Algodones Mexico
Hola
I spent the New Year's Eve down along the border. I drove all the way to Yuma Arizona then crossed over into Mexico at Algodones.
I asked for directions at a gas station just inside Arizona and a nice White woman told me to get into Mexico I'd have to go back to California and enter in thru "Al-Go-Don-Nees" I didn't know that was the town's name so I thought it was strange to hear her say that.
The broder crossing is on the Quechuan (?) Indian reservation. They have a fenced in parking lot on the U.S. side of the border and you can park and pay afterward etc. It's not as pleasant as it may sound. they do have a security guard who drives around in a golf cart but he told me one parking lot is only for day crossers and the other is the overnight parkers and if you park in the wrong place they will tow you away at sunset!
(Remember this is out in the desert of Calif and the Arizona border, so the idea of returning to your car the next morning and discovering your car was towed away is terrifying!
And of course when I arrived there were no signs explaining this and no workers to give info. I ran into the security guard by accident as I was about to cross the border into Mexico. He sent me back out of the day crossing parking lot, told me to pay at the overnight lot then gave me a ride back to the border entrance. Another disaster avoided!)
Algodones is a quaint border town in the line of Mexicalli. A flood of senior citizens from the US go there to buy medicine, eye glasses and dental services. There are some surprisingly tasteful artisan shops. I bought some painted lacquered ceramic plates from Oaxaca and I saw some quality Oaxcan blankets and rugs. Along with the crude T-shirts that have come to characterize Mexican tourist towns.
There were only a few rowdy tourist bars but since I spent the Monday night before New Year's Eve, it was awfully quiet. I was told Thursday and Sunday nights are the party nights when "girls from the U.S. college go there to hit the clubs" that's what I was told but there wasn't much to hit.
I am always surprised at the difference between other border towns and Tijuana. TJ has always been considered a dump and a rowdy town but Mexicali and points farther East are quiet. I was in Nogales and hmmm, Pierdas Negras(?) a couple of years ago during a Presidential election and It was downright boring!
So, Algodones has a few tourist shops and just a few restaurants. One reason to come to this part of the broder was to see the Wall the Federal govt is building. I could see along the border crossing there is a lot of fencing and just outside the town there is a new looking iron wall. Vertical posts that are ten feet tall and topped with a metal square about 5 by 5 feet. The 5 feet squares atop the vertical posts give it a lollipop look to the fence. Sorry no photos, I left my camera in the room.
BTW "Algodones" means cotton in Espanol. The Imperial Valley in S. California has huge agricultural farms and I have read they produce a lot of cotton. I didn't see any during my drive thru the mountains to Yuma. The drive East from San Diego is a flat and windy road thru the mountains; beautiful in the winter and I'm sure awfully hot in the summer.
I spent the New Year's Eve down along the border. I drove all the way to Yuma Arizona then crossed over into Mexico at Algodones.
I asked for directions at a gas station just inside Arizona and a nice White woman told me to get into Mexico I'd have to go back to California and enter in thru "Al-Go-Don-Nees" I didn't know that was the town's name so I thought it was strange to hear her say that.
The broder crossing is on the Quechuan (?) Indian reservation. They have a fenced in parking lot on the U.S. side of the border and you can park and pay afterward etc. It's not as pleasant as it may sound. they do have a security guard who drives around in a golf cart but he told me one parking lot is only for day crossers and the other is the overnight parkers and if you park in the wrong place they will tow you away at sunset!
(Remember this is out in the desert of Calif and the Arizona border, so the idea of returning to your car the next morning and discovering your car was towed away is terrifying!
And of course when I arrived there were no signs explaining this and no workers to give info. I ran into the security guard by accident as I was about to cross the border into Mexico. He sent me back out of the day crossing parking lot, told me to pay at the overnight lot then gave me a ride back to the border entrance. Another disaster avoided!)
Algodones is a quaint border town in the line of Mexicalli. A flood of senior citizens from the US go there to buy medicine, eye glasses and dental services. There are some surprisingly tasteful artisan shops. I bought some painted lacquered ceramic plates from Oaxaca and I saw some quality Oaxcan blankets and rugs. Along with the crude T-shirts that have come to characterize Mexican tourist towns.
There were only a few rowdy tourist bars but since I spent the Monday night before New Year's Eve, it was awfully quiet. I was told Thursday and Sunday nights are the party nights when "girls from the U.S. college go there to hit the clubs" that's what I was told but there wasn't much to hit.
I am always surprised at the difference between other border towns and Tijuana. TJ has always been considered a dump and a rowdy town but Mexicali and points farther East are quiet. I was in Nogales and hmmm, Pierdas Negras(?) a couple of years ago during a Presidential election and It was downright boring!
So, Algodones has a few tourist shops and just a few restaurants. One reason to come to this part of the broder was to see the Wall the Federal govt is building. I could see along the border crossing there is a lot of fencing and just outside the town there is a new looking iron wall. Vertical posts that are ten feet tall and topped with a metal square about 5 by 5 feet. The 5 feet squares atop the vertical posts give it a lollipop look to the fence. Sorry no photos, I left my camera in the room.
BTW "Algodones" means cotton in Espanol. The Imperial Valley in S. California has huge agricultural farms and I have read they produce a lot of cotton. I didn't see any during my drive thru the mountains to Yuma. The drive East from San Diego is a flat and windy road thru the mountains; beautiful in the winter and I'm sure awfully hot in the summer.
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