September 2013 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico

Mother asked me to take her to the beauty shop in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico.  I always tell my readers that it is best to go to Mexico on a Monday or Tuesday but it seems like I do not follow my own advice!  Actually we are going to be busy next week so it had to be Friday or wait two weeks. If you have to go on a Friday try to go early.  Early in my book means before noon :D

Lucky me...I arrived when they were having another surprise ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) sting at the International bridge. Note that the officers this time are behind the toll booths unlike in my last trip.  This is their usual M.O. We were just waived through.

I tried to snap a picture after we crossed the toll booth so you could see all their vehicles and personnel but I was driving and could not focus on them, sorry...but I did get to take a lovely picture of my 2003 Spurs Championship banner :)

It pays to be the early bird.  No traffic going into Mexico.

This is Mexican customs and they are automated.  If you get a green light you just proceed such as we did.  If you get a red light a buzzer will sound and your vehicle will be searched.  Usually it is just a superficial search unless they send you to a second revision...that has never happened to me thus far.

As you exit customs you get a view of a plaza they built a couple of years ago.  Have no idea why they tore down so many buildings to get it built...it mainly sits empty during the day, have no knowledge how it is during the evening time.

Mexico celebrates its 203rd Independence on Sunday so there are going to be parties all weekend. They had a lot of flags flying all over the city.

Remember last time we came to the beauty shop we spent nearly three hours there?  Not this time...we were her first customers.  Her clients did not start arriving until she was almost done with me. Mom will probably kill me for posting her picture but here she is with Claudia her hairdresser and owner of the shop.

If you are ever in Ciudad Acuña I highly recommend her beauty salon.  She styles both men and women's hair and has excellent prices.

Last time I came to Ciudad Acuña was because I was running low on my medications.  I do not buy my medicine in regular pharmacies (there are hundreds here) but at Gutierrez (a grocery store chain) that has more affordable prices.  Unfortunately because of that they tend to sell out and I was only able to buy a 30 day supply.  Note:  American citizens can cross back a 3-months supply.

I like to shop in the Gutierrez that is located in the old part of town not the newer one that is north of the city were City Hall moved to and where the newer stores such as Bodegas Aurrera (owned by Wal-Mart) and Merco are located.  There does not seem to be as many people at this one and I always find a parking space in the handicap section.

If you ever grocery shop in Mexico you will note that the sackers in the morning and early afternoon are senior citizens and after two o'clock when school lets out it is young kids.  That is because it helps both the stores that do not have to hire extra employees and the seniors and kids that benefit from part time employment. In the States we would never consider tipping a sacker unless they helped us to our car.  However in Mexico they work solely for tips, so please do not forget to give them a little something. If they do a good job I give them $10.00 Mexican pesos...if they do a crappy job like the man today did, I give them $5.00 Mexican pesos.

This lady is a great sacker.  She is dressed in her Independence Day attire.
In the background is a cutout of Miguel Hidalgo known as the father
of Mexican Independence.

Two senior sackers also dressed for the occasion.

In case you forgot this is the store that sells the yummy cakes.  Again I was strong and resisted!

Mexican Independence cakes

Could not help but photograph the other yummy chocolate cakes....

The large cakes that I use to buy :(

Regular size cakes

 A sampling of dollar prices down Exchange Rate Alley:

Today I was in the market to buy pesos and got them at the rate of $12.55 Mexican pesos to $1.00 US Dollar.

Crossing back to the U.S. was a breeze with only two vehicles in front of me at Customs. ALL the traffic was headed south.  The lines to cross into Mexico were backed up to the toll booths. Wanted to take a picture but my camera was in my purse in the back seat...sorry! :(


Good night.  May you all have Terlngua Dreams.

Haircuts

It had been three months since I had taken Mom to the beauty shop.  With my trip to Houston and mother's doctor's appointments there had been no time.  Aside from the fact that Mexico held presidential elections on July 1st.\

You are probably asking why would the presidential elections affect your trip to Mexico?  Having lived along the border since I was twelve, my parents avoided going there the month before and two weeks after.  Why? Because the exchange rates go crazy and Mexicans take their money out of the bank and buy dollars as a form of a hedge.

Depending on who you believe the past Mexican elections were fraudulent and the PRI the former party that ruled Mexico for 70 years and lost power 12 years ago bought votes by issuing poor people debit cards of a popular store in Mexico called Soriana.

As one might imagine there is a lot of mixed feelings and no better place to gauge it than at the beauty shop.  But that is politics and of another country to boot so I am not going to go into that.  Just wanted to let people know that if you want to go to Mexico, it is OK to do so.  The exchange rate on Thursday was $13.30 pesos to one US dollar.

We went to buy groceries at Aurrera and Merco and as a form of solidarity with Mexico I will never shop at Soriana again.  Noticed food prices had gone up considerably and this time I did not find any to die for bargains.  Glad to report that my medication for high blood pressure remained at the same price.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.