New Mexico - so much better than the old one.

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On Saturday I had the journey from hell from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque in New Mexico. Steeled for what I knew would be an 11 hour drive, I arrived at the bus station at 4 am to get the 6 am bus. Except it had already sold out. Leaving me 11 hours until the next bus. The time actually passed fairly quickly (time flies when you're watching the crazy people at Greyhound stations), but I only just managed to get on the 3pm bus - I was the last to board before it was full, and I felt a pang of guilt when the lady behind me started crying because she couldn't get on it. NB Buying a ticket on the Greyhound is like buying a tube ticket - you're not guaranteed to get on the first bus that comes along. Though unlike the tube, buses on this route are every 9 to 11 hours, not every few minutes. Hence my remorse for scraping on to this bus. I had however been waiting longer than the lady, so I was within my rights.

Once aboard, things picked up. I got chatting to a guy called James from Phoenix, and when we stopped at Amarillo to refuel, he and I went to find a bar and necked 4 vodkas before heading back to the bus station. At which point a police car pulled up and accosted James - apparently he was the spit of a guy that had just robbed Sassy's, a lesbian bar over the road from the bus station. All good fun, once James was released. By the way, if anyone speaks to Tony Christie, Amarillo is off the I-40 at exit 70. You can't miss it.

Eventually got to my hotel in Albuquerque at 2.30 am, where typically, I couldn't sleep, despite being up for 24 hours.

The next day I was up remarkably early and took a walk into the downtown area at first, which was like most other American towns of its size. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the old town - adobe buildings and terracotta bricks made it look like I imagine such places in Mexico must look. The culture is a nice mix of Western, Hispanic and American Indian, a mix that comes together surprisingly well.

I spent the afternoon in the Albuquerque museum where there was an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts on loan from the British museum (let's face it, I'm never going to bother seeing them when I'm at home), plus items on the history and culture of the area. I was also moved to laughter on the walk home by seeing a tumbleweed blow across the road. Vic Reeves was however nowhere in sight.

I was supposed to leave the next day for Phoenix, but after the bus debacle on Saturday I decided to stay a day longer and fly to Phoenix a day later for fear of murdering an incompetent Greyhound official. So I spent the morning doing laundry and internet stuff before paying another visit to the old town in the afternoon and the National Atomic museum, situated here as New Mexico was the site of the Manhattan project prior to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of what was on display I either remembered from school or was way over my head (eg anything to do with nuclear fission). Still, better than yet another art museum...

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Photos

Alb
The old town of Albuquerque. Sadly, the cars ruin this shot I feel.