Mexico

Today we left America, and took the Anzalduas International Bridge into Mexico. After crossing the 2.7 mile long bridge over the Rio Grande, we arrived in Mexico, and stopped at the immigration office. When you arrive at the office, your vehicle gets either a red or green light. If you get a green light, you keep moving, if you get a red one, you go for inspection. Of course, being in such a large truck, we were flagged for inspection...

Surprisingly, this was a very painless procedure. We pulled over, the inspector talked to my dad for a minute, looked at our dogs, and we were on our way. We then got our papers signed at the office, and drove into Reynosa, Mexico.

Reynosa as you probably figured is a border town, and as a border town it's a hot spot for drug crime. Fortunately for us, we encountered no problems, but it's a funny feeling seeing soldiers deployed all over the city and countryside. I suppose it's proof of the military doing a good job, but it's still odd.

Traveling from Reynosa, we spent an hour in desert before emerging in the tropical jungles of Central America. Being in Guatemala a year ago, this terrain was familiar to me, and it helps me prepare for my final arrival in Guatemala.

The highways in Mexico are quite peculiar. They are very flat and have shoulders that are the roughly 3/4 the size of a regular lane. The people here drive on the shoulder, and pass by driving in the center of the road. It seems dangerous at first, but with everyone driving like that it becomes quite normal and efficient. It's weird, it's not an actual rule, but something that everyone does anyway.

After a few hours of traveling, we arrived in the state capital of Ciudad Victoria.Victoria is interesting as it is nearly completely devoid of cartel activity. Unlike Monterrey and San Fernando to the north, Victoria is a safe and great place to visit in Mexico. If you can get past the old run down look, Victoria is a great place to visit.

On the food front, I had a garlic pasta dish for supper. It was a good deal, but I think the garlic sauce was way too strong. The chicken breast included was good, but could be better.