Usa: Las Vegas – Temecula – Oceanside – San Diego
Las Vegas, Temecula, Oceanside, San Diego
It was hard to say goodbye to my nice host, sis Joyah Vegas who had look after me well and cooked delicious food everyday during my stay at her place. But its time to continue my journey. My destination today is Temecula, 600kms away, which will be the longest in distance since I started my ride. It was getting warmer and warmer during daytime, so my ride was comfortable with Givi outfit. I didn’t hv to use the winter or rain gloves anymore.
I rode on Highway 95, and later turned to Highway 62. I had been depending too much on my GPS that I was careless not to check on my paper map. I was not aware that my route today will be crossing Mojave Desert. The result was my bike nearly went out of fuel and the only gas station was located at Desert Centre. I had to slow down to save on fuel consumption, and was shocked to see the fuel price at Desert Centre doubled than normal price.
The road along the desert was in good condition, only a bit narrow. Sometimes, its winding and sometimes it was long and straight with lots of dips. The cross wind was strong here as there was no hill or building to slow the wind down. When the wind came from my right, I was hoping that the upcoming road will turned to the left (and vice versa), so that instead of getting a cross wind, I will get a tail wind. The wind worsened when I entered I-S-10 freeway. I had to hold my bike’s handle firmly to avoid getting being swept away. It was a relief when I exit I-S-10 to Highway 371 and later 74 which offered scenic mountain views.
I arrived my host house, feeling exhausted after the long ride. My host, Deborah Chang was a Malaysian. She lived in Temecula with her kids and her fiancée, Mark Baker, an American. They were very nice to me. That night, again I felt like crying when Deborah served halal lamb satay with kuah kacang for dinner. This must had been the most delicious lamb satay that I had tasted.
I stayed 3 nights at Deborah’s place. During my stay, she took me for the long awaited and needed massage for my pain. She also stocked me up with food and all the things that I need for my ride, including a chain spray, skin creams and she also bought for me engine oil for my bike’s second service. She refused any money from me. Her son, Patrick, helped me with the oil change and checked on my bike.
While my stay at Deborah’s house, we received a visit from Malaysian friends living in San Francisco – Joe, Evonne and their son Axel. It was a lovely Malaysian gathering and we talked about lots of things from economy to politics and other things. I received an angpow from them too. Thank you very much.
Before I left Temecula, again I received the hard-to-forget hospitality from Deborah and Mark. They followed me to a gas station nearby and paid for my gas. I was speechless. Not only they lend me their roof, they feed me with good food everyday, care for my necessities, and now this. Thank you very much Deb & Mark. I will never forget your kindness till the day I die. The occasion left me with tears rolling all the way to Oceanside.
At Oceanside, I received hospitality from another Malaysian, Faizal Ali. He lived in a nice big house in a private area. I felt so proud to see Malaysians doing so well in the US. Faizal ran his own Vololight business and had been living in US since he’s a teenager. My replacement visor which Givi send to his address had arrived, and he helped me to fix the new visor.
The next day, Faizal and me rode to the beach front at Oceanside and later to San Diego via I-5-S freeway, which was 80kms away. I found Andrea’s house (a lady biker friend) without difficulty. It was very nice to finally meet her in person. Andrea had been helping me with route planning and what to see in the US, Central and South America. She was very generous in giving tips and advises. That night we had dinner with some other friends at a Moroccan Restaurant.
