So... drama of the bicycles part 2!!!!

After the nightmare of chaining the bikes to bannisters which had needed help from numerous people, we went to bed and woke up in the morning fully ready to return them. But oh no. Of course it was not going to be that easy - we had lost the key for the bike lock so my bike was still attached to the bannister with Katys lock and no way of getting it down! After much searching and unpacking of bags it finally occured to us to check with reception and hey presto, the lovely lad who had helped us the night before had taken the key with him and had left it behind the desk for us. So bikes unlocked the next issue was how to get the bikes back to Pier 39 (miles away) without climbing a mount evrest sized hill. Luckily Katys flirting of the first night meant that the man who worked behind reception said he´d come along with us to show us the way and help us avoid the hills. Even this wasn´t as simple as we thought though as we had to walk through China town which was celebrating some kind of holiday, meaning there were thousands of people on the street and us three attempting to wheel a bicycle along the pavements! Not easy let me tell you! After that it was the Italian quarter where it was Italian day or something and add to that fleet week and the fact the blue angels were performing again and it made for an incredibly busy San Francisco! Finally we found a bike shop (not the one we were aiming for) and begged them to take them off our hands. Free of the bicycles at last we jumped into a taxi and headed for a day walking along the pier, exploring Giradhelli square (lots of chocolate to be had after all our traumas of the day before) and a little visit to the cinema. We do not want to see a bike again any time soon!

That night it was off to a new hostel where we shamed ourselves in front of a Dutch boy by not knowing that Amsterdam was the capital of Holland!!! Yes - shameful i know! Next day we headed out to buy tickets for alcatraz for the next day and back at the hostel met a lovely Australian girl called Ali. After dragging her out at 11oclock at night for pizza, we got caught up by a very interesting homeless man and probably scarred her for life!

Up early the next morning and we all headed for a ride on the cable cars to the pier for me and Katy to visit Alcatraz. as per usual we were running late and almost missed the Ferry. Alcatraz was great and we spent a few hours wandering around learning lots of facts about escapes and riots and murders and the Native Americans that also lived there (who knew!) After heading back across the bay we wandered aimlessly for a while before meeting Ali for our final tea in America!

We headed for the airport where the humungous bags were bundled into big plastic bags because of all the attatchments hanging off them and then crossed our fingers and hoped they would arrive in South America! How very exciting - Next blog from Peru!!!!