Going South: Deep South and Deepest South

***Editor's note: the majority of the below photographs were taken by Jen Avery.

I am now focused on the South. We are going and we went. In the midst of our ski time out west, I've ventured South to Louisiana and Texas for the bachelorette and wedding respectively for our dear friends Aisha and Shalaby.

Louisiana

Where I went (New Orleans, Mansfield (suburb of Dallas), and Austin), some might argue is not truly the South. Definitely not the Deep South. That is probably fair. New Orleans or "Nawlins" as the locals call it, is truly its own special place. From free music festivals with big brass bands, a transgender palmist named Angelica with an affected british accent, and delicious spicy cajun seafood, Nawlins is not the Deep South that I sometimes imagine of bland overcooked veggies and people with long drawls that I may wrongly fear will judge me as an outsider.

Photo Credit: Aisha Gayle Turner

Texas

My experiences in Texas do not fit any of my Southern stereotypes either. To be fair, in Mansfield Texas, I didn't get much farther than loved ones' neighborhoods. I chilled with my childhood friend, Sara, and watched her mothering skill with her three children (twins age 5 and one 3 year old). These children get up, get themselves dressed, make their beds, and get themselves breakfast. Amazing. We also visited Sara's mom, Mom Monks, twenty minutes away and ate delicious, Blue Bell ice cream -- caramel turtle cheesecake. (Did I mention that I love the US?)

Austin

Austin is a pretty incredible city -- we stayed there courtesy of our ski house friend, James, and for the wedding, our friends, Sohair and Sergio generously offered us a bed in their hotel room. We loved Austin -- we saw many friends, we celebrated at a beautiful wedding, we trail ran, we ate from food trucks, we swam in Barton Creek, water straight from an aquifer, and we rock climbed on limestone. But Austin, even as the capital of Texas, it is not always claimed as Texan and it is definitely not claimed as a Deep South city. ("Keep Austin Weird")

The Deep South -- we are going!

On Friday, we fly to Nashville (this is probably not a Deep South city either) and then after a few days with my sister's family, we drive to Birmingham Alabama. Finally. After Alabama, we will camp in forests in the Mississippi Delta, and make our way to Pass Christian, Mississippi for a wedding of one of Wilson's duke hockey friends. (There is a brief day break in there because we will go back to Nawlins for Jazz Fest).

So I am not sure what this Deep South exploration will yield. It is somewhat short (9 days including Nashville and Nawlins). It is also focused on outdoor activities. But I hope that our visit will take us partly out of our echo chamber of Bay Area aficionados and lovers of the Western US, past stereotypes of overcooked food, and to an appreciation of the Deep South.

Deepest South -- we are also going!

After the Deep South, and a brief jaunt to the DC area, we are going international again. We head back towards winter as we make our way very very south of the equator -- Patagonia.

Here is our rough itinerary after we leave the US. Any recs would be greatly appreciated.

May 9th -- Argentina

Fly to Buenos Aires,then down to Ushuaia, Patagonia and spend two weeks trying to hit the highlights of:

• Los Glaciares National Park
• Fitz Roy
• Torres del Paine National Park

May 24- 31 -- Enjoy Santiago, Chile and environs

June 1-18 -- Argentina and Uruguay

• Mendoza
• Buenos Aires
• Colonia, Uruguay
• Iguazu Falls

June 18-24 -- Paraguay (?) and Bolivia

• Salar de Uyuni
• La Paz

June 25-July 14 -- Peru

• Arequipa (the White City)
• Macchu Pichu
• Lima

July 15th - July 25 -- Ecuador

• Galapagos, maybe. Have to see if we can afford it -- money and time.

July 26th - August 6th -- Colombia

August 6 & 9: Return to the U.S. and see where life takes us.

Some friends are making plans to meet us along the way. If any of this tickles your fancy, then come join us too!

 

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