San Pedro

Wednesday

In the morning I was treated to this...

A wonderful clear morning, warm sunshine and a view worth waiting for. This, the Korean Peace Bell, was awarded to the USA as a reminder of the lasting peace after the Korean war, it is rung on regular occasions to keep the peace(!)

I tried to discover what there was to see and do here, but it seemed there was very little except for spectacular views and, er, spectacular views. I wandered off in search of somewhere to get lunch. There was a small aquarium nearby, I didn't need to see another one, there seemed to be a school trip there on this day.

I walked and walked along in the heat, it was a lot warmer, even than Santa Monica, and I was soon in need of a drink. I found a hotel complex, but when I finally found an entrance was told that I'd have to wait to be served; apparently there was a queue two hours long... I came across a boy scouts adventure centre, surely they would sell some kind of food and drink. No. I came to a beach below the cliffs, and sat down. A strange woman appeared from a beach hut and started throwing bread to the gulls.

At least I found the tidal pools mentioned in the brochure, there I saw many starfish and other aquatic creatures, a couple told me they'd seen an octopus in one pool. Eventually the tidal pools came to an end at a rocky outcrop, there was no way past, and I didn't want to walk all the way back around the cliff - but wait! A path up the cliff side! Well, more of a winding bit of cliff that people had worn away scrambling up and down. I scrambled up, and to my pleasant surprise found a bar at the top! It appeared to be a favourite haunt for local bikers but they were friendly enough. Here I had my lunch and a well deserved drink, they even had a TV going.

I walked a long way that day, the long straight street had addresses which ran into the 1,000's. There was a marina, too, which required a keycard for entry, even the toilets were locked in this way! It contained many boats, no doubt hundreds. I found my way back to the hostel and made a hasty bus trip downtown to buy some food; I noticed the strange French guy hanging around but he didn't seem to notice me; I got my bus back to the hostel. Later that evening the French guy appeared looking rather flustered about something, not having had anything to eat nor shopped for any either, strange chap! Perhaps he'd been trying to find something to do all day also.

Although it was hot during the day, the cool breeze from the sea made it cold at night. The minimal insulation of the barracks meant that it got much colder than expected, there was a heater but it made an awful racket and was soon switched off! I snaffled some extra blankets from a spare bunk and went off to sleep.

Thursday

Another day, and it was quite warm already when I got up. Most people seemed to have left already, I took my time and got the next bus towards Union Station.