End of Summer Beach Party Hike (9/26)

WHAT HAPPENED?

Vegan Spiritual No Meat and Mingle Party

We gathered about 10:00 am on a warm day, high tide, threat of a mysterious storm affecting the water due to some distant storm. We huddled and headed for the hills, six miles to the summit. Others biked, lounged on the sandy beach. Climbing to the first loop, some returned, whereas others soldiered on to the peak. Affirmations, a land acknowledgement to the Chumash's unceded land, and gratitude for all Nature were given at the top of the first loop. The cool breeze made the direct sun bearable, with temperatures in the upper seventies. Then we made our way down the mountain above Leo Carillo State Park to wooden tables tucked between PCH and the seashore. Dave got the BBQ grill going with Beyond Burgers and buns; Annie Vitality had a raw fruitcake; a special guest broke out his new product, vegan sorbet and gelato (the day's winner for biggest treat); everyone else had salads, rice, sauces, creams, sprouts, tofu dogs (Smart Life), cookies, and sundry creations. Lots of socializing, hugs, stories, a moving share by a Palestinian guest, who reports that Israelis (illegal occupation forces) have been changing "sewer water" signs with "drinking water" signs. Many of the Jewish anti-Zionist guests commiserated. When it was time to dance, we hit the water in high surf, rocks, and seaweed fragments as if some distant disturbance were  uprooting plants and coral.

If only all LA county beaches were paradise

Join Veggie Hikers, Vegan Spirituality, Dharma Buddhist Meditation...at summer's end for the “No Meat & Mingle” at Los Angeles' Leo Carrillo State Beach for our annual hike and vegan cookout!

Can’t make the hike? Attend the cookout BBQ (or vice versa). The hike starts at 10:00 am. The potluck cookout portion with beach BBQ starts at about 2:00 pm. Leashed dogs welcome at the beach, but not on the hiking trail.

• Beyond: The Plant Protein Company (soy-free, gluten-free, junk-free pea protein based)
• Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: Fresh, Flavorful, and Healthy Plant-Based Burgers―Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns, and More (Lukas Volger)
• Clean protein: Beyond's plant protein products
• Beyond Burger with flag: plant-based "meat" full of flavor with more nutrition and all the convenience we're used to
• Veg News: What do experts think of meatless burgers?

How the Beautiful People eat in sunny California -- full of compassion and savory flavor

We'll try to meditate on the Pacific in the Leo Carrillo Beach Cave, time and tide allowing

All the pleasure of savory (umami) chewing, none of the crime of killing helpless cows

Plant based foods are delicious

See details about the hike and where our cookout will be in the "Notes from Hosts" section. In order to participate in the potluck portion of the event, all participants must bring a ready-to-eat vegan dish to share or vegan items to grill and share (veggie kabobs, vegan burgers, tofu hotdogs, etc.) Not doing so may not seem fair to those of us who do.

VEGAN means leaving out dead animals and their byproducts, avoiding meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey -- free of all animal byproducts.

Everyone, bring a prepared dish and food to grill to serve at least 10 people to have enough food for all to enjoy. This is a FREE event. Donations welcome but not required. Funds pay pricey Meetup dues, supplies, and other costs for future potlucks.

• Annual Hike and Vegan Cookout at Leo Carrillo State Beach, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, 10:00 AM | Meetup
• It's Tolkien Week this end of the month

Mayan Magic Tour of Mexico (12/6)

The Sun God shines all day then transforms itself into a jaguar to pass through the underworld. Learn more about these Maya and pre-Hispanic philosophies and belief systems, while viewing sacred sites, natural wonders, and reveling in rich Mexican traditions and vegan food. This is our Mayan Magic Tour of Mexico.

We’ll camp out on the site of the pyramids of Teotihuacan, before taking a hot air balloon ride at sunrise the next morning.

We’ll admire floating gardens, explore the pyramids at Chichen Itza, delve into Mexican-German artist Frida Kahlo’s life at her blue house museum, swim in pristine cenotes or volcanic sink holes, hike to the top of a sacred mountain with a hidden temple at the top, indulge in local vegan delicacies, while on a rooftop overlooking the luminescent skyline, and dance salsa in the Zocalo or central square of Mexico City’s vibrant plaza.

These are just some of the wonders that await participants. ellorawellness.com

ITINERARY

(Subject to change. All activities led by licensed, experienced, native tour guide)

• Day 1: Arrive in Mexico City, head to Teotihuacan pyramids for group dinner, hold opening ceremony, yoga, meditation, camp on site
• Day 2: Hot air balloon ride above Teotihuacan (optional), guided tour of ancient pyramids, head to hotel in Mexico City, yoga, meditation
• Day 3: Visit anthropology museum, tour the Zocalo, see downtown Mexico City, aerial and/or acroyoga class (optional)
• Day 4: Tour Coyoacan, view Blue House (Frida Kahlo's home), salsa dancing in center square, aerial and/or acroyoga class (optional)
• Day 5: Boat ride down Xochimilco floating gardens, drive to Tepoztlan, check in to hotel, hike mountain to Aztec temple, sacred plant ritual (optional), meditation on mountaintop
• Day 6: Drive or fly to Chiapas, check in to hotel, bathe in cenotes, hike​
• Day 7: Tour San Cristobal de las Casas, homecooked vegan meal, yoga, meditation
• Day 8: Fly to Valladolid, tour the town, sound and light show (if available), check in to hotel, yoga, meditation, community circle
• Day 9: Tour Chichen Itza, yoga, meditation
• Day 10: Drive to Bacalar, check in to hotel, enjoy beach time, yoga, meditation
• Day 11: Drive to Playa del Carmen, volunteer at nearby animal sanctuary, Black Sheep Retreat Sanctuary, community circle, yoga, meditation
• Day 12: Drive to Cancun, closing ceremony, fly home.

• Shared room: $2,800; Private room: $3,100
• (Prices subject to change due to airline fees)
• Price includes: breakfast, lunch, snacks (all the food served on this retreat is vegan), purified water, and transportation within Mexico.

All are welcome! Organized by Vanessa Marsot, the genie starring in this Los Angeles home movie with her wacky vegan Valley friends, in conjunction with Lisa Levinson (Vegan Spirituality LA Meetup). Get tickets:

• Venmo: @Vanessa-Marsot
• Zelle: (818) 383-5998
• PayPal: vmarsot@gmail.com
• To use credit card, contact vmarsot@gmail.com
• Minimum 4 participants needed to allow trip to happen at level described.
• ellorawellness.com

Getting into the USA via Tijuana, Mexico

At the USA/Mexico border: Tijuana 🇺🇸🇲🇽

(Joe HaTTab) What is Tijuana? It is the biggest city along the border. Joe H travels the world to film interesting locations (and seems to have the help of a voiceover to present what he finds). Instagram   ➭ joe_hattab. Huge thanks to my friend Baja Cali Food for all the help in TJ. The food of Mexico is full of fried fat and many unhealthy things to tickle the tastebuds with too much spice, salt, chiles, processed oils, flours, and chemicals. It's garbage on the streets. Welcome to Fats Ville. Eat organic in someone's home with fresh herbs and handmade tortillas, and it might be healthy. But fried on a roach coach and sold for cheap? Tasty garbage. bajacalifood @bajacalifood ● Joe's IG ➭ joe_hattab

Coming from China, it may be possible to swim

San Diego to Tijuana and back by foot: What they don't tell you

(PhotowalksTV with Jefferson Graham) 🌉 Border Crossing Tips: San Diego to Tijuana adventure and back. 🇺🇸🇲🇽 Embark on a border-crossing adventure with Jefferson Graham. Discover the ease of walking from San Diego to TJ, but brace yourself for the return journey. Graham shares crucial insights. Tune in. 🌟 Subscribe to Photowalks TV for weekly adventures: https://bit.ly/3Al6RsS 🔗

Explore chapters

• 00:00 Take pedestrian bridge to TJ
• 01:03 Park in San Ysidro
• 02:01 Bring passport
• 02:37 One-way gate
• 04:49 Lessons learned

💬 Share your experience: Have you crossed the San Diego, USA-Tijuana, Mexico border? Share your tips in the comments. 🌐 Explore more at website: Photowalkstv.comk. #TravelAdventure #PhotowalksTV #BorderCrossingTips

• Joe Hattab, Jan. 4, 2023; PhotowalksTV with Jefferson Graham, Feb. 13, 2023; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Hike and swim LA: Earth Day 2020 (video)

Hiking Los Angeles: Switzer Falls, Royal Pool

Return to swim and slide in Royal Pool

(Jesse St Louis, May 21, 2019) Royal Pool in Angeles National Forest is a legendary, secluded swimming hole hidden in a beautiful, deep granite gorge in the San Gabriel Mountains, above metropolitan Los Angeles. Most hiking directions to get to it are outdated, referencing trails and campgrounds that no longer exist. St Louis made the trek out to the pool once before, arriving at in complete darkness.  He and his wife decided to return with enough time to enjoy the pool in the day and make the most of the difficult bushwhacking, boulder hopping, and scrambling out by daylight.

American Swims to Burma Leader, Arrested

Burmese police have entered the compound of detained opposition leader and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, known lovingly to the Burmese people simply as "The Lady," the BBC is reporting.

It comes a day after a man carrying a US passport was found by security forces swimming away from the property across Inya Lake -- surrounding the compound in which she has been held under house arrest by the Junta (pictured below) for more than 19 years after being democratically elected as head of the country. She is scheduled to be released in May, unless the Junta finds a pretext to continue her arrest.

The man was reported to have swum over to the house two days before (on Sunday evening), but no motive has been given for the visit.

Ms. Suu Kyi has been kept under house arrest by Burma's military rulers for most of the past 19 years.

Neighbors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about 20 police had entered Ms. Suu Kyi's house on the shores of Inya Lake early on Thursday morning, the Associated Press reported.

It follows reports in the state newspaper the New Light of Myanmar that an American, identified as John William Yeattaw, had "secretly entered the house and stayed there."

The paper said he was arrested late on Tuesday (May 5, 2009) while swimming back across the lake, apparently using a five liter water bottle as a buoyancy aid.

An American passport, a backpack, a pair of pliers, a camera, and US dollars were confiscated from him, the state newspaper reported.

Pro-democracy demonstrations in Rangoon

House and lake around Ms. Suu Kyi's house

Security concerns
Such an incident would be the first time someone has broken into Ms. Suu Kyi's compound. The area is tightly-guarded and swimming in Inya Lake is prohibited. A spokesman for the US embassy in Rangoon said they had not been informed of the arrest and knew nothing about it.

But a spokesman for Ms. Suu Kyi National League for Democracy (NLD) party said the incident showed the security weaknesses at the compound. "We are worried for Daw Suu Kyi's security," Nyan Win told the AFP news agency.

Ms. Suu Kyi has been under almost permanent house arrest since the NLD won a general election in 1990. The junta has refused to allow the party to assume power.

Her latest period of detention is due to expire at the end of May, but the authorities have not yet said if it will be extended.

The face of the dictatorship: SLORC, the Junta, military rulers who seized and maintain rule by force while plundering the nation, enslaving rural workers, causing environmental degradation, jailing dissidents, shutting off Internet access, and being next to last place on many indices of comparative health and education