One hour from Long Beach is a completely different world. Shrouded in fog, the city of Avalon. (Begin Brian Ferry soundtrack now.) I had heard about Catalina from friends, family and full of mystery from the map. The boyfriend and I were looking for an overnight trip different from our desert excursions - and he surprised me with Catalina.
We packed our bags, drove to Long Beach and caught the 1 hour ferry. It was a cool foggy day, and as we left port the Queen Mary was a ghostly reflection. Huge container transport trucks appeared from the fog. Flocks of black birds skimmed the oceantop in modified V formation. Two seats back a reality TV "star" and his camera crew attempted to wax poetic and failed. I was jacked up on surprise and Donald Trump.
As the island became visible I kept calling it Mysterious Island after one of my favorite childhood movies. S wondered if they had a movie theatre that only showed King Kong.
The place was practically empty. I guess that's what you get when you go off season during the week. I actually love going off-season. I hate being a tourist. I don't like crowds and I want to feel like what it is for the locals. :)
Avalon reminded me of a cross between the Caribbean Island towns and Ouro Preto, in Belo Horizonte Brazil. Little Golf carts everywhere. A completely walkable town. We stopped by the old time photo shop and had our photos taken. We wandered around the waterfront. We hung out on the balcony of our Victorian Hotel. We toured around the island. We went underwater. We learned about the history of Catalina. I breathed deeply the cool ocean air. I wore my sneakers and ski jacket.
As we came back to the mainland yesterday I felt like we had been gone for more than 24 hours. I felt completely refreshed, relaxed and reset. I felt like my adventurous, nothing can get in the way between me and my dream life. And I felt inspired and passionate to do the things I love doing.
Thanks magical isle, La Catalina - Avalon.
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