Five Countries Four Marlboroughs: First day on the tour bus

Today we had our first trip on the bus - we started with a tour around the city which showed us areas we hadn't gotten to and a trip to the California Academy of Sciences. It is a natural history museum, planetarium, aquarium and rainforest all in one. We were told to meet back out the front at 12:30pm which gave us around 2 hours to look around. It was really interesting and our family loved it. The last thing we did was the earthquake simulator. It was starting to get close to 12:30pm - and didn't want to be late - so around 12.25pm we headed to the meeting point.

I looked around - no one from the tour? Wow - we were early. I looked around again surprised no one else was there and Patrice our tour guide comes running up, yelling out, 'I've finally found you guys'. OH NO. The Marlborough family had unknowingly become the annoying people that turn up late!! We didn't realise Terry's watch was 10 minutes behind and all of the people were all seated and the bus was ready to go. We slinked our way onto the bus, heads down. We weren't off to a good start!!

We had free time in the afternoon - kids and Terry chilled, I shopped - and around 5:30pm our family headed to the Regency Club for a few drinks before joining the tour for our Chinatown dinner and walking tour. We called by the fortune cookie factory which the kids loved. My fortune was, "You are thought to be the most charming character in the world" Yeah - I'll take that. Then Terry's was something about having to overcome so many obstacles - bloody hell I wished he'd picked a different cookie!!

We had dinner at one of the restaurants in Chinatown - I was one of the first in so I chose a free table and thought anyone who then chooses to sit with us does so at their own peril! A lady called Judi and her husband Ron were first to sit with us - I think they are from Utah. Then another couple from Mildura - laid back and good fun - and then a mother and son (he is 15) from New Jersey. Judi was really easy to talk to and she really loved the kids. (Phew) She had come up to me earlier this morning and told me how wonderful it was that we had brought our kids on the tour. I said to her, "let's hope you think the same thing in a week!"

Tomorrow we are off to Sacramento then Lake Tahoe - it will be about 34 degrees. Today was one of the coldest days here - around 17 but still no rain on the trip so far.