A (Sort of) Cross Cultural Experience

(The previous post tells about the first part of our Texas roadtrip)

On from the reunion...

The next stop was my favorite. We drove to our hotel in Seguin to dump our stuff and freshen up, and then headed on to San Antonio. We were about out of the hilliness now, but the heart of San Antonio was fascinating in a different way. I probably wouldn't like living in a city, but I definitely love the excitement of being in one for a little while. I kept having the sensation of being in Hong Kong or India again, tagging along with a Vinnie and the team, and had to shake myself and say "Cassie, you goofhead, this is San Antonio...Texas!"

The bottom line is, I love to travel. I love to see new sights, smell new smells, breath the air of a different clime. The cleanness and the dirt of a city hand in hand intrigues me. Shining glass windows, fancy sports cars, and well manicured flower beds mingle with sidewalk grime, dumpsters, and ready-chewed gum. The same goes for the people. Shimmery affluence and striking poshness weave in and out among sagging clothes, stains, cigarettes. I feel out of place with both, but I love observing the strangness, though I certainly don't envy any of it.

We did stop at the Alamo (it is amazingly tiny and it's tucked into the grander buildings so that you'd hardly know it was there if they didn't make such a big deal over it.) I was too busy watching people to pay proper attention to the Alamo, though I have to admit, it's amazing to think of 150 (or was it 250?) rough and rag tag guys defending that little building against thousands of Santa Anna's fellows...even for thirteen days. Took a lot of guts.

Once at the San Antonio riverwalk, it didn't feel like a big city any more, but rather a quaint, enchanting other-world. We entered a culture strange to me, where everyone followed sidewalks along the tamed, contained San Antonio river under massive oaks and cypress trees, around plam trees and tastful flower beds, over arched limestone bridges, in and out of shops and restaurants to the serenade of mariachi bands and other music. Being from Longview, sidewalks in themselves are add a whole new dimension to life :)

As it grew dark, the river lived. We took a boat tour for half an hour through the liquid street, admiring in rapid succession the lamplit hotels, the historic statues and landmarks, and the lantern-hung verandas where groups and couples alike shared warmly illumined tables. Light! It was all over the place...but not in excess. Maybe it was having less of the glaring streetlights and more of the soft lamp post light that made the scene appealing...Glowing under the awnings, glinting on the water, playing on the shop signs. And people holding hands like crazy! It was a very romantic place, we agreed. And a very fun family spot too. I began to feel like I was in a musical, and unfortunately for everyone else, had the absurd urge to burst into impromptu song, adlibbing to foolish tunes. I think humming should be a virtue.

Aside from noticing the romantic nature of the place, I also noticed A LOT of people of different nationalities...I'm sure they were Americans, but I mean...they looked different from ME. And that excited me. There were a lot of Indian people especially, many of the women in saris or punjabis. The intoxicating colors alone made my mind whirl.

After the tour, it was already about bedtime because we'd arrived late, but we ate at a Mexican restaurant where a mariachi band was playing and then Dad and Mattie went up in a tower nearby while Mom, Connor and I took refuge in Starbucks with a giftcard. Connor and Mom took turns hauling Ethan, who had turned pumpkin long before midnight and was now a sleeping deadweight. A little hot chocolate revived him, however. We watched people sweep by outside the plate glass windows while Ethan sat basking in a resplendent purple velour chair. Then Dad and Kate came back and the wind began to pick up, and it began raining about the time we commenced th interminable search for our lost vehicle. Is it just me, or do all parking garages look the same???

More to come about our last day...