Day 5 in SF

The pub crawl was so good! We went to three bars, the first of which was this really excellent wooden lodge type affair. It was absolutely roasting and desperately understaffed, but pretty cheap, with a fine selection of booze on offer. There was also a jukebox which is always a bonus. After drinking a couple of beers there, the group walked en masse to the next place, having been fore-advised of the $2 beer offer they do. I didn't drink any, but was introduced to the wonder that is vodka and ginger ale, with a wedge of lemon. I had several of these, dropped about a dozen pieces of lemon and got pretty hammered. There was a really excitable old Hawaiian guy at the bar who was fun to talk to. I stayed at the third bar for one drink and then decided it was a good time to get a cab home.

The next day I got up early, knowing that the kitchen would be empty. It pretty much was, although there were some people in their looking a bit pale after the night before. I had pancakes then chatted with Giovanna about what to do on my last day. We were both pretty shattered, so we decided to go to Ocean Beach with Marie once I had checked out. We got there and stayed for about an hour before the fog rolled in. While we were on the beach we chatted with a guy who surfs there regularly, and he told us that last year a blue whale had gotten beached there, and after it died they buried it in a massive pit on the beach. It'd be ace if in a few years they could dig up the bones.

When the fog hit we decided to make a move, and went back to the hostel. Giovanna and I went down the road to get more pancakes then chilled on the hostel's excellent sofas for a bit. I didn't fancy doing much before leaving the city, so it was nice to get some relaxing done.

After undergoing intense hassle relating to withdrawing money from my bank account, I managed to get to the bus stop in time. Everyone looked a bit wary; there seemed to be loads of us, each eyeing the crowd and then the bus, wondering how we were all going to fit in. After a lot of fannying about we managed to get on and get moving. We stopped later that night at a Walmart 2 hours down the road to get some last-minute supplies and to do 'The Miracle'.

Basically the bus was separated into three sections: the back pads, which was basically one big bed that was always out, day and night. 12 people would sleep on there. In the middle were 2 dinettes - a table and 2 benches on each side. In the front were two benches, with a gangway in the middle. The Miracle involved turning the dinettes into four bunks, and the front section into one big bed. Eight people would also sleep in the luggage racks. It sounded unbelievable, but it happened. It was a real sight.

I was really bummed to leave San Francisco; I'd had a really amazing time there and was starting a tour I knew very little about, with 35 people I'd never met before. I felt sad when we crossed the Bay Bridge and left the city behind, but I soon got talking to Julie, Amy and Nancy, who would become my buddies, to stop me from being left behind at a 4am toilet stop.

SF was truly amazing. I had seen the most beautiful architecture, had fantastic weather, had eaten great food and met some really fun, friendly and interesting people. I cannot wait to go back.