SAN FRANCISCO—Thousands of people converged along the waterfront in San Francisco where the Olympic torch route was scheduled to run in a ceremony dubbed the "Journey of Harmony" by Beijing. Instead, the afternoon turned into a two-hour twist-and-turn drama of the mystery of the missing flame.

"The city of San Francisco was chosen not by chance to bring this symbol of peace and unity," said Norman Bellingham, CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, during the opening ceremony which was delayed 15 minutes. He added that San Francisco represents so well the American values of tolerance and liberty.

Cheers and jeers filled the air when the Olympic torch was lit by a lavishly decorated lantern and handed to the first runner at the beginning of its unknown route through the city. The torch, which made its only stop in North America en route to Beijing, was held aloft encircled tightly by blue-clad Chinese security police.

A protester makes a strong statement to the Chinese communist regime.(Ivailo Anguelov/The Epoch Times).

But the event's spectators were caught by surprise when the first torchbearer and his international secret police entourage disappeared into an old waterfront warehouse on Pier 48. Meanwhile, the heavy police presence lined the streets along the initial route as officials announced that the torch route would be shortened significantly as the plan for the torch's final destination was changing minute by minute.

The torch has been a magnet for large demonstrations against the Chinese communist regime's treatment of Tibetans as well as a multitude of other human rights issues. The protests in London and Paris turned violent as multiple attempts were made to douse the Olympic flame to punish China for its poor human rights record.

The protests have angered Beijing officials and the state-run media has slanted its reports towards the regime's policies. The official site for the Summer Olympics stated that the protests were minor and were caused by a few pro-Tibetan separatists.

Since dawn on Wednesday, buses have imported to San Francisco a large number of pro-China supporters from across the Bay Area. Well organized, they brandished pro-Olympics posters and Chinese communist flags.

In San Francisco—a city with the largest Chinese-American population in the U.S., many of whom took pride in supporting the torch relay—there were heated confrontations among the crowds of supporters and protesters.

"We should not mix politics with Olympics," said Kenneth Kay, a retired, pro-Beijing Olympics supporter from Brentwood, in the East Bay.

A pro-China supporter shouts at the crowd of protesters. (Ivailo Anguelov/The Epoch Times)

"For the Chinese the Olympics are very important, because it's happening for the first time in their history; it's something they are very proud of; overseas Chinese take pride in that event too."

But for Antoinette Armas, who was at the event just as a spectator of an international event, this was a once in a lifetime chance for her and her daughter.

"We live here in the Bay Area and I thought it would be very educational for my daughter to see both sides of an event, where unfortunately, not everybody agrees with what's happening in other countries," Armas said

"It's been calm and I hope it stays that way, but there are a few people in the crowd representing China who are intervening. They try to intimidate and raise their voices against the people representing Tibet. But San Francisco is a liberal city after all."

A few minor scuffles along the route, inundated with protesters and pro-Tibetans, inhibited the forward movement of a bus prompting Olympic officials to scrap the initial route between McCovey Cove and the Embarcadero. Confusion lasted for about 25 minutes until the media was told that Olympic officials will present a very novel idea of how they will get the torch to its final destination.

In a well-coordinated effort by the event organizers and Chinese police, the delayed torch reappeared on Van Ness Avenue, a thoroughfare two miles away from the initial route, where the traffic was blocked off. The street was largely deserted as the torchbearers surrounded by heavy police presence proceeded North on Van Ness Avenue.

A woman mourns for the people of Burma.(Ivailo Anguelov/The Epoch Times)

A driver on a bus along Van Ness Avenue said that he did not expect to see the Olympic torch there and that he's never seen so many police all his life. A minor incident occurred at the intersection of Van Ness and Vallejo where a pro-Tibetan protester lunged towards the security officers escorting the torch.

To avoid the areas swamped by protests, the 80 chosen torchbearers proceeded towards the landmark Golden Gate Bridge enclosed by a heavy police presence, police motorcade, and Chinese police. The torch was later taken to its final North American destination—the San Francisco International Airport—where the torch will be flown to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hours before the San Francisco torch relay, President Bush urged China to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama. He said he agreed "that it would stand the Chinese government in good stead if they would begin a dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama."

President Bush is also facing a delicate decision as calls have been mounting for him to boycott the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony in August this summer.