Entering Mexico: The rain is over
Arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing
After saying goodbye to our friend Keive in San Diego today, harry and I continued south toward the U.S.-Mexico border. There are many vendors and currency exchange points near the border, usually for the convenience of people traveling between the two countries. I exchanged Mexican pesos near the border crossing, about 20 pesos for 1 US dollar.
Continue forward is the port gate, first a few lift barricades iron pillar block in the forefront, the distance between the iron pillar just trolley can pass, but need to be particularly careful, try to carefully cart forward until the last wheel of the trailer is stuck, at this point is trying to back up and start over, but the trolley to start over are difficult to straight backwards, has been playing deflection, can only be stuck deeper and deeper.
At this time next to a big brother, he is for the coming and going guests Seeing the situation, he told me not to rush, he helped me to move the trailer behind me, which slowly the whole car through the iron bars, I wanted to give him a tip, but he was just busy to carry other guest goods I did not have time to say thank you in person.
So continue forward, through the barbed wire fence, came to the last revolving iron gate in the United States, instantly frozen, the iron gate itself is not large, but also with rotation, my bike plus trailer at least 3 meters, it is impossible to pass directly, and the side of the travelers one after another easy to pass, I stood there in my head constantly rotating thinking about how to pass, want to try to separate the trailer and bike, one after another to enter, but found that the trailer Solar panels are too wide, rotating halfway to the middle will be stuck in the middle, helpless to have to return, try to take the bikes off the carrier bag is possible to pass, but I can not do so, because past the revolving door is unable to reverse the direction of rotation, meaning that it can not come back to get the trailer. At this point Harry in the trailer has been pressed, has been rushing towards the iron gate side.
This program does not work, so the long-term plan, looking at the revolving door and a normal iron door, but by the iron lock tightly locked, if you can get the key may be able to enter smoothly, so a Mexican ama said after entry, young man you wait, I went to call the Mexican border personnel to help you open the door, not long after the ama stood over the iron door also helplessly told me that this door Mexico side no key, to find the U.S. border Bureau of the side, there is another way is to take the car and motorcycle passage, but this method before a Mexican cycling friends told me not to do so, because that is all the car passage speed is very dangerous.
I had to go back to the U.S. border station and try to ask the staff there if they had the key to open the door, thinking that it was not difficult to come to the U.S. border station and ask the staff there, they helped and then asked their bosses, and the result was that there was no way to open the door, they did not have the authority or the key, including their bosses as well.
I didn’t know what to do, and things became a deadlock. One of the border staff told me that I could ride my bike to another border station 15 miles away, and I hesitated momentarily and asked if there was also a revolving iron gate there. The guy wasn’t sure, and if I went there or the same situation I would be stuck there too.
How is good, I think there is a final method is to unpack all the bags of equipment, little by little over the revolving door ant move type. But such a do need someone to help pass between the two doors. So I said goodbye to the few staff said this idea, cart again to the iron gate hope to find help.
As I was walking along, two voices came from behind me, hi my friend how are you, do you need help? Speaking the same exotic English as me, I turned around and saw a man and a woman carrying large bags and holding a lot of luggage and a lot of diving equipment in their hands, asking if we needed help, I said thank you very much, asking how do you guys I need help, they said it was the border police who just told them I needed help, thanking them and all my friends in front of me.
I asked Where they were from, the boy was from Italy and the girl was from Argentina, they were traveling to Mexico and they were planning to go to Baja California because of the amazing scenery and diving resorts, I said I was planning to go there too and they were happy to invite me to their friend’s camp. I happily agreed to, so that when we get past this iron gate difficulty.
So the three of us came to the iron gate, they held the luggage directly around the revolving door into the opposite side, I did not have time to tell them not to enter, and so they put down the luggage ready to come back to help me, but found that it was too late, can not return, because the revolving door only into not.
Two young people instantly blinded, ha ha, I said it’s okay. You can go over first, I will first unpack the luggage, so they separated through the bars, to help me a little to move the luggage inside. A Mexican friend saw this and helped me to bring my bike over, still left Sungold solar panels did not take the past, suddenly a man appeared in front of us, he said that we should put the trailer and solar panels up, as straight as possible in order to be able to pass the turnstile.
I looked back at him, it was the friend who helped us move the car at the first iron post railing. It turned out that he was helping people to deliver their luggage here and saw that we were struggling to move the car through the iron gate, so he gave us a tip.
The three of us worked together to lift the car upright, carefully rotating a little to move forward, we dare not relax, because the solar panels inside the chip is very fragile. We finally succeeded after a lot of effort, we celebrated with high fives and sighed that it was really not easy. Because my things are relatively large through the customs slower, and so I finished the formalities in Mexico Customs, two young friends have been a step ahead. Out of the Mexican customs, a deep sigh of relief, harry and I finally entered the success.
Pushed the bike along the pass iron fence has been walking, suddenly was surprised by the scene in front of us crying and laughing, the original Mexico side there is an identical iron gate, and at this time only one of us left …. But with the experience just now, calmly respond, a pass Mexican uncle saw me a person lifting the car initiative to help, the two of us together to all the equipment actually sent out of the revolving iron door. It was then that I found myself truly free standing on Mexican soil, and the real challenge had just begun …..
Arrived in Mexico the first night friends took us to a safe place, many people did not expect to borrow the fire station fire station, firefighters are very enthusiastic, but also the room deliberately moved out to me and Harry, I think if not out, it will always be difficult to imagine the story of the world will be how.
Baja California Baja California long narrow land landscape, one side is the ocean on the other side like a highland scenery dry to the extreme, morning in Rosario Rosarito is still raining, noon clearing afternoon arrived Ensenada, along the way the mountain road is difficult to travel, night stay in a local warmshowers friends Felipes home, lit a campfire, drinking their local own wine, learn about their lives and stories, the day tired gradually dissipated, there is still a long road, we will meet many people, we cherish every encounter, meet briefly and farewell, friends cherish and take care. The road is still long, we will meet a lot of people, we cherish every encounter, meet briefly and say goodbye, friends cherish and take care, life is a process of meeting those things and those people:)
