El Paso, TX

I came to El Paso with the impression that it was a large city, and in fact it does have a large population, close to a million, which is considerable for an American city.  As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, El Paso shares a border with the Mexican city of Juarez, whose population is even larger. These two are extremely close together and one could be forgiven for mistaking them for one united municipality, if only there were no fence between them.

The fence itself, though I was aware of this physical barrier separating the US from Mexico both in Texas and in Arizona, still managed to surprise me as I cycled next to it one evening. The sight of this seemingly impenetrable barricade as well as the regular patrolling of border security was a stark reminder for me of something which I feel very strongly about, the artificial division that humans have created between each other and which so many of us not only take for granted but treat as if they were absolute. Many people lose their lives over these boundaries, and I find this to be completely unnecessary.

Going back to my initial point, though the population of El Paso is high, it has the feel of a much smaller city, at least when viewed from the center. The downtown core is negligible and tall buildings are few. There is a considerable amount of sprawl, however, and several overpasses crisscross the city in all directions, feeding the outlying suburbs.

On my first day there I hung out in one of the more commercial districts east of downtown while I waited to meet Rodrigo, one of the two people who had accepted my request on couchsurfing.
We met at a little bar named The Hoppy Monk, conveniently located about three minutes from his house.  I had picked Rodrigo because of his varied interests, some of which I shared, but based only on his appearance I would have guessed him to be somewhat formal and uptight. He turned out to be nothing of the sort, and not only invited me to share his tofu dish but also offered to buy me a beer. We got to know each other a bit over hops and bean curd, then I invited him to join me in writing positive slogans on sidewalks. Inspired by an online event organized by a fellow nomad all the way in England, I had added El Paso to the list of places taking part in this attempt to create some conviviality among people. Rodrigo was all for the idea, so we got some sidewalk chalk, drove downtown, and picked a spot right by his workplace. After a few well-placed quotes which we documented and posted on the facebook event, Rodrigo drove me back to my camper. My intention was to stay in the city as long as I needed to in order to make some money and then continue on my journey, and hopefully meet up with my new friend at least once more before departing.

The events of the next day have become a blur so I can't quite remember how I spent it, except that in the evening I went to a local homeless shelter called Rescue Mission to volunteer and get a free meal. This was my second time volunteering at a shelter, the first time being in Santa Fe. This one was organized a little differently and only required volunteer help during mealtimes, which worked well for me.
After supper I made my way back and though I can't remember the exact sequence of events, I spoke to Rodrigo again and he invited me to come over. When I got there, he mentioned that he was going to Guadalajara for a week and offered me to stay at his place while he was gone. This was a very generous offer, which I gladly accepted. Not only was the weather chilly in the evenings but it would be nice to live in an apartment for a few days. Ro's hospitality didn't end there as he entreated me to use whatever I needed at his place, including the food he had in his pantry.

As I was not having any luck finding work through my usual channel (craigslist), I decided to take a different approach to raise funds. I went for a walk the next day, intent on accosting people and asking for their support on my journey. I walked down Mesa street from Ro's apartment and had several interesting encounters. Besides scoring $5 from a young man I met, I sat down with an old lady in her doorway and we talked for twenty minutes. I also briefly chatted with a Mexican man who was trying to earn money by washing people's cars using a sponge and bucket. Continuing on my way, I saw two men struggling to install a capstone on a concrete pillar, so I offered to help them. They gladly accepted, and though I didn't want to ask for money, one of them slipped $5 in my pocket and gave me his card with the instructions to call him on Friday so we could go out for supper and talk. His name was Javier.

I received around $17 that day after a few hours, then went home. That evening I went to Rescue Mission again and later arranged to meet with Amanda, a friend of Rodrigo's. She picked me up at his place, accompanied by a young lady who was staying at her place for one night, herself on a bicycle-powered journey across the United States. Amanda took us to her blacksmithing class and afterward we went back to her place for some hot apple cider. Lastly she took us to Village Inn for some pie and hot chocolate.  So far I'd had only pleasant experiences in El Paso, met many friendly people, and been treated like a king.

The next day I spent five hours walking and putting flyers on houses in the far eastern part of El Paso. For this I earned $100, which was a significant sum for me. In the evening I met with another couchsurfer who had responded to my public request. Her name was Adriana and she turned out to be Rodrigo's ex-partner. She took me to a nice little bar called Joe Vinny & Bronson's Bohemian Cafe. There was an art show that she wanted to see and which turned out to be themed around rats. It was quite interesting, in fact, and I had one of the best beers I've tasted so far, a vanilla porter.

On Friday I called Javier and we agreed to meet in the evening after he was done with his work and appointments. He picked me up quite late and we went to Cabo Joe's on Mesa. This was a very noisy bar and we sat outside in order to hear each other, though it was quite cold. I had my favorite beer again and the night started to go downhill. Javier turned out to be a friendly but exceedingly difficult person to talk to, in my opinion. He insisted on talking continuously without hearing anything I said, and though he asked me a question here and there, he didn't consider it important to listen to my responses.
After Cabo Joe's he took us to another bar where he knew several people and where a live band was playing.  The evening continued in a similar fashion and Javier continued to drink. By the time the bar closed at 2am, Javier was well past able to drive safely and I was in a sour mood. I drove Javier's car back to where I was staying and then let him go home. I didn't have a good feeling about this man anymore, but he did say he would get me work, so I still had a bit of hope left.

I went to Juarez that weekend and on Monday I again tried to look for some money while waiting to hear back from Javier. Finally I messaged him and he told me to meet him where we had originally met. My first assignment was to sit and watch the house in wait for its occupant, who owed Javier money.  I did this for a few hours, then went for lunch. I had been referred to a place called Cafe Mayapan by Amanda on the day that I met her, and had visited the place once. Cafe Mayapan is part of an organization called La Mujer Obrera, a local NPO that works in support of Mexican women's rights in El Paso. I had visited the place once a few days before and had received a free meal in exchange for washing dishes. I went there again and once again offered to help in any way I could, though I was able to pay my meal this time.
Afterward Javier picked me up and I helped him on a roofing job. He offered to pay me $7.50 for the work I did. Though a paltry sum, this was better than nothing, so I accepted it.
Over the next few days I worked with him on several projects of his.
This was my second week in El Paso, and on Wednesday Rodrigo returned from Guadalajara. He offered me to stay at his place as long as I needed to, which I gladly accepted. I was happy to have met such a wonderful person, and on Saturday he introduced me to his cousins who were visiting from Juarez. We had brunch at a lovely little cafe called Hello Day right downtown, then we walked around for a bit and Ro showed us his office. The initial plan was to visit a town called Mesilla about an hour outside of El Paso but by the time we were ready to go it was almost dark, so instead we went to a Barcade, which is a popular form of entertainment consisting of a bar with arcade games. We also went to an Asian supermarket and then a Mexican one. When we got back to Ro's place, his cousins gifted me some Mexican candies they had bought for me as well as a lucha libre mask. It was a tremendous pleasure to be treated so kindly by people whom I had just met that day.

I was practically ready to leave El Paso, though I just barely had enough money to get to San Antonio, my next destination. The idea of working for Javier wasn't appealing but I thought I could do it for a few more days, just to make some extra cash. Monday didn't go well as I had a misunderstanding with him and ended up not doing what he needed me to do. He did however ask me to return on Tuesday, which was to be my last day. My relief upon leaving that afternoon was palpable, and I looked forward to being on the road again.

I spent Wednesday tying up a few lose ends, including saying goodbye to the people I'd met at Cafe Mayapan and Rescue Mission, buying some new workpants, as well as some groceries for my upcoming trip. I also had an excellent slackline session that day, something I hadn't done in nearly two weeks.

Thursday was Thanksgiving in the US and I got ready to go. I packed up my stuff after breakfast, got my van ready, and vacuumed the floor at Ro's place.  We said our goodbyes, with the hope of visiting the Venus Project in Florida together in early 2015.

My last intended stop was Dunkin Donuts, for a coffee, but alas they were closed for the holiday. Krispy Kreme was closed as well, though their drive-thru was open. I walked up to the window (Dharma was too tall to fit in the drive-thru lane) and ordered coffee and donuts. I had been told their donuts were the best, so I was excited to try them. The Krispy Kreme employee told me that next time I wouldn't receive service unless I had a vehicle, at which point I became irritable. To my surprise, I got my order without having to pay for it, presumably for the trouble I'd had to go through, and this made me feel humbled. I had shown my unfriendly side and instead of responding in kind, they showed me their generous one.

I finally hit the road and headed east towards the small town of Marfa, after two-and-a-half weeks in El Paso.