After an incredibly relaxing couple of days at Bass Lake our next stop was San Francisco. This is where my first Contiki would be finishing up and I would be catching a flight to New Orleans to begin the second leg of my adventure across the United States. Our first stop was obviously the Golden Gate Bridge. We came to this little spot to take photos. I do wish we went to another area as the view wasn't amazing. Especially considering we could actually see the bridge this day! Every other time we came near the bridge during the rest of my time in SF the bridge was completely covered in fog.
Obsessed with my Cobra Snake shirt I purchased at THE Cobra Snake Shop in Hollywood. What a vibe. I felt it was very fitting for my first day in SF considering this city's hippie history.
This is Brooke and Serena, the girls we got to bunk with in the cabin at Bass Lake. After we took our obligeratory tourist photos we spent the afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf where Maddie and I tried Clam Chowder, Lobster Roll and got Boujee with some Oysters. All of the food was incredible obviously, you don't go to a wharf expecting bad seafood. But the real highlight here were the seals. They are the real stars and they are completely aware of that fact.
I would highly advise you go to my Instagram and scroll through my highlights to the SF highlight to see some quality seal singing. I can honestly say I spent at least 20 minutes here laughing hysterically at these idiot water dogs.
I managed to keep a couple of SLR photos from the wharf but not many sadly. It was really fun there. Excessively tourist orientated but we love that.
Maddie and the Contiki had a couple more days in SF but my trip ended as soon as we arrived in SF. The trip I was on was actually a combination of three trips. It's pretty cool how they manage to merge three trips into one. I hung out with Maddie at her hotel for a while and then went to check into USA Hostels San Francisco. We were actually in SF during Cinco De Mayo which meant Mexican themed nights at the hostel that were pretty fun. I didn't really meet anyone while I was at this hostel but it wasn't a bad stay. The only annoying part were the stairs from memory.
The next day was my first day back to solo travel. I started my morning off with a quick pop in to Boudin's. This is San Francisco's oldest continually operating business. This extremely famous bakery has been open since 1849 is known for it's sourdough bread. They have even trademarked their sourdough as 'The Original San Francisco Sourdough'. I literally just got a mini sourdough roll as I couldn't afford much else and my ferry was about to leave so I needed to get my butt moving. I was pretty excited to be heading to Alcatraz. Buying tickets was a bit of a nightmare so make sure you plan your trip to the island early. They book out really fast. Especially the tour I wanted to do, which was the haunted night tour.
The day I was there an actual past prisoner was signing his book! I don't want to glorify crime or anything but that was kind of cool. The whole time I was wandering around this windy historical prison all I could think was how much my dad would love it. I got him a prison cup souvenir which I carried with me all the way back home.
Alcatraz was a pretty sweet place to visit. I really wish I could have done the ghost tour but the regular one is worth the trip, at least once in your life. The audio guide was really cool and made the place come alive so much more. I would have been lost and probably pretty bored without it.
Not going to lie the ex-con was a bit of an angry old man who was quite rude to me when I went up and spoke to him because I wasn't purchasing his book. Sorry mate but I really don't want to carry your book I probably wouldn't read across the country. But here is my selfie with the old crank.
After Alcatraz I headed back into the city to hang out by myself until Maddie and the rest of the Contiki were having their group dinner. I wanted to say my goodbyes whilst everyone was together. I lost so many of my gorgeous SLR shots but for some reason I managed to save these random ones that I took in a hotel lobby I couldn't tell you the name of if I tried. Thanks for that universe.
Just a bit of souvenir shopping before hopping on a hop-on hop-off open top bus. At this point in the day it was FREEZING! But it was my first time on a tour bus with no roof, so ya know, I had too.
Legit involuntarily crying the whole time it was so cold. I went with Big Bus Tours USA and they were pretty great. They are one of the biggest in SF so you can't miss em.
They took us across the Oakland Bridge to a place called Treasure Island, which had a gorgeous view of the whole of San Francisco. We took some photos in the freezing wind before hurrying back on the bus...to remain in the freezing wind on the roof. Worth it.
After going through deserts for the past couple of weeks it was a big shock to the system how freezing cold San Francisco was. If you are planning on including SF in your California trip make sure to pack warm clothes! the wind is brutal!
Random tings on the walk home that night. I popped into Chinatown to say my goodbyes to everyone on the Contiki, in particular Maddie. I am so lucky she lives in Sydney. We are still hanging out to this day and I love her dearly. That night there was a big Cinco De Mayo party at my hostel. I hung out for a bit but I was honestly exhausted after the huge day of being a tourist. I crashed pretty early that night.
The next day I went to get my tape hair extensions re-taped and to freshen up my blonde a little with some toner. They did a pretty great job but when it came to payment they tried to overcharge me triple what they quoted to me over the phone. Luckily I was able to get them to half it but it was still way more than I was initially told. So I wouldn't recommend getting your hair done at Ulta in SF, they shady AF.
The next day I ended up stumbling into a huge street festival called 'How Weird Street Faire'. Think Mardi Gras on LSD. It was so much fun. I don't have more photos but I have a heap of video if you check out the link at the top of this post. This festival occurs early May around the time of Cinco De Mayo. If you ever find yourself in Sf during this time I would highly reccomend checking it out.
Polaris following me everywhere I go.
Weed is legal in California but not really anywhere else. A few places have updated their laws but not really while I was travelling. My last time experiencing recreational weed was this cookie, which I mainly took to help me get through my redeye flight to New Orleans.
The cookie worked a treat and I slept like a baby during the flight. It didn't hurt that I had an entire row to myself! So happy I have gotten myself back into the habit of writing this blog. I have so many more exciting travel stories to share with you. Since this trip I have travelled Japan (again) and South Korea as well as a whole 3 months in Europe! Stay tuned!
erica
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