Beach and San Antonio

Eating at a local restaurant on the waterfront (the only one open) I asked the waitress whether the frogs legs on the menu were local - seeing as I had heard frogs in the swamp on the way over. Frogs legs? Local? She looked at me like I was a complete idiot and said ‘Nah - they come off the back of a truck every couple of weeks’. OK then, no frogs legs for me. So I ordered what was local; oysters and shrimp. You can make up your own mind from the picture of the oysters, but all I will say is that bigger is almost certainly not always better (insert own joke here if you like). Shrimp were very good - better grilled than broiled is my tip of the day.

Chatting to my friendly waitress, who had apparently been working at the restaurant for a year, but didn’t consider herself local, I enquired as to what I could do in the area the next day. Was there any interesting activity I could do in the swamp? ‘SWAMP?! What swamp?’ she exclaimed. Urrrrr……the one pretty much over there, there, and there….a blank look came over her face and I realised I wasn’t going to get any further with my tourist information enquiries that night.

 

Waking up to bright blue skies the beach was the only option in my mind. Flowers all around, with lovely yellow cactus flowers. I may have looked a bit a prat though wading through the dry bush singing at the top of my voice to scare off any snakes that may have been lurking. A quick dip in the sea seemed a good idea at the time.  I did wonder why no-one else was swimming, and assumed it was an american thing -must be wooses. Until of course I came out from my refreshing dip and saw a lovely big jelly on the beech. Don’t think I would have been so happy if that one had got me in the water.

I know I should have tried some, but I didn't ...

 A long drive with endless green fields almost put me to sleep, with the odd nuclear power station dotted in between - no, sorry ‘Electric Generating Plant’ as they call them. Hmmmm, very PC I’m sure. Eventually I ended up in San Antonio - really looking forward to getting off the bike and into the shower at the Motel 6. Without meaning to sound like an ad at least I knew by now the formula and what I would be getting in the room, which was strangely comforting after the mozzie splattered walls and damp of  the night before.

 

San Antonio - wow, what a place! This city rocks, and I mean really rocks, mainly to the sound of trumpets played by Mexican musicians, but rocks none the less. It helps if you douse yourself with tequila, frozen margaritas and Corona beer of course. Oh, while I’m thinking about it I have to tell you about the way they serve the beer here. So far, since I’ve been in the States they’ve served the Corona with a slice of lime in it, which I would expect, but here in San Antonio, they push the lime wedge into the top and then, wait for it, sprinkle the whole of the wet bottle (it’s been sitting in a vat of ice) with salt. That’s salt sprinkled all over the top half of the bottle, including on the bit of lime, so when you push it in and take a taste there is cold cold beer, fresh lime and salt all combined. Perfect. Completely perfect after a long drive. So perfect actually that I managed to sink quite a few … and then there was the tequila …

I gorged myself on the Mexican food on offer and promptly forgot the ‘to go’ bag with the stuff I hadn’t finished in it. I think I might have had a few margaritas by that point. Oh well. The spices were fresh, the guacamole delicious and the meat cooked meltingly well. I console myself with the thought that my ‘to go’ box wouldn’t have tasted as good the next morning as it all did that night, but am not really so sure.

A bar with couples and groups of all ages dancing together to Mexican and American disco music finished the night off. I also met a lovely couple who offered for me to come stay with them any time I am next in San Antonio and I think this sums up the feeling I get from my night there. Everyone is generous, fun and willing to talk to anyone - even me. The city and its people have endeared themselves to me and I would love to return to experience more.