Wanted Down There?

Oh Mexico, my favorite place to visit right next to Purgatory and maybe even Hades  itself.  If you have not read the previous post, please do to set up this story.  John and I arrived in El Paso Texas without a hitch.  The plane ride was good, even though it was foggy in Dallas and a little dicey with low cloud cover.  The only problem is the plans of  "Mice and Men" were not as settled as I would have like before our trip started.  I emailed my Purchasing Manager named Jerry for us non speaking "Americans", on Friday to confirm, and he said " I don't have anyone to pick you up at the border but I'm trying to get Karla to do this."  Karla is the newer Quality Control Manager at the plant in Juarez that we need to visit. 

If anyone knows border towns in Mexico, there seems to be a big fight going on between the local Drug Cartels, and the police.  The last time we went down was earlier in the year, and the Mexican border towns were having a summit to stop the killings, (estimated at 4-7 per day).  There were military choppers, and soldiers all over the place patrolling the streets, with military issue hummers with soldiers hanging off the back.  Just like out of a war movie.  Jerry had some wonderful stories on how people are getting shot at in the middle of the day. (OK if you are related to Drugs then I would be worried).  We were spoiled on our first trip more than I can imagine.  Jerry picked us up at the Mexican Border, after a taxi ride that took us right to the Mexican border office over the Cordova Bridge.  Then Jerry dropped us off at the hotel we were staying at after we were done for the day in the US.

Well this time it was a little different.  The plan was for someone to pick us up at the border at 8:00 in the morning.  I could not get in contact with Jerry, and Karla didn't have a cell phone.  At 7:45 I finally get with Jerry and he says, yes Karla is waiting at the border for you right now.  OK, lets get going John, since its a 15 minute ride, we should be OK.  Well the taxi took 15 minutes to get to the hotel, and I hate to be late for anything, maybe except my funeral.  Well the spoiled treatment didn't work this time.  See the driver we used the first time must have had a special permit to get us over the bridge and into Mexico right where our passports were checked.  He even helped us fill out our paperwork.  $55.00 bucks later we were in Mexico without a hitch.  This time, the taxi guy dropped us off on the American side, because this was as far as he could go.  We asked him what next.  Cross over these 6 lanes of traffic and turn left and up over the 1/2 mile bridge to the Mexican side.  "What I'm screaming in my head"??  It's 8:30 and now this, poor Karla didn't know what she was getting herself into.....  After a brisk walk up over the bridge, we arrived and Karla was waiting for us.  My anxiety level dropped off after seeing this kind young women who was so nice and willing to help.

This is were the fun begins.  The super special treatment we got the first time from Jerry, had landed us in some big trouble.  You see, I found out, silly me that when you leave a country, you need to get your passport stamped and make sure someone knows you are leaving the country.  I thought it was funny that we just drove over to the US side with Jerry and didn't have our paperwork checked.  I think now he had some type of special pass that lets him into the US with any paperwork or something.  The nice lady at the counter looked at our passports and said you did not leave the country correctly last time, so you have to pay a Fine!  I'm like what?  how much  $250.00 pesos ?  How much is that in American?  (13 to 1 was the conversion I found out later.)

John has always been the designated money man because of past bad experience with Mexico.  I guess he is half Hispanic, and in the summer he gets really dark.  He could be mistaken for a Mexican National.  When he was a kid, and this was before birth certificates so he had to pay $150.00 dollars US to get back in the US.  I always joke that he might not make it back accross the border and end up in a jail.  (this time I'm thinking its both of us)  They took our passports (Major Sinking Feeling) and told us to go to the bank of Mexico and pay the fine.  We did that, and came back to the counter to fill out more paperwork and get our work Visa that we have to get every time we go to Mexico.  I asked John if he had enough money and he said no problem.  I've asked him in the past how much money he carries to Mexico and we would never tell.  This time I think he was getting close to his reserve.  (check this out) 

I had to sign some paperwork about the fine, and it was all in Spanish.  Than goodness for Karla, because I didn't want to sign anything I didn't know. (tip: don't sign foreign stuff if you don't know what it is) She said it was about the fine, and don't do it again la, la, la.  After looking at the paperwork, on the second page it said this (arresto de 36 horas).  I look back at this and say, Look Ma ...I can read Spanish (arrested in 36 hours).If I don't get out of this country in 36 hours you will be arrested.  Great, wanted in two countries instead of one. 

We had not left the Mexico correctly so they thought we were running around Mexico for the last 7 Months doing something bad, really bad....(on the lamb I guess)Well the day went great after that other than Karla's husband is waiting in the car (they only have one car running) to be dropped off at work.  He waited much longer that he thought...The trip back to the border was uneventful, because we went right back to the lady who fined us (she smiled) and made sure our passports were stamped.  We had the long walk over the Cordova Bridge

Things I learned from this Trip:

-Don't cross a border without someone stamping your passport
-Don't leave home without extra Cash or John Newville
-Do be nice, people are people around the world
-Third time is a charm with everything (first easy, second hard, third normal)
-If your crossing the border, don't do this...(check this out) 

What a trip, but I'm so glad to be back in the US.  and Yes I will travel to Mexico again soon but not that soon. (I hope?)

The picture on the top of the page is John walking back to US.  Cool picture.  This is right after Karla dropped us off, and we were going back to see the nice lady in the border office in Mexico.  (she smiled a smile I will never forget)

My Blond Moment of the Year Part I

People have asked through the years if Vic  minds if I tell funny stories about how she does stuff.  Most of the time they are true, and I just report them as they happen.  Our family has always been long on humor to get us through some difficult times, and it always make relationships stronger if you can laugh a little at the funny things of life.  I'm sure you have them in your family and life, and humor has always been a big part of ours. Even though mine is dry, very dry.....

I too have had many blond moments, and try to share some of them every year to highlight what funny things I have done.  This has been a yearly ritual, that either tells something stupid or dangerous that happens to me. 

Well some of you know, I went to Mexico last Sunday 12/06/009.  The only way John Newville, and I could get to Mexico on the cheap for the company was to drive to Detroit Metro (DTW) and hop a plane to El Paso Texas.  On Sunday morning, I drove to Apex Spring and picked up the company car.  Of course, the other salesman for the company left the gas only half full.  I picked up John at the Lowell exit on I-96.  While waiting for him, I decided to stop and get a bottle of water and top off the tank so I didn't have to stop and get gas on the way to Detroit.  I was really cold that day with a stiff wind out of the west.  The car had about 1/2 of a tank and I decided to listen to my pod cast as the car tank topped off.

I was deep in listening mode after a while and I noticed that the dollars were ringing up on the tank, I took no notice.  I glanced out and the gallons was getting close to 3/4 of a tank and the light went on in my simple mind.  The AUTO shut off was not working on the pump!  Oh no, I jumped out of the car, and gas was just streaming out to the fuel fill door.  I'm like, crap if I was a smoker, this could have been a highlight film on "look at this guy just before he dies or explodes the hole gas station and my car" story.  I could see the guy in the movie set that gets set on fire and walks like Frankenstein for 3-5 steps and falls over dead.  I got to the pump and shut off the gas.  I think I had pumped more than 5 gallons onto the ground.  The puddle of gas was growing, and I was soooo embarrassed.  I quickly tried to dry off the cars back 1/4 panel, but it was no use.  I was a marked man and I had to get out of there as soon as possible.  I pulled around the side of the gas station a parked.  The puddle was about as big as my car and growing.  I walked in the gas station and didn't say a word, got my water and left.  I'm thinking I will never stop there again, even if I'm almost out of gas in fear of video surveillance I.D. ing me and I will be on some most wanted gas station list, or some tree hugers hit list for environmental abuse.

OK I'm sorry but every gas station has a overflow system that doesn't allow petrol to get into the ground.  I just hope theirs was working? I was just testing their system, yea, yea that's the story, or I think is was?  Oh well?  Made it to DTW on time and had a very interesting trip to Mexico.  That is part II of this story.