-PREFACE -
Remember when I made a post about wanting to go on an epic road trip? Well this is not that road trip. My cousin from El Paso ,Texas was getting married over the weekend. My uncle wanted to attend the wedding but didn't want to drive by himself so logically he asked his niece, the one that's never driven on a freeway or for longer than an hour, aka me, to join him on this road trip. The trip already seemed like it could be a disaster but I was very excited because I got to visit a state I've never been to and see family I hadn't seen in a long time.
Alright! Let the road trip begin! *nervous laugh*
-TEXAS BOUND-
Thursday 8:30 PM -
We left at night in hopes of avoiding traffic and for the most part we did. We wanted to get to El Paso before Friday afternoon but to do so it meant that we would have to drive all night. I was a little nervous about that since the main reason I was invited on this trip was to help my uncle with the driving. You see, my uncle could quite possibly be half koala since he must sleep for over 11 hours a day in order to function. His sleeping habit would mean I would drive for most of the trip.
-Friday 2:30 AM
I still hadn't slept when we made it to Phoenix, Arizona which is where my uncle handed me the keys and I drove until we made it to the boarder of New Mexico. Driving is boring, especially when all your uncle likes to play is country music. The scenery was absolutely amazing though.
- Friday 10:00 AM
I've been awake for about 24 hours but I felt okay. We stopped one last time in Las Cruses, New Mexico for a scenic view. There was a large bird built out of shoes, computers and golf sticks and a beautiful view of the city ahead.
-Friday 12:00 PM, Officially in El Paso
I was sooooo done. Whenever I'm tired I get really moody and laugh uncontrollably. Let me tell you that I was laughing hysterically at this point about things that weren't even funny. At this time we officially reached my families' home in El Paso. Our arrival was very anti-climatic because they weren't home but they left the doors open for us so we walked in and fell asleep until they woke us up. I said a brief hello and went back to sleep for another 2 hours. lol.
-ANGELENO IN TEXAS-
I couldn't help being confused by the city of El Paso. I couldn't decide if it looked more like Mexico or the U.S. Since Mexico is literally down the street it's very difficult to not see the clash of cultures.I immediately saw this mixture in the street names (i.e Valle Suave rd, honey mesquite st ) and I found it both creative and amusing. I also immediately noticed that during the day there is not a single person outside. No one walks or does anything outside during the day. Which is understandable since a regular day in El Paso could be over 100 degrees. Which leads me to my last observation ; there weren't any stereotypical cowboys in sight #sad-Saturday
I spent the majority of the trip bonding with my family and getting to know cousins I wasn't aware existed. We didn't really leave the house since they were busy prepping for the wedding but it was fine because I rarely get to spend time with any of my family so it was nice to just be with them.
-11:00 AM
My cousin James takes us out to eat to a very popular fast food place in Texas, It's called What A Burger and it's supposedly rival to California's dearest In N Out. James happens to work in their corporation or something like that so he really wanted us to try it. I have to say that their burgers were really good! But it's not fair to compare it to In N Out since they have 4 burgers on their menu while What A Burger has about 20. When the workers heard we were from California they immediately said it was going to be better than In N Out. One of the workers even brought us complimentary dessert and said, "Here's some dessert! You see In N Out won't do this for you".The whole situation was really funny to me.
-5:00 PM
The wedding itself was very beautiful and I'm very glad to have been there to celebrate with everyone.
-Sunday 12:00 PM
During this trip I also reconnected with a friend that happened to be stationed in Fort Bliss. He's the reason I got to do some sight seeing and exploring. I documented my entire trip on Snapchat and he saw my geotags and immediately snapped me saying that he was in El Paso too! It was so exciting to find out I had a friend in Texas, It had been almost 3 years since we last saw each other but I didn't seem like it when we met up! He knew I loved coffee so he took me to the most hipster coffee shop I've ever been too. There was even a record store and other locally owned stores. Afterward he took me Scenic Drive [pictured above] which is like the Signal Hill or Griffith Observatory (without the observatory) of El Paso.
-THE DEPARTURE-
-Sunday 6:00 PM
My return home wasn't as bad as I was told it would be. I had to ride a bus back home because my uncle was continuing the road trip into Mexico. Besides the fact that I almost missed my bus the trip was uneventful. I arrived home safe and happy. This road trip was full of firsts for me and although it was a very brief visit, I really enjoyed my stay in El Paso, Texas.
Until next time,
Carolina xx
