You know you're in Texas when...

The following paragraphs may have nothing to do with my travel plans, but I just had to mention this:

Yesterday, Mom and I decided drive to Baybrook Mall an hour away for a bit of shopping. It was a wonderful day for patrolling the mall: the sun was sizzling, the mosquitoes swarming, and the alligators were sunning themselves on the side of the road.

Yup, you heard me. Alligators.

Okay, so it was just one, but it was a HUGE sucker and he did not look happy! There we were, driving along, Mom scouting out cars to pass and me with my headphones blaring, when I suddenly spotted a huge American alligator sitting with its jaws open in the shoulder lane. We were stuck behind an eighteen-wheeler, so I didn't see the alligator until we were almost even with it. My eyes must have popped out of my head, I was so shocked!

We called our city's sheriff office and they said someone was already on the way; we weren't the first to notice the 14-footer about to take a bite out of a passing car.

So yeah, not relevant to Tokyo, but it was the highlight of my day. Welcome to Texas.These guys do not belong on highways!