Dahhhhhhlings, hello.

The wandering minstrel writes again, today from the STINKING (103F/40C) hot sunny hills of the Sonoma wine valley, just north of San Francisco in California, though from the indoor comfort of the beautiful house of some long-time family friends, with a glass of iced water standing coolly by my side. I don't think I could possibly designed a more stark change of sceneries over the past few days.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and cyclos, mopeds and ferries)

In an extended and drawn out exit from the middle of Vietnam (Nha Trang) via Ho Chi Minh to Hong Kong, I totted up that within a 36 hour period I had taken no fewer than 16 different forms of transport (bus, coach, cyclo, moped, ferry, hydrofoil, taxi, chauffeur, personal car, plane, the list goes on), so it was no wonder that a slightly green Alexia landed onto Lantau island just off Hong Kong into the waiting arms of a wonderful friend. My poor eardrums and balance were completely out and I was careering round like a drunken pirate. So I was a lucky so-n-so to be stashed away in my friend's company Holiday House in steamy Lantau! Funny how I'm able to acclimatise fairly rapidly to the gorgeous luxury of a multi-bedroomed 5* holiday house, following my simple $4/night hostel in Vietnam...I've always been verrrry adaptable.

So my next day was spent revelling in my much-appreciated rediscovered luxury, lounging in a bikini by the pool, recovering from my travels and attempting to claw back some form of health in less than 12 hours, before I faced the hideously lengthy plane journey onto San Francisco the following day. For the first time in ages fully and completely on my own, I whacked some music on the impressive sound system, and danced away to my heart's content along the length and breadth of the polished wooden floors. Oh the little things!

Batteries boosted, I headed to Hong Kong airport (narrowly avoiding missing my only bus - what is it with me and public transport?!) and steeled myself for a godawful 15 hour journey, plus my very very first venture across the date line. Never in all my 26 years have I transcended the boundaries of time, space, and calendar days, to arrive into San Francisco on the same day and at the same time as I had left Hong Kong. Surreal.

I think it worth noting at this stage that I have obviously got the point on my travels where I am growing up. Don't laugh. My boredom thresholds have been raised several notches, as I appear to be able to keep myself amused, calm and entertained for periods of time way beyond my usual capacity. A trip of several days, or a lengthy plane trip, passes by practically unnoticed - I snooze, read, draw, think, listen to music, talk to fellow passengers, watch a few films, look around...I think this is what the self-help books would classify as 'personal growth'. Maybe at some stage on this blog I'll note down some of the 'Things I've learned'. They range from the emotional to the practical, and it might be interesting to make me think about it (though, I realise, not necessarily as interesting for the blog readers...).

Anyway, so, if you're still following and interested, I think we're up to my arrival in San Francisco - city of hills, trams and fog. The Marvellous Marie met me at the arrivals gate, which was completely unexpected, so we had an emotional reunion which to onlookers may have looked rather amusing - the teeny tiny little bottle blonde girl bearhugging the very tired looking, significantly larger brunette, both exclaiming in indecipherable British accents. We spent the next three days variously covering the sights of San Fran (the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, the Aquarium (where we saw a few 'whales', of the non-fish variety) the crookedest street, the gorgeous gay men, the trams - poop poop!), by foot or by rented bike, as well as chilling out and catching up in some of the trendy coffee stores around and about.

I am afraid, and I now write specifically to my darling faithful Food Fiend, that the US hardly merits a write up in the FF stakes...so instead I'm replacing it with some more general observations. There is no doubt about it, coming here has hit me with a culture shock way greater than I experienced even in Japan...

The Good

• Being British - all and sundry are completely charmed by the English accent - bartenders, waiters, coach drivers, tram drivers - you name it, whenever they hear you're from London you get an overwhelmingly friendly reception, some wisecracks, some quips...from the anonymity of Asia, here it's like being a mini celeb. I'm almost ashamed to find myself going even more British than I am normally (Cor Blimey, Crikey, Golly Gosh) - wot?!
  
• Banana Boat suntan lotion - half the price, double the moisturisation. You may laugh that this enters my list but don't knock it till you've tried it.
  
• American nostalgia - ooohoho how it's all takin' me back to ma childhood days in the states, as I run around ogling packets of graham crackers, candy corn, strawberry twizzlers, Cinnamon graham cereal, goldfish crackers, Hot Tamale sweets, Jolly Ranchers (grape flavour), peanut butter, fruit rollups...Walgreens (a drugstore - no not that type, I mean a pharmacy) and the supermarkets may well have put out a warning against the crazed English lady who is stroking packets of food and muttering to herself...
  

The Bad

• Cars the size of not insubstantial houses - ah so this is where the ozone layer is being warn thin
• the food portions - in spite of having always been a girl with an appetite, I find myself repulsed by grotesque portion sizes - thankfully wee Marie 'n' me shared plates to make these more bearable
  

The Ugly...

• real-life human giants - indescribably large people. It is safe to say that if I was three times larger than Japanese people, some of these lot are three times larger than me.
• the prices - come on, admit it, who lied to me about the states being cheap?! I've spent more in my first three days here than I did in my entire time in Vietnam! Commencing immediate drastic measures in: Operation Budget Buster

Stay tuned for more Californication.