The Day in Dallas

It is only fitting that before leaving for Cameroon, I pay homage to the creator of Peace Corps himself, none other than President John F. Kennedy.

At Dealy Plaza, one can visit The Sixth Floor Museum, an exhibition of JFK's inspirational life, young presidency, and tragic assassination. Since it's opening in 1989, the museum has attracted over six million visitors who walk the same spot where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the former President.

Though no photography is allowed, I was able to take mental images of pictures such as Kennedy and his wife happily waving to the American public from their motorcade. The highlight though was seeing and reading the handful of Peace Corps references throughout the museum.

Little could the President have known that fifty years later, almost 200,000 Americans will have answered his call to service. I'm honored to be one of them.

The JFK Memorial, Dallas, TX

Longhorns at Pioneer Plaza at Young Street

Dallas's City Hall designed by world class architect, I.M. Pei

Tubing Time in Texas!

Happy May Day!

Today was spent partaking in one of the truest Texan traditions: tubing! Commonly referred to as "floating down the river," participants sit in inner tubes as the water flow gently glides them down the river for a few hours.

What do you do on the river? Chat, relax, drink, laugh, and be merry!

Hundreds of tubers can be found floating down the Comal on any sunny day

Sitting on my inner tube (thank goodness mine had a bottom, otherwise I would have fallen through!)

Though the Comal River sits as the shortest river in the world at 2.5 miles, it sits at a warm 70-72 degrees. As it is spring-fed, the river is ideal for relaxing tubing. Be warned though! Early on, there is a tube shoot that can trap any novice tuber if they get caught in the current (speaking from experience!).

Tip: Putting a ziplock bag inside another ziplock bag does wonders for your digital camera and other belongings. And be sure to hold up your drinks and sunglasses at the tube shoot if you want a chance to enjoy both for the remainder of the river!

Along the way, I had the pleasure of meeting some French students that helped me practice my Français. Interestingly, one of them worked in Business Development and praised me on joining the Peace Corps. It is safe to assume that most Americans know the Peace Corps, but it's a real treat when foreigners recognize it. High five!

With our French friend after the day's success!

Back on the UT-Austin campus, we discovered the Graduation Longhorn! Though there will be no mention of an upsetting college football game from 2005, the following picture shows that USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns can co-exist harmoniously.

Forever and always, fight on!

For dinner, we met with Alec Swafford for another mini-Europe reunion (see all Rome posts in September 2008). The night air was cool and breezy as we shared tacos on the deck of Cuatros.

Reunion at Cuatros

As Austin is known for being the "live music capital of the world," Chris Wu and I headed off to the Elephant Room and listened to some Latin jazz before heading of to Malaia, Downtown's newest nightclub.

Thanks, Austin! I will miss you!

A Taste of Austin

After a quick night out in Dallas's Lower Greenville, Chris Wu and I headed off to Austin! As he is a amateur chef and hearty "foodie" (matched by the fact that I will eat anything and everything), we made a detour to the small town of Taylor, Texas. There, we would bask in the deliciousness of Louie Mueller Barbecue!

Voted the "Official Best Barbecue in Texas" in 2008, Louie Mueller represents a meat lover's heaven! Slow-cooked brisket, hand-rubbed pork, and marbled rib-eye steak are just some of the choices for a mouth-watering meal.

Brisket, rib-eye steak, sausages, and more! Mmm...

Be warned though! The spiciness can provide an intense experience!

Steps from the University of Texas at Austin sits the Texas Capitol at over 300 feet tall. The Capitol's architecture is of the Renaissance Revival-style, resembling much like the California Capitol in Sacramento!

Visiting the Texas State Capitol

Tip: Swing by the Visitor's Center for a free map of downtown and to learn everything about the good ole' Lone Star State.

At a local happy hour at Cain and Abel, we were reunited with my backpacking buddy and Austin host, Lillie De Alba (see Greece and Italy posts in September 2008). After catching up, it was soon time to head off to the number one attraction in Austin: bat watching!

On our boat cruise waiting for the bats!

Every evening at sunset, up to 1.5 million bats fly out from under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. As the largest urban bat colony in North America, it's a sight to watch!

Downtown Austin

The little bats were actually kind of adorable in this traveler's opinion! And according to our tour guide, the endangered Mexican free-tailed bats feed on migrating cotton bollworm moths, thus reducing our need to utilize pesticides harmful to the environment. Though no current program is set up for the Congress Avenue Bridge, one can still adopt a Mexican free-tailed bat.

I apologize for the poor cinematography, but if you look closely, you can see the bats!

After cooking our lovely host a pasta dinner, we headed off to Austin's 6th Street. Interestingly enough, 6th Street highly resembles Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Thus, further proving my belief that the world is more alike than we believe.

We spent the night hopping from Spill to Shakespeare's to Maggie Mae's to the Library. With plenty to do, Austin sure provides a fun time for any traveler!