i have also been exhausted. finally getting to texas, the suburban wasteland that is dallas, i have realized how hard i’ve been pushing my body, traveling from place to place, partying, going out and just generally not being very healthy. and even though there is a significant emotional, spiritual and mental payoff, there is definitely a price, not least of which is physical.

but i really should at least summarize briefly what happened in the last few days, maybe show it all pictorially. maybe even use it as a discussion of larger ideas and ideals.

though i will say, as it is relatively early in the morning, doubly so for myself, and i’m watching that vietnamese movies the rebel, i will say that i kinda wish i were either asleep or in vietnam acting in vietnameese movies. i feel like that would be kinda an awesome time. and the movie makes me come to two realizations… a) if vo vinam really looks like they’re trying to portray it, it must’ve been hella useful until someone decided to throw in a spinning kick… which is when we lost the country to the french. and b) if only kung fu could make war into a thing of individuals rather than massed formations of rifles and men.

i have no idea why i’m being so philosophical. i guess actually resting for a night is screwing with the chemicals in my brain. it does look like dallas is going to my rest stop, which i’m conflicted about, but c’est le vie. the combination of dallas being a suburban wasteland made for suvs and other automobiles and the fact that i don’t drive makes ish hard.

but back to nawlins.

on my second day in norleans, i did the whole french quarter thing, but started out at the voodoo museum. which was trippy, beautiful in its own way and enough to send chills up and down my spine. weird moments.

vinh in norleans

voodoo museum

there i am

but the french quarter is goddamn beautiful… especially when you get off the shithole known as bourbon street. jackson sq, royal street, the antique stores and the art shoppes. i love the architecture and the vibe. cafe du monde was as awesome as i remembered it from the years before when i had eaten there, and i finally got to see the mississippi river.

jackson sq, gotta love it

one of the better street performers

awesome sauce

beautiful nawlins

where it finally hit me, i’d done half of the country. holy crap. about a 1/4th of my journey is done. it’s been a goddamn crazy, crazy time that has renewed my faith in the human condition.

big river, oh big river

but lets get off this philosophical trip.

the crew had hooked up with this guy ski, a local, the previous night. homeboy called us up and hooked us up with an open bar on bourbon street. ski and i are a lot alike in that we both are open to whatever comes, to having fun, hooking people up with each other and just generally to being open to what the world brings.

the open bar was an awesome time. what i can remember from it. especially the karaoke. oh jesus, karaoke, on stage.

drunken open bar

party it up kiddos

viva la bamba

throwing beads off from the porch

the beauties of open bars

so wasn’t the show afterwards.

outside rebirth

i have no idea wtf to say about this but it's awesome

awesome show

the next day, the canadien ending up leaving. after a relatively late start, i headed out to the insectarium. dude. i’ve been to a bunch of music events, art museums and all sorts of things all across the united states, but i had never even heard of an insectarium before.

welcome wall

i hate bugs

really really pretty space

working hard

i had a great time as you can see. saw a bunch of bugs. ate some bugs.

i’ve always been a little bit fascinated by bugs, and so seeing all of them like that was interesting as all hell. and the insectarium was just really, really well put together, which is always nice. it was informative, clean, the staff were hella knowledgeable and willing to be engaged… it was full of awesomeness.

that evening, one of my homies at the hostel, brandon, ended up making some really really baller jumbo. that whole quiet night was this really awesome time when i got to know brandon, the veteran from a ranch in oklahoma and sean and everyone else. it was a good time to just relax and get to know folks that much better.

brandon and his baller gumbo

big meal

it was a great send off to texas.

the boys with my pennies

miss lisa, who drove me to dallas with her penny

i’ll hit you up later today probably about my poetry and and about my time in tx.