Hello everyone!

Well we made it!! San Francisco!! 22 days camping across America in a van with 12 other people... and it was amazing!!!! We were all dropped outside USA hostel in San Fran (handily where we were staying) we all had our goodbye hugs and made sure that we had everyone's email addresses. Then went our separate ways :( The trip was amazing and we met some great people. I can't believe how much we have seen in such a short time!? Would definitely recommend this sort of trip... but if camping isn't your thing then maybe opt for the luxury version, because with all honesty we will NOT be camping for a very long time if we can help it.

So after our goodbyes Ben and I were on our own. We got checked in to our room and were so happy to see we had our own bathroom!!! After not showering for 2 days a good wash was the first thing on the list along with washing our clothes. Smelling of roses we headed out to have a look around. San Fran is so laid back, we felt relaxed and safe here. We went to liberty square where all the shops are and had a look in some but refrained from buying anything. We ate at a little Italian called Bellini off on of the main roads it was lovely. We were very sleepy by this point so an early night was needed.

Day two we were up and ready early after a nice non tent sleep! We had booked ourselves on a walking tour with 3 people from the trek. The woman was lovely and knew so much about the city. We went to the mission district and looked at all the murals, it was so interesting to see this part of the city as we would never of thought to go there. There were so many stories behind each mural and behind buildings that we would just walk past. For example if you look closely at some of the house numbers they do not match the street numbers, because after the earth quake in 1906 some people bought intact houses and moved them to where they wanted them.. Moved them as in on casters it took about a week to move each house! Crazy! We stopped for coffee in 'Philz coffee house' that makes each one by the cup it, was lovely and a nice change to the bad coffee that America is known for.

We got the historic street car to china town where we went to the fortune cookie factory, a tiny room with three people making them by hand. The man at the front must have been about 100 but was so pleased to see us that he kept handing us unmade cookies. We each gave him a dollar and he gave us a fortune cookie. They were not very wise ones but the man was lovely so we smiled and left. We had lunch in China town in an all you can eat Dim Sum place, it was lovely and the food was sooo yummy.

After lunch we headed to pier 39, we had a quick walk around the shops and to look at the seals before we got on our catamaran for our afternoons boat trip. The weather was so nice, not the foggy summer that San Fran is known for. We had clear skies and a lovely view of Alcatraz and the Golden gate. We had a few drinks and got some amazing pictures. I would recommend the walking tour as you get to see so much more than on the busses and the guides take the time to learn the history of each area, so you feel like you are getting a more personal experience. We had dinner that night with our tour guide who was still in the city, followed by cheesecake from the cheesecake factory!!! YUMMY!!!

Our last day full day in San Fran was started by a nice long lie in! Today was Alcatraz day, our trip wasn't until the afternoon so we treated ourselves to a Starbucks and got the street car to pier 33 where we collected our tickets, and we strolled down to pier 39 and had a look in some of the shops. For lunch we had Clam chowder in a sour dough bowl and some fresh calamari from 'Chowder Hut' again it was a lovely day so we sat outside. The chowder was so nice, it seemed everyone around us was eating it too and it was funny to see people trying to eat the bowl after as the bread was very tough.

We boarded our boat to Alcatraz; the island itself was a lot colder than the mainland which just added to its eerie feeling. The audio tour in the cell house was really good, hearing the voices of the inmates and sounds of the prison made it all seem more real. We got to go into some of the cells, I think Ben wanted to leave me in one but luckily the doors didn't lock!! The tour lasted 45 min and we really enjoyed it. It is hard to imagine being locked up that close to the main shore for so long. We walked around the rest of the island and it was just as spooky as the cell house I think that fact it is kind of falling apart makes you use your imagination more, which in turn makes the whole place a little scary.

Once back on the main land it was early evening, we both brought hoodies from the College shop on Pier 39, ben got a Berkley one and I got a USC one. They should keep us nice and warm in NZ, oh and had a quick stop to eat a corn dog hehe. We headed back to the room to sort our bags out for the flight the next day. For dinner we went to a Thai restaurant but as I couldn't eat all mine I got a doggy bag, and as it was the USA it was in a box!! For anyone that knows me well enough you will know that all I every wanted to do on this trip was eat hot dogs and Chinese out of a box so I was a very happy lady that I had managed to do both!

After checking out the next day we just did a bit of expensive window shopping liberty square. Our shuttle to the airport came at about 2.30pm and we left San Fran behind…

Our time in America has been amazing; we have met some amazing people and experienced so much. The change in culture between states is something we could never of imagined. The kindness and hospitality of people took us by surprise and we learnt so much more about the short but interesting history of this country. However this is only the start of our trip and we are ready for the next stage…FIJI!!

From San Fran with love

Nikki and Ben xxx