Dog-sledding

While we were up at Whistler we decided to go dog-sledding, as it was something we thought would be great to try while we had the opportunity - and it's good to try something different that you can't do at home. We got picked up from Whistler village and drove about half an hour up in to the Soo Valley. That's where the dog-sledding base is - they have loads of dogs - about 300!! They even had a kiwi as one of the guides.
It was SO cold, about -14, and we hadn't realised it was so much colder than it was in the village, so we were a bit ill-prepared, but the numb fingers and toes soon took a backseat as we got to meet our dogs. The dogs are a cross between a husky and a greyhound - as huskies can't operate when it's as warm as -14!! So they cross-breed them with greyhounds, which also makes them faster. They breed them especially for dog-sledding, and they carefully control the breeding - there were a few times we saw where some of the girl-dogs were on heat, and the boy-dogs just can't control themselves - the guides end up diving on them to break them up! They can use it to their advantage though - they can put the girls on heat at the front of the pack, so the boys chase them, and therefore run harder - clever ploy!

As there were two of us and a guide on our sled, we had 6 dogs - there seems to be a ratio of two dogs to each person. And for those of you that might be worried about the treatment of the dogs, they are treated SO well. These dogs are bred to run, and the LOVE IT. When some of the dogs are going out on a run and the others are left behind, they go nuts - they just want to run! They do a maximum of two runs in a day - each run is 7km long. The dogs constantly pull and pull as soon as they have their harnesses on, so much so that even having the brake in the snow doesn't stop them - you have to stand on the brake as otherwise they'll just pull it up! They lick the snow as they run, to get some moisture, and then get a treat and lots of cuddles at the end. They're lovely friendly dogs, and really well looked after.

Needless to say, the scenery was amazing - just a winter wonderland. SO much snow. It was fantastic, taking in the view while we went along - Andrew had a go at driving his own sled, whereas I took the easy road and lay back and enjoyed the ride! All in all it was an amazing afternoon, and a great way to spend Boxing Day - highly recommended!

Christmas in Whistler

So to make sure we had a white Christmas, we booked to go up to Whistler for 3 nights - we headed up on Xmas eve and came back on the 27th. We booked an apartment so we had a kitchen, and the place even came with a outdoor hot tub and a heated swimming pool! So we spent a bit of time in those. The apartment was right in the middle of Whistler village, so we were able to walk everywhere. They'd had a lot of snow the few days before we got there, so although it didn't actually snow while we were there, there was definitely plenty of the stuff!

Whistler village is a decent size, for a ski resort, and has plenty of shops, although they're mostly souvenirs and ski gear. It has a real alpine feel to it, and the building are all done in the style you can see here. No cars can drive in the village, so it's a good place to walk around. At one end of the village is where the skilifts are to go up the mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb.



On Christmas day we went for a walk to Lost Lake - this photo is of Andrew standing on the lake - when we were here in November, the lake wasn't frozen at all, despite there being snow everywhere! It was a great walk through the snow to get here, and lots of people out snowshoeing by the lake as well.

It was amazing, there was so much snow - just beautiful! I love how the snow clings to the tree branches, and just has a way of making everything look so pretty.

On the last day we bought a sightseeing pass for the lifts, and went up the top of Whistler peak to check out the views. We'd been so lucky with the weather the whole time we were there, beautiful blue skies every day, and this day didn't disappoint. There were a lot of people out boarding and skiing, but we just hung out and watched the world go by and took in the view.

The gondola ride up to the top was pretty steep, but there were points where you could see the runs below and the view was spectacular, with the village getting smaller and smaller the further up you went. There are some cafes and restaurants up the top, and another gondola that opened about a year ago that goes over to the top of Blackcomb. That one was really high though and I was too much of a wuss to go on it, but Andrew did.
The Inukshuk, which is the official mascot of the upcoming Winter Olympics, called "Ilanaaq" looks out over Whistler village from the top of the mountain. These stone symbols are quite popular in Canada, and even more so the further north you go apparently - having been used for centuries by the Inuit or First Nations people.

Vancouver at Christmas time

Now, don't get me wrong - I love Christmas in New Zealand, with the sun, and of course spending it with family. But there is something magical about Christmas time in the Northern Hemisphere. Maybe it's because we grow up with these images on Christmas cards and TV, and all the mention in carols of snow, cuddling up by the fire and so on..... but Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere just seems right. It's how it should be. I love the lights - that come on at 3pm, you don't have to wait until 9 or 10pm like at home - wrapping up warm to go outside, the little carts on the street corner with the nuts roasting, egg nog everywhere..... everything seems so cosy and CHRISTMASSY! Even the bus drivers would often have little handheld "jingle bells" that they would jingle as they drive along - giving the feeling like you were on a sleigh or something!! The photo above is of Robson St - the main shopping street in Vancouver, 3 blocks from our house.

The photo the the right is the hospital, one block from our house. I love the lights! I had to make sure we had a Xmas tree this year - I've made the mistake before of saying "no, no.... we don't need one" in the interest of saving money - only to go out and buy one two days before Xmas as I couldn't take it anymore!! So the tree went up the first weekend of December, just a little one as we don't have a lot of space.

On Robson St there is an outdoor ice-skating rink, so there are a lot of people there, especially in the evenings and weekends. Also with the mountains being so close (there are a couple of skifields closer than Whistler that you can get to by public transport), you'll often see people on the buses with their snowboards. Vancouver is a great city in that respect - very accessible to be able to go out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Weekend away in the USA

In December we decided to hop across the border again for a night away. It's quite a bit cheaper in the US than it is in Canada for a lot of things, so we did a bit of shopping, and went out for a nice meal - some great Thai food, and my soft drink was more expensive than Andrew's beer - god bless the USA. We only went as far as Bellingham, which is about half an hour over the border, but it's a decent sized town and has all we needed for the weekend. Bellingham is about an hour or so north of Seattle.

And on the Sunday, just as we left the hotel, it started to SNOW!! And then it poured with snow - and everything was white..... including the motorway back, which made for a very slow trip home!

Time for a taste of snow

On Rememberance Day we took a trip up to Whistler for the day. We were really lucky, as there had been a huge snowfall the night before. Whistler is just under 2 hours drive from Vancouver, and will be where a lot of the Winter Olympics events are happening in February, so thought we'd check it out before it gets overrun. It was great timing actually, as the ski season opened three days after we were there, so although it was busy, it wasn't frantic.

It's a beautiful place in the snow, and the trees are so different to at home - the snow falls on them and stays on the branches, just like a Christmas card - so pretty! We had a play in the snow, and took loads of photos. There are lots of typical alpine houses, and it's quite a big area. A lot of holiday houses, and quite a little village of shops and restaurants as well. In summer it's really popular to go mountain biking in Whistler, and in winter it's all about the snow - skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding, sleigh rides......










After being there for a few hours, having lunch, wandering round, and having a beer for the boys and a port for me, we decided it would be an amazing place to spend Christmas - so we've since booked a holiday house for three nights over Christmas, so we're guaranteed a white one! We're really looking forward to it - it'll be Andrew's first Northern Christmas and my 5th, but the first white one - YAY!

An insider's view of our apartment

Thought you might like to see some pictures of our apartment - or "condo", as it is officially - apparently it's only an apartment if all the units in the building are owned by the same person, or group. Condos are individually owned by lots of different people. Or so I think.

We're on the 10th floor of a 20 floor building, with a Starbucks underneath us, and our building has a gym as well, and carparks underneath. We're right in downtown Vancouver, and it probably looks more boxed in in the photos than we actually are. From the lounge and deck we have views over the tops of most of the surrounding buildings, so it's not bad.

Please ignore the big blue mattress in the lounge - we had someone coming to visit that day!

Seattle

I was originally going to a concert in Seattle, the Billy Joel & Elton John concert - but a week before it was announced that it would be postponed as Elton was sick. We headed down to Seattle anyway, as we hadn't been there before. We drove down Saturday morning, and back Sunday late afternoon. Including time at the border, it's about 4 hours. The border crossing is pretty tedious - there was a lot of waiting around.

A lot of people go down to the US to shop for the weekend - things are quite a bit cheaper there and there is more selection. There is an outlet mall halfway between the border and Seattle, which we stopped at for a spot of shopping, and noticed that half the license plates were from BC, and half were from Washington! The funny thing is that there are dollar limits on what you can buy if you're only away for a short time - essentially if you're only away for 24 hours, you can legally only buy $40 worth of stuff. Which is of course, ridiculous. So most people wear their new stuff, and take off all the tags, so as not to be charged any duty.

Truth be told most of our time was spent shopping, but we did also go to the Pike Place Market - I couldn't wait to see the Pike Place Fish Market, which I'd learnt about at Flight Centre in NZ. The guys that work there are amazing - it's all about choosing your attitude, and they all love working there. The fun thing is that they put on this show, where they throw the fish around - if you look closely in the photo, at the top in the middle you can see the flying fish! It was fantastic to go here after learning about them a couple of years ago.

We also made our pilgrimage to the first ever Starbucks - it started in Seattle back in the 70's. They've kept the original logo at this branch, and the original signage, which has morphed a bit over time. We also discovered that NZ has more Starbucks than Australia.

Coffee culture is limited over here to Starbucks, and the Canadian equivalent, Blenz. It's not like at home, where you can get decent coffee most places. Even at places that do a decent brunch will come and pour your coffee out of a pot. There is another chain in Canada, called Tim Horton's, but they don't serve soy milk. They have a long way to go in the coffee area. Blenz is nice, but even they have big vats of coffee sitting there, which are very popular, and are just a "coffee". God knows how long it sits there for......

I also don't think they get the whole soy thing. Many's the time when I've ordered soy and ended up with a big dollop of whipped cream on top of my coffee. When I say something, they just scoop it out and you're left with the remnants........ good!

Exploring Vancouver

While John was here we also used the time to explore the city a bit more and get out and see a bit more. The colours are beautiful in the Autumn/Fall - this is a photo of a Sugar Maple, taken from our balcony. They don't change colour evenly, before they lose their leaves, causing the traffic light effect - so pretty.

Luckily we had a beautiful day to explore - they're becoming few and far between now that the weather is cooling - it rains most days now, and apparently will do so for the next few months. I now own gumboots, as well as snow boots! So it was very nice to get some blue sky.

We came across this HUGE totem pole at Vanier Park, just over the bridge from downtown. I'm not sure if they're normally this big, but it was so tall - that's me standing at the bottom.

We also took in a hockey game - that's ice hockey for all you back in NZ. Hockey is to Canadians like rugby is to Kiwis - except even more so. The Vancouver NHL team are the Canucks - and they play around 3 times a week, so seeing as they're on so much, people live and breathe it. Whereas I guess with the All Blacks, they may only play every second weekend or something.

Tickets to the Canucks are around $70 per ticket for the basic tickets - sitting up in the gods - so we went to the Vancouver Giants, which is the next level down. Most of the players are around 16-19 years old, and still play around 3 times a week. We really enjoyed the game, and will go again at some point. There are quite a few fights - and the referees won't break them up until they hit the ice, so they can go on for a minute or two!

Halloween

Considering we've been here just over 3 months now, it's obviously been a while since I've posted. Oops. So many times I've meant to sit down and blog, but haven't - apologies to those that have kept asking!

It's been a busy couple of months - we had a visit from a friend, John, from NZ for 3 weeks, which meant we were out a lot more than normal, and we all got to experience Halloween as well - I'd heard it was big over here, but WOW.

I've never been one for fancy dress, not even as a little kid, but I have to say I'm a bit of a convert. It was a lot of fun - and 99% of people out that night were dressed up - you were odd if you weren't! And it wasn't just the night of Halloween - the lobby of Nic's apartment building was even done up!

The variety of stuff available to purchase was huge, so many different decorations, costumes - even for your pets. Collars, pet jackets, you name it - you can get it. They're big on pets here - you can get strollers for your tiny dogs, dogs can go into shops.... in our apartment building there are a couple of big dogs - german shepherd size - they must take up half the lounge!

Lots of little kids were out trick or treating during the afternoon - so cute in their little costumes, lots of ladybugs, fairies, ghosts, etc. Some of the adult costumes were very inventive - we saw a whoopee cushion, crayola crayons, jesus, where's wally, amongst others. Some people had obviously spent a lot of time and money on their costumes!

It was a great experience, and a lot of fun!

Settling in

So we've been in Vancouver for over a month now, and beginning to settle in. Our apartment is pretty much all furnished now, with Andrew satisfying his technology craving with the purchase of a 40" tv, home theatre speaker system and a Playstation 3. We've also bought a new bed - king size, which is the same size as a super king at home - which is amazing, and lovely to finally sleep well. We also finally got our cable, internet & phone hooked up - so I'm loving the tv selection and trashy girly reality shows. Yay!

Vancouver, being on the west coast, is home to some gorgeous sunsets - and when the clouds are right, they can be just stunning.

Work is going well for both of us, and we're getting in to a routine now - although now with everything pretty much set up, we're looking forward to using our days off to relax and explore, something we haven't had a lot of time for since we got here. It won't be long before we get endless rain and freezing temperatures apparently, so we should make the most of the next few weeks. We're aiming to go to a (ice) hockey game in the near future as well. We're also off down to Seattle at the beginning of November - I have a ticket to the Billy Joel & Elton John concert, which I'm very excited about!!

The sooner I pick up the accent over here, the better - I have a tough time talking to clients on the phone sometime, some of them just have no clue what I'm saying, which makes for interesting conversations! Face to face it seems to be fine. Mind you, there are some funny Canadian ways of saying things - "rule", "cool" and "school" often become two syllable words - "roo-all", "coo-all" and "skoo-all".

Highlight in the newspaper last week - the name of a Mountie chief superintendent - "Dick Bent". What were his parents thinking??!!

Kelowna & the Okanagan

Friday afternoon we took of with Nic & Daragh for the long weekend - it was a public holiday on Monday as well as Nic's birthday. We were heading for the Okanagan, and staying in Kelowna. It's the heart of BC's wine area, and right on a big lake. Kelowna is about 5 hours drive from the centre of Vancouver, and mostly highway all the way so you can do speeds of 120km/h or so most of the way - so we didn't get there until about 9pm. As Andrew and I checked in they mentioned that there was a comedy night on next door, so we went along to that, which was great!

Saturday morning we headed north, to a place called Vernon, which is on the north end of the lake. There is also another lake up there which we heard was really pretty, and you could see it had potential, but as the weather was so overcast and threatening rain, potential was about it really. Still, pretty countryside. In the afternoon the boys went and had a round of golf, while the girs went shopping. Nic & I came across some really cute little shops, little craft shops and cafes painted in cool colours. The boys finished, and said it was an awesome course - despite not being able to work out how to reverse the golf cart, so instead of asking, they just got out and pushed it whenever they needed to reverse!! The thing about boys not asking for help or reading instructions is so true!! That evening we went out for dinner and a couple of drinks.

Sunday and it was time to hit the wineries. Nic & Daragh have been here a few times before, so they knew where to go - the first one was in a really pretty location, overlooking the lake, but I didn't like the wine so much - but free tasting was alright! The next one was really nice - Mission Hill Vineyard. Beautiful location, on a point overlooking the lake in both directions, and lovely grounds. Good wine too, which helps! Then I suddenly realised that this was where Jillian had brought Jason on her hometown date (the Bachelor, people), and that made it even better! Yay!

Next it was on down to Penticton, at the south end of the lake. The weather had packed in and poured down, but we managed a bit of sun over lunchtime, which was nice - a lakeside cafe, across the road from the "beach" - imported sand by the lake! I think the rest of us by this time were all wineried out, but Nic was still going strong, so it was off to another two. Most overlook the lake, so it's nice to sit and dream away anyway. On the way back up the lake to Kelowna there was a big thunder and lightening storm over the lake, so we stopped and the guys tried to get photos of the lightening - both failed. That stuff is quick. In the evening it was out for a nice dinner in anticipation of Nic's birthday the next day, at a cool little wine bar.

Being a bit further east, we managed to get some good licence plate hunting in. Those of you who have had the pleasure to travel with me, especially in Ireland and the US, will know of my passion for spotting different states/provinces/counties. This has now continued in Canada. Obviuosly, being in BC, we get a lot of BC plates, but also the odd Washington one, being close to the border. However we've also seen Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario - in fact, we have an Ontario plate in our building, and Nic has a Quebec plate in hers - very fortunate. One of the highlights was seeing the highly sought after Saskatchewan (spelt without googling the name - becoming a true Canadian) plate in Kelowna. And then seeing another one on the drive home - double whammy! I'm still on the hunt for the northern ones, and the maritimes. I can but dream.....

Moving in

Sunday was moving day - we got to move in to our own apartment! First we had to go and pick up the van, which was almost an hour's bus ride away. As most leases here start on the 1st, everyone moves out/in around the last day of the month. So moving vans/trucks are hard to come by. We were lucky to get one at such short notice, even if it was an hour away! Then we went to Nic's friend's place, as they had a bed there for us to pick up. What we didn't realise is that it's a double - which, for us, may as well be a single! Andrew's feet pretty much hang off the edge and touch the floor - so not sure how long we'll last without getting a new bed. Considering we had a super-king in NZ, a double is a big adjustment! But, it's free, and in good nick, so it'll do for now.

Then it was off to Ikea -the holy grail. Oh how I love it there. We got most of our stuff from there and spent 4 hours there - which I must say, Andrew coped very well with. By the time we picked up our stuff from Nic's place, we unloaded and started to set up. All of the Ikea furniture comes flatpack, so it all needs assembling - which we took the next two days doing! It's quite time consuming, especially when there are drawers involved.


We also had to do things like go grocery shopping, as we had no food, and there were a few more bits and pieces we realised we needed. The other great news we had on Monday was that Andrew was offered a job, which he accepted - so within two weeks of setting foot in Canada, we've managed to move in to our own apartment, and both land jobs! YAY US!! He's got a job with a mining company, so it'll be a change from working with an insurance company - still in I.T.

I started work on Wednesday, and had the first part of the day in training. The systems here are quite different, so I'll have a lot to learn, but hopefully shouldn't take me too long. I'm just going to dive in next week and hope that people will be patient with me!!

Free trip to the Caribbean?

Since we had an apartment sorted, it was on to job hunting. I had already teed up an interview with Flight Centre while I was back in NZ, so I had that on Tuesday, and they rung on Wednesday with an opening in a store. I went along to the store on Thursday and met the team, and the Area Leader, and I start on Wednesday! So it's all happened pretty quickly. I asked if I'd get to go on an educational trip while I was here, and they said yes - I'd get 5 educational days to use, and they'd suggest I go to the Caribbean, as Aussies and Kiwis normally struggle with that area!! Oh no - really? The Caribbean? Must I? Oh.............. go on then. If I have to........!!!! YYYAAAYYY!!! And the team seem awesome as well, so everything should go well!

Andrew has been applying for jobs, and has got past the second interview for one place, and should find out on Monday hopefully. Fingers crossed - he's had to jump through a few hoops, mine was a bit easier as it was the same company as at home.

Thursday night we went to Yuk Yuks with Adam and Jeanette - its a comedy club, and was fantastic! Stand Up can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, but these guys were awesome - for $10, it's a bargain, and somewhere we'll definately go again. We also went out for dinner with A&J on Friday as well, to this great little cheap & cheerful Greek place. Then it was off to the casino, and then for dessert. A really good night.

Today we've been shopping for some stuff for the apartment, and tomorrow is the big moving day. We also went out for dinner with Nic & Daragh tonight, and then for a drink at an Irish pub - one of those authentic Irish places, not those kitset "Irish" places that think they're Irish if they serve Guinness. Good place!

Apartment hunting

Vancouver is a pretty city - surrounded by water and mountains, it's quite picturesque. This photo is the view from Nic's balcony at night. During the day you can watch the sea planes come in and the cruise ships sail past from the deck, and the sunsets are gorgeous.

On Sunday Andrew got up first and scoured the internet for apartments, and found one that sounded nice, so I got up and we went to look at it. As soon as I walked in I loved it - it was so light, the sun was pouring in - it faces south, which in the northern hemisphere means you get the sun. A couple had just bought it as a rental, so were looking for tenants. We got on really well with them, and loved the place, but I was worried that as neither of us had jobs we wouldn't get it. That evening we got a text asking us to come over, and they offered us the apartment! Yes, they were worried that neither of us have jobs, but they gave us a shot as they liked us so much! YAY! So we're no longer homeless, and move in on Sunday.

It's a one bedroom apartment, on the corner of the 10th floor. And there's a Starbucks downstairs - does life get any better??!! It has a decent size kitchen, complete with huge oven and fridge - guess they build 'em big to take the turkeys - and an unusual luxury, an in-suite washer and dryer! Normally they're down in the basement (like they are in Friends). Score. It also has a little balcony, enough for a small table and a couple of chairs. It even has a dishwasher! So we're really lucky. And our landlords, Adam and Jeanette, rock!

The rest of our Sunday was spent with Nic & Daragh, and we went out for brunch to Commercial Drive (the "hippy" area), and then to Granville Island, which is really close to the city and has great markets.

On Monday we went to the bank to find out how to set up payments for our rent. Big drama. The banking system here is like stepping back 30 years. If I thought Irish banking was bad - Canada is worse. The effort required NOT to bang my head through the wall was huge. As we were with a different bank than our landlords, it was going to be a huge deal to pay them each month. Yes, we could've withdrawn the money from our account, and walked over to their bank and deposited the money, but how inconvenient is that? All we wanted was an automatic payment. Ahhhhhh NO. It was going to cost us $30 each time we wanted to make the payment. So we quickly closed those accounts (that had only been open for 4 days), and opened up accounts with the same bank as Adam & Jeanette. Much easier. Only thing is, that now we have a limit of $1000 per payment, and our rent is $1300 - so we have to make two payments, and therefore pay for two transaction fees. Crikey.

Landing in Vancouver

We flew from San Francisco to Vancouver, which was about a two hour flight. Nic picked us up at the airport, and we went out to dinner to a great little Japanese place near where her and Daragh live. Nice introduction to the city!

The next day we were on our own to explore, and do such things as get bank accounts, mobile phones, and social insurance numbers, all of which were completed successfully. We also started looking around at a few apartments, but didn't really find anything - interesting to look though. Friday was more apartment hunting - we're looking for something downtown, so that we can hopefully get away without buying a car. There is quite a bit available, which is good.

While apartment hunting, it's also giving us a great look around town, and it's a good way to get orientated, as we're on foot. Vancouver is set out in a grid system, which makes it very easy to get around. Also, at home, where you would say, for example, 282 Queen St, and you'd have to find out where on Queen St that is, they have made it very simple. Here, you would say "Robson at Thurlow". So you would know that it was on Robson St, where it meets Thurlow St. Smart. And, even better, all the parallel blocks are in the 1100 numbers, so you can easily tell where things are. So easy!

On Saturday, Nic took us out to Jericho Beach. That's where the photo was taken - nice views back to downtown Vancouver, and good to get a bit of perspective. It was a lovely day, so there were people out sailing, biking, running etc. Very nice. I wouldn't say the beach is up to kiwi standards, but it's still a nice place to go, and there are lots of nice parks alongside. And, it's only about 10 minutes from downtown, so it's great!

Last day in the USA

On our last day in San Francisco, it was a mixture of relaxing, shopping and packing. We surprisingly managed to fit everything in to our bags, as luckily Nic had taken one of our bags back to Vancouver with her, so that had allowed our luggage to expand a bit.

We caught up for dinner that night with a friend of Andrew's that he went to Uni with, and his wife. They've been living in SF for 6 months or so, and love it. It was interesting to hear what they thought of the city, from a different perspective than just a tourist. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which is at the top of the Macy's building, right on Union Square, with some great views. And yes, they have more than just cheesecake! But their cheesecake menu is two pages long..... mmmmm............

After rolling out the door, it was back to the hotel and curling up to nurse our bellies.

Life on the Rock

We had an early start this morning to get to the ferry to take us to Alcatraz. It was overcast and foggy, and a quick 15 minute ferry ride over to The Rock and we were there.

Alcatraz is very well set up - your entrance fee includes the ferry ride there and back (where you have a great view of the city), and an audio tour of the former prison. The audio tour was fantastic - it's commentary that leads you around the prison, narrated by former guards, inmates, and families that used to be on the island. Very informative, they have set some of he cells up like they used to be (apart from the prisoners), and the commentary gives you a real feel for what life was like. As it's so close to the city, the prisoners could often hear the noise from the city if the wind was blowing the right direction. So close - yet so far away.

You only made it to Alcatraz as a prisoner if you were a bad boy - so you always came from another prison beforehand, where you misbehaved, and got sent there. So it was the baddest of the bad that were there. It eventually got shut down in 1963 due to the high running costs, as they had to ship all the food and everything over from SF.

After getting back to the mainland it was time for lunch and then a big walk - I may have mentioned that SF is one hilly city. It was quite a hike up to Lombard ST - which has a section that earns it the title of the crookedest street in the world. It zig zags 8 times down the hillat a gradient of 27%, and is filled with flowers and shrubs, so is quite pretty. There are people there all the time, taking photos and walking up and down the footpath, and cars driving down constantly. The residents there must dread having ever bought on that part of Lombard!

After walking up there, I was too scared to walk down in case we ended up having to walk up again, so we stayed up high and made our way slowly over to Chinatown, and came across Green St on the way - a street so steep they have cut steps into the footpath to make it easier. The cars were parked at such a steep angle, just pushing the drivers door open must take some serious muscle. Crazy.

Chinatown is supposedly the biggest Chinatown outside of China. Have to say it didn't have as much character as some of the other ones I've seen though, but still interesting and provides a good contrast to the rest of the city.

Then it was back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to the brilliant local Thai for the 3rd and final time. Damn, we'll miss that place. Fingers crossed we find somewhere like that in Vancouver, or we might find ourselves moving to SF instead....

Wearing flowers in our hair

In the morning we got picked up by a bus for our half day city tour. I have to say, I was expecting a local guide, but was had a Glaswegian with a thick Scottish brogue. Granted, he had been living here for 33 years, so he did know his stuff. I think we had it a lot easier understanding him than the Americans on the bus did!

He took us on a tour around the city, and gave us a bit of background and history as well. SF has experienced two big earthquakes – one in 1906, and another in 1989. I remember the 1989 one being all over the news in NZ, with the freeway collapsing and things. We went around Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, Chinatown, Little Italy, up to Twin Peaks for a great view of the city, and to Haight St – the centre of the Summer of Love, and there was even a guitar playing hippy sitting on the hill! We also saw the Victorian houses, the painted ladies, and the view that was at the beginning of Full House, back in the day. The Victorian houses were probably the highlight for me – loved the colours and the detail.

SF is very hilly – I was glad we didn’t aim to do all of that by walking. It’s also a lot colder than anywhere else we’ve been – the high is around 22 degrees, so it’s about 10-20 degrees colder than anywhere else – it feels like we’re back in winter. This is typical SF apparently though. It’s also very foggy in the morning, and it’s unusual to see the Golden Gate Bridge not shrouded in fog.

After getting back to the hotel, it was afternoon nap time, and then time to hit the Thai restaurant again. Another thing I’m fond of in the US – the shops open later in the morning, and close later in the evening – normally 10am–8pm. Makes a lot of sense, and the shops are busy in the evenings.

There are a lot of homeless here – about 6,300 at last count. The population of SF is about 810,000 – and doesn’t change much, due to it being on the tip of a peninsula, there is nowhere for it to expand. There are height restrictions in a lot of areas, so you can’t build too tall, and the land is already taken up there’s nowhere else to build, so nowhere for the population to expand. The surrounding areas (the Bay Area), are made up of separate cities, and add about another 7 million people, but are not technically part of San Francisco.