Liquid Gold / Trip to México

Saturday we had more thunder and lightning than we did precipitation. I had cleaned and set out a 32-gallon trash bin as well as two of my galvanized tubs to collect rain but very little fell and it was mostly muddy from all the dirt on the roof.

Monday around 4:10 a.m. I thought I heard rain and went outside surprised that I was able to distinguish its sound when it was falling so gently. It is comforting to know that even though my eyesight is shot, I suffer from CRS, at least my hearing is intact.

I fell asleep before the ten o'clock news on Sunday so had no idea we were expecting rain or how much was expected.  It rained all day Monday and I had to keep on going outside to sweep the concrete area behind the kitchen where it tends to pond. I do not know how much fell but it had to be around two or three inches...the backyard was a muddy mess but I am grateful for the liquid gold.

Last Thursday I went to Ciudad Acuña to take yet another cat to be spayed you can read more about that here if you like https://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

On a prior trip in July, I had gone to check out the price for the larger galvanized tubs at Gutierrez (a local grocery store) but it was not posted. Returned today and found recent price labels.

$647.50 pesos divided by an exchange rate of 20 pesos to one US dollar equals $32.38 USD

I did not purchase it as I would like to compare prices at other "ferreterías" in México...that is Spanish for a hardware store.

I only bought a couple of items as grocery shopping was not the main purpose of my visit today.

Last time I failed to get a picture of the canvas canopy coverings they have in their parking lot to aid in keeping your car cooler in the extreme temperatures along the border.

I went to a ferretería in the north part of town close to Gutierrez's second store and Soriana but they did not have the size I wanted. I did take the opportunity to have an extra house key made. I was charged $15.00 pesos/.75 US cents.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

July 2022 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

Click on the Pictures to Enlarge

Like my June 2022 trip to México, I was there for the same reason...to take one of the cats to get neutered. If you would like to read about it you may do so on my other blog Walter's World by clicking on my header picture or this link https://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

If you are planning a trip to Ciudad Acuña anytime soon you will be glad to know that the six-lane project leading to the Del Rio International Bridge is almost finished.

After dropping Chester off at the vet's I went about running my errands. First on my list was getting a haircut. Our regular stylist used to run her business from her house, then she rented a beauty shop which I was never able to locate...then Covid-19 hit and the border was shut down so I do not know what happened to her.

Ciudad Acuña has four major grocery stores Gutierrez, Merco, Bodegas Aurrera, and Soriana. Gutierrez in my opinion has the best prices and two large stores to choose from. They also have canvas coverings so you can park your car in the shade. I neglected to take a photo of them though I have pictured them before on this blog.

First of all, today's Exchange rates are as follows:

C stands for Compra (buy) Pesos
V stands for Venta (sell) US Dollars
As a tourist, you are interested in the second one

Both Gutierrez and Merco have no-frills beauty salons at very reasonable prices. They used to charge $80 pesos...$4.00 USD for a haircut and with a tip of 20.00 pesos (one US dollar) your haircut would cost you $5.00 dollars. Like everything else, the price has gone up but only by a dollar so, including the tip, I paid $6.00 USD.

A Mexican no-frills Beauty Shop

When I arrived the senior citizens who work at the check-out lanes for tips as sackers told me the Beauty Shop opened at 10:00 a.m. so in order to kill time I went around checking prices and taking pictures.

Bananas $17.90 a kilo or .90 USD
Remember a kilo equals 2.2 lbs

Gutierrez buys directly from Coahuila farmers and in my opinion has the best produce at very reasonable prices.

$26.90 a kilo / 1.35 USD a kilo

$9.90 a kilo for carrots/.50 US cents
No price on the Calabacitas

Hass Avocados...

$79.90 a kilo / 4.00 USD per kilo

If you prefer the smaller avocados they had the mesh bag ones with four each...

$49.90 / $2.50 USD or .62 cents each

You may think that avocados are a bit pricey but due to Organized Crime that targets growers for extortion they have to hire security and pass on those costs to the consumers.

I usually bring an ice chest with me but at the time I loaded my car I made sure I had enough room for the two pet taxis that go on the back seat not knowing I would not be able to catch one of the cats. The reason I did not place it in the trunk is that I wanted to buy an extra large galvanized metal tub. They did not have the correct price and I did not ask as I still had to get my haircut and mostly because the employees were stocking shelves.

México has excellent prices on hair dye, toothpaste, face cream, make-up, cereal, hair products, and personal hygiene items because American brands have factories there.

$37.60 for a 3-pack of Colgate toothpaste
$1.88 USD or .63 cents each

$45.50 for a large toothpaste with a free toothbrush
$2.28 USD

Not even at Dollar Tree can you get this deal for 10 razors...

They range in price between
$21.52 to $25.00 pesos
$1.08 to 1.25 USD

Kellogg's large cereal box...

$39.90 / 2.00 USD

Herdez hot sauce is much cheaper than the one I bought at Soriana on my last visit.

$22.90 / $1.15 USD

Another item that is well priced in México is bleach. Though these are not made by Clorox they do have a factory there.

$29.90 / $1.50 USD

I needed to head to the north part of town to run more errands so I did not buy anything at Gutierrez besides I had left my reusable bags in the trunk and did not want to have to go get them. Remember if you ever go grocery shopping in Mexico you have to bring your own bags. In the north part of town, they have another Gutierrez as well as Soriana across the street from one another.

Picked up Chester and headed back to the International Bridge to come home. If you enlarge the bottom photo to the right you will see the canvas shade structure I mention above but at the smaller Bodegas Aurerra.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Day 10 / Americans rushing to the border / A very warm 93 degree day - UPDATE

I outsmarted Paquito this morning and turned the TV on so I would not hear him whining by my window. It worked because I never heard him if in fact, he did.

Today is Day 10 of my self-isolation. This virus is getting closer...Eagle Pass, Texas a border town 60 miles south of us has its first confirmed case.

Even though the border with Mexico is closed to non-essential travel you can still cross to seek medical attention.  Read that people have been crossing in large numbers in this case in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua border with El Paso, Texas and buying out Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria medication known as Plaquenil the medication this administration described on its Daily Coronavirus Briefing as a "game-changer" though there is no evidence to support that...https://www.dallasnews.com/news/public-health/2020/03/24/border-towns-see-run-on-drug-touted-by-trump-but-unproven-as-coronavirus-cure/

Gutierrez a grocery store I frequent in Ciudad Acuña is also limiting entrance into their stores to only one or two members of the same family, no children under 12 years of age and in order to protect the senior population they are only allowed to shop from 8:00 a.m. to noon. They mention that most shelves are bare of essential items like toilet paper, antibacterial gel, most cleaning or disinfecting supplies and eggs. When available they are placing a limit of 3 items per family.
http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/limitan-comercios-acceso-y-ventas

Today we had a low of 59 and a high of 93 degrees. Most of Texas reported higher than normal temperatures.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


UPDATE

When NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard asked the woman what she wanted others to know, she said, “Oh my God. Don't take anything. Don’t believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says and his people because they don’t know what they’re talking about. And don't take anything—be so careful and call your doctor. This is a heartache I'll never get over.”

It’s true that clinical trials have begun for using chloroquine, one of the world’s oldest anti-malaria drugs, and hydroxychloroquine, a less toxic derivative of chloroquine that treats lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, to treat the disease caused by the coronavirus. But the FDA can’t approve a drug, much less fast-track it, without solid evidence of safety and effectiveness, and it hasn’t approved either of these drugs for COVID-19 treatment.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/03/23/man-dead-from-taking-chloroquine-after-trump-touts-drug-for-coronavirus/#3399f08172e9

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

The heat wave is on

I could not procrastinate any longer and had to bite the bullet as tomorrow they are forecasting it will reach 103 degrees (39.4444 Celcius) and it is a fair bet to say that I will not be going anywhere after 10:00 a.m.  Little did I know that we would reach 99 degrees (37.2222 Celcius) this afternoon.

I have become obsessed checking the Border Wait Times website https://bwt.cbp.gov/index.html?com=0&pas=1&ped=0&plist=2302

When I saw a lull in wait times this morning I headed to Mexico. I was at the veterinary with Nico by 8:30 a.m. for his follow-up visit after his neutering. He also got his last remaining vaccines. He is doing fine.  Remember how I told you that this Vet Clinic is always busy? Mornings are usually congested as pet owners drop off their canine friends for their spay/neuter operation. Today was not the case, I was even able to schedule the same procedure for Paquito this week when before there was a two to three-week wait.

Tuesdays are Martes de Cosecha...Harvest Tuesday...so made a beeline for Gutierrez where they have shaded canopies and it would not be too hot while Nico waited in his pet carrier.  At this hour it was not hot and where we were parked still had natural shade.

Bought tomatoes, serranos, calabacitas, cilantro, carrots, nopalitos, bananas, hot sauce, and low-fat milk.

To my surprise and delight, the wait to return to the USA was only twenty minutes. When we got home I was going to treat Nico to some canned cat food but he took off as soon as I opened the door to his carrier. I tried to lure him into the kitchen so neither Paquito or Sonny would eat his food but he decided to pass...poor baby, I can't say I blame him.

After lunch, I went to run more errands around town.  Headed to the Recycling Center. little HEB, the post office, and bank.  By now it was pretty hot so decided to treat myself to a Frosty at Wendy's.

The air conditioning at Wendy's was nice and cold.  It would have been a sweet treat had it not been for this kid running around screaming his head off while his mother ignored him as she visited with her girlfriends.

My back was killing me as I had decided not to wear my back brace today.  Headed to Marshall's where they sell affordable ones at half if not even less than at the regular department stores.  I had heard about belts with magnets supposedly "circulation enhancing magnets"...can not say I can feel a difference but then again I have only worn it for a couple of hours as I do not want to take any more Paracetamol.

I needed to print out a form so my last stop was the County Library. This place is always super cold but this afternoon it felt great, so much so that decided to stay and read the local newspaper.  I have no idea why we are such copycatters why do we always follow what San Antonio does?  Are we not capable of having just ONE original idea of our own?  That is all I will say about how we have hijacked the "Fiesta Celebration".

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

May 2018 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

Tuesday I finally made my way to Ciudad Acuña to get my labs done.  I got a late start so the wait for the results was four hours versus the three it usually takes.  I am not complaining as the same tests at Val Verde Regional Medical Center (our local hospital) are over a thousand dollars while in Mexico I paid $1,145.00 Mexican Pesos at an exchange rate of $17.00 pesos for a grand total of $67.35 US dollars.

I had a lot of errands to run so the time flew by. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your vantage point Ciudad Acuña is experiencing vast growth much like Del Rio. Neither can continue to be categorized as "sleepy border towns".

The parking is a nightmare but at least they did away with parking meters to encourage tourism so the population is no longer subjected to fines...of which I  have been at the receiving end of a couple.  I found an out of the way parking spot and made my way around town on foot.

With the expansion of Ciudad Acuña to the northern part of the city, they moved the Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace) out of the downtown district several years ago.  I have featured its modern design on various blog posts in the past.

The former location by the old town square started undergoing a renovation recently. As I walked around I noticed that it was a smaller version of the current Presidental Palace.

There were vendors set up all around the square but I did not get a chance to check them out.  I am looking for a new cowboy hat as my old Terlingua one has pretty much bit the dust.

Finally was able to cash in on Tuesday specials of Martes de Cosecha (Harvest Tuesday) at Gutierrez. Even though most people go early there were still crowds in the afternoon with long lines to check out.  Customers were buying cartons of tomatoes, onions, and other produce which leads me to believe that they probably have a small restaurant or taco stand.

The line back home was long, compounded by the fact that they only had two lanes open...the fast lane with nothing to declare...and a regular one.  They finally opened an additional one when I was about to reach customs and quickly switched lanes.

I took some pictures but unfortunately, I can not post them on this computer. I will have to try to do it from my old laptop.  Where is my tall weathered cowboy who is computer savvy?  :-(

A look at the line behind me. No wonder they opened up
an additional lane!

Forgot to mention that effective this month the toll rate went up to $4.00 to cross from Del Rio into Ciudad Acuña. That rate is set by the Del Rio City Council. The toll to cross from Ciudad Acuña to Del Rio remains the same $28.00 Mexican Pesos depending on the daily exchange rate about $1.65 USD.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

April 2017 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

Several of mother's friends have been hospitalized recently both in Del Rio and in Ciudad Acuña. From mom's house we are closer to the Mexican Hospital than we are to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center, so off we went.

I am surprised that the new toll booths have taken so long to be built.

 From this picture it looks like they should be completed soon.

Do you know than in Mexico they offer free immunizations?  My doctor told me I should get a tetanus shot but yes...I am too cheap to pay for one :D

However, they only offer them in the morning at this hospital...guess I might have to pay for one in the USA after all...:-(

Not knowing that we were going to be making a trip to Mexico anytime soon, I went grocery shopping Wednesday.

Decided to stop at Gutierrez anyway and stock up on yogurt and smoothies.  Of course mother went wild in the bakery department.

I bought some baked chicken in the parking lot.  This time they gave me a lot more corn tortillas and pico de gallo than the other day. Then again it being Thursday they did not have as many people as they do on Harvest Tuesday.

The dollar to peso ratio has become more stable. Here are some exchange rates down Exchange Rate Alley..

At the International Bridge, we had a seven-minute wait.  The lady agent did what I think other agents should do...she sent the car in front of us for a second revision and did not hold up the line...kudos to her!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Cyber Journal Note

Alejandro Rios, Sr. died Saturday, April 1, 2017

Aurora López passed away on Friday, April 7, 2017 she was 56 years old.

Trip to the Beauty Shop - Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, México

If it was up to mother we would go see our favorite hairdresser every two weeks. Being that we have a tight agenda that is not possible so decided to humor her and took her yesterday.

We are now sporting shorter haircuts as temperatures have been in the mid to high eighties and will continue on that pace into the foreseeable future.

Being that Tuesday's are Martes de Cosecha (Harvest Tuesday) we made our way to Gutierrez. Picked up the usual papaya, melon, bananas, cilantro, serranos, tomatoes, yogurt, cheese, sweet bread, bolillos and some low-fat milk.

The bargain of the day were tomatoes. They were selling for $3.90 Mexican Pesos for a kilo. $3.90 divided by an exchange rate of $17.60 equals .22 American cents for one kilo divided by 2.2 lbs brings the final price to .10 US cents a pound.  We bought 2.92 kilos or 6.424 pounds for $11.39 pesos or .65 US cents.

On our last trip, I was lamenting the fact that I did not buy some baked chicken that the Gutierrez personnel bar-b-q on the parking lot.  I decided I would buy some today for dinner.  First I asked to see how big the chicken was since the price was remarkable one chicken for $20.00 pesos ($1.14 USD) or three for $45.00 pesos ($2.56 USD).

It wasn't a whole chicken but a hindquarter and it came with five corn tortillas and a big serving of Pico de Gallo.  A meal that feeds two people for $2.56 USD is a real bargain and we still have one hindquarter left for today or tomorrow.

March 21st was the official birthday of Benito Juarez one of México's most revered ex-president's but being that México has followed in the United States footsteps, it was celebrated Monday so people could have a long three day weekend.

The traffic around banks, municipal and state offices was very heavy.  It, therefore, came as a surprise when we were heading back home that there was hardly any traffic on either side of the bridges.  We pulled into an empty customs lane and were on our way in less than two minutes.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my readers and fellow bloggers for all the nice e-mails you have sent me regarding my dizzy spells.  I had not had the opportunity to go online until today but I promise to personally answer every single one of them but it may take me a while.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Martes de Cosecha - Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico

Last Thursday we made a trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila in order to go to the beauty shop. While I did manage to get a couple of groceries at Aurrera (owned by Walmart) they did not have a good selection of produce and the little that they had was expensive by Mexican standards.

A cold front and rain are on the way. Decided to take advantage of sunny skies and temperatures in the 80's and made our way back across the border.

The new toll booths are almost finished.  They relocated them for security reasons so they can be closer to new ICE and Homeland Security building.

If you have been reading me for a while, you know that I prefer to go to Mexico on Tuesday as grocery stores like Gutierrez, Merco and Soriana have lower prices on that day.  It used to be called "Martes de Frutas y Verduras" (Tuesday of Fruit and Vegetables" but it is now called "Martes de Cosecha" (Harvest Tuesday).

Was surprised at how many vehicles there were...many with Texas license plates sprinkled with some other states...Snowbirds looking for a good bargain?

I found excellent deals including the bargain of the day, tomatoes at $3.90 Mexican pesos for one kilo (one kilo equals 2.2 lbs).  To simplify this, let's use an example of $20.00 pesos to one US dollar.  3.90 Mexican pesos divided by 20.00 exchange rate equals .195 US cents.

.195 cents divided by 2.2 lbs ( the equivalent of a kilo) equals .0886 cents or .09 American cents per pound.  Now tell me that is not a GREAT deal!

I bought tomatoes, cilantro, onions, bananas, chayote, carrots, serranos, squash, papaya, and melon. Other food items such as Oaxacan cheese, turkey hot dogs, sweet bread, bolillos.  Non-food items at excellent prices...toilet paper and bleach.

$11.90 divided by $20.00 = .595 cents per kilo
.595 kilos divided by 2.2 = .27 American cents a pound

You will find better liquor prices at grocery stores versus liquor stores.

The same goes for beer...

A six pack of Bud Light goes for the US equivalent
of $2.98 

If you prefer to have a mixed drink at a local bar, they let you know up front how much they take your dollar for...

So how much is that in US currency?  The first number is the Compra number, which is how many Mexican pesos you can buy with your dollar. The second number is the Venta number which is how many Mexican pesos it takes to buy one US dollar.  For our purpose focus on the Compra figure. I used 20 to 1 ratio, had I had used the higher rate my bargains were even cheaper.

Here are some exchange rates down Exchange Rate Alley:

The line to return to the USA was just about the same as last week's but this time without cars being searched...12 minutes.

I have been asked in the past if there are some safe taxi companies to take you to Mexico. Yes, there are. To be fair all the taxi companies in Del Rio are safe at least to my knowledge I have never heard of someone having a problem with them.

Before they built the new ICE and Homeland Security building, the city offered free parking lots in case you wanted to walk across. Those are no longer available but you can park your vehicle in the taxi company's lot provided of course that you use them to transport you across the border. These establishments are open 24 hours a day.

There are two companies that have their installation close to the International Bridge...Border Taxi and Amigos Taxi.  However, most taxi companies will take you to Mexico.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.