We arrived in the afternoon yesterday at the airport in San Francisco with surprisingly sunny and warm weather. It felt as though San Diego and San Francisco have exchanged their normal climates for this time of year. We left San Diego having to wear light jackets and then we took them off in San Francisco. Very unusual.

Since the moment we were picked up at the airport by our good friend Damian we were treated royally. We checked into a motel on the beach in the Sunset district and then rented a car. Hopping in our new car, we drove to Ananda Fuara, an excellent vegetarian restaurant owned by our good friends here in San Francisco. They welcomed us with incredible food and service just as our friends in San Diego had done in the past few days. After getting settled down for the night we were ready for our first ceremony today.

Our first run started at Ananda Fuara and went up a hilly course to the San Francisco Day School. We were greeted there by Chris Corrigan, one of the teachers there who helped to organize this event for us. We met with a large group of eighth graders who are about to graduate to high school. At first they seemed a bit puzzled by our entry into the school with a torch. As our international team of eight runners began to tell the kids and teachers present about the World Harmony Run and the significance of passing the Torch to people all over the world, their faces seemed to reflect more and more interest and appreciation for what we were doing. By the end of our presentation they were asking us very thoughtful questions and we also gave them a chance to pass the Torch around, making wishes for goodwill and harmony.

Most of the school groups we have met on this tour which began in late April have been younger elementary school children. This group of students at the San Francisco Day School were a little older and seemed a bit more serious about the philosophy and purpose of our event. It was quite satisfying to offer children of this crucial developmental stage a new way to look at the world in a positive and actively healthy way. We are grateful to Chris Corrigan and all the other teachers involved in welcoming us to this wonderful school.

After a wonderful lunch at Ananda Fuara, our small team three, Francesco, Banshidhar and I, took a ride downtown and up to the north shore where we discovered Pier 39. It is a very interesting combination of natural beauty as the bay opens up in front of you looking out to the small island of Alcatraz, as well a commercial tourist attraction of incredible variety. The development of this area of the piers has grown tremendously and part of it is due to the natural attraction of the wayward sea lions that inhabit many of the small docks here.

After the big earthquake of 1989 a handful of sea lions started coming to the piers here. Soon thereafter more and more have come and have been taken care of as they have made these piers their refuge and home. Now hundreds of sea lions inhabit the docks around Pier 39, sun bathing, feeding, sleeping, swimming and even fighting. A cacophony of deep barks and wailing noises permeate the air as hundreds of tourists, including us, seem to be attracted to this simple community of huge, gentle sea mammals.

On our way to the parking lot from Pier 39 we noticed a crowd of people gathered around a group of young dancers. They were just beginning a performance of break dancing combined with acrobatics that was simply astounding. Head spins, flips, one arm handstands as well as other assorted feats of coordination and amazing strength, all captivated the audience and earned them a decent wage for the day. At one point we gave one young man our Torch and he executed a few daring moves while holding the Torch in one hand. It was a great way to end our first full day in this city of unique variety and interesting characters.

Arpan, Banshidhar and Francesco

---

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

< USA 22 Mayo

USA 25 May >