. Giant grandstands were erected to facilitate the hordes of spectators keen to check out their favourite surfers in action, as well as a huge skate park and bmx vert section for the less ocean-oriented. A few pros turned up for the event too - Andy Irons, CJ Hobgood, Rob Machado Bruce Irons, Tom Curren, Mick Fanning - as well as the legend and one of my all-time heros: Kelly Slater!

The event lasted for about a week, and was blessed with a swell that the contest apparently hadn't seen in years. A video for this is nearing completion, and will be up soon. So stay tuned!

- The future?

So, what next then? Well, that's exactly what we are trying to figure out now. The fact is, there are a number of things that we would like to do - but due to time and financial constraints, it is unlikely that we will be able to do them all. The issue really lies with what the heck we are going to do after our visa expires for the US at the end of April next year. Will we go to the UK and obtain a working visa there? If so, then we will need to bank a reasonable portion of our earnings in order to fund that adventure. Also, this option neglects the fact that we may get American girlfriends while we are over here, which would obviously change things a bit. Will we go back to New Zealand or Australia then? Again, a possibility. Indeed, this option may be more financially viable, but do we want to go back home yet? Hmm, not sure. But for me right now, something inside tells me that this adventure will continue for a wee bit yet.

Ideally, we would love to stay in the US past the end of April when our visa expires. Why? As odd as it sounds, it just feels right. Obviously, we will continue to look to God for direction on the subject. Our theory is that through hard work on our end, and prayer so God can answer on His end, we will meet somewhere in the middle, and figure out just what He has in store for us. We have already done a bit of research, and have come to the somewhat vague conclusion that the chances of having our visas extended are slim, but not impossible. If they were to be extended, we would have another 6 months of work and travel in the States. If not, we have figured out a couple of options. After our visa expires, we are allowed another month of legal 'travel' in the US, however we will be not able to work. On top of this, we figure we could perhaps head back up to Canada for a bit, touch base with some friends, before heading back down here and getting a 3-month 'green card' - basically a temporary visitors' visa. This gives us another four months of stay in the US, although we would not be able to work - hence the need to start planning now. Anyway, at this stage these are only loose thoughts, but will undoubtedly follow one of these paths when we hear the Call. So pray for us.

That's about it from me. I hope you've enjoyed being (finally) up to date with our happenings, and, um, mostly silly antics. I know I hound it, but please keep watching this space. There are a bunch of videos in the works, and hordes of photos that need to be filtered through for your enjoyment. I'm going to really try to post more regularly. If I don't all is not lost. If you think this place has been neglected, you might be right. Forgotten? Never! I am always on the lookout for new ideas and stories to keep this baby rollin'. So PLEASE bare with us, you guys are ALL an inspiration.

From California...

..Later.

Beach and the hotel del coronado...from the surf.

Flamingos!

Randomly spotted outside a hotel in Coronado.

Epic bridge.

The beast we drove over.

San diego skyline.

..From Coronado Island.

Part 5: San Diego.

The alarm went off at 8.00am the next morning. We figured that it would be best if we set off reasonably early, in order to fill in the day with as many activities as possible. The plan was simple really – to follow the rather questionable directions blurted out by the GPS, amongst visiting a few places we thought might be worth a look - of which we had googled the night before. The skies were gray and unusually miserable-looking. Patches of fog covered much of the ocean, and although there seemed to be no rain yet, you could feel the dampness of the air encompassing, like a burden weighing down upon your shoulders. We took the gamble, though, and set off down the 5-freeway.

We figured we’d make the initial stop in San Clemente. I had heard a lot of good things about this town from the guests I had talked to at work, so figured that we best stop in for a bit, grab some coffee, and snap up some quick photos if the weather was willing. Following the GPS down to the beach access, we parked up and started walking down a dirt pathway parallel to the shore and a railway track. There was already plenty of activity on the path, sporting a bunch of joggers, dog-walkers and new-mum’s pushing their infants in strollers. There were squirrels everywhere too, which was a real novelty for the fresh New Zealand folk, who had never seen such a strange, fidgety animal. We stopped off at the San Clemente pier, grabbed a couple coffees, and just hung out for a bit. I could already tell that I would love it here. The town itself is built on some fairly steep and hilly terrain, which towers above the ocean shore like a fortress. It has a very Spanish-Mediterranean feel to it, and the overall vibe and atmosphere of the place is very relaxed and chill when compared to the ever-hustle and bustle of Huntington Beach. The skies were still overcast, but a considerably lighter shade of grey. We snapped up some photos, jumped in the car and continued our journey of epicness.

Again, we followed the shady logistics of the GPS, this time locking in La Jolla Beach. Not knowing exactly what would greet us there, we were pleasantly surprised by a long and narrow beach littered with beachfolk (and their colourful umbrellas), and a grassy patch that looked decidedly viable for a game of cricket. For the second time of the trip, we pulled out the bright yellow cricket equipment and ensued to have a bit of a hit around amidst a backdrop of houses on hills, and the growing glow of the sun as it began to peek its head through the weakening clouds. After about an hour, we figured we’d call it quits, grab a bite to eat and continue on our mighty mission to the very core of San Diego. So we did.

I had heard a fair number of good things about Coronado, so figured it may as well be the next stop on the trip. I just loved the freedom of being on the road again. A sense of true euphoria crept into my inner being as I briefly conceived the awesomeness of it all. No agenda – just figuring it out as we rolled along, finally ‘travelling’ in a tourist-sense after much hard work during the past few months. Addittionally, I was enjoying it all with my family who were just as pumped to be a part of the journey. As we assailed a rise in the 5 freeway, the downtown San Diego skyline shot into view. The scale of it was impressive, in full-view as the freeway veered around the city and headed toward the bridge connecting downtown with the Cornado Island. The bridge! We all gasped in awe at the sheer size of the beast. Tall and uncompromising, we had never seen anything like it. Indeed, it was one of those structures that makes you appreciate and marvel at the extent of human achievement. However, that sense of awestruck-wonder was shortlived – at least in my mind anyway - as I realized that I was about to drive over it. To some, this may seem no mean feat, but coming from smalltown-New Zealand-drive-on-the-left-side-of-the-road, the experience was exhilarating, and every bit significant in the adventure thus far. With my eyes firmly on the road and everyone else’s looking wildly about, we successfully crossed that bridge, and headed for the next destination that we thought may be worth a look. Yes.

That destination turned out to be the Hotel Del Coronado and its adjacent beach. The beach itself was pristine, dotted with a bunch of people along a long coastline, with the odd plane fresh from the U.S military base flying straight overhead at fairly regular intervals. It was a real gem of a place, somewhere where I really could see myself living in the future – however distant that may be. We figured we’d better soak up the serenity of it all, so we all chilled out on the beach for an hour or so before leaping into the fresh ocean in order to best stave off the California sun, at least for the time being. When we were satisfied with our stay, we hopped into the trusty rental car and set off back over the bridge and into the depths of downtown San Diego in search of an altogether different experience. Here, the relative peace of the beach setting in Coronado was replaced with a sky immersed in tall impressive infrastructure, and a throng of folk with business suits and busy schedules. We eventually navigated our way to a shopping mall before grabbing a bite to eat at an awesome organic burger joint, and made our way back to Orange County for some well-deserved shuteye.

This day was especially epic. Going somewhere new always makes me appreciate how stoked I am with this adventure so far. God is continuing to hook us up, so we in turn can bless others, I think. So thank You for that.

Next episode: In betweens and Goodbyes….coming soon.

A few shots from the day.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Shantytown.

Just one of the shops along the famed Venice strip.

On the pier in Santa Monica.

The almighty 'Pacific Park' in the foreground, looking south towards Venice.

Malibu line-up.

Part 4: Santa Monica, Malibu and Venice.

With the initial thought of heading to San Diego, we eventually decided that we would rather make less of an intense day of it, and travel up north and see what we could find. Frankly, we were all shattered after the last couple of days’ activities and festivities. With Paul and I having only a limited number of days off work, there was always a sense to do something while we were available. Additionally, the idea of going somewhere new and foreign was enticing, especially after being unable to travel for the past couple of months. So we were heading north up the 405-freeway by mid morning, having locked in Santa Monica on the GPS system - and reveling at the thought of a new destination to visit.

The traffic was reasonably light, so we made it to the Santa Monica exit in good time. However, somehow he managed to miss the city itself, so figured we’d continue driving up north and see what we could find. The highway follows right along the coast for miles, so it was great to just cruise and take the odd tourist snapshot out of the car window. We drove as far north as the famed town of Malibu before stopping to check it out. The beach here was long and narrow, with waves lapping up on the shore gracefully and dancing beneath the pier as they exploded up its pillars. Looking inland, the entire coastal span of the town is shrouded by steep and rocky hill country, dotted with precariously placed mansions for members of society fortunate enough to afford them. We hung out on the pier for a while, and watched the renowned Malibu surf-lineup as the longboarders battled for supremacy amidst a fairly meagre swell.

We headed back to Santa Monica after our little Malibu expedition. I had heard much good about the place, and was excited at the thought of being in the area that virtually birthed modern skateboarding with the rise of Santa Monica’s own ‘Z-boys’. Again, we headed straight to the legendary pier with the idea of checking out the town district after for a shop and a bite to eat. The pier here was insane, and completely different than anything we had seen thus far. It was huge and wide, full of people and littered with trashy little booths attempting to sell the most obscure souvenirs to the nearest unsuspecting, naive tourist. To the left was an actual theme park built on the pier – fit with ferris wheels and even its very own roller coaster. My bare feet were burning terribly on the wooden boardwalk as I observed the terrific mayhem of it all, so I initiated an escape plan and had us all heading to the beach to lie out and chill out. When we got there however, it just didn’t seem all that appealing. Spots anywhere near the ocean were a prized real estate, and the water itself was filthy – plagued by t-shirts, band-aids, fishing lines and a bunch of other underwater nasties. It really made me appreciate my home in Orange County, and just how blessed and lucky we were to be living in such a place. We decided we’d seen about enough of Santa Monica, and ditched the plan of seeing the township altogether before heading for Venice.

Driving through Venice was an altogether different experience and, just like Santa Monica, seemed like a world away from our home in Huntington Beach. The place had a vibe oozing with seediness and shadiness at every street corner, complete with plenty of crazies occupying the sidewalks and any plausible back-alleys. The infrastructure was tired and jaded-looking, and really rustic and run-down amidst a sky of blue. However, there was something about the place that charmed me a little inside. Maybe it was the uniqueness and the spectacle of it all. I think the word that best describes it is interesting – a place that you have to visit if you make it to Southern California, even if you may not want to go back after you see it. Anyway, we parked up and started strolling along that famous beach walk. In my head, I hoped that it would somehow resemble my childhood memories of ‘California Games’ on the Sega, with fluorescent bikini-clad women graciously roller-blading along the path and uber-buff dudes walking around, proudly content at their almost alien-like physique, freshly painted with a bottle of tanning-lotion. Instead, it was more of a tattooed up, neo-punk scene that predominantly graced us, although there were a couple of steroid-fiends out and about as we passed by ‘Muscle’ beach. After watching some basketball at those Venice Beach courts, having a look at a few sunglasses stands and being barraged by some inept ‘musicians’ on the street, we figured we’d better get going soon if we were to have any chance of beating the deathly L.A five O’clock traffic.

We arrived home a little tired, but altogether stoked that we had proverbially ‘ticked’ off another destination, and accomplished something new. We treated our weary bodies to a hot spa that night at the hotel in preparation for the next day and the activities that undoubtedly lay ahead.

***Next episode: San Diego!*** Will be up in a couple days. So keep checking!

Three months earlier.

Disneyland: take two.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Part 3: Disneyland – take two.

We left for Disneyland the following morning. Not so early, but early enough for the eyes to show at least some symptoms of weariness from the epicness of the day before. As we headed for the park, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and apprehension of the day ahead. Sure, I had been here a few months ago, but the draw of the ‘happiest place on earth’ had kept me keen to come back. Plus, my family was here – so I figured that the combination of the two should result in a pretty good time for all.

I’m not gonna dwell on words in this post. If you want to read about our first experience of Disney madness, click here. If not, then please kick back, enjoy the photos and check out the vid of our first trip here. ‘Nuff said.

Part two: Day one.

I woke the next morning feeling more jetlagged than the crew who had just spent the last 30 or so hours trying to get here from the other side of the globe. The room at the Newport Hyatt was nice, but smallish – especially for four adult sized people. I ended up kipping it up with my little bro Josh, who was for the most part quiet in his deep slumber during the night. My parents however were not nearly as peaceful. Both were snoring terribly, and in my despair I very nearly chose to grab a pillow and any available blanket, and just crash in the bathtub. Yet I chose to ride it out, and paid for it dearly in the morning. Enough.

Anyway, we set off at a reasonable hour, picked up Paul from Huntington, and headed for Laguna. I figured this would be a day of coastal sight-seeing. It was an easy and fun option, and indeed something that I would want to check out during my first expedition on US soil. Chilling down at the beach is always a winner, so we drove through the Laguna township initially, before parking up a few miles south at Monarch Beach. Paul and I had been here a few months earlier, when we were on our seemingly endless search for employment. The place is just breathtaking. We strolled through the undertunnel connecting the parking lot with the beach, encountering a broad park-like area buzzing with people entertained in basketball, baseball, laughing and other general banter as both kids and adults alike dance harmoniously under the rich California sun. At the base of the grassy area some 30 or so feet below lies the beach itself. We took the steep path down, lay down our towels in an orderly fashion and found a reasonably hard wetted section of sand which we thought would be best suited for cricket. We planted the unashamedly bold yellow ‘wickets’ down on the sand as Dad grabbed the ball and I reached for the bat. Ah, the feeling of bat in hand. In New Zealand, cricket is the summer pastime almost as much as baseball is here in the States – and it felt great to be playing again after about a year long hiatus. We laid down a couple of rules to accommodate the terrain and prevent the throngs of people from being blasted with a cricket ball, albeit a soft plastic one, and played for a solid hour before succumbing to the heat and jumping in the wonderfully cool ocean water.

After bathing and sunbathing, we figured we’d better get going and check out Laguna and the surrounding hills before the remaining daylight diminished. We grabbed an epic chipotle-doused Laguna Sub and cruised along the Laguna Beach boardwalk, people watching and snapping shots at every available moment. A brief while later, we figured that we’d try catch the sunset up the top of the Laguna Hills amidst the ritz and glamour of multi-million dollar homes and California dreamin’. Paul and I had randomly stumbled upon a nice viewing point earlier in our adventure, and we saw it as not a bad spot to take my family as they sought to be engrossed in the unique beauty of Southern California. We just missed the sunset, but still grabbed a few family photos while we could before jumping in the rental car and tailing it back to the Newport Hyatt, fresh with a sense of satisfaction and stoke with the success of the first day chilling with the fam in a year. Enough.

Coming up: Part 3: Return to Disneyland. Keep Checkin!

Day one highlights.

Family reunion in Laguna.

Stoked on beachcricket.

The boys on the bank.

In action.

Summer essentials.

Monarch Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chilling on the clifftops.

Return to the Laguna Hills.

Welcome to america. part one: the initial.

It’s been a fair while since I last posted on the blog. However, this time I have a legitimate excuse. A lot has happened. In between my parents and my little bro dotting down in LAX airport fourteen days ago and their departure last night, the days have truly been packed in with stuff. Lots of stuff. And, with little downtime to catch a breath to recollect it all, I have been unable to post for a bit. So, over the next week or so I will be posting regularly in an attempt to best depict exactly what has gone down over these past couple of weeks. Here goes nothing.

*Fourteen Days Earlier*

It’s weird. From the moment I knew that my parents were set to come and visit me over in the States, I was for the most part unphased. I mean, you would typically think otherwise, considering that apart from the odd ‘skype’ call, I have been out of contact with them for over a year. That may not sound like much, but for me, that’s sort of a big deal. Me and my family are, for the most part, a pretty tight bunch. I began wondering when – if at all – was I going to start eagerly anticipating their arrival, and maybe feel something similar to what every ten-year-old kid feels on the night before Christmas. That moment came on the day of their arrival, when the proverbial bells finally started to ring, singing:

‘My parents are coming today. This is a big deal. Hooray!’

After finishing work and going to the gym that day, I was at home, phone in hand - and hoping that it would not ring with my parents on the other line, panicking because they can’t find their bags at the airport, were detained, lost in the middle of downtown L.A or a number of other situations that I had hypothesized could potentially happen to naïve smalltown-New Zealanders as I waited nervously on the couch. I threw aside these seemingly ridiculous scenarios and became calmer as their ETA drew closer. That is, until the phone rang. I immediately answered. “Hello?” “Dad?” No answer. I was about to repeat myself, when a squeaky voice murmured “Hoe doo we gut to Huuu-nting-ton Beeech?” His accent was foreign, and so thick that I could barely distinguish it. Initially, I thought that it may in fact be my dad putting a voice on, as he is occasionally known to do – even though it would have been distasteful, even for him. But as the broken English continued through the other line, it became clear that this was no joke. “Who is this?” I commanded. “It ees a Taaxie drieveer!” the man proclaimed. “Now, hoe doo we gut to Huuu-nting-ton Beeech?” Oh no. Whats going on? Does he not have GPS in his taxi? Come on. My stomach churned as I realized the situation: I would have to direct them here, with my little knowledge of the freeway system, and a huge language barrier to contend with. Wahoo!

I immediately ran upstairs and booted the computer up. Thank God for google maps. I typed in the directions, and had the whole thing planned out, right in front of me. Luckily, they were already driving southbound on the 405, so were heading in the right direction. Still, my efforts to communicate were useless. “Take the Seal Beach exit, then head down Pacific Coast Highway” I said as clearly as possible. “yus, ummm, Oekay”, the man replied. “Noe, where du we go?” Are you kidding? I just told you! This wasn’t working. I asked if I could talk to David Thomson (my dad), and give him the directions instead. The man happily agreed. Being fresh into the country and having endured the best part of thirty or so hours without sleep, Dave wasn’t exactly in his top frame of mind for directions in LA, which in itself has the same population as the whole of New Zealand. So, I got him to grab a pen and some paper, and jot down the directions as I gave them. He seemed to get it all. I wished them the best of luck, hung up the phone, and hoped that it would all work out. Oh.

The taxi arrived about thirty minutes later. I peeped over from my balcony, to see a yellow taxi double-parked a few feet from my house. I couldn’t see anybody in the car. But as I panned to the right, the once-familiar face of the old man shot into view. “Dave!” I yelled (I often call him by his first name). Dave peers up at me from the balcony, his mouth morphing into a huge smile. They made it. Immediately, I ran down the stairs and out the door to greet them. Now Mum and my little bro josh are there too – apparently, they had been running about the apartment complex, trying to find where I lived. Buzzing with excitement, I charge up to them all and give them all huge hugs. “This is weird…my parents are in America!” I thought to myself. Mum looks great. Dave does too, apart from being a little more silver than when I saw him last. Josh is tall. Real tall. He’s only fifteen, and he is as tall as me – and I’m 6’1”. It feels a little weird as I wrap my arms him for a bro-hug. But good. We all jump in the taxi, and head for the final destination: the Newport Hyatt hotel.

The Newport Hyatt, really, is just down the road from where Paul and I live, so it doesn’t take long to get there. The taxi man turns out to be a little we man originally from Korea, and he is stoked to have finally made it. “Sank yuu soo much!” He said repeatedly. We thanked him for the wild ride, and prepared for check-in at the front desk. A nice guy name Chip greeted us, and I flipped out the Hyatt Huntington Beach employee-card to ensure my family was hooked-up for a cheap stay. All went well. We took the little elevator up to the third floor of the hotel, and swiped the key for ‘room 311’. The light went green, and the door swung open. “Yeah!” We yelled in unison. The room was pretty sweet. Smallish, but equipped with two double-beds, a nice TV and a balcony looking out onto the hotel courtyard. It’s nice hanging out in a hotel room – ironically, something that we are not able to do at work at the Huntington Beach Hyatt. Mum cranks out my favourite drink – a Bundaberg Ginger Beer – fresh from New Zealand, and something I haven’t tasted for about six months when Paul’s brother Jared brought us one over back in Canada. Delicious. We chill out on the beds, and recollect the past years’ happenings, stories and gossipings. Stoked.

In my previous post, I mentioned how unsure I was with how I would react when my parents arrived over here. And, upon seeing them or the first time in over a year, I can tell you that it felt good. Really good. It’s uncanny how you can have such a connection with a group of people – of whom can be taken for granted when you see them all the time, but missed dearly when you are over the other side of the world fending for yourself. Family bonding in Sourhern California. It’s great to have them here.

Next post… Part two: day one. Stay tuned.

hotel balcony.

A hint of huntington beach.

Check it.

Incohesive Ramblings.

Okay, time for a quick update on life. I have been pondering as to when to write the next blog, but have neglected to post - based on my notion that every little article needs to be based on a specific 'event' or activity undertaken on this adventure to have any readability or meaning. To be honest, I have have failed to identify anything recently that has been actually worth writing about. However, I have come to realise that both myself and Paul's personal thoughts and opinions are indeed relevant to this journey, and are sometimes worth sharing with you. So bare with me.

My parents and my little bro are coming to visit me in exactly a week. 7 days to the day. For the first time in over a year since leaving New Zealand in May 2008, I will see them - face to face. They will be staying here in Southern California for about two weeks, at both the Newport Beach Hyatt and the Huntington Beach Hyatt, where we work. It's their first time travelling to the States, and thus will be their first time driving on the right side of the road, hanging out at the pier, and munching down on some Reeces' peanut butter cups (we don't get them back in New Zealand - a travesty I know!). I'm not sure what to expect. I mean, I have been away from my family for the best part of four years now, having gone through university and all, but never without direct contact for such a long period of time. I still can't fathom that they are coming all this way just to see me. I think that somewhere in between camp, skateboarding down parking lots in Vancouver and carving fresh powder tracks in Fernie they realised that I'm just having too much fun over here to be coming home anytime soon. I guess they figured they'd better book it over here asap - before I had claimed another visa, packed my bags and shot off to another part of the globe. What will it be like to see them? Normal? Weird? I dunno. But I will keep you updated as best I can.

...On another note, Paul and I have realised that we are about at the halfway stage of our summers' job working as Recreation Attendants at the Hyatt. In other words, we are about 2 months away from being out of a job. It's a scary thought, really. Ideally, we'd love to continue working here. It's just down the road from our house, and to be frank, handing out towels and building intricate sandcastles for a living isn't such a bad occupation. The fact is, however, there may not be any jobs after the summer. With the recession in full-effect around the globe - let alone California - people just aren't spending like they used to. The Hospitality business, needless to say, is heavily dependant upon big-spending excursionists to help keep the industry afloat. Without them, profit is lost, and jobs are cut. The outcome? ShaunPaul on the proverbial chopping-block. Yippee.

What could this mean for our adventures then? Well, it may spell the end of our time in California, for one. We may have to look for work elsewhere in the US, where the effects of the recession are less-rampant. Additionally, we are without a car at the moment. If we were to stay in California and look for employment, we would need to purchase a car immediately to find work. That would be costly, and a possible alternative could be to locate to a city with a better public transportation system so we could at least look for jobs without being too strapped for cash. Either way, we will be really back to the drawing board. That's cool - we will just have to further rely on God for Direction and wisdom. And I kinda like that.

Anyway, that's it from me. I'm sorry if my thoughts and ramblings lacked any form of cohesion - I promise that there will be more adventures and shenanigans in this part of the world soon. Next week in fact. It's gonna be the fourth of July this saturday, ShaunPauls' first encounter with Independance Day in the US. Wahoo! So keep reading, and keep in touch. Love.

More work snippets.

Paul's wondrous creation...

...And Shauns.

Snippets from work.

Sandcastle building, right in front of the Hyatt.

A year of travel.

Been a while coming, but here it is. A quick recap of our shenanigans, expeditions and adventures over the past year - all in a little over 4 minutes. Enjoy.

Baseball with the boys.

Baseball.

Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA.

American sports.

I’ve never been ‘big’ into American sports. In fact, the term seems to innately be associated with the uniquely ‘U-S of A’ pastimes. Big guys with big muscles, induced from big usage of big steroids and, um, creating big egos. However, with the desire to find the definitive ‘American experience’ over here, I figured that inquiring into such as activities was a necessity. Oddly enough, I didn’t have to go looking for it.

The NBA playoffs were just kicking off as we landed into LA. In fact, the first image I saw as I departed the plane was a giant poster of number 24, the ‘Black Mamba’ Kobe Bryant – wearing his Lakers getup and sporting a picture-perfect grin. It was a California tourism marketing scheme, with the words “that’s so LA” blaring out above Kobe’s head. I chuckled to myself thinking about the cheesiness of it all.

However.

Our new home in Huntington Beach brought forth many excitements, including a nearby beach, surf, and cable TV. Suddenly, after not really having watched television for almost a year was in our face everyday, at the push of a remote-control button, which was conveniently located right in the middle of the coffee table – well within my grasp as I lounged about on the sofa. Naturally, the sports channel was the first option, and therefore the NBA playoffs. Paul and I really got into it. I’ve always admired basketball above any other American sport. And for us, it brought back some very fond memories of playing ‘NBA Hangtime’ back in Fernie, Canada with the boys – as well as collecting those shiny basketball cards we all seemed to have (or want) back in the day. In addition, the Lakers had made it to the playoff round, along with the Rockets, Nuggets, Mavericks, Bulls, Magic, Cavaliers, Hawks and Celtics (yes!). Week by week, we would venture to ‘Freds’, which has become our local bar/restaurant here in HB. Most of the games have been hugely entertaining, with the Lakers recently pipping the Magic 4-1 in the finals, and becoming the 2009 NBA champions! The atmosphere here right now is electric with the Lakers, and a celebration parade is scheduled for tomorrow in downtown LA. Unfortunately for us, we will be working. Rats.

We also saw our first baseball game ever on Friday night…Anaheim Angels vs. the San Diego Padres. Being a huge cricket fan, I have always been a bit skeptical of the whole baseball thing, and would much rather watch the now-playing T20 cricket world cup than the baseball ‘world series’, which is strangely comprised of all American teams. Hmm. But hey, it’s the greatest country in the world - Jesus was born here. In Texas.

Anyway, Paul and I scored seven free tickets to the game, so figured we’d give it a whirl. We ended up going with a few of our friends from Rock Harbor church, who happily answered all of our questions and confusions throughout the game. However I was more stoked with the atmosphere. The spectacle of it all was amazing – 41,000 screaming fans in a state-of-the-art-stadium, cheering for the Angels amidst singing and raising hands in-sync to ‘the wave’ – rolling through the crowd. To top it all off, the Angels won 11-6, which was followed by an awesome fireworks display, popping and exploding in the night sky in time to some good old Motown tunes blaring from the stadium speakers. Overall, it was an epic night. We left the game with a real sense of accomplishment, however gimmicky or touristy it may have been. Fact is that not every New Zealander can enjoy the bright lights and vibrant vibe of live American sports. We walked out of there with stoke, ‘big’ smiles and an honest appreciation and delight of another small, but significant achievement in our travels thus far. Word.

The ShaunPaul Q&A.

So, here’s the deal. We get a lot of people from home and overseas asking about our travels, and what we intend to do, both in the near and distant future. A couple of days ago, Paul put forward the thought that it might be a good idea to add a sort of ‘frequently asked questions’ section to the blog in order to clear some heads, de-spell myths and to provide everyone (who cares) with some sort of logistical direction as to what the heck we intend to do with our lives. Additionally, I will briefly overview past traveling experiences and shenanigans in the first few questions - for all those newbie’s out there who may not have a clue who we are or what we are doing. Enjoy.

Q: Who is ShaunPaul?
A: Besides from being a decidedly terrible hip-hop superstar, ShaunPaul is a combination of two people from New Zealand. We are both 22 years old, and after graduating in early April 2008, spontaneously decided to embark on a traveling adventure of a lifetime. We left our lovely little homeland on May 21, 2008 – and haven’t returned since.

Q: How long have you been traveling?
A: As mentioned above, we left New Zealand for Canada on May 21, 2008. Therefore, as of today, we have been officially away for 378 days. Yes.

Q: What, then, have you been doing for the past year?
A: Ok. Obviously a year’s worth of traveling is hard to condense into a gimmicky Q&A, but here goes. In as few words as possible.
- Spent the first few months working at a kids’ camp on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Paul worked as the skate park leader, and I was an events assistant.

- Travelled over to Calgary, Alberta, where we both worked as roofers and stayed with an awesome family who kindly let us into there home. We were there for about three months.

- Travelled back to British Columbia and worked as ticket checkers at the Fernie Alpine Resort in the Canadian Rockies for the winter. I learnt to snowboard, Paul learnt to snowboard better. We were here for about four months.

- After attaining our US working visas, Paul and I decided to fly out to California for a whole new adventure. After much debate, we decided on this particular state after researching various places to live on Wikipedia. Random and weird I know, but that’s just how we roll.

- Moved to Huntington Beach California a few weeks ago now, to enjoy the summer sun, surf and, um, Fred’s tacos. Delicious.

Q: When are you going to go home?
A: Loaded question. To be honest, we just don’t know. I mean, if everything pans out in the US, we will be here until our visa expires in April 2010. After that is a bit of a mystery - although we are keen to cruise through Europe at some stage. We have also pondered having a sort of ‘holiday’ back in New Zealand to catch up with our friends and family (who we all LOVE!). However, this will depend on finances and God’s direction for our lives. Never doubt the Big Man.

Q: Where are you going to travel next?
A: Considering we have a working Visa for a whole year, we intend to travel throughout the continental US and do a bit of sightseeing while we are here. We’re thinking of trying to get the whole ‘American experience’, which will include (but not be limited to) the following:
- See the lights, brights and crazyness of Vegas.
- Giant rocks in Utah.
- Texans in Texas.
- Alabama!
- Go right through the South, meet all the nice people - and prove once and for all that 1972’s ‘Deliverance’ is, in fact, just a movie.
- The skyscrapers, hustle and bustle, and harrowing remnants of the Twin Towers of New York.
- Boston, Massachusetts. Because I love the Celtics.

Also, we are definitely going to Hawaii. For years, it has been my dream destination. Have to check out the Banzai Pipeline. For those who don’t know, youtube it. It’s worth it.
..After that, who knows. Could be Europe, could be the Seychelles, could even be Australia. When we know, you will be the first to find out. I promise.

Q: Have you guys got girlfriends over there yet!?
A: No, sorry guys. But Paul says “he’s working on it”.

Q: Best moment so far?
A: In all honesty, every single part of the journey has been amazing, in its own unique way. It’s just so hard to pinpoint the exact moments where you figure ‘hey, I’m living the dream’ - when everything you have done has led up to that moment, and has innately contributed to that success. Yet besides absolutely everything, some highlights included the first day at camp, living with the Volkmans in Calgary, getting to Fernie, B.C for the first time, and the people we have met along the way. People, people, people.

So that’s about all I can think of at this point. If you have any more questions, email me at shaun.t.nz@gmail.com and I’ll post it up. And that’s my rant for today – time for a microwaveable dinner. Yippee.