Tuesday January 4th

Heading "South of the border...down Mexico way"

About a 40 mile drive south of here is the Mexican border town of San Luis Rio Colorado (St. Louis on the Colorado River).  Approaching the U.S./Mexican border in San Luis, Arizona, you will find plenty of free parking.  There is a huge lot just feet away from the pedestrian crossing gate.  You can drive into Mexico, but you should stop and purchase Mexican auto insurance for the day ($20.00 - $40.00).



Domino's delivers!

 We parked on the U.S. side and walked the half block to the main shopping area.  It is approximately an 8 square block area filed with every conceivable kind of store.  Just like you would find in any other downtown shopping area.  Appliances, gifts, shoes, purses, pharmacies and restaurants.  The prices are less than in the U.S. but not by all that much.  Pharmaceuticals are more readily available.  Most antibiotics are sold with out a prescription.  Narcotics require a prescription, which can be easily obtained, but unless you have a U.S. prescription to verify your need for the med, it will be confiscated at the U.S. entry point.  The biggest draw back to walking into Mexico is the 40 - 50 minutes wait, on a week day afternoon, to cross back into the U.S.  If you have trouble standing for that long, take the car and make sure it's filled with gas.  There's a long wait there too, but you can at least sit and listen to the radio.


We found a little restaurant called Don Ricardo's.  It consisted of four

Men's room, Ladies room
& dish wash area

 folding tables with folding chairs, a plywood counter, and a four burner  stove operated by a BBQ grill type propane tank.  Granted, the health  department codes, if they even exist, are different here.  But it looked clean enough and the food smelled great.  We fumbled our way into ordering Burritos bisteka (Steak burrito) and Enchiladas.  There is no question these were the best we have ever had...this ain't no Taco Bell baby!  I would go back to this town just to eat here.

Of all places, this is where Judy found a replacement mask for her helmet.  We've been trying to find one since last summer. 

We then stumbled past the bakery...OOOOOOOOO BABY, BABY!

The pastries in this pace could put you into a diabetic coma just by walking in the door.  You pick up a stainless steel serving tray, like a waitress uses, and a pair of tongs from the rack.  You then walk around and pick what you want, put it on the tray and carry it to the counter to pay.  Most places gladly take U.S. currency, but this place does not.  They do take credit cards and it cost me 37.50 for 5 pastries.  Later I was relieved to learn that in Pesos, that will probably come out to about $3.00 or $4.00.  The over sized sugar donut alone was probably worth that much.  Before we got a block away we had already consumed one of the items.  No clue what it was, but it was like a giant flat turnover filled with a date and nut paste.  OUTSTANDING.  The giant sugar donut will be saved for breakfast.  A piece of the bear claw, the giant cinnamon & sugar covered flat bread, and the sesame seed & sugar glazed pretzel are being sampled sampled for desert.


Coma is setting in...room getting dark....must sleep now...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz