border towns
people from sonora cross to US side and shop at walmart
After a follow up at the dentist in Naco Mexico, I ran into my friend Leo and his tourist friend Bob on the border and we hung out on the mexico side - Leo is mexican american and he is a cut up - he makes everyone laugh so it makes things fun and since he speaks spanish - the fun is understandable all around. In the US Leo is frequently mistaken for a fool and often accused of being a con but his entertainment value is pretty high as far as I am concerned. The con stuff ... well thats another story.
we went to a really old old bar. Leo and Bob split a quart of cerveza and i had a liter (big ass glass bottle) of coca cola. the bartender was an old woman and the only other customer was her boyfriend and we bought them a quart to split too.
the boyfriend told me he learned a little english while working on ranches and dairy farms his whole life but he envied Leos fluency in both languages. We all drank and smoked and listened to the jukebox, mexican cowboy music.
when were walking back to customs there was a beautiful brown horse on the sidewalk looking like it wanted to cross the street and the policia drove it along - the officer was thumping the side of the car and revving the engine a little, sending it back in the direction it needed to go outside of town.
we had so much fun we all agreed to meet again the next day to go to the other bigger border town, Aqua Prieta (dingy water I believe it means) as bob still hadnt found the sandals made outa old tires and woven grass he was searching for.
so the next day I picked up Leo and we went out to Double Adobe where bob the tourist was visiting with his son. As is the case around here the dirtroad was long and dusty and dotted with dumpy trailers, an occasional ranchhous, and bright well cared for doublewides with yards. the road had a washboard surface but the faster you go the less you feel the bumps!
we collected bob and found that my extended cab had little flopdown seats for passengers. that was a bonus for Bob.
we got to AP Mexico at about 4:30. I had thought that we would go to a bar there but both Leo and bob said No they didnt feel good that morning after going to the bar the day before. I asked how a 1/2 a quart of beer could make them sick and they both said they went home and drank alot more. so no bar in AP.
We searched the stores for the juarachis made out of tires and grass but couldnt find them anywhere.
bob settled for a pair of classic juarachis, the kind I always had as a kid in the 70s. they are slip-on shoes made of tightly woven strands of leather.
Bob threw out his pair of flip flops and put them on. He asked if they looked
queer. I thought they did but told him no.
moments later he was limping and complained one of them was hurting him. Leo said "you shouldnt have thrown the flip flops out. now these shoes are hurting you and you will slow us down!"
I told Bob to put his foot in a puddle to soften the leather and bend the part that was irritating him back away from his toe. He did that and was thrilled with the results. "Thats Fantastic!" he said.
we headed to the plaza where Leo said there was a hot dog truck with the best hot dogs you could ever eat. as we approached I noticed a parked armored vehicle.It wasnt marked though.
"what is that vehicle for Leo?" I asked
"thats for banks. it picks up money at banks and brings it to bigger banks" he said.
We went to the hot dog stand. there were 4 stools occupied by uniformed men under the awning attached to the truck.
"Oh ho!" shouted Leo. "here are the armoured vehicle guards eating hot dogs!"
He spoke to them in spanish. They laughed.
I asked him what he had said.
"I told them that while they were enjoying thier hot dogs we were going to take the truck and flee with the money to chiruarua and distribute it to the poor people there and keep some for ourselves too!"
we ordered our dogs and the guards got up from thier stools one indicating to me to please sit.the guards finished thier dogs standing.
I decided that those hot dogs were the best I had ever had. They are grilld almost til burned and covered in beans, cheese, onions, hot peppers and mayonnaise. They put coney island dogs to shame. I never want a dog with mustard again.
we finished eating 2 each and started meandering back to the border.
enroute we were stopped by a man with a digital video camera. He was a tall cosmoplitan looking hispanic guy.
after I complimented him on his nice camera which was recording he asked "are you american?"
"yes" I replied. "what does the border mean to you?" he turned to Leo and spoke to him in Spanish. Leo said he had family here and family in US. He didnt clown for the camera which surprised me.
He was asked what he called himself and Leo answered "mexican american"
his other options were hispanic and chicano.
I felt uneasy like I was caught at something. actually I often feel that on my visits to the bordertowns. I feel humbled and slightly guilty. then I push the feeling away.
I asked what the taping was for and the cameraman pointed out the director to me and said talk to him hes making a documentary. Hes from San Francisico.
I spoke briefly with the director. I told him that about a month or so before I had run into another film crew on the american side in douglas, they were from france working for chantal ackerman. this news seemed to dismay him. shes a pretty famous avant gard filmmaker. I guess the border is "in" with filmmakers. I guess Im not exempt from that statement. I dont think I'll be making a film about it though.
I groaned. "Ummmmm... well. ummm...."
He said "especially since 9/11 what does it mean to you?"
"well...... it means the same to me before or after. its mysterious to me. It means economic inequity. but to the US after 9/11 it means an opportunity that they have probably been waiting for..... a perfect ah.... excuse for more border police and control. "
He asked Bob the same question.
"well... " bob said with a smile, " Ive never been here before. Im from Washington state! " I piped in "he got those sandals here!" the cameraman laughed and shot the sandals.
border fence. there is also a steel wall with plans to expand from Ft Huachuca to well beyond Douglas.
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© 2000-2001 by Bud Scrape