Radisson Casa Grande Juarez Ciudad Juarez

... doen.

Charles en Kamala onze gastheer en gastvrouw van de warmshowerlist zijn prettig gezelschap.
Omdat er sneeuw voorspelt is blijven we 2 dagen extra en het gaat werkelijk sneeuwen.
Woensdag is het dan zover. We worden aan de westkant van de stad gebracht en fietsen 100 km naar Columbus

... and neon of the U.S.A and then to look out to the left and to see the sparse sprinkling of streetlights on the Mexico side. Staying at a Mariott Hotel which is evidently only 10 days old! The room we are staying in is lovely and the kids enjoyed a dip in the inside pool (although they said it wasn't particularly warm!).

This is definitely the worst campground we have stayed at. Next time we will remember and take our time to visit the shower-house before we pay. It was to dirty to use. The ground was covered with little pickers that stuck to my shoes, one even came through my shoe to poke me. Oh well, live and learn.

... that has been revealed to me this morning in a very special and almost overwhelming way. The perseverance in the folks that have run this or come back year after year is amazing. If you read this and you wonder if there is a trip that could change your life, this is one of them. I am sure there are many out there. But if you want a ministry that you can identify with, believe in and feel amazing empathy for I implore you check out Tapestries of Life and their ministry.

... back to the American border tomorrow (fingers crossed it will be ok) and then I go to El Paso airport where I fly to Austin, Texas. I have a business meeting in Austin on Friday so I'll try take it easy in the live music capital of the world (Austin) tomorrow.. Just back from a few bars and I'm settling in nicely now but I have to go again..it's shame but there you go...

... stands at every crossroads...no touristic interest it just match with the name: el paso...we don't stay here we just pass...anyway i keep a good remenber on crossing the border bridge from US to Mexico, feeling of deja vu and cliche in the same time...

... workers. Although a factory environment is less-than-ideal place to spend your time, this electronics-fabrication facility wasn't too bad. We got the royal treatment by the management, who prided themselves on their ability to produce manufactured goods cheaply. [Our cameras were not permitted in the factory.] It took careful, persistent questioning to uncover that the average laborer there earned just $6/day. [A ...

... circles around the city until after an hour and a half it dropped us off a mile from where we wanted to be! We walked on and on until we realised that the gas station was actually 10 miles outta town - oopps! We reached a bus station and decided just to spend $40 on getting to Jaurez as Lisa's Mum had lent us some money that day thank you Dee!- we wanted to finish hitchhiking but it seemed impossible so reluctantly we went to buy tickets. They didn't ...

... needed that day. I really appriciated that and I especial remember one situation were 4 or 5 of the stood and talked and talked to me on the same time, while I was trying to decide what I wanted to eat on the restaurant. In a way I think that I felt like going from were nobody wanted to give me a ride to now beeing in the centre... My day ended up with beeing invited home to one of the ladies, Macki, who lived in a village, Wemberley, south west of Austin...

... fun to chat with and drink beer with). We saw the sea lions playing and play fighting on Pier 39 they´re so funny to watch the larger ones like to show the littler ones who´s boss!! We had to get up really early one morning to be able to get a ticket for Alctraz - don´t worry we managed to escape back to San Francisco. Alcatraz was really interesting and we got to see where the ´great escape´ was carried out - the audio tour made you feel like you could have been there in the 1960s and ...