So in an attempt to get writing again and with the subtle hint that
Po would like to here about my trip to the US... here I go,
Day 1: My birthday
As usual this holiday started with some insane rush packing the night before to be done in only a few hours. I havent decided if I pack best like this or the worst. Anyway.
That morning we woke up stupidly early to get to the airport STUPIDLY early - which turned out to be just the right amount of early. This was going to be a VERY long birthday, 35 hours to be exact (or something close to that) what with flying into the past through time zones.
We decided to go on this trip with a group of climbers that we have become friends with through a meetup.com climbing group. Having been on a few local UK trips we thought it would be rather smooth and trouble free as we would have an idea on what it was like travelling with the people already. Boy were we wrong... the scale of this trip was just not 11 people large group friendly...
But I must move onwards now. After an incredibly long wait to check in etc due to the fact it was Good Friday and one of the busiest travel periods but them only having 3 desks open for all the morning's flights we managed to get through to the boarding gate where most of the flight had already boarded. It was a completely full flight and actually overbooked which has them offering money to take a later flight.
What can one normally say about a flight - they are most just a long slog as you are sitting there wishing you would just get to your destination faster. The fact that the flight was in the middle of the day and we were flying with time it was very difficult to sleep.. Then the one time that I managed to fall into a deep sleep I was woken up by our group (who were scattered in seats all over) singing me happy birthday and popping champagne! Now that is not something you see everyday! LOL
Once landing in San Fran and not getting the best looks from the Immigration staff when we tried as a group of 7 people we tried to head through the exit past them with all our bags on only 2 trolleys! Oops. Also no one remembered to take down the details of the hostel so they didnt fill out their forms correctly -not so happy with us. But I was to annoy them more later...
Once we have all gotten though the exit with ALL the bags and were making plans to find transport and other headed off to get the one rental car I settled down to nice warm beverage since it was cold and miserable outside JUST like the weather we had left in London - not a good sign!
After a while I was showing off the wonderful features of my luggage which i'm very fond of, and was wondering if they had chopped off my non TSA lock since there was no lock on it anymore. So being the paranoid South African that I am I opened my bag to check that nothing was missing out of it - esp since I had some very expensive and essential climbing gear in there... BUT NO GEAR.... wait also not my clothes... WTF, oh shit, this isnt my bag!!
This was seriously a huge surprise for me. I mean I dont have ordinary luggage. It is an outdoor gear brand and quite specific in look and colour. It took a bit of searching to find this bag. But here obviously someone had the same bag as me and had taken mine and left me their. I did con my way back into the immigration area - which they did not like to get to the airline counter faster to try and hopefully find the person in the airport with my bag. CRISIS - this is not good. We were leaving San Fran the next day for Yosemite and could not have this delay - and I really wanted my own stuff esp the climbing gear.
After being walk all the way through SFO airport to the domestic terminal where the lost and found desk was there seems to be no one of any real use. They could only tell me that my bag wasnt there and they then just wanted to take the bag I had away from me. I just wanted to get a hold of the people and swop bags. possibly even in the city if necessary.
After having a quick look through I did find a little piece of paper with a name, address and phone number. I called the phone number only to wake up the daughter of the guy whos bag I had. He had apparently borrowed it from her. She didnt have any information for me at all... other then they might be renting a car but she doesnt even know where they are staying. So I had C running all over the rental terminal trying to find him and me trying the phone number that the daughter had given me to no avail.
Finally I had to give up the other bag to the airline and head to the hostel with the rest of the group.... If only I had waited another hour I may have gotten the bag back faster - oh well.
After all that stress adrenaline and very little sleep the rest of the (VERY long day) seemed quite tame:
We checked into the hostel, took a streetcar tram that San Fran is so famous for and couldnt afford last time I was there, ate fast food, wondered around the pier area, went to Hooters for birthday dinner, and then a lovely little club for cocktails near the hostel. A few of the group were literally falling asleep sitting at a table in the club so most of the group headed to bed or on a crazy drive around to see the bridge. I'm sorry I missed the bridge this time. I did get a little glimpse in the photo below, but I was just too tired after 35 hours I just wanted bed... after C and I got a little bit of time just the too of us and a last cocktail in the gorgeously gay friendly bar (where the waiter was SO enjoying his little flirt with C)
And that was that... Definitely a very different birthday then the normal.
*A gorgeous old school fire engine truck - complete with bell ringing guy on the back box
*Alcatraz and a submarine
* San Fran Tram ... I stood on the side board at the very front holding on to the long white pole for dear life. Most of the time I had only 1 foot on solid surface with the other one falling off. What a ride :)
