Day 20

Beaumont, TX to San Antonio, TX

approx. 283 miles

Route: From Beaumont I-10 to San Antonio.

I had read about all the construction taking place in the Houston area, and they weren't overstating things at all. Everywhere you looked there were new freeways, office buildings, housing tracks and shopping centers being built. At one point, they had the freeway closed to work on an overpass. It created quite a traffic jam, but it didn't delay me too much.

I stopped at the Forbidden Gardens just east of Houston. It is a miniature replica of the Forbidden City in China along with the terra-cotta army of soldiers. You can read about the details on their website above.

They have a 20-minute film about the history of China and the real Forbidden City which was pretty interesting and informative. You can then see some displays of weapons and military tactics, ancient construction methods, and other items.

A tour guide then takes you past the displays of the terra-cota soldiers. Some are full size, but the giant pit of soldiers I think was one-third size. Quite amazing to see it and imagine what the full-size version in China looks like.

The tour then progresses over to the Forbidden City display. As you can see by the pictures, it is quite extensive. It was well worth the stop.

I kept looking for a shack, but I didn't see one.

Mile after mile of wildflowers along the highway east of San Antonio.

I arrived in San Antonio early enough to tour The Alamo before it closed. It was really crowded. Probably the combination of being a Saturday and also Cinco de Mayo.

I checked into the Motel 6 which was right off of I-10 in the heart of San Antonio. With tax, it cost over $100 to stay at a Motel 6!!!!

After checking in the motel, I decided to go over and see the famous Riverwalk. It was really something. Just seeing this would make a trip to San Antonio worthwhile.

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