“Well I’m out of Alabama, down to Louisiana
Halfway bound to New Orleans
Yeah, I’m leaning on my Chevy
Rolling through the levee’s trying to get to where I wanna be
When I’m looking back at Texas
That’s where I reckon I can finally put myself at ease
Check my life there at the border
Everything over my shoulder
Just Mexico, Tequila and me
Yeah, Mexico, Tequila and me
That’s all, just Mexico, Tequila and me.” Alan Jackson
As noted in our Feb. 17, 2018 post, South Padre Island is on the southern border of Texas, across the Rio Grand River from Mexico. Having visited in 2018, Betty & I decided to make the short trip again to the border crossing at Progreso, Texas. We parked our Smart car in a lot on the U.S. side – for $4./day – and walked across the bridge to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.
While we had our passports with us, we didn’t need to go through a Customs check point on the way in, simply paying a couple of dollars to enter.
As was our previous experience, the street in front of us was lined with pharmacies, dental offices/stores, and merchants selling miscellaneous items, both in small shops and on the sidewalk. We understood that the first couple of blocks were more expensive, with prices dropping the further we ventured.
A few blocks in, we were invited to enter a “spa” for pedicures, and enjoyed one-hour pedicures for $15. Only one of the staff spoke broken English, but she and the other Spanish-speaking staff were most pleasant as they beautified our previously sandaled feet.
The only other stop we made was at a pharmacy that provided low-cost meds both for me and Charlie. They even threw in a package of cold medicine. While Alan Jackson sang about adding tequila to the mix, we passed on that opportunity, since our motorhome cupboard is already well stocked with the necessary margarita ingredients. Lol.
Crossing back over the bridge was uneventful. After paying 30 cents each to enter, we showed the U.S. Customs officer our Canadian passports, told them of our brief visit, and they waved us through. There were no pedestrians in front of us or behind. (Unlike the news report this week, indicating the access point is now crowded with refugees trying to enter.)
Also last week, we drove to a Verizon store in Brownsville to make a payment on our pay-as-you-go Jetpack. It was a beautiful sunny day, so on the way back we decided to detour to Boca Chica, Texas. On a previous visit to check out the beach access there, we had seen a small unincorporated community, and a fence with a SpaceX sign on it. But not much else.
Betty & I decided to check out recent SpaceX developments, and found Star Base, and the rocket launch pad easily visible from the road. One of the fences near the highway proclaims “Gateway To Mars”, so we assume that is where Elon Musk hopes to go next.
Whether you are eager to go to Mexico or Mars, we hope that you can enjoy what life brings on the journey along the way.
Cheers!