Santa Barbara - San Francisco

We left Santa Barbara early on Sunday morning and rejoined Highway 1 heading north. Navigating up this coastal road is relatively easy, you just need to remember to keep the ocean on the left and the hills on the right. Our next stop was San Luis Obispo which is only a few hours away so we decided to break our journey at Pismo Beach. This stretch of the shoreline is famous for its sand dunes and many people use the area for riding quad bikes. We were contented just sitting in the sun for an hour or so and watching the hustle and bustle. An hour later we were driving down the shady tree lined streets of San Luis Obispo. After checking into our small but comfortable hostel we explored the town on foot, passing by the famous Bubblegum Alley. Visitors to the town can add their own contribution to the thousands of pieces of chewing gum that plaster the walls of this narrow street. The town council once had this strange monument fully cleaned out but ever since it has regained it's title as one of the strangest landmarks in the United States. The town itself is reminiscent of Santa Barbara but further away from the sea and an awful lot more quiet. Nevertheless, the locals were incredibly friendly and we managed to have a very decent night out despite the fact it was a Sunday. One of the publicans was even kind enough to teach us how to play Texas Hold 'em, the most popular version of poker in the country. Luckily for us we weren't playing for money.
The next day we had a longer drive through more remote areas of the coastline towards Monterey. On the way we stopped at a protected beach where hundreds of elephant seals were lazing in the sand. One of the rangers working there informed us that there are some 35,000 of these strange looking mammals living along this area of the coast. The alpha male was 12 feet long and weighed two tons, it was amazing to see such large creatures in their natural habitat. From there on the road began to get narrower and narrower as it snaked its way up and around the headlands and into the national forest where we stopped for a picnic. The view from the tallest parts of the cliffs was phenomenal as all you could see was the sea as far as the eye could see and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We reached Monterey at dusk and settled in for a quiet night. The next morning we visited Monterey Bay Aquarium which has been voted the best aquarium in the states on several occasions. We spent hours watching sharks, yellow-fin tuna, jellyfish and countless other sea creatures going about their business. Some of the most entertaining animals were the sea otters who populate the bay itself. They dart around under the water with seemingly boundless energy wrestling each other and searching for food on the ocean floor. Many of the otters at the aquarium had been rescued at a few weeks old and are part of a big effort to boost the dwindling numbers in the Monterey area. We left the aquarium at dusk and headed an hour down the road to Santa Cruz. The hostel was very nice but unfortunately was the first place we have encountered that enforced a curfew, so we ended up staying in and watching a film.
On the way to San Francisco we stopped at another beach populated with surfers and spent a few hours soaking up the sun as we knew it would be our last opportunity to do so. Our hostel in San Francisco is small but well situated in the heart of Chinatown and within walking distance of most major attractions. The people here, the staff in particular, are all really friendly and we have spent a lot of time hanging around the common room in the evenings. In the past few days we have explored the Japan Center, the hippy haven that is the Haight-Ashbury district and the ritzy downtown area around Union Square. The city is divided into distinct districts that overlap as you wander up and down the rolling hills. Even though it is a large city it has such a relaxed atmosphere that it is impossible to feel overwhelmed. We are so glad we chose to end our trip here as San Francisco really has everything we could possibly want. Today we wandered around Fisherman's Wharf before catching the last tour boat to Alcatraz. We arrived on the island as the sun was setting which created a very moody atmosphere that complimented the stark cell block which looms over you at the top of the hill. On the audio tour we learned about some of The Rock's more famous inmates including Machine-Gun Kelly and Al Capone. We also heard tales of the many extravagant escape plans that had been attempted and failed over the years. Three men managed to escape the island by tunneling through their cells with spoons and creating models of their own heads out of soap to fool the guards. They have never been seen since, so it is uncertain whether they survived the mile and quarter swim through freezing water to the mainland. On our return trip we were treated to spectacular views of the city's skyline all lit up.
It's hard to believe that we've been out here for ten weeks but we couldn't imagine a better way to end what has been a once in a lifetime experience. We will spend tomorrow wondering around the city doing some last minute Christmas shopping before celebrating our last night in the States. This will almost certainly be the last blog entry that we make. So thank you very much to all of you that have taken time out to read our ramblings and leave your thoughtful comments. Hope to see you all soon, Happy Holidays!

San Diego - Santa Barbara

Ocean Beach is a really relaxed seaside town that is a breath of fresh air compared to the full on neons of the Las Vegas strip. We spent much of our time during the day wondering around the various strange boutiques that line the main street. In a simular situation to our time in Colorado people at the hostel are confused when we tell them that we don't surf. San Diego itself is reminiscent of Austin in that it is manageable small city and it is built around a vibrant central area known as the Gaslamp District. On Sunday we walked from the middle of town to the huge Balboa Park which houses all of the cities major museums and exhibitions and the world famous San Diego Zoo. The zoo had some of the most impressive purpose built habitats either of us have ever seen which allow you to get incredibly close to the animals without disturbing them. We spent hours watching gorillas, orangutans and hippopotomi that came within inches of our faces behind reinforced glass panels. One of the best exhibits was the purpose built panda enclosure where the zoo is attempting to stem their decline towards extinction through a unique breeding program. One of the new arrivals, a six month old female had managed to climb to the top of a very large tree and fall asleep, it was an endearing sight. It was great to see so many different species in one place and to discover yet more animals we didn't even know existed.
The following day we boarded our final Greyhound bus that would take us through downtown Los Angeles and in to the foothills of Hollywood. It was a great relief when we stepped off the bus because we knew that we wouldn't have to travel such long distances by bus again. The hostel was two blocks walk from the bus station on a street just off Hollywood Boulevard and four blocks from the Kodak Theatre. When checking in we booked an extra bed for Max who would be joining us a few days later. After getting something to eat we spent the evening wondering up and down Hollywood Blvd looking at some of the stars on the Walk of Fame. Los Angeles is so unimaginably massive that we decided to leave much of our sightseeing until we could pick up another rental car. That night we decided to get an early night so that we could rise early the next morning and go to Disneyland. The original Disneyland is so much smaller than the more modern parks at less than a quarter the size of Euro Disney. However, this seemed to make the experience all the more enjoyable as it was possible to see everything in one day. Because we went midweek in the off season it was also relatively deserted so the longest we had to queue for was about ten minutes. Many of the rides have been updated in line with Disney's more recent films and franchises but the world's first themepark still maintains it's original charm. Its was well worth the three hour round trip we had to get there and back.
The next day we had another two hour journey on public transport to pick up Max from Los Angeles International airport. Once he'd arrived we boarded an Alamo shuttle and were whisked away to pick up our rental car, a surprisingly flash Pontiac Grand Prix. It took us a further two hours to negotiate our way back through central LA and Beverley Hills in rush hour traffic. It was then we realised that it would make sense to get out of the city the next morning and begin making our way north towards San Francisco. So the next day after having breakfast at a local diner we drove up the coast through Malibu in the direction of Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is one of the most picturesque towns on the coast of California boasting soft sand beaches and white washed Spainish colonial buildings that give the town a real Mediterranean feel. We liked the look of the place so much that we decided to stay two nights. We have spent much of the day light hours at the beach and our evenings have been devoted to exploring State Street which has a wealth of restuarants, specialist shops and cocktail bars. Last night was the town's 54th annual Christmas parade which saw hundreds of children from the local schools performing and singing to welcome in the holiday season. It must be hard to get into the Christmas spirit here in southern California but they seemed to manage pretty well. The town's relaxed atmosphere and vibrant nightlife has been the perfect first stop on our whistlestop tour. Tomorrow we will be making our way towards San Luis Obispo on highway 1 and look forward to some spectacular seaviews. We only have ten days left of our trip so we are determined to make the most of it.