Showing posts with label los angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label los angeles. Show all posts

Thursday, June 7, 2012

De LA a San Francisco via los bosques y la playa

Por Los Ángeles pasé rauda.
Mucho no pude conocer de su cultura lunática hollywoodense, sus grandes automóviles, sus constantes crisis de mediana edad.
Sólo conocí la casa de mi tía Deby que junto al primo Dani me recibieron cariñosos en medio de su ocupadísima semana.
Y conocí algo de los barrios universitarios junto al querido Enrico que cada día se las arregla para agregarle capas a su vestimenta mientras desviste su alma. Hasta alcanzamos a hundir las patitas en el siempre gélido Pacífico.
Y la verdad prefiero mil veces este turismo de compartir con los queridos. De sentarse a filosofar tranquila frente a una cerveza o un borscht, en vez de correr, a la hora del tráfico de un museo a otro.






Al tercer día me siguió guiando mi brújula pachamámica, esta vez camino a los enormes bosques de Sequoia. Estos enormes valientes de troncos rojizos que son los únicos que quedan de su especie. Viejos. Cualquier número entre 100 y 3000 años. Siempre observando un tiempo del que nosotros no nos percatamos.
El camino ascendía tierno de curvitas y flores y ardillas. Los campos de a poco van siendo reemplazados por troncos y, de pronto, entre los claros, se van divisando gigantes. Pasan como ilusorios por el rabillo del ojo hasta que de pronto al lado del camino hay una hermosa pared roja, inabarcable y viva.
El parque está lleno de vida. Carpinteros azules, ardillas ocupadas, cirvos despreocupados, osos desparecidos.
La chica del campground me decía que una osa y sus cachorros anduvieron merodeando por el terreno el día entero. Que tuviera cuidado con mi comida y la guardara en las cajas de metal que hay para eso. Y yo me pasé la noche congelada. Hacía muchísimo frío en el parque que está a casi 3000 metros de altura. Pero igual animada, mirando de vez en cuando por la ventana esperando que aparecieran los ojos. Cosa que no ocurrió nunca....













Pese a que el parque era una belleza, el frío fue demasiado para mí que no andaba preparada y además decían que al día siguiente nevaría. Así que partí rumbo a la costa descendiendo nuevamente por las pequeñas curvas rodeada de guindas, alcachofas, deliciosos duraznos.
Saltando de camino en camino me encontré dentro de un parque nacional que comenzaba siendo un fuerte militar con terrenos de entrenamiento de película.
El parque (llamado Los Padres) era hermoso verde de río transparente.
Me quedé en el primer camping con espacio que encontré ya que era fin de semana largo y estaba lleno de gente.
Y qué afortunada de encontrar lindo lugar fui. Junto a una linda familia de Santa Cruz con la que compartí noches y mañanas junto a su fogata. Junto al río solitario de rocas grandes donde me pasaba el día mirando las nubes entre las hojas. Era como una vacación dentro de esta gran vacación.
Igual las noches seguían siendo bastante frías, pero cada vez me hice más experta en aramar carpa gitana dentro del auto con diarios y ropas. 






Luego de un par de días me encaminé a San Francisco por la costa. Pasé por los territorios de Miller, Steinbeck y Kerouac. Big Sur con sus olas grandes y azules que no invitan a nadie a zambullirse, exepto quizás al amigo Eolo.
Monterrey y el mundo de las sardinas. Y el festival de "calamares" que resultaba ser una buena ocasión para comer chowder de almejas, probar el vinito de la sona y menearse al son del folk junto a los niños.
Estaba todo absolutamente repleto de gente. Caminante, comiente, conversante, bailante, patinante, cicleteante. Por suerte encontré cama en un hostal rico y acogedor.
Al día siguiente antes de partir sí me pasé por el mayor atractivo turístico de la zona. El acuario. Y era bastante impresionante con su tanque enorme. Seguramente uno de los trozos de vidrio curvo más grandes que se han desarrollado. Detrá del cual jugueteaban distintos tipos de atunes, veleidosos cardúmenes de sardinas, un flojo pez Mola, par de tortugotas, un tiburoncillo.
Lo que más me gustó (ya se verá en las fotos) fueron las medusas. Bailarinas que pasan desapercibidas en el gran azul y aquí bailaban bajo reflectores acentuando sus colores y formas.

Y ya camino a la ciudad vía los bosques de Redwood, otros hermosos gigantes.















Y finalmente en la ciudad que aún vive del orgullo de ser la cuna del hippismo. Y también de ser la cuna de internet. Qué buena mezcla.
Me la pasé caminando por acullá con nuevos amigos latinoamericanos (Uruguay, Chile, Argentina). Hablando sobre la inmortalidad del cangrejo entre librerás, bares beat, barrios consumistas que viven de la venta del signo de paz.
Y como el nuevo amigo Gabriel dijo que a una ciudad se la conoce a través de sus bares, también salí. Al viejo Saloon, donde el viejo de larga barba blanca te abre la pueta a una taverna con una buenísima mezcla de gente. Viejos, estudiantes, trabajadores, cesantes. Y una banda de tres. Genial. De vocalista una menuda señora japonesa que uno se imaginaría encontrar pasando piola en el mercado. Pero aquí desarrollando unos riffs dignos de Jimmy Page y sacando un vozarrón de garganta rasposa y rockera. Genial.







También algo de vida familiar con mi primo y su familia. Mi sobrina/prima me impresionó con sus grandes motivaciones de cantar, escribir, diseñar automóviles! Jamás se ha visto niña de 7 años más hacendosa.

Como buena turista crucé el Golden Gate contra el viento. Enorme bella mole ingenieril. Algo mágico siempre tiene cruzar puentes. Tomarse n aire para mirar de dónde uno viene y hacia dónde va.
Acá en NY ya me voy familiarizando con eso. Cada día cruzando en cleta de Brooklyn a Manhattan y luego de vuelta.
Pronto más sobre eso...
















LA to San Francisco via the great woods

I did not get lost driving in LA somehow. I do have the ability to get lost just walking to the corner. But these huge numbered freeways seemed to communicate effortlessly with my internal compass :)
Didn't really see much of the city in two days there. Mainly my auntie's house, the freeways and the UCLA neighborhood were my friend Diego studies and learns the nuances of LA's showbiz language.
For me that is the best kind of tourism. Just sharing with people. And it was great to share a couple of noons with my auntie and cousi. And a beautiful day walking, talking, laughing, even dipping our feet in the ever-cold Pacific ocean with Diego.







I swiftly escaped to nature again towards nature after the big city.
Next destination: Sequoia/King's Canyon Park.
Did get a bit lost always climbing through the small winding roads amongst fruitful fields filled with taller and taller trees hiding laboring squirrels in their bark. Gradually the fields start disappearing and are replaced by this huge trunks that it is impossible to frame with the naked eye. Not from the car, not standing near them, not even far away.
Their size partly comes to show their age and wisdom (though there are plenty of small, old and wise things in this world). Anywhere between one hundred and three thousand years. Numbers that are as difficult to grasp as these giants themselves.
They appear, fat red trunks illuminated by the green shade of the forest clearing, of their own shade. Always  surrounded by life. Blue woodpeckers, cheecky little chirping birds, squirrels galore, deers, black bears (that are not always black).
I sort of wanted and didn't want to see a bear. The campground lady told me that there had been a mother and her two cubs exploring the camp all day. So I thought I'd see them from the car window at night.
But nothing except the crisp coldness of the night. So much so that the next morning, after a good run zig-zagging around the huge red trunks. After exploring natural tunnels carved in the middle of dead trunks that never corrode. I left the park.
Too high, too cold, for an unprepared camper like me.














I directed the steering wheel towards the ocean and kept on following lost roads until I was driving in the middle of another beautiful forest shielding a fort. Felt a bit like a movie, where you see the soldiers training in those climbing nets, jumping tires. It was all there, only empty. This is, after all, a country at war.

I was in Los Padres National Park. A huge green expanse in the coast of California. As it was a long weekend I decided to stay in the first campground I saw. Beautiful friendly forest by the side of a crystal river. Also beautiful, kind neighbors that shared their fire and loving family with me.
Two days of chilling. Lying on big rocks in the middle of the river. Watching clouds go by through the leafs.
Spending a surprisingly entertaining time turning the car into a gypsy tent to insulate it.








Then on the way to San Francisco, just one final stop in Monterey. I wanted to see this coast loved by Miller, Steinbeck, Kerouac and so many others. I merely drove through Big Sur. Walked the windy powerful beach. The coast is majestic blue, not friendly but awe inspiring in its misty roaring waves.
It was also packed-full of people enjoying their Memorial Day weekend. But I was lucky enough to find room in a cozy hostel near the Aquarium.
A bit of clam chowder while listening to swingy tunes in the Calamari Festival (yes, it is a festival celebrating calamari, and what a great thing to celebrate!). A bit of wine tasting. Getting to love California's Pinots. A bit of walking around, amazed by the amount of tourism in the area.
And next day the main attraction: The Aquarium. It has this HUGE tank housing sea turtles, mola fish, blu fin and yellow fin tuna, sardines (it's all about the sardines in Monterey) and sharks. It's pretty amazing to see them all interacting, feeding, just a step away from you. Closest thing to being in the open ocean without a tank.
Jellyfish were also a highlight. I had never seen such a wide range of them, all different shapes and colours. The ocean's ballet.
It is a visit worth its while. But, again, packed with people.

So off to San Francisco. Through the Redwoods, the other giants of the area.
I could just spend a little hour walking between them in the Big Basin Reserve where I would have happily stayed one more week. California is a magic land where you can be deep in the woods and only a couple of  hours from the big city.
Between the Redwoods and the city I could see there's already tons of people living in the area. Lots of beautiful houses showing their corners between the green.
















And finally into the windy city of San Francisco. Returning the car. My home, my friend. I think I actually spent the last few days talking to it and singing songs to him. Things that happen when you spend too much time alone...
And into a massive hostel full of young (younger than me at least) partying Irish folks.
It was a great neighborhood, just by Union Square. So I spent my days there being an absolute tourist. Waling around, going to gigs, museum.
I met a great bunch of Latin Americans. First day with Gabriel and Cote (Uruguay and Chile) scavenging around China Town, the fabulous City Lights library and Haights Road, cradle of the hippie culture.
It is great how in San Francisco they are so proud of their hippie roots. You can feel it in the people there and in the self-love of the city. That is mostly expressed in merchandising. Not sure how hippie is that.
Gabriel said that the only way to really get to know a city is through its bars. So that night I went out for a poetic wine at Vesuvio, where the City Lights beat poets would meet. And then a gig at a place called "Saloon". The man with the long, white beard would open the door to this dark bar. In the low stage a band of three: A Japanese vocalist/guitar lady and two old guys in the drums and guitar. I was amazed once she start singing, with the voice of an old rocker. They were great. A mix of Beatles, Johnny Cash, Elvis. I think they were called the Powell St Band or something along those lines.
It was a great night dancing and talking with the varied audience.







I also had the chance to cross the Golden Gate Bridge with my friend Gabriel (Argentina) which is just as big and long as it sounds. Beautiful construct of lines, vanishing points. And all the time the river down deep below.

I also met with one of my cousins and his family. Great dinner with my multi-talented cousin/niece who likes singing, maths, writing and wants to work as a car designer in the future. I had never seen so much clarity in a seven year old : )

Time flew in that beautiful windy city which reminded me a lot of Wellington. The port, the concentration of culture and business, the amount of techie folk. I would happily stay there for a longer period.
But oh well.. moving on to New York, which hasn't been that bad at all...