Cowboys and Gators – 2/3

We set off on a five-hour drive early in the morning. I believe we woke up around 6 am. We wanted to leave NOLA as early as possible, which is why we decided to have breakfast somewhere along the way, possibly already in Texas. Our ride was quite smooth, with almost no traffic jams. Since we became hungry very early and couldn’t wait for the Texas border, we had breakfast in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. After filling our bellies, it was another three hours until Houston. On the way, we encountered some rain, but nothing serious.

Shortly after crossing the Texas border, we spotted something the Lone Star State is famous for: a Buc-ee’s gas station! Of course, we had to stop to take a look. It did not disappoint. That place is huge. Unlike any gas station we are used to in Europe. They have literally everything there. Also, the most important thing for us travelers: the toilets are spotless. And like a true tourist, I bought their brisket sandwich. Majestic! When we finally got to Houston, it was raining, and we weren’t very energetic. So we took that evening more relaxed, had a few drinks, went to dinner, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next day was our next attraction, which we were very excited about: the NASA Space Center in Houston. Since we assumed that there could be a lot of people later in the day, we went in right after they opened. It was a smart decision. There weren’t many people, and we could take our time to read everything we were interested in. The museum part is more educational, with many different vehicles and rocks, and outside, there is a large Boeing 747 with Enterprise on its back.

The afternoon was more fun – oriented. After grabbing something to eat, we went to Topgolf. We wanted to try it since it’s nowhere near our beloved Slovenia. I must say, I really enjoyed it, and so did everybody else, including our female population. Later, we wanted to take a quick look around the city, but it started raining quite heavily, so we went back to the house, looked up something to eat, and afterwards headed to an arcade. It was well – equipped with a lot of machines and even table tennis. Back at the house, we had a few drinks before bed for better sleep.

Thursday was another moving day. This time from Houston to the cowboy capital, Bandera. On the way, we decided to visit a Hindu temple, which is located in the western part of Houston. I must say that it is very interesting to see and also very beautiful, with amazing craftsmanship in the interior. We had a nice guide who showed us around and told us some basics about their religion and a few interesting facts, so we could understand everything a bit better.

After another four hours of driving, we arrived at our “ranch”, as we called it, a few minutes outside of Bandera. The house was brilliant: wooden interior, huge patio with a Jacuzzi, and peaceful surroundings with a small river at the end of the property. We made ourselves at home, went into town for dinner, and off to sleep.

We woke up in the serene morning. When you stepped outside, you could hear only the birds and maybe a dog or two. After a homemade breakfast, we took it slow and relaxed a little before heading into town to look around. Bandera is a small town with a very distinct connection to cowboy culture. We visited the local museum and park. When it got a bit too hot, we grabbed a beer at a saloon, which looks the same as it did all those years ago in the time of the Wild West. In the evening, we had a proper Texan dinner, with a lot of meat and coleslaw, and afterwards we went into a local bar where some band was playing country music. Simply put, it was brilliant. We enjoyed ourselves a lot. The locals were very nice, and everybody wanted to talk to us; it’s not every day someone from Slovenia comes into Bandera, I guess.

After a truly entertaining evening, we returned to our place and got into bed. The next day, San Antonio trip with rodeo in the evening. More in the next one!