Day 4: Dinner Fabuloso, and Santa Cruz to Big Sur
Tuesday June 19: Spent a nice quiet day at Mary’s house. She gave me some camping stuff that she didn’t need, and wanted to find a good home for including a nice cooler and a portable toilet (!) so I cleaned them up and got them ready for use while she was at work. Van Cafe called that afternoon, and Mary & I headed back to Santa Cruz to fetch Ollie and get some dinner before I got on the road again.
So, to date, Ollie has:
– new fuel lines
– new coolant hoses/SS pipes
– newly re-sealed gas tank
– fixed odometer (it stopped working around the Oregon/California border)
We had an absolutely delicious dinner at Malabar Cafe in Santa Cruz. The food is Indian/South Indian/Malaysian(?) and was exquisite. The service was prompt and attentive but.. well… the attitude of our waiter was, shall I say, “aloof.” He never smiled, and acted as if he would much rather be watching paint dry. When he took our orders, I ordered the garlic naan, and he countered in a dry monotone, “Why do you order garlic naan when there are so many other delicious breads available?” I asked what he suggested, and he told me (again in the 1000-mile stare deadpan voice), “The coconut roti is excellent. You should order the coconut roti.” Ok, then, I ordered the coconut roti. He was right, it was delicious. Everything was delicious. Between Mary & myself, we had lightly battered fried cauliflower in a tamarind & star anise glaze, samosas (which had a South Indian touch of flavor with curry leaf), vegetable korma, saag paneer fritters in a creamy tomato curry sauce, and some lovely lassis. Weird service, but exquisite food. I’d go there again.
After dinner, Ollie & I said goodbye to Mary, and we headed down the road toward Big Sur. A friend had recommended a nice level pull-off a few miles up Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd, so I headed there. Along the way I drove the nice twisty roads of the Pacific Coast Hwy – so much fun!
I camped for the night and awoke to this view:
Tomorrow: Down the coast on the PCH, Hwy 1.
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Ollie the Vanagon 
I live in Lancaster PA; I have an 86 Westfalia. I am enjoying your posts and wishing I could get on the road again. Most of the issues you just had with your van I have/had as well. My odometer stopped working on a recent trip to Florida. These vanagons are just a mystery, aren’t they? Best wishes for a safe journey. Sandy
Good move on doing the fuel tank and coolant lines, particularly given you have a bit of a drive in front of you yet. I only know Van Cafe through on-line orders, but they strike me as Good People. How was it in person?
It almost goes without saying I envy you the PCH experience.
Finally, jeezy-peezy, whatever possessed you to consider passing up the coconut roti for the garlic naan? I mean… /really/! ;-) )
I just caught up with your adventures so far. So far your apparent priorities of food and wilderness match what I look for in a vacation!
P.S. I’m taking Seth to his first Brasserie V (think Cafe Bruges) experience in Madison tonight. Your time will come!