I have always wondered of how it would be to visit San Francisco, what I would see, who I would meet, and what I would eat (haha). I have always seen San Francisco as the gateway of the west. The iconic bridge that I have seen countless times on the big screen, books, blogs, and magazines has become a symbolic icon of acceptance for me. Along with the steep hills and multitude of ethnicities it was like riding a wave of culture on every street. There were times that I literally did not understand how my car was not flipping over, not to mention the roller coaster feel to it all. From the crammed winding roads, to the little shops that sold some amazing food, there was so much for one person to see, in a lifetime. So in my 2 days there I rode my bike in search of people who appreciate what I was seeing, and I met one of the most spiritual people I have ever met in the most random way.
The moment I met Isaiah
The beautiful Golden Gate Bridge
Isaiah is traveling from the Nappa Valley where he visited a Hindu temple in search of enlightenment to a village in the Mojave desert called, "Boulder Gardens" in search of home. I must admit, at first glance, anyone would mistake him for a homeless personal walking the streets, but amongst all the stares and people "course redirecting", I was the only one to walk up and ask where he was going. We sparked up a conversation about his life and how he came to this point, and it was nothing less than remarkable. He dropped out of college, and left his home in search of a means to getting closer to his beliefs and deities. He was tired of living day to day with nothing but superficial goals that were unrealistic and unattainable, so he decided to reach within. There were some things that I myself had to get used to, like his constant meditation and his desire to look straight into the sun when he got the chance. Yes, you read it right, he would consistently look straight into the sun, but this played into his beliefs and all I can do is appreciate it. He was such a cool guy that I decided to take him along with me.
Alcatraz, in all it's glory
Sitting on the dock of the bayyyyyyyy
Amalia and Letta...and I at the Golden Gate Bridge
As we trekked famous San Francisco, we found some funny similarities with one another. For "Kind" Bars, appreciation of nature, and best of all, of the song, "sitting on the dock of the bay" which we sang in the video above (haha). We enjoyed some delicious food at a local pub and went on to be tourists. We checked out some of the local street art, some of San Fran's best parks and saw Alcatraz, and even the city's steepest street (not fun to walk back up by the way). We also met Amalia and Letta, two German foreign exchange students that were also traveling for the day on bike, sprechen kein Deutsch? Eventually, all of the days fun slowed down and it was time to begin heading back to L.A. and what better way than to take the famous Highway 1 along the coast. Lets just say nothing prepared us both for what we were going to see. There were so many remote, absolutely stunning stops along the way. One in particular left us speechless and we spent about an hour just admiring they view. All before realizing we still had 5 hours left to drive to L.A. (a grim realization). When we parted ways he did leave me with a quote from Sri Ramakrishna, "The man with ignorance says God is there, and the man with knowledge says god is here."
My favorite memory of State Route 1
What an amazing experience in San Francisco, I had such an awesome time trying new foods, laughing it up with the locals, and seeing the sights. I was able to watch the sun set while on the bridge and what it rise the next day over the city, what a spectacular view and memory to have. There were so many things to see while I was there, but I was not able to secure a place to stay unfortunately. My host had to cancel when I got into town and I had to enjoy the comfortable recline of my driver seat, but hey it happens sometimes right? All in all, I feel as though I met some amazing community members, and set the premise to come back and see more things. Below I attached a video of the sunrise over the city for you to enjoy.
The San Francisco sunrise
Next stop I find myself in the City of Angels (Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge playing in the background) a few people that showed me so many things. Check out the trailer to the video I am making below. Use the hashtag #TheCommunityMadeOfUs, repost the video on your pages, and remember, it doesn't take much to be part of The Community, and when someone helps you, make sure you pass it on.
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