Frank's Christian Thoughts: 2025

Saturday, 4 October 2025

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 42.

A bicycle ride from Santa Monica Pier to Malibu, as I prepare to fly home.

This was the last-but-one full day in California before boarding the British Airways flight to London Heathrow. Therefore, throughout the day, I felt an underlying sense of sadness as I gazed out at the picturesque scenery on the southern California coast. This was, of course, more than 27 years before the Franklin Fires broke out over the area in December 2024, destroying many homes and reducing them to ashes.

Ten weeks of unlimited travel, away from the normal routine of daily window cleaning, a sabbatical break from having to deal with difficult clientele, along with enduring days of freezing cold, windy weather, and days of sunshine and showers. This mixed bag of weather could be antagonising, as my clientele in general never appreciated their window cleaned while it's raining. At least, with all-day rain, I knew where I stood and stayed at home. Yet, the reader may be surprised to know that here in the UK, all-day rain is quite uncommon. A mixed bag of weather in a day is more frequent.

But there was more. Since taking off in May 1997 for Singapore, each evening was spent with fellow backpackers, mostly in the hostel members' kitchen, the social hub of the hostel. In some venues, I made friends; in others, I cooked and ate alone, but in both mornings and evenings, the kitchen was never deserted.

This was a life devoid of responsibilities, except to eat, drink, clothe, and ensure that I had a bed for the night. The three "menial" tasks, other than watching my budget, were shopping, cooking, and laundry, but even while engaging in these tasks was enjoyable, as I was always in a different environment. And so, I spent such a precious time as a wanderer, travelling from one location to another, alone, and avoiding the risk of disagreements had I travelled with company.

Yet, where do I stand in all this? As a self-employed window cleaner, someone who spent his whole working life engaged in manual jobs, especially in the area of cleaning, long-haul travel was a wonderful privilege. Yet, I still envied the graduate or the undergrad who takes a gap year and can live like this, on the road, for a full year. I had met a few of these people while I was in Australia. Furthermore, they were all British.

Hence, my morose expression as I posed with my rented bike in Malibu.

Looking very morose, at Malibu, my final venue.

Two days before flying back to London (I took off on the evening of the next day, hence, I spent my last day in Santa Monica), I saw a bike hire shop near the pier. I rented a bike from them and rode west along the coast to Malibu, the market town over twelve miles, 20 km, west of Santa Monica Pier. It took about an hour to complete the one-way journey. The scenery was picturesque, and this intensified my feeling of sadness. The wide sandy beach was backed by the Santa Monica Mountains, similar to Santa Barbara.

The town itself, along with its pier, was to the east of the district. Further west, a strip of residences lined the coast, including Central Malibu. It was the home of celebrities and wealthy businessmen. Immediately east of the town centre, the Malibu Creek opens out into a lagoon, and the Pacific Highway crosses it before continuing on along the coast. I crossed that bridge on the bike before arriving in this small town.

To be honest, there was not a lot to see, rather like San Luis Obispo. Malibu, more famous for its name on a drinks bottle than for its character, was the home of the rich and of the celebrity, whose work was to perform in front of the camera at Hollywood Studios.

Very, very different to my daily mundane window cleaning job.

Until December 11th, 2024. It was in this area that a forest fire took hold of the Santa Monica Mountains and spread to the coast, destroying hundreds of properties that lined the coast. Homes owned by the wealthy and the celebrity were reduced to ashes. It goes to show how unpredictable the future can be, and the wisdom of taking heed of Biblical warnings not to take tomorrow for granted, for nobody knows what's around the corner, whether a vehicle collision, fire, or any other unexpected incident.

The moment arrived when I vacated my bed at AYH Santa Monica for a bus ride to the airport, the same airport where, a few weeks earlier, I flew in from Sydney and then boarded another airline to San Diego. From LAX, the overnight flight landed safely at Heathrow by mid-morning. From there, I took a bus back to my apartment. After passing through the front door, the silent stillness hit me. My spirit fell like a boulder that has rolled off a cliff edge. Post-holiday blues. In my case, severe. That was when I had to get to a friend's house nearby for counselling and setting my path straight.

This week's album contains 18 pics of Malibu. Following that, I have included 28 pics from the 1997 Round-the-World backpacking journey, starting with Singapore. Therefore, in this post, there are 46 pics to go through. These photos are all of which I took myself. The majority of these photos are of Australia.

Click here for the link to the Index to the main Biography covering Malibu; from there, it's Weeks 105-107.

Photos of Malibu.

The cycleway from Santa Monica to Malibu.

Housing estate, Malibu, destroyed in Dec 2024.

Malibu market town plaza.

Mr Hammer sculpture.

Malibu Lagoon is backed by the Santa Monica Mountains.

Looking towards town from the lagoon bridge.

Facing southeast across Malibu Bay.

Facing west towards Central Malibu.

Open shrubbery lines the coast. A fire hazard.

The lagoon sandspit and pier are at a distance.

Santa Monica Mountains back this garden and homes.

Looking across the lagoon mouth.

Lagoon sandspit.

The mountains back the creek.

View of the pier. It was closed for maintenance.

I begin to ride back to Santa Monica.

Evening, as I arrived back at Santa Monica.

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This brings the 1997 Round-the-World backpacking adventure to a close. 24 hours after this last photo was taken, I was heading for LAX Airport for the flight back to London. No photos were taken of that flight or its environs.

However, I have selected 28 of the best photos of the entire adventure, starting in Singapore. Most of these pics are of Australia. The selection wasn't easy. There are many memorable photos, all in this extravaganza, and permanently accessible on this blogger's page.

Yet, are my days of travel over? By no means! There will be more to come. Stay with us.

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Photos of Singapore.

The pavilion, Chinese Gardens, Singapore.

The Merlion above the Dancing Fountain, Sentosa.

Tropical Gardens, Sentosa Island.

Clarke Quay, Singapore.

Photos of Australia.

The Trinity Forest Reserve, Cairns, Queensland.

Port Douglas, Queensland.

Approaching Low Isles, a coral cay on the GBR.

Snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef.

A Mangrove Tree, Arlie Beach, Qld.

Nara Inlet, Hook Island, the Whitsundays.

Hiking along Wanggoolba Creek, K'Gari.

Lake McKenzie, K'Gari, Queensland.

Southbank Parklands, Brisbane.

Mangrove Boardwalk, Botanical Gardens, Brisbane.

Hiking through a nature reserve at Byron Bay, NSW.

Mangrove Boardwalk, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.

The Boardwalk continues over Coffs Creek.

Banana Plantation, Coffs Harbour.

The 3 Sisters, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW.

Hiking Trail, Blue Mountains NP.

Sylvia Falls, Blue Mountains NP.

Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NP.

Palm Beach Peninsula as seen from Barrenjoey Rock.

Sydney Opera House and Manly Ferry.

Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

California.

Balancing art in San Diego.

Sunny Jim's Cave, La Jolla.

Yes, that's me at La Jolla coast.

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Next Week, I fly to New York - for the wrong reasons!

Saturday, 27 September 2025

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 41.

Arrival in Hollywood and a day at Universal Studios.

It was the last day of my visit to San Luis Obispo, and as I was preparing to vacate my hostel bed, I made a phone call to the HI-AYH Santa Monica to book a bed reservation, only to be told that there were no more unoccupied beds for the next two nights. But I managed to reserve a bed for the third night onwards for the next few days. This was to be my final stop before flying back home, bringing the 1997 Round the World backpacking trip to a close.

This advanced reservation was still quite new to me. The first time this has happened abroad from the UK was when I was in San Diego in 1995. When I wanted to move on to the next hostel, which was the same one in Santa Monica, I found out that I had to pre-book. After this, I found it more convenient to reserve a bed or room in advance, which I began doing during the latter weeks of my travels in Australia.

But there is a flip side. As one who was accustomed to simply showing up at the door and asking whether there was an unoccupied bed or bedroom, I felt a greater freedom of travel without adhering to a fixed schedule. This enabled me to ask the bus driver to allow me to alight here, instead of the original destination. This happened in Australia when I asked the driver to unload my rucksack at Hervey Bay instead of Brisbane, after a last-minute decision to visit K'Gari. However, one could argue that booking in advance provides a guarantee of a bed before arrival. But for me, "off the street" bed hunting has always added that flavour of risk to travel, thus enhancing its spirit of adventure.

With a US hostel guidebook in my possession, I became aware of a Banana Bungalow hostel in Hollywood, not far from Universal Studios. This gave me a good opportunity to spend a day at the studios, my second visit since my first visit twenty years earlier in 1977.

At Universal Studios, 1977. Then aged 24.

Hollywood in 1997. None of this was here in 1977.

I checked in successfully "from the street" without advanced booking. Once settled, I made my way to find a grocery store, passing the Hollywood Bowl in doing so. My bed was one of the bunks housed in a carport. There were four units altogether, that is, eight beds in all. With only a plastic sheet covering the garage entrance, I was grateful for the warm, subtropical weather.

The next day, it was a short walk to reach the studios. Much has changed over the 20 years since my first visit. The site was transformed into a theme park, including roller coasters. One was a water chute, Jurassic Park, with the route lined with cloned Dinosaurs. A Tyrannosaurus tried to approach us. However, just as well that I was dressed in light summer clothes. The climax of the ride consisted of a waterfall, where the boat plunged, drenching all of us, especially me, who sat in the front row. At least, that was one way to escape from the ravenous carnivore! After the ride, I was left dripping wet as I walked around, but I allowed the Californian sunshine to dry me off.

However, from the Glamour Tram, the outdoor filming props remained unchanged over the years, although various new additions appeared, including Bedrock, the hometown of the film version of Fred Flintstone. The Courthouse used in the movie, Back to the Future, and also in Bruce Almighty, was easily recognisable. When filming on one of the mock streets, for example, the camera focuses on a car pulling up at a front door, and a person gets out of the car and approaches the property. At this point, the filming stops. The room where the actor had just entered is in a separate studio elsewhere and includes the identical door the actor had just entered, at the start of a new take.

On to Santa Monica, where I meet up with another loner.

The next day, after visiting Universal Studios, I boarded a local bus to Santa Monica. At last, I was able to check in at the HI-AYH Santa Monica, a far superior hostel to the Hollywood Banana Bungalow. At least, I bedded down in a proper purpose-built dormitory.

It was while I was settled there, I checked over the public notice board on display near the entrance. One was a request for anyone to accompany him to Disneyland. I thought the matter over. I wasn't intending to visit the theme park this time, having already visited three times (in 1977, 1978, and again in 1995). But this would be different. As a duet, we could devote ourselves to each other; therefore, I took on his offer. No bus this time. He offered to take me by car he was renting.

The next day, he appeared, but not alone. His request has also attracted a third person. I felt slightly disappointed, as I have always believed, two is company, three is a crowd. However, I was polite to them both, as both were in their twenties, half my age. Therefore, due to the age difference, I felt the odd one out. The one who posted the appeal was Chris. The third person was Mike.

However, at Disneyland, the reins of leadership passed from Chris, who drove us there, to me, who knew the park far better than they did, as for both of them, this was their first visit. Both Chris and I enjoyed the more "gutsy" rides, such as Space Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Mike had a preference for the gentler rides, and on one occasion, I accompanied him on a children's ride while Chris stood by. However, it was Chris who suggested a visit to the Sleeping Beauty Castle, whose interior I had never seen. When I thought that it might have housed the administration office, it turned out that it was a museum of the park's beginnings.

To complete this week's album, I took a day out to Downtown Los Angeles, a location nobody had any interest in visiting. But for me, the city meant something. After all, as I noticed two years earlier in 1995, the skyline of Downtown has changed enormously since my last visit in 1978.

Click here for the Index linking to the main Biography, Weeks 104-107.

Photos of Hollywood Universal Studios.

View of the outdoor mock-ups from the upper tier.