The day’s first task was to dispatch the parcel of unnecessary items that won’t be needed in Central America. It seemed to weigh rather a lot and the cost was in proportion but the upside is that all my stuff is now contained entirely in two bags. From the Pine street Post Office, I worked my way northand west until reaching Fort Mason and could follow the shoreline towards the Golden Gate Bridge. My luck was in and there was no fog to obscure it; in fact it was very quickly a warm and sunny day. Throughout this entire area the streets were clean and had an air of, if not affluence, certainly a degree of comfort.
There was also something about the style of architecture that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was certainly American but also there was something else.
All along the marina Green the joggers, tourists and dog walkers were out in force and what a pleasant place it is for such activity. In case the jogging was not enough there were boards at regular intervals suggesting an aerobic type of activity that you could do as well. It’s easy to forget that the City is only a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean and this area was a genuine beach with sea clean enough to swim in.
Next came the more natural environment of Crissy Field which was an attempt to preserve the original sand dune and lagoon environment. There were lots of information boards everywhere and sensitive vegetation zones were fenced off. From here I made my way out onto the bridge itself. It’s not golden but red; Golden Gate refers to the gap in the coastline that gives access to San Francisco Bay.
Plans to walk across and catch the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf had to be abandoned as the bridge was closed at the second pylon so I retraced my steps and caught a bus back Downtown. This cost only $2 and I was handed a transfer ticket to use when I swapped buses. This seems like a good bargain. Arriving at the end of Columbus (Street) I dived into Fisherman’s Wharf. This seemed to be a pretty typical tourist trap so I retraced my sides lured by the presence of the famous Transamerica pyramid.
This brought me to the edge of Chinatown and I paused for a genuine tuna sandwich which contained only tuna, mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce. The clientele were mostly Chinese as well. At this point I realised that I no longer had my map and that I’d intended to go to the Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. A hotel doorman put me on the right road; basically retracing my steps and finding out just how hilly the city is in the process. The tower offered superb views but only through the medium of protective glass. Strange to think that it is possible to plunge to one’s doom on the Golden Gate Bridge but here, safety measures are deemed necessary.
Ready for a rest I trudged back to the hostel via Chinatown which is far bigger than I imagined; it must be well over a square mile and offered an amazing range of shops and activities. The smells from the greengrocers brought back smells and memories last encountered in Singapore as a teenager.
I decided that a haircut was in order before heading south and the helpful desk staff at the USA hostel directed me to one nearby. I was just about into the shop before noticing the price, $50 and turned smartly about. Fortunately, an alternative was found within 200 yards where a Vietnamese lady did the job for only $12. Lighter by about a ton of hair I packed most of my remaining possessions and returned to Lori’s Diner for a final American Steak. Now I shall watch a film on TV and have an early night before catching the shuttle to the airport at 9am tomorrow. I suspect that the format of this blog will have to change as internet access is likely to be far more intermittent but we’ll see how it turns out.
Oh, I forgot about the computer guided tours! There were lots (well, some) of these bright yellow three wheeler vehicles buzzing about. I don't know how it worked. Perhaps a GPS system told you where to go and gave a commentary on what could be seen.
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