Surprise of the year 2010 - Guelph

As I'm getting ready for graduation, I am scrambling to figure out where my next destination should be. I could stay in Australia and work ... just to buy some time till I can get my nursing registration transferred. I also would LOVE to live and play in Thailand, but who will I pay for my way. Christmas is just around the corner and what a way to celebrate especially when I surprise my parents.

As my funds were nearly all used up, and missing my parents warm and cozy home, I decided to come home before hoping to get my next adventures planned out. I promised my parents that I will always come home no matter the distance and this was the right time.

Ticket in hand (many good-bye's and see you later's), I made a detour on my way home to San Francisco, a place I have always dreamed of back in my high school hippy days, and ended up at my precious friend's door steps. She housed me for a few days (make it almost a week) until it was time for me to move on over to my brother's place. Everyone was extremely amazing at keeping a secret from my parents. Marcus had it the worst as mom would be complaining to him about how "Renata has it so though, and she might be alone for X-mas!"

Well, only 24h of my arrival to Guelph, we had a dinner planned so mom and dad would come over to my Bro's and they would find me there :-)

Sure enough, it's dinner time, I have finished with everything I planned on making for the surprise dinner party. Mom and Dad barge into the house since they are not used to the door bell, and I hide our quick as no one expected the abrupt visit entrance.

As Marcus is making small talk, he's explaining to dad that he found someone to help with the wine corking. We sometimes make our own wine and they sometimes turn out pretty good ! So back to the story, Dad replies to Marcus: "forget it, I don't need help!" Huh ? Now what?

My entrance signal was supposed to be the friend Marcus found to help with the bottling process however, now it's unneeded. Marcus says to dad: Too bad ! I still have a friend here, ....

And when I appear, it is silent. For one very short second. Then both mom and dad jump into my arms and hug me ....and we are loudly greeting each other. Mom is telling Marcus that he was sneaky and shame on him, then right away she's feeling sorry for him for having to listen to her crying about me. Typical Mares greetings. Everyone is happy, the food is ready and we head into the dinner to discuss how I managed to be so sneaky.

We consumed my 46 Hawken Dr roommie's fave dish: red curry and hand rolled rice paper rolls (Thanks Thao! Everyone loved it!)

R :-)


Special THANKS to everyone who has helped with my secret arrival !
xo

San Francisco, California - December 2010

Global Deejays - The sound of San Francisco

If you're going to San Fran-cisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your Hair

If your goin' to San Fran-cisco
You're ganna meet some gentle people there

A more gentle version :-)

This song seemed to be stuck in my head for all 5 days while in San Francisco and Bay area. Life goal #...when I graduated nursing, it was #1 on my list of places to live. The order in which I ended up here has changed gradually as I realized that surf and sand are my true calling (location: Tropical). In my earlier thoughts, I wanted to visit this place for the artistic culture, radical and revolutionary history, and my love for vintage clothing; who wouldn't want to live in San Fran and re-live the 1970s? Clearly, I am (and always will be) a flower child born in the wrong generation. Over time, I have learned to maintained a close connection with the mainstream life-style (I take my career seriously and keep my personal lifestyle separate) however, backpacking has given me the escape I need to experience life with my hair down.


Between completing my masters and moving back to Canada (secretly hoping that fate will just offer me a job in my field of interest on a silver platter) I decided to take the longer way home (still keeping to the same direction) and stop over in my long-desired city of San Francisco. By this time I have walked and discovered many other wonderful places down under and felt a bit less motivated then usual for this backpacking adventure. However, it wasn't the miles and distances covered on foot which have tired me out but the constant meeting of wonderful people and having to say good-bye each and every time. I think for someone who enjoys traveling this much should finally learn not to get so attached to friendships. The heart can take only so much emotional trauma till it will speak up and demand attention and rest.


By no means I was ready to take a rest in San Francisco, but I may have left my heart there after all. Or is this just a line I stole form Tony Bennett. I remember anticipating my home coming before, during and after arriving in Canada as it was a secret for mom and dad. My sister-in-law, my brother, and a few friends helped me out in keeping my arrival on the DL. I think the planning and organizing maybe have distracted me from completely embracing myself in SF however, here are some of the major attractions which I had the pleasure of experiencing.

1) Golden Gate Bridge
Fun Facts which I was told on the bus ride:
- fog is expected 360 days; guess this was one of them
- suggested travel season: Late summer/fall (Sept/Oct)
- most photographed monument in the world (really? my interest isn't individual... lol)















































2) Sausalito
Some of the most fascinating architectural beauty, all created on a mountain side. Who wouldn't want to have a sweet condo here and/or planning a retirement. However, the bus driver was just as envious as most of us tourist and told us: "Keep dreaming!" There is a greater chance for one to discover the ultimate happiness in your daily routine than physically be able to save up for a possible offer in this neighborhood. Make sense. But by this time I was only focusing on the opportunity for this challenge. Note to self: condo #39 on the top of the hill with private out-door escalator, will be mine !















































Anticipating my new hobby once I take up camp in Sausalito: Sailing! or photography, it's a toss up for now :-)















3) Fisherman's Warf
Only 2 words: Clam Chowdeeeeeeeeeeeeer ! Probably the best 5$ I have spent on a bread bowl with 1.5 cup of soup (if that). I was cold from the bus ride and therefore all I wanted was something hot and comforting. Two clam chowders in two consecutive days, that's how awesome it was. Then I was thinking to myself, could Tim Horton's start making this fabulousness for those who would want to enjoy this on a regular basis. At this time, my nursing instincts jumped out from a box up in the attic and suggested that I should stick to healthier choices lol. Minus the chill this day, walking around the Piers was a wonderful and enjoyable activity (oh yeah, no sea lions in sight...they were uninterested in the fog I'm assuming).














































































4) Pier 33 - Alcatraz

World famous monument, referred to in every-day conversation when describing an ultimate punishment or how I do: "my facebook safety features resembles Alcatraz". (Hehehe, I think this one is for my won entertainment). However, escaping and breaking out of Alcatraz might be easier then finding me on FB now-a-days thanks to Mark's awesome safety features :-) Thanks Mary Mark !!!!

Ok, back to Alcatraz. Learning that this massive waste of government funding - started out with 3000 available spaces and only a few hundred people ever actually occupying the cells - comforts me in knowing that just like most (in my opinion) man-made-wonder is a decoration rather than something functional which can be utilized by the larger portion of the population. Fine, I admit, the guys who had the opportunity to take up residence in this place, did not live in a palace, or did they ? I mean, isolated location, becoming best friends with the security guards (as most of the guards lived with their families on the island), and knowing that life sentence never meant death sentence (unless your inmate-buddies did not find you very popular) since the electric chair did not exist on this horrible establishment - or so it was made for us to believe.

Any punishment facility without a possibility to carry out a death sentence doesn't sound that horrible to me. However, I would still not be the first in line to give it a trial. Hence why I consider myself an honest and law-obeying citizen. I did have the chance, while taking the tour, to step into the cells but opted not to. Standing in front of the open doors gave me an eerie feeling. Being surrounded by other tourists did not give me the confidence nor curiosity to experience (as I imagined) claustrophobic-feeling of being surrounded by 3 close walls and a gated door. Maybe I empathize too well and just scared myself with my own thoughts: but standing there I had a feeling and vision which was an experience felt real and enough for my appetite.





















































































5) Steepest hill in the San Francisco Bay area (Lombard @ Hyde St)

We were told this isn't the true story however, most tourist get this explanation. I however, tuned out to hear which street is the steepest. I'm sure wiki can fill in my story on this one.









































6) Union Square Park

I took shelter near the USP in a hostel called International Hostel. There I met my roommate who was in town for a conference. She was a PhD candidate in marine biology. Do to her long hours though we did not get to chat much while I was there. Our final day we had a nice long chat and she admired my finds at the local GoodWill. Further to come on this story when I introduce Haight Street.
























































7) Ghirardelli Chocolate and Ferrari (O'Farrell/Stickton)




































8) Government office
UN plaza; Supreme Court; Asian Art Museum



































9) Golden Gate Park
Japanese Garden; National AIDS Memorial Grove; California Academy of Science
















































































10) Haight St

1855 Haight St - Amoeba Music - As if I took a step into Empire Records movie set. Largest record, CD, DVD, cassette or any other form of music store I have ever been to. I made one purchase only and it was in the spirit of the holidays: Charlie Brown Christmas classics. Happy Holidays while on the road (and boy was it wonderful on my flight home).



1700 Haight St - GoodWill (Cole St/Haight St)
Here I had the chance to purchase a few wardrobe essentials: 4 sweaters, 4 pairs of shoes/boots for me and a few others suited for the winter season. Getting back to the hostel, I finally had the chance to chat to my roommate for the first time. I had to brag about my new purchases (well, new-for-me) and she was super stunned. She decided on the spot to skip her conference the next day and head out on a shopping spree.


11) Painted Ladies (Hayes/Steiner)

Here are the left-over architectural dessert for you, through my eyes.