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Saturday 2 July 1994: The RV site had a pool, which we used (on our own, as usual) for an hour until the sky clouded over, then we packed up and drove 80 miles south on the very straight US 54 to El Paso, crossing the Texas border just north of the city. Most of this road went right through the large Fort Bliss Military Reservation; many notices on either side warned of the dangers of trespassing. We continued into the city centre for lunch and a petrol refill. The place was hectic; people and cars everywhere, with most people speaking Spanish. A thin, friendly lady with an orange flag guided us to Moe's Parking Lot (only $2.50), which was close to one of the main bridges across the Rio Grande into Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. After leaving our vehicle slightly reluctantly, as it was parked in a rather dubious-looking derelict area, we crossed the bridge for the princely sum of 25 cents and entered a new country.


Juárez was even busier and noisier than El Paso, and such a contrast to the average American city. Many beggars, street sellers hassling for trade, dodgy fast food and liquor shops, and an overall air of being nowhere near America. One street stall had what looked like fried dog on offer, revolving greasily on a spit. Tequila was on sale for US $2 for a full-sized bottle; many of the Mexicans lying on the pavement seemed to be suffering from the after-effects. Another contrast from the American side of the river was the amount of dirt and litter on the streets, altogether it was not too pleasant. Wandering away from the busy main street, along the back-alleys, we felt not completely safe, due to several suspicious characters loitering about. However, as we were told later, this is not even the best part of Juárez, to say nothing about Mexico. The fee to return to America was 50 cents, and of course our passports were checked, unlike the outward journey. After being pleasantly surprised that our RV was where we left it and still had all four wheels, we drove to the 'Road Runner RV Park', which claimed to be the most central, even though it took about 30 minutes to reach. Swam at the pool, while being deafened by noisy American children, enjoyed a Mexican meal and slept during a particularly hot and uncomfortable night.