Corpus Christi….Amen.

Finally it’s Corpus Christi on the list and I say “amen” to that. This coastal city in the South Texas region aka the "Sparkling City by the Sea" is the one place I was excited to see on this trip.

Peace be with you.

You see my good friend lived here for years and on this second visit to the Lone Star State, I’m not going to miss the chance to see his so-called habitat.

Where my friend lives. Funny, we used to smoke Saratoga in college. LOL

And this is where he works.... more than 8 hours a day.

“There is really nothing to do in the area I live in,” my friend kept telling me about the small city that used to be trading post and named after the Eucharist, yet ironically it is home to the 5th largest port in the US. Don’t get him wrong for he meant well. What he was trying to drive at was for me to spend more time in the other states that I wanted to see as a first time traveler to the country, and spend some time in his city on another visit.

Nothing to see but oil rigs?

And street signs only?

Is this a ghost town with perfect sunsets?

Badly hit by hurricanes, you'll see this directional sign around Corpus Christi.

Surprise!

Actually, the city skyline looks like this.

But unfortunately the visit to Corpus Christi was cut to a day from three, turning it into a layover before heading to Houston for our date with Madonna—the mother of Lourdes, not Jesus. With the time constraint, the tour originally planned was scrapped and hopefully will happen on the next visit.

Of the neighborhood, this is my favorite spot- Shipley's Donuts!

I chanced upon a couple of attractions though— the Sidbury House, one of the 12 historical homes at the Heritage Park Museum, and one of the four that’s said to be haunted which one particular tourist didn’t find the need to enter....

American horror story....

....and the other is the Harbor Bridge, which is impossible to miss since we had to cross it driving from San Antonio.

Recently dressed up with LED. Isn't she more attractive now?

So when I make it back to Corpus Christi, I will make sure to check out these attractions that make the city truly a sparkling city by the sea — the replica of Niña, one of Columbus’ 3 ships, at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. I would have thought the ship would be bigger, or were people smaller back then?

Niña of the famous Christopher Columbus trio- Niña, Pinta & Santa Maria.

The floating museum of USS Lexington, a 1943 aircraft carrier turned into a floating museum—how cool is that?

Now a floating museum

Mirador de la Flor. Remember Selena the “Queen of Tejano Music”? They say she’s the Mexican equivalent of Madonna. Say what? This memorial was built in her honor.

The Mexican Madonna's memorial

Imagine your aquarium can fit dolphins. That’s what it is like at the Texas State Aquarium.

Imagine this aquarium in your living room.

Goosebumps trip. I would like to check out the other haunted houses – from the outside.; And most importantly, spend a couple of days at Padre Island, the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world’s longest barrier island, the south side is famous for its white sand beaches. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to get a Texan tan?

It's the longest barrier island in the world.

Get a Texas tan on the south side of the island.

Small city, you say? All I see is big fun. I will certainly revisit Corpus Christi. Amen.

For more travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on April 25, 2013.