Across the Bay for a Day
I was so tired last night that falling asleep early was no problem. After blogging and before I hit the hay I decided to book a tour which would take me over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Muir National Monument (Redwood Forest) and then down to Salsalito before coming back across the bay. Ashley, at the concierge desk was a great help with lining everything up for me. Thanks, it was great!
We left at 8:00 am and had a really knowledgeable driver named Jon who told us about everything about the Monument's history on the way over. We were in a large bus which was really nice. The name of the tour group is Super Sightseeing Tours and well worth the $45 for a 5-hour tour. This included hotel pickup and return! Much cheaper than renting and driving yourself.
It was drizzling a little but somehow that really added to the magnificent redwood forest. Those babies drink A LOT of water. We only had 1.5 hours but given my time constraints it was perfect. I could have spent days wondering among those giants.
Back in the bus we headed to the rich and famous Salsalito, CA. With lots of art galleries and boutiques this is a great place to drop some serious cash. There are a lot of famous people living in this area: Sean Penn, George Lucas, Grace Slick, etc... I walked along the docks admiring the sailboats and the view of the bay which look back over toward San Francisco, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge. After a quick lunch we hopped back on board and since we were all good little tourists and came back on time we were driven up the hill to the right of the Golden Gate Bridge before going back across. This gives a fantastic view of the bridge. It's the money shot. For the driver that is! They work and talk a lot for those tips.
Back across the bridge and into the city I wondered around the Fisherman's Wharf area again while waiting for my photos. I missed the return shuttle due to getting pictures developed, but I grabbed a ride with one of the drivers who was going that way. He was from Spain and a very friendly man who loves this country. He says it has it's bad things like any other country, but most importantly it was fair. Fair means something different to a person from a country that would allow a rich citizen to pre-pay a fine before shooting a peasant. You can't make this stuff up.
You will notice a new album has now been posted. I'm about to go up to the room for a power-nap which will hopefully sustain me for most of my 13.5 hour flight this evening. This may work out well.
I've been chatting to my new friend Jasmit here at the Hyatt Business Center who is from India originally. A very nice, intelligent and charming young man who looks ready to take on the world. We've been talking webmaster stuff. Good nerd talk going on here! Let me know if you need any more tips Jasmit! He's recommended a spot for a great cup of milk tea upstairs in the Taipei airport which I'll have to try.
It seems that the recent earthquake did create a smaller tsunami but it fortunately traveled south instead of west again. I'm sure everyone is on their toes at this point and hopefully won't be caught by surprise again. Sri Lanka's coasts were evacuated further inland but I don't know any details yet. I'm sure I will soon enough.
Tonight I'm finally headed over the big blue. See you on the other side.
-Chris
We left at 8:00 am and had a really knowledgeable driver named Jon who told us about everything about the Monument's history on the way over. We were in a large bus which was really nice. The name of the tour group is Super Sightseeing Tours and well worth the $45 for a 5-hour tour. This included hotel pickup and return! Much cheaper than renting and driving yourself.
It was drizzling a little but somehow that really added to the magnificent redwood forest. Those babies drink A LOT of water. We only had 1.5 hours but given my time constraints it was perfect. I could have spent days wondering among those giants.
Back in the bus we headed to the rich and famous Salsalito, CA. With lots of art galleries and boutiques this is a great place to drop some serious cash. There are a lot of famous people living in this area: Sean Penn, George Lucas, Grace Slick, etc... I walked along the docks admiring the sailboats and the view of the bay which look back over toward San Francisco, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge. After a quick lunch we hopped back on board and since we were all good little tourists and came back on time we were driven up the hill to the right of the Golden Gate Bridge before going back across. This gives a fantastic view of the bridge. It's the money shot. For the driver that is! They work and talk a lot for those tips.
Back across the bridge and into the city I wondered around the Fisherman's Wharf area again while waiting for my photos. I missed the return shuttle due to getting pictures developed, but I grabbed a ride with one of the drivers who was going that way. He was from Spain and a very friendly man who loves this country. He says it has it's bad things like any other country, but most importantly it was fair. Fair means something different to a person from a country that would allow a rich citizen to pre-pay a fine before shooting a peasant. You can't make this stuff up.
You will notice a new album has now been posted. I'm about to go up to the room for a power-nap which will hopefully sustain me for most of my 13.5 hour flight this evening. This may work out well.
I've been chatting to my new friend Jasmit here at the Hyatt Business Center who is from India originally. A very nice, intelligent and charming young man who looks ready to take on the world. We've been talking webmaster stuff. Good nerd talk going on here! Let me know if you need any more tips Jasmit! He's recommended a spot for a great cup of milk tea upstairs in the Taipei airport which I'll have to try.
It seems that the recent earthquake did create a smaller tsunami but it fortunately traveled south instead of west again. I'm sure everyone is on their toes at this point and hopefully won't be caught by surprise again. Sri Lanka's coasts were evacuated further inland but I don't know any details yet. I'm sure I will soon enough.
Tonight I'm finally headed over the big blue. See you on the other side.
-Chris
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