Balboa Beach, October 2005.

Everyone should just throw away their laptops, and see what the world has in store for them.

Easy for me to say, when I have just happily gotten back the laptop. But all these past 3 weekends, I have taken a bus down, just to be by the Pacific Ocean.

It is so majestic, so beautiful and yet looked so different from the 3 different beaches I've been to. The strength of the waves, the people on the beach, the pelicans (or lack of) in the area, the surfers, the volleyballers, the ocean.

It feels so magical, to have just your trouble blown away by the ocean breeze, feeling the soft sand beneath your feet and smelling the ocean scent. I could stay there forever just watching the waves break onto the shore, and not just 1 layer at a time, but layers upon layers at different distances from the shore, all breaking at the same time. Little wonder Southern California is surf city.





I'm not just a wave,
I'm part of the ocean.
enfold me,
and bring me to the center of you.
you, who envelops the earth,
and fills its deeper chasms.






The ocean teaches us so many lessons, as I reflect upon them gazing out into the sunset.

Little drops of water and the little grains of sand. They make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land. (haha, it rhymes!) And you think, little wonder, that the little minutes that goes ticking by, humble though they may be, make the mighty ages of eternity. Eternity.

The ocean is a harmonist, I believe William Wordsworth said that, and how true, as I listened to the ascetic music of the waters. Sometimes it's calm and horizontal and monotonous, and by virtue of its serenity, almost anti-sensuous, but yet sometimes its so intense in its contemplativeness and strength that it verges on ecstasy. Crazy.

Enough said of oceans, let's visit the beaches I've been =)

~~~~~

Laguna Beach

Of all the beaches I've been to, Laguna is my favourite. Because it is a pretty beach with a lot of activities. Not really much surfing, but more like people lying around tanning, basketball, volleyball or just catching a dance concert or visiting the art galleries in the town of Laguna.

It has a wide stretch of soft sand, and very beautiful coastline with beautiful small waves. As I took the bus along Freeway 1, the most scenic highway in US I think, the coastline is just breathtaking, as we go up onto the cliffs and down into the beach. I wouldn't mind being the bus driver for the route.

The town is really quaint and different too, with nice shophouses and stuff. It is town where it is not strange to see people walking around in bikinis (for the ladies) and surf shorts (for the guys), and being so comfortable in them. T-shirt and berms are considered over-dressing here.

If the sand is not for you, there is a nice stretch of turf grass just beyond the sand, where familes have their picnics and couples just lazing around reading their magazines. Puppies chased one another around the scattered palm trees and owners smiled with genuine peace as they gazed upon their pets.

~~~~~

Newport and Balboa Pier

Tucked along a man-made island and a stretch on the coast, this little town is very very quaint. The shops must have been there for like decades, and its charm lies there. But the best part of this two beaches are the piers, where fisherman (and their families) swing their rods and watch the ocean. I love it because it allows me to see the coast from out in the ocean, from another perspective.

And I think Newport has the prettiest sunset. The first pic of this entry is taken at this beach, with the nice waves, good sunset and an old couple walking down it. Lovely.

Balboa Island is an artificial island I think, but it has nice marinas with yachts and stuff, and houses here are so amazing! Must have cost a bomb! Because instead of having yard spaces and gardens like the typical Amerian house, these houses have the ocean in front of them! And their boats anchor to their front space! Gosh, imagine going out for a ride means a cruise around the ocean on your boat!

I'm going again in late Nov/ early Dec, because I heard the X'mas decorations start then, and it's really gorgeous =)

~~~~~

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach IS Surf City USA. The header pic of me at the top is taken at Huntington beach by Edward, who flew all across the country to check out the OC. It was just nice too, as we came on the last day of the surfing competition, so we managed to check out many surfers in action. Really good stuff!






Edward with his mat and Oakleys, all ready for the beach!
With the pretty Huntington town behind him.







So we laze at the beach, keeping our profile low. The sun was out, but the wind is still cold, so it was kinda weird situation. But we had a lot of fun walking around the shops and looking at the surfers and the volleyballers.

Dudes enjoying the beach.