Arriving

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Arriving



It started with a kiss, or rather with a jet-lagged sweat. Around 8pm last Tues eve I was crawling on all fours through a narrow opening into the shallow round tent-like structure of the sweat lodge to take my place to one side of the doorway (a wise move as it turned out). Well I am in New Mexico and isn't this all part of the experience.

15 minutes later, I wasn't so sure. The sweat had begun in earnest. Our small group were in pitch black and the Native American leading the sweat was ladling cold water on to the white hot stones in the round pit just at my feet. It was blisteringly hot and steamy. I was attempting to catch breath by inhaling through a handful of sage bush .One woman had fled the lodge as the men's prayer became louder and louder. I was groaning, sweat pouring, but oh! the bliss of the canvas finally flung open and us tumbling out to lie on the cool moonlit scrub.



Yes I am arrived after a long journey beginning on the Sunday at George Best Airport, Belfast City. Next, a long flight from London to Chicago O'Hare where near on a three hour queue greeted the incoming visitors waiting passport control. I believed I had given myself plenty of time for the connecting flight to Albuquerque but instead ended up galloping through the airport following a fellow passenger who had managed to acquire a red express transit card . Ever the opportunist I was pretending to be with him!

Lesson 1 DO NOT enter the USA through Chicago O'Hare. Try a smaller airport.

As it was I just made the flight for Albuquerque but my bag didn't . We were reunited the next day but it didn't do much for my stress levels.

Easy, if exhausted night at an airport motel and then my next challenge, negotiating the car rental and specifically the do's and donts concerning the all important car insurance.

Am I over insured?

Under-insured?

Double insured?

How many millions of dollars of cover do I want? Need? What about my personal travel insurance? After an anxious half hour with the car rental desk lady (who was actually very helpful once we crossed the accent barrier), we got it sorted .

I loaded my bags into the Ford Focus (much smarter than my aging Hyundai).

Then, with some mutterings concerning car rental centres being located on busy roads,and just a few heart stopping moments which I will leave to your imagination, I left the city behind and headed into the magnificence of Northern New Mexico keeping the great Gorge of the Rio Grande to the West and several hours later, drove through Taos and arrived at the Abominable Snowman Hostel,my base for the next week (minus the snow, I hope).



For now its hot, the sage bush is blooming and the sunsets the deepest crimson.

Viva New Mexico

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Comments

[Julia]

Sweating through it
WOW! How exciting.... I think I will be sweating on all fours too very soon! How brilliant you have gone from the sweat of travel into a lodge so soon on arrival! Magic! Enjoy! x

[Gill]

sweat
Well, as they say, "no pain,no gain" but isn't that a bit extreme? Seriously, I'm jealous, makes Majorca sound like a big,fat armchair! Keep the blogs coming and the camera dry. Love, Gill.