Whilst there was still a bunch of screwing around, the fine team of Marcial/Clark achieved everything on time, and under budget. I realise that I've gotten pretty good at timing and sequencing events and journeys - I should move into logistics.
It was surreal to be out of the desert and back amongst civilisation - so we celebrated by stuffing our gullets full of fine food and wine.
2 Minute Food Updates
Spork - A curious name for a curious restaurant. Situated on the site of an old KFC outlet this was obviously a place for the young and hip to dine. Noisy, warm and small - the food was excellent, and the service atrocious. Cue waitress with bad attitude. Remind me why we tip again? Not bad enough to put me off though. Would definitely dine here again. Recommended.
Paul K Restaurant - "Only 14 blocks away" - we were glad we didn't try to walk (or should that be run) for our reservation. Once seated we were the only patrons. Perfect. Fine mediterranean influenced food. Excellent cocktails. Great gay service. Highly recommended.
Hang Ah Tea Room - Advertising themselves to be the oldest dim sum (or yum cha for us Australians) house in San Francisco and sporting fabulous flourescant decor. There are no trolleys, but the dum sum are excellent, and the prices will leave you wondering whether they left half your order off the bill. Of course you could find better yum cha in SF, but at this combination of price and quality why would you bother?
Boulette's Larder - There is something perculiar about food in the US - there appears to be no good food at the middle price level. For example, Dangerous Dan and I each had a terrible plate of Mexican food at a small restaurant - total cost of meal, over $40. Or you could attend Boulette's Larder and feast on the excellent lunchtime fare, for not much more. Housed in the SF Ferry Terminal (an excellent building for gourmet ingredients) the Larder should not be missed if you are in downtown SF.
Sushi Ran - A short ferry ride over to the opulence that is Sausalito will deliver you into the hustle and bustle of Sushi Ran. We opened with a sake champagne cocktail, which I think we all agree was terrible. There is no doubt that Sushi Ran delivers excellent Japanese food, although I felt that this was in fact the weakest of the restaurants we dined in - perhaps it was the preppy crowd, or the hurried service - I'm not sure. Still if Japanese is your thing, then you can't go wrong here. The lobster gyoza should not be missed.
Whilst it wasn't a dining place, I should mention the bar at the Phoenix Hotel. Excellent happy hour cocktails, albeit slowly and in a surly manner.
The End of SF
As they say, all good things come to an end. On Friday the 5th I farewelled Dan, Ene and Frank and headed down to Alameda to wrap up the trip. I can honestly say that the Burning Man/SF experience was overwhelmingly positive, and I find myself yearning for a bit of dust in my hair.
The next week or so passed pretty quickly. I finally sold the Jeep (for a pittance) packaged up all our remaining stuff and had it shipped, and ate up a storm at my Aunties place. Finally, it was time to say goodbye, and head out to the airport.
The flights went smoothly, and I arrived in Melbourne safely. It was pretty strange to be back.
Final Musings
It's so hard to sum up 15 months of travel and experience. By now you've seen lots of photos and put up with lots of words, so I hope this has given you some insight to the wonderful experience it's been. Some quick notes and thoughts:
The Awesome
- Waking up every day and seeing something new. OK we woke up every day and saw the same brown decor, but you get the idea.
- Snowboarding five times a week. It's unreal. Really. You should try it sometime. Unless you're Wilma and you break your wrist. Don't do that.
- Crater Lake - 30 foot of snow and the sun shining on a polished blue mirror. Doesn't get much better than that.
- Photographing a bear cub in the woods @ Yellowstone. More scary than sharks at night.
- The Playa - endless heat, dust and irritation. Somehow though, the little dust particles change your brain and you find yourself yearning for dust. DUST I TELL YOU!!
- All the great people we met. Tom, Barb, Bob, Robyn, The Swiss, Ian & all the gang at Riverside RV, Dan G, Prewitt, Jeff, Luke, Mason, Clayton, Paul, Tunnel & all the other boys at BSM, Booker, Claire, Rich, Alex, Zoe, Ene, Bill, Harry, Rich2, and last but not least, my fake relatives everywhere - being chinese world over. You can't buy these experiences....
The Excellent
- The Turd and the Jeep - Despite the odds, our machinery came through when we needed it most. We miss you, but you will live on in our hearts.
- Every single park we visited. There was something different at each one. As I drive through the concrete jungle I find myself missing the outdoors and being greasy all the time. Mmm.. grease.
- Mechanical repairs in the bitter cold, or the searing heat. Having a workshop will seem like working in heaven.
- The Weber. I hope the hippies who have you now get as much use out of you as we did. Blackened chicken aside, a reliable partner in our gastronomic adventures.
- Free WiFi at RV parks - why can't hotels do the same?
The Average
- Working for crappy pay. Really, it's not that good.
- The price of booze in Canada. Also see above.
- Breaking down and waiting 10 hours for a tow truck.
- Changing an alternator in the ice. Replacing fuel-rail o-rings in the snow. Actually all mechanics in the cold and hot. It only makes it into the "excellent" because I am deluded.
The Shite
- The entire Bohannan family. Enough said.
- Losing money to churchies. See above.
- Did I mention David?
- Andrew - the dog who broke my lenses. Yes, you are a dog. A spineless dog.
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