tales from thailand: first stop: cali !

Before we arrived in the land of smiles, Alexis and I made a 6 day pit stop in San Francisco, California where we explored the city and the beautiful areas around northern California accompanied by our wonderful hostess and tour guide, Tatianna. For 4 years Alexis has told me how much I would love San Fran, and she nailed it. It was an amazing city with beautiful buildings, landscapes, and overall really positive vibes. Even though it is a major city, there was something very homey about it (probably because of the harbors and the Boston-feel). I loved how just off the coast of the city there were dolphins, seals, and sea lions swimming in the distance. I have to admit, seeing the golden gate bridge for the first time gave me butterflies because as a die-hard Full House fan, it was a dream come true! Also as a fan of rounded rooms and old fashioned homes, the buildings in San Fran stole my heart.
The sights that I saw along our coastal drive to Carmel are some of the most amazing views I have seen in my lifetime. I love how everything is so green right up to the water's edge and the cliffs along the coast are unreal. The stop in Carmel had its ups and downs- with a visit from bed bugs being the downer, but the views along the 17 mile drive were the highlight of my time in California. The houses, the sea creatures off the coast (harbor seals are so damn cute!) and the sunset !!!!!! Ah, it was truly amazing. Unfortunately my immune system was wrecked and I had to take a day of rest (which unfortunately meant cancelling our trip to wine country) but it was necessary to kick the sickness before I left for Thailand. The other highlights of the trip were the redwoods, the amazing thai restaurant we went to (pumpkin curry- yum!) fisherman's wharf, and catching a glimpse of the blue angels in the air show. We crammed a lot into our visit and there is still much more to see and do in the area ! I have a feeling this was notttt my last visit to San Fran :)