Round the World Trip 1997/98

18/10/97

I'm just waiting for my flight to San Francisco, I'm dead tired, didn't have much sleep last night.

I went rollerblading with Anthony (weird Aussie), Lorraine (Irish) and Kerstin (German) yesterday. It was hillarious. It was gorgeous weather, quite warm and sunny. We were having a relaxing day, rollerblading, sitting around and talking. We went back to the hostel around 6pm.

Back at the hostel B.K. asked us if we wanted to go to a pub ... and so we did. B.K. (Banana Bungalow 'Tour Guide'), Anthony, Lorraine, Bert (Aussie), Red (Aussie), a Norwegian bloke an me took a cab to the first pub. B.K. gave Anthony what he thought was $12 to pay the cab driver but it was only $4. Anthony had only $6 left. The rest of us was already gone so we couldn't help out. Poor guy! Anthony got away somehow. The cab driver probably thought we did it deliberately, which we didn't.

In 'Bar Mousse' we paid $5 and up until 10pm we could drink as much as we wanted. We must have had 50 or more beer in advance. Around midnight or so we went to a Blues Café, which was great. I think around 3am we went back to the hostel. Red - his real name is Adrian by the way - and I hung around the hall for a while, talking and flirting. He tells so much bullshit but I'll give him a ring anyway when I'm in OZ.

Met Lorraine, Kerstin and the two English blokes from Leicester at breakfast. After that I had to leave for the airport. I left the hostel at just after 9am, took me ages to get to JFK. I wasn't late though, even got a window seat on the flight to San Francisco.

Phoned up a few hostels from the airport, most of them were already booked up. I really should have booked ahead. Stupid me! Got a bed eventually at the 'Globetrotters Inn' at Ellis Street in Tenderloin, not one of the best neighbourhoods in San Francisco. It looks like that not many people usually take public transport from the airports. It seemed like I have been the only tourist/traveller on the bus.

So far the Hostel is just about o.k. The area isn't so nice though.

San Francisco seems so small compared to New York. I've to say that New York really impressed me.