The posts are all back to front now as I did one huge one last time - ah well if thats all I have to worry about I'm not doing so bad!
Just a quick posting before I leave San Francisco. I wouldn’t say that I left my heart here but there is something very special about this city. It got under my skin as soon as I got here and I feel at home here in a way that I haven’t felt anywhere other than Scotland.
I have been staying with an Irish guy called Paul who works in bars here while setting up a TV show! He is a really sound guy and made sure that I had a good birthday and made sure I had a good time while I was in San Francisco. Thanks Paul you are a star and if I can ever repay the favour give me a shout – anytime at all and I mean that!
Also thanks to everyone who made my birthday so special and different with the cards, emails, e-cards, phone calls and presents. It was really appreciated as I was kinda worried I would spend my birthday on my own.
Oh and I want to get a tattoo that combines travelling, Scotland, Halloween and self esteem, I just cant come up with one design that says all that (neither can anyone else) so answers/ideas on a postcard please!!

I did do some touristy stuff here, Alcatraz, cable cars, Chinatown and Haight St but mainly just loved being downtown amongst it all. There are so many different types of public transport here. There are underground subway trains, electric and petrol buses, trams, cable cars and trolleys – all different! We also went and watched the sunset at the beach which was so lovely, there is no good place to watch the sunrise here as it is over the city. I have seen some amazing sunsets and sunrises in America though!

I read a quote that said ‘I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be’ and I think this is very fitting to describe my time in America. I have had an amazing 2 1/2 months and mainly the great stuff that has happened has been pure chance.
As I leave I am thinking a lot about how I am fitting into my own skin at the moment. I am finding out things about myself that are truly surprising me and the best part about it is that its good things. The funny side of it is that the things I am discovering are things that people (mainly Eleanor) have said about me for a long time!

I think the real traveling will start now as I know I have had it fairly easy here for the last while and going to a country where I don’t speak the language will be much harder but I’m sure I will be ok! I plan to spend about 3 months in South America but who knows what will happen – America didn’t exactly go to plan that’s for sure!!!
One thing that has stopped worrying me is my itinerary; I am doing this to meet people and to have the experience. If I don’t ‘tick off’ a particular country its no big deal and I would far rather stop and work somewhere (like I did in Venice Beach LA) than to keep constantly moving and getting only a quick snapshot of each place in my head. That’s not why I’m doing this. It’s exhausting running from place to place ‘doing’ all the ‘touristy’ or ‘must see’ places and then leaving. I know I have great plans for things that are a long way into the future of my trip so if my itinerary, money or the people I’m with changes it all, I'm not so fussed!
I fly to Mexico City tomorrow morning, pictures to follow!