On my way to the Alamo

I was in Eagle Pass yesteday and decided to drive to the Mexican city of Acuna. A Mexican border agent asked me a bunch of questions about my trip then decided to become a tourist guide. He suggested all kinds of places I should visit on my way to Progresso, in the Yucatan Peninsula, where I'll be going in January. We talked for over 30 minutes. And he even suggested that when I come back, he would come with me if he had some time off. Really cool guy but his suggestions would would take me about 2 weeks to accomplish. And I want to spend time with my friends Pierrette and Marcel.

I just drove a bit in Acuna and suddenly realized that I didn't have Mexican car insurance so I returned quickly to the border. Once there, the US immigration asked me all kinds of questions, put me under the microscope and searched throughout my car. Bad decision on my part to take this little excursion.

Well, looks like the bad Canadian weather is following me. I've even been accused of bringing the cold Canadian winter weather with me. But I try to explain that I came from sunny California. It's cool, rainy and dull; memories of BC,

Yes, I'm in San Antonio, Texas, and I went to the Alamo today. I was surprised to find the Alamo in the middle of the city of San Antonio. The site is actually a lot smaller than I imagined. What hapenned after the battle: the Mexicans took down the big wall that surrounded the Alamo, to prevent any future standoffs. So all that is left is the church, long barracks and some other walls. For more info on the Alamo go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Mission_in_San_Antonio

El Paso Texas

By the way, those pics are from Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. I thought they were nice and forgot to include them in my BC blog.

Travel trivia
I`ve logged about 14,000 kilometers
Was going to kayak the Rio Grande but it`s only 4 inches deep and I`ve put on some weight so, enough said.
About El Paso
-population 700,000
-85% mexican-americans
-Mexicans from Juarez come to shop in El Paso because it`s cheaper and goods are better quality
-I observed 100s walking back to Juarez, Mexico, with shopping bags full.
I chose not to go across because they kill one another there at the rate of 12-14 per week and the shootings are indiscriminate. They(drug gangs) use uzis and spray whoever they want to kill and shoot innocent bystanders.
I went for a walk the other night in my CS host`s neigbourhood here in El paso and got lost. They have no street lights and I missed his street on my return. It`s a beautiful subdivision with very nice homes but when it`s dark, it`s hard to recognize any landmarks. My host says the city is too poor to put up street lights. I stayed with another host in El Paso, a retired teacher and he too lives in a beautiful home in a very nice subdivision. Both were very pleasant stays.

Now I have a dilemma: go south to Brownsville, my original plan, or go to Houston, where I was to stop at the end of Jan. or early Feb. I can't get a hold of my friend Rick in Brownsville. I would also have a better choice of airlines in Houston to get back to Canada for Christmas.

Oh yeah, it's my bd today. I'm 65...A real, honest to goodness senior. I can't wait to cash in on all those benefits!!!!!! So far, no birthday hugs or kisses.