Part 2 :-
The people that i have met on the first night have become a small travelling family, we eat most meals together and explore together. On the second day here, 2 guys from ST Louise (James and Tyron) and Mr Germany (Sebastian) and I went out exploring Treasure Island. There is a massive art piece that was created for the Burning Man festival that happens every year in the desert of Nevada. I thought it would be a great opportunity to tag along to see the sites that i wouldn't really know too much about. This was such a beautiful experience as we all got to know each other a little better and see things that weren't really on the tour guides that most people provide at the hostel.
Treasure Island seems like it was an old naval base where the buildings are all bored up bar a few. On a beautiful sunny day we were able to see the skyline of San Fran from the opposite side of the bay. Due to the smog and glare we all struggled to get somewhat of a clear picture. From here Sebastian did say that the Coit Tower was on his bucket list and that we should all go for the epic trek. We returned to the city and had to catch the cable cart across town to the Fisherman's wharf and walk up these stairs that I’ve renamed "1000 steps to death". we get right to the top after a massive journey up and just before the gate to the tower James jinxed us and said, " wouldn't it be funny if this place is closed cause it's a Sunday!?" well to our surprise that this bloody tower was closed due to construction. After all of our sweat and swear words we had a good laugh over it. Seeming to think that perhaps they could have put a sign at the bottom of the mountain/stairs and that there was a Biggest Loser hidden camera in the bushes to capture this Epic Failure moment.
It was a bloody good laugh and at the end of it, it was totally worth the effort up as there was another look out just beneath the tour. We slowly made our way back to the Fisherman's wharf to try San Fran's famous Clam Chowder. I've never had it and for what it was, it was simply delicious. Something that i wouldn't recommend having this dish every day as it would have easily been my total calorie intake for the day but was definitely worth it as a "special occasion" and since i climbed the Stairs of Death i figured i could indulge slightly. The aftermath once we returned to the hostel, we re-convened with the Sweeds Hans and Cedric, Grace the Aussie and drank out the lactic acid that lingered within our legs after this amazing tour.
The following day i was able to explore a little more of the city and Alcatraz. This was totally amazing time alone away from anyone i had recently met. The time in the Prison, the journey over on the Ferry and the adventure to get to Fisherman's wharf alone was a whole lot of fun. Everyone seems sooo super friendly and glad to provide any sort of assistance. Even the homeless people on the streets were always saying hello and just wanting 2 min out of your day for a chat ( not all of them but some anyways) it was a good way to really see the city from their view. Sharing stories and laughter was an amazing experience within itself with a complete stranger. Alcatraz was fantastic. The Audio tour was detailed and very easy to understand the concept of the prisoner’s lifestyle on a daily basis. I would have liked to have seen more of the prison from where the Wardens use to live on the Island but most of the other side of "the Rock" was closed off to visitors. Once again, the travelling family returned to the hostel's bar for drinks and exchanging of stories of our days. We all pitched in and helped cook a massive pot of veggie pasta for all of us to share. This in itself was crazy and a whole lot of fun. Then we bar hopped around to some bars literally 2 blocks away which was weird. Beers tasted like melted Brown Sugar, toilets look like they haven't ever been cleaned since it came out of the factory, shot glasses we the size of a pint glass but at least the people were nice enough. Sadly this night we had to say our good byes to the ST Louise guys and Grace as they were leaving the following day.
Yesterday was a really really chilled out day were Sebastian and I spent most of the day chilling out in the hostel and doing odd's and ends, shifting rooms and packing bags. We stuck around for the 80's shindig at the hostel foyer for free ice cream, however we escaped the crappy music by watching a movie and chilling out for a couple hours.
Well today is my last day in San Fran and it’s been nothing but a bloody blast! I look forward to meeting up with these crazy travelling family kids again someday soon. Thanks San Fran for your amazing hospitality and adding to my outrageous adventures!
Next Stop:- Barbados!
