Tough trip to San Fran

After we got back to Cusco we took it real easy as the altitude sickness didn't give us many options so we drank plenty of fluids, had an early night and spent the next day until we had to fly out to Lima shopping for gifts. When we got to Lima I realised that the most uncomfortable bacterial-diarrhea thing I had hiked with had come back after getting down to lower altitude again. So I spent the next 20 hours of waiting and flying time running in and out of toliets (actually probably more running in and slow shuffle out). Not nice at the best of times but when you have to travel and the chemical stop medications don't work (even after you take the maximum daily dosage in the space of a few hours!) it can be a real "character building" experience.

So we finally got into San Fran, our first western developed country after 3-4 weeks in South America. At this stage we were both a few kgs lighter from the walking around a bit and lack of appetite due to unsatisfactory food. Being sick didn't help much either so we decided we had to bulk up again. So first thing was to find a hotel (which proved tough as we didn't book in advance and we forgot that it would be Saturday) and then find the best dim sum place in Chinatown. We asked a local tea shop (we even bought tea which we haven't had yet) and they pointed us to right place. It wasn't that great. We found out later than the best chinese restaurants aren't in Chinatown but not after being sucked in to another chinese restaurant in Chinatown for dinner. At least we were beginning to eat more (but still couldn't finish two dishes and two soups between the two of us...sad i know).

Food in San Fran did get better and our favourite places were a thai noodle place which did a fantastic tom yum noodle soup and a steak place recommended by the hotel we stayed at which served some really thick cuts of meat cooked to perfection.

We ended up spending around 5 days or so in San Fran doing a lot of touristy things such as taking the ferry to Alcatraz (Freo prison is better), riding the trams, checking out the massive Golden Gate Park, driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in a rented car (which was a very interesting experience for two people who have only ever driven on the left hand side of the road...thank god for GPS) and going to the top of Coit Tower (which was a major ripoff).

All in all, San Fran was only ok. Some of the things I guess that didn't really work for us were bad weather (unseasonally wet), food wasn't as good as we expected it to be, didn't find any trendy bars (not from lack of trying and we even got kicked out of an irish pub cause babyface Jas didn't have his ID (AND he happened to shave that day)), and the worst one for me was all the persistent homeless guys (apparently San Fran is touted as the homeless capital of the US) who would make a beeline for me (and only me) to ask for money. I particularly liked it when i would refuse and they would call me a tightass for not giving them anything...i still don't know how that works.


The main square in San Fran


One of San Fran's famous trams on a turntable


We got a kick out of seeing the Bubba-Gump Shrimp restaurant down at the piers..."Jenneeeee" =)


Gates to Chinatown in San Fran...one of the largest "Chinatowns" in the world. Bit of a disappointment really, nothing but crap "chifas" and shops selling tacky plastic "made in china" wares.


Alcatraz


Al Capone's cell


The Golden Gate bridge as we were driving over it


Golden Gate Park


A great tasting selection of hand-crafted beers we enjoyed in a little place inside the GG park


Coit Tower...if you do it..you don't really need to go to the top cause its not worth the US$5 entry fee they charge you to ride their lift for 2 seconds to the top