February 21st

Day 18!

Today we made a one hour drive to Prospecto, Mexico which is a border town on Texas/Mexico boarder and is commercially dependant on the Winter Texans ( those vacationing here from the North) We visited this community on our last visit to this area and undoubtedly there have been many changes since then. This time I noticed a lesser amount of poverty on the streets – I don’t expect it has been reduced that much but rather it is hidden now to give a better image of the area. The bridge on which we walked over the Rio Grande River that separates this part of Mexico and Texas now has continuous cement waist high barrier with small open sections for air movement, from the top of this barrier to the roof cover on the Mexican side there are louvered steel blinds opened slightly with the intention of circulation. There is no cover over the American side between the cement barrier and the roof. When we last visited this city there were beggars under the bridge on the Mexican side calling up to you for money as you passed by, the current bridge style does not contribute to this type of pan handling. There were very few beggars on the streets this time as well??

The boarder crossing has had several smuggling problems (from drugs to humans) causing it to be heavily guarded. In the boarder control area we saw army trucks and personnel heavily loaded with ammunition, soldiers were carrying AK47 rifles and grenade launchers. People in the street walked past them pretending they weren’t there. I couldn’t pretend as you will see – I had to stop and take photos.

On Feb 13th of this year in mid afternoon several people saw a group of Mexican Soldiers escorting a Mexican man with this hands handcuffed behind his back and a blind fold over his eyes. The man was crying and yelling but no one could understand what he was saying, the soldiers were not speaking to him or among themselves. They marched him to the division line between the two countries on the bridge (I have a photo showing this location), next they took the hand cuffs off their prisoner, sat him on the waist high cement barrier with his legs facing the river. One soldier had an inflated inner tube which he threw into the Rio Grande River, and then the prisoner was pushed in as well - immediately after shots were fired. No one knows what happened to the prisoner – the news papers have only speculations.

Within the next few days there was a bomb threat on the bridge which caused it to be closed for a while, but nothing was found so it was reopened. Life continues in a state of normal in Prospecto. How many of us actually realize how fortunate we are to live in an area of peace and safety. I like most others take it for granted – this should not be the case

The streets of Prospect are densely lined on both sides with venders selling their wares; prices continue to be less than that of the tourist areas of Cancun and Playa De Carman. I purchased dresses for 2 of my Granddaughters in Prospecto at a cost of $9.00 US each – in Playa del Carmen they were asking 25.00 US each for the same style and quality of dress.

Just a note of interest – when shopping in Mexico remember they love to barter prices – you can usually always purchase for 1/3 less of their originally asking price. If they don’t agree to a sale that means they are doing good business that day – move on, someone else down the street will be selling the same thing for the same price. The secret is to ask what they want for the item then offer less than 1/3rd the price allowing yourself space to negotiate up to 1/3rd less the asking price. Allan will not barter with them, he would much rather pay their asking price and move on. However, he does love to watch me do the negotiating , he chooses something he wants then comes and tells me so I will go and barter – I let him carry the money and once I have come to a final figure for payment I then tell the seller I have to check with my husband. He and I converse in low voices (about the weather/the number of people on the street etc.) and if the price is not what I want then I go back to the seller and negotiate more. Sometimes I find myself enjoying the bartering more than I actually want the item I am bartering for – go figure!

Another day enjoyed by the both of us and we had long time friends to share it with!

Until tomorrow,

Anne

The bridge between Texas and Mexico at Prospecto

The signe entering Prospect0
The Armed Services at the Boarder Protection Area

The Mexican Soldiers pushed the blind folded man over the bridge here just to the right of this sign - it could not be done on the Mexican side as you can see because of the upright posts. These posts do not continue on the American side. A note of interest here is the bridge is not owned by either the Mexican or American governments - it is privately owned and you pay 30 cents american to cross in one direction and 25 cents american to come back.
A view of the Rio Grande River on the American side
Busy Prospecto streets

Streets filled with many venders
Armed services at the Boarder Protection Area

The same beautiful colours in this part of Mexico

A quart of Whiskey for $60.00 US at the duty free on the boarder crossing in Prospecto

GOOD BYE PUERTO MORELOS - HELLO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

February 20th

The taxi was at our gate on time to take us to the airport this morning; the 25 minute ride has us there at about 6:20 am. Flights were on time, we flew from Cancun to Houston, Texas then on to Brownsville where we arrived at 4:45. We just missed New York Senator Hillary Clinton passing through the Brownsville airport; she was making a political speech in Brownsville later in the evening. Friends met us at the airport and a one hour drive took us to South Padre Island where we will be staying for the next week.

This is our second visit to South Padre, the last time we were here was in 2001 – and to no one’s surprise there has been a lot of building development since that time. Huge sky scrapers built on a sand bar - no fear in these people!

The weather is a cooler than that in Puerto Morelos – slowly adjusting our bodies for the deep winter we will be facing when we arrive back in Ontario; brrr! Don’t get me wrong – I do love winter and from talking to the kids it sounds like you have had lots of it while we have been gone.



Until next time,



Anne

Pic's of interest

This is the welcome sign on South Padre Island - which is really an ocean sand bar extending approximately 100 miles long and up to 1/2 mile wide at its widest point. It extends from the Rio Grande River to Corpus Chisti

There is a 2 and 1/2 mile long bridge at Port Isabel which connects Padre Island to the main land

OOps! I liked the cactus so much I gave you a second peek