Homewood Ste Oakland Waterfron

Heute sind endlich alle in Oakland angekommen. Renae ist mit Daphne aus Long Beach hier nach Oakland gefahren. Die beiden waren so gegen 11:30 hier. Wir sind dann zu dritt Richtung San Francisco Airport gefahren. Ich habe Daphne und Renae in der Stadt abgesetzt und habe Niko und Katrin abgeholt. Danach waren wir noch schön bei Chinesen zusammen etwas ...

... we were a little disappointed. And maybe it is we have become beer snobs and have tasted some very, very good ones but case in point, Californians seem to love their IPA's and the hoppier the better according to many we have talked to in our journeys this trip but this one barely rose to the surface of mouth pucker we had come to expect so we moved on to Pillar Point Marina where there are all kinds of boats with easy access to the ocean and the Moonstar Fishery ...

So I'm continuing this (much out of date) blog, to talk about my new life in San Francisco. I figured it was easier than starting over completely (and there might be other travel adventures in the near future).  I moved out here from New Orleans a few months ago after our whirlwind European travels, and I'm still adjusting to life in SF. I have a good group of friends out here from Dartmouth ...

... the Guard's residences were located. Back on the Boat to get away from the Flies. Off to Pier 39 - commonly known as Fisherman's Wharf. Basically just a bunch of boutique shops and food outlets - I think we may have bought something at every food outlet!! Sat down and watched a magician - and then wandered to the end of the pier. We saw a sign for Sea Lions and I thought, yeah yeah, whatever, as if they would be there, they'd be there in summer only, but to our ...

... served as an icebreaker for generations of couples in arranged marriages. In traditional families where arranged marriage is the practice often the couple has never met before the wedding day and they may be quite young. The hiding of initials among the intricate henna patterns is one of many tricks to help the couple break the ice and feel more ...

... the subway out towards the suburbs, then took a bus, then had a little walk, to get to Twin Peaks, where I'd been told the views of the city would be unforgettable. And they were, my my. Yes, I've never seen such beautiful fog in my life. The sheer scale of whiteness was breathtaking. Beautiful, just beautiful. OK, so I'm being slightly sarcastic. It was foggy but I could still see enough ...

... pictures at an Internet cafe when instead I could've been out sipping butter tea with a Tibetan monk or parasailing from a mountain top or hiking to the top of a hill or having a conversation with an Indian shopkeeper about the meaning of life. And, both a good and bad aspect of the blog is that I really exposed my personality, flaws, strengths and cherished memories to the world in a way I have never done that before. It can be rather ...

... her to go see Ironman and she loved it. I felt the same was going to happen this time around except that I'd be there to say, "See?" Before that, there was matter of food. Since Carrie is a vegan, it was a bit of a struggle but we found a burrito place that sufficed. We went on to watch the movie after and had a great time. It was a well made movie. Edward Norton, again, awesome. And now its late for time to sleep after a fun day. Miles driven today: 0.0mi Daniel

... from Christchurch, New Zealand to Bangkok Thailand Thursday March 20th - Fly from Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the ruins at Angkor Wat. Saturday March 22nd - Fly back to Bangkok. Monday March 24th - Fly back to the Southern part of Thailand to enjoy more of the beaches. ALternatively, take a trip to Vietnam for a few days. Friday March 28th - Fly from Bangkok, Thailand to San Francisco, California (USA) via Taipei, Taiwan

Driving down through the wine country that is known as Napa into San Fransisco bay, going over the Golden gate bridge into the hustle and bustle of the city, we arrive at our Backpackers hostel in a not very good area, but the hostel was great, clean, quite and we had an en-suite not bad for $20 a night. We settled in and had an early night. The next day we were up and off to explore the city, a nice clean vibrant city, so much better than Seattle ...