Blogs :: 3 immigrants later...
...we arrived in mexico city but let's go back a few days.
October 1st we crossed the Mexican border at reynosa which involved my uncle dropping us off in the parking lot a few blocks from the international bridge. We walked straight across without a glance from border patrol on either side, no searching of our bags by Mexican military, just a 50 cent toll that keeps the collector employed. I had read in our trusty Lonely Planet guide we needed to pay more however, for a visa longer than 7 days so we stopped at immigration on the other side to find out they cannot take our first jackson. We saved the next two hours of aimlessly wondering by meeting Juan just outside the office who, without our asking of course, offered to assist us.
8 dollars later, we had two 180 day visas stamped into our passports, two bus tickets to Tampico, and the life history from Juan who lived in Chicago for 30 years before the government came to collect back taxes in the amount of $68 thousand and child support for $24. After his deportation, he spent the next few years trying to cross the rio grande to reunite with his 12 grandkids, spending 6 months in jail the first time, and a year the second after attempting to fly into Houston on stolen papers. Juan is over that now, and simply using his great English skills to help gringos find their way to the bus station. Thanks Juan.
Over the course of 2 bus rides in 18 hours we met several others. All who'd given up on getting back to America, and pondered the irony of our going south while so many attempt going north. But, I'll leave that to mull over more later.
public transportation, locals, Mexico, buses
Posted By:
Brendon
10/4/2008