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!