My first trip to Del Rio, TX - Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila (San Antonio: insurance, buying)

[Dopo]

Today I took my first trip to the border since I moved to San Antonio last year from the Midwest (BTW, I speak Spanish)

I decided to travel to Del Rio with my wife and 2 little kids because I thought it'd be safer than other border towns.
Took 3 hours from San Antonio on Highway 90, the road was kind of nice but it was very long and somewhat flat.

We got to Del Rio and it seemed just like any other town in Texas.
We drove towards the border (Ciudad Acuña)
At the gas station I was told that there's no parking on the US side (I was planning on walking across the border) but there's parking on the Mexico side.

At the border, going over Rio Grande, there was a long line, about 1 mile long that was moving VERY slowly.
On the Mexico side, they stopped me for a second and then told me to go.
I drove about 1 block and found a place to park for $7.

I walked down "Hidalgo" (First street that you find)
It was what I expected to find in a border town.
I had heard about the restaurant Crosby's, went there to eat.
The prices were the same that you find in the US and I think they charged me for the soda refill, because a meal for 2 adults and 2 little kids came out to be $32 + tip.
We went to a few stores around there and the prices seemed the same as in the US.
I bought a descent looking cowboy/mexican hat for $8 (others had it for $10-15)

We kept on walking and seemed to get away from the bar and typical border stores.

That's when our short trip to Mexico got good.
I saw a bakery a couple of blocks down the streets "Panaderia Chapa"
At this point I was a little dissapointed about the prices and didn't really feel like buying anything.
I wasn't paying attention to the prices and grab about 3-4 things from the bakery, the lady told me "Total = $1.10"
I told my wife "This is cheap as h..., let's try everything!!!"
We bought two 1-liter bottles of water, one 1/2 liter bottle of apple soda, about 8-10 different things (donuts, pastries, etc, etc, etc)
All of that for a total of = $7.00

Then it got even better,
I was buying my $8 hat and the guy told me that I don't have to go back to Del Rio the way I came. I can drive 12-15 miles North in Mexico and cross back to the US through Amistad Dam. (BTW, I had no permit to drive my car in Mexico )

We drove through Ciudad Acuña
when we got away from the touristy area I saw a vendor in the street selling hats similar to the one I bought for $0.90

Going from Ciudad Acuña to Amistad Dam was a straight shot on a nice road.
About 3-5 miles before getting to Amistad Dam, you can see the dam.
As you are crossing the dam, they have places to park your car and you can get out and take pictures.
To cross to the US, there was only 1 car in front of me

Sorry that I'm not posting my pictures right now, but I'll do it later.
But here's a picture of the dam.

[Lauren0319]

Fun! Thanks for the post

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Today I took my first trip to the border since I moved to San Antonio last year from the Midwest (BTW, I speak Spanish)

I decided to travel to Del Rio with my wife and 2 little kids because I thought it'd be safer than other border towns.
Took 3 hours from San Antonio on Highway 90, the road was kind of nice but it was very long and somewhat flat.

We got to Del Rio and it seemed just like any other town in Texas.
We drove towards the border (Ciudad Acuña)
At the gas station I was told that there's no parking on the US side (I was planning on walking across the border) but there's parking on the Mexico side.

At the border, going over Rio Grande, there was a long line, about 1 mile long that was moving VERY slowly.
On the Mexico side, they stopped me for a second and then told me to go.
I drove about 1 block and found a place to park for $7.

I walked down "Hidalgo" (First street that you find)
It was what I expected to find in a border town.
I had heard about the restaurant Crosby's, went there to eat.
The prices were the same that you find in the US and I think they charged me for the soda refill, because a meal for 2 adults and 2 little kids came out to be $32 + tip.
We went to a few stores around there and the prices seemed the same as in the US.
I bought a descent looking cowboy/mexican hat for $8 (others had it for $10-15)

We kept on walking and seemed to get away from the bar and typical border stores.

That's when our short trip to Mexico got good.
I saw a bakery a couple of blocks down the streets "Panaderia Chapa"
At this point I was a little dissapointed about the prices and didn't really feel like buying anything.
I wasn't paying attention to the prices and grab about 3-4 things from the bakery, the lady told me "Total = $1.10"
I told my wife "This is cheap as h..., let's try everything!!!"
We bought two 1-liter bottles of water, one 1/2 liter bottle of apple soda, about 8-10 different things (donuts, pastries, etc, etc, etc)
All of that for a total of = $7.00

Then it got even better,
I was buying my $8 hat and the guy told me that I don't have to go back to Del Rio the way I came. I can drive 12-15 miles North in Mexico and cross back to the US through Amistad Dam. (BTW, I had no permit to drive my car in Mexico )

We drove through Ciudad Acuña
when we got away from the touristy area I saw a vendor in the street selling hats similar to the one I bought for $0.90

Going from Ciudad Acuña to Amistad Dam was a straight shot on a nice road.
About 3-5 miles before getting to Amistad Dam, you can see the dam.
As you are crossing the dam, they have places to park your car and you can get out and take pictures.
To cross to the US, there was only 1 car in front of me

Sorry that I'm not posting my pictures right now, but I'll do it later.
But here's a picture of the dam.

Did you at least purchase Mexican auto insurance for the day? Something tells me that you didn't. If you didn't, you need to research auto accidents in Mexico. What happens if you don't have Mexican auto insurance? It's not too pleasant.

[LindaGrace]

And that, my gringo friend, is why you walk past the first shop you find! It always gets cheaper.

You should try the lonches from a street vendor next time - mmm, GOOD!

[doss1]

Awesome story, Dopo. Makes me want to dig through my archives and post photos, too.

[Dopo]

I owe you guys the pictures, I'll post them tomorrow.
Does speaking Spanish + a few "Washingtons" replace auto insurance in Mexico?

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I owe you guys the pictures, I'll post them tomorrow.
Does speaking Spanish + a few "Washingtons" replace auto insurance in Mexico?

Usually not. It can be pretty serious. I've heard anything from small mordida to weekend in jail and see the judge on Monday. Depends on the situation.
It's only like $25/day...crazy not to purchase it if you're gonna do some driving over there.

[doss1]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Does speaking Spanish + a few "Washingtons" replace auto insurance in Mexico?

Hell, that's how we lived on the border for 20+ years! You forgot to mention that sometimes a 6pack goes farther than money.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by TexasNick

Hell, that's how we lived on the border for 20+ years! You forgot to mention that sometimes a 6pack goes farther than money.

True for some things...but they've started to crack down on the insurance a few years back. Not so many cars "with no license plates" anymore, like there used to be.

[TangoUniform]

So paying $7 at a bakery qualifies the trip as being not good?

Just thank Jesus (The Biblical figure, not the guy you bought your hat from) you didn't get beat up and robbed by the Policia (witnessed on my last trip to Acuna).