Daniel Cann

We began our tour of the Texan city at the ‘Alamo’ made famous by Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Steve Travis and one hundred and eighty four others from America, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Germany against the overwhelming might of a Mexican army that numbered one thousand five hundred troops! We found it to be a very popular choice with the tourists who walked around looking and reading in quiet reverential awe. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for those men who defended it all those years ago knowing deep down that they had no chance of survival against such odds. It was also the scene of an infamous incident involving Ozzy Osbourne and a wall, but that’s another story!

Afterwards we went on the Riverwalk made famous by Steve McQueen in the film ‘The Getaway.’ I found it to be a little like Venice with its bridges, tunnels and canals. It had a really soothing and calming effect and life seemed to slow down there. It was great for people watching and looking at the barges and boats slowly making their way down or up stream. We visited the Hemisfair Tower, which once at the top, rewarded you with excellent panoramic views below. We followed this with the quirky Hertzberg Circus Collection Museum that boasted memorabilia from PT Barnum, Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, Tom Thumb and many other stars from vaudeville.

In keeping with the weird and wonderful we also visited the ‘Cowboy Museum’ which had to be seen to be believed! It was no ‘Madame Tussauds’ but the waxwork models of cowboys and cowgirls were amusing and it did its best to educate the visitor on the ways of the West. Steve had to catch a Greyhound bus to Dallas and after a quick meal we said our goodbyes. He had been great company and an interesting raconteur, what he didn’t know about America was not worth knowing (I think it was his third or fourth trip there!)

I returned to the hostel feeling that I had a better idea of my surroundings and feeling more settled. I met Matt from New York who was studying to be a lawyer but on a break and travelling around his country in a rental car. He was friendly and witty and we soon got talking to two Danish girls Dina and Bridget. Both girls were statuesque and very pretty. Dina was blonde and Bridget was a red head. Thanks to Matt’s easygoing charm and my politeness we managed to convince the girls that spending an evening with us would be a good idea.

So I had just got back from the city and now I was preparing to go back in again! Still, I could not pass up the company of two pretty women and a new found friend. It was an excellent evening as we had a proper Texan meal of steak and beer. There was a real party atmosphere everywhere and the streets were packed with friendly, happy revellers of all ages.

After our meal where we both managed to charm the girls more the four of us went for a neon lit walk on the Riverwalk. It was a perfect setting with boats decorated with lights as well as the sidewalks and buildings. The ‘San Antonio Fiesta’ had arrived! As I walked hand in hand with Bridget I had to smile to myself, my fortunes had changed for the better in dramatic fashion in such a short time. Life was good!

***

The following morning a wild looking man arrived in the dorm. He had long blond hair, a beard and he wore well-worn boots that were covered in dust. He soon disarmed everyone as he was friendly and very down to earth (nearly every sentence was littered with the word ‘fack’!) He was from Sussex and introduced himself as Jeff. Apparently he had spent the last few weeks travelling on his motorbike through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. He explained that the countries were ‘a bit dodgy, especially fackin’ Belize!’

Jeff was a little wide eyed as he recounted his travel stories and he had all of us following his narrative with rapt attention. It was as if the dorm had collectively received a shot of adrenalin. ‘Larger than life’ did not do him justice.

That evening the ‘Fiesta’ was in full swing. I suppose the best way to describe it was like the New Orleans ‘Mardi Gras’. The whole place was like a huge carnival and the streets throbbed with the sound of music and revelry. There were bright lights and people dancing in the streets and on porches and verandas. Bridget and I exchanged amused glances. This was the place to be!

Our group from the hostel consisted of myself, Bridget, Matt, Dina, Jeff, Don (a sixty something widower from Washington State who had the energy of an eighteen year old), Takome (from Japan), Andrea (from Germany) and Cassandra (from Australia). We hit the streets with gusto, eating well and enjoying beer that only cost one dollar! Needless to say there were a lot of merry people partying into the wee hours.

After exhausting all the bars and a decent nightclub in San Antonio our group eventually threw in the towel and we shared a minibus taxi back to the hostel. What a night!

The following morning it was time to say goodbye to Bridget as she and Dina had a flight to catch later that day. Our time together had been fun while it lasted. Matt had also decided to hit the road again, ‘It’s been a blast dude!’ he said as we shook hands and vowed to keep in touch.

This is the thing with travelling; you meet and leave people all the time, making new acquaintances and then parting. I put it all down to experience and soon found myself at a diner with Don, Jeff and Takome enjoying a hearty breakfast of pancakes, scrambled egg and polish sausage, the ideal cure for a hangover. I think we also had enough coffee refills to ensure that we would be awake for the remainder of the ‘Fiesta’! I noticed that the diner had enjoyed a famous visit, as there was a photo of the World Champion boxer and Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez proudly displayed on one of the walls.

That evening a group of us went to a Minor League baseball match at the Nelson Wolff Stadium: The San Antonio Missions versus the El Paso Diablo’s. It was a local derby I suppose and the first live baseball match I had witnessed. It was a fun evening and the game was a spirited affair, even the intervals were entertaining as the mascots ran riot on the outfield. Not exactly sophisticated humour but fun nonetheless.

After the game we went clubbing in Downtown San Antonio. We visited a pub on the Riverwalk called ‘Dicks’ which I hoped did not refer to the clientele! We also spent the evening and early hours at ‘Amarillo Sam’s’ where a live band did an excellent cover of U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ among other things. We partied there until 3am. It was fantastic to go out with a large group again, in many ways it reminded me of my university days with all of the camaraderie and incident. In the back of my mind I knew that when I returned home I would have to get a job and join the ‘real world’ so while here I partied with abandon.

My final day at the hostel and San Antonio finally dawned. All good things must come to an end and I felt that I had got everything out of my time there that I could. I think many others were feeling the same. The day was spent swimming with Andrea, Cassandra and Takome. That evening we watched a firework display at the military base Fort Sam Houston before goodbye drinks and a few games of pool at ‘Betty’s Battalion’ bar.

The next day I had a bus to catch. It was time to fulfil a personal goal of mine to visit the Sixth Floor JFK Memorial Museum in Dallas. I always wanted to see the area myself to answer a few questions and form my own opinions on the assassination of JFK. Before that I had to say my goodbyes and get some much needed rest. My time in San Antonio had been special.