So, I’ve adjusted my itinerary and plans since I first starting dreaming of this trip, of course.  I initially planned on seeing the Himalayas (India/Nepal/Tibet) then when I starting learning of Round the World tickets options, that seemed like a really exciting (and cost saving option).  But as I learned more, and planned what the [...]

101 + (hitchhiker) = FUN. A mathematical equation was the sign I showcased, hitchhiking west from Portland to coastal Highway 101. The “hitchhiker” on my sign was a stick-figure character with a big smily face. He cracked me up. Instead of an exposed thumb, he looked like he was sticking out a baseball bat. However, [...]

*******************************Monday 25th August Day started well-hostel does FREE BREAKFAST, bonus! (fruit and 2 bagels). Walked through chinatown (largest in N America apparently) with Mary-Anne and Emma. San Francisco consists of pastel coloured wooden seaside-resort type homes built on incredibly steep slopes. Got cable car up steep slope to Fisherman’s wharf and bought tickets for Alcatraz [...]

San Francisco is class. We were anxious it wouldn’t live up to expectations – but it has. A five hour plane ride from Miami; it’s a lot colder so we had to rummage at the bottom of our bags for hoodies again. We had been forewarned by a San Franciscan in Miami, that our Hostel was [...]

Back in San Francisco this beautiful city had just one more pin-up that I had to check out before I left so I rocked on over to the Golden Gate bridge. When I say rocked I really mean walked and by walked I really mean staggered with it first looking so close and being such [...]

The sunlight woke us up again, as we tend not to set our alarm clock and just leave our curtains open for the sun to wake us up in the morning. We headed out into San Fransisco. First we had to pick up something for Linda at the HSBC San Francisco branch in the financial [...]

You got to hand it to those Californians. Admittedly such a different part of America they could have their own planet, they seem to be good at detecting bullshit, as this story shows: Voters may rename sewage plant after BushReuters | Saturday, 19 July 2008 San Francisco voters, never thrilled with George W Bush, may [...]

Feeling better with the waffle-o-meter pointing to well enough to finish off a whole one. A good thing too since I’d arranged to meet Judi who I met on the Yangtze river in China, and lives around 30 mins outside the city, for some pizza tonight. Amazing what the thought of good pizza can do [...]

After a surprisingly gentle interrogation coming through immigration at LAX (they didn’t even ask how much money I had!) I took a shuttle bus to the Greyhound bus station. I had never taken a Greyhound before, but I thought it would be survivable to make it the three hours south to San Diego. I don’t [...]

Woke up feeling like crap with barely the energy to get out of bed. Being in the top bunk I peered down at the ground wondering whether my weakened legs would buckle and snap under me when I hit the floor. Making it as far as the bathroom I then blacked out whacking my noggin [...]