IT BEGINS!!!

Today's entry was written by Craig & Crystal

City: San Francisco
Weather: around 20C, much sunshine, fresh winds, wonderful!

The moving, the packing, the sorting, the planning... it's all done! We had the traditional 4 hours sleep, packing til late, then hit the airport train around 8.30am (thanks for the lift, James!) It only took Crystal to be hauled over the coals by customs for smuggling DANGEROUS WATER in her bag and Craig to be hauled into a 'private' room by customs for a full scan and invigorating frisking (low-violation, mainly worked my abs and my glutes), and we were done!

The Air NZ flight was great if a little bumpy in bits, and by sharing our special veggo meal with the guy next to us (whose meal didn't show), we were given SUPER TREATMENT by the formerly surly staff (super treatment = multiple cookies & cream cookie ice cream tubs, and the wine flowed like, y'know, that big river in Lord of the Rings).

First observations of San Francisco:

• The BART train ticketing system is challenging to locals and foreigners alike.
• The woman who Crystal spotted on the train eating a block of cheese with two hands like it was Whopper was not necessarily the weirdest person she saw today.
• Appetisers = main meal; Main Meal = certain death.
• Jeff was right, beer and bottled water are (nearly) the same price here (tootOOT!)
• All the locals we've met so far have been really cool and friendly (even the crazy, homeless types!)

Toasting the end of crazy house moving & the start of the hyeppy thaaames!

Seamus, our fellow vego & ice-cream hound, shares the toast

Descending into Auckland

Riding on the driver-less airtrain was a little bit Total Recall

The AWESOME falafel platter from the restaurant next-door

Craig should never attempt 'Blue Steel' on no sleep

Crystal adopts the 'when in Rome' approach, attempting to fast-track obesity

No, not an Ivy League harlot, this is rather the Yale Ho-TEL where we're staying. You're thinking of the Oxford Ho's (for an intellectually good time, call...)