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| Jimmy hard at work in the engine – conveniently located next to the front seats |
The mechanic in question did however tell us about the Tabasco factory, a few hours West on Avery Island. For $1 you could enter the island which also held a nature reserve which we decided not to visit as all the birds, being smart had migrated to warmer climes. There was a free tour which was pretty interesting, the only thing I remember is that Tabasco only contains three ingredients (chilli, salt and vinegar) and that the chilli picking has now been re-located to Mexico and they pay $1 per box. The best part was that after the tour you could go and sample the multiple sauces that have spawned from the original and even taste some Tabasco jalapeno and raspberry ice cream (weird but delicious) and Tabasco flavoured Coke (a cola – weird and gross). They also gave us a free full sized bottle which definitely made our beans and rice diet more palatable. We tried to stay the night on the island, but the whole thing is owned by the Avery family so most of it is out of bounds. True entrepreneurs, the Avery family not only sell 700,000 bottles a day worldwide, they own their own island and charge people to walk around it.
Next stop was Texas, yeeeehaaa! All visions of deserts and rodeo were dispelled as we drove across the border late that night as it was below freezing and the vista was green and lush. We spent the night at the Welcome Centre and got chatting to the extremely friendly security guard. At first we were wary, thinking he was going to tell us we couldn’t sleep there but he was so welcoming, giving us lots of advice about where to travel and letting us know the state rules were lenient to vehicles parking in public places, music to our ears. Texas is the largest state (apart from Alaska which is almost the size of the continent) and its 800 miles from East to West. We planned to explore as much as possible, pictures of the Big Bend National Park had me salivating for some adventure in the wilderness.
The first day was pretty bleak, we stopped at Vidor, not far from the Louisiana border to grab some supplies and some new shoes as Jimmy’s had begun to stink the van out and flip flops just weren’t cutting it for me any more. As we casually handed over our dollars the shop attendent informed us that Vidor was, until as recently as 30 years ago, what’s called as a ‘Sundown town’ i.e a town that was predominantly white and where minorities (particularly African-American) were advised to leave before sundown to avoid being shot. Hundreds of American cities (mainly in the South) have been sundown towns at some point in their history but even more devastingly in 2006 CNN reporter Keith Oppenheim interviewed several white people who openly admitted they wanted segregation re-introduced http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/08/oppenheim.sundown.town/index.html. Fortunately I didn’t experience any first hand evidence of this still existing in any of the States I visited, in fact quite the opposite but hearing a description of ‘sundown town’ while shopping is a sobering experience.
We left abrubtly and made our way through the meandering little roads, through acres of arable farmland, steadfastly avoiding all major towns – searching for the patches of green on our free AAA map, symbolising State Parks. We hit gold with Lake Livingstone, a virtually deserted forest paradise with great camping right next to the lake. It was time to get in touch with our inner caveman and cook toast over the fire followed by the perfect marshmallow for dessert. We hiked around the ‘closed for renovation’ trails and saw some beautiful birds, in particular the bright red cardinal and striking blue jay.
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| If we love you, you have to love us |
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| Getting primitive in the forest |
We heard on the grapevine Social Distortion were touring the South, we just missed them in New Orleans but luckily they had a gig a couple of days away in San Antonio, 5 hours to the West. Approaching any major city you have to run the gaunlet of corporate giants dotting the highway every few miles. The advertising billboards are huge and mounted high up for maximum exposure. A Burger King billboard caught my eye for all the wrong reasons with the slogan ‘Now insomnia has its benefits – BK now 24 hours’. Not only can you suffer from sleeplessness but you can develop obesity and heart disease at the same time – lucky consumer! It’s hard to find places to sleep for free in the city but luckily someone let us in on the only good thing about Walmart. You can stay in any car-park all night without any hassles save the bright lights and noisy trucks. The only draw back is we invariably find ourselves drawn in, usually to escape the cold, and are exposed to harsh strip lighting and everything for sale from car tires to Justin Bieber duct tape (seriously).
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| The Alamo @ San Antonio |
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| San Antonio riverside |
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| The fourth Mariachi |
After escaping from Walmart it was time for some culture. San Antonio is a beautiful city, full of history and home to the infamous Alamo, and for one weekend only the awesome Social D. We spent the day sightseeing and visited the Texas ranger museum hosting the largest collection of taxidermy in the States (Texas are so proud of everything Texan, from their rangers to their toast). That night the gig was at the Backstage which boasts Micheal Jackson and Nirvana in its part performers; they were supported by the hypnotic Lindi Ortega, a modern day Dolly Parton. They rocked it and afterwards we settled down for the night in the parking lot (its a glamorous existence, this travelling lark).
All was well until we were woken by rapid fire gun shots, so close it sounded as if someone was banging on the van. Terrified we peeked out of the spray painted tinted windows but couldn’t see anyone around. Within minutes sirens were blaring and several police cars sped past us and a helicopter was circling the parking lot. My fear of being shot was replaced with a fear that the police might think this suspicious looking van may have something to do with it and their heat sensors would seek us out. Two out of the five doors dont open and I had visions of police with guns shouting at us to open up, us not being able to and being shot in the head. ‘Backpackers shot dead under mistaken identity crisis” headlines flew through my mind, making it impossible to sleep. The next morning in the bright sunshine it was hard to be scared and no evidence remained. I was half expecting to see gun-shots peppering the side of the van but in reality they probably sounded a lot closer than they were, but this was a definite wake up call to our safety at night. Walmart’s only from now on! Next stop was the States capital Austin….
