Well I can assure you it's been a brilliant first two days here - all quite surreal too, being the first stop of the trip. It went something like this:

My friend from uni, Justin, was at San Francisco airport to meet us - Haven't seen him in about two years so that was a good feeling. He drove us to our hostel and as you can imagine, the whole 25 minute journey on route, Ketan and I were somewhat overwhelmed, tired and in shock slightly. All in a good way, of course.

Later that day Justin took us to Fishermans Wharf - amazingly tacky but fun place and very busy as it was Labour Day (equivalent to our Bank holiday), which we didn't realise until I thought to ask Justin if San Francisco was always this busy...

We went to Haight Ashbury which is full of hippies, homosexuals and general eccentric sorts. Something very obvious about SF is the eccentricity, wierdness and diversity of the city. It's a very socially liberal place. Each neighbourhood is unique by personality, yet the layout of the long, steep hills really makes the city what it is.

This morning we headed straight to Pierr 33 on Fisherman's Wharf to get our boat to Alcatraz Island. We actually caught our boat in the nick of time - slow walking and confusing maps didn't bode well with our time management. Still, was definately worth it, the prison seeps with history and stories to tell. Got some fab photos, which will be posted when I leave here.

We met Justin again in the evening and he took us to more amazing parts of town like Castro, which is the gay neighbourhood, and we headed towards Western S.F where we went to a beach with stunning panoramic views. As the sun set, the views brought the city to life. We were quite high up at one point, and the views were out of this world.

So back at the hostel right now and looking forward to our last day here, especially seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. Sorry for the length of this post, I promise it's just First Day Fever!