Carlsbad

The plan was to go for breakfast with Peter but he has to leave for work. We thank him and go to the cafe that he has recommended where James has a huge breakfast burrito.
We're on our way to Carlsbad cavern because when we were in the caves in Slovenia last year we overheard some American people say that Carlsbad caverns were much more impressive, we had to see for ourselves! On the way to Carlsbad we just have to drive through the Alien town of Roswell, oooh spooky! Well, not really but we did have fun playing spot the alien. They seem to have embraced the legend/history (choose your own spin) and there are aliens plastered everywhere as well as welcome messages for any future visitors!

We arrive at Carlsbad Caverns and have just enough time to walk around the huge cave. We agree that the caverns are very impressive, it takes about 2 hours to walk around. Whether they are better than the Slovenian caves is a matter of personal opinion so you'll have to have a look for yourselves but they are definitely bigger. It was nice that we could just walk around at our own pace instead of being shuffled along by a fastidious guide. We will say that we love trains and baby dragons though, heehee!

It's time to make our way to our next couchsurfing hosts, Saul and Lesley. When we arrive at the house we get a really warm welcome and we're told that tonight it's BBQ and beer night with Lesley and Saul's friends, hurray! We have lots of fun getting to know everyone and laughing at the dog eating the majority of the BBQ chicken when no one was looking. This was a real BBQ, not a vegetable in sight (or a fork or even bread!) and very tasty! James gets mega excited when Saul's brother offers to take us out for a drive in a Camero. After a few speedy runs down some local roads, he and his partner take us to a great spot where we get a view of the city all lit up. It was a great night and we hope Lesley and Saul will visit us in Manchester so that we can return the favour.
The next morning Saul makes us a traditional New Mexico breakfast dish of green chili enchiladas which helps us to get over our hangover!
We say thanks and goodbye and get in the car for the loooooong drive to Dallas!