The Big Adventure

As a young girl. I was a girl scout. I loved being in scouts. I took the scout pledges to heart and continue to live my life by the scout mantra, "Be Prepared". Knowing that the van will be packed full and in hopes of making the border crossings easier, we contacted the Mexican Consulate in Chicago, and applied for our visas and car permit. We also decided to obtain our Mexican Car Insurance in advance; rather than making the purchase at the border. Little did we know, being prepared would save us from stiff penalties in the very near future!


Friday, August 29, 2008 (Hartland, Wisconsin)

Today is the start of a new chapter in our lives, which we refer to as "The Big Adventure"! The van is packed. The most precious cargo is occupying the 2 front seats. As the wheels turn, we pray for safe travel  and say goodbye to the house that has been home for the past 12 years. We have approximately 1650 miles ahead of us to Brownsville Texas. At this point we will cross the border, via Veteran's Bridge, into Matamoros, Mexico.

Almost Full

Monday, September 1, 2008 (Brownsville, Texas)

This morning, we are in line to cross the border. There is a lot of activity. Traffic is heavy and there is a strong presence of  Federales (Police). Knowing it is necessary to present your passport and vehicle papers for stamping at the border, we attempt to pull over and park. The Federale that is directing our lane of traffic will not allow us to park. He is shouting Go, Go, Go! Well, when a man in uniform, carrying a weapon, shouts Go, Go, Go, YOU GO! In the midst of this confusion, we miss the road sign directing us to Tampico, Mexico. We are now lost in downtown Matamoros! After 1 hour of driving in circles, we find our way out of town and back to the confusion of the border hub. A maze of intersecting on-ramps, off-ramps and multiple roads leading in all directions. We see a police officer directing traffic. Desperate for help, we stop in moving traffic to ask for directions to Tampico. This brings on a barrage of horn honking. Our stopping seems to have caused a major traffic jam! Rapidly the officer points us in the right direction and we are off. Oh yeah, this is going to be an adventure alright.........

La Senora