Well everyone, this will probably be my last little update for a while as I'm off home tomorrow. Yes, three weeks of traversing the globe has nearly come to an end.

So, San Francisco. Well, it's hilly. Really, really hilly. And it's full of insane homeless people, most of whom seem to carry their entire possessions in a shopping trolley. It's like a city inhabitated by Bubbles from The Wire. My first full day was on Monday, and after a full 12 hour sleep, I awoke feeling a bit better than I did on Sunday evening.

I wandered up to Haight Street, which was the big hippy hangout in the late 60s. And, to these eyes, it hasn't changed all that much. It's full of tie-dye tshirts, 'anarchist collective bookshops' and shops selling 'pipes', and I don't think they're referring to the pipe that your grandad smoked, if you get my drift (unless your grandad was a Grade A pothead or course). It was a very long walk (lots of people told me that San Francisco was pretty small and compact - it really isn't) and by the time I reached Amoeba record shop, my feet were really aching.

Amoeba is the sort of shop that really shouldn't exist in these days of iTunes and easily available downloads. It's a massive shop full of every type of CD and vinyl album that you can think of. Basically, if you can't find it here, then it doesn't exist. I spent a good hour in here just leafing through all the records.

Then it was onto Golden Gate Park, a huge park at the Pacific end of San Francisco. I reached the California Academy of Science, one of those huge interactive museums that they do so well over here, and explored an Aquarium and, most impressively, a rainforest which had been recreated under one roof, complete with butterflies, free-flying birds and rare tropical plants and flowers.

I suddenly realised that I had about an hour to get over to the other side of the city for my trip to Alcatraz. So, I found the nearest bus, jumped on it and went off to the ferry piers. Luckily, I made it in good time and I was soon on the boat to the famous old prison.

Alcatraz really was one of my highlights - it's very eerie wandering round it, especially with the excellent audio tour narrated by a former guard. The cells are tiny (5ft by 9ft) and it's hard to believe that people actually lived in there. The solitary confinement cells in particular are really strange - pitch black and hardly enough room to turn around in. As I went on the night tour, there were various presentations and talks happening, and there was the added bonus of a nighttime cruise back to San Francisco.

Next day, I rode a cable car up to Fisherman's Wharf (the wait in the queue was enlivened by a street entertainer, a man incessently tap-dancing while the sweat poured off and, next to him, an elderly black woman in a wheelchair hollered 'you go, black man' at the top of her voice). Then there was another long walk up to the Golden Gate Bridge.

I've always wanted to walk across the Bridge, but when I saw that it was actually pretty far away, I was a bit put off. However, as I have no idea when I'll next get the chance to go, I kept on walking, only stopping off at a cafe for a spot of lunch. I was glad I made the effort, as the Bridge is truly spectacular close-up. And the view of San Francisco from the middle of the Bridge was out of this world. A very nice Japanese family took a picture of me next to it, and whaddya know, it turns out it's probably the best photo in my collection of about 700 pics.

The Bridge is amazing but there's one rather sobering moment - as you walk along the Bridge marvelling at the view, you notice a lot of phones dotted around. And when you get closer, you see why - they are usually accompanied by signs which say 'Please use this phone to speak to a consellor if you're feeling depressed. Jumping from this Bridge could have serious and fatal consequences". It's a stark reminder that, not only are you in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, you're also on one of the biggest suicide locations as well.

Then I made the long walk back to the Wharf, and took the cable car again, this time hanging off the footplate like a proper local. It was a bit hair-raising at times, especially with all the cars driving close by, but what an experience. Quite surprising that it's still allowed in America, with it being home of compensation culture and all that, but I'm very pleased this tradition has survived in SF.

One thing I'd forgotten about was the amount of commercials on US television. Honestly, it's ridiculous - if you're watching a chat show like Leno or Letterman, the host says goodbye, cuts to an advert break, and then comes back for the credits, which last 2 minutes and then we have another advert break. And the commercials go on for ever, and at the moment all seem to be for various forms of anti-depression medication. All of these commercials have to have disclaimers so one rather hilarious disclaimers runs: "warning: serious side-effects of taking this medication may include death or lapsing into a coma". Seriously, I'm not kidding.

Thanksgiving proved a pretty dull day sadly - there was absolutely nothing open. There didn't even seem to be any parades, as there is in New York. So, after a while sitting in Union Square enjoying a coffee, I wandered off to the cinema to watch Where The Wild Things Are, directed by one of my favourite film Spike Jonze. It's a great film, based on a legendary US children's story, but it's not one for the kids. There were a few parents who brought their kids along and they looked either bored silly or very scared. It's pretty conventional for a Spike Jonze film too, but then this the man who once made a film about John Cusack disappearing into a portal inside John Malkovich's brain, so anything is going to be pretty safe compared to that I suppose.

And that was that - I was driven to the airport by possibly the most entertaining man in San Francisco, who entertained me immensely by telling me lots of tales of San Francisco and cursing an awful lot about George W Bush. And then, after a 11 hour flight, I touched down in London.

I had a great time on my trip, and it's sad that it's all come to an end. But hopefully I can save up and do something similar again in a couple of years. I'll add some selected photos to this blog, but in the meantime feel free to check out the full sets on Flickr at the links below:

Hong Kong: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45513261@N00/sets/72157622907576246/

Sydney: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45513261@N00/sets/72157622783603971/

New Zealand: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45513261@N00/sets/72157622909325114/

San Francisco: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45513261@N00/sets/72157622915974338/