San Diego

At the start of this trip I earmarked San Diego as one of the places that I was most looking forward to visiting.

Now I'm pretty sure that about 80% of the reason for that, is the city's association with the iconic film Anchorman.

However, having just been here for a day I can already confirm Ron Burgundy's view that San Diego is an awesome city.

San Diego possesses the same sort of vibe as San Francisco and there are definitely many similarities between the two places.

A compact downtown area is a hub of activity with numerous bars and restaurants meaning that it's pretty much impossible to go hungry or thirsty in San Diego. Several smaller beach towns lie a short drive away with equal food and drink opportunities.

The people are relaxed and friendly, and life is a lot more slow paced than the hectic LA up the road.

I arrived at the hostel at around midday and as I was unable to check in until 2, I sat back and enjoyed the entertaining Champions League game between Arsenal and Dortmund.

Once I was all checked in, I headed to the beach with a guy I had become friends with in LA and checked out a nearby farmers market.

After stuffing ourselves with every free sample we could get our hands on, we took a stroll along the beach, enjoying the mellow and almost hippy like atmosphere. The boardwalk is a hub of activity with skaters, cyclists and pedestrians all gliding around in a casual speed.

Today me and my Australian roommate (and probably the 527th Ozzy I've met on this trip so far), took a walk to Balboa Park and enjoyed a photography exhibition and a stroll around. From what I gather Ozzy's are reaping the rewards of the mining boom in the country and as a result, are earning good money and a lot of the younger generation are using it to travel the world. A far cry from the desperate situation that graduates find themselves in back in the UK.

Once we had arrived in the park itself, we realised that it is huge, spotless and green expanse of land with various points of interest and San Diego zoo situated inside.

I still feel as if I have only scratched the surface of San Diego so I'll continue to discover the rest of this beautiful city.

The hostel is also running a trip to Mexico on Saturday and an opportunity to tick another country off the ever growing list of places I want to visit.