TBT - Travel Story

I think it has been a long time since most people have travelled abroad. For me, last pleasure trip out of the country was back in January 2020 and it was just a short weekend trip across the border to the US from Canada. This year has flew by and definitely one of the most unusual years for everyone. All aspects of our lives have by affected by the pandemic, whether it is from the economic perspective to the travel and leisure perspective.

But I think for Local Guides, we all have a ton of stories, especially travel ones. I’m going to share one of my most memorable experiences here on a #ThrowBackThursday or #TBT.

Just over two years ago, in October 2018, I was very fortunate to attend Connect Live held in the San Francisco Bay area. Shortly after the event, @NunungAfuah and I decided to embark on an alternative method of seeing the city. We decided to travel using the Go Car. What is a Go Car you ask? It literally looks like a little go kart, something that you may see in the Mario Kart game.

We were very excited for this in the morning. You can just sense our excitement as we were getting ready (to sign our waivers and safety briefing). We were going to be in one together and you may ask, what is the driving requirements for this? They seem to accept any driver’s license! So if you’re planning on doing this, make sure you bring your valid driver’s license with you. We shared one Go Car for the two of us. I was the driver for the day as some time before this, Nunung was my motorbike driver in Bali. This was my opportunity to take her around, especially since we had thought the way you drive this is more similar to a vehicle. But once we arrived, we found out, it isn’t! It’s actually more like a motorbike! I’ve been to San Francisco numerous times before this and it was Nunung’s second visit but neither of us have ever explored the city like this! We were totally ready to take on the city, once we put on our safety helmets! Nunung has planned this very well with her outfit!

What is the first thing everyone thinks about when they think of San Francisco? The Golden Gate Bridge and what better way to see it with Karl (the fog), it is what the locals call it. This became our first stop of our little journey. We stopped in the Crissy Field Beach and it was just the perfect way to absorb this view, very quintessential while visiting the city.

We got to drive through the hills of the city and see the streets. I have to admit, it was quite fun to drive in a tiny vehicle. The car is driven on the same streets as usual cars. Of course, you have to be careful and watch for cars, pedestrians, cyclists, buses, trams, etc. The cars are bright yellow, so they will easily see you on the road as well. The vehicles are also equipped with GPS activated tours. If you’re brand new to the city and doing the exploring all on your own, it’ll give your some tidbits about the city as well.

And of course, we needed to drive down Lombard Street. It is a very crooked street with lots of hairpin turns. I think Nunung trusted my driving until this point. See, or rather listen, for yourself in our video!

Overall, this was a great way to spend a few hours while exploring the city. Definitely a very different experience. I’ve never considered driving a car like this before. I’ve never actually seen cars like this before in other cities.

What about you guys? Do you have any throwback Thursday travel stories to share with other Local Guides? Tell us what you’ve missed or really enjoyed or what you can’t wait to do when it is safe to travel freely again! In the meanwhile, stay safe and stay healthy!

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Hi @Shirley !! Definitely it’s special throwback Thursday :cowboy_hat_face: … it’s been 2 years ago! I still remember those Go Cars’ color as same as my yellow clothes!

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Very cool @Shirley ! Looks like you and @NunungAfuah had a lot of fun! Yeah I miss travel so much. For the past ten years I flew at least 50k miles a year, but this year I only did one trip, the Tokyo-SF route as part of flying back from Jakarta.

Counting down the days until when I can fly again.

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Great story @Shirley

I once drove a 35’ Winnebago down Lombard St on a bet. Difficult but I wanted the beer :beer: :beer:

Paul

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Hello @Shirley @NunungAfuah

Awesome Trip, Great memories Thank you so much for shearing with us.

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Wow… This is so much fun and challenging activity @Shirley , especially driving on the steep road in SF!

How far did you and @NunungAfuah go with the Go Car? Do we need an international driving license to drive this?

Well, I do hope that we could go travel safely and freely again. Hopefully 2021 will be a good beginning of it all :blush:

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Que linda historia @Shirley , me gusto mucho leerla y me recordó el primer día que salí a recorrer SF, solo en mi caso :grinning: , con algunas indicaciones básicas de @KarenVChin sali a recorrerlo. En los enormes bus rojos , el destino el Lincol Park y allí me topé con estos hermosos auto de color amarillos, jajaja me sorprendieron mucho, pero bueno estaba en SF, nada te puede sorprender, todo puede ocurrir en esta ciudad me dije, Pero yo no sé si saldría a dar vueltas por la ciudad jajaja me daría un poco de miedito :grin:

Como tú dices este 2020 creo que cambio para todos, yo el único viaje que tuve fue al norte de Argentina y en enero, veremos qué depara el 2021 :crossed_fingers: :grinning: , pero estoy seguro que no será al exterior, no por el momento :slightly_smiling_face:

saludos desde la Tierra del Fuego :fire_engine: , Farid

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I now wonder @NunungAfuah did you plan wearing the yellow shirt knowing we were going to drive the cars?

We will just have to do our part to slow the virus transmission for now @iyudhi I bet once it all opens up, you’ll make up for all the missed miles!

I had to look up what a 35’ Winnegabo is @PaulPavlinovich !! What was that experience like? Did you have any passengers in it at the time?

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Thanks @Velvel ! I don’t think we drove very far. We started near Fisherman’s Wharf and then drove west towards the Golden Gate Bridge and then we looped back to go down Lombard Street. But we did drive down Lombard Street twice! I think the video was from our second time going down the street. The car doesn’t actually go very fast, I think the top speed was around 30 or 40 kilometers per hour! Yes, an international driver’s license will be needed for this. US often accepts Canadian driver’s license though, so I just used that for me. Where do you want to go when we can travel again!

I totally agree with you @FaridTDF ! You can see anything happen in San Francisco. It is quite the place to explore and see. Looks like you spotted one of these Go Cars during your time there! I think it is a very popular option to see the city there!

And thanks @rajuroyal ! Do you have any place you want to visit for the next adventure?

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30 or 40 km for the top speed? Wow…that is so exciting to drive slowly while you are surrounded by cars with higher speed, isn’t it @Shirley ?

When I was in SF, I didn’t see Go Car on the road :sweat_smile:

In Indonesia, we drive the car from the right side, whereas in the US it is on the left side. For the first time left side driver like me, do you recommend to drive this Go Car or the real car? :smile:

If we could travel safely and freely again, I think I will start with domestic travel. There’s a lot to explore in Indonesia :blush: I haven’t thought about the plan yet, but if I could travel internationally, US could be a good choice. There are lots of interesting states to visit and explore!

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I had a selection of Aussies there to witness the attempt who were all hoping I would get stuck @Shirley

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I watch the video @Shirley and kak @NunungAfuah all of you no for get about brakes downhill route so challenging , but tone so fun than scary hahaha .

By the way the the color car yellow and same with costume @NunungAfuah perfect

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@Velvel In the city, cars don’t go very fast anyway because of the traffic lights and traffic. They don’t let these Go Cars onto the freeway, else I think it would be very dangerous.

I’m not sure about driving on the other side of the road, I think it is very scary if you have never done it before. Sometimes when I go to a place where they drive on the other side, I don’t even know which way to look when I cross the street! But in some US cities, it is very difficult to travel around without renting a car, such as San Francisco!

Oh, I agree with you, I want to explore more of Indonesia when it becomes safer for travelling! I really want to do one of those live aboard adventures that take you to different islands!! I also want to see Komodo dragon! :joy:

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You’re right @Shirley

I also don’t have enough courage to drive in the other side than the usual one. It looks completely different from the driving side, the view of the road, and traffic. We need to learn and adjust again!

Yes, public transportations in SF and some California’s cities are not that convenient. Lucky me to have a best friend who is a California resident as my companion and local guide that could drive me anywhere :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Please come again to Indonesia.

We would be pleased to welcome and become your local guide :blush:

Ah, about komodo dragon, you could read my sister’s post about Meet Komodo: The Last Dragons on Earth . I’m sure you’re gonna like it!

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