Just a hop across the Rio Grande

"Don't get into a cab and don't buy anything off the street," Holiday Inn shuttle driver Lorenzo Anchondo advised us as he dropped us off at the border crossing.

And sure enough our first steps into Juárez, Mexico were greeted with offers of cab rides and a variety of items from people on the street.

In fact, it happened so often, we just couldn't say, "No, gracias" anymore. We had to keep walking.

The city of Juárez is just what you'd picture a Mexican city to be. A little unkept, a little run down, but bustling and in constant motion. Smells of cooked gorditas, churros, and enchiladas filled the air as people wondered in and out of zapatarias, mercados and other stores that packed the main drag into of town, Calle Benito Juárez.

What struck us initially was the frequency of optometrists and dentists. It seemed like every other shop sold glasses and pulled teeth. Our only assumption is that people come from the States to these places for cheap treatment.

Jeff and I couldn't stand out any more. Me, toting a camera taking pictures of everything that moved and Jeff looking like, well, Jeff. People looked at us either with distant curiosity or saw us as targets for panhandling or a cab ride.

I wish we could have spent more than an hour and a half there, and even more I wished I had someone with me who had been there before. I felt lost- foreign.

But I definitely want to go back.

Take some time and flip through our photos from Juarez and wish us well as we make the last leg of our trip into Glendale tomorrow morning.