Day 3: Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman Wharf and Alcatraz Island

We woke up to an amazing landscape, Golden Gate bridge itself! It was drenched in eerie morning mist. We parked late last night without realising we were in the front of the bridge itself.

This spelt for prime tourist photographing opportunities which we then took. Once we were satisfied, we headed for Fisherman's Wharf which is a pier that house several ferries including the one we need to transport us to Alcatraz Island.

We were late for our scheduled ferry so we were put on the standby list for the next ferry. This time, Lady Luck favoured us and we all managed to get on. The journey was very pleasurable and we all enjoyed seeing the entire landscape of San Francisco city including several determined seagulls that flew after us.

We all clambered off the ferry on the island itself. The first impression was surprisingly pleasant. It was very flowery so we started our hike to the top which is the location of the infamous prison itself.

The island used to be a military island that houses military families before becoming a prison island. It was one of the most toughest prisons in the world and escapes were nigh on impossible as escapees would have to swim against a very cold and strong current to reach the mainland.

We entered the prison and it was very manky and damp. We were handed earphones for the audio tour however after informing a worker that we were deaf, we were handed a transcript of the tour which was very easy to follow and it was also very enlightening.

We learnt of the prison's famous residents which included the Birdman and Al Capone itself. We also learnt about famous escape attempts such as Morris and Anglin brothers who managed to chipped away a hole in their cell, fooled guards with dummy heads posted on their pillows which made guards thought they were sleeping. They used a raft to get off the island however their bodies were never discovered.

We also learnt about different parts of Alcatraz building such as main cells, solitary cells and prison warden office. The tour was complemented by cell inmates and guards acting as a voiceover narrator so it felt as we were listening to their real life experiences. Sara and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and we were disappointed when it came to the end.

We scurried back to catch our ferry back to the mainland where we explored Fisherman's Wharf which also became a thriving tourist spot. It was a pleasant walk but when we got back to our RV, we were dismayed to discovered that we have obtained a fine for the vehicle being too wide for the parking requirements even that it is not causing a serious obstruction to the road.

We stopped at Wal-Mart to fill our fridges and started our road trip! The first port of the call is Santa Monica!