I've been in a funk since our trip back to the states. It's hard to go back home and then come back here. Just a little tease to remind me of what I'm missing. A little time with family to pull at my heart-strings. A little taste of American (and Mexican and Indian and Thai and Italian...did I mention Mexican?) food to leave me craving more.
I'm not saying I don't like it here. I really do. But after a while you realize this really isn't a vacation, that you've really decided to live in another country for several months (and abandon your precious little dog), and simultaneously remember that there's no place like home.
So it maybe wasn't the best idea to go back home when we were already feeling a little homesick. But the trip really was fun.
I spent most of the time in Reno, NV, visiting my parents while my husband worked in California. It was really good to spend some time with them, and be out in big open spaces again with a lot of nature and cool temperatures.
The last few days we spent in San Francisco, and had a really great time. One day we went to Muir Woods and hiked around in the massive old trees. It was so peaceful - a much needed rest from this hot smelly crazy big city kind of life.
In the city we spent a lot of time just walking around. We did some shopping (which was fantastic! Oh how I've missed stores with clothes that fit me!), and a lot of eating and drinking (more about this in a minute), and people watching, which is always fun in crazy San Francisco.
We spent one entire day and night walking around the town on a mini pub crawl. My sister-in-law and her husband joined us and we sampled libations in bars all over the city. We hadn't planned on going to this one, but when we saw the sign hanging outside the door, we had to stop in.
We also finally made it to Jack Keruoac Alley, which I've been wanting to see for years, but even after living in the bay area hadn't ever made it to. It was worth the trip. There are some seriously funky little bars up in this part of town, and some seriously funky people hiding out in them. Unfortunately by the time we made it this far, it was a little hard to take a clear picture. Here's what I managed to get.
 |
| Jack Keruoac Alley |
Spec's Bar - there were definitely some seedy elements lounging around the bar. Wouldn't really want to see this place at night.
Obviously this is where I began losing my ability to take pictures. Vesuvio was really cool though - it was old and smelly and had creaking wood floors and angry waitresses. Supposedly this is where the beat generation did a lot of their finest work (which is probably why none of it came out much better than my picture)
We spent the next day recovering, walking around the Fisherman's Wharf area. More people watching, more eating, more drinking ensued.
Even though it made me miss home even more, I'm glad we got a chance to go back home for a little while. It's been a week since we left, and I think we're finally starting to get our groove back again, starting to get back in the mood to experience Asia. Tomorrow we leave for Penang, Malaysia for a visit with friends and some beach time and great eating. Stay tuned - great pictures and stories are on their way! I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from San Francisco - a quote on the ground (I think it was in or near Jack Keruoac Alley but I could be wrong. My memory of that day was a little fuzzy)
Sounds like so much fun. Wish I could have been there!
-Bri
Hey, great update. I appreciated your comments on the Beat Generation. Have fun in Malaysia.
- Your Brother