I went to Mexico over the winter of 2011, and I had a lot of fun. My parents were going to get some dental work done (which is by the way about a fifth of the price), so my sister and I tagged along for a vacation. We went for about a week, and we actually booked a room in a Marriot at the edge of Texas in a place called Mercedes, Texas and stayed there during the night, and visited Mexico during the day. The first picture is the first one we took by the border where I was apparently in Mexico, while my dad was officially in the US. I just thought is was so cool that I was a foot away from my dad and yet we were in different countries. You have to admit, that is pretty cool.
So this is how the system worked. Basically we parked the car on the Texas (US) side of the border, where it cost, I think $2, to park for the entire day, and we walked towards the border, where you insert a quarter and walk over to Mexico. Can you believe that? You have to show no ID, or anything to enter Mexico- you just need a quarter! Of course, returning to the US is a complicated task.
So after entering your quarter, you walk on a long bridge, where you can see the Rio Grande to your right, and when you keep going, you pass the sign below that says Mexico: Puente Internacional- Nuevo Progresso. We were officially in an area of Mexico called Nuevo Progresso, and that is the place where we visited for the entire week. As soon as you pass this sign, and keep going, you are bombarded with literally dozens of people all offering dental services, and pharmacy services, and opthamologist services, along with dozens of other things. I mean literally within a fifth of a mile, just on one street, there are probably about 50-60 dental areas, and dozens of pharmacies, and all of them speak at least basic English, and accept dollars.
Just less than a mile behind us stood the United States, and yet it was obvious that we were no where in the US. Everything about Mexico was different. First of all- the main thing you notice immediately, right after noticing the pharmacy areas, is the dust on the streets. The streets are completely dusty, and each day, my outfit had a layer of dust on it, and my hair needed to be washed daily because I could barely comb through it by the end of the day each day.
That being said, I have to admit that my trip to Mexico was one of the most exciting and fulfilling trips I have taken so far. It felt real to me. Is that odd to say? I feel like I have to concede that I am so tired these days of the way the US looks. I remember when I was in San Antonio, and when we were driving on the freeway, I had the sudden feeling that I was near home in Houston. That is because the freeway and everything around looked exactly the way the freeway environment looks in Houston. I have had this same feeling in many places I have gone to. It seems like so many of our cities and towns in the US look the exact same, and so many buildings are so predictable. No matter which Walmart I go to in the US, I always know where I can find the pharmacy, or milk. Our world is a prototype that has been replicated everywhere- and where not much stands out. I get so bored in US malls in particular these days because everything looks exactly the same no matter which mall I go to, with the same stores, and the same music, and same costs, and same style, and same order.
When I went to Mexico, I realized what I was missing. Each place stood out for its unique look. There were no fast foods, or Walmarts or even Krogers or Whole Foods- just random businesses which people built themselves, and some large stores which all stood out because they sold different things, and had a different look about them.
I love the fact that I somewhat look Hispanic, because I got to practice a lot of Spanish. I tried so hard to pretend that I was from Mexico because I really wanted to belong to this awesome society. Of course, I couldn't do too great of a job, but I still had fun trying to speak and bargain in Spanish for the majority of the day. But bargaining is such a difficult task. I felt so guilty asking the vendors to reduce their prices, because a majority of the people made the stuff they were selling.
One of the most fun things I did there was eating on the streets. Basically every single day, my parents went to their dentist while my sister and I went to the streets, shopped and bought elotes! Well it took me actually a day (or two) to understand that elotes was corn. But the elotes we bought was not just any corn. It was corn on the cob with creamy white cheese, mayo, red spice, and lemon. That is the best use of $2 in my life!
There were so many vendors of elotes in every single place, all day long, that they were really easy to find.
The environment in Mexico felt so authentic, and just so different. A totally new and crazy experience! And the food in Mexico is some of the most delicious food I have ever had in my life! I think we ordered like eight of the little pastry things the lady was selling at the this particular stand (below), and we took like half an hour just to sit outside on the broken table and chairs and eat.
Since there were not many cars driving generally, my mom (similar to the rest of us) jaywalked all over the place.
There is so much more to share about Mexico, that I could probably write a mini book- but I am just writing tiny tidbits about it, and perhaps I will share a lot more in the near future! The picture above of Serratos makes me look crazy, but I had to share that picture because Serratos seriously gave us two enormous burritos and a fanta all for five dollars. The main problem was that Serratos was mainly for the Hispanic vendors, and workers in the area since there was no one who spoke English in there, and they charged money in pesos. We were very confused the first time we went there, but somehow I managed to order the burritos in Spanish, and the waitress agreed to convert the pesos amount to dollars and accept the dollars instead. After that time, we just went there several times, and looked for the same waitress and ordered the same exact thing.
We also tried several different, more famous eating places, which were all pretty good, but really pricey and still could not find any food that tasted better than the burritos from Serratos!
In the end, I was going crazy, and took several pictures where I was in Mexico and the US at the same time! It was really amusing I promise!
Ps: Exiting everyday was really difficult because my family and I look Hispanic, and all the guards at the US entrance border thought we were sneaking in illegally. It would be quite hilarious if we got locked up or something for trying to escape Mexico, when we are not from Mexico at all!
Overall a phenomenal experience! If you ever want to visit, just message me and I can give you more info! :)
I miss you! Was just reading bits and pieces of this post and it's absolutely hilarious. You're adorable. :)
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