www.davesisland.com

Hi everyone!

Been a good while since I last updated you all with my travel news, can’t make this too long coz the use of the net in Tahiti is quite shocking!hehe!

What have I been up to then….Well, I had a great last couple of weeks in the US, a week in San Diego and a few days in Santa Monica (LA).
San Diego was great, the hostel I stayed in freaked me out a bit at first coz there were a couple of weirdos at the door but soon got settled and met some great people - shout outs to Rich, Kat, and Leah for being a great bunch of pals for my first real travelling alone experience. Whilst in San Diego Kat, Leah and I took a trip to Balboa Park, we didn’t visit the Zoo but it was a lovely day to visit the park and see all the cool buildings.
We had some good nights out too, the Gaslamp Quater (not to be confused with the Gasbag lads! ) in downtown San Diego was great, with lots of bars and restaurants to keep you busy - although we only sat in one thanks to Kat who was only a meagre 20 years old and wasn’t allowed in to any others hehe only messin!
Also had a couple of good nights out in Pacific Beach, luckily it was spring break and the parties were going off left right and centre - on the last night Rich and I were lucky enough to “stumble” across a Hawaiian Tropics Bikini Party…what a stroke of fortune!

Said goodbye to San Diego and headed north on the Amtrak (train) up the pacific coast to LA. Didn’t fancy staying in downtown for too long so got a cab straight to my hostel in Santa Monica. The hostel was really nice here, not quite as homely as the one in San Diego though as it was more like a hotel, but I still managed to meet some great people there.
Spent the next couple of days with some new pals - shout outs this time to Shell, Lucy, Lawrence, Mike, Clair, Alby, Leo, and Tom - thanks for the shoes buddy
Got to see the Getty Center, Waner Bros Studios, Hollywood, and Venice Beach as well as having a few excellent, and memorable, nights out in Santa Monica and Hollywood.
I’ve had an amazing time these past couple of weeks, its helped me settle into to travelling and I have most of it to thank to the great people i’ve met, thanks peeps!

So now here I am in Tahiti, well Moorea to be precise, I flew into Tahiti on the 20th and then took the ferry over to this island. Its lovely here, really hot and sunny and i’m starting to get a bit of a tan already. I’ve already taken moped rides around the island and today I swam with giant stingrays! I leave for the Cook Islands on Sunday (27th) and I’m sure I’ll be sad to go, in fact every time I leave somewhere its sad - I guess this is thing about travelling eh.

I’m sorry for the lack of photos at the moment, its a bit tricky getting them onto my website from here so you might have to wait a week or so til I get to a decent internet cafe.

TTFN

Ok guys n gals, been a while since I last wrote an entry on what i’ve actually been up to. I haven’t got too much time coz I need to get up tomorrow morning to catch a flight but i’ve uploaded some more pics for you to look at too.
Its a bit brief but here goes…

Last weekend April and Eric had some friends over for a meal on Saturday night. April cooked mexican food and I have to say it was fantastic, Eric also made an excellent guacamole which is definitely worth metioning too…oh and to finish we had Guinness Chocolate Cake - a recipe from Nigella Lawson’s Feast cookbook which is gorgeous, and yes, it is made with real Guinness! (Jo, think it was even a little nicer than yours, you’ll have to make another one when I get back and I can make sure then )

Sunday I finally managed to get my skiing done! yay! Thanks to Masha and Patrick (O’Furniture ) for the lift up to the Sugar Bowl resort near Tahoe. Unfortunately I lost them both straight away and spent much of the day skiing on my own but still had a great time, some quite challenging slopes and lots of moguls!
On the way back we stopped of for dinner at a Thai restaurant in a town called Davis. The food was great but the service even better, our waiter was a Thai lad called Nate (obviously not his real Thai name but he said that americans had trouble pronouncing his proper name Nui). Anyways, it turns out he was an Arsenal fan and loved the English premiership so there was a bit of banter going on between me and him, he was a good sport though and took the grief I gave for supporting Arsenal really well - although I have to say my food did seem extremely spicy!

The weather hasn’t been as nice this week but it still didn’t stop me!
Tuesday I stayed in most of the day but popped down into berkeley to buy some bits n bobs. Bought myself a book on card magic, thought it would be a good ice-breaker as well as give me something to do on long flights or quiet beaches.
Went to Zachary’s again for deep-pan pizza goodness, that place is awesome!

Finally got a ride on the cable cars on Wednesday, they are the “trams” which you always associate with San Francisco - They are called Cable Cars because they are actually attached to cables running under the street which pull them along. This helps them to get up the steep gradients typical of San Francisco. The motors pulling the cables are situated in the cable car museum, it was quite interesting to see these in action and I got a good pic of the wheels in motion.

I also managed to get a quick video clip of a guy turning the car around at the end of the line.

– Cable Car Turntable –

The same day I took heed of a recommendation my dad made and decided to go on a bike ride from Fisherman’s Warf along the bay and across the Golden Gate Bridge, down into a town called Sausalito - very picturesque, much like Tiburon. From there I loaded my bike onto the ferry and sailed across the bay back to Fisherman’s Warf, a great day - thanks dad

Friday was a quiet day but I did manage to finally get to the Cheescake Factory! I was told it was at the top of Macey’s so I went up to investigate and I was amazed with the selection of cheescakes they had on offer, i decided to go for Key Lime and bought a whole cake so that we could all have a slice, I didnt realise how heavy it was going to be, 1.5kgs of cheecakey glory - my arms ached by the time I got home!
The evening soon hotted up. Went to see one of April’s hometown bands - The Asylum Street Spankers, from Austin, Texas. Really did not know what to expect but my god was I happy by the end, very hard to describe their music but I guess it was a mixture of country/bluegrass/jazz/blues but all very light-hearted upbeat and very very funny. I think that seeing them live was all the better because they really played the audience and played off each other too. A very funny and talented band who I would recommend to anyone, just for the experience!

Yesterday we took a walk round an area of west San Francisco called Haight-Ashbury, its just a few streets of really interesting shops, cafes, and people all about my age group. Definitely a good “vibe” coming from the place and had I had more time in San Francisco I think i’d like to spend a bit more time there. A good comparison is with Greenwich in London, very hip but quite cultured too.
From there we had a drive through Golden Gate Park, a huge area of parkland very similar to Central Park in New York, in fact I think it was designed by the same guy. Then we came to the western edge of SFO, Ocean Beach. The surf that was rolling in was amazing, it looked quite dangerous though so I wasn’t suprised that there weren’t any surfers out.
Had dinner at a restaurant called Absinthe, and I started with a Pimms cocktail (very British of me), I was advised by April that they do excellent burgers so I ordered one … and had possibly the best beefburger in the world - Really, i’m not kidding you, it was fantastic!

Today we drove out to Alameda Naval Base (decomissioned), and took a tour around the USS Hornet - an aircraft carrier which served in WWII and was also the same ship which recovered the astronaughts from both the Apollo 11 and 12 crews.
Definately a memorable experience, i’ve been on quite a few military vessels but this probably topped the bill, it was HUGE. Unfortunately it was raining quite hard so we didn’t venture out onto the flight deck but we had a good look round the rest of the ship and the guides, who all served on aircraft carriers at one time or another, all had good stories to tell.
We wrapped up the day with a tasting session at Hangar 1, a vodka distillery which specialises in flavoured vodka as well as whiskey and liqueurs. WOW! I normally HATE the taste of vodka but the stuff they served here was really good - even the straight vodka tasted nice, not like the lighter-fluid taste I come to expect but actually smooth and drinkable. They gave us several samples and I have to say I started to feel rather tipsy by the end of it all.

Had a really nice meal with all the family this evening, went to the T-Rex BBQ place again and I went for a beef/pork rib combo dish.
We all came back to Eric and April’s for Key Lime cheesecake (which was excellent by the way) and some of the Pear Liqueur Eric and April bought from Hangar 1 today.

A lovely end to a lovely stay in San Francisco, my warmest thanks to Tom, Tutten, Eric and April for letting me stay with them, it has been great!

TTFN

Waffles for breakfast today, here is the receipe for possibly the nicest, and most filling waffles EVER.
Makes about 5 waffles, more than enough for 3 people.

“Mmm … waffle runoff”
Homer Simpson

Ingredients and Prep
500ml sifted white flour
250ml heavy whipping cream - at room temp
125ml unsalted butter
4 eggs, seperated into whites and yolks - at room temp
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - good quality
1 tablespoon of sugar

Optional: 1 teaspoon cinammon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping: REAL maple syrup, and fresh fruit

Method
1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in a bowl
2. Melt butter and add this along with the cream, vanilla, and optional spices to the yolk and sugar mix
3. Take flour, baking powder and salt, mix together and mix into the wet mixture. Set aside.
4. Beat the hell out of the egg whites until peaks can form
5. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the mixture - when finished you should still be able to see some of the egg whites and bubbles in the mixture, don’t overfold!
6. Pour the mixture into your waffle iron and let it cook.

Serve waffles topped with fruit, syrup, cream, chocolate spread - whatever you want….enjoy!

TTFN

We had this last Saturday and it was great, very simple to make and tastes wonderful! Goes well with any spanish/mexican food or just on its own on a sunny day.

This recipe is designed to serve 4 so multiply up for bigger parties

Ingredients and Prep
2 x large, juicy, oranges - juice one, wash and slice one
1 x large lemon - washed and sliced
3.5 tablespoons of sugar
3.5 tablespoons of Triple Sec
1 x 750ml bottle of inexpensive, mellow, medium, red wine (chilled)

Method
1. Add sliced orange, lemon and sugar to a large jug or pitcher. Mash gently with a wooden spoon to bring out a little of the juice (but don’t crush) and allow the sugar to dissolve.

2. Stir in orange juice, Triple Sec, and wine.

3. Refrigerate for minimum of 2 hrs but 8 hours is ideal, the longer the better!

4. Before serving, add 6 to 8 ice cubes and stir briskly to mix up the sediments. Serve immediately.

TTFN

P.s. April would like to mention she got this recipe from Amazon so can’t take all the credit

I have decided that I will try and keep track of any notable food and drink recipes and try and make a note of them in the Food & Drink category.

In case you hadn’t already noticed, categories are displayed on the right-hand side - just below my face

TTFN

Just a quick note to everyone…

I bought a US SIM card yesterday and so now I have a US telephone number you can get me on if you need to:

(US) 415 341 6809

If you call from a land line in the UK start with a 001, if its a mobile start with +1.

TTFN

I haven’t updated for a few days now so here is the latest, i’ve done quite a lot so apologies for the length of this one!

Monday 27th Feb
Monday started off wet and miserable, it was throwing it down for most of the morning so I decided to make it a ‘rest’ day and took some time to geek about on the computer and also booked myself in for some skiing at Lake Tahoe on the 11th March.
In the afternoon I went and explored some of the shops on Fourth Street in Berkeley, and I’m sure my sis will be pleased to hear that they have a Benefit shop there! They also have some interesting boutique-styles stores, various home design stores and an excellent book shop called Cody’s Book Store - I’ll definitely be going back there before I leave because what they didn’t have on world travel probably isn’t worth knowing!
Spent the evening chilling at the house.

Tuesday 28th Feb
Weather started off rainy but brightened up quickly so I decided to make my first trip to downtown SFO (San Francisco). There is an excellent rail service, similar to London’s Underground network, called BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) - no relation to The Simpsons - which links the various cities in the Bay Area.
After arriving downtown the first thing I noticed was how clean everything was, they really make sure all the buildings are spotless from top to bottom and the windows reflect their surroundings perfectly. Admittedly I had arrived in the commercial centre but I have been to a few US cities in the past and I don’t think they have compared to this.
I met Eric for lunch at the Ferry Building and yet again indulged in a burger, this time courtesy of Taylor’s Refresher, and…yet again, I was not dissappointed!
Strolled up and down a section of the Embarcadero, the promenade which stretches for about two miles along the sea front, and got a good view of the Bay Bridge - with all the rain we had earlier the haze that was over the city last week had been washed away and the whole bay was clearly visible.

Eric went back to work and on his recommendation I took a walk to Telegraph Hill and the Coit Tower in search of the Parrots Of Telegraph Hill (I mentioned these featured in a film we watched at the weekend).
I heard the parrots before I saw them, a whole flock of about 20 came screeching over head in a blur of green and red and roosted in trees on the side of the hill. Winding their way up the side of the hill is a series of steps, the Filbert Street Steps, which bring you out at the Coit Tower at the top. At first they don’t look very special, just some simple concrete steps up the cliff, however when you get to the top of these its another world. The steps turn from concrete to wooden and the back gardens of houses appear, terraced, either side. Each garden is unique but all have beautiful flowers and plants and the smell is great! You wouldn’t think such an oasis was possible in the middle of a city like this, I was quite amazed and would definitely recommend this walk to anyone who visits San Francisco. The steps eventually came out at the top of Telegraph Hill and the Coit Tower. From there I got an excellent view of the bay, the city, Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge.

After snapping a few photos, I made my way down to Fisherman’s Warf and walked past the various peirs, shops and restaurants which are abundent in this area - to be honest it is a bit of a tourist-trap here and it reminded me a bit of Blackpool, except a whole lot classier, but still a bit cheesy.
I also took a free-roaming tour round an old WWII “Liberty Ship”, The S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, its a kind of light merchant battleship and they were the first prefabricated ships that the US ever built. The particular ship I wandered round isn’t only famous because of its services during the war, it also starred in a major film…the engine room is where they filmed the engine room scenes on “Titanic”! The huge pistons are unmistakable.
I also had fun sitting at the 3″ Gun at the stern and swivelling it so it faced San Francisco - I know, a bit sad, but I’m a kid at heart.

At the end of the warf was a small beach and I was amazed to see people swimming in the bay - now it was sunny but barely above 10degrees and god knows what the water temperature was! It does seem to me that people here will literally do anything to get fit, the Embarcadero is a jogger’s dream and there is a constant stream of sweaty men and women running up and down all day.
Anyway, I walked back down the promenade and met Eric at the Ferry Building and we caught the bus home.

Eric and April’s friends John and Shirlee came over for dinner, and champagne , they have just retired early and are taking a yaught around the world - congratulations and good luck to the both of them. Dinner was fantastic, pizza again but this time Chicago Style, deep pan with the cheese underneath a 1inch thick layer of tomato - made locally at a place called Zachary’s - b.e.a.u-tiful Finished the meal with a shot of Scotch and organic vanilla ice cream, yum.

Wednesday 1st March
Just want to start with happy 21st birthday to my cousin Kenny! Happy Birthday mate!

Woke up quite late today, must finally be getting back into the swing of things!
Looked outside and yet again the sun was shining, it had rained again overnight but that just helps keep the views clear. Taking this into consideration I thought it was an ideal time to book a trip to Alcatraz! Made my booking through Blue & Gold Fleet for 12:15pm. Took the BART into SFO and marched down the Embarcadero to peir 41, got there just in time too! phew!
On the ferry over to Alcataraz I met two cracking gals from the southern hemisphere - shout out to Kathryn (Ozzy) and Chantell (Kiwi)!
The three of us toured The Rock together, twas good of them to keep a loner Brit company!
I think the thing that hits home most about Alcatraz it its isolation, it really was designed to be the most miserable lonely place and its no wonder people tried to escape. As soon as you step off the boat you look up at the huge cell block and you can imagine how the soon-to-be prisoners must have felt…complete despair. Inside the cells is no better, the wind seeps in through every gap and grille, its freezing - and its not even winter! It was great to see the cells where notorious inmates such as The Birdman, and Al Capone were housed, however I think it was even more amazing to see the physical evidence left behind when a few of the inmates took the prison and the army had to seige the place, bullet holes and grenade damage scarring the walls in some areas - not to mention the cells which housed the escapees (who were never found), with the holes in the cell walls still visible. The stories the rangers/guards have to tell are also interesting but did get a bit long-winded.
The audio tour is definately recommended, its very informative and you can skip past bits if you have heard enough or want to move on…it would have been a bit boring without it.
There was also an ex-inmate who was available to speak to but he really didn’t seem to forthcoming with any stories, I expect that being locked away on an island for 14years doesn’t turn one into a great conversationalist
Kathryn initially wanted to sit on his knee for a photo op’ but soon changed her mind when she met him! hehe.

Took the ferry back and said goodbye to the ladies. Had lunch at the Boudin Bakery, they claim to be the original makers of the famous San Franciscan Sourdough bread and inventors of the sourdough bowl and chowder combo. Taking this in mind I went for a sourdough bowl filled with crab and corn chowder, it was delicious…so delicious in fact that I completely forgot to take a picture of it which I intended to do as its quite a strange looking dish. You can see pics on their website though if you are really interested.

I strolled, slowly, along the Embarcadero and met Eric and we took the BART home.

Time for a BBQ so we headed down to T-Rex BBQ. They serve an excellent selection of cocktails and their BBQ menu is brilliant. I had Baby Back Ribs/Beef Brisket combo, with (very spicy) BBQ Sauce, and sides of bean salad, asparagus, grits, and maple corn bread - I hasten to add we all shared the sides!
Safe to say I was well and truly stuffed after that.

Now I probably shouldn’t mention this, might cause widespread panic about the family, but last night I experienced my first proper earthquake! It was only a slight movement but I checked this morning and it was a 3.6 which is quite powerful. The sensation was extremely alien to me and I have to say it did scare me a little, but apparently it does happen quite a lot so that was a bit of a relief really. Sorry mum but I thought i’d best mention it

Thursday 2nd March - Today
I didn’t sleep too well last night, think it must have been earthquake paranoia or something!
Decided to spend another day downtown, this time my aim was to explore some of the commercial district and take a look-see at China Town.
San Francisco is not short of shops and I passed many famous stores on my way to Union Square. I popped in the Apple store, definately worth seeing if you are in to that sort of thing. I also had a look round Macy’s (for men) and that impressed me too…had to fight back the temptation to buy clothes - no mean feat!
Union Square was surrounded by huge stores too, including Saks, Tiffany & Co, and Macy’s. I also spotted a sign saying “The Cheesecake Factory” - but sorry lads, I couldn’t find my way in!
Had lunch in a little cafe just off Union Sq. and then walked further up the hill to where the Cable Cars (trams) go. Decided against taking them today as they looked pretty busy and I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go but i’ll definitely take them before I leave, I took a pic though.
Found China Town and spent a good hour just wandering about poking my nose in many of the beautiful craft shops - many of which had ornaments made out of ivory, this was a bit sad but they were beautifully carved. Came accross a few fresh fish and meat shops, they smelled quite a bit but were interesting to see and contained all kinds of things - some of which were still living! Also saw quite a few herbal medicine shops, no ground panda penis in sight though - all shops were marked with a panda/tiger penis friendly sticker
I would imagine that strolling through China Town here is as close as you can get to the real thing, there were no westerners at all in some of the streets. I was nearly a foot taller than most people and I’m sure I stuck out like a sore thumb - for me it was just impressive I could be taller than people for a change!
The weather was perfect so I took the scenic route back to the downtown BART station, via the Coit Tower and the Filbert Street steps - I love those steps
Took the BART back to the house and have spent the remainder of the afternoon updating my blog

TTFN