FC 2018: A Californian adventure

Oh gosh, the problem when I realize that I wrote so much, is that now I'm kind of lazy to translate all what I said in Spanish but now in English, eeeh but I really want this on the two languages!! Most of my friends speak English and I really want to share all this experience with all of you, too!

Great way to start the year, a big adventure in my first time visiting California, in the United States. Yeah, I hadn't been there before.

This experience was possible because friends. I'm very grateful with the furry fandom and the internet, for allowing us to find great friendships in any part of the world; if it were not for it, it would be almost a miracle to meet people with similar hobbies or whom we can match that perfect click. The furry has allowed us to have great friends with people who are even very opposed to us in everything: race, profession, culture, and even in favorite beer; but nevertheless that like for animals and their stories are what connect us.

The initial excuse for the trip was Further Confusion (the furry con from San jose). But I travel to California a week before to be with friends and meet new places.

My tour company was Koidel Coyote, great companion, local furry, and who has become one of my best friends. Even though we were not together all the trip, we were involved in the planning of both adventures, from how to get to Tijuana's airport, crossing the border by walk, and get to downtown San Diego (all legally, of course! haha), and until our back home from San José, two weeks later.

The main reason to go to San Diego was to visit the zoo, because I'm a great fan of pandas (you're not surprised, right?). Also, I have the personal challenge of visiting all the pandas of zoos in America (continent) (only two more are missing).

In San Diego we had an incredible host, Kazan. Who offered to take us to very interesting places to meet in his town, and we stayed with him for one night, I want to thank him infinitely, because all the time we spent in his company was incredible for us. We wouldn't have seen half of what we went without you, and you're such a sweet guy.

I took a train to San Luis Obispo, and from there I took a bus to San Jose. On the train journey I could see Los Angeles through my window, I still don't know that city, and I would love to be able to visit it one day, because I also have many friends there, who have already offered me many times that we should go to Disneyland.

The first half of the weekend was spent with Croc, as the same his two mates Jimmy and Bacon, they are all great guys, I love them! And I had just what I needed: tranquility. A few days of relaxation, with no plans but to sit and watch movies, spend time chatting with friends, watch videos together. A long time ago something like this hadn't happened, since months before I lived in an intense rush, traveling from one place to another, working very fast ... I had not given myself at least a few days of rest to do nothing, and it was excelent doing that with friends that I rarely see. It was really my best moments of the trip. Oh also we had a great dinner with Chance and Furahi, another two adorable guys!!

The other half of the weekend was spent with Panda, my great monochromatic friend with whom I had wanted so long ago to spend time with him, but the few times I saw him during conventions he was always busy. And in truth they were incredible moments at his side. He took me to see San Francisco, and there we saw Mirawis and Pepe Mapache, two other great friends who made my travel decision to be worthy gold.

Panda also took me to Santa Clara another day and also we visited several beautiful landscapes, forests and Californian beaches, although it was a day that was raining all the time, I enjoyed all the places I met and the excellent company.

Pepe and Mira hosted me in their mobile home, another great experience, I appreciate their kindness in everything, all my friends there made me feel so special. It is for sure that if all of them come to visit me in Mexico they will receive an equally excellent treatment. I love showing my cities to my friends who come from outside.

On my own I visited the Winchester Mansion, in San Jose, after having seen so many videos on the internet about that place. And although the entrance was not cheap, and they don't allow to take pictures inside, it was a great!!

The convention started !! I met again with Koidel, and met TK Coyote and Wusky, who were my roommates. Lovely guys!

The convention was quieter than I was used to, and I realized that it was more about making plans with friends, because there was a moment that I wanted to go with the flow of the event, and I ended up getting bored, running out of plans, but once I started planning moments at the convention with friends, I had fun again.

It would be impossible to mention all the guys I saw at the convention, I think this journal would become infinite here, but moments I remembered were with Yaps, Red Wulf, Tonya Song, the same guys I was with on the trip before the event ( Croc, Panda, Pepe, Mira ...), Marci, Pro Husky, Clipey, KevCorgi, Tucker, Flip, Zarafa .... many !! An apology if I didn't mention everyone.

After the convention I spent another day with Koidel and Flip Bunny, that cute rabbit invited us to his house and took us to experience something completely new for me: a banya sauna, besides taking us for a walk near San Francisco along with several of his friends, all very cool and kind.

This trip more than knowing new places and having new experiences, of course, all that was appreciated; it consisted in spending an even more special and high quality time with those friends who saw them in very short moments during conventions and that my biggest time with them had been behind the screen. And also to realize, even more, how important the furry fandom has become for me, and how much it has influenced my life.

If you want to see the pictures from the trip and the convention:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nocmo8unv8geea0/AAA9pHevWaEN7eNVAwDqxieqa?dl=0

Now the next plan is within a few weeks, a trip to Dallas, TX for TFF. This next trip will only be for the convention, nothing else will be done. If you go to Texas for the furry con, I'll see you there !!