Calexico
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Posted by: Jenny
So we decided to start the day with some light shopping and our hotel guide suggested the border town of Calexico, describing it as just off the main road with quaint shops on either side of the border. 70 bucks lighter we have confirmed two things - quaint really can be used to describe cheap Chinese crap sold by Mexicans in the US and Mexico really is just dirty and scary. On the US side of the border was one dollar store after the other filled with ultra cheap junk (yeah, we bought you some) and the Mexico side was one grody pharmacy after the other (and no, we definitely didn't buy you any of that). Other Calexico highlights include me kindly helping a Mexican woman through a turnstile with her piles of dollar store goodies, then retreating with a quick "No habla Espanol, no comprende" when asked to actually take the bags across the border. Not that I think anyone in Mexico actually cares what gets brought into the country, there weren't even guards on that side. Getting back into the US was an entirely different situation, but after a flash of our Tennessee drivers licenses and a quick purse x-ray we were home free.
Back on the road we soon made our way into the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area - straight out of Star Wars. (Really used for filming the Tattooine scenes says Zach.) That is some serious desert, not even the rest area had water, just port-a-potties and sand.
On to Yuma where the highlight of the day was stopping at the Quality Liquor Drive-In and Health Food Store.
It was there that we found my biggest score so far - vegan cheese that tastes good (really!) and melts!!! I had some on a sub sandwich for dinner. Here is Zach after dinner right before becoming consumed with jealosy as I played the new DS at top volume while he drove on, fair and square considering the McDonald's double cheeseburger he ate right in front of me as I was nearly dying of hunger a few hours before.
We are now on lockdown in Tucson at a super nice Ramada Limited, complete with fridge, microwave, heated pool and clean sheets. We'll be here through tomorrow night so we can see the sights and Zach can actually get some work done with our first really good internet connection so far. As for me, I'll be at the pool.
Comments:
David said...
mmm, cheese.
did you see any sandpeople?
Brian said...
For $70 you could have hired that woman to ride with you and make tortillas and mole whenever you felt peckish. Though the fried ice cream might cost extra.
David said...
i got a post card! wee!!! thanks. it's on my fridge. drive safe.
Angela said...
vegan cheese that tastes good....and melts....i just don't know if i believe such a thing really exists.