I had given up hope on Texas, but San Antonio I kinda like. It’s a well designed
city built around a square shaped intersection of rivers called the Riverwalk.
I would have gone straight through to Austin without stopping here if I hadn’t
had to pee. Just after merging on to the 37 North, I pulled off the freeway
and parked on the Southeastern corner of the riverwalk. At least it feels like
the southeaster corner. I could be turned around.

Walking up the riverwalk you pass by a little village or redone old buildings
and churches called La Villita. And I’m sure the buildings are from when Texas
was still Mexico. A lot of history out here. A lot that I need to read up on.

Anyway, I kept truckin’ with only an hour’s worth of change in the parking
meter and came to Hemisfair park, a walkway with benches and gazebos and old
buildings. Then back to the city center where there is a big mall (malls freak
me out) and a strip of hotels and touristy Tex-Mex restaurants.

Texas has been an eye opening experience for me. Especially because it shares
some of the same characterstics as Southern California - being a border state
- but is completely different. It’s interesting to see how the Mexicans and
Chicanos are here compared to California. If I had to make a broad analogy,
I would say that Southern California is much more like D.F. and Texas is much
more like La Provencia. Here, Gringos and Mexicans alike are more conservative,
more religious, more rugged. In fact, only now do I realize just how similar
George Bush and Vincente Fox are. They are storid cowboys with no agenda other
than "winning" and would probably do the exact same as the other if
they switched shoes.