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Aug. 16. 2009 A day to visit Mexico border City - Neuvo Pregreso

On Sun. Aug. 16, we are heading for Mexico. This is the first time, I had crossed the border of USA. While I was in San Diego, although it was only 30 min away from Tijuana, I never went to Tijuana for drink, because I thought that I needed visa to visit Mexico. This time, I just knew that as a student, you could visit Mexico where 50 miles away from USA without Mexico Visa. Usually, Mexcio immigration won't check your visa for visiting, but USA Patrol did check critically with the USA VISA. Prepare your passport, visa and I-20, and you are ready to visit Mexico.

Originaly, we were heading for Reynosa, which is a big Mexico city near the US Border grouped a lot of international manfacturers, such as LG, Samsung, Toyota.. etc. The scarry thing about Mexico border is
the ongoing war against Mexico's powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations -- the so-called cartels -- President Felipe Calderón last month sent some 6,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police into the cities on the side of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, from Nuevo Laredo down to Matamoros. According to the Reynosa-based Center for Border Studies and the Protection of Human Rights (CEFPRODHAC), drug prohibition-related violence claimed 67 lives in Tamaulipas border towns in 2008. A violent shootout in Rio Bravo (between Reynosa and Matamoros) in Janunary that resulted in several traffickers killed and nearly a dozen soldiers wounded, and the cartel's retaliatory attacks on army patrols in the center of Reynosa the next day that Calderón sent in the soldiers. Becuase of safety isuee, we deicided to go for another area-Neuvo Pregreso. We did not drive there, instead we parked our car on the US side and walk accross the border. It costed 25 cents to the Mexico and 30 cents back to the US.

US and Mexico border, Rio Grade River.. and Border Patrol.. haha, they are not allowed to take pictures . these are few ones taken after they stopped us..


Neuvo Pregreso is the typical town in the border. Although it is a safer area, still you can see military force around with tank and machine guns.


There are a lot of bars, restaurants, pharmacy, and dentists. Yes, these things mostly were more expensive in USA than Mexico. Therefore, the dentists in this town are mainly doing business with the Americans, becuase paying a dentist visit in the US usually will cost more than US$100. For example, if you needed a X-ray, the price is US$100 per piece and with everything, including filing, it might cost you around $1000-2000. If you don't not have insurance to cover, you are not going to get your teeth fixed. That is why this town is packed with dentists. Also medince and alchaol cost less there, so quite a few shops sold these. Bars are common around here too. Because there are age limit to consume alchoal in the USA, teenagers like to go to bar and get drunk then back to the US. haha! the darker, the happier.. ^__^


There are some sourviours to buy, cheap leathers, silvers, corndolls, masks. interesting things to look around


Corndolls is quite interesting becuase it was made from Corn leaves.... and dye..

Here is where we had our lunch in Red Snapper. There is live music by a singer, although he is not that good..


the food, Sirlon Carneto.. Shrimp is good and hot... the resturaunt interiors..
My comments: food is OK...


Actually, I did not buy something special. I bought a leather belt for $4. At the shop, there were some leather whip around. Richard was really fond of it and tried to whipped around, alsmot hit the tlightbulb. haha. Silvers necklaces were beautiful too, but we were quite in a hurry to rush back because it was so hot. I did not get time to buy some. Interestingly, the price of the silver was easy to cut, from $10 to $5... I don't know can I cut more, but you definitely will be a fool to pay in a full price...

Another thought about this Mexico advanture, we should eat out of street food. It might be more domestic flavors. like the one showing in the picture.... Taco..... but I am afraid of the cleaness. some gift back after eating tacos..... Diarrhea.....


here, End my half day trip to Mexico..

After we were back to Mexico, Gary took us to visit McAllen City Hall. It is quite a beautiful public area.


Go for our dinner. Dinner was consumed in their famous taco food chain - TACO Palenque. >

Taco over here is really good and not like texan-american style kind. We ordered sirlon and chicken-breast taco. They have a salsa bar with all kind of veg.. salsas, onion, dressing, chips.. also you can order extra torilllas to wrap extra taco... with one order of meat, you can seperate into 3 tacos with all stuffs, such as lettuces, tomatos and onion.. or you can also have halapinio

We all agreed that this is a great food in Taco Palenque. It was yummy......

mmm. Quite hungry right now. Enough for today.. wiat for part 3