Edward and Johnny dragged me down to Nuevo Laredo against my will on Saturday night for a kind of going away celebration. We were supposed to leave at 3, but didn’t leave until 7, which in Edward’s world meant we were right on time. But that’s OK because it gave me a chance to sleep off the depression experienced as a result of Texas’ loss to Oklahoma.
We made it to the border around 10:30. We would’ve made it sooner except that Johnny needed to stop about 18 times.. rather than take care of everything he needed at one store.. we had to stop once to get him pork rinds, once to get him Rolaids, once so he could go to the restroom, etc… etc… But it was worth it because Johnny takes abuse well, and you always have to have one person in the car you can abuse.
For any of my readers that have never been to a Mexico/Texas border town, I didn’t take my camera, but I found a few taken in Nuevo Laredo on the internet that work. The first is of El Centro, which is the center block of the 9 square block area just across the border. There are gazebos and lots of park benches and the big monument you see in the picture which is surrounded by steps all around. People sit, relax, and chat in the square all day and most of the night on the weekends. The square is surrounded by clubs, restaurants, and shops. Our safety (and the safety of our American dollars) was sufficiently secured by the presence of Federalis with AK-47s.
And so we started our Cerveza Tour of Nuevo Laredo. We started in the club referred to as the “open-air one where all the Americans hang out and dance because it is the closest to the border.” Then we went to “the one where Johnny’s band played this year.” I liked this one because the weather was perfect and the club is on the top floor of a building and is one of the few with a large balcony overlooking the main strip.
Ten clubs later (at around 5am), after sampling mucho cerveza, enchiladas, and other mexican delectables, Johnny and I found two big recliners and tried to take a short nap, but couldn’t because Edward kept yelling at us (something about what was wrong with us and he was just getting started). We insisted on leaving… and he yielded under much protest…
Then we found the perfect taco… I swear I have never had better tacos. The tortillas were home made, the fajita meat was sliced very thin and chopped, marinated and grilled to perfection, and the pico de gallo was so hot it gave me hiccups on the first bite. (I tried to recreate them last night, but didn’t come close. The ones we had last night were the best we’ve ever made at home though, so it was a partial success.)
The second pic is one I stumbled across in my search for Nuevo Laredo images and thought I should add it as a note to self. Don’t stay at the hotel at 718 Guerreros in the summer time. Edward had convinced us on the way down that we should get a hotel on the Mexican side. I didn’t want to be accused of being a pansy, so I didn’t object, but I did want to know 3 things before I agreed: (1) are the beds clean, (2) is there air conditioning, and (3) do the doors lock. I received what I thought were satisfactory assurances from Edward that he knew of a hotel (the one with the coke machine outside) that was no different from an American Day’s Inn or Motel 6. So I agreed.
But for some reason, we didn’t make it to the one with the coke machine outside, and instead stayed at the one called simply “Hotel” at 718 Guerreros. I don’t know why I remember the address. I guess I have selective memory. The last thing I recall is Edward standing on the dresser with his arm raised over his head and his hand in front of the vent yelling, “Johnny, the air conditioner’s not working….. Johnny, it’s been 10 minutes and they’re not up here yet…. Johnny, call them again… Johnny… Johnny..” and then I recall Edward on the phone arguing with the front desk (in what Johnny said later was very broken and unintelligible Spanish) that we wanted our money back and we were going to another hotel. But it was 6am, Johnny and I had already claimed the 2 beds and our last words for the night were “Edward, there’s no way in hell you’re getting us out of these beds…. we’ll each give you one of our pillows and a blanket… you’ve got the floor.”
The 3rd picture is also one I found on the internet and is of Bridge Number 1 that crosses the Rio Grande between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. It’s the one that most people use to cross over the border. Or maybe this one is of Bridge Number 2. I’ve never seen that many cars on Bridge Number 1.
From Scott Peek:
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