Crossing into America the first time was pretty surprising. The Mexican side of the bridge had a full on army and everything but I didn't have to stop to talk to anyone, I just walked on through. I knew it obviously wouldn't be like that going into America, but I didn't have anything with me, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans with my passport in my backpocket, so I thought it'd be a trivial thing. Not so.
Walking into the building that handles the people crossing on foot, there were two lines leading to border patrol agents. Off to the right was a room with somewhere north of 20 hispanic people sitting, waiting to be processed further or searched I do not know. Further down was a closed door with no window and no label like all the others, just an agent standing at the door with the big blue latex gloves on. I could guess pretty easily what that was all about.
I was still thinking about the man that had hissed at me and if Mexico was such a great idea when it was my turn in line to see someone. The agent wasted no time in making the intense atmosphere worse. I told him I had just crossed into Mexico earlier to see what it was like. He asked what pharmacy I went to- he opened with that. I decided it'd probably be best if I didn't mention that I actually did go to a pharmacy with my friend and just said I didn't. Well what drugs am I smuggling across? 'None, sir.' I had no bags or anything to search. I thought about the ominous man in blue gloves and unlabeled door just a dozen feet away or so and made a point not to look over there. 'Well why the hell is an American walking INTO Mexico, then an hour later just walking back out?' My voice actually jumped when I answered next as I told him I ate lunch with my friend. 'Who's your friend?' I messed up and said Rodrigo, the guy behind me in line. He called Rodrigo over and put together that I spoke basically no Spanish and he spoke basically no English. 'How the fuck are you friends if you can't even speak the same language? What's going on here?' I knew I hadn't done anything wrong but I was replaying all the horror stories I'd read about dealing with crossing US borders and the intensity of the dude questioning me and the room full of people taken to the side and the damn guy with the latex gloves.. I said we just met, then Rodrigo chimed in and talked to the guy for a solid couple of minutes in Spanish and we were free to pass. I assume he just explained everything, but unfortunately I couldn't communicate enough to figure that out.
We ate an interesting lunch and tried to talk a little more. He told me he has no family and he lives out of his truck. He works pretty constant though and makes about $800 week so I'm not sure where he spends his money. Well at that time I wasn't sure. I spent the rest of the daylight hours walking around with him asking random questions I could put together with my book while he visted various people throughout the town. I did manage to indirectly get some details on my future friend taking me to Tampico too and that it wouldn't just be a free ride.
Back in the truck Rodrigo tells me he is going to a whorehouse in Mexico. He told me his girl was 36 years old and cost $30. I was very curious to see what the place was like, and what a $30 girl looked like, but didn't think they would like nonpaying guests, so respectfully declined even when he offered to pay for me. I did need to take care of a tourist card, its basically like a travel visa for Mexico, so I told him I'd walk with him part way. We paid our 65cents and walked back across the bridge, this time taking an immediate right into the Mexican immigrations, not a requirement like the US. I was kind of surprised- and I almost suspect the attendant was being a dick to spite me- but I get up to the guy there, and upon learning I don't speak English, he huffs and says no espanol, why are you coming to Mexico. Evidentally he wants me to think thats the only English phrase he learned because after that he would do nothing but speak rapid Spanish to me while I stared at him blankly. WTF guy, its a border, with America, that means its probably going to be Americans that need to see your ass time to time to travel into Mexico. Good thing Rodrigo came, he saw my dilemma and came up to the booth and talked to the guy. I know the amigo part came into question again, but I coudn't pick up much else, eventually I was given a form to fill out for 180 days in Mexico. Thats the most you can get and its the same price as a shorer stay so might as well I guess. I then found out that 7days or less meant you didn't have to pay any fees and you could have it renewed? When I got back to the front I lucked out and got the same angry guy. He was NOT going to let me switch to 7 days and I insisted that I was only going to be there a week. He said something about 6 months to 7 days, and motioned for me to follow him. More drama with this damn border crossing. I tried to just repeat una semana and he demanded I 'pay NOW'. $267 pesos. Odd amount, I only had dollars so we walked back out to the front and into the next little area where they had a bank setup. I paid my US dollars, $21 I believe, and the man stamped my passport and told me to wait there while he went back to his little area. Rodrigo was motioning fairly animated at this point to go to him and so I quickly walked over as he started walking out the door. He said 'go back now' so I did haha. The US side was pretty tame this time, I just said I was coming back from dinner with a friend from Mexico. And no sir, no drugs.
I'm not sure if my friend paid $30 per hour for his lady or for the session, but I guess he got his moneys worth, I waited around in his truck for solid few hours before he came back. I was asleep on the top bunk when he got in and started to drive, ookk then. We stopped outside of an animal clinic, thats the only thing with an advertised sign anyway. He said we could get showers there and he went to get his first. HOURS went by. It was into the AM when he came back, evidentally he had another girl there somewhere. I didn't take a shower. I went back to sleep.
4 AM and it's time to head to Mexico. I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere, alone, and fearing that I had been tricked for whatever reason. About an hour later the next guy finally shows up and we cross into Mexico. Another guy is picked up and I move to the bed of the truck. Driving around the border town on the Mexico side in the bed of a truck was definitely something else, I got a couple of pictures and some video but I seemed to have a lot of people looking at me, on the street and in cars behind us, and I got scared and put it away. Some more switches took place, people getting in and out, ask me about all that sometime... we stopped at a couple places along the way when we were in route to Tampico, got my first food from a roadside shop on wheels, they are everywhere, and cheap. We went to a friends of the driver, who runs a funeral home. I didn't know this at the time and I was lead into a room with coffins stacked up and he told me to choose one. They found my reaction hilarious evidentally. The guy actually liked scaring me the best he could for most of the ride, telling me all the bad things that happen in Mexico, about possibly getting kidnapped and not having the ransom money then they'd sell my organs on the black market one by one till I died. Every town we stopped in was a 'mafia town' unless it was extra rundown and sketchy, then he'd say 'ok we are here Tampico.' There was a huge bunch of mountains you could see for over an hour as we approached, it looked amazing but he swore that there were lions or tigers there and it was unsafe. I flat out did not believe that, but he never admitted to making that up like a lot of the other things he told me. He still today will tell me I can't go there because lions and tigers. We arrived at my new friends house at about 5pm.
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