The sky isn’t even the limit ✈️🚀… Part two - unplanned adventures in New Mexico 🍹 🛂

We left Virgin Galactic at lunchtime on the biggest high, the roof down on the Mustang and Miles’s questionable selection of ‘country music’ on the stereo. It would have been remiss not to have stopped in the local town and see what Las Cruces was all about, and, following Captain Dave’s suggestion of where to eat, we stumbled across the small town of Mesilla. An 1800’s border town that was part of Mexico until 1854, it is famous for being the place that Billy the Kid stood trial for murder. We parked up next to the San Albino Basilica and spent a short while browsing the boutiques and stores that lined either side of the town square before following our noses to La Posta for food. It was just what we had hoped for in what would possibly be our only authentic Mexican meal while there... the decor was something to be behold, and the marguerita’s were even better. 😜 🍹

(I'm thinking the skeletons are just part of Halloween decorations, but maybe they are year round 🤔?)

Our bellies full, it was just a short drive to the hotel, and as we cruised along the interstate we imagined ourselves laying by our beautiful pool sipping cocktails… but then things in our perfect day nosedived somewhat! Above us the weather started to change, and as the sun disappeared it took with it our dreams for the afternoon... Looking in on the pool on our way from the carpark to reception it was quite clear that it wasn’t sunbathing weather today, but undeterred we ushered the boys up to our room and ordered them to don their shorts… a little bit of rain was NOT going to get in the way…

Until it did.

‘I’m sorry, the pool is closed,’ said the girl in the poncho, packing up her things behind the bar.

‘Will you reopen when the rain stops?’ we asked hopefully, nodding towards our two boys who were huddled together in their shorts and looking a little cold.

‘It’s not due to stop,’ she apologised.

And there ended our dreams of laying by the pool.

For context let me show you a picture of the dream we were sold on Tripadvisor so that you may understand our disappointment:

But we are British right? We don’t let weather get us down, do we? No, we make a Plan B, perhaps not for swimming, but for our part, mine and Julie’s:

Plan B: The Hotel Bar.

Closed

Okay, okay, let’s see what our Plan C options are….

I eyed the man at reception and tried to think how to word ‘where can us middle aged women get a drink at three in the afternoon,’ without him thinking we were just a couple of lushes?!

‘Excuse me,’ I ask sweetly, and he smiles back. ‘I was just wondering if we could get a drink somewhere? Please don’t judge us, we are on British time and are planning an early night,’ I add, just putting it out there.

‘The pool bar should be open Ma’am.’

‘Uh, no, it’s torrential rain and she was packing up…’

‘Oh, well then I’m afraid you will need to wait until 6:30 when the bar opens.’

‘Oh no, we can’t wait that long,’ I shake my head. ‘How about room service?’ I ask hopefully, thinking this beautiful reception had plenty of comfy nooks in which we can sit. We are crew, after all, give us a bottle of Prosecco and somewhere comfy to sit and we are happy… we aren’t hard to please…

‘I’m sorry,’ there is no room service until 6:30.’

Nooooo, I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. Instead, I ranted for a brief moment about how ridiculous it was that these two lushes couldn’t get a drink at three in the afternoon… I could see the judgement in his eyes now.

(If you are wondering what the kids are doing right now, they are fine, they have been up to get changed and are now on their phones, its all they need after such a high-brow morning!)

I gave up.

Defeated, but refusing to spend our only afternoon in New Mexico in a hotel room, we slumped down in some seats and looked at the map on our phones to see our options. Shopping Mall across the road?

Boys: Absolutely not!

Cinema?

Boys: Nothing we want to see.

Food?

Boys: Not hungry.

I scroll in closer. What is Farleys I wonder, clicking on it…

Farleys, it turns out, is our saviour.

Right across the street was exactly what we needed, and to this day I cannot understand why the nice guy at reception didn’t tell us about it! A bar, with great food, air hockey and pool tables to boot… something for everyone, and right up mine and Julie’s street! Who cared about the torrential rain, we were legging it across that road, boys in tow, before you could say ‘two large white wines and a bottle of pop!’

To summarise our evening, the boys played pool and drank root beer from glass bottles. To me and Julie it seemed that they had just grown up, and infront of us were two six-foot young men who were doing exactly what they should be doing. We were back on our high as we watched them, soaking up our pride and wonderment, before gatecrashing their game and getting all competitive as we pitched Chapmans against Kays… Of course, we were eventually asked to step down, apparently it was a little more fun without two tipsy mums thinking they were hustlers and we went back to drinking our wine and talking to the locals. One friendly young guy was particularly forthcoming about his legal business selling cannabis, which came straight over the border, and was really selling it to our boys as a viable, lucrative, business idea 😱🫣

The evening flew past, and when we got back to our hotel the bar was open and practically called us in by name! Our early night drifted further away as we stopped for an obligatory gin or two, and it was only when we got back to our room around 11pm, or perhaps it was midnight, that Julie realised she was no longer in possession of her handbag…

The one with ALL of our passports in!

So, in her pyjamas she went with Miles, back across the street, where they sat outside the closed bar and hoped and prayed someone who worked there would come out… It was a happy ending I am pleased to say, and I stopped searching for the nearest consulate when they got back with huge, relieved, smiles on their faces!

We left new Mexico the next day with only one regret, that we hadn’t seen the border. Unfortunately, our late night had cancelled out our early morning, and so we had to go straight to the airport, drop off the car, and board our (thankfully) half empty flight to LGB – Long Beach Airport, Los Angeles. I did try to see it from my plane window, but I guess if you don't know what you are looking for then it is going to be difficult to find it?! Perhaps it is in one of these photos... if it is please do let me know so that I can tick it off my list😅

I think that I will finish this blog here, lest I lose your attention for rambling too long… I would just like to shout out to the Southwest crew quickly though. To us they seemed a different breed, boarding and disembarking at random airports, so happy and efficient when I am sure they have super long days. You may have heard the expression that ‘planes are like buses in America?’ Well I can confirm that is true, they come so frequently, and from our experience they are reliable and on time. I have always just travelled standby with my own airline, but after this trip I have a new confidence and certainly plan on exploring more… perhaps I will go back and see that border one day…?

TBC

(Look out for Part three… when we finally get to LaLa Land!)