Ode to a Road-Trip: Slug's Poetic Voyage to Slab City

The power of an epic road-trip is one thing. The power of an epic road-trip with your best friend is another. And even then, the power of an epic road-trip with your best friend in an iconic VW van you call a “second home” can be placed in a category entirely on its own. The ultimate power of journeys, in all of their amazing forms, imparts experiences that aim towards connecting us to our diverse surroundings and, even more heartfelt, to one another.

Those who know me are already very well acquainted with my views on the importance of travel for the body and soul, both at the individual and societal levels. But contrary to the average working person’s excuses (financial limitations, timing conflicts, etc) for keeping travel a dream rather than making it a reality, one doesn’t actually need to fly far, incur great expenses, or be away for extensive time to experience the same rewarding effects. In the end, the very least you really need to dive head first into a life-engaging excursion and undergo a personal transformation are three things: someone who makes you laugh, a sturdy form of transportation, and a mind open to possibilities.   

Captain Matt, and I – collectively known as Team Slug – are not novices in the physically-riveting, mentally-liberating realm of road-tripping and van life. Our trips over the years in Slug, his 1980 VW Vanagon (and my adopted "house on wheels"), have been multiple and meaningful. Each journey has been an escape that unfolds not merely along the wandering trail, but also within our wondering minds. Born with instinctively nomadic hearts, his desire for outward exploration coupled with my quest for inner discovery have made all of our voyages on the open road as passionate as they are profound. From sights and sounds, to energy and emotion, tapping into a wickedly textured terrain through the treads of our tires has been the connection that brings us closer to Earth as biological entities... and closer to each other as true friends.

A wild Slug in its natural habitat

Captain Matt, always with that infectious grin

One particular road-trip remarkably encapsulated - or more appropriately, captivated - all of the senses that allow us, as sentient beings, to experience Life to its fullest potential. It didn't take place in a foreign locale, although that didn't render it any less exotic. Neither did it cost a fortune, although that certainly didn't depreciate its value. Rather, the trip took place right in our very own backyard of Southern California. From misty mountains to desiccating deserts, we spent three days in April 2015 chugging along the "hippie" trail at the state's southeast corner, past the alien-planet-like Salton Sea and on to the wastelands near Slab City. Cycling along fishy shorelines, squatting with social misfits, and trekking through gorges in search of the perfect apple pie, Matt treated me to a feast for the five senses that flowed together as perfectly as poetry. And for that reason, I was compelled to compose a few quatrains that could immortalize my reflections on living and roaming to the rhythms of an air-cooled engine, lyrical memories that seamlessly wrote themselves throughout the course of our dust bowl adventure. 

 

Hop in the Slug with your friend most dear,

That time of year and a fresh frontier,

Push in the clutch, shift into gear,

Reality left in the rear-view mirror,

Let’s disappear...

This is your Co-Pilot speaking... hope you like Tuareg music!

See the hues of the sights you pass,

Brown date palms and green golf grass,

Turn wastelands of plastic and colored glass,

A flash of Orange when he kicks the gas.

Slug makes the pilgrimage to Mecca.... kinda...

Making the pilgrimage to Salvation Mountain

East Jesus garbage sculpture park by the eccentric residents of Slab City

    

Lost in a sea of whimsical colors

 Feel the Earth sink beneath your feet,

Boiling, bubbling, and bursting with heat,

Return to your childhood, dirty and sweet,

A muddy dance to your own heart beat.

The six-foot toddler takes a mud bath

Natural mud pools bubbling off the Salton route to Niland

Smell the winds whose scents exchange,

From salty fish in a Sea so strange,

To musty couches down at The Range,

Or your best friend’s shirt, days without change.

Salton Sea: Site of a biological meltdown where thousands of rotting fish line its shores

A post-apocalyptic bike ride

Smelly old couches and chairs of the hippie-dippie inhabitants of Slab City

Hear the twang of a guitar’s strings,

Under twinkling stars, the snowbird sings,

Two buddies share tattered sofa springs,

As cool rain pours, bike wheels become wings.

Saturday night folk songs by old hippies at Slab City's reconstituted performance venue, The Range

Catching some slightly off-key, but pure Americana tunes at dusk

The night bike ride witnessed an alien crash site in the middle of nowhere

Got caught in a surprise desert downpour, but still managed to cook a soggy dinner

 Taste the crunch of a tart apple pie,

In a Julian shop of flavors to try,

From gorges and deserts, you roll on by,

To gorge on desserts, and get sugar high. 

Bidding farewell to the off-grid village of Slab City

Slug makes it through the searing and desolate valley of Anza Borrego towards the town of Julian

Exploring a slot canyon along the way

Finally getting some fresh apple pie!

Sneak past the gate without a sound,

A moonlit night, a secret camp ground,

You once were lost, but now you’re found,

Beneath Brother’s arm, may bliss abound.

On our way above the clouds to a secluded campsite on Mt. Palomar

That fading August sun

  Free to face a world of extremes,

Beside your hero on a trip of dreams,

“Is this real?”, your ecstatic soul screams,

Pinch yourself, is all what it seems?

Because no Slug trip is complete without a little engine trouble as the worst possible time

Inspite of my own extensive travels via an array of transportation, it wasn't until I met Matt that I learned about the underappreciated concept of "van life". Traveling around and living out of your vehicle doesn't always capture the brightest side of public interest, where many are quick to associate all forms of nomadism with financial poverty. But not all who wander are lost. And just as a road-trip can be done humbly or lavishly by people from all walks of life, van life likewise exhibits a variety and versatility that doesn't always have to be an affront to what is socially acceptable. Nevertheless, in a country where many people isolate themselves at home, relying on television as their sole portal to the world outside, I can't help but question whether simple, yet active living on the open road is really worse than the socio-cultural poverty we witness on a national scale.

Regardless of how it's done, all road-trips and van living embody a fundamental idea that is an inherent attribute of travel - freedom. The style may not be suitable for everyone, but the concept cannot be denied its universal sense of appeal. Van life is a raw, yet palatable existence that draws upon mankind's primordial instinct to migrate and find coexistence with the natural world. Each road-trip can be likened to the passing of a miniature lifespan, a finite period that is born and dies with the motions of a gas pedal, all the while creating and cultivating infinite memories that testify to the resilience of the human condition. 

Photo Gallery: Trucking & Camping Through Kenya & Tanzania

 

In this series of posts, under the heading "Picture Portal", I let the photos do most of the talking. Sure, I'll throw in some brief anecdotes about memorable trip highlights, for those who are so compelled to read something. But let the photos be your portal to the experience. Why present it this way? Sometimes pictures convey far more than text, granting the reader free range for interpretation and appreciation without being bombarded by my two cents (isn't there a saying out there about pictures and a thousand words?). Or maybe the real reason is that so much was happening during the adventure that I (shamefully) couldn't find the time to write. Whichever reason appeals to you, enjoy the visual journey.

Cruising the Swahili Coast: An Overlanding Adventure from Kenya to Zanzibar

Date: 29 May 2010

Location: International House Cafe, UC Berkeley

Despite 22 years of foreign excursions, sub-Saharan Africa has always remained rather elusive, probably on account of the incurred expenses. Indeed, it is blatantly ironic that the poorest continent on the planet would prove to be one of the most expensive places to travel to. Nevertheless, such a milestone in my life as graduating from Cal called for a trip of greater extravagance. But you won’t find this kid staying in 5-star hotels. Though still heavy on the pocketbook, my idea of extravagance takes the form of three weeks camping in the bush – setting up a tent under a lone acacia tree, cooking by an open fire, and traversing the East African savanna via truck. Extravagance means going to the pharmacy and stocking up on expensive malaria, typhoid, and yellow fever medications. Extravagance means withdrawing $3k in unblemished, post-2002 bills for communal groceries, camp supplies, and wild game park permits. Extravagance means having to pull the water purifier, mosquito nets, and sleeping bags from that box in the closet. And while this trip will be nothing short of physically taxing on the body, I firmly believe that experiencing Africa in the raw could take no other form but that of getting down and dirty! Traveling with the Absolute Africa crew, this will be my first "overlanding" trip, a form of budget travel that has gradually been gaining more popularity for adventure-seekers of my age bracket. It essentially consists of catching a massive truck, travelers above deck and  supplies below, then setting forth on a long road trip, camping along the way and being assigned work duties. Hopefully, I will not only have an amazing experience on this terrestrial "pirate ship", but meet some awesome new "shipmates" as well!

The Crew & Camp Life

The original crew, shortly after leaving Nairobi. Others would eventually hop on and off the truck along the way, but these guys started and finished the road trip together. Elton (middle) was our Zimbabwean guide.

Our truck, "Shaggy". Shaggy comes with an upper deck for passengers and lower compartments for supplies and gear

Goodluck, the sweet head cook

Isaac, the comical truck driver

We camped in many national parks and campsites along the way from Kenya down to Tanzania (Nakuru National Park)

Pitching our tents out in the bush of the African savanna...

... or on tropical beaches of the beautiful Swahili Coast

Evenings by the fire were magical, the sounds of growls and rustling complimenting the many glowing eyes peeping out of the surrounding blackness

Everyone was assigned a daily camp duty, which rotated via a roster

Cooking over coal, using fresh ingredients

Some duties involved helping with cooking

Or sometimes cooking with propane, when available

Dinners always tasted great by the fire

Other duties included dish-washing (likely the least popular). Everyone was expected to contribute to the "community"

Sometimes the truck needed to be cleaned... or decorated for birthdays

And when we weren't roughing it in the bush, we knew how to kick back in some of the chillest bars south of the Sahara

Like this Chameleon lounge out on a cattle ranch in Central Kenya

Five things I learned while camping and trucking through East Africa: 

1. Never cross paths with an angry elephant.
• In the Serengeti, my father insisted on the Land Cruiser making a closer approach. As babies were present, the mother began to loudly trumpet, flaring her ears outward in a mock-charge. Getting closer, the elephant grabbed dust and grass with its trunk, flinging it violently into the air. It wasn't until it took several massive stomps forward that we quickly had to put the vehicle in reverse and get out, lest our vehicle be knocked right off its wheels.
2. Do not pet the lion two feet from your jeep window, despite the temptation. 
• In Ngorongoro, a fully-maned male lion walked alongside our vehicle within reaching distance. I was so consumed with taking photos, I didn't even realized that my window was fully rolled down.
3. Opening a package of cookies in baboon territory is a huge mistake.
• Judd's wife and Anneke can sure testify that opening any food in the bush, even for just a second, can result in a massive hairy blob pouncing onto you and disappearing with your snack in a flash.
4. Warthogs steal bananas, bar soap, and apparently like beer. 
• Waking up in the middle of the night to your entire tent chaotically shaking and something trying to tear its way into it is one thing. Realizing the next morning you have no soap to wash with and no breakfast to eat is another.
5. The answer to everything is T.I.A. [This is Africa]
• Land Cruiser broke down? T.I.A... Locals stole your stuff? T.I.A... Animals stole your stuff? T.I.A, man...

 The Colors of East African Landscapes

A cattle ranch in central Kenya

Another overlanding crew makes their way around flamingos on Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Early morning in Nakuru National Park, Kenya

Rolling mist over the Nakuru savanna

Boatmen wait to take visitors hippo watching on Lake Naivasha, Kenya

A lion crosses a vast expanse of grassland, Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

View over Lake Manyara, Tanzania

From the top of the ridge, a view of the vast interior of Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Light pierces through the rain clouds over Ngorongoro

Clouds rolling over the "lip" of the crater, which has in itself become an isolated ecosystem

A dusty road leads from Ngorongoro Crater to the gateway of the Serengeti

Kopje rock outcroppings in the flat Serengeti, fall-out from the prehistoric eruption that created Ngorongoro

Ballooning over the Serengeti

Iconic acacia trees of the dry savanna ecosystem

Dusk over the Serengeti

Sunset overlooking Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar

Quaint restaurants and bungalows line Nungwi Beach

Wooden dhows along the Zanzibarian coast

 Safari: The King of Road Trips

Some safaris can be taken in a deluxe, private Land Cruiser

Most safaris will go down in whatever Land Cruisers happen to be lying around

If you're really lucky, your safari might be conducted in a vintage Land Cruiser

Regardless of which one you get, they are all victims to flats here in Africa

 The Diversity of East African Wildlife

Vervet monkeys

A tiny chameleon spotted at night

Grey Crowned Cranes

Hyena chilling on the roadside

Ostriches are fairly idiotic birds

The mighty African elephant

Whole herds of elephants grazing in the Mara

An elephant gets angry after my father insists on getting too close

Male antelopes combat

Pink flamingos

Zebras rest their heads on each other for comfort as well as for defense measures

One of many colorful birds

A Cape buffalo nomming away

A Masai giraffe in the sunset

A pair of cheetahs lounging in the noon sun

A Rothschild's giraffe

The exceptionally elusive leopard. This one was in a tree hanging over our truck and, thankfully, it didn't pounce

Endangered white rhino mother and calf

A rarely seen, endangered black rhino

A herd of topis

A male lion passes within arms length of our Land Cruiser and I forget to roll up my window

They're so cute when they're not trying to kill you

Lions can apparently climb trees as well

Elephants and hippos sharing a watering hole

The virtual garden of Eden that is the Serengeti, as wildebeests and zebras embark on the Great Migration

A cheetah looks out over the grassland for potential prey

Nakuru National Park. Central Kenya. 11:30pm.

The night was dark, a dying fire softly glowed under a sea of stars. We had all just bundled ourselves up in our tents and were ready to turn in for the night. Our guide continued to sit out by the fire, chatting quietly some of his other guide friends. Suddenly, some baboons in a nearby tree became anxious, chattering away and jumping in the branches.

"Gruuaah!"

Elton, our guide, called out in an excited whisper.

"Ya hear that, guys?! That's a lion!"

Silence. Then louder.

"Gruuuuaaah!!"

"It's chasing something. Don't worry, broo... Lions rarely approach camps"

"GRUUUAAAAH!!

"Fuck, broo! Run to the truck! Run to the truck!!!"

I was still in my tent...under the covers...


  The Faces, Foods & Sights of East Africa

Shanty towns on the edge of Nairobi, Kenya

The former plantation house of world-renowned, early 20th century Danish author, Karen Blixen

Bananas, coffee, and camel milk - Kenyan specialties

Tiny dried fish in a rural Tanzanian market near Arusha

Four varieties of bananas and other sub-tropical fruits

Going to the market with the latest harvest

On a local bus, the shopping comes to you

Kenyan students flee from a baboon on a rampage

Tanzanian school girls visit us as we fix our flat tire

Men of the Maasai tribe perform an adumu, or competitive jumping dance for initiated warriors

A Maasai man with traditional headdress

A Maasai women in fine beaded jewelry

Trying to start a fire using a stick, a knife, and grass kindling

Fire-making close up

Taken from the dark interior of a Maasai dwelling

The traditional low-roofed, mud and cow dung dwellings of the Maasai

The Nairobi Giraffe Center is the perfect place to get kissed

How can one deny such a face?

Or even this face?

A baby elephant plays with a soccer ball at the Nairobi Elephant Orphanage, just in time for World Cup 2010

The Arusha Cultural Heritage Center, in front of Mt. Meru

Crab fishermen off the coast of Zanzibar

Approaching Old Stonetown, on the island of Zanzibar

Alley life in Stonetown

Crowding around a television set in an alley to watch a World Cup match

A smorgasbord of exotic grilled delights at the Stonetown night food market

Fishing boats in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania

A tribal herder with his cattle

Maasai on mobile. Karibu to the 21st century!

I met a friendly fellow once out walking about at Lake Naivasha, Kenya. He seemed a bit off, slightly eccentric, but was otherwise social and welcoming. He even offered to show us around the lake, to which we politely declined. Walking towards the peaceful waters the next day, we were perplexed to see a hubbub of police trucks swarming the docks. Our light-hearted local greeted us as usual, but this time while handcuffed and leading armed guards. Confused, we'd later learn from a local newspaper that our cheery friend was actually a deranged serial killer, notorious for having kidnapped and murdering a number of local children out of ritualistic purposes. Having been caught, he was apparently leading local officials around the lake to the marshy graves where two ill-fated youths were stashed.

Moral of the story: sometimes unlicensed guides aren't the most cost-effective.

[Here's the link to the Kenyan news broadcast: The Naivasha Serial Killer]