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nelson mandela bay's family lifestyle
author:
manie & carin steyn
sunshine, bikinis, clam
photography:
manie & carin steyn
chowder & mustangs
issue:
7, spring 2008
When visiting the USA for the first time, it is not easy to decide on a destination. Manhattan in New York, Disney World in Orlando and Nashville in Tennessee all flash through your mind as competing possibilities. Should your traveling party include minors, then Mickey Mouse would be the perfect choice, but after numerous visits to this continent with its fifty two states, we wanted something special. Our previous visits to the US, was always fly in, visit and fly out. We were looking for a trip that would allow us to experience the local scenes on a more personal and intimate level. We decided a road trip along the Californian Coastal Highway, would be perfect. As usual, Karin invested in a Fodor's Guide on this golden state, months before our departure. She spent countless hours methodically planning our trip. To get the most out of your trip, this pre-planning is essential and the guide provides useful information regarding where to stay, eat and explore, on and off the beaten track. Our trip took us from Nelson Mandela Bay via Johannesburg via Washington DC, for our arrival in San Francisco. After an exhausting twenty one hours in an airbus, we landed in Washington DC, to clear customs and venture further to our final destination. Clearing customs in the US is a time consuming process. As a visitor to this country you will only be assisted after American citizens have been cleared – be patient and don't let this minor detail spoil the holiday fun. San Francisco is the US's most popular tourist destination. The Golden Gate Bridge provides access from the north and US 101 is the route into the city from the south. This is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We stayed for four days in the Nikko Hotel. We toured this expansive city, with its population of 800,000 people, on the famous cable cars, with boats and taxi's and old faithful – on foot! Site seeing included a boat trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 36. We took a day trip to the Napa Valley, which is the undisputed capital of American wine production, with more than 240 wineries. At the end of our time in San Francisco we were sad, because we received bad news from back home, but also because we had to move on. On our journey to the south, along the highway US 101, we were eager to cross the scenic, coastal route along the M1. Twenty seven miles south of San Francisco we entered the first coastal community, Half Moon Bay, with a population of less than 10,000 people. We had coffee in one of the outdoor café's and bought CD's in a well stocked music shop that caters for all – amazing. From Half Moon Bay we followed our planned route to Pescadero. This Pacific coastal town has a famous 19th century roadhouse, Duarte's Tavern. This was Carin's choice to enjoy typical American fare. We thoroughly enjoyed their house specialty, their artichoke soup. Carla stuck to her traditional and very available, hamburger and chips. We traveled the distance between San Francisco and Monterey Bay at an easy pace. We arrived early afternoon at a beautiful, popular weekend destination. We did not pre-book any accommodation and after two or three stops we found reasonable accommodation. We stayed for two days and toured the routes along the beachfront by bicycle, visiting the famous Maritime Museum of Monterey, sitting in the restaurants on the pier, eating their famous clam chowder, drinking cocktails and absorbing the wonderful atmosphere. This coastal town reminds me so much of Knysna. The coastline between Monterey and Carmel, to Santa Barbara stretches for 320 kilometers. This is known as one of the most famous drives in California. Around Big Sur the mountains drop down to the Pacific, with dazzling grandeur, but as you move south the shoreline flattens into the long sandy beaches of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Oxnard. Previously we visited this specific area during a work assignment with a catalytic converter manufacturing company, which had their head office in Oxnard. On that visit our excursions were limited to after hours and weekends, but now we had the opportunity to take in the atmosphere of Santa Barbara. This is an oasis for Los Angeles residents hungry for rest and recuperation. We stayed in the Santa Barbara Hotel on State Street and could freely do strolling on foot or on a bicycle which is a common mode of transport. Montecito, which is 5 kilometers east of Santa Barbara, has attracted the rich and famous from around the world. This area has an ambience with strong Spanish influence in its architecture. From Santa Barbara our journey moved southwards, in the direction of Los Angeles. The coastal route extends through Malibu, with white sandy beaches and high priced real estate. During the busy summer months blondes in bikinis parade on the white sandy beaches with their prominent lifesaver lookout towers. This is now truly the heart of the sunshine coast! Red Ford Mustangs that are parked along the road, life guards patrolling the beaches and hormone infused surfers immediately brings Baywatch to mind. Campers park along the side of the road and surfers enjoy the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean from dawn to dusk. Understandably, this is the place were the Beach Boys found a lot of inspiration in the composition of their hit songs during the sixties. Leaving these idyllic scenes behind, Suzie, our designated GPS guide, took us safely to the Holiday Inn in Los Angeles. This hotel is in close proximity to Universal Studios and was our base, for our stay in the city of angels. Our visit to Universal Studios was one of the highlights of our holiday. Excursions to the famous Hollywood attractions, such as the Boulevard Sidewalk, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theatre and Mann's Chinese, disappointed us a little bit. We felt it is exaggerated and even felt unsafe at times. Your walk is limited to one mile only, with shady characters lurking around. We took a day tour to the Farmers Market, Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier and drove through Beverly Hills, admiring the houses of the rich and famous. This tour was entertaining for my female companions, but I found it very boring. I would suggest that you limit your stay in this city to a maximum of three days, otherwise you might spend your precious travel time at the hotel swimming pool, not knowing what to do with yourself. From Los Angeles our trip extended east, via a bus, to Las Vegas. Renting a car might be better, as this will allow you to experience the desert drive, or if you are pressed for time, take a 30min flight from LA to Vegas. The Los Angeles highway is quite frightening to drive, during peak traffic times, even if you are used to Johannesburg traffic. Do not attempt to do this without a GPS. A stay in Las Vegas, for non gamblers like us, revolves around site seeing, helicopter flips into the Grand Canyon, unbelievable shows and good cuisine that will tantalize any taste buds. On the negative side, brace yourself: you are going to be confronted with characters of the night, promoting nudity and prostitution as a commodity. Gambling extends through the night and alcohol can be consumed freely in public places. In my opinion, this is definitely not a place for children. Apart from this, the hotels and developments in this city is the telltale that budget is no problem. Buildings are bigger than anybody can imagine. The question is: Who pays for these luxuries? From Las Vegas we flew to Orlando and spent an amazing week at Disney World. This, however, is a story and experience that warrants more than mention. It is definitely a place where you should take your children or grandchildren. As we are off on a special trip with our own children and grandchildren, we'll tell you everything about that in the December issue. On our way home we stopped over in New York. The highlight was taking Carla to Broadway, to watch the Lion King. After the show we enjoyed a typical post-show dinner in a fancy Manhattan Restaurant. The road trip was truly remarkable, we did not only see and experience so much more, we had time in each other's company and could enjoy and experience these places together. We definitely recommend a trip like this to anybody who likes to discover more than just the regular. Bon Voyage, till next time!
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