Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Four Score and Seven Burritos

We’re day five into our return to the United States, fully adjusted to Pacific Daylight time and now able to drive on the (im)proper side of the road. It took a few near head-on collisions with those huge American SUVs that tend to dominate the landscape, but we’re starting to get the hang of it. Drive right, look left, honk often.

San Diego has been ideal. Plenty of warm sunshine to rejuvenate our bodies from the harsh closet-like conditions of the Australian winter. The summer conditions make all the difference when trying to get over jet lag, making it quite hard to mope around when there is an 80 degree day waiting for you outside. The surf has been ‘swell’ also, Peggy and I having been out a few times to see what the board riders of the Northern Hemisphere have to offer. There has been plentiful sea life abound, with fish and bat rays accompanying our efforts. I’ve purchased these webbed surfing gloves that will purportedly help me get my wave speed up by making my paddling more efficient. The dork factor has been ignored for the sake of catching an additional wave or two.

Life at the fair is a re-introduction into Americana, for better or for worse. There are many cultures and ethnicities that we’re not used to seeing, on display and en masse at the fair. San Diego is a unique blend of herbs and spices, with its’ overt military presence as well as international populous being so close to the border, those two sometimes conflicting. Throw in quite a few Gen-Xers into the mix (all seemingly spawned from Tony Hawk), as well as the Tommy Bahama retirees and you’ve got a quite a diverse crowd. Hard to find any of the above down under in Oz.
We’re doing good on our burrito consumption quotas, having had four thus far from the same number of different establishments. The initial volley into gastronomical re-orientation was a powerful one. The El Indio burrito mojado found its way into my stomach and proceeded to gurgle there for a good four hours. The tummy wasn’t ready for such an extreme example of spicy Mexican food so soon, causing me more than one Tums moment. There have been more successful attempts at consumption, with pace being the factor that needed to be more closely considered. Must remember to chew fully before swallowing.

Tonight is the fourth of July, and for you faithful Oz-Blog readers, the one year anniversary of this blog. We’re about 160 posts into the publication, with hopefully another 160 yet to come. The holiday also marks the point in which Peggy and I began the adventure to the Southern Hemisphere, seeming to have been not that long ago.

posted by ncawthon at 2:11 AM