Yesterday we decided to take the south and western Rockies route home to stay in the hot country as long as possible. Denver is stil having snow so the Eastern Rockies is looking, well, rocky for a return trip. Calgary is having late winter storms, 3 feet of snow in some people's backyards, not keen to go back to that. Glad our guy is clearing snow through April too. We meet many Canadians on the road here, we are all refugees from the white country...
We were happy to be back at Las Cruces, staying south of town in old Mesilla, historic centre preserved into boutiques and restaurants around the pretty main plaza and church. We revisit the Gold Eagle for great 'award winning' margaritas (as much as $12 for Patron based tequila) and great Mexican food. The best chiles rellenos we've seen yet. Pity no time to go north to A/C is back in business.
Driving through El Paso and skirting Juarez (murder capital of the US) we see the wealth of El Paso against the shanty towns over the Rio Grande of Cuidad Juarez, the factory town where many women go missing every year.
El Paso is one huge conurbation, very prosperous looking, and later we drive past miles and miles of cattle feedlots to supply all those hamburgers.
We have passed uneventfully through many Border Police checks. They ask if everyone in the vehicle is a US Citizen then wave us through. However, there are lights, cameras, many vehicles, holding centres, etc, proof that they are policing the Mexican border vigorously now. Few tourists are venturing south any more, too many bad experiences. Ted goes into a $10 haircut place on the outskirst of Austin and is told the hairdresser is too afraid to go home any more to San Luis Potosi to visit her parents. Sad, as we have had some wonderful trips but just not worth crossing the border any more. Flying in is OK to the resort areas of the Yucatan and West Coast, driving in is not recommended now.
Oh, it's April 1, according to the Calgary Herald, Westjet announced they're filling the cabins with helium as it's lighten than hydrogen in future. Yeah, we'll be on Lotusland mode when we fly with them in May to LA! I told Ted the RV owners tried to charge us $30 as we left, for the vet bill for feeding their cat bits of our seafood, he fell for it! Duh.
Before we leave Nee Mexico I pick up one of the famous Ristras, hanging chile bundles, from Hatch, just up the road from Las Cruces. One chile serves a whole salsa, beware of heat!
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