By 9am this morning we were coffee'd up the car was fuelled up and we were on the way to San Antonio. It was smooth, straight forward drive to Austin. We stopped at a hip area over the river from Austin's downtown called SoCo which was recommended by one our guidebooks. SoCo, short for South Congress street was lined with several clusters of "hipster" clothes stores and cafes. We grabbed a bite to eat at the local market on the street which was a hive of activity, all opting for Thai food, one of the few cuisines we haven't eaten on the trip so far, it was edible but disappointing to say the least. I'm not sure what we were expecting from Texan Thai food. What was not a let down however was the cupcake treats from Hey Cupcake, the most amazing red velvet with cream cheese icing I have ever eaten, Sam almost missed out on sharing this one. Fraser went for the carrot cupcake, also a hit. Worth the trip to alone though it was regrettable that we couldn't spend longer in Austin. We agreed 90mins to check out some shops on the street, with Vickie on the hunt for some Birthday threads. Most of the clothes we wouldn't be seen in public in and everything else was over priced. But after a few try ons and a minor wardrobe malfunction Vickie left with a cute new top.
Our arrival to San Antonio was slightly delayed with slow traffic on the motorway due to exits being closed. Sam and I were slow cooking in the front seats of the car with the afternoon sun beaming in on us and the air con in the front of the car not working it was a relatively exasperating but worth it. Checking into our accommodation at the Marriott was easy and quick. I felt very under dressed just standing in the lobby in my travel clothes but was pleased we were splashing out on somewhere nice for this weekend. We happen to be there during a 'Back to the Furture' convention so Sam and Fraser were delayed ooing and ahhing at the Deloreans parked outside the hotel, not only one but two were on display...apparently they're a big deal.
We briefly settled into our rooms before Sam and I picked up supplies and met at Vickie and Fraser's room for a Birthday celebration with some top shelf Tequila.
After shower and dressing in record time we headed down to the 'Riverwalk' for dinner at Iron Cactus on the river front which specialised in Tequila based drinks, so a round of cocktails was ordered along with dinner. The menu was more Tex-Mex than we were hoping for but the food was amazing. Sam and I shared a starter of Lobster tacos which were sensational followed by delicious Mexican chicken dishes all of the food was really enjoyable. Vickie was serenaded by a Mariachi band who sang a lively Happy Birthday for her and everyone around us to hear. In the spirit of celebrations Sam and Fraser ordered 'Tequila Flights' which were a selection of three tequila shots of varying ages and brands. To top off a yummy dinner the cheque was cheap as chips. It continues to surprise us how cheap alcohol is to buy at a car or restaurant here with booze loaded cocktails costing less than $10 everywhere.
Back at the hotel the celebrations continued with us sharing a couple of cigars around the outdoor fire. We were joined by a young local couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary and a few people who were from out of town but here for various reasons. The conversations starting with Vickie and I being asked if we were sisters and then what we were doing in America? Soon we were fielding questions from all angles, what was NZ like? Can you grow produce in NZ? What kinda jobs do you have that means you can travel for two months? Where was our favourite place in America?, Did we see this? Did we see that? Where were we going next? And the best would have to be "Did you see the Eiffel Tower in New York???" Yes the young newly wed local Texan did pose that question and when we responded with confusion took a long time to see her mistake. It wasn't until Vickie suggested she meant the Empire State Building that she realised the error, I'm still not convinced she knew what she was talking about but in her defence I think she had had quite a few drinks. Another gentleman was astounded that we could take the time off and had the money to do such a trip, there may have been some false pretences that we were staying in accommodation this fancy everywhere. It was an enjoyable evening where we got some good suggestions on what to see in the next part of our trip and the best way to experience the Grand Canyon, with everyone joining in to sing Vickie Happy Birthday once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment