Katy's adventure part two: My elder soulmate, getting my first tattoo and moving north
Since the last time I checked in I have been pootling around wearing tie dye leggings and a cropped sweatshirt with the slogan ‘high tides & good vibes’ on it - who even am I you ask? California Kacey that's who. I ate the most delicious corncake soaked in butter and honey in La Jolla with my airbnb host of dreams and survived a weekend of torrential rain where the streets turned to rivers and just nipping between shops left me soaked to the skin. Because it's unusual, the locals in Encinitas take the opportunity to stay home in their pyjamas, but the (soggy) tourist in me insisted on visiting the Leucadia weekly farmer’s market to pick up eucalyptus, kombucha and cherry and walnut sourdough. I took many hot showers to warm up again and my house mates and I cooked together and shared stories of our different lives, the wild complexities of relationships and the people we’ve loved and lost.
My second week in this lovely town passes feeling exactly like a local, it doesn’t seem touristy here which means everyone is super friendly. I work from Better Buzz coffee shop and pop down to Moonlight Bay to watch the sunset, visit the area’s oldest ‘movie theatre’ La Paloma to watch Babylon (give it a miss, sorry Brad) and eat delicious beef tacos washed down with more margaritas. I feel very at home here, I fit right in. Everyone looks like me with flip flops and a hoodie and messy hair. Can I stay, I wonder? As the week progresses none of us want the weekend to come when we will part ways, incredulous that this feeling of family and familiarity and friendship has been built in just over a week. Lisa says it's the mixture of our star signs…maybe she’s right.
My first EVER tattoo…
In the first blog I mentioned getting a tattoo after the pulled pork and margarita night. The next day Anita (let’s not forget she’s 76) asked me what day we would get them. Ummmm Thursday? The day after that she asked me if I'd made the appointment. She pinned me down! I spend Wednesday night and Thursday morning frantically doodling on pieces of note paper, trying to decide what I want! I thought that when I got my first tattoo I would be slightly more organised than this. Anita also changes her mind at the last minute - from a shooting star ‘with a rainbow trail’ to a sunshine ‘so I can look down and be reminded that even if we can’t see the sun, we know it's always there’. Have I mentioned that I am head over heels in love?
The next morning we are both quite nervous, Lisa escorting us like the absolute legend that she is; my Californian mother-friend forever. The tattoo studio 454 in Leucadia is very cool and after a few tweaks to the artist’s interpretation of my scrawl (particular, me?) I head in first at Anita's suggestion. It helps that the Brazilian tattoo artist, Sergio, is more than a little attractive with a calm energy and although you wouldn’t want the needle to hurt any more than it does, it's totally bearable. It strikes me that it doesn’t seem remotely strange lying on this bed having my arm tattooed. In fact once it’s done I look down and get the sense that my arm now looks more like it was always meant to. Thank you, Sergio; i’m so glad I was tattooed by you.
I go out to Anita, who clutches my arm and asks me in earnest ‘is he nice? He’s got the kindest eyes’ in her irresistible NY / Boston drawl. She is nervous and when I peek in on her, she looks like she’s lying in a hospital bed! She returns with her glorious yellow sunshine on her ankle feeling very proud of herself. We celebrate tattoo day with tacos, buttery corn and spicy margaritas (of course) before heading to bed super early, exhausted from our day of total excitement. Never could I have imagined that on this trip I would get my first tattoo with my new friend by my side, getting her own first tattoo that she’s ‘probably going to hide from her children’. I’m collecting evidence of how travels can bring unexpected magic. Interesting people, different outlooks, alternative ways of living. I feel like my soul is coming back to life again.
I take the next day off work and head off on what feels like my first proper ‘holiday’ day - to Torrey Pines national park just north of San Diego. It is a lovely walk along the sea and up into the hills with glorious ocean views. It is a vibrant deep indigo sky day and bright sunshine - I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here. I sit down on the beach to watch the waves and breathe in my trip so far. The ranger vehicle approaches me and I assume he just wants a chat, turns out I am sitting in a precarious spot beneath the rocks that regularly cascades. He points out a giant rock that fell last week, 1 metre away from me. I speak as if i’m off The Crown so he understands I am not a complete numpty and simply have very little ‘bluff’ knowledge to draw from.
Moving on
Our last night all together in the house is spent gathered around the table tearing out images for our vision boards - mine is littered with views of sunshine and sea. We share a joint because ‘smoking a little pot’ is a completely normal (and legal) thing to do here. It's fun and relaxed and I savour every minute with these women. On my last night in Encinitas I go out for dinner with Anita and am reminded of the importance of having friends of different ages to yourself. She tells me ‘you’re so much fun’ and I tell her she has inspired me in the way I want to live my life.
Before heading north I pop back to the tattoo studio to get an extra ‘dot’ - yes really - it was necessary for it to be complete! I order yet another uber as the Pacific Coast Surfliner train doesn’t run on a Sunday and car hire is eye-wateringly expensive. Another interesting conversation unfolds - my South African driver explains to me that he has gone against his culture and not conformed to a traditional married life; he is single and travels as much as he can ‘to Europe every year, I love London’ and appears to be enjoying his life very much indeed. We talk about meditation and he asks me if I have tried tantric breathing - something to add to the list perhaps!
My tiny abode in Laguna Beach is not much more than one room - but the location is wonderful! I am a 5 minute walk to sparkling, empty coves. I drop my suitcase and head straight down to the main beach to watch a mesmerising sunset. As I step into a new week I am planning to trial a new routine - work 8am - 12pm, head down to the cove, work again early evening. At the time of writing this I have spent every walk out hearing myself exclaim out loud ‘this place is ridiculous’ - it's that beautiful.
Everywhere I look is the endless vivid, indigo, cloudless sky and feeling of warm sun on my skin. I will never get over the fact this is January. The sun casts twinkling diamonds on the water, nature’s very own light show. When you tell someone you’re moving on to Laguna beach, they say ‘oh it’s gorgeous there’ and they're right. The town appears very upmarket with boutiques, eateries and organic produce and the houses are either ocean view impressive or quaint and pretty. There is an interesting mix thrown in by the stream of art galleries, adding a more earthy, creative flavour to things. This town is nestled in front of huge green hills and thronged with 23 beach alcoves littering the coast - close to perfection. It reminds me of the prettiest parts of Sydney…I'm trying to take it all in.
On my morning coffee run I am walking past the main beach and I can hear two women and a man laughing hysterically, loudly. I watch and wonder what has tickled them. On my way back two more have joined them and they’re still at it, what is going on? I stop and stare, and I must look perplexed because a woman stops and explains to me ‘it’s the laughing group, they meet every week to play and be free and laugh…they’ve invited me but I haven’t joined in yet’. Are they high I ask?
It’s definitely a different vibe to where I've been, it has a less local feel and perhaps more touristy, the people seem a little busier and less enthusiastic to stop and chat. It's not quite as friendly as my beloved Encinitas. Although I have to say that when you get someone talking they barely stop for breath. I’ve been finding my feet and am adapting to the quiet of being totally alone, the peace and space. One week feels very temporary so I don’t feel the same pull to get involved at the yoga studios and coffee shops, so it will be a much more solitary week. I do meet a surfer dude who had just taken a dip in the ocean and encourages me to do the same ‘you can borrow my towel’. I head back the next day and cannot believe how icy cold the water is! I also get immediately taken out by a thundering wave, flat on my back, against the gritty stones…smooth. I do spot dolphins in the distance though as my reward.
My last two days in Laguna have been spent exploring; hiking the mountain trails high over the ocean, pottering around the art galleries and watching more dolphins close to the shore against a fiery sun set (pinch me). I have a glorious conversation with Dawn who runs one of the beautiful art galleries, she is another woman in her 70’s who is living her for a while - house sitting….which got me thinking, what a brilliant idea! My parents do it on short term stays but i wonder if this could be something for me to look in to for longer term exploration hmmmmm…
My last full day here I go on an e-bike tour which is very fun and turns out to be just me and Justin the guide! We whizz up the hills and to spectacular ocean lookout points, but I think my favourite part he took me to was a hidden sculpture park with mesmerising brass statues of gymnast’s bodies intertwined, taken from performer’s actual form at the cirque de soleil. The dark evenings mean I am less inclined to be out and about but I feel a bit like a hermit so tonight is the night - watch out Laguna Beach (for me and my book!)
Tomorrow I catch the train up to LA for the final week of this amazing trip. It’s going too fast so on that journey I will take some time to sit in peace, slowing time down and connecting to all of the gifts I have experienced so far. Lucky, lucky me. Sending so much love to you, dear reader xxx
