San Diego
Trip Start
Aug 20, 2008
1
13
23
Trip End
Jan 03, 2009
San Diego, California
Friday, October 17, 2008
San Diego is a very nice city. I spent the day today walking around it and it was very calm and unstressful - something that I really appreciate in big cities.
Yesterday I spent the day at the beach with Karen and Keir. California is really a blessed place - no wonder it is so popular. Great nature and the kind of Mediterranean climate, in which human civilisation obviously thrives.
When I was coming to the US, I was prepared to witness a circus performance of very high class - namely presidential elections campaigns. Elections are always an interesting time to visit a country or to be in your own. So many funny things, yet often sad, happen at those times. But the US got me there very unprepared. And the big surprise has a name - gov. Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska. I have seen politicians who do not know what they are talking about - in Bulgaria for example during the hard years of transition (this is not an excuse, but an explanation). But unfortunately any explanation will be out of place in the US of A as the position she is running for involves responsibilities that directly concern the whole world. I don't know what is worst - that she is a member if too many churches, that she believes that the world is ending soon or that she believes she knows where Russia is. In any case Sarah Palin is a realisation of a very alarming development on the USA, having to do with Christian fundamentalism (which btw sound as scary as Muslim fundamentalists - I wonder what will happen if buddist fundsmentalists appear as well), and an ever growing ignorance. The CBS interview reminded me so much of miss South Carolina's one that it is sad. Although I have to say I spent a few very entertaining evenings with Sarah Palin on tv.
What I think is important though is to ignore her. As the Economist does in its latest issue - in an article about McCain's campaign and his chances the only words about Palin are the following: "too late, alas, to dump the dumb populist-in-chief". She needs no more discussion...
When I travel, I try to explore. The USA seemed though like well- known territory (pop culture, Americans that I've lived with etc) but another thing took me by surprise - the fact that otherwise liberal California had to vote for allowing or banning gay marriages. In times when even relatively conservative countries start recognizing such undoubtedly basic human rights, the liberal people here have to vote if they want to place a ban on gay marriage!??!? This Is a little absurd. Something is definitely rotten in the state of California. Still cannot define it though...
As this last US entry is almost only about politics, I think it is quite appropriate as a summary of this part of my trip. I should have maybe talked about money as well, but I already discussed the banks:))
Today I'll be off to a different place, where life is easier and people genuinely friendly. Or that's what the guidebook says.
