The Spa

I splurged on a 50-minute massage yesterday. It goes without saying that it was heavenly! The Kabuki spa in Japantown remains one of the most peaceful places _ and one of the best deals _ in the city. http://kabukisprings.com. I left feeling like a wet noodle.

In the evening, Tod and Linda hosted a welcome home potluck. It was fantastic to see so many friends at once.

Home

I came home yesterday to the kind of day that makes people want to move to San Francisco _ sunny, clear, 70 degrees. Perfect.

Georgia and I went to my favorite Mexican place in the Mission. I really missed avocadoes!

I stayed awake until 8 p.m. and then slept 12 hours. Arthur and I snuggled ... although I don't think he's quite sure about who I am and Gin and I took a nice walk this morning. It's nice to be home.

Sinead

It's no secret to most of you that I'm a Sinead O'Connor fanatic. What you may not know is that I had to give up fifth row center tickets to see her at a small and beautiful venue in SF. Back in September, I had to be in London on a Monday and she performed on a Saturday. I was brokenhearted, to say the least. Serendipity intervened, however, and she performed here in London last night. Jean bought tickets in the balcony (the best seats left!) and I managed to talk my way to the eighth row. My brother, Mike, would've been proud of my schmoozing.

Today, I've been wallowing in Sinead _ watching YouTube clips and reading interviews. Here's the review of last night's show: http://sineadoconnor.com/review_london.htm


And a photo from last month's show in Boston. She wore a similarly mannish outfit last night.

Yoga

Every Sunday evening, Jean's apartment gets transformed into a yoga studio. I was lucky enough to be here this week. Kim's class was fantastic and reminded me how much I miss yoga. Check her out at http://www.kimmu.com/yoga.


The class was followed by an Asian-themed potluck dinner.

Autumn

In the two months since I last passed through London, the weather has gone from Indian summer to fall. It's crisp and cold, but really nice to be back in such an orderly place. Egypt seems even more chaotic in comparison.





We rode bicycles to Chapel Market and indulged in a fantastic bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard. Yum!



I later got in touch with my inner Wisconsinite and admired the freshly made cheese.

New Friends

Meeting new friends ... especially when traveling in a country where many simple things quickly become a hassle ... is a REALLY good thing.

Ingrid is a nurse from Holland and Kate is a doctor from England. They met in the Sudan while working with Doctors Without Borders. A grand time was had by all!

Leaving Dahab

It's my last morning here in Dahab. It's felt like weeks since I arrived. I guess doing absolutely nothing is good that way.


Here's my room at the Nesima Resort, which has been a wonderful stay and I would much recommend it to anyone venturing out to this part of the world.



Here's my breakfast ...



... and my breakfast companion.