Scheduled trip: -
Actual trip: -

Burn, baby, BURN!
Because we hadn't made a detailed outline of what to see, we did everything on the spur of the moment. Saturday none of us felt up to more sightseeing, so we decided to go back to Malibu and lounge on the beach.

When you go to the beach you have to be properly prepared. A cooler stocked with sodas is a definite must. Also large beach towels are quite nice if you can't afford the luxury of a beach chair (or maybe even a hammock!). And whatever you do, don't forget to bring the sunglasses! In retrospect we discovered that it would have been useful if we'd also brought a decent sun block. It is safe to say we underestimated the powers of the otherwise meek Californian sun. More about that later.

We arrived around mid-morning, parked the cars, and found an adequate spot on the shoreline. The place was utterly deserted so we could pick the exact site we wanted. The air was warming up nicely (probably to 85F or so at noon) but the water was cold, we discovered as we dipped our toes in it.

As the day matured more people found their way to the beach. Still, it was a far cry from what one could expect of a South Californian beach. The ocean was left entirely to the occasional speedboat, Jet Ski or wind surfer.

We passed the time reading, talking, or just relaxing quietly while sipping from our perfectly chilled Mello-Yellos. Basically we tried to look as cool as we possibly could. To break the monotony once in a while, we went for walks in pairs. Two stayed behind guarding our stuff, while the two others explored beach. Half a mile up the coast, a fence stretched across the sand and into the ocean. Apparently a private beach. Not a soul could be seen on the other side of the 7' high wire-mesh fence. What a waste of perfectly good beach!

That afternoon Niels became the first victim of our collective recklessness. After a few hours of exposure to the sun, he turned red as a lobster. Since we didn't have any sun block and it was too early to leave, the only alternative was to put on more clothes and bury any body parts that might still be bared. For the remainder of the day only 3/4 of Niels was above ground...

That evening we returned to the motel in Thousand Oaks where we'd checked out the same morning and went for some dinner. Later we raided a local mini-marked for its supply of sunscreen because at that point in time, Niels wasn't the only one sensing the throbbing, itching sensation of having been toasted.

<<May 24, 1996<<

>>May 26, 1996>>