People enjoy riding the rails through this vast land with Dave Hensleigh, and he enjoys it too! His experience, his keen insight on the land and culture of the country, his unbridled passion for the experience there- all of this combines to make him the ideal Copper guide.

Roots:

Dave hails from rural Kansas and was educated in the Midwest and Texas, earning an undergrad in Math and a Masters in Biology. All through his youth, the trails, mountains, grasslands and wild places of the Midwest and West were his haunt. One summer in college was spent roaming Yosemite, and since, backpacking the Sierras has been a hobby.

Experience:

For thirty years, Dave has been leading groups of people on trips and adventures and his cumulative experience in this work is vast. Several years ago he connected with Copper Canyon, fell in love with the place and its people, and immersed himself in the Sierra Madre culture.

Vision:

He started Authentic Copper Canyon with a vision to give curious travelers a vivid experience in the true life of Copper and its people- not simply a vacation or resort experience. Recently, writers traveling with Dave on the train referred to him as a “relationship machine.”  No one on the train is a stranger and he has friendships up and down the canyon. Dave is curious and loves to facilitate the serendipitous journeys for which Authentic Copper Canyon is famous.

The Team:

Dave has assembled a team of guides and providers in the Sierra Madres that work together to provide vivid, safe and memorable experiences for each guest. This articulate group are experts on  the history, wildlife, and lore of the Copper Canyon region.

Welcome Aboard!

Travel with Dave for just a day and you will know the place more deeply, you will meet and enjoy some new Mexican friends…and your life will be enriched.

Dave Hensleigh, 217.369.9897, davehensleigh@gmail.com

1. Copper Canyon is so huge.

It is hard to get your mind around how vast this place is...several canyons deeper and bigger than our Grand Canyon.

2. The Rarámuri or Tarahumara- the indigenous people.

My little friend "Once" from Carichic- one of the some 70,000 Raramuri in the Sierra Nevadas- truly a "people apart".

3. The train through Copper Canyon- CHEPE.

This amazing railway stretches across the rugged Copper Canyon and includes 37 bridges and 86 tunnels.

4. The little towns – the heart of rural Chihuahua.

The main dreg of the tiny village of Cuiteco- one that few tourists ever visit or even notice.

5. History and lore abound in Copper Canyon.

The old church in Cerocahui- the mission dates to the late 1500s.

6. Adventure travel options abound in Copper Canyon.

Copper Canyon has ziplines, rock climbing, horse riding, hiking...and some of the best remote swimming holes on the planet.

7. The food in Chihuahua is unique- very different from other parts of Mexico.

One of the great dishes of the Sierras- Agua Chile- more shrimp than you can finish!

8. The Mata Ortiz pottery…a true treasure of the Sierra Madres!

Juan Quezada with Dave Hensleigh in his studio at Mata Ortiz.

9. Oh the view from those ridges in Copper Canyon!

The views go on forever in this amazing place.

10. Our team of local Mexican guides there can give you the best in a Copper Canyon tour.

Alfredo Murillo...the fave of many of our Copper Canyon guests.

So join us soon in this majestic place!

Call Dave today at 217.369.9897 or email davehensleigh@gmail.com to get on board.

Jesinia comes to the door. The pure beauty of this little girl flows. She and her sister Daniela live here with there parents. Daniela is actually in school now in Chihuahua- I have no clue how they pay for this.

Little Jesinia says her dad is out working. Fifteen minutes later I am running along the only road in “town” and I flag down Jilo. We set a time in two hours to take a ride. I tell him no group- just me- and he looks a bit downcast. He needs the money from a big group.

Jilo shows up with two gaunt, but sure footed horses and we head up through the pines. Over rock inclines we climb past verdant fields of corn, beans, squash, and potatoes in the Tarahumara ejido.

Heading south from Arepo along the rim.

2011 was a good rain season and the fields are green. Note the goats in the pen at the bottom of the pic.

Then up to incredible vistas…the far green fields of the Pomochi plateau.

There are no views like these Copper ones- take your soul away!

Two hours goes fast and we are back at Mansion Tarahumara.

I pull out 500 pesos (typically a ride is 250)…about $35 USD. To me this is a shy tank of gas, a night out, 1/30th of a mortgage, a low water bill, 10 bottles of Charles Shaw.

But Jilo’s response communicates it is much more to him. He offers change and I say no, kepp it all.

He stares.

Off comes his hat and up go several “Gracias Adios” and he crosses himself over and over.

His eyes are wet.

To Jilo and his family it is food.

Jilo Mancinas at the first communion of his niece at the little church in Areponapuchi.

Sunday morning dawns bright across southeast Juarez. I want to get a good look at the new US Consulate facility today- right next to to this hotel.

It is hard to walk in this part of town compared to other areas- it is modern, industrial and spread out.

Still I want to get a look at the huge factories- the maquiladoras south of us.

Gifts

I pull out a New Testament that a kid on the plaza gave me yesterday. I flip through the pages- words of life and hope- and it hits me between the eyes- oooh I need to lose that phrase as well as some others (below).

Oh, another gift I got was some really fine mescal- Don Antonio Aguilar- made in Zacatecas and given to me by Lorenzo at the Ramada. Sipping that fine mescal and reading the life of Jesus- great combination.

One fine bottle of mescal- and the Juarez lights from Hotel Ibis.

Anyway, here’s the deal: have I ever had someone in El Paso do such a thing as this kid on the plaza did? I have been around El Paso quite a bit over the years. Never once was I offered a gift. It is beyond ironic that words of hope would be offered me on the streets of Juarez. I am going to hold onto this book.

There is alot of hope in Juarez and a pride in their city.

So some quick breakfast – more incredibly delicious eggs, frijoles, chilaquiles, fresh fruit, etc. Some tweeting and we are off- mostly in a vehicle today due to great distances.

Note on this Walk Across Juarez

Some may think I  simply present a sentimental idealized view of troubled Juarez. To be sure there are serious problems here. But I am simply giving you my experience- my first hand account of what I see. And to be sure what I am experiencing here is vastly different than what I expected.

Another note:

On this walk I kept having to adjust my terminology and outlook. Like mainly that I had to keep reminding myself that my country is the USA and that I am a blue blooded Norte Americano- gringo is an easier term.

Not that I am not glad to be a US dude and very attached to my country. Quite to the contrary.

But the issue is that it is so easy and natural to connect with the citizens of Juarez. Obviously they have a small percentage of really bad guys here. But the vast majority are wholesome welcoming friends…and they are our closest neighbors. The welcome was so warm and genuine (that old Mexico vibe that I love about Chihuahua, the Sierra Madres and Copper Canyon) that the contrast to the relative coldness of the US side is stark.

Another note- they do have Starbucks. Not on every corner but here and there.

Also on the terminology issue, I had to stop using phrases like:

- kill time

-shoot a picture

-take a stab at it

-whatever…on crack

-I’m dead tired

…and so on. I would pop out a line like this and we would all laugh.

Honestly another typical humor point is when we would discuss the extremely negative attitude toward Juarez that we have in the US. Don’t be offended gringos, but they just chuckle when they try to get their heads around what we think daily life there is like- and how we are so molded and freaked by what our press cranks out. And how El Paso is right there and people just wont come across.

The Maquiladoras

The maquis are huge and the economic and social impact is gargantuan. It is hard to believe the figures they tell me:

-70% of the 1.4 million people in Juarez are linked to the Maquis

-40%of the maqui workers have been imported- mainly from Veracruz

-The vastness of the housing areas created for the workers and the incredible crime rates there

-The 10s of 1000s of buses used to transport workers- chocking the streets starting at 5a for the 6a shift

So here is what I saw

There are these two long snakes of semis- one crawling south with raw materials. The other slithering north with finished goods for the WalMarts.

Semis line up 24/7 at every bridge both ways.

They ease past each other at the various bridges. They are filled with plastic, fabric. Car parts. They will fill Kohl’s, Lowes, AutoZone.

In a few of them there is the Meth and Cocaine we demand.

These snakes daily supply our needs. And they provide the meager subsistence that the maqui workers take home.

How Juarez and we changed

Interestingly as Juarez became our supply point some 35 years ago, this place also became the focal point for our criticism and dismay- a place to be avoided.

Perhaps Juarez earned this castigation. But we get so much from this place- they supply us with all of this. We have withdrawn and we give so little. One NGO used to 40 or so service trips here a year. Now they do 2-3. Is the need less?

And we receive so little from these rich people. We are using Juarez more than ever but listening to these people and experiencing all this great place has to offer so very little. We are so connected economically, but so removed personally.

And in my opinion this is not only wrong and unnatural, it is to our great loss.

Sculpture along hiway 45 south of Juarez.

We load up, catch the 45 south for Chihuahua City and head south.

After a quick stop at Samalayucca (sand dunes where Star Wars was made and home of an important part of the history of the Camino Real- some huge wells right in the desert), we are on the road.

The Walk Across Juarez is over.

The dusty streets of Samalayucca just south of Juarez.

There is this expression for things done haphazardly or serendipitously in Mexico- as the donkey plays the flute. Alfredo mutters this expression as we head back to the bridge to “begin” the walk. I really have no plan and want to just amble around and have a bunch of experiences in this place and tweet about it all day- @coppercanyonguy.

Tweet, tweet, tweet

For three days I will shoot (have to quit with that word) pics and tweet them with my experiences. As we come to the bridge I start. Vendors are everywhere, cars are lined up. A TV station calls me and says they want to film me- Mexican of course- not a bit of US coverage.

USA Today, Curious

Actually there is one gringa reporter/writer who took some interest just before the trip. She is Jayne Clarke at USA Today Travel blog, and she had her own experience considering coming to Juarez – actually got talked out of it. That story ran awhile back. The day I started walking she wrote about it – A Walk Across Mexico’s murder capitol:brave, foolhardy, or neither? As I tweeted that day- certainly neither- but I am not sure of the right word.

Perhaps curious.

TV Coverage, Dave just be Dave!

So we head off to the border to start and there are cameras and tv reporters from Noticias and Televisa.

Actually we stop on the way for a second breakfast…

All over Juarez there are street food vendors and in this case I enjoy chicken tacos- yes!

Every step of the way I am tweeting- those tweets are at @coppercanyonguy or on face book "dave hensleigh"- and folks are fascinated...and love my idea.

So at the bridge I “start” – they start interviewing me and asking all sorts of questions which I try to answer in my lousy Spanish.

On camera at the Bridge of the Americas.

And then they interview Alfredo…and I wonder, can he get serious for a moment?

I tell Alfredo just before this- don't embarrass me- he is always joking around- and he acts like a perfect gentleman- amazing!

So then I turn to one of the vendors and ask for some water and then we start joking about where the water they sell to gringos comes from.

And the TV guys say, “Hey Dave, just be Dave!” So I turn to the line of cars and start knocking on windows and saying hello. And as I tell people what we are doing they say “Bienvenidos a Juarez”. I am welcomed by hundreds.

Then we head off and the cameras follow and all day long we have these experiences around town…amazing.

The streets of Juarez are alive...packed with traffic and people. I did not expect this.

The cameras followed me for 2-3 hrs and told me "Dave, just be Dave!"

I met this grandpa with a child the same age as our grandchild. I thought "I would bring my little Ezra here". I want my kids and grandkids to see this place and the wall- the same as I saw the Berlin wall as a kid.

Tweeting on the plaza with Tin Tan- local actor and icon.

1,000 miles away…

End of the day we return to the Ramada for a press conference. There is an array of reporters there and they ask a whole bunch of questions and I struggle through in Spanish- why didn’t I pay attention when I took those classes in High School?

Anyway I hear one of the Mexicans being interviewed say “El Paso is so close, but it seems like it is 1,000 miles away” – and my mind drifts…

-We have withdrawn from this place. One NGO used to do 40 trips here a year. Now they do 2 or 3, maybe.

-My observation is that the distance is extreme indeed. Isolation is a good term. And there are arms open there and there is a desire for connection and understanding. But there is this vast ocean- not just a trickling river- between these “twin cities”.

-I wonder at how Juarez has become the butt of Mexico in our US view.

End of Day 1

We pack our way over to a gracious welcome at Hampton Inn, Juarez.

Another place with a gringo name but full of Mexican hospitality.

There are scores of very nice hotels like this in Juarez…and I remember imagining that I would be huddled in some grubby hovel of a room listening for gunshots and expecting the door to be bashed in any moment.

Never a thought of it now.

I have journeyed so far from El Paso in one day. Like 1,000 miles, mas o menos.

I like where I am.

My right hand guide in Copper Canyon, Alfredo Murillo, lives in Chihuahua and is very familiar with Juarez and the situation there. I email him of my plans and ask for his input. I ask him if he could meet me at the El Paso airport and give me a bit of logistical support- like taking my big bag across, getting some visa work done, and staying at a distance and shooting (shouldn’t use that word)- TAKING some pictures.

His response is less than encouraging.

A Good Thought…

“Hi David, Juarez City still A problem beacuse the lolcal people are afraid of The cituation beacuse they don’t go out after 8:00 p.m. , the city, it looks like a ghost town that is what thee Army people told me when I worked with EL ESTADO MAYOR (This is the official security of the president of Mexico ) So, I think It’s a good Thought but not a good idea. Maybe in the day time it could be different, that’s what I think.About the car, I think that I can Ask to borrow one, the car of my friend Jesus Dominguez, I’m on my way to Chihuahua, I’ll keep in touch Adios amigo”

I love (or hate) that line there- “I think its a good THOUGHT but not a good IDEA” .  As if to say in the gracious Mexican way, “You dumb-ass Gringo, what are you thinking?”

Regardless, he agrees to help and to meet me at the Microtel near the airport on August 18.

This Old Painting in the Burger King

The way it used to be at the bridge to Juarez.

I fly into ELP and stop for a moment at the Burger King- it is walled with these old views of El Paso. Included is this idyllic depiction of the border crossing into Juarez. Little kids playing, the Rio Grande flowing clean, people visiting and gringos headed across for a delightful day in old Juarez.

I pause for a moment and ask myself one more time- why am I doing this?

I remember crossing that bridge in 1969 with brother Dick for a raucous weekend taking in the bars, the raunchystrip joints, the cheap little motels.

The images in my mind of the dead bodies, decapitated, thrown in piles, bullet ridden cars…

Something in me wants to get right back on that Southwest flight and go back to safe and secure Champaign/Urbana and go on with life. But wait a minute: did we not have several shootings there in the past few weeks? And wasn’t one of them on a street corner not far from our home and two young men were killed and did not stray bullets scream into rooms nearby where little kids were sleeping. And isn’t little CU having an increasing problem with armed robbery?

I shake back to the moment, grab my bags, and head out to meet Alfredo.

I’m going to Juarez.

Across La Frontera and Everything Changes

My first moments in Juarez and already the welcome begins.

This always the way it is and I instantly remember- when you cross to the US all is formal and terse and sometimes a bit rude.

When you cross to Mexico it is so different.

The signage is welcoming and communicates they are glad I am here.

People speak to me and say good afternoon.

Youth are everywhere- the streets are alive.

And the sense of connection increases beyond expectation…and beyond belief.

At the Ramada

Our home for the evening is the lovely Ramada, right beside the statue of Abe Lincoln- a local hero- long story, but there is a particular reason why he means a lot to the people of Juarez.

In the lobby I meet some of the hotel staff- hugs and kisses everywhere. The treasurer of the city comes by and welcomes me as does the vice-mayor. Everyone says welcome, welcome, welcome…and the typical “This is your house.” is repeated more times than I can count.

The director of police says hello and mentions that 65% of the people in Juarez need access to the central part of the city and that it is very secure. I have my doubts- haven’t seen it yet. He says that much has changed and that the life of the central part of the city and much of Juarez is vibrant and safe. Hmm. Really? I have yet to see.

Anyway I am welcomed and taken to a spacious, clean, room and there are gifts. One note: you may be thinking- the Ramada is an American kind of place- but this place is thoroughly Mexican. No English, decor is local, and most of all  the hospitality is personal and abundant. My host Lorenzo pulls out a bottle of top line mescal and presents it as a welcome gift. I am warming. Mescal will do it every time.

I feel at home.

And I recall that this happens every time we cross the border. Everything changes and it is so cool. My heart slows down. I smile. I actually look forward to the next three days.

Dominoes and Dinner With the Boys

My new friend Sergio picks me up at 6p and we head across town. I ask him if we need to avoid certain areas and he says very few and we drive across most of the city to catch an evening with a group of his friends who gather every Thursday night for dominoes and dinner.

The boys gather for a friendly game of dominoes...and alot of conversation.

We drink, we eat, we talk and a huge thunderstorm sweeps across Juarez. I feel at home.

The Clinton Letter

A huge thunderstorm pushes across town – a frog strangler- and we step inside for a moment. Our host, Gustavo Elizondo was the mayor of Juarez 10 years ago and he asks me to slip into his study for a moment.

Gustavo Elizondo. mayor of Juarez 2001-2004.

He shows me a framed letter from Bill Clinton he received while in office. It is a profuse apology to Elizondo and the people of Juarez. Turns out that Clinton made a reference to Juarez that was very negative and the letter is an expression of regret for the continual characterization of Juarez as the scum spot (escorio they say) of the Americas.

My friend Sergio and Gustavo Elizondo with the Clinton apology letter.

As he is explaining my thoughts are racing. I do the same thing.

My default place for all the problems we face with Mexico and the US is Juarez, and it is simply a convenient way to disconnect from the real issue.

To a man my domino com-padres are saying “We have decided to stay, we are thriving, our kids walk these streets, we love Juarez, and on and on.”  I am so glad I have come and I can’t wait to see this place – this escorio.

They are laughing, joking then serious, pensive. The future of Juarez rests of course on what happens with the drug wars. It also rests in how we will be able to have meaningful connection and understanding across the border. But now there is a wide and even hostile divide- fed by fear.

And it seems to be expanding.

The walk starts tomorrow

People in the US expect that I am huddled in some basic, dingy hotel room, fearing for my life and listening for gunshots- expecting that the door will be busted open any moment and that I will headed for my naked, bloody appointment with the bridge soon with a sign hung to my neck.

But I am riding back across the busy streets in the rain with Sergio and I have a new friend.

I hear a siren, we see some Federales, but not once do I have any fear or even direct expectation of danger.

There is a saying in Mexico “un prietito en arroz” like the little black thing in a fine white bowl of rice. It refers to the problem in an otherwise fine situation- a black spot that ruins everything.

What is the problem here? Is it the desperate war for rule of law in Mexico? Yes.

But is it not also that we have decided to wall off the problem and just categorize Juarez in particular as the problem?

Tomorrow I walk.

Juarez has to be the LAST place any sane person would chose to even go to, let alone walk across. Most people assume that my body will end up filled with bullets, decapitated, and hung from some bridge with a scrawled cartel note tied to it.

And that was what I thought too.

Where did this idea come from?

Well I am with a small group on one of our trips to Copper Canyon and we are sipping lechugilla up in Temoris along the railway CHEPE. The laughter and jokes are flying. And people start talking about how they felt antsy coming across the border and then – as with people on every trip- they eased up and then began to feel perfectly safe.

And just like that I say “You know sometime I am going to fly to El Paso, put my daypack on my back, walk across that bridge and just walk across Juarez- just to make the point!”

Inside me there was this fear and a certainty that I would never do this.

Some time went by and the idea had this soft little root in my soul that kept growing and I couldn’t shake it.

Then there was the walk against the violence this Spring. Thousands of people walked up across Mexico toward Mexico City to protest and I wondered if they would be safe.

I cross the border all the time with our Authentic Copper Canyon groups.

Rodrigo Esponda…andele pues!

In early June my wife and I were in Chicago visiting with Rodrigo Esponda at the Mexico Tourism Board offices on Michigan Avenue. He said he had not had anyone in his office for several years who said they love to go to Mexico and that there is a future there. Most people tell him there are problems and that it is too dangerous and they can’t get people to go there.

He said we made his day…it was refreshing.

So I poured out this idea to Rodrigo about walking across the Juarez and he smiled and said something like “go for it- andele pues”.

And the idea for the walk took legs…unwilling and fearful and shaky legs I should say.

Planning in trepidation

I began to make some plans and figure out pretty quickly that people on the US side are negative and the Mexicans (on that side) are very positive and welcoming. As a matter of fact, 100% of people who know ABOUT Juarez caution me strongly, while 100% of those who KNOW Juarez encourage me to go for it and affirm the value of such a trek.

One writer for an Austin paper said tersely “I urge you not to go there.” Countless people say they are really worried about me. One guy asks me if I am going to take a gun.

I do not expect any signs of life in Juarez.

All of this sharply conflicting advice galvanizes me to go for it and affirms the certain value of the journey…but still there are my unspoken negative expectations and doubts in me and I keep them personal.

And I buy a plane ticket for El Paso for August 18.

Well our experience is that it is and while there are concerns, even northern Mexico is much safer than other tourist destinations people use now- such as South Africa and Beliz. Still during this period, Europeans, Australians, Canadians and of course Mexicans are traveling extemsively in the country. Staistics show that tourism to the country has been up in the last 18 months.

I am walking this walk to connect and build a bridge.

Here is the info:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Hensleigh, 217-369-9897

davehensleigh@gmail.com

“One Solitary Gringo” to “Walk across Juarez”

August 18-21, 2011

Walk Across What???

Juarez seems to be the LAST place any sane person would chose to even go to, let alone walk across. Most people assume that my body will end up filled with bullets, decapitated, and hung from some bridge with a scrawled cartel note tied to it.

But the actual situation and threat to US citizens is actually much different than what we expect based on most US press reports. I will walk across this border city from the Rio Grande to the south neighborhoods and simply report what I see moment by moment…and let the results speak some reality into the situation.

Who I am:

I am just “one solitary gringo” walking across Juarez.

I am also the owner and lead guide of Authentic Copper Canyon, the premier supplier of culturally rich small group experiences on the train through Copper Canyon, deeper and more vast than our Grand Canyon and 4 hrs south of Juarez.

I have a deep love and respect for the people and land of Mexico. Our groups often travel through the border in the Juarez/St Teresa area, and I am pursuing this walk as a small step in bringing understanding and connection across the border.

Purpose: To give a clear view of life right now on the streets of Juarez from an outsider’s point of view. People on the US side are filled with negative images only and this will give an actual moment by moment story of what it is actually like on the ground in Juarez.

Plan: Enter Juarez from El Paso by the Bridge of the Americas on Friday morning and simply walk across the city. I will stay overnight, interact with people, etc. Moment by moment I will send pictures, text, audio and videos via twitter and blog to followers across the USA and the world. Then I will follow with more in-depth articles and videos of the experience.

Rationale: Many of us who work or live in Mexico have been frustrated by the one-sided perspective that most US side folks hold to of everyday life in the border areas.

Of course there are serious problems there. Yet when people travel there, almost all of them are amazed at how tranquil it is. So if it is possible to take a larger number of people there via the internet, perhaps they can understand more accurately that actually, there are not serious concerns with tourist travel to Mexico now. More broadly this little journey may help to replace distrust and negativity with respect and interaction.

Perspective: The idea is not to make a political point, but rather to communicate an accurate, on the ground picture of what life is like. I will not carry signs, make political or policy statements, meet with officials, etc. I will simply walk a path across the city to include busy streets, parks, markets, stores, restaurants, etc, and the message will be whatever I experience.

Interestingly as I have been preparing for this walk, 100 % of the people who know something about Juarez have very strong cautions. On the other hand, 100% of the people who live there or who know it well are very positive. Perhaps my observations will help connect these two groups.

Find Dave at www.AuthenticCopperCanyon.com and follow him on twitter @CopperCanyonGuy.

So follow me this week starting Thursday night …

Just get onto twitter and follow @coppercanyonguy and also watch my facebook page.

Walk Across What???

Juarez seems to be the LAST place any sane person would chose to even go to, let alone walk across. Most people assume that my body will end up filled with bullets, decapitated, and hung from some bridge with a scrawled cartel note tied to it.

But the actual situation and threat to US citizens is actually much different than what we expect based on press reports. I will walk across this border city from the Rio Grande to the south neighborhoods and simply report what I see moment by moment…and let the results speak some reality into the situation.

When is this?

 For three days, Friday, August 19 to Sunday August 21, 2011 I will amble through this border city.

Who I am:

I am the owner and lead guide of Authentic Copper Canyon, the premier supplier of culturally rich small group experiences on the train through Copper Canyon, Mexico. I have a deep love and respect for the people and land of Mexico. Our groups often travel through the border in the Juarez/St Teresa area, and I am pursuing this walk as a small step in bringing understanding and connection across the border.

Purpose: To give a clear view of life right now on the streets of Juarez from an outsider’s point of view. People on the US side are filled with negative images only and this will give an actual moment by moment story of what it is actually like on the ground in Juarez.

Certainly some of the impetus for this comes from me and others in the guide community that wonder how we can do better. There have been zero incidents involving tourists and we aren’t sure how to improve that stat. Yet, the overwhelming assumption is that this area is deadly dangerous. The Mexicans there just wag their heads when we discuss it with them…and they often point out what an issue we or other countries have with insecurity and tourism.

Plan: Enter Juarez by the Bridge of the Americas on Thursday evening or Friday morning and simply walk across the city. I will stay overnight, interact with people, etc. Moment by moment I will send pictures, text, audio and videos via twitter and blog to followers across the USA and the world. Then I will follow with more in-depth articles and videos of the experience.

Rational: Many of us who work or live in Mexico have been frustrated by the one-sided perspective that most US side folks hold to of everyday life in the border areas.

Of course there are serious problems there. Yet when people travel there, almost all of them are amazed at how tranquil it is. So if it is possible to take a larger number of people there via the internet, perhaps they can understand more accurately how it is that there are not serious concerns with tourist travel to Mexico now. More broadly this little journey may help to renew respect and interaction.

Perspective: The idea is not to make a political point, but rather to communicate an accurate, on the ground picture of what life is like. I will not carry signs, make political or policy statements, meet with officials, etc. I will simply walk a path across the city to include busy streets, parks, markets, stores, restaurants, etc, and the message will be whatever I experience.

Interestingly as I have been preparing for this walk, 100 % of the people who know something about Juarez have very strong cautions. On the other hand, 100% of the people who live there or who know it well are very positive. Perhaps my observations will help connect those two groups.

Contact:

Dave Hensleigh, 217.369.9897, davehensleigh@gmail.com

Follow on Aug 19, 20, and 21 twitter @CopperCanyonGuy

www.AuthenticCopperCanyon.com