Letters from Base Camp #8
7th June
2007
Today I can tell you a little about Albuquerque.
I took Pete for a short break out to the nearest Post Office, a few streets away by a trailer park. It was a large building the main part of which seemed to be private P.O. boxes.
The serving counters, of which there were four, were open fronted and the staff so friendly we could have stayed all day just chatting. The lovely lady serving us mistook the lady being served at the next bay, as being someone from a dinner party of mutual friends whom she had met twice before.
Turns out it was a case of mistaken identity and she had in fact served this lady several times, and although they did have friends with the same first and surnames they were not the same people. It could have happened anywhere.
Pete was able to assure everyone that he had never met any of them and had no idea who they were talking about.
The lovely guy serving at bay three had been engaged with the same elderly lady since we arrived and we were now at the chapter in his life when he had moved to Albuquerque from Nebraska. If I hadn't promised Pete I would find a StarBucks to treat him to an iced Mocha Chocha Locka Frocka Chino or whatever they are called, I'd have been happy to spend our allotted time out in the Post Office getting to know our new friends better.
Back at camp Pete had a rest while I got back in touch with Joel.
You remember Joel?………..well, good to his word he invited Pete and I out to his home to spend time relaxing away from the hotel and mid afternoon we set off east.
His directions were excellent and as we drove away from Downtown and the motorways towards the mountains it felt good to have a change of scene.
Joel welcomed us into his home and placed Pete in a really comfy chair where he could watch the telly and relax. With laptop primed and ready to go, it wasn't long before he had zoomed down to our home in Byfield, using Google Earth, and there was Nina's little white Corsa outside. It was interesting watching Joel trying to grasp the concept of the size of, as he sees it, our small island.
A tour of his comfortable home led us out into the garden where he told me a 'road runner' often appears on the top of the fence.
Leaving Pete to take a rest we left for the local store to buy a few provisions. After choosing a just cooked piece of turkey for Pete's dinner and some fresh strawberries, the cashier, realising I was from the UK and on holiday, gave me good advice about sun block cream and we chatted about how much fun it was adventuring into new stores in foreign lands.
Back in the car Joel announces he can't let me go back until I have been to the foothills of the mountains. Within minutes of leaving the store he tells me to look behind and I am amazed at the grade we have reached already. I had not realized his home was a mile above sea level and that Albuquerque is not completely flat, as I had thought, but rises up steadily towards the mountains.
He explained that whilst the mountains looked sparse on this side, and indeed they did with little vegetation or trees, the barren rocks gave way to lush forest and vegetation a half hour drive around to the other side where his mother lived. And that was where you would find the bears and the mountain lions.
We drove up a little ways to a view point amongst some of the lush houses that rest up amongst the lower slopes and I was able to take in the whole of Albuquerque, getting a better understanding of its size and structure.
After a brief discussion about house prices I realized we could in fact sell our little house in Byfield, buy one of these smaller luxury homes and still have pocket money. Which is probably why people from LA buy them, take the 6am flight out of Albuquerque, arrive at work 2 hours later avoiding the LA downtown traffic and then fly back in the evening.
Winding our way back down to the pleasant area where Joel has his home, we find Pete well rested and ready to head back to camp.
Joel wants me to meet his mum and have a ladies time out together while he looks after Pete, which sounds a lovely idea. He also offers to put Pete and me up for the rest of our stay which is more than kind of him, but we decline as our routine is so muddled at the moment, we are both sleeping at weird times. I do not think we would be very much fun as house guests.
And so we leave looking forward to seeing him and his mum next time.
Back at the hotel Pete crashes out while I prepare his tasty looking turkey and salad dinner and I eat my mixed salad with crabmeat and fish chunks.
We then settle down to watch the start of the NBA finals, but there are too many breaks between the basketball plays for me and I crash out.
At 11pm just as Pete has settled down for the night I am woken from the depths of sleep by the sound of a man screaming for help, obviously in serious trouble and repeatedly begging, shouting for assistance. By the time I have thrown on some clothes and made it outside there are a few other guests, there with him. He has been stabbed and someone is making the 911 call and they are on their way. There have been witnesses to this attack or at least have seen the perpetrators leaving the scene, one man is standing by with a golf club in his hand. It looks like the man was walking to his room and was attacked from the alleyway between the rows.
There is nothing I can do; there are enough people with him so I return to our room where Pete is outside. A few minutes later the ambulance arrives and within a few more minutes they drive past our room and I know the man is in safe hands.
Trying to settle down after that is impossible. I am realistic; this could happen anywhere but it is ironic I should see the best and the worst of Albuquerque within a few hours. And this explains why once again I am up in the early hours typing my daily report.
Suddenly Joel's offer seems very tempting.
The blue-tit signing out |
