Farewell San Francisco

Ever since I was a child I have always loved San Francisco and the Bay Area of California. When I was 11 years old and my family moved to California we landed in this city, so my first impressions of America were based a lot on San Francisco, which is a lucky thing as it is really a very exciting and diverse city. Then again, having lived in a small village in Aberdeenshire (Scotland) for five years preceding going to America, any place might have been considered exciting!

Landing at San Francisco airport was a real experience. Looking from the airplane window, I could see the city sprawled out before me in all its splendour but below us was only water and the plane kept descending further and further until it was practically touching the water. Then, suddenly, land appeared and we landed. This makes a huge impression on an 11 year old mind.

Ever since then I knew I was going to love this city and my time in California (which alas lasted only 4 years before we moved back to the UK again). It seems rather an anti-climax that this four years was spent in Bakersfield and not somewhere more lively, but it meant our frequent trips to the Bay Area were that much more exciting.

Although I have been to SF a couple times since we left the States, I was delighted to experience that my love for the city has not diminshed at all. I still felt the same excitement while landing, the same thrill going over the Golden Gate Bridge and seeing the skyline of the city across the bay (always one of my favourite views of the city) and the joy of walking around in a big city which has so many diverse areas.

Bearing in mind I have now been to over 330 cities across the world and still consider San Francisco as one of my favourites says a lot for the city. It is a city that is large enough to keep one busy and excited, but small enough to make it liveable in and even cosy in some places.

This particular trip was also extra special in other ways too. After all the trauma of the accident and initial recovery, it felt like a personal victory to be able to make this journey.

I have two direct first cousins who live in San Francisco and their mother (my aunt) who lives in Novato, about 45 minutes north of the city. We were practically raised together as kids when we were very young and have always been close but had not seen each other in five years so it was great to see them again. Another cousin who lives in Bristol with her husband was also there at this time so it really was like a family reunion. I also have a lot of distant family in the area so it was great to be able to see re-connect with some of them as well and it has paved the way to spend more time with them on a future trip.

Most importantly however, I was able to see Diana again for the first time since the accident which was very moving. Her strength in dealing with everything and still remaining my strongest source of support and encouragement, and from such a distance, has filled me with so much admiration for her that I don't know how to adequately describe in words.

Diana and I have always loved the special atmosphere that exists in America during the holiday season so to be here at this time and partake of it was another blessing. I have always loved the Christmas period but obviously never celebrated it as a family, so to be part of a family that did take Christmas more seriously was very special. I got my first chance to help decorate a tree, put presents under it, etc.

My only sadness was not being able to travel south to Bakersfield and Los Angeles to visit my friends from when I lived here. The only way for us to go would have been with public transport which, in my state, was not advisable. I was able to speak to them at least. Diana and I do intend to come out here again and complete other aspects of this trip that my current condition did not allow. We are, however, extremely grateful for this opportunity to be here and have been able to do more than we had originally thought possible. What a gift this was.

Yosemite National Park

One of our last touristic forays of this trip was to Yosemite National Park. This trip was a bit touch and go up until the evening before our departure due to reports we heard of bad snow on the higher elevations of the park. There was some concern as to whether the car could make it and if such adverse weather conditions would be bad for me.

In the end, after some Internet searching and investigating, we decided it was not expected to be so bad so we set off on the 4 hour drive from San Francisco to Yosemite.

Our first port of call was meant to be Oakhurst, a small town some 14 miles before the entrance to the park. Armed with our trusted Google Maps directions, we did not think we would get lost, but somehow it did not work out that way and after a wrong turning (or what is a missed turning or maybe no turning at all, who knows?) we found ourselves driving through woodland and forgotten old towns and villages that we thought only existed in horror movies. In the end, we stopped off at a small rest stop to try to ask for directions and use the restrooms. This turned out to be a blessing as we stumbled upon one of those typical in-the-middle-of-nowhere type of diners complete with a Sheriffs truck outside and two Sheriffs perched on their seats inside drinking their coffees. A timeless American image...only slightly distorted by the fact that the Sheriffs had laptops in front of them and were actually working rather than chatting inanely with the waitress. A reminder that even old-time America has made it into the 21st Century.

The waitress was just as one would expect, very friendly, overly chatty and coming frequently to fill up our coffees. The food was surprisingly good, or maybe we were too hungry from not eating all day. Either way it was one of the best chilli's I have ever had, apart from my own of course!!

During the course of our meal, we were informed that we were indeed going the wrong way and had to drive another 17 miles in the opposite direction in order to reach Oakhurst. This meant driving through the same horror inspired towns and villages as before, and dusk was fast approaching...judiciously we paid our bill and took our leave in a rather urgent manner.

We made it to Oakhurst and found our motel, whilst in the process coming up with ideas of horror movies that would fit in perfectly with the places we were speeding through.

After a short rest, we took a short drive through Oakhurst (short because it was a small place with nothing to offer) and eventually discovered a small restaurant that was in the middle of closing for the night but still happily let us sit if it was just for desert. Over coffee and cheesecake we perfected and completed our horror stories.


The following day required an early start. We were going to drive into the park, spend the day there, before heading back to San Francisco. The first drive started well. As we drove higher and higher into the mountains, the scenery became more and more breathtaking. As the elevation increased the hilly and wooded landscape of the area became increasingly laden with snow and every corner we turned was met with four gasps of wonder and lots of photos.

This continued until we reached the entrance of the park and were told by the park rangers we could not enter unless we had tyre chains. So we had to drive back about 15 minutes, buy the snow chains and return to the park again. This delay was not helpful. In the end the snow chains were only needed for a short patch of the road, but were essential nevertheless.

Yosemite itself is magnificent. The landscape was at times awe-inspiring. Frankly, no amount of words or photos can do justice to the majesty and beauty of the place. The most famous landmark of the park is 'El Capitan', which is a granite rock of monstrous proportions and 300 feet high, but everything else also seemed just as striking, from the waterfalls (mostly frozen at this time), to the mountains and hills and to the small streams flowing by...and everywhere covered with snow-white pine trees. Perhaps with it being winter and with snow everywhere it added a certain charm, although I imagine it could be spectacular in any season. From my perspective the only thing missing were bears but this was obviously the wrong time of year for that.

For Diana the contrast of being on the mountains and volanoes of the more tropical climes of central America just a month before to being on the snowy and winter atmosphere of Yosemite was very sharp and quite profound.

Many people go to Yosemite for hiking and even at this time of year there were hikers around. I was not in a any position to walk for very long so we stayed mostly in the car but stopped frequently to get out for photos, of which we have many. This was my first time in a long time being able to wear shoes and socks on both feet (what a novelty!) but I did feel pain in my ankle and staying upright for pro-longed periods did not help.

We were very lucky with the weather. Although there had been recent snow before we arrived, we were blessed with bright blue skies and a strong sun. I had worn about three layers as a precaution, but felt quite warm and comfortable for most of the day, until the afternoon when the weather started turning cold and muggy and I had to wear my coat. The cold really gets to my bones with the pain sometimes difficult to bear. I felt lucky that for most of the day I could enjoy the sun and feel so conformtable. By the late afternoon, however, as the rest of the car still went out to take photos, I preferred the warmth and comfort of the car.

Diana and I would love to return to Yosemite again to experience it in a different season but for now this remains one of the highlights of our trip here.

Ice Hockey

I have come to realise staying in America is not complete without attending an American sporting event.

My dream ever since I was a young boy growing up in California was to attend a real American football match and watch the San Francisco 49ers which was the team I supported as a child. Alas, this dream has yet to be realised. The closest we could come on this trip to attend such a sporting event was to go to an ice hockey match in San Jose, even though personally I still think of ice hockey as more of a Canadian event.

Nevertheless, it was with much anticipation that we drove to San Jose and attended an enthralling match between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. A real ice hockey game is not complete without a few obligatory fights and even punch-ups. As this was going to be quite a tense game between two teams close in the league, the players willingly obliged and we were not disappointed. In fact the fighting, at times quite often, drew more attention and applause than the playing and even though the Sharks lost 2-0, we did not leave feeling cheated or let down and certainly got top-dollar entertainment value.

My dear wife Diana also provided her own style of entertainment which, as always, kept us amused. She could not understand why the players had to fight and that really this was an essential part of the match. In the beginning she kept complaining why the violence was necessary, but the transformation in her was quite remarkable. By the end of the match she was on her feet with every fight practically willing the players on!

Being used to traditional football (soccer) and other more 'civilised' sports, where any form of fighting and specially punching results in immediate dismissal followed by suspensions and heavy fines, it was quite intriguing to watch a sport where violence appeared to be so routinely acceptable and usually punished only by the relevant players sitting out of the game for a few minutes before being allowed to play again!

Just imagine if other offences could be treated in the same manner. "Mr Samii, you are being charged with grevious bodily harm, please remain seated here for a few hours to cool off and then we'll let you go. Have a nice day."

What a sport, and what a country!

On a personal note, I was worried that in my current situation I might be very cold in an ice hockey match so I bundled up with quite a few layers but in the end the arena was not as cold as I was expecting so it was OK. The only problem was that I had to negotiate quite a few steps to get to our seats and the seating space was quite cramped so I was feeling quite sore and uncomfortable by the end of the match. Unfortunately the soreness continued until the next day but there was not much I could do about it.

My dream still remains to attend an American football match and hope this can happen on a future trip. After that, I would love to watch a live basketball match.

Two photos from this match are posted here. I am awaiting to be sent more photos and specially some of the fights, which will be on our Webshots page as soon as possible.

Enjoying the Bay area

Diana and I are still in San Francisco and it is lovely to be here.

As for me personally, I have been experiencing a bit more pain than usual over the past few days. I may have tired myself from going out more with the family. So today I am spending the day at home and relaxing. I am still not too mobile and even if we do go out, it is always with the car and I cannot walk for too long.

Our time here is well spent however. It is great to see my cousins and aunt as well as reconnecting again with more distant family as well. I have cousins from Bristol who are also visiting so it is a bit like a family reunion which is wonderful. The downside is that I have to be careful how much time I spend with everyone as being with too many people at the same time tends to exhaust me.




We are staying at the home of one of my first cousins, Hafez, who has been a model host and particularly patient and supportive of my current condition. He has sacrifised a lot of his time to take us places as I cannot really use public transport.

We have recently gone to Monterey and Carmel. We were hoping to go to the aquarium in Monterey which is apparently very good, but decided against it as it would have involved too much walking for me. Instead we walked around the bay for a short time and then had lunch in a very nice seafood restaurant on the bay, also *very* reasonably priced compared to a similar seafood place in the UK.



Later we drove on to Carmel. The last time I had been to Carmel was over 20 years ago when Clint Eastwood was campaigning to be mayor of town and there were posters everywhere urging people to vote for him. The town has since moved on, as has Mr Eastwood. It is a very pretty and picturesque small town right by the ocean. After a brief but very pleasant walk in the centre, we went to take a short drive by the coast to experience one of the most gorgeous sunsets we have ever seen. Diana and I would love to return and stay in Carmel for a longer period to fully appreciate and soak up the lovely atmosphere.



The drive down to Monterey and Carmel was on the famous California Highway 1 which is the coastal road down California. Thankfully we were blessed with brilliant sunshine on this drive and were able to appreciate the coast in all its glory. We stopped frequently to take pictures and enjoy the scenery.



Another highlight of this trip has been a trip to San Jose to expreience our first live ice hockey game. It was an experience never to be forgotten, but I will write about this later.

I have put some pictutes of our time here so far. All these pictures will be on our webshots album in due course. As you can see below, Diana and I have not lost our humour!

Recuperating in San Francisco

Interesting the last time I made an entry on this blog was to do with being abroad and the same thing is true again.

This time it's in San Francisco. I am here with Diana recuperating after a recent car accident. It is great to be here although I am naturally not able to do as much as I would like which is a shame. But being in the embrace of a large and loving family is wonderful.

This trip was with the guidance and backing of doctors although was still uncertain even until a couple days before the flight, and even had to be postponed by two days in the last minute due to a bad episode. However I am here now which is the main thing.

The trip was only possible with the assistance of the airline ground staff who provided a wheelchair for me at both ends of the flight, and the air stewardesses who were fantastic during the flight. They were informed of my condition in advance of the flight and were constantly coming to me during the flight to ask if I was OK and if I needed anything. I was also upgraded to an 'Economy Plus' seat which gave me a better wider seat and extra legroom, which was essential. I had been given some sedatives to take during the flight to help me and although this helped, I was feeling very uncomfortable for the last bit of the flight and extremely relieved after finally landing in San Francisco, and eventually delivered to my family here.

The use of a wheelchair added a certain novelty as getting through security and customs at both ends was much quicker, specially in the US, where security was tight and with long queues. Such a journey would have been impossible without the use of a wheelchair.

Our time here has been very good. I am still housebound for parts of the day but we do go out a bit so we can enjoy this beautiful city and I can get some fresh air. I tire easy so we stop off in coffee shops for rests and take things slowly. We are staying with one of my cousins who has been beyond fantastic in terms of help, support, patience and driving us round everywhere.

The weather here has also been quite good. Although it is cold, it is helped by mostly clear skies and a strong sun. We have only had one day of dampness and rain which made things very uncomfortable for me, but otherwise we've been lucky thus far.

I hope to be able to write again very soon of our time here and put some photos up as well.

A week in paradise

When one dreams of paradise, the first place that comes to mind probably would not be Tunisia. But for Diana and me, this came pretty close.

We have recently had the good fortune of spending a week on an all inclusive four star holiday in the resort of Yasmin Hammamet in Tunisia.

The hotel was beautifully designed in a tasteful and ornate Arabic style, the food fantastic and plentiful, the service charming...all setting the scene for what was one of the most relaxing holidays Diana and I have had in a very long time.

Usually we get bored staying in one place and hire a car to travel around and explore our new environment. But this time it was different...one look at the hotel and the surrounding area and we were mesmerised. Why go anywhere when we had everything here?

So, apart from a couple forays into neighbouring towns to experience Arabic culture and the traditional markets, we stayed mostly in the hotel grounds (quite extensive in itself). Our time was spent lying in the sun reading, snoozing and ordering drinks from passing waiters...what bliss. When we mustered the energy, we would get up and haul ourselves to the pool bar in the afternoons for freshly made pancakes with Swiss dark chocolate or use the hotel's gym and take advantage of the indoor pool being completely empty for some proper swimming. Then, if we got tired of this, we would relax in the coolness of the hotel with a cocktail, or present ourselves in the restaurant at the appropriate time to eat as much food as we could handle. In the evenings we would go for a nice cool stroll around the town or by the beach, then would go to see what entertainment the hotel was putting on for the guests (some quite good, some quite bad), and finished off the day relaxing at the hotel's own traditional Moorish-style Arabic cafe, enjoying mint tea or smoking a shisha. Afterwards it was off to bed and the same schedule again the following day.

On two occasions we also went to the hotel's private beach a few metres away, where we swam a bit in the sea, enjoyed the soft golden sand and entertained thoughts of burying an irritating German boy in it.

What made this even more enjoyable is that my work paid for most of this holiday....It really could not get better than this!

Of course, such a trip could not go by without experiencing a bit of the traditional Arab markets, which is an experience in itself! Some of these markets had very narrow lanes and negotiating our way down them whilst also being harassed by shop owners trying to sell us their goods was quite an achievement. What was interesting for us was the phrases and the style they used in trying to attract us. One person in particular tried the 'complementing the lady' approach, telling me what a wonderful wife I had and how lucky I was...this was despite objections from both of us! Eventually he offered me 5000 camels for Diana. As I felt this was quite an attractive (and I might add tempting) offer, I followed him into his shop, where he showed me jewellery I could buy for Diana with her name engraved on it. As I could not understand why I would want to buy her jewellery when I will be trading her in for camels, I politely declined. He then embarked on a tour around his little store showing off his selection of clothes, shoes, rugs and carpets that would not burn if a lit cigarette was dropped on them (he gave us a live demonstration of this). Realising he did not have much to offer and seeing no camels in sight, I decided it was time for us to take our leave, much to his disappointment. With hindsight it was a relief...immigration would have been a nightmare and, practically speaking, what I am going to do with 5000 camels?!

Another shopkeeper was admirably more honest in trying to get some custom, with the opening line of "I love your money..." I replied with "Me too!" and we moved on. Some shopkeepers tried some British slang they must have picked up from other tourists, such as "come into my shop and have a butchers..."!!

Other ploys used by shopkeepers close to the hotel was to come up and say "Remember me, I'm your waiter from your hotel...please follow me to my shop!" We had been told beforehand to be aware of this. We were delighted to have experienced this towards the end of our stay and had a good laugh as the guy who accosted us first claimed to be from a hotel we were not even staying at! When he realised this error, we had already walked past...laughing.

The store owners always learn a few phrases in different languages to communicate with and impress tourists and usually say hello in their repertoire of languages as one passes by them. We had experienced this a lot in Istanbul so were used to this. What we were not used to and caught us off guard is that now they have also added Polish to their collection of languages! Wow, the Poles really are getting around. Diana and I bet ourselves that the next time we go, they would probably have picked up Bulgarian as well!

One morning we were advised to go to a camel market where people came to buy and sell camels. Thinking this would be quite a sight, we trekked off in search of this and in the process stumbled upon a 'real' market slightly off the beaten track where tourists did not go, complete with lots of loud Arabic chatter, chaos, donkeys pulling carts, makeshift stalls selling anything from tacky household items, fruit and vegetables to live animals, and even hay, where not a word of English was spoken. We eventually found what we were looking for, but the camels were already gone...most likely bought by shopkeepers to trade for the wives of unsuspecting tourists. Instead we were treated to a live sheep market...not as exciting, but a unique experience nevertheless.

Such a visit to the markets would not be complete without the requisite haggling and at times we really did haggle to the bitter end. The key is to walk out the store, at which point you are sometimes followed by desperate shopkeepers dropping their prices...when the price reaches what you want to pay, you walk back into the shop again! However, this did not always work.

The locals are quite shrewd and don't miss an opportunity to try to sell you something..., but at times we were left questioning their choice of things to sell. An example of this was when we were at the beach. It is not uncommon to see locals walking around trying to sell dry salted nuts or tacky jewellery, which very few people showed much interest in. Surely on such a hot day, they could make a killing selling ice cold drinks or ice cream (specially as the hotel did not offer such things at the beach). Generally speaking if I am lying on a beach baking in the sun, I don't usually think 'I could really do with some dry nuts right now' or 'Maybe this is a good time to stock up on jewellery'.

Ever since I was a child, I had always wanted to ride on a camel and my wish finally came true one morning. It was a strange experience but a pleasant one nevertheless, although Diana tells me the site of me running down the road, camera in hand, when I first saw the camel was more entertaining!

There was an option for us to take a two-day Sahara tour during our trip (including a stay in Tattouine where Star Wars was filmed - another childhood dream) but we decided against it. It is quite likely we will be going to Tunisia again so we will be doing these trips next time.

One of the big advantages of this trip which we had not experienced before was that it was an all-inclusive holiday which meant all food and drinks and other facilities were free throughout the day. We took advantage of this and took up some of the activities they had on offer. Diana enjoyed her aqua-aerobics in the mornings and I tried out a bit of archery which I took to quite well, to my surprise.


But of course pictures speak a thousand words so click here to look at our pictures of this trip.

The winter look

Well, it apears it was not too much to ask after all...

Woke up this morning to a beautiful wintry look.



These are views from our back garden.

All this with the added pleasure of no work as so many roads have been blocked.

This country has a habit of coming to a complete standstill every time there is adverse weather. I think this may be the first time it has been to my advantage :)



This is the usual view...taken a couple months ago.