Burt's Eye View: Stuck in Malibu

When I moved here a year ago, I was excited by the prospect of exploring new territories.

During the first 69 years of my life I had pretty much explored a good chunk of the East Coast from the lakes and beaches of Maine to the Florida Keys (not nearly as poetic as Woody Guthrie’s from the redwood forests to the Gulf stream waters). I had traveled to Europe several times, went on safari in South Africa, visited Israel, and even lounged on the beaches of the Seychelle Islands.     

Now it was my time to experience the other side of the world. For openers I would fly fish in Idaho, observe grizzly bears in Alaska, do the hula dance in Hawaii (God forbid), and swim with the great white sharks off the coast of Australia. (That’ll be the day.) And then I would visit Bora Bora, Hong Kong, Bali Hai,  “you special island”, Vietnam, and Thailand, “etc.,etc.,etc.” as Yul Brynner used to say.     

So you might ask me where have I explored since coming to Malibu. I have travelled as far as the tip of Point Dume, Santa Barbara, LAX, and Lake Arrowhead. In other words, I’ve been nowhere.     

Some friends recently got married, and so I ventured forth to such far off lands as Carmel and San Francisco, but the drive up the 101 was not exactly comparable to the Lewis and Clark expedition.     

What then is preventing me from seeing the world? I am not in prison. I can simply get in my car and drive off. And LAX is only an hour away. The answer in one word is—MALIBU.    

Every time I think about a journey, I now ask myself why. Why do I want to take off my shoes and belt to go through security, scrunch up in what the airlines call a seat, lug the luggage, rent a car, book a hotel, and experience all the other joys of travel when I can stay right where I am in Malibu.      

Here I can lie on the beach and watch the waves come in. I can drive down Latigo Canyon or across Mulholland Drive and see views worthy of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. And all this scenery decorated with magnificent sunlight. So if you are in some far off place and you see somebody who looks an awful lot like me bungee jumping off  a bridge, it’s probably not me . No, it’s definitely not me.

I’m stuck in Malibu, but don’t think for one moment this sense of contentment can permanently hold back my wanderlust. Right now I am planning my escape. Where do you think I should visit?