With only a couple of days remaining in San Diego, we agreed to dedicate this day to the Horton Plaza, a unique 5-floor shopping mall in the Gaslamp District. To spice things up, we surveyed the mall and asked San Diegans a few questions about Comic Con, Battlestar Galactica and Bear McCreary. It started out pretty well, but curiously enough, it ended with us purchasing nail polish and aftershave for a hundred bucks. Yeah, read on…

As we arrived at the Plaza, we immediately indulged ourselves in a tiny shopping spree, grabbing with us, among other things, a couple of shirts, t-shirts and a lid. The stores here are large in number and more than enough to cover your needs. The architecture of the entire location is chaotic, yet orderly—strange, yet very beautiful.

The Horton Plaza.

After a couple of hours, ambling out the last store of interest, we felt the hunger coming and started looking for a place to get some food.

The food shops were as varied as the rest of the stores. (Although, considering what most of them were selling, I’m beginning to understand why obesity has become such a big issue in the States.) This time, we both appreciated a meal of Indian tradition: chicken curry! Yes, I know; it fits so well with the fact that we’re in the States. Blame globalism!

Adam can’t wait to dig it all in.

As we sat down with our Indian food, we realized that a shopping spree wasn’t exactly the most interesting thing to write about on a blog. We needed something that could pep up our blog entry. We soon came up with a pretty cool idea. Why not talk a bit with the people on the street and check if the Battlestar Galactica vibe actually exists among the San Diegans?

We liked the idea, and so, immediately after gulping down the last chunk of chicken, we went to Starbucks, bought two small (which translates to XXL in Norway), regular coffees and started scratching down questions that we could use in our “interviews.”

Finally agreeing on which questions to ask, we left the coffee shop and, stepping into the roles of two rude and curious Norwegians, we started intercepting passersby. All in all, we had time for five quick interviews, the last one turning out to be with San Diego’s own version of Battlestar Galactica’s Number Six! Let’s just sift through the interviews in chronological order, shall we?

*** INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN ***

The first guy we snatched. Unfortunately, this fellow didn’t want his picture taken, but he seemed like a cool person. Everyone who likes Battlestar Galactica is a cool person.

- Are you going to Comic Con?
- Yes, I am.

- Have you heard of the sci fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica”?
- Yes, I have. Frak, yes!

- What do you think of it?
- It’s awesome. Fortunately, I haven’t seen the ending yet. That’s what I’m looking forward to right now.

- Have you heard of Bear McCreary?
- Mm, the music.

- What do you think of the music on the show?
- Awesome. I’m not much of a music critic, but yeah, it works with it.

- Would you be willing to give away your Comic Con tickets for free?
- No.

(Dang! Anyway, we hope you have a great time at Comic Con, Martin!)

*** INTERVIEW WITH THERESA ***

- Are you going to Comic Con?
- Yes.

- Have you heard of the sci fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica”?
- I’ve heard of it, yes.

- What do you think of it? Have you seen it?
[Thinks] – I think I’ve seen tidbits of it.

- Have you heard of Bear McCreary?
- … What? [After repeating the name.] No.

- If you knew a bear that could play music, what instrument would you want it to play?
- A panpipe!

(Thanks for the interview, Theresa. You should definitely check out “Battlestar”!)

*** INTERVIEW WITH PETER ***

- Are you going to Comic Con?
- I am.

- Have you heard of the sci fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica”?
- No, I haven’t watched it. And it’s not really on my priority list.

- What is your favorite bear?
- Bear?! Uuuuh, Yogi.

(Thanks for the interview, Peter! “I’m smarter than the average bear!”)

*** INTERVIEW WITH PHILLIP ***

- Are you going to Comic Con?
- Yes.

- Have you heard of the sci fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica”? And if you’ve seen it, what did you think of it?
- Yes, I have heard of it, but I haven’t seen it yet.

- What is your favorite bear?
- My favorite bear? It has to be the Grizzly.

(Well, Phillip, thanks! Be sure to check out “Battlestar Galactica” asap!)

*** INTERVIEW WITH YANA ***

The last person we interviewed was more coincidental than anything else. On the plaza ground level, we passed this stand with a big, white banner saying “Seacret Spa”. Instead of us snatching a person for our next interview, a man stepped in our way and insisted that he show us something, nodding at his booth. We thought, “Sure, why not?” Curious of what it was, I came forward, and he asked me to show him my hand. We didn’t catch the guy’s name, so to make things easier, let’s just call him Richardo. (If you don’t like the name, Richardo, just mail me and I’ll change it!).

Richardo is not proposing to me. I think.

He used several tools and instruments on my fingernails—tools which I honestly, and proudly, can tell you I don’t know the name of. After a couple of minutes of brushing and skimming, Richardo was done, and he let me view my fingernails in the mirror. They were as shiney and reflecting as the mirror itself (Okay, not really. I’m just being nice here.)

It was just when Richardo was about to offer us his product that his curvaceous manager strategically approached us. At first, we were just mildly laughing off their offer, but in some way or another (don’t tell me how), we ended up with an easy deal: We would each buy one of their products if we could interview Yana, the manager. In retrospect, I can’t really see the balance in this deal at all, but it was a fun experience notwithstanding. And hey, we at least did get to buy our mothers a great and expensive present from San Diego! We had this in mind all along, of course.

Now, as for the aftershave we bought, that cost almost as much as the two other products put together, I shall raise my hand to your face, look down upon you, and in an angered fashion say “No Comment.”

- Are you going to Comic Con?
- What …? Oh, shit, no. I’m working!

- Have you heard of the sci fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica”?
- Yes… No, just kidding! [Laughs] This is too complicated. I’m not from America, speak slower!

- Okay, sorry.
- I’m Russian jew.

- Oh, really? Anyway, I’m guessing all these other questions are “no, no, no.” “What did you think of series? Have you heard of the composer?” etc.
- Oh yeah, sure! Been there, done that!

- Can I have your number?
- My number? Don’t have one. It’s a material world. I don’t like cell phones. I have Facebook, though.

- Okay, can I have that?
- Sure! When and where?

Richardo immediately interrupted the interview, flashing a white smile as he blurted out: “Adam! You have a girlfriend soon!”

Richardo is pleased with our deal.

After we got Yana’s full name and her e-mail address, we bought the two nail polish kits and the aftershave. While Adam was paying his share, Richardo came over to me, still beaming, and said in a low voice and chuckled: “Two kits… The Facebook of my manager… VEEERY good!”

Yana said we had to promise her to add her on Facebook as soon as we got the chance. We promised, and then we left the Horton Plaza with our two nail polish kits in hand and a hundred bucks poorer than when we got there.

Semper Vigilans!

Having visited the busy Pacific Beach in the north, explored the large and wondrous San Diego Zoo and wandered the atmospheric streets of the Gaslamp district downtown, we decided to catch a glimpse of San Diego’s southern reaches from the city of Coronado and Coronado Beach.

Arild on the buss to the city of Coronado.

To get to the beach we once again took to the busses and a 25 minute drive across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge to the luxurious beach front Hotel Del Coronado, a beautiful 1880’s Victorian all-wooden building and national Historic landmark!

Arriving at our destination we took a moment to appreciate the hotel’s spire encrusted and straight-lined classy architecture before moving on to the beach, not even 200 yards away.

Adam in front of the classy Hotel del Coronado.

Walking up to the final reaches of the pavement we were met with lush vegetated bluffs of sand and a stretch of beach to rival the very best (see first picture). In fact, we were so enthralled that we decided to strike a pose or two! Surely life couldn’t be any better?

The first thing we had to do was—of course—the obligatory sunbathing. As one might be inclined to understand, when you are two pale men of the cold north, sunbathing becomes a bit more of a necessity than it otherwise would be.

Arild basking in the sunshine. Warning, looking at this picture may cause a severe case of snowblindness.

Satisfied and sunburned but still hungry for more, we jumped in to the sea and the relatively large waves which were eagerly rushing in to greet us. Through the entire session, we were awash with salt water and copious amounts of seaweed, but for amateur biologist such as ourselves, slimy green things are simply a matter of course and most of the time greeted with hearty laughs and a keen interest.

Adam provides the seaweed with a snug nesting place.

Adam and Arild and the Hotel del Coronado as seen from the Coronado Beach.

So, the beach was awesome, but our day wasn’t done yet, and just as planned, we made our way up to the north side of Coronado to the ferry crossing. Wow, what is there to say? The site has beautiful architecture and a beautiful view of downtown San Diego from across the harbor. This called for a toast!

Adam and Arild with San Diego in the background.

Sunset as seen from the north side of Coronado.

Arild expresses his loyalty and devotion to San Diego.

Fortunately for us, there were several conglomerations of restaurants right next to the waterfront, so we decided to sit down for dinner at one particular Italian pizzeria, which immediately caught our eye. After a meal of excellent pasta—and several beverages—we headed out to the docks to catch our ferry ride back to San Diego.

Arild at the Italian pizzeria enjoying his brew.

By now it had already gotten dark and the cityscape shone brightly in front of us. Unfortunately, this caused us a few problems in the picture-taking department, as neither of us were content with the night settings on any of our three cameras, nor did we have the skill to wield our cameras steadily enough on the rolling sea. The results were many blurry, underexposed or flash-molested images of us having a very good time, though we have to admit that some of the pictures turned out to be fairly artistic.

This picture was done on purpose. Yup. Fairly artistic.

The day had been a good one in our minds as we had managed to see a good deal of suburban California with its Spanish architecture and clean, palm-studded sidewalks. A trip to Coronado Beach and a ferry trip across the harbor is something we definitely see as a must for anyone else traveling to San Diego in the future!

This was also our last night at the Hostelling International, Downtown San Diego. The morning after, we would move into the Horton Grand Hotel as it was the day before the big day of the “Music of Battlestar Galactica” concert! Check in to see what interesting things we did in preparation for the big event!

Semper Vigilans!

After a pretty trite and unexciting day at the Pacific beach yesterday, we figured it was time to heed our calling: to probe the rumors of a very special and equally rare San Diego bear. And boy, did we find several! But were any of them the one we were seeking so desperately?

After about 20 minutes of bussing, we eventually wound up at the place of irrevocable truth. The biologist in us surfaced as we approached the entrance to one of the most famous zoos in the world: the San Diego Zoo.

Me feeling the biology vibe.

We quickly went in line, bought our tickets and entered the vast area. With map in hand, we swore not to leave a stone unturned. The hardest choice to make was where to begin our search for the Bear of all bears. We agreed to take the northern path first, which would lead us to the Lost Forest.

Having barely entered the trail, we were suddenly greeted by loud howls that sounded like a congregation of Tarzans on steroids. Deeply curious, we strode off into the so-called forest and eventually found ourselves before a giant cage with hollering members of Nomascus gabriellae, or Gabrielle’s Crested Gibbons. These furry fellows comprise an endangered species that resides in the tropical forests in eastern Cambodia, southernmost Laos and southern Vietnam. Sadly, we didn’t get their cries on tape.

A gibbon hollering to attract its female counterpart.

Although fascinated by the gibbon’s relentless outcries, we continued down the trail and entered the Scripps Aviary, where we found a peculiar-looking bird perching on top of an erected log. This little dame bird here is a female Waldrapp Ibis, a species naturally hailing from Morocco and Algeria.

The Waldrapp Ibis.

Pretty cool bird, huh? Well, we realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t exactly the animal we were looking for, despite its awesome appearance. So we left the Aviary and went deeper into the forest. During our little excursion through this area, we encountered lots of cool species, but unfortunately, we don’t have the time or space to comment all of them. (We do plan to set up a San Diego Zoo web gallery as soon as we get the time. Make sure you check it out once it’s up!). However, just because it’s so darn cute, I just have to show you a picture of the shy, little swamp monkey (see below).

Whatcha’ lookin’ at?

After an hour of walking, we reached the other end of the Lost Forest and ended up in Park Way. And really, what other uplifting sight could have met us than a seemingly endless queue of tourists mercilessly underlining a placard saying “Giant Panda Research Station.”

Adam frustrated with the park’s visitors, who can’t seem to appreciate the importance of our quest.

Thinking it would be wiser to get in line some time later that day, we continued onward until we came across a stand where an artist offered us to do a caricature of us. Of course we said yes!

Caricature of me and a black bear.

Caricature of Adam and the cutest polar bear ever.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we took the escalator up to the Elephant Odyssey. (No, we didn’t actually think there were any bears there. But come on, what’s wrong with a detour once in a while?) We now saw fit to get our first group picture of the day.

Adam and me and two five-ton Asian elephants at the Elephant Odyssey.

We also got close-ups of other elephants, such as the African bush elephant:

The intelligent African bush elephant.

Right around the corner, we came upon one of the coolest birds I’ve seen in my life: the secretary bird. (“No, they don’t take messages.”) These birds hunt on foot, stalking small mammals, birds, large insects, and snakes—even venomous ones. Looking at this feathered creature, there’s no wonder scientists think that birds are living descendants of the once-roaming dinosaurs.

The Secretary Bird hunting on foot.

For several hours, we followed the paths and trails leading to every nook and cranny of the gigantic park. We saw members of numerous bird species, such as the various turacos, the Helmeted Guineafowl, the white-bellied Go-away-bird, lapwings, owls, and also the Guam Rail, which is extinct in the wild. We also got to see gazelles, dik diks, okapis, members of the cat family, such as lions, the snow leopard, the jaguar and the lynx, and so much more. Then, at last, chancing upon the “Sun Bear Trail”, we found what we were looking for: members of the Ursidae family!

“Look! We found bears!” From left to right: Sun bear #1, sun bear #2, eccentric ape.

The fully awesome sloth bear.

The spectacled bear found from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Unfortunately, we came across these bears in the middle of the day, and it was also extremely hot. Hence, we found most of them dozing and doing absolutely nothing in their dark caves. We saw glimpses of them, but our cameras didn’t. So, to sum it up, these lazy guys didn’t want their picture taken:

The lazy members of the Ursidae family.

Pretty sad considering we’re looking at the world’s largest carnivore found on land, the polar bear!

Maybe we found most of these guys catching a wink, but you can tell from this picture that we are still happy with the result.

Adam and me rejoicing.

Reaching the end of the road, we found a funny, little creature with fluffy ears and gray fur, clinging to the branches of a tree. In retrospect, we’re actually a bit ashamed of ourselves, being biology students and all. Obviously, this had to be a bear, right? It was a Koala bear, for frak’s sake! It turns out, however, the Koala is a marsupial because of its pouch. Here’s the proof:

Adam is completely blown away by this ghastly revelation.

Dumbfounded and dizzy, the two amature biologists turned back and followed their own tracks back to the place that once held a mile-long queue of panda-digging tourists. Now, there was no problem at all; there were actually almost no people in line. So, we just trodded inside, cameras at the ready, and witnessed the critically endangered giant panda! By then, we had actually completely exhausted the batteries of all our three cameras, so we had to kindly ask other people to take a picture of us using their camera and our SD card. Fortunately, they were very understanding, and we got the photos we wanted!

One of the remaining 1 600 Giant Pandas on our planet.

Okay, to sum it all up, we encounted several bears, most of which were lazy and drowsy. We also learned that the Koala isn’t really a bear at all (FYI: There are only eight extant bear species left on Earth). But the fact remains that our challenge is still standing. We won’t leave San Diego until we’ve found a bear that has a goatee, that can play the accordion, and that preferably composes music for famous TV-series. We’re not giving up hope, guys. The quest is not over!

Cheers from San Diego Zoo!

Semper Vigilans!

Alright, we’re finally in San Diego! At times, I have to say the obstacles we’ve faced have been pretty hellbent on staining the experience of our trip. As the saying goes, one problem seldom comes alone. This time, it wasn’t another broken windshield, but a lousy phone subscription…

As I boarded the plane headed for San Diego the morning after my little nightmare, it finally seemed like fortune was coming my way. Jason, a man who came on board just moments too late, missed his window seat (yeah, it’s a long story about a mother, daughter and a son wanting to sit next to each other). So, this Jason guy was given the seat beside me. He sat down, cursing and swearing and demanding that he get his 30 dollars back for the window seat reservation. It turned out his request would finally bear fruit.

Detroit Airport the morning after the incident involving a broken windshield.

Halfway along the way, one of the flight attendants came over and gave him all the snacks, cheese and chips that the others onboard hadn’t bought the first time around (okay, maybe “leftovers” is a better word. But hey, that would just degrade our reputation and pure awesomeness, right?). In an act of selflessness, Jason gave me a bag of M & M’s and a lot of savory cheese (thanks, man!). We also got a pack of playing cards, which we used to the best of our ability as we were approaching the second largest city in California.

The flight was over in a flash, and my good fortune with it. After I had retrieved my baggage, I got out of the airport and called Adam, my friend, who I was supposed to meet up with around 11 AM. I’ve got to say, standing there, having finally wound up on the other side of the planet, I really didn’t need the glowing message that my mobile screen so urgently was displaying: “Emergency calls only!”

The first glimpse of San Diego when leaving the airport.

How the heck was I supposed to contact my friend? I decided to take a cab to our hostel, check in, and then locate a pay phone. Fortunately, they had one at the hostel. I punched in the numbers, hoping that I’d get through. No luck. I tried again. Same thing. After probably half an hour of going back and forth between the pay phone and the reception desk asking for help, I finally reached my dad on the phone, who forwarded my message to Adam.

With the fleet finally reunited at 1 PM, we went to grab a bite to eat. We were wondering what we wanted to have for lunch, but when we found the place, we were left with no doubt. Seriously, people … what else than a tasty-lookin’ fish taco to quell our hungry stomachs? (Okay, okay—we never actually did taste it before this close encounter.)

All hungry and handsome.

What can I say? There’s nothing truly like eating salmon tucked in salad and a crusty taco shell, while listening to a live band playing the tunes of George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun.

Stomachs full, we figured we would chillax at the Pacific Beach the rest of the day. We were pretty tired (in my case, I’d only been sleeping about 9 hours total the last two nights), so we spent most of the time on the beach sleeping and sponging up ultraviolet. As you can tell, we (or at least I) needed it sorely.

“Look at mah sexy bodeh.”

So, after a pretty dull and dopey first day in San Diego, we’re geared up and ready to rummage the San Diego Zoo and do some serious bear huntin’! The quest begins tomorrow!

Semper Vigilans!

In a few hours, I am supposed to wake up in my bed at the Hostelling International – San Diego, Downtown. Instead, I woke up in Detroit, on a generic room at America’s Best Value Inn. How the frak did this happen? Well, it all started with a broken windshield…

The long journey to the other side of the planet started with a short flight to Amsterdam. It took one hour and fifty minutes, just as it was supposed to. Good, great. Sitting there, reading the “Watchmen” novel, I felt nothing but bliss and excitement.

Once I landed on Schiphol, I already knew I didn’t have much time to jump on the next flight, which was leaving at 3 PM. So I hurried through hallway after hallway, eventually arriving at the E8 gate. “Gate Change: E19.” Okay, that happens all the time, I thought. No stress. So I went a little further and reached the E19 Gate. There, gleaming on the screen in front of me, in red and large letters, it said: “Delayed – 18:00.” That’s when the Mud began to settle about my feet.

“Mind your step …” Sitting there, patiently waiting for my flight, I had already lost count. “… Mind your step.” But I think I heard that monotonal voice at least a thousand times, echoing through the hallway.

“… Mind your step.”

Around 5 PM, after a couple of hours of dosing off, control was eventually set up and we were allowed to pass through after answering a few questions. It was also around this time that they announced the cause of the delay.

A windshield in the cockpit was broken.

That’s just typical. Well, at least I had my “Watchmen” novel. So, once again, I found a seat and waited patiently. At around 7 PM, they finally opened the gate and let us in. I found my seat on the plane and cursed under my breath, full well knowing I would miss the San Diego flight.

The minutes went by, and the flight attendence wouldn’t stop apologizing the delay. Alright already, please, let’s just take off and get out of here, I thought. Then, a vague murmur came out of the speakers, explaining that … well, yes, you can only guess what.

“We forgot to fuel the plane. This shouldn’t take more than another 15 minutes. Thank you for your patience.”

My jaw dropped. How could this even be possible? They couldn’t fuel the plane while fixing the windshield in the cockpit? Anyway, there was nothing that I could do, so once again, I waited—this time understandably less patient.

The plane landed in Detroit at 9:55 PM, local time (the flight took around 8 hours). There was no plane leaving for San Diego at this hour, so Delta rescheduled my flights and arranged a hotel accomodation for me at America’s Best Value Inn (after lots of waiting and lots of paperwork). The only good thing was that they gave me the opportunity to check in my baggage then and there.

So, around 1 AM, I got to America’s Best Value Inn, found my room and went to sleep. Now, I’m at the Detroit Airport, after having to get up at 5:15 AM, and waiting for my new flight to arrive at 9 AM.

Hopefully, there won’t be any broken windshields this time…

Good day to you all! This is our very first postcard, sent to you from the unbelievably exotic city of Oslo in Norway. My friend, Adam, and I have stumbled upon these crazy rumors saying they have bears in San Diego. Now, we are on a mission to ascertain the credibility of this rumor. The whole shebang will kick off on saturday, July 18, at 12:05 PM (UTC+1).

Before I forget, if you have the time and are not too afraid of a little botheration, you’re welcome to read more information about me, about my friend, about the trip and about the contest.

Alright! Adam is already in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, so I’m going to meet up with him in San Diego first thing in the morning on July 19. It’s going to be an excruciatingly long trip—a whole 18 hours, in fact—but heck, both you and I know it’s worth the wait. The flights have already been booked, and the route will be as follows:

• Oslo to Amsterdam (2 hours)
• Amsterdam to Detroit (8 1/2 hours)
• Detroit to San Diego (4 1/2 hours)

The looong trip to San Diego.

And let’s not forget all the waiting I must endure between flights. Speaking of which, on the way back home, I’ll have to stay in Amsterdam for a whole frakking 8 hours! Do any of you guys know of any cool stuff to do or see on Schiphol, by any chance…? Maybe I’ll just run around nude and shout “So Say We All” for a few hours and see if I can present the guards with a little action on their otherwise dull and eventless day.

Besides the culmination of the trip, namely the House of Blues shows, Adam and I hope to do a lot of fun (and maybe a tad weird) stuff in San Diego. We were hoping to attend the Comic Con Convention, but unfortunately, it seems like all onsite memberships are sold out! Do any of you guys know of a way to get one or two of those darn tickets?! We would love to go! (It’s not the end of the Earth, though. Merely on the other side of it.)

The first couple of nights, we’re staying at the Hostelling International – San Diego, Downtown. For more details, check out the About the Trip page! Adam and I are just curious if any of you guys that are going to the HOB shows are staying at the same hostel as us. Do leave us a postcard here if you are, and maybe we’ll arrange a meet! Any “Battlestar” fan is a friend of ours!

Also, if you have anything to ask Bear or any of the BGO band members, now may just be your time! Unfortunately, I can’t forward all the questions posted here, but I’ll certainly forward the most creative (and maybe weirdest) ones!

And if you have any suggestions on what we should see or do during the trip, by all means, don’t be shy! Send us a little postcard on this blog!

Semper Vigilans!