Nearly three months ago I made a promise to return to San Francisco and visit Alcatraz. This weekend I kept that promise.

It was in the San Francisco International Hostel where I met my friend Paul from LA and we celebrated our "anniversary" by returning to the place we met.

We drove up on Friday evening to beat the Saturday afternoon traffic and Paul's friend Jacob who was in town kindly let us share his hotel room for the first night.

Due to the Californian 2am closing time law, we had an easy night which meant we were fresh and ready to go on Saturday.

After eating brunch at Loris diner and running a few errands, beer o'clock arrived and we hit happy hour $3 anchor steam. We formed a group from the hostel and hit the mission area which is probably the hippest place in San Francisco (the equivalent to London's Shoreditch or Old St).

Sunday came around and this was Alcatraz day. We booked to go on the night tour which began at 4:20. Paul and I walked over to Fisherman's Wharf and ate Clam Chowder which is a popular dish here in San Francisco. I had never heard of it and we somehow managed to miss it last time. It's basically a thick soup based dish with fresh clams. The bowl was in the form of sour dough bread which was a cool way to eat it.

Then it was time to board the boat to Alcatraz (pictured). I'm sure everyone knows what Alcatraz is, however until you actually visit, it's difficult to understand what an amazing place it is.

The tour itself was amazing. It really gives the indication of what it was like back when it was an operating prison. The guides tell the story of infamous inmates, various escape attempts and how one individual actually managed to escape however was caught on the other side of the bay and sent straight back. Some escapees were unaccounted for but whether they are alive or dead is unknown.

In addition to prison life, the guides also explained how native Indians used to live there. As the night got darker, the more eery the atmosphere became and it was apparent how tough life would have been for the inmates. The Audio tour also provided a great insight with inmates and officers from the past sharing their stories. Alcatraz is now a national park and is probably the most visited attraction in San Francisco.

After the tour, we took the bus back to the hostel and joined in with the free beer party (however the beer is so terrible we decided to buy our own).

We got chatting to Damien (Australia) our new room mate and also another guy Franco (South Africa). The four of us went out to some local bars and we soon realised that we were each representing a different continent. Staying in a hostel provides a simple way to quickly gel with personalities of similar ambitions and agendas. The four of us immediately got on like a house on fire and the different combination of continents provided an optimum blend of characters!

The weekend soon came to an end and once again it was time to say goodbye to newly found companions. I do however plan one more visit to Paul's place in LA on Friday before heading south to San Diego.

Next up.. Thanksgiving in Napa.