Dan The Road Trip Guy
Join Dan the Road Trip Guy as he explores the adventures, memories, and life lessons of diverse guests from all walks of life. This podcast goes beyond the road to celebrate the journey of life by uncovering stories of passion, resilience, and the pursuit of happiness. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or simply love a good story, Dan the Road Trip Guy will leave you inspired and ready to embrace your own adventures. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
I hope you enjoy the episodes. You can find me at https://www.dannyneal.com.
Dan The Road Trip Guy
Crossing Borders: Lauren's Unplanned Journey from Cincinnati to Tijuana and Back
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What happens when a spontaneous decision leads to an unexpected adventure across international borders? Our guest, Lauren, my firstborn, shares her thrilling experience of traveling from Cincinnati to Tijuana, Mexico, to meet up with a friend from Haiti. The stories of their journey, the challenges of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and the stark differences between entering Mexico and returning to the U.S. will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Lauren paints a vivid picture of camaraderie at the U.S.-Mexico border, sharing touching anecdotes like helping a young girl with paperwork amidst the logistical chaos. This episode uncovers the contrasting privileges of U.S.-born individuals and the daunting realities faced by migrants, offering a compassionate perspective on a complex issue.
Hold tight as Lauren recounts a wild ride with a chatty Uber driver that was supposed to be a quick trip but ended up as a nerve-wracking detour into Mexico. With missed exits, language barriers, and encounters with the Mexican police, the chaos was both tense and comically absurd. As Lauren navigated the situation, armed with Google Translate and mounting panic, the tale ultimately underscores the unpredictable nature of road trips. We wrap up by inviting listeners to share their own travel stories, urging everyone to embrace the joy and unpredictability of hitting the road.
You can learn more about Lauren at https://www.laurenneal.com
Welcome to another episode of Dan the Road Trip Guy, the podcast where we dive into the stories that make life an adventure. I'm your host, Dan Neal. In each episode, I sit down with my guests to chat about their first cars, unforgettable road trips, career journeys, hobbies, bucket list dreams and a sprinkle of life advice every now and then. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just love a good story, join us as we explore the roads less traveled and the tales that come with them. Buckle up and let's hit the road.
Speaker 1:All right, I am on a fun road trip today. I am on with my firstborn, Lauren. Thanks to her, this podcast actually started in May of 2022. When we were on a road trip to Florida, she encouraged me to kick this thing off, and that's exactly what we did. We interviewed each other as we traveled down the road. Then she spent on one other time and now we're going to talk about a trip she made this year, 2024, the spring of 2024, when she made a trek to Tijuana, Mexico. That's a place I would pick to go, I know. Welcome to the show, Lauren.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me back.
Speaker 1:It's always a pleasure to have you back. We see each other often, but this makes it even more fun.
Speaker 2:It's kind of crazy to think that it was two and a half years ago the first episode I was going to say time passes very quickly.
Speaker 1:Time passes quickly and stories are made and memories are created. Well, what we're going to talk about and I've been wanting to talk to you about it for several months was a trip you made to Tijuana Mexico. To you about it for several months was a trip you made to Tijuana Mexico. Yes, tell us first, lauren, why Tijuana? You're a world traveler, but why Tijuana?
Speaker 2:it was very much a last-minute trip. I think the flight was booked. Maybe two days prior a friend of mine was crossing the USS-Mexico border into Tijuana to be reunited with her husband, who had already been in the US for several months. They had been apart for six months, I believe. She does not speak English, and so it made sense that somebody would go meet her in, you know, a totally new environment. She'd be crossing the border into san diego. There's just a lot of complexities about navigating the us, especially the transportation system. It, you know, it's just. It would have been a very overwhelming environment to do that alone. I had the flexibility in my schedule of all of our mutual friends. I was glad to be able to do it.
Speaker 1:Of course, being the traveler you are, you would never turn down a trip, right.
Speaker 2:No, no, I'm always up for an adventure.
Speaker 1:You just recently reminded me your little suitcase, your away luggage. We'll give a shout out to away luggage has been to six continents.
Speaker 2:It has, which is wild. I'd like to calculate the number of trips it's been on with me. It's been a lot of places.
Speaker 1:It's been a lot of places and right now it's stuck in Haiti, correct?
Speaker 2:Yes, my checked bag. I just returned from Haiti a few weeks ago and, unfortunately, because of the current political environment, flights were suspended into Haiti from the US. A Spirit airline flight was shot at by gangs as it was descending into Port-au-Prince, and so all US airlines pulled out of Haiti and we were evacuated on a cargo flight. Unfortunately, we only had 50 pounds each to bring back with us, and my luggage weighed 90 in total, because my camera equipment weighed 30. And so I had to leave my checked bag and some of my clothes behind, which is really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but, yes, my trusty suitcase was left behind.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we're confident at some point you're going to be reunited with that piece of away luggage.
Speaker 2:Yes, it sounds so silly as a material possession, but there's just so many memories attached to it. I hate to see it go entirely.
Speaker 1:You left from Cincinnati out to San Diego right.
Speaker 2:I did. I don't recall if there was a layover.
Speaker 1:I believe you went straight there best I remember.
Speaker 2:I believe so too.
Speaker 1:yes, and I believe you checked yourself into a hotel there in beautiful San Diego.
Speaker 2:No, I went straight to the border.
Speaker 1:You went straight to the border but you thought at first you might have to Uber down, but I believe did you not find transportation there.
Speaker 2:I did. Yes, I found the train a great public transportation system, in my opinion. It takes you right down to San Ysidro, I believe is what it's called. It's right there at the border. It drops you off and then you quite literally walk across.
Speaker 1:You walk across into another country. Have you ever done that before?
Speaker 2:Yes, I have never done that. I have never done that. Yeah, it was a very unique experience. Never done that. Yeah, it was a very unique experience. It was overwhelming, if I'm being honest, because the ease in which you can cross over the border from the U? S to Mexico is it's just overwhelming. You can, you know, like hardly anything is checked. I don't even remember showing my passport, which was true the the the other time I've been across the border you don't have to show your passport because it's so close. But then to think of all the people who are waiting on the other side and how difficult it is to cross back into the US, that was the most just the juxtaposition of that experience and knowing that this I don't know this like very small geographical location holds so much weight and power, that was a very interesting thing for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you just had the freedom to walk over, while the folks on the other side are struggling to get here.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you remember how much that ride cost you to get down to the border?
Speaker 2:Not much. I would say perhaps $5. I don't know. There was a free bus that took you to the train station and then the train was probably about $5.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, now I booked you a place there, near the border and near your friend yes, in tijuana.
Speaker 2:In tijuana, find the place in tijuana, that's correct, yeah and I'm like trying to find the perfect place.
Speaker 1:You know at least has a few stars and some reviews and it's safe.
Speaker 2:Yes, I am like all the memories are coming back now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you arrived there. I remember you told me you arrived and I think someone met you at the door, maybe.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, I had to walk a ways, probably a half a mile, with my, my luggage in tow, and I remember, on my way to the hotel, walking and seeing the line of people who were waiting. On the other side there's the, you know, there's the lot, the lanes of cars that are lined up to get into the US from Mexico, but then there's also a walking path as well and just the line it was. It was wild because it took no time to cross into Mexico, but again, knowing how long it would take to cross back over. Yes, with luggage in tow, I walked to the hotel and, I believe on the street corner, a ways from the hotel, this security guy was waiting outside for me and he knew my name and I was like well, I guess this is the place.
Speaker 1:I hope so, anyway, right.
Speaker 2:I guess this is it. He yeah and yes, and he led me to the you know check-in, got me checked in, walked me back to my room, which was behind there was like an initial gate. There was my room, which you know was also locked. It just was kind of like, okay, I have never been to Tijuana, I don't really know the level of insecurity or the degree of which it is insecure, but it was like, okay, this is extra precautious.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we would look up later how much crime there is in Tijuana. We didn't know at that point.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, maybe a little naive in that sense, but for the best that we did not know that prior to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably best, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:My adventurous girl Checked in and then decided to go out and find your friend.
Speaker 2:Yes. So I checked in, I dropped my luggage off, I believe I just took my backpack with me, and my friend had sent me the hotel the name of the hotel she was staying at. It was essentially across the city, I think it was like a 20, 25-minute walk. It was broad daylight. I have my location shared with you, know you all, my parents, my friends, and so I, just I went out and made my way over to my friend. It was I just yeah, it was like such a interesting experience. Even seeing, anytime you see a city on foot, it's always much more interesting, right, because you're experiencing like real life and what's happening day to day. I passed all sorts of different kinds of people and it was just, it was really interesting, and I always encourage people, whenever they travel, to go any other way than by car, because you're just going to get a much better sense of a place, and that's what happened here, and so, anyway, finally, I arrived at the hotel.
Speaker 2:It was more of a hostel. I text my friends to come down and she does, and we just like have this embrace for what felt like minutes. I'm sure it was not that long, but I, it was beautiful. I had not seen her in years. She and her family were very dear friends while I lived in Haiti and that was just one of those moments you don't forget. And we tried then to convince the receptionist to let me inside the actual hotel and neither of us really spoke great Spanish hotel and neither of us really spoke great Spanish. She spoke much better Spanish than I did. It was like a little bit of back and forth, because she didn't want me to come in because I I wasn't staying there and we were like you know, I'm not staying, I'm not spending the night, I'm just going to spend a little bit of time. Eventually, another person who was standing, you know, in our vicinity helped convince the woman to let me in.
Speaker 2:It was essentially this this hotel was home to people who were waiting for appointments at the border to cross into the U? S. So when I say, you know, when I say hotel, that might be a little bit exaggerated, I mean this is very basic accommodations. We got into my friend's room. It's the kind of place where you bring your own sheets and pillows, Like it's just. There were, like there were four queen, full queen size mattresses on the floor. They had their own linens, they cook their own food. It was that sort of environment. They cook their own food.
Speaker 2:It was that sort of environment and there were two couples and my friend staying in this room. One of the couples had a son who was about 12 years old, so there were what is that? Five, six people in this room. We, immediately, when I got into the room, they had food waiting for me, as you know. It just made me smile because it's just so customary, right Like it's an, it's a love language to to feed people that you care about, and so it was like the warmest welcome. We sat on the bed eating, you know, our lunch together and and just catching up and hearing the experiences that they've all just gone through, which it's just wild to you know. You're in the us in your comfortable home, the that that same morning and then by the afternoon you're in this totally different environment. It's like again I I have no other word than like overwhelming because there there's no direct flight from Haiti to Mexico.
Speaker 1:It's a journey.
Speaker 2:Correct. Yeah, I mean, everybody had a different story. Some people had traveled what people might not be aware of in, essentially, after the earthquake, so many Haitians migrated from Haiti to Brazil and to Chile in search of employment, and so a lot of people have made the journey from South America to the border, and that is a very, very tumultuous journey, very tumultuous journey. You pass through the Darien Gap, which is one of the most, if not the most dangerous migrant crossings in the entire world, and so, you know, thousands of people are crossing this, this, this section of South America, to Central America daily. So, yeah, it was just, it was, it was very, um, just alarming it always is to hear these firsthand accounts of people who have gone through more than we could ever even imagine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all trying to get to a better life.
Speaker 2:Exactly I was just going to say nobody leaves home unless they're forced to. I think that's probably the biggest misconception. Is that it's not that people are choosing this for themselves, is that they have no other choice?
Speaker 1:Exactly, and you know not to deviate from our story, but I was listening to a guy this morning who left. We know what's going on in Syria, right? Now and he left Syria in 1995. And he is returning this week for the first time in a long time and he was in tears. He's a professional guy, he's been here for a long time, he's educated, but it was just interesting to hear story. I'm going home.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's 30 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 30 years. I mean he's been back a couple times, but not for any extended period of time wow, and that's the thing.
Speaker 2:It's like everybody just wants to go home, yeah, but until then they're going to. Of course, you're going to search out a better life for yourself and your family, sure? And that's what is happening in this situation so we'll fast forward.
Speaker 1:You spend time with them. I believe you even went out to the ocean, best I remember.
Speaker 2:We did, yes. So when you go essentially what I've gathered there is a large migrant community in Tijuana of people who have not been able to make it across the border, but for most people it's just a stop along the way. So it's very quick, it's temporary, and I asked this group that I was with if they had yet seen the ocean from Tijuana, and none of them had. I said let's go, we're going to the ocean. So we hopped into Ubers and it wasn't terribly far, it was probably 15 minutes. We just hung out on the beach and I've never been again, I've never been to Tijuana, but to see the wall extend into the ocean was was really, really eye-opening. It was like this strange juxtaposition of people enjoying life on the what would you call it? A boardwalk. You know there's all sorts of vendors selling food and drinks and we bought like a little skewer I guess it's I don't know if it was squid or octopus, but like a skewer with grilled octopus on it because they wanted to try. You know, something new.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:It was just, yeah, it was a very interesting experience and my friend and I we sat for a long time and it was like the first time she was able to even let her guard down. I mean, it was a pretty intense emotional conversation. I I, I too believe there's so much um, there's like so much power in being by the water, and so just that like environment was, yeah, I guess, really powerful you know like and getting to see this 12 year old like he had.
Speaker 2:He had so much fun running through the water and I enjoyed that very much. We spent probably two hours at the beach and then, before you know, we made our way back to the hotel.
Speaker 1:Spent the night there. You slept well, you got up the next day and, of course, her appointment.
Speaker 2:I did not sleep well.
Speaker 1:You did not sleep well. Okay, it was very loud.
Speaker 2:I actually did not sleep well. You did not sleep well, okay.
Speaker 1:It was very loud. I actually did not sleep well. Okay, sorry, she did not sleep well.
Speaker 2:That is something I remember. It was very loud.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it's Tijuana, yeah exactly. You didn't sleep well and you get up the next day.
Speaker 2:Her appointment's the next day and you make your way back, you walk back across.
Speaker 1:You walk into America. Well, pause oh pause. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I was told to meet my friends at 9 am and we didn't know exactly when the appointment would be, so I met them down there. No one's really lined up at this point. People are just kind of hanging out, uh, slowly gathering. So a couple of us went.
Speaker 2:We found something to eat okay came back and, yeah, we're just hanging out for a while and then an officer comes out. Everybody lines up. There's two lines essentially there is a line of people from, I'm pretty sure, if I recall correctly, there's a line of people from I'm pretty sure, if I recall correctly, there's a line of people specifically from Haiti, and then there's a line of people from everywhere else.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And there are probably 200 people lined up this morning and everyone's in a group of nine, and I don't remember exactly why nine, but basically you had to fill out these forms as a group prior to so the officer is going through the line. He is, you know, checking off one by one everyone's paperwork. Something interesting that happened was the group that was standing in front of us, that a young girl she was like, basically designated as in charge of doing all their their online paperwork, and for some reason, she, like she, did something wrong, and it was just this moment of I was able to, you know, translate for her and help her communicate to the officer that they were there legally and that they had been approved for this appointment okay and that was very interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just like there's so many, so many layers to this that obviously we don't think about as people who are us born you know, essentially I parted ways with my friends, but specifically my one friend.
Speaker 1:Right, and I made new friends.
Speaker 2:You made new friends, I made new friends, but I I made sure that we had shared one another's locations with each other, because you know, when you cross into another country, you don't, you're, you're not necessarily going to have service, and so we shared one another's locations. I left and made my way to, to the line that I was supposed to to cross through, which, by the way, I barely made it because it was a Sunday and it closes at 1245. I believe it was.
Speaker 2:And I left. I stayed until about 1130. Yeah, I barely made it through. I think I made it through with like five minutes to spare. So basically, if you can't, if you don't make it through this walking line, then you have to go through the car lanes and the line of traffic was so long.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll get to those long lines of traffic a little bit later.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so for you folks visiting Tijuana, you want to make sure you get back across the border into the US before the walkway closes.
Speaker 2:I make it across, I'm hanging out like right across the border there's a few different businesses. A coffee shop is one of them. I go, I get a coffee, I'm sitting there for a bit and these two border control officers come in and I was like, hey, I have a friend who's got an appointment and I'm just curious what time I can anticipate her coming through, cause I'm like, oh, it'll be like an hour. And they laugh. They literally laughed in my face. They're they're like, oh, it will be hours. And they were like it might not even be today, it could be tomorrow and she might not even come through this exit, she might come through the. You know, there was like a, basically like an east and west exit she might come through the other exit.
Speaker 2:So now I'm like, oh gosh, okay, well, I will not be sitting here all day. So I thought I'll take my things to the hotel where we were going to be staying for the night in San Diego and I will come back. I get on that same train, I make it to we were staying in old town in San Diego and drop my things off. I had lunch and then I was kind of timing it out because they said, like be back by about 6, 30.
Speaker 2:I was like okay, and I think by the time I got through the line, it was, I can't remember, it was probably like one 30. So, you know, I had, I had significant time to to spend. And so I thought, okay, I'll leave this hotel around six, take an Uber, because again, it was Sunday and the train stopped running at like 4 PM or something. So, yeah, I was like, oh, I'll just take an Uber down and I'll leave it around six. I'll certainly be there in plenty of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, and you kind of knew where you were going. You'd been there once.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, exactly. And of course, this is where things go awry.
Speaker 1:Part where mom and dad couldn't sleep. Some other friends up in Minnesota couldn't sleep and we're all wondering about Lauren.
Speaker 2:Uber driver picks me up. I should have known when he didn't. It was the kind of situation where I had to walk two blocks to get to the car because for some reason he couldn't find me. Maybe that should have been my initial red flag.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I get in the car. It's a nice car he's going on about. I don't even know what I'm the kind of. I'm the kind of passenger who does not like to talk or converse with the driver.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:It's not because I don't want to engage, but I, just, like you know, I like to put my headphones in. It's not because I don't want to engage, but I just, like you know, I like to put my headphones in. It's like on the plane. I don't really I don't really like to converse in these environments, but this man was very chatty and wanted to tell me all about himself. So he's chatting away. He lives not too far from the border, telling me about his kids I don't even know what else and I don't know. We missed the exit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm assuming there's a big sign right that says this is it Get off here or you're in Mexico.
Speaker 2:Surely there is a big sign. Should I have been tracking via my map? Probably so. But again, he was so chatty and I was trying to engage and, yeah, we missed the exit and we start driving into Mexico and it's like you know, the lanes are growing. It's just like there's more and more lanes. And I said we were driving into Mexico and he said, oh, don't worry, there will be a spot where we can turn around.
Speaker 2:He said, oh, don't worry there will be a spot where we can turn around, Right, I don't think that's how it works. So we keep driving and we're like we are going in and I'm like, oh, we, we, no, we're not coming out, we're not turning around. So I am I am, of course, freaking out because I've already seen the lane of traffic that's coming back into the U? S and my friend could come out at any moment and I I am like panicking that she is going to come out and I will not be there and I will not be able to get in. So we just keep driving into Mexico. There are so many cars and his maps are just like taking us in circles.
Speaker 1:By the way, we're watching from here because we've got Find you on our phone and I am watching you drive in circles. And you're messaging us but yes, you're driving in circles.
Speaker 2:In circles and eventually, I believe we I'm trying to think like if we kept going in circles or if we eventually just like made our way to the back of the line, we we were stopped by a police man at some point in time at some point in time during this debacle. And yeah, my friends you know, my parents are texting me, my friends are texting me, like what is going on? And I am just, I'm honestly less concerned about myself and I'm more concerned about my friend, yeah yes, um, and this police stops us, asks for the driver's license Perhaps his, I don't think.
Speaker 2:He asked for his passport, I think his license. This driver shame on him does not speak Spanish. He has lived on the border for how many years, I can't remember what he told me, but did not speak any Spanish. We're sitting there for I don't even know, maybe 10 minutes, like he. You know, police officer goes away, he comes back, finally he lets us go, but he's like you have to go to the back of the line. And I was like are you kidding me? So we turn around and we make our way to the back me. So we turn around and we make our way to the back and, and you know the, the maps are telling us it's going to be like two and a half hours of traffic. And that's why I'm also panicking, because I don't think we have two and a half hours to spare.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:But we get in the back of the line at the exact same location, a second police officer stops us. And this is when I'm like, I am panicking. Again. The police officer takes the driver's license. I whip out Google translate because I'm like this man. The driver is useless to me at this point.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I am going to try and converse with this police officer. I uh, don't remember, but I'm pretty sure I got a little emotional. Not I mean genuinely, you know, because I just like it was so frustrating being being in this environment, not being able to communicate. Obviously there's miscommunication and I'm like this is the driver's fault. I should not be back in Mexico. We're passing, like we passed by all the sites that I had already seen. I was like, oh, I just saw this this morning and here I am back in Mexico. Yeah, it was again a back and forth, maybe another 1015 minutes, I don't remember. But the police finally let us go, we get back in the line. And this driver, I mean, he's like I'm supposed to have a date tonight and yeah, well like I don't really care.
Speaker 2:I have much, much more important things to attend to. And he whips out. He's got like a jar of peanut butter in the car. I don't remember what he ate with it Maybe some apple slices and he turns on. He's got a screen in the front of his car.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He turns on Netflix, like he has done this before. I was so upset, so upset. And then, you know, in the, in the midst of all this, my friend texts me she has made it across the border and I'm like oh my gosh, please, please, stay where you are, do not leave. It's getting dark at this point. And so we're making our way through the line. Driver thinks it's a good idea to get into the global entry lane. He doesn't even have his passport on him. I thankfully had my backpack and I always carry my passport and global entry card when I'm traveling internationally. But we get in this lane and my friend is still texting me. She says there's a bus here. It's taking everyone else. Should I get on the bus? I'm like no, please don't get on the bus, I am coming, I will meet you. You know where you are, just stay there. We, like are inching our way forward.
Speaker 2:Thankfully, the global entry line was much quicker than the the standard line. But then we were stopped by an initial again a border patrol, uh officer, and he asked to see the driver's global entry. Obviously he didn't have it. I showed mine and that's how we got through. And I'm like please, you know, let us. But again, this border patrol officer was quite friendly, he waved us through and then we got to the second patrol officer who would like let us into the US. And again the alarming thing about this was that officer told the driver he said well, next time it's going to be a $3,000 fine. How privileged you don't even have your passport. How easily you can get into the us. You know what I mean. That's what really. Really, it's just, again, it's like this, the juxtaposition of it all, like how is that possible? It just it seems very unfair. So anyway, we passed through. I was so excited to leave this man I think we've been together for three hours at this point and you know what? He still charged me.
Speaker 1:Still charged you.
Speaker 2:I did not leave a tip, you better believe. But he charged me and I don't remember. I disputed it with Uber, but I don't remember if I got refunded, but anyway, he drops me off. I see my friend, we we reunite. I call a different uber this time. I tell this uber driver once we get into the car that what just has happened and he was flabbergasted. He was like, is that man? I don't remember he probably had some choice words, but he's like you, you cannot miss the sign. How do you drive back into mexico? We make it to the hotel. My friend, exhausted, just crashes. I go get us some food. I bring it back and my favorite part about this is the next day she enjoyed I.
Speaker 2:I got us tacos and okay, she enjoyed the food so much that we ended up going back to the same place for lunch, and it was like she had been in Mexico for several months. But it was a much different experience for her. Of course. She was kind of at the mercy of wherever she was staying and life was just really challenging.
Speaker 2:When we had lunch the next day, she was like this is the first time I'm, you know, and we're in the US, we're in San Diego, but she said this is the first time I'm actually getting to experience like Mexican culture for the first time and enjoy it. And that was really really impactful to me because it's like, as somebody who loves to travel, how often I mean, you know, like that, that is my experience in traveling. I do it for the enjoyment of it, but for so many people it's out of necessity and survival and they don't have necessarily the luxury of getting to experience another culture. And so it was just, yeah, it was like a, it was a beautiful moment, and eventually we made our way to the airport and flew to be reunited with her husband and she hadn't seen in six months exactly, and that, in and of itself, was like such a meaningful encounter.
Speaker 2:I mean, I photographed it and I'll remember that. You know one of those memories that you'll, you'll treasure forever, forever, yeah.
Speaker 1:And she really hadn't seen anybody she knew for months.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, it, overall it was. I mean, when I look back on this year, yeah, overall it was. I mean, when I look back on this year, it is favorite Doesn't really feel like the right choice in words because a very unique experience, but it is the most memorable experience I have from this past year. It's not lost on me how difficult how many people are trying to get into the US and how easy it is to cross, you know, back into mexico well, lauren, I've been wanting to record this for a while, so thank you for spending a little time with me.
Speaker 1:I wish we were in the car, headed out on a road trip someplace, but we're still going to do that yes, we sure will at some point thank you very much thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:It's always a pleasure. Thank you for having me. It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning in to Dan the Road Trip Guy. I hope you enjoyed our journey today and the stories that were shared. If you have any thoughts or questions or stories of your own, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. Don't forget to share this podcast with your friends and family and help us to spread the joy of road trips and great conversations. Until next time, keep driving, keep exploring and keep having those amazing conversations. Safe travels and remember you can find me on the internet at dantheroadtripguycom.
