Road Trip - Day 5 of 11

April 1st:

Batu had already been and I wanted something with less hype.  So, we dropped Navi Aiya and Upalika Akka off at Universal Studios and took off.  We went for a drive along the ocean - Santa Monica and Malibu.  Very calming.   Surprisingly small-town-like.  Very little traffic.  Unspoiled.  Old strip malls and buildings.  Could have been the Oregon coast.

I like road signs

Beautiful, wide, sandy beaches that went on for miles.  And no one there!!!  It was sunny, a little windy, in the 70's, very comfortable.  But it was too cold for the locals - so, no one was at the beach.  We had the whole beach to ourselves.

So much beach and no one else here

We walked on the beach, watched flocks of pelicans swoop and fly around and around the cliffs, watched kite surfers.  What a relaxing day.

I am surprised at how un-fancy
some parts of Santa Monica and Malibu are

Then, picked up the rest of the crew at Universal Studios and headed off South, first to see Eric's mother Sue and then to spend the night with Kanchi and family.