Mexican Tour

I thought it's about time I posted another blog.  I am now traveling again, this time to four Mexican cities and consulates.  I was fortunate enough to spend the entire summer with my daughter and husband so hopefully it eased some of the work he had to get done on the house.  Doing these business trips can be rough, but in a way, it is a get-away from the every day responsibilities -- taking of the house, taking care of everyone else.  In America, you just don't have the luxury of affordable help so it gets overwhelming.  So I consider these trips to be relaxing in a way and rejuvenating.  I work both at the office and at the hotel to get done what I need to get done in a week's time.  I'm hope they are fruitful for my hosts as well as getting some time to catch up and recharge.  

Ciudad Juarez

This was an amazing city.  Earlier this year, I got to visit Matamoros, which was a city close to the USA border of Brownsville, Texas.  I was amazed at the difference upon crossing the border into Mexico.  This is my second visit to Mexico, and it's already a different feel --I loved it!  I stayed at the Holiday Inn express in Juarez across from the Placiones Mall --I loved that mall!  It is truly more of an entertainment center than a mall as it was loaded with restaurants, game places, movies, dozen dessert places more than it was for shopping.  It even had an ice skating rink.  I practically went there every day and got to taste different taco places.  I got a wash/blow dry for $15 USD which in the states these days cost $35 for my long hair.  I also got my mani/pedi done which was a bit cheaper, though not by much.  Still, cost of living is cheaper.

It was also a safe city to drive in.  There are no crosswalks here, so pedestrians walk across to the median while waiting to cross the other side.  Surprisingly enough, cars do watch for you and I noticed that the drivers here trust that the cars will stop!  For instance, here in Juarez, there are a lot of U-turns and so traffic can happen for a quite a bit.  I was in an Uber and this guy literally made a U-turn with oncoming traffic!! I practically screamed and later I learned, that they just believe the cars will yield. From what I've seen they do.  Still, many people get hit by cars, according to my driver.  So though it's not like El Salvador where you are at your own risk, it's interesting to see the different ways people drive.  Culture shock.

Food - it was indeed amazing.  The tacos were filling and I'm now a big fan of the salty black beans. I like them mashed up or in a soup.  Every day at breakfast, I had scrambled eggs and a serving of those thick Mexican tortilla chips with bean sauce, hot sauce, shredded cheese and guacamole.  I wonder how Mexicans stay thin!  Well, I posted in Twitter that I can definitely get used to eating this diet every day.. Maybe.

I am now in Monterrey, Mexico and it is definitely another city.  The closest border is about 2 hours away in Matamoros.  So, I really need to brush up on my Spanish for the next week.  Thankfully, they understand some French since my emersed French seems to come out automatically. In the meantime, enjoy these lovely pics of my tour in Ciudad Juarez where I got to drive across the border to Texas and New Mexico. I got to see an unusual phenomenon - white sands national monument.

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El Paso at the Archaeology museum - free

White sands national monument

Tobagganing on the dunes - a fun activity 

The scenic drive parallels the railroad tracks