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| See all photos(4) |
| Other countries Kerstin visited in Runaway_Kraut |
| Australia (3) |
| Canada (1) |
| United States (2) |
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| I know…I’ve been a bit slack on updating the diary but I’ve been busy bee. Hope you are all sitting comfortably because this may take a while…well, we did get to meet some real cowboys so excuse me for going on a bit!!! Sharon left and I had two weeks to kill in LA before I was meeting Clare in Dallas. On the first evening after Sharon left I kind of felt a bit lonesome so decided to go up the Road to the a place called the Farmers Market. I thought it was just that – a Market, but turned out that it had lots of shops and a place called the ‘Grove’ which for all the Celebrity watchers out there is where they sometimes have Film Premiers. It’s a really posh cinema with big chandeliers and plush red carpets. Anyway, much to my luck they also, every now and again, lay on free entertainment and it just so happened to be that night. First up was Kimberley Lock who is not that famous but she was pretty good. Next was Jeff Goldbloom and his Orchestra and they had guest appearances by Peter Weller and James King (no idea if they are famous or not!). And then it was Lisa Loeb who was excellent. And that was all for free on a Wednesday night!! I went home a happy bunny! Getting around LA without a car is not always easy. Ask people about buses and the Metro and sometimes they look at you as though you are from Mars!! I asked the lady in my hostel what the best way of getting to the Natural History museum would be and she asked me what a museum was…need I say more??!! I did manage to get Downtown in the end but partly through luck really (oh, lets get of at 7th/Metro Station, kind of sounds like it might be a busy station, might even find someone who can give me directions!!). Having said that, when I eventually did get on the right bus the driver couldn’t have been more helpful. Even told me exactly where to wait and what time and he picked me up on the way back. Bless! One of the places I also got to visit was the Museum of Tolerance, which was set up by a man called Simon Wiesenthal. It is a wonderful museum and the way they have done it is excellent. It has lots of interactive activities challenging you to think about whether you really are as tolerant as you believe. While I was there I also got to listen to a Lady from Hungary who had survived the Holocaust. Not just that but she actually survived Auschwitz. Listening to what she and her family went through was hart breaking. There wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium. I left feeling a bit drained, there is so much for you to absorb and think about but it was definitely worth it! They should have one of these in every city!!! My next stop was Dallas Forth Worth, not to be confused with Dallas itself! It’s a bit smaller than Dallas and hasn’t really got a whole lot going on. But the Stockyard is definitely worth a visit and this is where I stayed. They have a daily Cattle Drive and a Rodeo where they have real Cowboys at the weekend doing some real Cowboy stuff, i.e. riding bulls and roping calves. Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaa!!! It feels like you are stepping back in time, there are wooden sidewalks and people in cowboy hats and lots of shops selling jeans and cowboy boots! Had I known it would be in fashion here by the time I got back I would have stocked up!!! And then it was onto Dallas. I spent the first couple of days there on my own but then finally Clare arrived!! I was definitely happy to see a familiar face! The US isn’t really as easy to travel as Oz and it’s a bit harder to meet people to chat to (apart from on the busses, they all want to speak to you on the bus!!!). So after chewing Clare’s ears off for a while she went to sleep claiming jet lag…I don’t know! So the next day we went out and did some sightseeing. Our first stop was the West End District. It’s basically a few shops and some restaurants. Not as nice as our West End! Then we went onto the Neely Brian Cabin who was the founder of the city and then over to the Courthouse. But I guess what the city is really famous for is the JF Kennedy assassination. So of course we had to ‘check it out’. Just as well because it is by far the most interesting thing in the whole of Dallas!! We started at the JFK Memorial which, I am not sure how to describe. Whoever designed it should be sacked are my thoughts but then that is just my humble opinion. Then we got to the really interesting bit, the spot where it actually happened. It’s even marked on the Road with a white x. You can see people dodging traffic just so they can have their picture taken at that very spot. So of course Clare volunteered and we also have that same picture…sometimes you just have to do the tourist thing!! The next day we went to the 6th Floor Museum at the Dealy Plaza and I have to say it was excellent. The building the museum is in actually used to be the Texas School Depository Building. You can even look out of the window where Lee Harvey Oswald ‘supposedly’ assassinated JFK from. Having never spent much time thinking about who actually did assassinate JFK we both came out having some serious doubts about it being Oswald!! You just have to look out of the window to realise that it just seemed really stupid to shoot when he did. And things like the Autopsy report being a copy written from the Doctors memory because he burnt the original as it had to much blood on it…well, strange that is all we are saying! So we had our fill of history and then went onto our next adventure, which was the stay at the Ranch. We flew to San Antonio and sure enough we were met by a couple of guys in cowboy hats and boots saying ‘Howdy’. Excellent! As soon as we arrived at the Ranch we were introduced to the cowboys and after lunch saddled up and went to round some cows up. How is that for getting straight into it??!! I don’t think we managed to help but we didn’t get in the way either…a bonus really!! Now, the first night was something else. It started ok, the jacuzzi in our section of the house was very nice and we discovered our waterbeds (we thought we were in heaven! A waterbed each, how cool??!). THEN we discovered a million bugs that were just a tad bigger than the bugs you get at home. Because you know what?? Everything is BIG in Texas. You could have put a collar on some of those bugs and kept them as pets….massive!! So of course we needed someone to come and rescue us. And who better than a couple of girls about 10 years old and not scared of anything! Around they went wacking the lot. So that was sorted and then it was into bed until I heard a thump and a scuttle….when I say it was the biggest cockroach ever I really, really mean it!!! And not just that it came through the air vent…lets just say I spent the night in Clare’s bed. After the worst nights sleep ever we got up at 6.45AM – yes 6.45AM! Yes, we did sign up for this voluntarily! After herding in some more cattle we got to go shopping and buy some cowboy hats, boots and shirts so we could really look the part. And I think we scrubbed up pretty well as cowgirls! Which is just as well because when we came back to the Ranch the cowboys were in the middle of branding, tagging and injecting. And Clare got straight into it, not a moment’s hesitation! We never thought that branding a cows bum could be so much fun – but it was! We also got to do some tagging which on the big cows is not so bad because they already have the hole in the ear so you just have to make sure you put the thing in the right place. But it wasn’t like that with the little calves…had to pierce their little ears…ahhhhh, they did look pretty with their nice yellow earrings though!! The next day we had to sort the cattle into wet cows, dry cows and cattle to be sold at the Market that day. Once that was done we went out to round up the 3 remaining bulls. One of the bulls didn’t look so well and once we got them back he collapsed. The cowboys tried to save him but he just stopped breathing. Our next job was then to pair the calves with the appropriate mother. The calves got separated from their mothers earlier and were now really hungry (and very loud!). The idea is that you let a couple of calves in at a time and they should go to their mum. The cowboys then rope the calve now THAT was fun to watch!!) and tag them with the same number as their mother. Bingo, job done. Oh, forgot to mention the castration bit…now THAT really was fun…for the boys!! So any boys thinking about stepping out of line in the future just remember we know how it’s done!!! The next really fun thing we did was taking the Bulls to the Vet’s for a fertility check. Interesting! All we will say is big probe, ky jelly, electric shocks and week knees…anyone wanting more details please feel free to ask! The following evening we went riding across the Ranch and had a BBQ on the haunted hill. Bless, they really tried to scare us…and we were…on the way back, riding in the dark! I think we both breathed a sigh of relief when we got back! Riding across the fields was nice but having to dodge trees and branches in the dark and crossing rivers where you are not sure exactly how deep it is, well, not something I have done before. The last, but definitely not least, exciting thing we got to do was shoot real guns! Clare was a total natural at it, shooting everything in sight!!! We shot a 0.22 Rifle and Pistol. But my favourite definitely was the 0.44 Magnum! For all the film buffs out there that is the gun that Clint Eastwood uses in the Dirty Harry movies and he says something along the lines of: Now, you have to ask yourself, did I shoot 5 or 6 rounds? Do you feel lucky punck? Well, do ya? It was a real kick shooting that. You can smell the gun powder and the kick back from that gun is pretty hard. That concludes the Ranch stay. It was just excellent!! Even got used the big bugs, well sort of anyway… Our next stop was San Antonio. Well, what a lovely place. We only had one night here but wish we had more. There is a River Walk, which is lined with bars and restaurants and it has a real nice buzz to it. People are out and about and the atmosphere was great. Our next place to visit was New Orleans. Great place! Basically everyone eats lots, drinks lots and listens to live music. Any kind of music you like, jazz, blues, rock and even some pop. It was excellent! Every bar you go to has live bands and if you are lucky you even collect some beads along the way. We took a ride along the Mississippi River on a Steam Boat. You don’t realise just how big this River is until you are on it. We also learned that New Orleans is about 4m below sea level and floods easily. So easy in fact that the cemeteries only have graves above ground, or in heavy rain the coffins pop out of the ground and float down the street….nice thought! We also took a tour around the city and you can see that most of the houses have subsidence. The house will be ok but the drive slopes off, or the garden is at a strange angle. And finally we took a tour around the swamp (more water - lots of it) and saw some Alligators, Pelicans and Turtles. And then it was nearly time to come home, one more stop at Dallas Forth Worth. Clare didn’t get to see it when she arrived so we decided to spend the last night there. In the evening we went to the famous Billy Bob’s Honky Tonk. It was great!! Not that busy, because, it was a Thursday night but still, it was great! Guys in tight jeans and cowboy hats…what more can a girl ask for??! A guy even came over and taught us both the Two Step. There was a live band playing and of course we were naturals… Hope I didn’t bore you all too much and thanks for reading my entries. Not sure what is next for me yet, waiting for that flash of inspiration to hit me (and knock me out knowing my luck!) but will keep you posted. Lots of Love, Kerstin xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | ||||||||||||
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| 3 Sep 2004 : Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria - Canada | ||||||||||||
| 2nd Installment - this time from Canada | ||||||||||||