Quick Jaunt to Albuquerque

During the first week of December, I travelled to Albuquerque to visit the family unit. As this was not characteristically a solo trip I don’t want to say too much about it. I travelled alone so I had the opportunity to make my usual solo observations of the trip. Before the trip I was somewhat excited as I have never been to the Southwest (unless you count Vegas) so I was looking forward to it until I checked the weather. Snow, snow and lots of snow, days of continuous snow and -1 degree weather which I have never encountered. I instantly thought I am screwed. How will I do some sightseeing? 

But no offense to Albuquerque, I found out soon enough when I got there that there’s really nothing to see. It’s just boring. There are acres and acres of rolling hills and flat land covered with red dust, though during my trip it was masked by the snow. Then, the short clay covered houses, as they call them homes built southwest style. I asked to see the downtown area expecting to see high-rises but instead was met with a couple of mid-rises and some more Southwest themed restaurants and bars. Don’t get me wrong, the rolling hills were serene and tranquil, but then, it gets old after a while, at least for me, sometimes you just want that vibe that comes with living in a city, the hustle and bustle New York style vibe. But this was non-existent. Some cities have their own vibes I guess. 

The part that puzzled me the most out of everything was the undue attention me and my lengthy braids seemed to garner everywhere. It started from the grocery stores to the restaurants, then the TSA agent couldn’t get enough of it as he compared it to the picture on my ID and then of course their body check scanner had to pick up on it, and ask for a manual body scan. I kept thinking, “Is it really that deep that you’re going to have a lady riff through my hair for objects, okay then.” And as she did the male TSA asked again, “So how long did it take you to get your hair done?” Not like it matters, but 6 hours...that was the 2nd time in a 5 minute span someone had looked at it with “awe” I guess. My summary of this is simply that there are not that many black braid wearing people in Albuquerque. The Southwest with its crude immigration laws and very poor economy must have shooed them away. Otherwise, why would they be looking at my hair as if it’s some type of anomaly. At some point, even though I love attention it just got annoying. One of the few times I’ve actually truly missed Atlanta.