As promised here's my second (and final) Mexico story.
So Ang and I get up Monday morning and head toward Algodones which is about 10 minutes from her house or so. We park in the large parking lot owned by the Native American's (it's a nice paved and fenced lot where you pay $3 for them to protect your car). We were amazed by the amount of cars all ready there for a Monday morning but we figured most were snowbirds stocking up before heading back north (we were right).
So then we walk right into Mexico. No fan fare, no security checks, just follow the sidewalk and there you are! And immediately we we bombarded with offers. Men trying to sell us prescriptions, dental visits, glasses, etc. Also - bodyguards. Ang had warned me before we went not to make eye contact so I tried to do that even though it was really very hard. I felt rude and asked her if she thought they thought I was a rude American and she said she didn't think so, they understood the game. So we continued on. We declined the offers for bodyguards but then came the offers for Mexican boyfriends, it was hard not to smile at that. Also, as we walked down the street (there are cars in the street but not as many as you'd guess, mostly people here in the market areas) - we heard more than one guy say 'God bless America'. Again, hard not to smile at that flattery. But still I tried not to make eye contact. Rules are rules.
We walked through the market areas and looked, it's interesting how you're pulled in many different ways. Merchants all want you to look at their things, they weren't too pushy but as soon as you stop to look, they are all over you. Especially us because we are white Americans. Apparently they think we are rich (if wishing made it so!). We'd inquire about prices and move on, not wanting to buy too early. I was looking for some jewelery for gifts, and some turtles (which are handmade and so cute - with bobble heads, mine at home is red and named Lucy. I bought Ang one she named Pedro.) and we were just browsing. There were some beautiful pieces there - pottery, figurines, jewelery galore. And it really is relatively cheap.
We devised plans for our shopping, including Ang's no eye contact rule. Also, we'd whisper a lot because if you expressed your interest or admiration too loudly the person running the booth/store would jump all over you - i.e., put the bracelet on your arm or basically wrap up your purchase. All in all we had fun shopping there, we got some great deals (presents for some of you reading this so I can't spill the details) and I learned a lot. Also, we had lunch at this great restaurant where the waiters were very friendly, there was a band and the margaritas were HUGE! (We had one each, and I had a coca lite - which is a diet coke but sweeter than you get here, but when I stood up from the table and walked away I was definitely feeling that one drink, wow!) We had a large lunch, including drinks and chips and guacamole for about $23. Also, we went to a Mexican restaurant that had great layered cake for a dollar a slice! (Which we proceeded to eat at the restaurant, not as strict regulations as in the U.S. - I was imagining us trying to take our own cake into Chili's here!)
When we headed back we stopped at the bathrooms near the border which were free (you get your paper towel handed to you by an old man when you walk in and per Ang's example, you tuck it in your shirt) and again you have to remember to flush the toilet paper. However, thinking back, I don't remember seeing any signs that said this so I guess you're just supposed to know - or rely on whomever you're with to know. So I guess they don't expect us to go to Mexico alone?!?! I don't know - I'll check into this and get back to you all!
As we got in line to leave, we realized we'd have to wait a while, and it was Monday. Amazing how many people cross the border on any given day. As we waited in line for over an hour (think Disneyland with America as your ride) we were continually asked if we'd like to buy jewerly or turtles or water bottles or food (that looked very homeade). We also saw a man playing an accordion and a small child (maybe 6 or 7) collecting change in a bowl. I gave him the 65 cents I had and we wondered (see Ang's blog for more on this theory) if some Mexicans hadn't mistaken "Take Your Child to Work Day" for "Make Your Child Work Day". Hmmmm...
So we walked back into the U.S. without incident and were off. We went home and crashed for a bit, deciding we'd walked a lot and deserved to lay in bed for an hour. And that's the story of my last trip to Mexico!