Started out around 10 AM and headed down 170 toward Lajitas. 170 winds around Lajitas and up into Big Bend Ranch State Park on its way toward Presidio and Ojinaga. Google Maps says it's 74 miles from here but it sure didn't seem to be that far. Alpine is 80 miles with nice scenery. But the scenery on this drive was incredible. Certainly made the trip seem short. We didn't stop to take photos on the way in, did on the way out.
We stopped at the border crossing on the American side to get a printed list of which fruits and vegetables are allowed for entry back into the states. Interesting list.
Factoid: You can bring back avocados but you can't bring them in with the pit. You have to slice them open and take out the pits or they will be seized. I thought this was a very strange restriction so went straight to Google when we got back (didn't want those international data charges while in Mexico). Apparently, avocado imports had been restricted in 1914. Avocado pit weevils and some kind of pit rot that would endanger American trees and fruits. It has only been in the last few years that you could bring them in at all - sans pits. Makes sense. Potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes allowed only if cooked. Coconuts without husks or milk. Bell, chili, jalapeno peppers, yes, manzano peppers no.
We made a fly by around the town - not a huge town, decent size. Mix of very poor homes and well-to-do. Some very interesting stucco homes, new and old. Seemed to be a lot of new construction. We stopped at a hardware store to price saltillo tiles. My friend bought one as a sample - price paid ended up being very different from what was quoted verbally. Apparently not unusual. Different way of doing business - like in Egypt. You just have to know the etiquette and obey the unspoken rules. We bought bags of shelled pecans at the hardware store - really good and very cheap. Large bag for a little over a dollar a bag.
After that, went to the fairly new Al-Super grocery store. Nice store - better than our American grocery in Alpine. Big produce department with big overhead sign showing which produce could go back over the border. Big bakery with awesome bread. Deli. Pharmacy. In the produce department, there was an entire booth dedicated to cutting the spines off nopales (prickly pear pads) and chopping them into nopalitos (cubed). Around a dollar a bag, too. I bought some and made some enchilada filling mixed with onion and ground turkey. Very good. The cheese department was really good. No dyes in any of the cheeses and you could get large blocks for three to five dollars each. They had a soft cheddar that was creamy and tangy at the same time. Freshly made tortilla chips, etc.
We bought some pineapple that proved to be the sweetest, freshest pineapple I've ever had.
Checkout was interesting also. The register had a large display that showed the totals as scanned and gave the totals in pesos and American dollars. You could pay either way and they asked if you wanted pesos or dollars in change. An elderly man bagged our groceries and works for tips. He does not get paid by the store. Even small tips were greatly appreciated.
After shopping, we headed back through the border crossing. First, we had to stop at the Mexican side and pay two dollars to leave Mexico. As we got to the US crossing, we expected long lines and inspection of all our groceries. However, when we pulled up tothe Border guards, we gave him our passports, he asked us why we had been in Mexico and waved us through. Yea!!!! No delay. We were hungry.
Stopped for lunch in Presidio at a Mexican restaurant and headed back to Terlingua. Very pleasant day. Took the pictures coming back.
Nice and sounds like fun!
ReplyDelete