Californication

We arrived in San Francisco safely and the following morning said farewell to our trusty companion, the silver Chrysler which had driven us over 4000 miles. I knew San Francisco was hilly but I didn't expect the ridiculous slopes that awaited and if my legs were tired after the hiking in Yosemite, this really wasn't the right city to relax in. It really is a nice city though and it has a good vibe about it. We walked up and down the hills and visited some of the famous sights by day, like Fisherman's Wharf and the former prison island of Alcatraz which was really interesting and then sampled the excellent nightlife on offer in the evenings. Ideally I would have loved spending a few more days here but when a group of fellow hostellers were renting a car and driving down the Pacific Coast Highway it was an offer too good to refuse. Anna was going in the opposite direction so I said goodbye to my fantastic driver who I am very grateful to have met, without her I wouldn't have been able to see anywhere close to as many amazing sights, and somehow she coped with me for over a month.

My new group of travelbuddies consisted of two Germans, Maryam and Simon, and two Aussies, Leah and Grant. We set off in the morning and drove south on the famous highway number 1. The scenic route passed through quaint small towns like Carmel and all the way had the rocky coastline and sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean by our side. After watching the sunset we decided to stop at a motel in San Luis Obispo which is allegedly the happiest place in the United States, and continued our drive the following morning. This had more of the same gorgeous scenery as the previous day and we stopped for lunch in Santa Barbara before reaching Los Angeles that night.

We stayed at a hostel just off the Hollywood Boulevard, the famous strip with all the Hollywood stars, 90 percent of the names I've never heard of and the whole area feels quite run down and tacky, not at all as glitzy as the name implies. Los Angeles really is an enormous city and very difficult to see without driving. We took advantage of having a car the first day and drove down to Venice Beach where all the crazy people, potheads and bodybuilders seem to congregate and then to the Grove in the evening. We couldn't believe our luck when we saw that none other than legendary Anchorman Ron Burgundy (played by Will Ferrell) was here to sign his new Autobiography, and didn't miss the opportunity to see him up close and personal. This was the highlight of my time in L.A. and later that night I managed to avoid getting a fine for jaywalking playing the innocent tourist card, as the police pulled me over and pushed me up against a wall. After walking around the Hollywood Hills (stopping for every redlight) Grant and I decided we had had enough and that it was time to get out of the this giant metropolis and took the greyhound to the fictional home of Ron Burgundy, San Diego.