We boarded the Greyhound from Las Vegas to San Francisco at half 3 in the morning. Too early to think and way to early to have rude staff tell you off for queuing to get on the bus (don’t tell us seating is first come first served and how we potentially may not even get on a bus we’ve bought a ticket for and we’ll wait patiently). Luckily, we managed to get seats and were headed for LA 6 hours away for change over. It was weird stopping off at the bus station where Nathan smashed a bottle of beer and we caught our bus to San Diego a couple of weeks ago. It was also weird to see LA again after visiting much nicer places in America, honestly Los Angeles is a completely different to your expectations; more poverty, run down areas and gangs than the painted picture of desirable Hollywood.

The changeover consisted of moving from a bus with leather-seats, wifi and plugs for each person to an old, dirty vehicle with broken seats, no wifi and no plugs. And this was the one we’d be on for the next 8 hours, brilliant. On arrival into San Francisco, we saw a lot of people wrapped up in many layers. Yeah, it was cold here. We’d just come from sunny Vegas where we dealt with 35º heat to windy San Fran where it’d be around 14º in the day. We grabbed a taxi and arrived at our hostel which, to Josie’s delight, was situated on a hill. We needed to get some cash out when we were informed of the fee for the next 5 nights and used the ATM in this hostel lobby. American ATMs charge non-US cards a transaction fee and this differs across banks, usually between $2.50 and $3.50. The machine in the hostel said $3.50 but when Josie and I had withdrawn our money, we noticed we’d been charged considerably more than it said (I got charged $8 for withdrawing money and Josie was charged $10!!). After a minor argument with the person on the reception (we just kept going round in circles and he wouldn’t let us talk), we agreed that we’d discuss being overcharged with the manager the following day. Finally checked-in, we headed for our 4-bed dorm to find a freezing room with windows that wouldn’t close or lock. This place is gonna love us with all our complaints. Heidi went to find anyone who could help whilst I kept making eye-contact with a bumper sticker on the locker opposite that simply read, “Are we having fun yet?!”. Funnily enough no we weren’t, we’ve paid an extortionate fee to get our money out and we’ve been given a room with a broken window which anyone could climb through. A handyman soon enough came along to fix the windows with screwdrivers, planks of wood and anything else that he could find and left us in peace with the noisy old radiator which looked like it could blow up any second. We spent the first night wrapped up warm watching television on our phones and abusing the free wifi. I also tried to book us onto the Alcatraz cruise to spend a day on the island. The next available day for this though was Sunday in five days time and also the day Nathan and I leave for out flight to Colorado. Crap. We weren’t going to be able to go to the famous prison island (tip: as soon as you know the dates you’ll be in San Francisco, book your alcatraz cruise straight away!). Our only option was to book the Alcatraz and Angel island combo tour which was double the price at $63. But we had to do it and booked for Friday. We couldn’t miss out on going to Alcatraz!

After a long lie-in, resulting in us missing free pancakes, we set off on our walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. Our favourite parts of the walk were definitely the hills, I mean as soon as we left the hostel we were treated to two steeply-inclined mountains to climb. The trek took us via the coast where we stopped to take pictures and watch a man using rocks to build towers. But not just any skyward building, boulders balancing on top of one another with the most intricate precision in placement, especially when making a pointy rock balance atop a uneven stone beneath. After a while gazing at this patient man building towers, we continued onward to the pier viewpoint where the views of the Golden Gate Bridge to the left and Alcatraz on the right are often enough for some, for example Josie who didn’t fancy the long walk to the bridge. Nathan, Heidi and I continued via a boulevard lined with rich houses, recreational parks and boats in the marina. We finally made it to the Golden Gate park near the bridge and did the touristy thing of having numerous pictures with the iconic landmark in the background. We were lucky with the weather being so clear and sunny because the next two days saw quite a bit of cloud and fog shrouding the majority of the bridge.

The following day saw us head to Pier 39 via Chinatown. Minus the colder weather, we definitely felt like we were back in Asia with the atmosphere of the street; stalls selling wallets, iPhone covers and chargers that’d break after a week’s use but also shops selling exactly the same clothing and keychains as the store next door or the one across the road. We then arrived at Pier 39, a tourist attraction in the area which boasts a handful of restaurants, gift shops and sea lions. Yes, they have loads of sea lions living on the jettys adjacent to the pier. There were hundreds of them play fighting or just struggling to stay out the water and with the noise they were making and the smell of fish surrounding the area, they were an interesting attraction to see. We ate our lunch in the freezing cold winds at the end of the pier and then seeked warmth in a nearby sweet shop before heading past the left-handed store, the sock shop and the overpriced chocolate store to begin our trek back up hilly San Fran roads. We stopped off at an Asian bakery en route which sold the same delicacies we loved whilst in Thailand and Malaysia. And what was even better about this was the price, they were cheap like in Asia! What we did forget though was how sweet everything tasted. I bought a chicken filled pasty and had to deal with the overly sweet taste of the pastry. The sugar-coated donut I bought to eat later on turned out to be less sweet than any of our savory items… how?!?!

We awoke bright and early (and actually made it in time for the free pancakes!) and headed out for our day trip to Alcatraz and Angel islands. It was raining and cold and miserable but for once, we didn’t care! All of this added to the Alcatraz mood and definitely made the island appear more sinister as we approached it on the ferry. We arrived to a tour guide informing us of the day’s events and how to do the audio tour of the prison up on the hill. Alcatraz island used to be a haven for rare birds with the name deriving from the Spanish “La Isla de Los Alcatraces” translating to the “Island of the Pelicans”. It was also used as a military base before becoming a federal prison from 1933. The majority of inmates were jailed for bank robberies and murders. During the 29 years it was in operation, the jail housed some of the most notorious criminals in American history such as Al Capone (who was actually prisoned for tax evasion… wtf?!), Robert “Birdman” Stroud and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. The penitentiary claimed that no prisoner successfully escaped but a total of 36 prisoners did make 14 escape attempts. Three criminals are still listed as missing and presumed drowned and have Wanted posters displayed for their arrest after they broke out of their cells using a spoon. Whilst on the audio tour of the prison, we learnt of the Battle of Alcatraz which occurred on May 2nd 1946. Bernie Coy, a prison inmate, had planned to slip through the gun gallery, overwhelm the guard and steal the set of keys to free 5 accomplices and escape to freedom. It backfired though when the keys they needed had already been hidden by a guard and the siren went off alerting the island of a planned escape. The inmates, however, had taken five officers hostage and so when the alarm blared, Coy’s conspirators shot the guards. In response, Marines dropped grenades through the roof killing Coy, two other inmates and two correctional officers. The history of this place is so interesting and to hear about these stories, not only through narrative but also from previous inmates who had lent their voices to the audio tour, was incredible. We also learnt of the ‘hole’ prison cell which was pitch black and used for those who had committed the worst crimes. One former inmate revealed how he’d throw a button and then try and find it, all in the pitch black and on repeat. The audio tour took us through the cell blocks, the library where only prisoners with reading abilities could request a book, the visitor quarters where you could have only one visitor per month and the sunny part of the prison which was known as the most desirable spot to have your cell. We ended the tour in the dining hall, the room that was branded the most dangerous place in the whole prison. Why? Because they would give these criminals knives. The prison was closed in 1963 with the final inmates shipped to nearby jails. The reason for its closure related to increased costs in the upkeep of the place, the deterioration of buildings (including worker’s quarters) and the lack of an advanced sewage system on the island.

Our second half of the day was spent travelling on a cold ferry in the rain to Angel island. We were leaving Alcatraz in high spirits, exclaiming how much we loved visiting the place, “Alcatraz was so good!!”. A, no doubt, polar opposite reaction to what the inmates would have been thinking when leaving their cells upon the jail’s closure. We arrived on Angel island half an hour later and were greeted with a friendly welcome to San Francisco bay’s biggest island. It was absolutely freezing and the rain had decided to pour down even harder. We joined the queue to board our tram tour of the island and were met with a rude lady telling us that every seat must be taken and how she’s not leaving until it is. This obviously caused a massive stampede of people trying to grab seats together and suddenly made the place feel like a zoo at feeding time. We didn’t make it on the first tram (which got a flat tyre as soon as she went to pull away) and ended up on a tour with a much friendlier gentleman. The island is a former military quarantine base which would accommodate those who fought in the war overseas.  Before returning to mainland, they would come to Angel island to receive medical treatment and be checked for any fatal diseases. The island today is a national park with a tiny population (those who work here and their immediate family) and a lot of nature. The tour guide informed us of each viewpoint to see the bridge and the city skyline (Heidi pointed out how this island seems to just be a good place to be able to see other places) whilst we were also told of the animals we would not see here (such as a rabbit). We were then taken past the old military ground and barracks (which was pretty interesting) and also past the island’s own emergency service buildings. After seeing a deer, we headed back to the café near the ferry port, grabbed a hot chocolate and couldn’t help but feel like we would have enjoyed the tour a great deal more if it was sunnier and the audio track didn’t skip every five seconds.

Nathan and I headed out to get haircuts. I wanted something cheap and cheerful (which would be the Asian hairdressers nearby) whereas Nathan wanted something where he wouldn’t worry about how his hair was to turn out. We took a seat at Elizabeth’s hairdressers; a salon which looked like it used to be a Chinese takeaway complete with waving kitty and chunky television in the corner showing TV programmes no one ever watches. Nathan soon got up and left after we sat down leaving me to explain to the Vietnamese woman (who was meant to cut his hair) that he was ‘just looking’. They believed me though and here I was having my hair cut by a short Vietnamese woman who, instead of moving herself around the chair to cut my hair, would swivel me around to suit her. This was just the beginning of the weird haircut experience. She whispered “are you from England?” in my ear and spoke to me about credit card fraud as if advertising how easy and appealing it is to use people’s cards. To top it all off she applied nearly the whole tub of gel on my hair in the style of a 90s boyband reject and in politeness, I had to keep this new hairdo until out of eyeshot of the salon. For $14 though, it was a really good haircut.

It was time for our final day together as a foursome until we go to the east coast and for mine and Nathan’s final day in San Francisco. We’re splitting up for a week; Heidi and Josie are heading to Hawaii whilst Nathan and I go to Colorado and then across America to Washington, DC. We headed into the centre of San Francisco and ended up at the Cheesecake Factory on the 7th floor of Macys, a restaurant with not only amazing cheesecakes but also delicious food which will fill you up by just by looking at it (honestly, huge portions! Especially if you get a free soup because your meal came out ten minutes later than everyone elses). We were incredibly stuffed and bloated and decided the best thing to do would be to get a tram over to Fisherman’s wharf. One-way on the tram costs $6 so we made sure we picked the longest route possible to get our moneys worth. It was amazing. It was like being on a rollercoaster through the city, cheering whilst picking up speed downhill, screaming whilst speeding round corners and clapping when somebody doesn’t fall out. We arrived at Fisherman’s wharf and looked around the souvenir stalls and restaurants (although we couldn’t face eating anything for a while, I still had half of my sandwich from Cheesecake Factory!) and wandered back toward the hostel via another tourist attraction in the area; a hill, a hill where the road to drive down zig zags due to how steep it is.

We said our goodbyes to Heidi (who informed me of my polite sleeptalking in the night, “I’ll have that one thank you”) and Josie and caught the bus to the airport ready for our flight to Denver. This was brilliant timing to get diarrhea and sit on a three hour flight in pain. After three trips to the toilet, we collected our bags, headed outside to get our shuttle bus and waited in the torrential rain and freezing cold. Welcome to Denver! After a painful half hour wait, a shuttle bus arrived and took us to our home for the next three nights. We decided to use Air B&B where people rent out their flats or a room in their apartment. Our hosts greeted us and showed us around the place. After a quick skype with the parents, Nathan and I headed for some lunch and to explore the local area. We’re right near the Capitol State building and surrounding parks which are beautiful. Also nearby is a semi circular building which looks like a smaller replica of the White House. Unfortunately it turned out to just be a legal building, pah. We visited the art gallery nearby where the art wasn’t as pretentious as previous galleries we’ve been to, a lot of the pieces related to the history of Colorado and the rocky mountains nearby, somewhere we hope to visit whilst we’re here.

The next day saw us watch a plethora (ey, Jamie got some plethora in my blog for you) of family guy and then head out for lunch. Denver is windy. So so windy in certain parts of the city that you almost get blown over so we seeked shelter in a cinema and watched Captain America 2. The warmth for a couple of hours was necessary (not jealous of Heidi and Josie laying on a hot beach, honest..) and we thought the movie was awesome. I miss going to the cinema (hint hint Empire). We headed back to the flat to get ready for a gig we’d booked tickets for. Situated in The Fillmore Auditorium a couple of blocks away, we were about to see Childish Gambino live!! He is a rapper/hip hop artist who is also an actor in the American show ‘Community’ but that’s not all, he also does stand-up. With all of this being said, we were a little nervous. Why? Because we were in a city we’ve never been to before, going to see an r&b artist who would potentially attract a rough crowd and we weren’t wanting to get mugged again (damn you Sydney!). We grabbed a taxi to the venue and were greeted with a long, long, long queue. Our fears of not making it out the gig in tact were starting to vanish and soon enough we were in the beautiful auditorium complete with chandeliers and luxurious pillars and an expensive bar. The support dj was awesome (and kept making everyone chant Worldwide in a monotonous tone) but got the crowd suitably pumped for Childish Gambino. The Deep Web Tour is currently touring America and stopped off in Denver to a packed auditorium, which is probably a small venue in America but it felt huge in comparison to our equivalent O2 Academies. His show was awesome and his talent was demonstrated in his free styling sections, he also sang a whole lot more than I expected. He is a very angry guy though and I knew this before coming to see him (especially after listening to his lyrics in his first album ‘Camp’) but when he’s on stage performing, he expresses his anger not only through his songs but through a crazy routine. Due to the technological theme of his show, he was surrounded by screens with 3D images portaying his house. These screens were used heavily throughout (especially prior to the show when you could write a message on the screen via an app on your phone) and for a few songs in the middle of his first set. It wasn’t until over halfway in that performed his latest single ‘3005’ and after playing his new album in its entirety, he came back on stage for an encore and told the crowd “it’s time for some old stuff” before breaking into ‘Heartbeat’ then a medley including ‘Firefly’ and ‘All The Shine’. His final song, ‘Bonfire’, was by far the best of the night (but also showcased his angry side the most).

Today we headed to the Capitol State building once more but this time to go on a tour inside the building. A free tour (yes!) of the state’s government building where all laws and legislations are heard and either passed or rejected. The tour guide informed us how a majority of the materials used inside the building were sourced from Colorado (which we found out is Spanish meaning ‘coloured red’), such as the marble floor coming from Marble town (brilliant) and sandstone from Fort Springs. The guided tour took us to the office of the Govenor, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Department of the Treasury. Learning about a state government was fascinating, especially in comparison to our governing body covering the whole country. The building itself is incredible in an architectural form and our tour guide even told us how one employee’s job is to clean all of the brass (and there’s a lot of brass) in the building. Surprisingly he loves his job. The dome that tops off the building stands 272 feet above the ground and gleams in the ‘300 days of Denver Sunshine’ because it is made out of gold. The gold represents the history of the state with the discovery of gold in 1858 bringing fortune seekers to the area and creating the mining villages and communities. Since then we’ve moved apartment to another one we found on Air B&B and are currently staying with two medical students in the centre of Denver.