San Francisco

The journey from Vancouver to San Francisco was fun. Fun that is if you like getting up at 4.30am, getting on a bus for 4 hours and then transferring to a train, for the next 26 hours. Although, as always the scenery was spectacular, which helps pass the time, as does a good book "Skinema" by this crazy guy http://www.chrisnieratko.com/ . Unfortunately the company over dinner on the train was not up to its usual standards, i got lumped ith a really boring Australian with a ridiculous Mr Tibbs from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe type beard. 

Anyway, got to San Francisco, where I was staying for my first two nights with a friend of a friend of a friend from Vancouver, basically went out clubbing in Vancouver, got on well with this guy called Sonar who hooked me up with his buddy Josh in SF. Josh  was a real cool guy, we chilled at his place the frst night with a very entertaining friend of his called Henry "Mark, I'm going to be straight with you; do you smoke pot?" Vega. Henry kept us entertained and we had a quiet night in listening to some great music http://web.stephenmarleymusic.com/index.jsp and www.herbaliser.com .

The next day was spent chilling, eating, mooching around with Joshs room mate Terry, also a kug fu man, so we talked kung fu, politics, conspiracy theories etc. He told me a great story about his old sifu, who is now retired who fought Bruce Lee in the 60s in San Francisco. The fight was recreated in the movie Dragon, about Bruce Lee's life but apparently it didn't go the way Hollywood interpreted it ie the result of the fight was pretty much disputed, it would appear more likely against Lee's favour. I did a yoga class that night as well, that was great, and the teacher was gorgeous, a bonus I guess. That night Josh and I checked out some live underground hip hop and then a reggae club, Josh being a big reggae and dancehall fan.

The following morning was interesting. I was leaving Josh's to go stay with some couchsurfers in another part of town. Before leaving I ran into Joshs other room mate, an ex Dead Head, who were a bunch of hippies that followed The Grateful Dead on tour for pretty much 10 years solid, a non stop party. I can't remember his name right now, but anyway before leaving he offered me some cake. I was hungry, hadn't eaten breakfast and despite the fact that the cake was made with Cannabis butter thought i should have some to fill the gap in my rumbling stomach. About an hour later i really felt it, walking around with my rucksack on my back, looking for my couchsurfing host was super fun, saw some really strange folk as i wandered into the wrong part of town on my way but eventually hooked up with Jansen, one of the 3 guys i was staying with for the res of my time in SF. 

So we went and had a couple of beers and some food, met up with Felipe, Jansens house mate and then they took me out for a drive, over the Golden Gate and up into the hills for an awesome view of the bridge and the city beyond. That night, we hit Ashbury Haights and then somewhere else I don't remember before ending up in Felipes girlfriends bar, we she gave me a shot of what I believe was White Window, a phantom spirit that should never be drunk. Ever. It's basically the shot that finishes you off, and tastes like the wors drink you ever had. We've all had a White Window, it's just what I call it. That night we met an amazing dude called Hudson, who looked hard as nails, Hells Angels style and also rather wired, who was driving around in what must be an incredibly expensive 1930s Mercedes Benz, in immaculate condition, the kind of car you see in a museum and never on the road being driven by a high as a kite Hells Angel. Hudson rocked. Big time. 

Anyway, the following morning I concluded I must have ben drunk the night before, as I had a hangover. We went and had brunch, then some tourist stuff, ie down by Pier 39 for the sea lions, people watching etc and I had my first ever In and Out Burger, Californias finest and freshest burger joint. My advice is to order the Double Double (two burgers, two pieces of bread) and Fries, Animal style (covered in melted cheese and onions) and a Neapolitan shake (Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours!). Just do it next time you are there, trust me.

That night was then spent at a Halloween dress rehearsal house party outside of San Francisco. There was probably about 30 people there, all very friendly and good fun. I learnt how to play beer pong (lost quite badly, which basically involved me having to drink alot of beer faster than i would like to do so), smoked grass through an hollowed out apple and had alot of laughs with some new friends. People are the same pretty much everywhere i guess, same frustrations, same hopes and dreams. Talking of which, Tuesday is the election, and it is really interesting to be here for such a momentous occasion, the wold can change for the better hopefully next week. The majority of my trip has been through the bigger cities of the US, as such the people tend to be more world facing than some of the Mid West states, the heartland of America, which I believe is more McCain territory, less liberal, more Conservative and of course as I am Couchsurfing i am tending to meet more liberal people, not everyone would invite a complete stranger into their home and welcome them as a friend (although my advice is DO IT, it will change your life for the better!). Anyway, this means pretty much everywhere i have been has been about Obama, these people are really hoping and praying for change, as a foreigner here i guess i am particuarly interested in US foreign policy ,and the perception of America over recent years outside of their huge country. The people i have met in general want a change, they have sen that they are no longer neccesarily seen as the good guys by the world and in general they want a change of direction, a return to the old fashioned America, some things here are pretty on top in terms of government and law, but i must say the people i meet in this country are amazing, kind, generous, full of life and enthusiasm, and all round decent people.

So, end of tangent and back on track. Sunday in SF was all about the game (American Football, the SF 49ers vs the Seattle Seahawks). And tailgating. Tailgating being parking your truck in the car park a few hours before the game, setting up base, chairs, tables, BBQ, beer and snacks. Some people even wire up TVs, lay down carpets and fly flags, it's mad. Unfortunately we missed the start of the tailgating due to over enthusiatic events of the night before, but we managed to get bargain tickets from touts ("Scalpers " in American English, something else that fascinates me mere, the language) and had a great time at the game. To be honest, I didn't watch much of the action, I was focussed on the crowd atmosphere, it is more like a party, friends meeting up, drinking beer, eating hot dogs and of course watching the gorgeous cheer leaders. I loved those girls. Every single one of them, great entertainment. It was nothing like a football game at home, slower paced, alot of razzamatazz and just really chilled, although 49er fans may see that differently as they got spanked on their home turf.

That pretty much concludes my time in SF. It is a crazy town, so many hippies and freaks, just everywhere in everyday places, unlike any other city i have visited. In fact, every town i have called into has had its own characters, adventures and personality/identity. It's a huge and diverse country.

Where To Begin

Wow, so much has happened, alot to catch up on, plus I realised I forgot to write about my time in Chicago, which was about 3 weeks and many thousands of miles ago! So, to get things started here are some long overdue photos. Starting with Seattle.

So, some shots of the Space Needle, Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves, a statue of Jimi Hendrix, Dicks drive in for awesome burgers and shakes, Farmers Market, Science Fiction Museum and public library (i have visited the library in every town i go to, free internet, drinking fountains and clean bathrooms, although you do get alot of weirdos in there!)

Anyway, I hope you can read what is written on the first photo in this entry, it is the inscription on Brandon Lee's gravestone, pretty moving I'm sure you will agree.

Vancouver, 24 hour train journey, San Francisco

Again, struggling with getting online, so this is going to be done from memory, could be sketchy. VAncouver was fun, stayed with a friend called Mike, who is going to be travelling with me in SOuth America, we'll meet up on the 26th November in Costa Rica. Anyway, his place had flooded so we stayed at his friends place, occupied by 4 gnarly skate dudes, who drink beer, gamble and smoke bongs when not skateboarding or working. As such, friday night consisted of beer, vodka, bongs and playing dice, which i managed to win at twice and overall not get completely fleeced. Saturday day was down at the track, again lost money but only about $5. In the evening we went on a party boat which cruised around the bay paying drum and bass and lasted 4 hours, by the end it was rocking and the party continued at Shine nightclub, and ended with 3 slices of pizza and a hot dog at 4am on the way home.
On Sunday we drove up to Whistler, a couple of hours up the mountain. Not quite cold enough for snow yet so the season hadn't started for skiing, butit was a great trip to see the immense natural beauty of the mountains, waterfalls and nature in general (we saw a real live bear in the wild on the side of the road, Mike pulled over and tried to attract its attention, which luckily he didn't!) .
Stayed in a hotel, went to a club and then back to Vancouver the next day. Gotta go now, out of time at the library. To be continued......

Overdue

Been a while since i've really had chance to sit down with an internet connection and update this blog. So here I go, only about a weeks worth of stuff to remember. Anyway, last entry was Minneapolis. It turned out to be a cool town, at first i was freaked out by the business district with its huge faceless buildings that are scarily all interconnected by walkways at first floor level, apparently because it gets so cold in winter but it seems rather elitist to me, ie keeping people seperated. After exploring further i walked along the river, took a bunch of photos, which i still need to put up and then went to a kung fu class. The guys trained Southern Praying Mantis style and were great people. I was actively encouraged by the teacher, Casey, to do my best to kick my training partner, a fifteen year old called Jeremiah as hard as i could, in the balls, "he really likes it" said Casey. It turns out, rather disturbingly, that Jeremiah did like it, he laughed out loud when my foot connected with his nuts. Strange kid. Anyway, it was a good class, we trained kung fu and did some hard core exercises.
Went back to my hosts Renee and Jacobs place after that, had some dinner and then they took me out. Jacob was playing at a warehouse rave that night, he was looking forward to it as it was his first time playing this particular party and he played a great techno set, opening up the night at 2am, in a disused warehouse up on the fourth floor. It was a cool location, you had to go up the external fire escape stairs at the back of the building to get in and in the morning there were great views out of the 4th floor windows of the sun rising. Met some great people in there including a rather muddled guy called Bob, Mike who talked alot and many others. In fact it was a very muddled crowd in general, alot of glowstick waving, B boy dance offs and even some roller skaters. Brilliant night out.
The next day we went to an open day in an artists community, Jacob was djing again, this time a hip hop set. At 1030 i set off again on the Empire Builder to Minot, a really random little town i n North Dakota. Stopped off there for the day. It had been snowing, was really cold and rained all day. I pretty much just stayed in my bed and breakfast and enjoyed the luxury of a double bed and cable TV, first time i've slept like that in months. An early start the next day, fuelled by an excellent breakfast was the longest stretch so far travelling, 27 hours to Seattle. As it started at 9am it wasn't so bad, i read "The Tao of Kung Fu" by Bruce Lee (who's final resting place I would later visit in Seattle), drank cups of tea, watched some amazing scenery go by and chatted with fellow passengers. Met some really interesting people, including a gold prospector returning from a fruitless week in the Rockies (who carried an AK 47 for protection in the mountains, from bears and humans), a hunter who had just snared pheasants and an elk (his favoured weapon being the crossbow) and a full voting memeber of the Cherokee tribe (who invited me to stay should I visit Portland!). There had been pretty heavy snow in Montana, which fortunately didnt affect the trains (slow but steady) progress but did provide some breathtaking scenery, pictures will be posted soon.

Finally made it to Seattle, birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and Curt Cobain and resting place of Bruce Lee. Some pretty big cultural icons of the 20th century, Jimi and Bruce particuarly being heroes of mine so it was cool to be here. Did my usual walking around town, ate some good food (vietnamese soup is awesome), finally found Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves at my second visit to Lake View Cemetery, went to the Science Fiction and Rock and Roll museums (got told off twice for taking photos, its prohibited for some lame reason-thats not exactly rock and roll now is it?). The science fiction bit was OK but the rock n roll bit was lame, it's owned by Paul Allen, the guy who set up Microsoft with Bill Gates (headquartered here in Seattle), so it seemed a bit too much like some billionaires private collection, ie a guy who had probably never been in a mosh pit in his life, maybe even a gig, that had just paid someone to go out and buy a bunch of memorabilia. I wouldn't recommend it.
Managed to attend a wing chun class here last night with a real nice teacher. Only two students were there so he spent alot of time with me which was good.

Anyway, off to Vancouver to see my pal Mike this afternoon so signing off now, hope to have photos up soon.

The Long Journey Accross The States

Currently in Minneapolis so getting further North as I head West accross the USA, which means it is getting COLDER! Bought a jacket to keep me warm for the next two weeks before i start heading south again and back into some lovely sunshine. Unfortunately I lost my treasured yellow and brown Colombian wooly hat at the top of the Sears Building in Chicago, the tallest building in North America (110 stories high). The staff put out a high alert APB for the hat but unfortunately as of yet it has not been returned. They have my contac tdetails and are continuing to search for it, I live in hope. Besides that, Chicago was great, shame i couldn't stay for longer. Met some really cool people, stayed with 2 lovely couchsurfing hosts and saw some great architecture and music. Also drank a very good beer and smoked some pot.

The train ride from NY to Chicago took 18 hours and was a bit of a drag. Trains here go 60 MPH top speed! Chicago to Minneapolis was better as it was a bigger train, a double decker that has a really cool observation car with comfy seats facing the windows, which are extra big and go right up to the ceiling of the carriage to give great views of the American countryside flasing by. We crossed the Missisipi last night and i am going for a walk along it later. Will add photos when I can. Going to a party tonight with my couchsurfing hosts and then heading off tomorrow for Seattle, still a couple of days away, am breaking the journey down with an overnight stop in Minot, some random town in the middle of nowhere, and then from there it is a 24 hour train ride to Seattle. Getting lots of reading done on the train journeys!

Life In The Big Apple

Not really sure where to begin on this one. I'm having such a great time exploring New York and have met so many crazy and interesting characters here. I've extended my stay until Monday, a really cool guy from http://www.couchsurfing.com/ has let me stay at his place until Monday so decided to stick around a few more days. So far, I have done a load of tourist stuff, now including the Empire State and Statue of Liberty but have more to do. Have also done alot of walking around (getting lost alot as well) and getting away from the tourist spots ie Manhattan. Met some cool people in The Village, Brooklyn and been to some awesome gigs and parties too.
Last Saturday was awesome, I left the hostel at 1pm with no idea what i was going to do, walked down to the subway and got on the train. Decided to go to Grand Central Station (coolest station in the world) and picjed up a tourist guide. Flicked through that and decided to go to the Guggenheimer as it was raining. Looked round the museum, which i didnt like as much as MOMA, although the building itself inside is worth visiting alone for its design. Then decided to head to The Village. However the train didnt stop at my staion so i stayed on until City Hall where i got off and crossed by foot Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO. Brookly Bridge is awesome, took some great photos of the bridge, the views and the traffic below. Down at DUMBO they were having an arts festival, its become an artsy place in recent years, warehouses converted into lofts, galleries and workshops. All were open to the public this weekend and there were mad projections on all the buildings, music everywhere, food and drink in the streets. Walked around a bit, taking photos, watched an amazing brasilian samba band playing in the street and then followed them into a restaurant/bar where they continued playing and got everyone dancing.After this i was hungry so went and got a slice of pizza and a beer out on the street. Got chatting to some new yokers who invited me to a house party round the corner, what a party, it was a showcase for a couple of New York rock bands in an amazing loft appartment, the biggest i've ever been in, it had a proper stage and sound system and even a bar, and was full of mad decorations, subway signs, trapeezes hanging from the ceiling and some crazy artsy new york folk looking to PARTY. watched a great gig there and then went to a bar round the corner to unwind with my new friends andy, michelle and suzy, who thought my british accent was great!

So what else have i done in NY? Have had some great food, mostly in restaurants recomended by and dining with Couch Surfers Neil, Nelson and Connie along with other surfers passing through the city. HAve had Thai, Chinese in Chinatown, Cuban, Japanese, Italian, American style breakfasts (big!). Went to a great gig last night in the village, The Black Kids, with a Couchsurfer called Cathryn, who then took me to a really seedy 'dive bar', basically dive bars being cheap, dingy bars full of very drunk and often dodgy characters. The place was covered in graffiti, in parts entertaining ("Jesus Knievel") and others abusive ("Moose Tits"!?), had an awesome jukebox playing classic american and british rock, 3 selections for a dollar and a great bar staff, the guy knew everything about rock and was clearly not quite all there. The clientele were interesting to say the least, we chatted with Jesse, a new yorker musician/actor/blagger who got a bit too drunk, i was abused by afat drunk called Joel who sat in the corner, for being "dutch", apparently he doesnt like the Dutch, his drinking buddy proceeded to fall off his stoll and remain on the floor for the rest of the night. All in all, another great New York night.

Its not all parying though, have been to an excellent yoga class which was a bit like the kids from fame for some reason, i guess because there were loads of new york girls in leotards and leg warmers etc and have even managed to get in some kung fu training with a fellow couch surfer.

Anyway, have planned next stage of trip, train accross country, calling in at chicago and Minneapolis before reaching Seattle. It's a 2206 mile journey, should be interesting. I have split it into 3 to make it a bit more bearable, US trains are not high speed like in Europe so it will take about a week including stop offs, the air and oil industries lobby the govenment to prevent investment and improvements, the man is always there i guess trying to mess things up.

Thats my little rant over, trying to add a link to recent photos. here it is hopefully:

new york

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