24/09/18 The chiro relieved some of the pain yesterday and gave me an accessory to soften my muscles and maybe help adjusting my back. I drove all day to reach Sacramento at 10.30pm. The hostel (a mansion from 1880 converted into a hostel) did not have any car space left so I parked in a public car park nearby.
The room was not the cleanest and my bed was curved but I slept ok.
25/09/18 After the basic breakfast provided by the hostel I decided to explore the city and walked to Old Sacramento, a lovely mini village inside the city with the old vibe and architecture. Many little shops and restaurants were entertaining visitors and I stopped at a candy shop to buy local sweets, sort of caramel with dozens of different flavours to choose from. They are stored in big barrels and just a visit to the store was an experience. They also had Jelly Beans (Haribo you would have loved it) from all different flavours and you could make your own mix of it.
I stopped at the free mini museum (which has a Morse station connected to other stations across the country) and to the visitor centre which has an authentic horse carriage used in the 1800’s and a setup of history panels. I watched a video on Sacramento history and discovered that it grew thanks to a gold rush in the 1840’s. The city suffered repeatedly from heavy flood damage but the community kept rebuilding stronger and elevated houses hoping to reduce the flood damage. Sacramento was called the indomitable city and used to be the capital city of California.
I also spent some time in a gift shop where a Peruvian lady was selling items from south America. She was so nice and friendly that we chat for a while. Then I started to feel hungry so I stopped by a Mexican restaurant. There was a lift leading to the roof terrace so I thought it would be a nice spot. A weird guy was watching people passing by and when I got into the lift, he asked if I would not mind him coming with me. I didn’t know what to think as he could have taken it anytime but I let him in. He started to talk to himself looking at the poster on the lift door then looked at me and showed me his neck tattoo, the restaurant logo. I felt a bit safer and he said he had to change his tattoo because his cousin, the restaurant’s manager changed the restaurant logo. He must really love the restaurant…
I had a chicken quesadilla, which was incredibly filling as the amount of cheese was probably half of the plate. There was a red bean purée with more cheese on top which tasted like can food, so I didn’t eat much of my plate, but the staff were really nice.
I have seen so many overweight and obese people since I started my trip in the US that it makes me feel sick and guilty when I eat in public. Every bite feels like I should not eat it or it will make me fat. It is a weird feeling. It might be a good way for me to loose weight actually, maybe I should plan to stay here a few months until I am not hungry anymore. I wonder if the number of people suffering from anorexia here is higher than the rest of the world. It is like America wants to make sure you are never hungry, or more accurately that you are always full. The number of fast foods on your way is crazy and they are all signed on the highways to make sure you don’t miss them. Sometimes more than 6 on one single panel. Or is it just me being obsessed with food all the time. Maybe. But one thing for sure tonight I am having zucchinis or broccolis for dinner.
Sacramento streets are named after the alphabet (O street, H street) or numbers (5th, 7th). It is not creative but it works. And as the streets cross perpendicularly, you can’t be lost.
I walked back to the hostel and took the car to the supermarket to reload for the road trip. I cooked zucchinis back at the hostel and cut some watermelon for tomorrow. While I was eating, I met Sara and Martin who both arrived late. She is a sports coach on her way to a Spartan Race (she is also doing international competition) and he is a sailor on his way to meet friends in Reno. We went out for a drink and I tried something new, a blood orange cider. Sweet as expected but nice.
