Day 3: Little Japan in Big Houston

Our New Orleans host, Tess

Unfortunately this morning we had to say goodbye to New Orleans and our gracious host, Tess. We had a great time biking around the city's lively streets and taking in some Louisiana charm, but it was time to move on to Houston, the next stop on our journey. We managed to get packed and on the road by 9:30am, and came into Houston at 4pm giving us a little time to explore before our new host, Josue, made it back from work.

Entering the Lone Star State

At the rest area on the Texas border we grabbed a couple maps and travel guides that pointed us to some of the attractions in Houston. Having heard of the Japanese Garden before, we decided to check out the Museum District where the garden is located. The Museum District provided a great first impression of Houston, with its welcoming streets lined with overhanging trees, and the beautiful Hermann Park where we spent most of our afternoon. Impressive stone monuments, ponds, and lush green spaces made Hermann Park a wonderful place to kill a few hours. Geries and I took a leisurely ride around the park checking out the various sculptures and installations-- my favorite being a huge collection of sculptures depicting the Chinese zodiac that overlooks a scenic lake.

Geries in Hermann Park

Zodiac Sculptures

After exploring the park proper, we took a stroll through the Japanese Garden where we were greeted by a serene pond and waterfall and a Japanese teahouse. Supposedly when the teahouse is open, the garden view through a certain window inside the teahouse becomes a carefully crafted "living painting." Regrettably, the teahouse was closed, but we were still able to enjoy the landscape and fleeting glimpses of its wildlife inhabitants, including quite a few seemingly stone-carved turtles. It's hard to describe how peaceful the park seemed in spite of the fact that it was actually pretty packed with people.

Admiring the Japanese Garden

We left the park for dinner, and came to the Amazon Grill, which was recommended by a friend of Geries's and a Houston local. There we met David, a very friendly cashier, and filled ourselves to bursting with the complementary chips and David's suggested entrees, mine being grilled chicken with an awesome mango sauce.

David from Amazon Grill

Since it was about 8pm after finishing dinner, we went to meet up with our host and unpack our things. Josue immediately welcomed us into his home, and offered us some cold beer, which was the perfect cap to our already excellent day. You'd be hard pressed to find a more inviting and laid-back guy than Josue. We spent a little while just chatting with him over our beers before he showed us around the house, and whisked us away to find a good place to hang out. Tuesday nights aren't necessarily the most lively time to go out, but we found a cozy bar to share some local Texan brews and learn about the best things to see and do around Houston. But wait! We weren't done yet-- we still had time to check out Twin Peaks, a Hooters-like restaurant where we were served a mountain of barbecue heaped nachos that even the three of us had a hard time conquering.

Our Houston host, Josue

Hanging out with Josue really brought to light the fact that this trip won't be made great just by seeing cool places, but by having a good time with interesting people that we wouldn't have the chance to meet in the same old spots.