i'm on a boat.

a trip to san franciscio with my pals grace and ferris. took a chance and hit the jackpot. with our busy schedules, we were able to find the time to meet this past wednesday, the 23rd. didn't expect it to get on the russian warship at pier 30-32 in SF though. it wasn't open to the public until thusday supposedly. not to mention, the Varyag hasn't been here in 147 years. but both grace and ferris got us in. as grace put it, we were the only non-ethnic Russian, non-Russian speaking people on board. out of place and it was by invitation only. but we still made it on!


backtracking a bit: before getting on the boat, included a casual 15 minute walk in the city. it's always pretty windy by the water.


ferris was really thirsty so we stopped at a cafe for drinks. I was a bit parched myself. outside were two cute dogs. the poodle ran away from us when we tried to pet it. I myself have been wanting a dog. a miniature schnauzer to be exact. it's not a toy dog, which I like. they're really smart too, 11th smartest according to Coren. not to mention, they have really cute faces. I'll have to wait until I get my own place though to get a dog. the parents aren't too keen on extra responsibilities right now, which I understand.


ferris got an iced chai, and I got a diet dr. pepper. grace wanted an iced tea, but they ran out. a cafe running out of tea?! ridiculous. then again, they were stingy store owners.

then a few pics before reaching the ship.


this was checkpoint 1. basically the gaurds were at the gate to ensure that no trespassers went through. they didn'e speak english. everyone was coming up to ask about getting onto the ship and their response was "10 to 1". basically, letting people know that tomorrow was the day that it was to be open to the public, from 10am to 1pm. grace asked however, if we could go closer to take some pictures. they said yes! don't know if they understood...


and a quick pic with them before we walked in.


you can see just how far away it really is...


and here's checkpoint two. ferris led the way, and basically we pretended that we knew what we were doing and just went aboard. it was a little scary as it was russian territory after all.


these kids were right in the middle of a performance, singing in russian. everyone including the sailors, were watching closely.

it was really so exciting! and of course, plenty of pictures.


after a picture with some of the crew members, back to the ferry building for dinner! also, we all badly needed to use the restroom, and wash our hands. the ship was pretty dirty. my hair had been blown out through all the wind. not a good look for me.


ferry building!


these free oil and vinegar samples really got us hungry...on the search for a place to eat.


ended up at gotts. which used to be taylors. good thing kim got that shirt! (becasue they are no longer offering them) and it was quite good.

I tried to be healthy, so I went with a turkey burger and apple chutney. garlic fries of course. that, not so healthy.


blue cheese burger for grace.


tacos for ferris. would've done tacos had they had flour tortillas...


what else but gelato for dessert. ciao bella. mocha chocolate (ferris), chocolate chip cookie dough (grace), and cinnamon (me).


sweet way to end the day.