Jan 15

Written by: reh
1/15/2004

January 15, Thursday, 6:00 AM At the border crossing between Brownsville and Matamoras. Drove into the inspection area behind the main border crossing checkpoint. The inspection area is an enclosed parking lot with larger than normal parking spaces. Walked inside the building and started the processing procedure which took almost no time. At the first window, a man checked my passport, driver’s license, and copy a credit card (which does not leave one with a real comfortable feeling). I paid a $25 fee. I carried paperwork to another window where a clerk did some processing, and charged a $25 fee. At the inspection site, there was no one on duty so I just drove through. The moral of this story is to get to the border crossing before normal work hours.

Matamoras is a typical US/Mexican border town with some appeal to a day tourist, but just another border town to ride through for me. I was well south of the town and riding through the countryside within 35 minutes. The terrain is relatively flat laying land with occasional ridges, plateaus and small hills. Farm fields are huge and the roads are well maintained, two-lane asphalt - similar to most roads in the Southeastern USA.

There is a small town at each major road intersection. The towns consist of one, two, and three story cinder block, brick, or stucco buildings built right up to the sidewalk that borders the road. Most are busy towns that seem to be living off transfer truck traffic. Of course, I traveled along main roads so that is what one would expect to see. It reminded me of small-town USA in the mid ‘50s.


There are many miles of very little traffic between these little towns. Traffic would increase as I approached one of these towns and it would thin out as I left.

A big difference is the type of traffic that uses the road. There are old pickup trucks overloaded with produce and old school buses loaded with laborers traveling at 30 to 45 mph. Also there are large transfer trucks, large, very modern, public buses, and auto traffic that travels 50 to 60 mph. There are new SUV’s, sedans and other autos traveling in excess of 60 mph.

Once one understands driving etiquette in Mexico, one can travel at the desired rate of speed in relative safety. Let me explain: As I mentioned, these are well-maintained two lane asphalt roads. A wide, paved apron extends beyond the solid white line on the outside of each lane. A well-maintained drainage system is beyond the apron. A slow pickup truck (or other vehicle) loaded with stuff will run with the right side wheels on the side apron, straddling the solid white edge line. A faster vehicle will approach from behind, move toward, then straddle the center dotted line and pass even if another slow vehicle, straddling the other side edge line, is approaching. This is much like a three-lane road pattern except the road is marked for two lanes. One simply hugs the outside of the road until he approaches a slower vehicle then drifts toward the center and passes if there is not a second on-coming vehicle already in the center. This is actually a very efficient way to move slower and faster traffic along the same road. There is almost a choreographed ballet motion of the movements of vehicles in both directions from slow to fast to slow road position. The system works just fine until some Gringo comes along insisting on using his “proper” designated lane.

2:00 PM Tampico: Those of you who traveled with me last year know that Tampico is a huge industrial ocean port city. No resorts that I have seen. I stayed over at the Hotel Monte Carlo, which is a very up-scale hotel in the middle of the business district. I was forced to use my Spanish as the hotel “translator” knew much less English than I knew Spanish. I think that would be “total immersion”. Very narrow, meandering roads with tall buildings on both sides. Sidewalks filled with people. Roads filled with small cars, delivery trucks and messengers on small motorbikes. Reminded me of Asian cities. Plan to spend the afternoon and early evening enjoying the town.

I enjoyed a late dinner in the fairly formal hotel restaurant. I was the only North American, and it seemed that everyone wanted to stop by and talk about a relative that lives in the US or about a local point of interest that I should see. By the time dinner was over, the facility maintenance superintendent, who had spent 6 years in Virginia, was talking with me. I asked if it was prudent to walk around the city now that is was dark. “OF course!” was the very emphatic, and positive response. “This is downtown” as if everyone should know that walking around downtown alone at night is safe.

He was right. At first I walked down the street keeping the hotel in sight. Stores were busy. Street vendors were everywhere. Everything was lit up, and everyone was enjoying the evening. I was soon wandering around with everyone else.

The central plaza is large with a central gazebo and many park benches. I noticed, several times, that a family would gather then disperse. I got the idea that families started at the park then each went in different directions with instructions to re-gather in the plaza at a predetermined time. Very busy, very enjoyable. If Mexico is in an economic slump, I certainly saw no evidence of it.

I walked along a street until it crested and dropped steeply to the docks. Barricades had been put in place to keep vehicle traffic out. Beyond the barricades, vendors were in the street as well as on the sidewalks. I could see open doors further down the street that were bars and our version of honky-tonks. At the end of the street, by the docks, sailors in uniform were talking with some girls. As much as I would have liked to check out the dockside part of the city, I decided against it and walked back to the plaza.

Later,
Ron

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