It’s been a wonderful journey to 16 countries - been to some of them even more than once! I met more and more new friends from all over the world and I even visited some of them in their own country. Learned how to say ‘Hi how are you doing’ in more than 10 different languages - if only I could remember them (note to myself: write more down!).

I spend Christmas in the snow.
I went skiing twice!
I experienced temperatures from +40 Celsius to -25 Celsius.
I swam in 3 different oceans.
I went from white to black and turned white again.
I tanned dark brown and back to normal again twice.
I went only 6 meters below sea level.
But reached 6088 meters above sea level.
I flew 17 times covering more than 36.000km.
Traveled more than 25.000km over land.
Collected 38 stamps in my passport.
Updated my blog 106 times.
Made almost 250GB worth of photos.
Lost or broke 3 cameras.
Luckily I got ill only twice.

In the many conversations I had with people some questions were always asked: What’s your favorite country? What’s you greatest experience? What’s your worst? Where would you go back to and why? Are you looking forward going home again? What will you do when you come home again? What is your next destination? Well, allow me to answer those questions.

Well, until recently my most favorite country on this trip was Colombia! But since my visit to Canada I felt in love with that country. So both countries are on my number one position. Both countries are amazing and worth many more visits!

On the Q what would be my greatest experience I can only say the entire trip. Yes I had so many highlight during this trip, did so many things I dreamed of for so long or never thought I would do them ever. I summed my top 5 a while ago - which I still have to update btw - but after thinking for it for a while the only logic answer can be the entire trip. Being able to travel, being able to do all the amazing things I did, being able to meet lovely people from around the world and sharing time, moments, impressions, cultural experiences, happiness, sadness, laughs and tears - that’s the greatest experience this trip gave me.

In 11 months you encounter many worse moments. From a camera that got stolen to being ill for a few days. But nothing comes close to having to say goodbye to people you travel with over and over again. Although that is part of the whole trip, having to say goodbye is my worst experience. But getting my huge camera stolen - AGAIN - comes on number two!

I would - and I absolutely WILL - go back to Canada! If I had to choose today where I want to go tomorrow, then it would be Vancouver. I want to visit every other country too, because every country is unique in their own way.

And am I looking forward of going home again? HELL YEAH! Can’t wait to eat all the delicious Dutch things we have, sleep in my own bed (!), cook in my own kitchen, take a number two on my own toilet but most important: seeing, talking and feeling my friends and family again.

The time of returning to my own country is coming faster and faster. Right now I am only 4 days away from the touch down! 4 DAYS LEFT ONLY! Once I am back it’s time to do that what everyone has to do: go back to work. Yet I don’t have a company to work for. But I do know what I want to do! So all I have to do is spread the word, send some letters, and hopefully the economy allows me to find a new job soon. Offers are welcome btw, email me!

And then there is always the question ‘what’s your next destination’. Well my friends, there are many! I have many new ideas what I want to do or where I want to go to. Crossing the Himalaya’s, road trip in New Zealand, backpacking in Israel.

But I learned some things from this trip. I want to change the way of traveling the next time. I want to share my next big adventure. I want to share it with a friend, a lover, a soul mate. Traveling alone is great, it’s the ultimate freedom of doing whatever you want to do without having to consult the other party. But we all know the famous quote “Happiness only real when shared”. You do share happiness, but only with strangers, not with someone you really know.

So for now I would - once again - thank everyone who was part of this amazing trip and experience. I love you all and would love to see you all again somewhere sometime. And remember that you’re always welcome in Holland!

It’s been a great year full of excitement, filled with happiness, great highlights, unexpected positive changes and finally a change to reflect the past and think about the future. Can’t wait to get home again!

Peace. Paz.

Flashback - I arrived in White Rock, small town near the USA border. Jordan picked me up and we chilled a bit at his place until his girlfriend Christianne came back home from work. I met them both down in Peru on the beach of Mancora. Actually, it was not on the beach but during a night out in Mancora. I remember that I was in a very boring hostel called Hostel Sol y Mar, and in the evening I just needed a beer. So I went walking down the street and randomly sat down at one of the many bars. I didn’t know anyone around me but during my second glass of beer, Jordan - or was is Christianne? - starts talking to me and we ended up talking about all kinds of stuff and drinking more beers and Caipirinha’s. I ended up being a really fun evening. So, in the next days we met up on the beach and just chilled out.

Anyhow, as with many people I kept in touch and now that I ended up in Canada I took the opportunity and called them up for a meeting. White Rock is about an hour away from Downtown Vancouver so I spend the night at their place. But not after we went out for dinner of course and talked about the whereabouts, great times we had in Mancora and future travel plans. Thanks so much guys for your hospitality!

The next morning I was excited - it was time to move to Vancouver. Jordan dropped me off at the SkyTrain which on it’s case dropped me off right in the middle of Downtown. I was able to crash at David’s place for a few nights but while he was working I just dropped my bags at a hostel and started wandering around in Downtown.

My first impression was really awesome - great buildings, very modern, clean streets, lots of nice shops and cafes, and many different neighborhoods. I walked towards the waterfront, turned right into Gastown with its little shops, many restaurants and cafes. It also has the famous Steam Clock build in the late 70’s. Great to see that it’s still working, but why the heck was the time wrong?

I continued to Chinatown - yes again another Chinatown - but as I walked over there I noticed the many homeless people hanging around in the streets and alleys. I think you can put the homeless people on the list of top attractions in Vancouver during the Olympics! So, Chinatown. Well, it turned out to be a boring place to walk through. Maybe I am just not a big fan of Chinatowns, I prefer the real China.

I quickly moved on to the waterfront and walked all the way to Stanley Park - saw many amazing huge yachts - and walked back again. It was time to get my bags and take the bus to Kitsilano where David settled down for a while. He is renting a small room there. After my arrival we left again for some beers and food in Kitsilano.

Chapter 2

The next day we headed to downtown again and this time the plan was walking along the waterfront all the way around Stanley Park. A roughly 12 km walk. The weather was really good so before we went walking we went up the Harbour Centre - Vancouver’s fourth highest skyscraper which has a 360 degrees viewing deck this “Lookout” tower is a must see! And best thing is, the ticket you buy - with an HI or student discount - is valid the whole day. So go in the morning for a wonderful day view and go in the evening for an even more impressive night view.

After wasting enough hard disk space on my camera it was time for the walk!

It took us nearly three hours to complete the walk around Stanley Park but that is because we stopped here and there to take some photos and to take a good look at the nearby mountains. Can’t believe that it is only a 40 minute bus ride to get there. That’s why many local people go there just for a day to have some fun. SO JARLOUS!

Anyway, we finished the day in Kitsilano again, this time at a Mexican restaurant with two other people. Mike and Jeanna joined us this time, a biking couple we met down in -guess from where? - yes down in Peru again. Both were on a journey all the way from Vancouver down to Ushuaia - on a bike! CRAZY! We met them during the Inti Rymi festival in Arequipa - we (or they) just happened to sit next to them (or us). I remember - flashback again - that we got talking and after all the riots and stuff an older guy passed out in front of us and we all helped out. After the rescue people arrived we followed them to get out of the madness and walked down in the center to get a drink.  We only met that one day in Arequipa, but as so often, we exchanged email address and so I emailed them.

We had a lot of drinks during the dinner and chatted about our travels, our experiences, memories and stuff until it was time to move to the next bar. And again the beer was running fast and we (or I) ended up drunk. But it was an amazing evening and great seeing them again after nearly 7 months!

Chapter 3

The following day we slept in until noon. And still a little hangover I headed out for a walk to Granville Island. On Granville Island there is a huge Public Market with many sorts of food and drinks. Great place to take a small rest for a while.

In the evening I met up with yet another person I met on my travels - yes AGAIN and guess where! - well no, not in Peru this time but in Argentina. While I was traveling with Kelsey and David in Mendoza I met Janna. A wonderful girl from Vancouver where I spend a few days with. We exchanged email addresses back in the days and here we are again, sitting in a restaurant drinking a beer and having some food. I also switched couches because hers was much bigger than David’s.

So, to make a long story very short: Vancouver is amazing! I think Vancouver just beaten another amazing city from being number one - sorry San Francisco! Vancouver’s atmosphere, the people, the climate, the marvelous views on the mountain and the sea, the beautiful walks you can make, the architecture of all the buildings, the public library, the many cafés and two other facts:
1. Vancouver’s name comes from a British guy called George Vancouver - BUT - the name Vancouver comes from ‘Van Coevorden’, and Coevorden is a place in Holland!
2. A great Sci-Fi serie called Battlestar Galactica was shot here in the 70’s.

Chapter 4

As always I need to say something important: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thanks you Jordan and Christianne for the pick-up in White Rock, the dinner and the couch! Thank you David, once again and this for the last time because this is where out ways split. Until we meet again! Thank you Mike and Jeanna for the wonderful night out in Kitsilano. And thank you Janna for the last two nights on your couch. I enjoyed seeing you all again and bringing up some great memories we had. Until we all meet again, somewhere sometime!

Anyways, as said, on the 6th I took a plane to Victoria. After I was told this is one of Canada’s most beautiful places I just had to check that out. I arrived early in the morning and found my way to Saanich, a part of Victoria near the University. On CouchSurfing.org I found a place to stay, because hostels here are charging a ridiculous amount of 25 CAD a night. My host was friendly and explained a lot about his city, although he wasn’t from here and I had a hard time understanding him sometimes.

I explored Victoria in two days only, and that was enough. The first day I took a bus to Downtown and walked around in the oldest Chinatown of North America - believe it or not, Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada - founded in 1858 - and second oldest in North America after San Francisco - founded 1848. I walked through it but I wasn’t really impressed. There is nothing special to see or to do, nor did it really looked old. I visited the botanic garden in the middle of it, but once again, I wasn’t impressed. But, maybe I didn’t saw what I should have seen there, or maybe I wasn’t on the right day or time.

So I continued towards downtown, made the ’scenic waterfront walk’ along the harbor. Nice views on some old buildings - well, old is here relative of course - and visited the British Columbia Parliament Buildings - 1893 - which is free. There are guided tours available but you can also take a tour on your own. An information book is available in many languages - even in Dutch! - and finding your way through the building is very easy.

After that I crossed the street and visited the Royal British Columbia Museum which is in the same building as the IMAX Theater. That day, the entrée fee was a donation - free! I was impressed by this museum. The expositions were great and the museum was bigger than it looks from the outside. The most impressive part was the natural history gallery, finally something other than Inca’s, Mayas or masks. The popular woolly mammoth - in real size - was amazing! One part of the museum had a classic theme and displayed ‘gadgets’ from the 70’s and 80’s, and even played Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Gold Rush‘ from 1925. This museum is definitely worth the money and the visit!

The Scenic Beach Drive on foot

The next day, I started early, crossed through the UVIC and headed to the edge of Victoria. From here I followed the Scenic Beach Drive all the way to downtown. Normally you do this by car but it was a nice sunny day and I was up for a walk. It took my nearly 4 hours to walk the whole 20 km but it was more than worth doing it! I stopped at many wonderful view points, saw the Snow Mountains in the distance and even took off my jacket because the sun was nice and warm. 20 km seems far, but there are no mountains to cross, which makes this walk very easy.  I entered the walk into Google Maps - http://bit.ly/7yr2WX - for those of you who want to do the same walk. There are two points of interest, and you can find them on these GPS locations:
1. Viewpoint at http://bit.ly/4Yz5hd
2. Blue Chair at http://bit.ly/90irFj

Okay, enough about Victoria - been there, done that - because the same night as my walk I met up with Seb and Natasha from the UK. Seb is Bella’s brother where I traveled with in Colombia. We emailed a few days before I came and they invited me over to their place. So after the dinner we picked up my bags - I quickly said goodbye to my CS host - and we drove off to their place. Seb and Natasha are teachers at the Pearson College in Metchosin. Surrounded by beautiful nature I stayed with them for a few nights. I explored the woods surrounding the college, did some bigger walks, went with Natasha and their dog to China Beach, rented a car and drove all the way to Tofino and Ucluelet, back to Metchosin and up to Port Renfrew. 1000 km in two days.

I love Vancouver Island! There are so many wonderful places, so many incredible hikes you can do. My favorite places are China Beach and the hike along the beach. You can hike as much as you want because a one way is about 60 km. Near Tofino and Ucluelet are many more hikes and the beaches are easily reachable by car. I was there with stormy weather, so I did some storm watching. I also went to Port Renfrew from where the famous West Coast Trail starts. If you love nature, and you like hiking, this island is the place to be! Oh, and of course also if you are into surfing. Great waves are found on several beaches.

I enjoyed staying with Seb, Natasha and their dog Ridley. Thanks for letting me stay guys!!

From Victoria I took the ferry up to Vancouver. It’s a 1,5 hour boat ride and costs only 13,50 CAD. Once here, I took some buses to make it first down to a small place called White Rock where Jordan picked me up. I once again met two wonderful people where I spend some time with in Peru.

More photos are here.

Calgary itself didn’t had much to offer, except that we celebrated New Years Eve there. The five of us - me, David, Kelsey, Todd and Krista - went to a bar in Downtown, sat down at a table and started drinking local beers. Just before midnights we moved to the dance floor and counted down till 2010. For the first time I didn’t had a glass of champagne in my hands and I didn’t see any fireworks.

But 2010 started AWESOME! We drove down to Lake Louise where we once again went skiing for a day! We stayed at an HI hostel near the lake and near the ski area. It’s so much more different than Europe, because none of the villages are near the ski lifts. To get there everyone has to go by car. Once there it’s a chaos finding a parking spot but that’s all part of the game.

Skiing was absolutely fantastic, due to the great snow conditions. It snowed the days before and there was tons of fresh powder snow. We even went down a double black run with at least 20 cm of new snow. AWESOME!

We finished the day at the Canadian “Après Ski” bar - which is, just a regular bar outside with the radio on. Nothing compared what the Austrians do. But there is us and there is beer. We continued the Après Ski party in the hostel with more beers and good food.
But then came a sad moment, the moment David left, and the moment I had to leave as well. David went back to Vancouver on the 4th, and my plane left the 6th. I spend the last day with Kelsey talking about the fantastic time we had - here in Canada but also in South America - and working out at an enormous indoor gym.

Unfortunately I can’t stay forever. I had once again to move on to my next adventure. Kelsey, I will never forget you, and everything you did for us during our stay. You made us feel like being home again, you entertained us all those days, you drove us everywhere and you never got bored of us. You did a wonderful job and for that I am very grateful! THANKS KEL!! Also a big thank you to Todd, who let us stay for a few nights at his house and who joined us skiing in Lake Louise. THANKS TODD!

Next stop: Victoria!

So the next day we got up early, rented our equipment we needed, and the whole day we raced down the hill and had a lot of fun. Skiing in the Rocky Mountain: been there, done that!

On our last day, we all went on a tour to the Maligne River, which in the winter is totally frozen and has some spectacular view and ice formations. One part of the river is called the Maligne Canyon, and it’s the deepest point of the whole river. Our tour guide guided us through the canyon, over the ice to some huge ice formations. We even went into an ice cave and at some parts the ice was so thin that we were standing in 15 cm ice water.

The same day, me David and Kelsey, made the long way to Calgary. Unfortunately we were not able to take highway 93, better known as the mountain highway or Icefields Parkway which is one of the world most spectacular mountain highways. There was too much snow and the road was icy.

More photos are here

I met wonderful people here, I did all the touristic attractions, did great hikes around the city and I had lots of tea in lots of cafés.

So on this point I want to say a big thank you to Veronica - who hosted me several nights at her place in San Mateo and took me to some incredible hikes in the area - to Eileen - a friend of Veronica who took me to Bodoga Bay - and an even bigger thank you to Jigna - who hosted me the most part of the month. I was her guest and therefore she took me to some dinner parties with her friends, an big gala of her work in the City Hall, we did some hikes, we drove to viewpoints in the city, and we went dancing at some nightclubs. I can’t express how much I appreciate all the hospitality you guys gave me! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

But after a month it was time to move on because I had Christmas plans! Kelsey from Canada invited me over to spend Christmas with her and her family in Edmonton. So on the 20th of December I took a flight from San Francisco - via Las Vegas - to Edmonton. Those were two short flights with a long break in Las Vegas. And I almost missed my first flight!

Jigna brought me to the airport where I started my ’self check in’. But somehow my passport wouldn’t scan so I had to join the long waiting line for the manual check in. It took me about 1,5 hours before I was able to check - and at this point I was 25 minutes away from take off and I still had to pass the security check point where about 200 people were lined up. But after I explained that time was running out the guy from the desk walked me to the security check point all the way to the front. The whole security stuff took about 10 minutes and by the time I arrived at the gate I was the last one entering the plane.

It took an hour to get to Las Vegas where I had to wait 5 hours for the next 3 hour flight to Edmonton. The last flight with Air Canada was empty and to my surprise everyone had their own little screen providing movies, music and games. AWESOME!

I landed in Edmonton at 2 AM and after some strange immigration questions - “how much money do you have?”, “how much money do you have at your bank?”, “who do you know here in Canada?” - I passed the customs and outside in the waiting lobby David and Kelsey where already waiting for me! Finally I met my two friends from South America again.

I unpacked my new winter jacked because outside the temperature was -20 C! Yes I reached another highlight on time trip. Temperatures far below zero at a normal altitude. The last time I felt -20 was on the top of Huayna Potosi in Bolivia at 6088 meters above sea level.

We loaded the bags into Kelsey’s car and she drove us to her nice apartment in the center of Edmonton. We opened some bottles of local beer and chatted about what we have been up to the last months and what the plans were for the upcoming days. It was nice seeing them and again and be able to talk to them after such a long time.

The next morning none of us woke up early. Around noon all of us got up, took a shower and had some breakfast. Outside it was cold but sunny, so we went for our first true Canadian experience: tobogganing. We went down the hill so fast and trying to avoid other small children - man it was a blast!

Christmas!

Since I am thousands of miles away from home, I was invited by Kelsey’s parents Linda and Larry to spend the Christmas days with them and their whole family. Kelsey and her family had some great things planned for us and took us everywhere. Linda, Kelsey’s mom, made an incredible breakfast every morning, a wonderful dinner in the evenings, we went to the cinema to see Avatar in 3D, we went bowling with the hole family, we went again tobogganing, we drank a lot of beers and we played a game called ‘Things‘.

I also joined the family for church! Yes never thought that I would end up in a Canadian church for Christmas. But since this is what they do, I just wanted to join them. After we came home and had your Christmas dinner, we all gathered around in the living room and picked one by one a present from Santa from under the Christmas tree. And to my surprise, Santa knew that I was at Kelsey’s parents place with Christmas, because he (or she) left something for me. THANKS SANTA(S)!

Coming up: Skiing in the Rocky Mountains (Jasper)

Here is a nice movie I made in English (Dutch version is below):

Dutch version:

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Located about an hour south of San Francisco. Getting here requires a car since there is no public transportation going that way. The drive is beautiful since you are entering the Redwoods through a long and windy road. You will see some pretty big trees on your way.

At the park office you have to pay a 10 dollar entrée fee which is basically a parking fee. Also pretty useful is the 3 dollar map of the park in case you get lost. The park has over 80 miles of trails.

The longest, most strenuous and most beautiful hike is the 11 mile Berry Creek Falls via Skyline to the Sea and Sunset Trail. It takes a normal hiker at least 6 hours to complete the trek, but it’s doable in 4 if you are a fast and strong hiker.

Together with my host I did this fantastic hike and took some incredible photos. The path is a small dirt trail and goes straight through the forest. The trees here are huge and very tall. Half way there are 4 beautiful waterfalls where you can take a rest and take some photos. The climb up the hill here at the waterfalls is pretty steep and hard. But worth doing because once you are up the hill you will have some nice views over the forest.

Bodega Bay

Have you even seen the movie ‘The Birds‘ from Hitchcock? Well this classic movie has been shot in the beautiful Bodega Bay Area about one and a half hour drive from San Francisco. Getting there is easy but requires a car again. You just drive all the way to Bodega Bay and at the end of the road there is a parking lot where you can park for free.

The whole sea line drops down a couple of meters ending in the water. Huge waves splash onto the rocks and create a beautiful and spectacular scenery. There are two trails - one is going south the other north. No matter which trail you choose, you will have amazing views down to the rocks from either routes. Choose a nice beautiful day since it can get very cold and windy out there.

But it’s a beautiful day to go to jail, so without any resistance I get into the police car for a short ride to Pier 33. Me and some 100 other persons are lined up and waiting for the transfer to Alcatraz!

The boat transfers us to the isolated island. We get dropped off. Then it’s a short walk up to the main prison. This is it! Will I be locked for ever behind these walls? Or will I be able to escape?

Once I am inside I am surrounded by gates, I follow a red marked trail on the floor to a person handing out audio sets. In today modern prisons all criminals arriving they get audio sets with instructions about where to go and what to do. So I choose my own language, click in the start button and start walking.

It’s busy today - many prisoners arrived. The tour takes about 40 minutes and is told by an old office called Patrick Mahoney. Patrick tells about his live on the family, how he and his colleges worked with the inmates, how they saw people got killed, and how people tried to escape. He and his family lived on the island in a different part of the island, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco.

The tour is great and gives lots of information about the 29 years operation of Alcatraz. Walking along the cells gives you an idea how the prisoners lived here or maybe better said, didn’t lived here. It must have been very lonely for those prisoners. I also remember that Patrick said ‘Not only the prisoners where the prisoners, but also the guards who lived on the island with their families.’ All guards and their families lived on the island, and where able to get to San Francisco by boat, but always returned to stay the night on the island.

After the audio tour I saw my change! My change to escape! There was a door open, and a boat coming with more prisoners. So I took my change, ran outside towards the boat, jumped on and luckily no one saw me doing that.

It’s been a great experience and a must see here in San Francisco! Alcatraz - been here, done it!

Rachel and Scott have a wonderful apartment in the Mission District. Close to public transportation, parks, restaurants and bars. They turned their living room into a bedroom, gave me a key to their apartment and I was able to use one of their bikes! Absolutely fantastic!

I stayed in total 5 days at their place until they had to leave for Thanksgiving. During my stay there I took the bike for several rides and discovered this beautiful city. It’s so different then Los Angeles, all my stereotype thoughts were gone! Well almost all of them.

Right now I am still in San Francisco and won’t leave this city until the 20th of December. During this month I also visited Portland so I have been out of the city! So what have I been up to..

Biking through San Francisco

The best way to see San Francisco - or any other city - is by bike! During my stay here in San Francisco the weather was absolutely wonderful; blue sky, mild temperature, no wind - just perfect!

On a bike you can stop wherever you want and you are flexible in where you want to go. So I went from the Mission down Market Street to the Port of San Francisco. From there I turned left passing all the old docks toward Fisherman’s Wharf where I made a small break. I continued along the beach crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and took another break at the Vista Point viewpoint. From here you have a great view on this city with all the huge skyscrapers.

The way back went along the coast again to Ocean Beach. I passed the Cliff House with its beautiful rocks in the water where the waves are breaking. Amazing to watch! I went through the Golden Gate Park and stopped at many sights to take some photos.

But the fun part of biking in San Francisco - or better the hard part - is going back home without going to much uphill. San Francisco has some pretty high hills so the best way is to go around them. But since I am used to ride a bike and I love going uphill I took some steep streets. The reward: some amazing views down the streets! So if you up for a ride, take the bike!

Taking the public transportation

Another easy way to explore this city is by taking the public transportation. There are several types of transportation here - the BART, the MUNI, the CalTrain, the bus and the cable cars. The BART and the MUNI are a sort of subway, going to all parts of the Bay Area and are fast. The Caltrain connects San Jose with downtown San Francisco and is fast but not worth taking when you stay inside the city. Then there are many buses going all directions. They are slow because of the traffic and the many stops they make. But since the BART and the MUNI are only connecting one side of the city, you have to take either a cable car or a bus to get somewhere.

I took a day pass - 11 dollars - to explore the city by cable car and bus. First I took 4 cable cars to get up to Nub Hill and to the other side of the city - Fisherman’s Warf. From there I took several buses back to the BART station. I didn’t see much of the city since I spend the most time in buses.

Bus fares are 2 dollars, and you can take as many buses as you want. The ticket expires in 2 hours. A one way ticket for a cable car costs 5 dollar! BART rides are about 1,75. So a day ticket is worth If you take a cable car for at least 2 rides.

Fisherman’s Wharf

You can’t visit San Francisco without seeing Pier 39. It’s one of the top attractions here in San Francisco. There are many restaurants, bars, game halls, souvenir shops and at the end of the pier you will have a nice view on Alcatraz. There is also a great view on the sea lions that are relaxing in the sun. You can’t miss them, just follow the smell of them or look where the most tourists are standing.

Lombard Street

It is famous for having a steep, one-block section that consists of tight hairpin turns. Getting here is kinda hard since there is not many public transportation stopping nearby. But you can get close enough and then just walk over here. Again there will be many tourists here and cars driving down the street. But it’s again one of the highlights here in San Francisco and a must see.

COIT Tower

Another must see thing here in San Francisco is the COIT tower atop Telegraph Hill. It’s a 64 meter high tower with an amazing 360 degree view over the city. It costs 5 dollars to take the lift up, but definitely worth doing.

SFMOSA

I took a visit to The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) which is in downtown San Francisco. I got a free entrée pass from my friends which saved me 20 bugs! It’s a modern building with many famous and interesting collections of art. During my visit there was an exhibition of Candice Breitz - Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon) - which was absolutely fantastic! 25 video screens of different people singing the same song, without music. Hilarious to see!!!

China Town

Well China Town was really disappointing.. again just some streets with a high occupation of Chinese people and shops. If you are looking for something special, something from China, this is the place to be. And maybe it’s nice to walk through this part of the city but to say it’s a must see.. not really.

Other sighs

Well there are many district which are worth a visit. Financial district for the huge skyscrapers, the Mission district for the beautiful wall murals, bars and restaurants, little Italy for the pasta and pizza’s and the Haight district for shopping. Whenever you have more time to spend here in SF, make sure to visit all parts of the town, either by walking or taking a bike.

End of part one!

Coming up stories: My escape from Alcatraz - Breathtaking views from breathtaking national parks around San Francisco - Highway 1 - TopTips for a cheap San Francisco & How To Waist Time  In San Francisco.