Factory Day Numero Uno

7 AM

I got up way too early this morning to meet my coworker and cross the border into Mexico. After an uneventful trip across the Zaragoza Bridge from El Paso into Juarez, we only had a few miles of driving before reaching our factory.

My colleague suggested that it was my turn to drive today, which was fine. It reminds you how easy things are in the U.S. though. While the traffic in Mexico is much better behaved than the traffic in China, there are still some oddities. At one point, I was on a four lane road which abruptly turned to dirt. I had to cross a small field of dirt and grass (all in a major metropolitan area, mind you) before the road picked back up again. No explanation. Just no road there.

My Chinese buddies made the Mexico factory guys take them to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch yesterday. Nothing about Chinese food in Mexico sounds appealing to me, so we're headed out shortly for lunch at a recommended Mexican restaurant. Should be fun.

I have discovered this morning that they have an interesting soft drink down here called "Manzana Lift." It's bottled by Coke, and it tastes like a sparkling apple drink. Good stuff!

2 PM

We had an excellent lunch at a Mexican steakhouse. I had a great slab of beef, along with a cheese enchilada. The whole thing was very tasty, and the beef easily would have been up to our usual standards in the U.S.

During lunch, the wind began to pick up. There are 45 MPH winds forecast for today, which have also prompted dust storm warnings. By the end of lunch, you couldn't see across the gravel parking lot at the restaurant. On the way back to the factory after lunch, there were two cars, both inverted, in the middle of the expressway. Apparently they were blinded by sand, traveling at high rates of speed, and ended up entangled. It was VERY ugly.

5 PM

As frequently happens on these trips, the day was pretty useless from a work standpoint. Parts aren't here on time, people aren't ready, etc. I'm lobbying to go out to another local Mexican restaurant tonight back in El Paso.

One thing I noticed today in the factory is that there's a giant mural painted on a wall as you enter. It is a map of the U.S. and Mexico, and there is a giant Chinese flag waiving off to one side. From the Chinese flag there is an arrow pointing first to Mexico and then from Mexico to the U.S., symbolizing the flow of our products in production. For some reason, it seemed a little eerie...

In other news, apparently Juarez is currently Mexico's most violent city. There have been scores of deaths related to the drug trade, and the U.S. is getting ready to issue a travel warning regarding visiting here. Makes me want to set out on foot for lunch tomorrow...