Kon-tiki US West Coast Travelogue (05) - San Diego Mission Bay Beach, First Meeting with a Brazilian Beauty

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After finishing our visit to the famous SeaWorld in San Diego, the Kon-tiki bus headed to Mission Bay Beach.
Since this is a trip I came on without much preparation, I am just following where everyone else goes. Wandering around without a plan is also quite comfortable and relaxing.

The sky, which had been cloudy all morning, is now showing a clear blue color as if nothing happened. It seems the season of "high skies and fat horses" (autumn) is the same in America.
For me, it's the season of Wegovy...

Mission Bay was a very vast beach. The length of the beach seems to be at least 2km. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever properly playing at a beach before. I've only seen Haeundae or Gyeongpodae... on the news. I think the longest beach I've ever been to was Goa Beach in India.

But what does it matter if the beach is long, or if the weather is good?
A beach should have the fun of watching bikini beauties...
Even though San Diego is famous for its mild weather, since it's October, the season for enjoying swimming is over.
A few passionate surfers are busy riding waves regardless, and bright children are preoccupied playing on the sand, but a beach isn't truly a beach without women showing off their figures...

I just feel envious of the families enjoying their leisurely time.

Afraid my feet might get cold, I didn't step on the sand, but as I sat still and touched the grains, they were quite fine. The small seashells washed up by the waves will probably become stars in the sand and sparkle over time.

The seagulls, waddling around because they've gotten fat from picking up snack crumbs thrown by people, don't even pretend to avoid humans. It seems they only wear their webbed feet for show. They have no intention of swimming hard to hunt; they just survive by begging...

While the seagulls are begging for food, on the other side, the surfers are begging for wind. The equipment they use to enjoy surfing without even jumping into the cold sea looks quite stylish.

Not knowing there was a schedule to visit the beach today, I enjoy the autumn sea in an outfit that doesn't match the beach at all. No swimsuit, no surfboard, just short legs.

People strolling leisurely, people jogging hard, people pedaling bicycles—to a traveler's eyes, it is a very relaxed landscape. I envy San Diego's climate, which is perfect for outdoor activities.
In Korea, the summer is so scary that you're afraid to go out and exercise. You might feel like you're going to collapse while exercising in the hot air. In winter, it's too cold to go out, in spring, you're too drowsy to do anything but sleep, and in autumn, you're too lonely to exercise...
It seems the conditions for exercising in Korea are not ideal. The reason I'm gaining weight is all because of the weather.
If I lived in San Diego, I'm confident I would exercise really hard....

There are several cafes lined up along the road that have artificial wave pools. The waves being generated look quite powerful and decent enough for surfing. They also offer surfboard rentals, and though I hesitated about whether to try it, I eventually gave up.
I have a trauma from body surfing at Caribbean Bay, where I had to rush straight to the restroom immediately after getting in. I don't want to look pathetic in front of the pros.

To feel the atmosphere of the sunny San Diego beach, I lie down. I'm just killing time since there's nothing much to do until the Kon-tiki bus departs.
A moment later, Dave and Richard appear. They said they went surfing even though the seawater was cold. Dammit, if I had known, I should have tried to tag along and learn somehow. There are dry shops for surfers on the street that can dry wet clothes in 10 to 20 minutes.

Then a little later, the most striking beautiful girl among the 50 members of the Kon-tiki tour approaches me.
My heart is thumping....
Oh! To my excitement and gratitude, she speaks to me first.
Actually, I would have tried to talk to her first and act friendly if possible, but this friend felt a bit intimidating to approach.
She was about 180cm tall with perfect proportions; she was a model herself. So I had only thought of her as a member for "viewing" purposes...
"Hi, I'm Maria. I'm from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Let's be friends," she says, reaching out her hand.
In an instant, my insignificant brain neurons began to overclock at full speed.
'Ah... what kind of place was Rio de Janeiro... is it the one called one of the three most beautiful ports in the world? Was the giant statue in Rio or Sao Paulo.... Since she's Brazilian, she must like soccer, right? Seeing her wearing a Flamengo team jersey, it seems so....'
It felt like I was about to pull out every bit of knowledge I had ever glimpsed in social studies textbooks or the corners of newspaper articles about Brazil. My concentration suddenly exploded, and I felt an overload.

Compared to other English-speaking foreign friends, I communicated much better with Maria. It was the first time I realized my English was this useful. It's certain that the stimulation of my sympathetic nervous system activated my brain. English flowed out very smoothly.
When Maria saw my large camera, she asked me to take many pictures of her.
'Not just many, I'm ready to be your photo shuttle all day long.'
Before going to bed tonight, I shouldn't do anything useless and should do some cramming study about Brazil. I need to know something to say at least one more word. lol

Suddenly, the world looks beautiful.
Oh yeah!
I'm already feeling regretful that there are only 12 days left in the Kon-tiki travel itinerary.....

I'm very sorry, but from now on, I will reduce my interest in you guys a little.
After spending about two hours at Mission Bay, we return to the hotel.
San Diego's Mission Bay Beach wasn't an exceptionally pretty beach. It was more like I liked the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere?
It might be better to visit during the hot summer season. You'd be able to enjoy the true nature of the beach along with various marine sports.
Personally, it will be remembered as a very heart-fluttering and exciting place. haha