Last big spend!

Home now! Thought we would update just to complete the blog

We decided to book a couple of flights and make the most of our last week. First stop, San Francisco. Accommodation was really in a great location next to Chinatown, just a couple of blocks from Union Square. We found another chain restaurant to replenish our tired selves, set out to look like a 50's diner with plenty of artery-clogging cheese topped mains!

Took the option of doing a day trip to Yosemite, which means another early start to get there by Bus. We saw the rocks, saw some large trees, got the picture post card shots that EVERYONE gets. Great if you want the generic excursions (with all the 5 minute photo opportunities), otherwise avoid! The only way to see places like this is to get out in it properly, long hikes to peaks etc. Otherwise its just cheating! Well, at least it was more informing that the city tour we took the next day, the Saaaaaaaan Fraaaaaaaaaan-crappo tour! If you like someone pointing out the obvious like they don't happen anywhere else (i.e. 'here is old old Chinatown, they use woks and play checkers'), and to fill in when there are no more amazing 'facts' to say, filling up the time by saying stuff like 'Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaan Fraaaaaaaaaaancisco' or 'Goooooooooolden Gate Bridge', this city tour could be for you. Yes it was really that good
In contrast the tour to Alcatraz is really worth while, seemingly a million miles away from the entertainment on Pier 39 & 41! As a national park it holds more than just the prison (which is an incredible tour on its own) such as a breeding ground for species of seabirds.

The next stop, Las Vegas. What a fun place. Seeing all the lights, wandering into these huge themed casinos and just incredibly cheap, if you can avoid gambling obviously! Apart from taking in a show, Phantom of the Opera, we just wandered around marveling at the huge expense, and expanse of the buildings on The Strip. Global warming worries don't hit Las Vegas!

LA was our official last stop, we just saw the airport to join our international flight home, to end our three month trip!

Seeing a whole years seasons in three months has been a little strange (and to the effect of losing our tans from the Philippines and Oz) but coming back to the UK summer is great, as long as we haven't just had it!

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