I Learned A Lot On This Trip - Laredo

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We spent the night at the Texas Tourist Center just north of Laredo.  Great evening although we were parked on the east side of the parking area.  The semi lanes were very busy and the constant, psst, psst, psst, of the air whatever drove me nuts.   After went to HEB we parked on the visitor's side.  There were very few if any visitors who came after dark.  We parked laterally over the parking spaces which may be considered a no-no.  As I said, no one came.  It was a pretty quiet night.  Parked just 100 feet from the railroad tracks, the trains never blew their whistle.   We actually slept quite well not to mention the use of the internet for free.

Up early at 6 a.m., we made coffee, shaved and prettied up before heading out.   Still a bit dark, we crossed the number II bridge which ends the I-35 highway.   As I drove to the Mexican side, we took the "nada para declarar" lane.  As I entered, an agent on the other side began flashing his light at us and yelling, "para allá".   I waited and asked him, "por donde vamos".  The area has changed in the last year.  Now you cross the bridge, and if you are not going to Immigration, you turn right before the lanes with the stoplights.   It says, "SAT" and you pull into their patio.  There, they check your paperwork.  Very nice guys and they checked our pedimento or importation papers on line via a handheld device.   He opened the trailer door, looked inside and said we were good to go.  Funny, the first guy with the flashlight, although a bit irritated at first, as he directed us over to SAT, he said, "allí con mis compañeros, los huevones", over there with my lazy coworkers.   We all laughed and knew he was joking.

We took Donaldo Colosio which takes you around to the Holiday Inn Express and the Nuevo Laredo golf course.   Off we went for Monterrey, passing right through the center of the city following the truck route passing transitos and local police without a hitch.   We had debated taking Hwy 40 around to Reynosa and down through Cadereyta but it wasn't worth the time, effort or expense.  

Got to the house at 11:30 a.m., pulled the trailer in on the first try and unhitched.   A well-deserved lunch and a nap.  Time for family visits this weekend.  Only brothers and sisters.  We are having a raffle to see which family will come on what date so that we can accommodate all 120 family members over the summer.  :)