The interaction started fairly innocuously. I was entering the Skyclub in SFO a bit tired and a bit worried about the red eye flight that I had to take to go home. The lady at the front asked her usual “How are you doing”. And without any second thought, I came up with my usual “If I did any better….”. She laughed her head off and we chatted a bit.

It was late at night and there was only one flight for Delta left that night. There were a couple of us in the club. She came up to me at the bar where I posting some blogs from my trp to Tonga and introduced herself. America is her name.

“America iss your name?”, I asked incredulously.

“Yes. It is not that uncommon in Mexico!”

I did not know that!! Found out that America Juarez Ruiz (her full name) is from outside Mexico City and had a fascinating story of how she came to the USA as a tourist and eventually mmet her husband while struggling to find the right tram route in SFO!!

“So, if I were to visit Mexico, where should I go?” I asked.

She gave me two names of places that I had never heard of – but the pictures looked gorgeous – Grutas de Tolantongo and Teotihuacan.

Later Sharmila mentioned she might have seen those pictures in Conde Nast!

I know where to go soon!!