So the lead up to Spring Break was exhausting. You know how it is, you're approaching a break and you're using the little energy you have left to get through the week. T0 say the least, that break was needed.
So what was meant to be a fairly easy journey to McAllen, TX, ended up being a disaster. My friend Laren kindly gave me a lift into Dallas and I got to the Greyhound station at 9:00am, an hour before my journey. Advice to anyone who is planning to use the Greyhound during Spring Break: DON'T.
The place was packed. I got to the desk, printed out my ticket and joined the queue for the coach. As the coach filled up, me and about twenty other people were turned away as the coach was overbooked. It didn't matter that I had prepaid or had a reserved seat - it meant that I had to catch the next bus at 1:45pm.
So what was I meant to do for the next five hours you ask? Sit around and do nothing clearly! My one adventure was to the McDonalds that was opposite the Greyhound. The Greyhound coach stations are usually located in the dodgy parts of a city and the Dallas one was no exception. As I went into the coach station, I met a man that was covered from head to toe in silver paint, like one of the guys from the Blue Man Group. However, he then started cussing at the server 'I AM BLACK AND I AM A RICH MAN. GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY'.
Murica.
I got in the queue for the 1:45pm coach and found myself waiting for 45 minutes as this coach was late. I have never been so happy to get on a coach in my entire life. The journey to San Antonio, TX, took six hours and as soon as we hit Austin, TX, there was a giant thunderstorm. At this point, everyone on the coach had experienced delays, rude staff and poor weather, so there was this strange sense of community - like we were all in it together. In typical American fashion, the woman next to me told me her entire life story on the way to San Antonio and she wanted to add me on Facebook - of course, she never did.
It was 9:00pm when I got to San Antonio. I grabbed my suitcase and ran to see where my connection to McAllen was leaving from. I then realised that my connection had already left and that the next coach was due to leave at 1:50am, not getting into McAllen until 7:30am. By this point, I could have cried. It felt like I was never getting to McAllen and I was so looking forward to seeing the Lopez's.
The passenger behind me told me that a coach was leaving in five minutes and was heading to Harlingen, TX. I vaguely remembered that Harlingen was near McAllen and without an extra thought, I changed coaches and got onto that bus. It finally felt like I was going somewhere.
The journey to Harlingen was rainy. The problem with the terrain in Texas is that it is not used to wet weather and as soon as it does rain, the roads flood easily. I knew I wasn't going to get to Harlingen until 3:00am, but what I didn't realise was that the clocks were going forward, so by the time that Val and Smiley picked me up, it was actually 4:00am. I felt awful that they were having to pick me up in a) horrendous weather b) stupid o'clock in the morning c) six hours after my intended arrival at 9:00pm.
When we got back to their hometown Edinburg, we sat up and had some tea, but finally got into bed at 5:00am - not the time that we expected.
The next day Bella, Uly their friend Becca and I went to South Padre Island to experience Spring Break in America. We booked a hotel room and again I found myself on the road to South Padre Island. This time it was only a two hour trip, not a monster 16 hour nightmare. Unfortunately the weather wasn't fantastic when we got to the island. Like most of the planet, the weather has been particularly strange this year and Texas has been experiencing a very cold winter by their standards. Normally it is in the mid-twenties solidly during this time of year, but it has been bobbing up and down from freezing to nearly thirty.
In true Spring Break tradition, we started drinking once we arrived and carried on to explore the beaches and went out to dinner and had some pretty fantastic seafood. The trouble with living in Denton (besides other things) is that there is no possibility of having fresh seafood, so I was making the most of it whilst I had the chance.
In the evening, the island can only be compared to 'Pleasure Island' from Pinocchio. The place was wild and the whole situation was beginning to remind me of Freshers Week at Birmingham. I found it bizarre when I arrived here and there was no Freshers Week, but then I remembered that's probably because none of the freshers in America are legally able to drink - poor sods. However, during Spring Break, no one really seems to care and everyone blows off a lot of steam.
The club we went to was enormous and probably would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't so packed and if it wasn't an 'outdoor club'. The rain was falling as heavily as the night I travelled to Edinburg and the night was becoming miserable quickly. Luckily for us, when we went home we were provided with a free coach service by the Christians to prevent drink driving - thank you Christians, this is my biggest pet peeve about America, I appreciate your work.
That morning, Uly and Bella were pretty hungover, so we stopped to get some food at a beautiful restaurant. I can definitely say that I have been spoiled food wise during Spring Break. Either it was extremely good or anything that isn't cafeteria food is just gourmet in comparison.
Afterwards we looked around a few beach shops, but we soon headed back to Edinburg and I had a few hours sleep - I still hadn't caught up on sleep from the nightmare journey from Dallas.
The following days in Edinburg were very relaxed. We went out to dinner, had coffee, looked around the parks and went shopping. I knew I had to make the most of it because I knew that the second half of my Spring Break was going to involve very little sleep.
The morning I left to go to Conroe, TX, I was up at 5:30am. Val kindly dropped me off at the Greyhound station for my early coach and like Thanksgiving, I felt tremendously sad leaving after a few great days - too few days for sure. The coach to Houston, TX, left on time and I slept for the majority of the coach journey. Once I got to Houston, I waited in a McDonalds as I had two hours before my connection to Conroe. Unfortunately I had another saga in McDonalds - note to self, never go in American McDonalds that is next to a Greyhound station. A man sat next to me and started hassling me for some money as he was trying to get home. After a 40 minute ordeal, I finally gave him ten bucks for the 'coach he needed', but instead, he ran away from me and away from the coach station, probably to his crack dealer.
I was annoyed at myself.
I got back to the station and got on the coach to Conroe. Luckily for me, it was only a 45 minute journey and Claire was waiting for me at the gas station. We headed off to her Nana's house and I felt very welcome, very quickly. I can't really explain how wonderful it is to have family time when you have been deprived of it for so long, even if it isn't your own family! We had a wonderful evening, with good food and good conversation about everything and anything.
We headed to bed and for the second morning in a row, I was up at 5:30am and Claire and I headed into Houston to pick up Eleni. We started the 5 hour trek to New Orleans, LA, and were ready for our first road trip.
The journey was fairly straightforward and the tour of New Orleans (the locals call it Narlons) started with Claire's strange instruction of 'lets go to a graveyard first'. Slightly bemused, we went to a cemetery and it was the strangest thing that I have witnessed in America. All the bodies that are buried in New Orleans are preserved in mausoleums because the low sea level makes the bodies rise to the ground, so these 'mini houses' are the best way to preserve the bodies.
If I'm honest I found them very strange. These mausoleums wouldn't just preserve one body, but the bodies of an entire family; the idea of it was incredibly eerie. The strangest aspect of it was the fact that people still build these houses and as we were driving around, we could see the latest mausoleums that were being constructed.
We headed to lunch and we went to a great place called Camellia's. This was my first experience of the Cajun accent and REAL southern hospitality. The Texan's are incredibly hospitable, but the hospitality in New Orleans was astounding. Everyone would call you 'babycakes', 'darling', 'sugar', you name it, didn't matter if they knew you or not!
We headed into Downtown New Orleans and I was so impressed with the city. There was a real vibe to the city. The trees were covered in all of the beads from Mardi Gras, there were streetcars (just like a Streetcar Named Desire) and people were drinking on the streets.
I instantly fell in love with the place.
After dinner, we headed to our hosts house, a couple named Dane and Michael. They lived in one of the most beautifully decorated houses I have ever been in - high ceilings, works of art, mirrors - all tastefully designed.
The next morning we headed to the French Quarter on the Streetcar and headed to Cafe du Monde - famous for its beignets and coffee. We enjoyed the sunny weather and looked around. I was very interested when I came across the voodoo part of town. We explored some of these shops and met some witches and found some rather curious signs. The people in this city believe in witchcraft and you could see traces of it everywhere.
What became apparent as we explored the French Quarter and the infamous Bourbon Street was that there was a more liberal attitude to life and in particular, alcohol here. It didn't matter if you were underage, they would let you in, regardless of your age.
This led to the best night out I have had in America. If I'm honest, it would take me far too long to explain everything that happened, but what a fantastic night. I met the strange, the British, the naked and the drunk. This all impacted into a night that got me back home at 6:00am in the morning - something I haven't done in a long time.
After three hours sleep, we were woken up for the St Paddy's Day celebrations. In true NOLA spirit, I decided to be spontaneous and cut all my hair off - bye hair! We dressed in green and headed down to the street to see the parade. We have these parades in the UK, but honestly, none of them compare. It was like a giant party in the street, everyone was dancing, drinking and just having a great time.
We collected beads, cabbages, potatoes and flowers from the parade, giving the odd kiss to each drunken, old man who was feeling lucky. We headed back to the house, eating gumbo and jambalaya; two New Orleans specials. We sat back and spoke to people at the party, telling me their stories of Hurricane Katrina and the true effect that it had on the people and the city.
That night we went back to Bourbon Street, but enjoyed a more relaxed evening; exploring the streets and the cool jazz.
The next morning as we left we went to explore the wreckage caused by Katrina and to this day, there are still neighbourhoods that have been completely abandoned after the disaster. Many people went to Houston and never came back and honestly, these suburbs could give you the chills.
If I'm honest, there's nothing I want more than to go back to New Orleans. I have never been to such an incredible city. It is strange how a place can remind you of nothing. People told me that it was like France and Spain, but I couldn't see either of them, even though I have spent a lot of time in both European countries. I'm so happy I got the chance to see more of the place before I go back in May.
NOLA stay cool for me.
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