RV Travels With Huggy

Cousin J & I drove to the border town of Los Algodones, Mexico. We had forgotten it was a holiday until we were about to exit the freeway in California to begin the 1 1/2 mile drive to the border. The traffic was backed up onto the freeway! Needless to say it took awhile to get to the crossing. I am putting these photos up in a slightly smaller size as there are eleven I am posting.

This first photo shows the border crossing from the US side as we approached it. You do NOT want to drive a vehicle in Mexico without having Mexican liability insurance. The law there is different from in the US and you are assumed guilty until proven innocent after an accident. If you have Mexican liability insurance you will be released after an accident. If you have no insurance, you will wait in jail until your trial and that can take quite a long time. Cousin J lives close enough that he is down there a lot so he just buys an annual policy.


This is a typical street scene in the main business (label that "tourist") part of town. These guys on the corner use spray paint cans, like Krylon, to paint some really beautiful pictures. There is always a crowd around watching them, but this photo was taken from across the street and of the back side of their booth. You do get a feel for what the place looks like, though.


You can see a partially constructed building in the background of this photo. That same building is in the background of the photo taken as we approached the border and we are not far into Mexico. Many of the buildings, inside and out, are painted in bright colors. The guy in the Indian costume is reportedly about the highest paid street vendor in town, just from his tip jar!


There are some nice homes in town and this is one. Notice the concrete sidewalk and paved street:

but, here is a street that is representative of the majority of residential neighborhoods. No sidewalks, dirt streets, smaller, not as nice homes.


Los Algodones has come into the 21st century in the last year - they now have an espresso cafe where you (or I) can buy mochas! Here is the La Conquista Cafe,

and the barista making a frozen drink for the people ahead of me.

My large 20oz mocha cost only $3, tax included and it was good!

Cousin J bought some fresh asparagus from a street vender and her young son, for $2. He also bought a carton of American cigarettes for $17, less than half what they cost in Arizona.


Snowbirds tend to go to Algodones for prescription drugs, eye glasses, general shopping and dental work. This is the office of Dr. Luis Escobar, a US trained dentist that Annie and I saw last year while we were here.


This photo shows the ugly fence along the US/Mexican border from the Mexican side.


There was a long line up waiting to cross the border back into the US and this is part of that line, both the vehicles and the pedestrians. It is slower getting back than it was entering Mexico. One thing to remember when you enter Mexico is make sure that you have NO firearms nor amunition. That seems to be what the Mexican border people are the most concerned about. Here is the photo of that line up and it shows a bit more of the town.


I got back to the RV in the late afternoon. I'd say it was a successful trip. I got some Mexican coins for the grandkids, some pure vanilla (it is real cheap down there) and another crystal with an image laser burned inside to go on the lighted, rotating turntable we have at home. We also had mochas and lunch while there. I don't know if I'll go back in the two weeks I have left in Yuma, but possibly.

Labels: Family, Photos, Small towns, Trips to see things