Sunday 30 October: San Francisco - Goodbye USA

Sunday dawned clear and bright, so we decided to head back to the waterfront. This time we took a cable car - a tiny box-like tram propelled by a moving cable concealed in a slot in the road. The cars are always crowded, with not enough seats, so a lot of the passengers have to hang on to the sides. This is great fun, though apparently people do occasionally get knocked off.

Our first stop was Lombard Street - "the world's crookedest street". One block of this street is extremely steep, so the road zigzags through a large number of tight curves. The locals have some very interesting approach angles to their garages, and also a lot of tourits to invade their privacy.

The next cable car took us to the Hyde Street pier, which hosts a number of old ships including a schooner, a car ferry and two steam tugs (one of them a paddle-wheel type). We had a good time looking at the ships and wandering around the local area with its shops and cafes. We visited the very famous Lark in the Morning music shop, with its wonderful collection of musical instruments from all parts of the world. Sue eventually dragged Paul out kicking and screaming, and we returned to the cable car terminal.

The cable car drivers ("brakemen") seem to be selected not only for their skills in the manipulation of the levers necessary to make the little cars stop and go, but also for their personalities and dry wit.
"Can we catch this trolley back to the city?"
It's a free country, Lady.

Or when a Japanese tourist wandered in front of the car: That's how we make Rice-a-riso

We checked out of the Handlery and took a shuttle to the airport. SFO is a very large airport but was very quiet, with a disappointingly small number and variety of shops. As required we arrived three hours before departure, but the check-in and security were quick and efficient. However Paul was required to go through "The Booth" - a new device for detecting traces of explosives. Inside the booth the victim is subjected to a series of air blasts, and then waits for the light to go green. However the light didn't go green, and a second series of air blasts was necessary. Meantime the tough-looking lady operator was donning a pair of latex gloves - things were starting to look dicey. Thankfully the light eventually turned green and Paul escaped a fate worse than death.

At last the flight was called - it was a fully-loaded 747. We settled in and mentally prepared ourselves for the 13 hours of claustrophobia to come.