More Sightseeing With Rick And Shirley (2005-11-09)
Well, the comfy bed didn't help much with the jet lag. KL and I had been up 27 hours and were still only able to catch less than 4 hours' sleep before waking up at 2 am. As the night slowly gave way to light, the sky turned from a pretty lilac color to orange and then blue. The morning was crisp and clear, the bay still and the tranquility was broken momentarily by a flock of pelicans that glided past the sky. A couple of joggers ran rhythmically on the path that bordered the water beneath our window, occasionally brushing past strange giant stalks of plants. It was no Tokyo, we were in a foreign land.
Rick and Shirley came to pick us up from the hotel around 1130
am. He suggested Shanghai food for lunch but the idea didn't
appeal to KL. We settled for yumcha again! This time we
went to a different restaurant and the dimsum was even more delicious.
After lunch we went back to see Golden Gate Bridge. The day
was clear and no fog was going to stop us from seeing the full glory of
the magnificent architecture. The Bridge remained the same since
I first saw it over two decades ago, but standing there and looking at
it beside KL warmed my heart the way I didn't think it could. We
stayed long enough for us to take pictures and reminisce a bit before
Rick drove us on the Bridge
to a suburb called Tiberon.
Tiberon was a quiet little place near the water with some
multi-million dollar houses along the bay. We parked our car near
a small park and Rick, KL and I took a stroll along the path on which
residents walk their dogs. Shirley opted to stay in the
car. We spent nearly an hour chatting and walking and decided it
was time for afternoon tea.
The restaurant we went to had an alfresco dining area. Despite
the wind, chilliness and seagulls trying to steal food from diners'
tables, lots of people were sitting outside eating and drinking and
having a good time. We ended up having mussels, bread, and fish
and chips for afternoon tea! KL ate lots of bread to mop up
the yummy sauce from the mussels and he was close to being full.
We had to walk around heaps if we were to even think of doing dinner.
After the satisfying "afternoon tea", we went back to San Francisco
and drove around downtown for a long while and finally getting out to a
Sony building to browse their game center and shops. It wasn't
until 930 pm before we sat down for dinner at an Italian restaurant on
Union Street.
It was our last night with Rick and Shirley and we could have stayed
with them longer to reminisce and talk if we weren't that tired.
By the time we finished dinner it was close to 11 pm and we had to go
back to the hotel so KL and I wouldn't crash in his car.
The two days with our friends seemed to go so fast. Wish we could do it again soon. Tomorrow KL and I were to meet my American family, the anticipation and excitement helped to abate the sadness from parting with Rick and Shirley.
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