Traveling through the Southwest - NM, TX and Mexico

I visited my friend for the weekend in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We ended up taking a road trip to El Paso, Texas; Juarez, Mexico; and White Sands and Roswell, New Mexico

Quick Tips:

Alien believers may be disappointed in Roswell. There is good and bad in Juarez, Mexico. You can have a White Christmas in New Mexico.

Best Way To Get Around:

The town of Ciudad Juárez is just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. In fact, El Paso and Juarez were part of the same town until the 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo split the town in two along the Rio Grande.

The interesting thing is that you only need your driver’s license to get in and out of this part of Mexico. You do not need a passport if your stay is less than 72 hours and you do not travel past the 18-mile limit. It costs 50 cents to cross the bridge into Juarez and come back. It takes $4 to get you car into Juarez and back. I would advise against bringing your car in, as you may not be riding it on your return trip! People without bags are not questioned - if you do have bags, you are questioned, it seems. English is generally spoken, though Spanish is helpful. Taxis are available. You can use U.S. money. The border area is popular for food, clubs, bars, gambling, and shopping. Website: http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/elpaso/poes.htm

The good: One if the best things about heading across the border is that there is some of the best Mexican food there. You will not find that cheap jarred processed guacamole here. The tacos, nachos, and mole are a treat to your taste buds. Mariachi bands may play while you eat. I ate a plate containing different Mexican food such as tacos and enchiladas.

Cheap Mexican beer, ‘Cerbeza mexicana,’ and places to party are other reasons to visit. I drank two of the local beers, Negro Modelo and Bohemia. The beers were OK, but not as good as a Corona with lime.

If shopping is your thing, there are some bargains to be had. If you are a good bargainer, you can get things quite cheaply. Knowledge of Spanish helps, in fact if you are of Spanish descent you will probably get a better price. While here, we headed to an indoor market which had many souvenirs. I tried on a sombrero for fun. What caught my eye was the Dia de los Muertos statues that were being sold. I had to have one. As I am not a good bargainer, I asked Roy to help me with the price. They started asking for $120, then $100, then $75. Roy got it finally for my price of $60. The market still sells candies with Mexican chili. Yes, these are the controversial candies which are banned in the States due to the fact that the chili contains lead. We walked around the market and picked up some Spanish mix tapes.

It is a place where you can catch Lucha libre or Mexican wrestling! It is too bad they only have shows on Sunday.

There are a few places to visit, such as the cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1945 and had to be rebuilt in 1975 due to a fire. Since 1957, the cathedral has been the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese and has been dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The south side of the cathedral features a beautiful stained-glass window representing "the Grace of God in the salvation of Mexico through the Virgin of Guadalupe," as well as the miracle of the roses.

The bad: There are not many tourist attractions, and the city itself is smoggy. Once you travel across the bridge, you see many homeless who ask you for money.

It is one of the places where the maquiladoras, or sweatshops that NAFTA helped to create, thrive. At these sites, women workers are harassed, since they have no protection; some workers have even been murdered. See http://www.motherjones.com/news/mustreads/1999/07/070599.html

It is the site where over 300 Mexican women were killed or have disappeared and the people in charge were slow to act: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/895598023?ltl=1130606425

All in all, would I visit it again? The answer would be yes, but I would recommend traveling with friends.

El Paso is located on the western end of Texas in the Chinunaun Desert. It borders the state of New Mexico, Mexico, the Franklin Mountains, and the southern tip of the Rockies.

El Paso borders with Mexico. The interesting thing is that you only need your driver’s license to get in and out of this part of Texas into Juarez, Mexico. You do not need a passport if your stay is less than 72 hours and you do not travel past the 18-mile limit. It costs $0.50 to cross the bridge into Juarez and come back. It takes $4 to get your car into Juarez and back. I would advise against bringing your car in, as you may not be riding it on your return trip! People without bags are not questioned, if you do have bags you are questioned it seems. English is generally spoken, though Spanish is helpful. Taxis are available. You can use U.S. money. The border area is popular for food, clubs, bars, gambling, and shopping.

One my favorite features in this region I saw was the El Paso Texas Scenic Drive, which was built in the 1920s. The drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet. It was built on the base of the Franklin Mountains and provides a panoramic view of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and the Chinunaun Desert. It would be a nice place to take a date or enjoy a sunset.

Another place we visited was the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). The University was founded in 1914 and is the only major research university with a large Hispanic American population. This is due to the proximity of the state to the Mexican border. My friend who I was visiting had a class there the day I was visiting. We went to the student union and had a beer. When the class started, I headed to the library and caught up with my email in the library. I was happy the class let out early. It was a pretty nice campus and with friendly people.

Las Cruces is considered the Crossroads of the Southwest. It was founded in 1843, when the nearby settlement of Dona Anna became overcrowded. The then-mayor asked one of the commanders of the US forces to make a new settlement nearby. This settlement would become known as Las Cruces.

It is thought that Las Cruces got its name from the Garden of Crosses travelers made for those who fell victim to Apache raids on their way up north. However, there are some who feel the name is just the Spanish word for crossing or crossroads.

The Mesilla village is close by and may be considered a suburb of Las Cruces. Historic Mesilla plaza was originally a settlement that was part of Mexico. It was founded in the 1800 around the Plaza and San Albino’s church by the Spanish. In 1854, the Gadsden Purchase made what was once part of Mexico now a part of the US. Many of the buildings of Mesilla Plaza from this period were restored and preserved. Mesilla is also the site of the jail where Billy the Kid was held and hanged.

Today, there are many shops where you can find Mexican items. There is a square where, at times, mariachis and street performers put on a show and several Mexican festivals are held. I was not going to buy much. However, there were many things that I liked. There was a large hand-painted Mexican Mary statue I brought for my mother. In another store, they had some silver chains with dream catchers for my sister. I had to try some jalapeno and chili fudge in another store. Yet at another store there were some hand painted Dia de los Muertas statues and houses that I had to have. Next, we headed for some wine tasting. They had some pretty good semi-dry red and white wines that I brought. We then relaxed in the bean coffee shop, where I had some green chili soup. I was surprised that coffee shops in New Mexico do not have chili-flavored coffee. There are seasonal places in NYC where you can get chili coffee and hot chocolate.

There are two places in Las Cruces I would recommend eating. Carnitas Quertaro had some excellent food and great service. They had some great hand made guacamole. I ate the Emoladads, which you cannot find in other restaurants. These are great-tasting enchiladas with sweet mole sauce on them. You have to try this dish if you come here.

The next restaurant I would recommend is La Posta de La Mesilla. Here I ate the La Posta specialida, which had one of almost everything. The service was great. They kept filling the water and brought out tons of chips. The food was delicious. The inside of the restaurant has different themed rooms. We sat in the lava room, which had a Caribbean theme and a day of the dead statue of the wall. I would recommend this restaurant based on the price, service, and great food.

The best food, however, hands down was at Carnitas Queretaro. There are a few good places to go at night. One of the live-music places my friend's ex was at, so we avoided it. We instead went to the Sun Lanes Bowling on 1201 E. Amador Ave. Here they have a bar and bowling. We bowled a few games of disco bowling for $5, with the shoes! I lost big time since I only bowl once in a blue moon. My friend kept on getting a lot of strikes while I was losing. It was a good time.

The following night we went to the fair, which runs in September and October. At the Southern New Mexico State Fair we ate some gorditas. They had some shows and various animals. We went to the racetrack and watched some car racing, which was pretty cool. We walked around and watched the last act of a band. We then headed back to watch some more races. One of the cars in third place was bumped by one in fourth place. The cars chased each other to the side. Then they drivers got out and started fighting before security stopped them. They were disqualified. After the race, we headed back home.

My favorite memories of Las Cruces were the landscapes, sunsets, and nice people. The Organ Mountains, which overlook Las Cruces to the east, are a sight to see. From what I was told, there are great hiking trails there.

Is it possible to have a White Christmas in New Mexico? It certainly is; just head to White Sands at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert at the Tularosa Basin. Here, there is soft, pure white sand. You can even get a plastic cover, sled, or cardboard to slide down the sand dunes and have some fun. Too bad you can't build a snowman and have a snowball fight. You can, however, make a sand angel!

The sands come from the erosion over time of the San Andreas Mountains with rainwater. The rare white sand's brilliant color comes from gypsum. Gypsum is water soluble and is usually carried by rivers into the sea. However, in this region, there is no river feeding into the sea. As a result, the gypsum becomes sand that is trapped within the Tularosa Basin. The sand dunes grow and change based on the winds. There are a few plants and animals that survive in the harsh conditions of this desert. There are white-colored animals, such as lizards, that have evolved to camouflage themselves here. Plants have a hard time surviving here due to a lack of water and the heat, and since the wind may pile sand on top of the plants. There are a few plants that have adapted to this environment, such as the soap tree yucca. This plant elongates its stems to keep its leaves above the sand.

Much of the information about the White Sands Park we learned from the visitor center. The visitor center was in the form of a pueblo and was pretty cool to see. They had much information about the White Sands Park and the national parks in the New Mexico area. They even give you a free map of New Mexico and the national parks. One thing to note is that the park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Testing Center, so the park is closed at certain times. You have to check the national park website to see when it is open and closed. In addition, there is a tour that goes to the Trinity site, where the first atomic bomb was detonated in July 1945, twice a year in April and October.

Ruidoso, New Mexico, is between the Rocky Mountains of southern New Mexico. The Sierra Blanca and the New Mexico ski resort stands above the village of Ruidoso. Ruidoso is great for outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, and bicycling, in the Lincoln National Forest. It is very active in the winter, when the skiing season starts.

Here, we stopped at the Casino of the Mountain Gods. The casino had many slots, blackjack tables, and other card games. I tried my hand at the Wheel of Fortune slot. There was not much fortune in this slot for me. I ended up losing $60 to $80. The casino hotel is pretty nice. There is a lake out front where you can sit and read. There are trees all around.

After, we tried to find a restaurant that was open, as many were closed due to a fair in town. We settled on K-Bob’s steakhouse. The service was good and the large salad bar was excellent. I had the ribs, which were good but pretty much standard.

After dark, we headed to a lookout spot near some cabins. Here, for the first time I was amazed by the number of stars I could see. I have been to many cities and countries, but this was the first time I had seen the stars so clearly. Roy had said that on a clear night, if you wait, you can see some shooting stars. We waited awhile, and I saw three different shooting stars. It was the first time in my life that I had seen one, and it was pretty cool.

Later, we headed back into town, and one of the locals said Quarters was the place to go. When we headed there, it was still pretty early. We drank and played a bit of Foosball. I talked with an administrator of a correctional facility in New Mexico. It turns out that several people came to unwind from this facility after work. It was funny. I told them I was a PA at a correctional facility in New York and the next minute they were offering me a job. The pay was better. However, right now, I like New York too much. Roy played some pool. We talked to some girls by the bar, danced, and had a good time. There were three guys dressed up in '70s-style suits and glasses that were fun. When they started dancing to Thriller, they had most of the bar clapping for them. It was pretty funny to see the moonwalk again. All in all, Quarter’s was pretty good, and it gets packed later at night.

I had always wanted to see Roswell, mainly after seeing the TV show of the same name and other sci-fi shows. There are no commercial planes headed directly to Roswell, so you have to drive up from another neighboring city's airport. Driving up, there were no building or houses on a huge stretch of highway. When we finally got to Roswell, I expected to see a lot of tacky alien dolls and statues, which would have been fun. There were a few street lamps, store windows, and McDonald's signs with aliens on them. However, there were not many businesses or people in town.

Our first stop was the International UFO museum. There were posters on the wall of various newspapers and eyewitness statements about the Roswell incident. Eyewitnesses say that they saw a saucer crash-land. One farmer found some wreckage that could not be burned or broken with some purple writing. Some soldiers stated that aliens were found. The government contended that what was found was pieces of an experimental weather balloon. Also, they stated the locals may have been confused by crash-test dummies used in the experiment. In a room there were different movies and documentaries about Roswell. There were other sections dedicated to UFO abduction and other dedicated to crop circles. The admission price is a $2 donation. I was disappointed by my visit, since I had expected more.

I guess we should have come July 4, when the UFO festival is in town. Then the town would be filled with tacky, cool alien statues and crazy people. If you do not see UFOs, at least you get to party! I wish I had done that.

While in Roswell, we ate at Farley’s, where they had various games playing on TV screens. The food was disappointing, as some of it was burned. The service was also very slow. I would not visit here again!

One thing to note is that, besides being known for an alien crash site, Roswell is a center for farming and ranching. They produce hay, cotton, pecans, corn, chili, and alfalfa. Carlsbad caverns, the New Mexico Military Institute, and Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge are also close by. They may be worth the trip to see if you are disappointed after your long drive up to see the UFO museum.