Sam N Em Do The World 7th March - San Francisco

Hello there! We’ve been in the exciting city of San Francisco for just over two weeks now - and why is it so exciting we hear you cry?

Well, for starters we had a moderate earthquake (4.4 on the Richter scale) during our first weekend here. We’re staying with Emily's cousin and her apartment wobbled like a jelly for a few seconds while my heart pounded – we had spent the day before in the earthquake simulator room at the Californian Science Academy so I suppose we were well prepared.

Believe it or not, I had a sneaky suspicion this would happen to us. We also had a 5-minute tremor in the night, but nothing was damaged. However, you will have probably heard about the 6.8 quake a few days later in Seattle - they were not so lucky.

We’ve loved it here and could easily emigrate. We’ve done the usual tourist stuff, like Alcatraz (not too cheery, but interesting none-the-less) and Fisherman's Wharf, where the sea lions smell horrendous but keep the public very amused.

We also experienced the Beatnik North Beach area and drank in the Vesuvio bar, where Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, et al drank. I bought several books (and don't know how I’m going to carry them home) from City Lights bookshop and was served by probably the only grumpy shop assistant in San Francisco.

We also visited the Haight Ashbury district, where ageing hippies still hang out, mourning the passing of Jerry Garcia (of Grateful Dead fame) and Janis Joplin, as if it only happened yesterday. The old VW vans and Beetles have gone now, replaced by dozens of the new, yuppy-esque Beetle, and half a million dollar apartments (can’t believe just how expensive this city is – even more so than London).

I have put my 1.5 stone back on, thanks to the aid of a million waffles and smoothies and an incredible array of cuisine (everything from Russian patisseries, to Korean, Japanese and Thai restaurants) - provided that you have the cash, this is not a city to go hungry in!

Well, after the beauty of the Californian coast and the magnificent Redwood trees of Muir Wood, we will be on planes and in airports for nearly 24 hours on Thursday in order to hit another expensive joint - Rio De Janeiro. I am not prepared at all and am wandering around in the haze and aches of a cold (you will be glad to know that we have reverted to winter weather and can relate to you all again!). See you mid-April,

love

Sam & Emily xxx