A trip to MEXICO!!!
On Monday morning at 9:25am, another gate-guard couple arrived at our gate to take over for us. Our days of guarding a multi-million dollar (insert gloating) drilling facility had come to a close. We were absolutely blessed to have this experience, meet so many nice people (even if only for about 30 seconds each), and learn SO much about the oil drilling industry. We were gate guards at two different drilling sites and for a total of exactly 80 days!
Once we said our goodbyes to “Bert” AKA “Brown Cow”, who was hangdogging because we were leaving, we drove an hour south to Laredo, Texas. Laredo is a border town. We stayed the night at Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. It was a very nice park. That evening, Ken dropped Chris off in a random neighborhood laundromat to get the clothes washed, and Ken went for a massage. He has been dealing with some significant shoulder pain.
The next morning, we drove to the border crossing bridge, parked the truck in a city parking lot, and walked across the Rio Grande, into Mexico!
Here is where a simple trip to Mexico gets interesting!
We never gave any thought to needing an international sim card for our phones. As we were literally at the midpoint of the bridge, we lost all data and cell signal. No worries, probably just a dead spot. So we continued into Mexico. No…it wasn’t a dead spot. Now we are in a foreign country with no cell service and in a town where no one speaks English! Not a problem…Ken made good use of his 407-day streak of learning Spanish on Duolingo and started asking for help. Of course, the first question was always, “Hablas Ingles?”
One sweet girl offered to let us use her hotspot, but we didn’t want to be a bother to her. We tried standing in the center of a local plaza where there were three unlocked wifi signals, but none of them were strong enough to be of any help. So after stopping into a pharmacy, a currency exchange, and a convenience store looking for help, we had only one option…Walk back across the bridge to the US side, get a cell signal, and then download an e-sim for Mexico. All fixed! Ten minutes and $4 later, we were back in business. So we crossed the lanes of traffic going into and out of the United States and walked back into Mexico.
But why were we going to Mexico anyway? Well…for a dentist visit, of course!! Once back in Mexico, we hailed a cab, negotiated the fare ($5US for a 15-minute drive), and were driven to the dental office across town, where we each had a check-up and cleaning from Dr. Daniel Sanchez Lopez. The cost was $29 each!!! We had prearranged for the taxi driver to pick us up, and he did. Once back at the bridge, we went for lunch at a local place, had a great meal, and then walked back into the US and started our journey north toward Springfield, IL.
We will post early next week about WHY we are back in Illinois, but for now, please look at all the pictures and read the photo captions. Each pic has a story to tell. BE sure to look at and comment on the last pic!!
We are very appreciative of you taking the time to read our mundane posts. We truly love reading your comments, so please comment as much as you like!
We RVery Blessed!
Chris is at the end of her last Noon to midnight shift in this pic. Clearly, she has learned some “relaxing” habits from Ken!
Remember Bert (Brown Cow)?? We never told you…After he stole Chris’s knitting bag (which we eventually recovered), on other occasions, he tore into a bag of trash we had outside waiting to throw away and ate a bag of nasty “Mississippi BBQ” potato chips, and then a few weeks later stole three cookies that Chris had baked and had set out for our support guy to have!! Bad Bert!!
This is on the US side of the border. The town on the Mexico side of the River is called Nueva Loredo.
Here, Chris is paying $1US to walk across the bridge into Mexico. Mexico has an identical system to walk from Mexico across, into the United States, which is 5 Mexican Pesos or about $0.30US.. Yes…we paid to leave Mexico TWICE!
The border crossing on the US side, going into Mexico. Coming the other direction were 3-4 lanes of traffic all the way across the bridge.
Here’s your sign!
3-4 lanes of traffic crossing the International Bridge from Mexico into the United States. Many Mexicans, live in Mexico but work in the US. They do very well with the exchange rate.
This sign is in located at the middle of the bridge.
The Rio Grande. There are very different opportunities on either side of this narrow river!
The Mexico side of the International Bridge.
Bert’s relatives met us at the dentist’s office!
The outside of the dental office leaves a lot to be desired and makes one wonder if this is a good decision, but inside was very much state of the art, clean and professional.
Our lunch in Neuva Loredo, Mexico. The menus were only in Spanish and didn’t have photos, so we had no idea what we were ordering, but what we got was DELICIOUS!!
Parroquia Santo Nino – The Holy Child Parish, is located just steps from the border bridge. Of course we had to have a visit!
Inside the church. Simple and beautiful!
Do you see anything in this bush? Hint…We do a lot of this activity while out and about in new places!
We were waiting for our site to open at the Casa Blanca State Park. This picture was taken from the amphitheater at the park. The park has a lot of really neat features. Something about this photo is a FORESHADOWING of our next adventure! In the comments of this pic, make your best guess!!!
Your next adventure must have to do with Chris’s mom because you are on the road headed to Springfield. Ir one of your kids is getting married
Sorry for the late reply!!! Yep! We are in Springfield, trying to get things organized and in place for Chris’ mom. We will be heading out soon!
I love your stories. As a seasoned traveller, I enjoy the different views, etc. I’ve been to every state in the union, all countries in Europe, Ireland, Wales, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Japan, China and Brazil. I taught for 5 summers in Ukraine. I think that’s all, but I still need to see more. Your travels are an excellent opportunity to learn and experience different cultures. Please keep up the good work, and I’ll keep praying for your safety and enjoyment. I don’t comment very often, but I do read the missives with interest and look forward to each one. I see that I’ve missed some, but I’m making them up today. I’m age 94, so I’m a little behind sometimes. I’m still working on the crisis line. It’s the Upper Room, a faith-based hotline in the Catholic tradition. We can’t call ourselves Catholic without the Bishop’s permission. I chose not to apply because the Bishop (years ago) said he wanted to know about some calls, especially from the priests and deacons. I reminded him of our privacy policy, and we will not surrender our confidential information. Therefore, no permission. In any case, we’re handling over 600 calls a month, including calls from more than 37 countries. I see a future missive that suggests you are going to England. Is that correct? I’m sorry this is so long, but I do enjoy reading about your experiences. I wish I could see you on the road when you are in Joliet! Thanks much, and God bless you both.