Backpacking

"Yeah."
"Let's do it!"
"OK, smile... one... two... three..."
(Tongues appear)
(Click!)
The photographer lady didn't look the slightest bit impressed!

The short boat ride saw us arriving like fresh fish inmates on Alcatraz island. Stephen "Sister" James, convicted for heinous crimes against facial and cranial hairstyles, and Katherine "Brother" Colvin, in for running Stop signs all across the state of Florida.

We switched on our Audio Tours at the appropriate point as we entered the former prison. The tour added an extra magical dimension to the rusting, musty place; behind the commentary were eerie sound effects; metal pipes banging, calls and wolf-whistles as you walked along the main strip (nicknamed Broadway).

Over the 35 minutes the tour ran for, we saw the cell of Al Capone and the Birdman, got to step inside both a "normal" cell and "the hole", the solitary confinement block, visited the dining hall, and learned about the escape attempts; how and where they did it (from which cells and using which service tunnels). Fabulous!

I was starting to feel a bit rough, with a migrane hitting me on the way back, so I turned in whilst Kat went out with a group for an organised outing of a 'Burrito and Beer'. I wouldn't have made it if I could; I'd had my fair share of both lately, indicated by my ever-increasing waistline.

Day 312: 9th December A bit of local colour

San Francisco, USA

Kat had commendably got back at 6am this morning, so when I rose not long after at 7 I left her to a lie-in and struck out alone into downtown for brekkie.

Our time here was running out and I wanted to make sure I visited that San Francisco icon, the Golden Gate bridge. It didn't look that far away, so I set off to walk there from Union Square.

My epic journey took me up through the gorgeous lah-de-dah affluent area of Pacific Heights, with huge old-fashioned panelled houses lining the equally huge hills. Next I passed a row of pretty but essentially useless to my lifestyle shops, including nail massage (or summat like that), curtain shops and the Random Posh Shit Co.

As I left the main SF grid and neared the bridge