We got up and headed into San Antonio and parked up near the Alamo. Here we learnt about the siege when the Americans in the then Mexican owned Texas wanted independence due to land being taken from them and prices being hiked up. Mexicans didn't like this and came after them. Travis drew a line in the sand and asked all those who wanted to stay to step over it. All but one did, David Crocket included. s*** went down and the Texans lost. But the Mexican general got his comeuppance a few days later and then Texas got their independence. Happy days. We watched a video of all these goings on, which was introduced by a very aggressive man who basically said we'd all be dead. Made all the more surreal by an Amish couple being sat next to us.

We then took a walk along the riverwalk which was lovely, almost like being back in London but, you know, hot. After a lovely fish lunch we went for a drink in Dirty d*** as we missed it in Vegas. We were offered an RV to stay in by the barman, which we politely turned down. The banter was good and a Helen Mirren lookalike got involved too.

We wish we had more time to explore San Antonio, but the schedule had to be stuck to. So it was back on the road to Austin. We arrived in a very muggy Austin and after some difficulty finally found our hostel tucked away behind a petrol station and thai restaurant. We dumped our stuff and beaded to the nearest dive bar, thankfully just round the corner, called Hole In The Wall. Here we made lots of friends, including Rio the barman who through a very tenuous link decided we were related (his family had left for America during the Highland clearings and mine had stayed put) which, with our mutual hatred of tge Campbells, got me several free shots of whiskey so I wasn't going to burst his bubble. In no time we were singing Irish ballads, yes apparently he was Irish too - as well as descendent from Jesse James. Quite the heritage! I thouhht it best not to do a Donald Trump and demand birth certificates, so went with the flow.

The flow carried the night on with a Mumford and Sons style band, learning how to two step with BJ Long (actual name), some mustache stroking and a massive thunder storm that made the temperature plummet. It was then back to Rio's for a pretty decent cup of tea and some acoustic guitar playing.