https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/yurt/#mongolian-ger
Our second excursion since the pandemic was about an hour drive from the house. Up to this point, I thought I knew most of the cities around us. When I started looking for an Airbnb place, I came across a city called Bonsall. Bonsall? I thought – “where in the world is this?” I Googled it, of course. As it turned out, the city is under an hour from the house.
The property has three Mongolian yurts (right out of Mongolia) on the FIVE acre lot. The main house sits on top of the hill and the three yurts below it. Two of the yurts are smaller and can accommodate a max of two adults. The third yurt is “large” and can accommodate up to five guests. The good news is that these yurts are AT LEAST six feet apart. Matter-of-fact, they are hundreds of feet from each other. The other eye-catcher was the saltwater pool available for guest use. The place sounded perfect for our quick getaway. It’s July and the weather was already heating up at home.
We were still gun-shy about interacting/seeing people and being out and about. The thought of getting the CORONA while on vacation makes one think twice about leaving the house. But we NEEDED to get away. Quarantine was taking a toll on everyone at this point.
When we finally arrived at the yurt, it was dusk. The place was not hard to find but it was definitely hidden. One can easily miss the entrance which we did. We doubled back and headed up the driveway and quickly turned left into the parking lot for the yurts.
The little gnome family guards the dirt road which leads up to the swing. The swing sits on the hilltop overlooking the house, the pool, and the vineyard.
After we parked and headed for the yurt, the host came bouncing down the hill towards us. He had a mask in one hand and stopped short before coming within 10ft. He introduced himself and gave us the rundown. He pointed up the hill where the pool sat and where breakfast would be served. He pointed to the back of us where an old RV camper stood. That was our bathroom facility – a small shower and a sink for brushing our teeth. (I was actually thinking of brushing my teeth under the open sky. But then again, we are not out in the wild 😜). Quiet time was 10:00p.m.
We settled in the for the night after picking up dinner at a restaurant nearby. In the meantime, up on the hill, we heard the other guests talking and enjoying each other’s company. Sounded like a normal day, normal time.
The next morning we got up just before nine and, shortly, headed up the hill for breakfast. The steep, uneven stairs were not kind to us (or are we out of shape?😱). Breakfast was tofu scramble, sausages, and French toast. Of course, there were coffee and orange juice to go with the meal. We filled out bellies and headed back down to the yurt.
Sammy had her one hour math tutoring session. Even with the pandemic and us being on the road, she’s not missed her tutoring session. I’m sure she’s excited about that fact.
After her lesson, we decided to head down to the San Diego coast for cooler weather. The pool was enticing but the ocean was calling to us.
We ended up in La Jolla and was drawn to Torrey Pines by the hang gliders floating next to the 56Hwy. When we got to the glider port, the parking lot was filled with cars. I guess people knew where to go to cool down during this hot weather.
We saw tandem gliders, a solo glider who was trying desperately to get his kite up, and LOTS of people waiting for their turn to take flight. Freaked by the amount of people, we decided to find something else to do.
Josh ended up reserving some paddle boards at De Anza Cove Park in Mission Bay. The owners of the kayak and paddle board rental company are a married couple employed by American Airline. The rental company was their side venture which had a handful of employees before the pandemic. Since the pandemic and the declined in tourism, they had to take care of the rentals themselves. One of their father was helping with the distribution of the kayaks and paddle boards. He was chatting with Josh and mentioned that he was going to be fur-lowed the following week. He, too, worked for American Airlines.
While we enjoyed our day on the water, we were aware of the many COVID-19 parties around us. Large groups of kids in their early twenties were hanging together on the beach and on the party boats. I cringed at the thought of the rising number of cases each day and wished these kids good luck.
We ended our day at Liberty Station which is a site of the former Naval Training Center in San Diego. This place was the birth of a “mixed-use development” which has restaurants, art galleries, and other businesses. We grabbed some food and drinks and ate in their outdoor patio.
When we arrived back at the yurt, there was music coming from the pool area. We decided to head up and not be a party-pooper. The other two groups were two couples who knew each other and decided to do a get together “social distancing” style. One couple was celebrating their anniversary and the other was celebrating a birthday. One couple lived in Carlsbad and the other one in San Bernardino.
We pulled up a chair and listened to the host sing while his buddy played the guitar. It turned out the host used to be in a band that does KIIS tribute. He was a drummer and singer. He told many colorful band stories. Being in the medical field, the only thing that stuck with me was his stories of multiple heart attacks. The second time he had his heart attack, he was on tour. Someone he knew gave him a nitroglycerin tab. This time, he wanted to wipe off his KIIS make-up before going to the hospital. He has since retired and has his mini concerts with his Airbnb guests.
He has big plans for the property. He envisioned putting in two more yurts and rent out an area for outdoor weddings. Good luck to him and his family who were one of the best hosts we’ve encountered.
(July 24-26, 2020)
