Disembarking the island, I was informed by my beautiful friend Sam that as soon as I arrived in I.V. we were going camping by the beach with a crew of around 30 co-op kids. Yahhoo! Seven of us piled into the back of a huge classic ‘shagging wagon’ style van full of furry cushions and blankets, and off we went. Everyone was so friendly and interesting, and we had a wonderful evening making s’mores around a campfire, and playing with hoops and poi. We greeted the morning with a skinny dip before heading back to town.
My days in Isla Vista were like a dream. Set against a backdrop of palm trees and hibiscus flowers, we cycled everywhere, and spent our days surfing, stand up paddleboarding, chilling… We stayed at the faux-op, a 20 person co-operative house, home to some of the best people I have encountered. Really open, friendly and eccentric, they made me feel instantly at home, and I had the best time. We went pot luck hopping, played strip jenga, and Sam and I were bridesmaids at the most hilarious faux wedding I’ve ever seen. I sat in on a house meeting, and found the cooperative housing model really interesting. It seems to break down so many of the hang ups that most of us have about sharing space and resources, and create a more open and sharing environment. I’m really hooked on the idea. Three of us went to see Damian Marley perform at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Saturday night, and it was fantastic. We ended up seeing not only Damian, but Stephen and Julian Marley also, and Stephen’s son Joseph, aka Jo Mersa. Seeing all of them on stage doing Bob Marley versions, unbelievable. Plus we managed to sneak past security, into the floor section, gaining such a close up view of the action… It was such a good show, I loved every minute of it. We continued the party back at the faux-op, and at dawn I was lucky enough to witness the sun rising behind the Sierra ranges, turning the sky all kinds of pink, an unbelievable end to an unbelievable night. I can only hope that I will continue to meet such delightful human beings, for this crew really filled me with love for humanity.
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I am a conservation field worker in New Zealand. I love mountains, sunrises, river swims, barefeet, cold beer, campfires, live music and whiskey. Archives
December 2014
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