Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico

Fri, Mar 1st: we break camp early and we drive to the The Boquillas Port of Entry and the parking lot is full. People have parked their cars, RVs and motorcycles like idiots. The last one irritated me the most, there were three motorcycles taking up two and a half spaces, when they could have just staggered and used one. Adding insult to it, they parked with their front wheel in, real amateur stuff there. Alway back in your bike to a spot, it’s easier to get out too.

Jon went inside to ask the Customs Border Patrol guy if we can park alongside the road because the lot was full. Jon said the guy was surprised that the lot WAS full and we could park there.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about Furi crossing into Mexico but she has all her vaccines up to date including a bunch extra ones. The guy at the crossing didn’t seem to care about her when we departed.

We walk down the trail and meet an older couple coming back from Mexico. They ask about bringing a dog into Mexico and I use the forgiveness/permission excuse. They talked about how they are foster parents to dogs but end up taking them on full-time. We also talk about Heelers and their many quirks!

Now, you could wade waist deep across the Rio Grande but why would you? Support the local economy I say, it’s $5 USD round trip…plus Jon paid for me and Furiosa, “La dejaron entrar gratis”.

There are three ways to town, you can walk, you can have someone drive you in the back of a pick up or you could ride a burro. Since we had Furi, we walked. One of the truck guys tried some salesmanship by saying the sand was hot and it wouldn’t be good for her paws. I said, “Ella es Fuerte!” Nice try but he has no idea how tough she is. As much as I would have liked to ride a Burro, Furi might have reacted bad to it. She was also very wary of them, I think Australian Cattle Dogs have instincts that certain livestock is not to be fucked with. Burros are one of them.

While we were walking to town, one of the Burros , just laid down in the shade of a tree and quit with a tourist on it! The man coolly slid off the Burro and continued to walk like nothing happened. The Burro wrangler tried to get the stubborn guy to move but the Burro wasn’t having none of it. The wrangler just tied him off to a branch of the tree and continued to his other clients. I doubt the Burro would have moved anyway. If I ever open a Bar in Boquillas or in a border town, I’ll call it the Reluctant Burro.

We walked up to the town and checked out the area. There were a few dogs, they were definitely pets and not street dogs. There was a German Shepard, behind a fence that was a full on fierce guard dog. There was a mutt named, “Oso” or Bear, who had a keen interest in Furiosa but his owner knew Osa was up to no good. She picked up a rock and poor Oso retreated! Then there was this tiny little terror on the left. El Jefe Final! He came up all calm but let loose a high pitch growl that sounded like a grinding tool on metal. Furi had no idea what to do, so she hid behind me! The owner called the small dog off and the international incident was settled quicker than it began.

There are two restaurants and only one bar in Boquillas. We picked the one with the open patio so Furi could hang out. (I think both the restaurants are owned by the same people). They served three items that day, Tacos, Chicken Tamales and Enchiladas. I had the Tacos, Jon had the Tamales (I think it was his 1st time, he almost ate the wrappers), we should have gotten the enchiladas to split. I had a Carta Blanca beer and a Coke, while Jon had, I think, his 1st Mexican Coke ever. Furi had some water and a nice woman gave her some dog treats. She gave a few hi-fives for those. The food was fresh and delicious plus the beer and coke were cold and refreshing. Jon went inside to check out the Restaurant and missed a Mexican Army HMMWV (with cool digital camo) rumble by with a Soldier atop with a FX-05 Xiuhcoatl rifle. Jon kindly paid the bill (BTW: I supplied all the camp food and cooked while camping…fair trade) and I think I may have tipped?

We headed back to the crossing and Jon stopped at a small store to get something. Jon has a strange collection habit. He collects M&M wrappers from foreign countries. Sadly, they didn’t have M&M’s, so he got a snickers and some apple-pecan empanadas. While I was waiting for Jon, I bought a handmade beer coozie with a Javalina on it. I used my childlike Spanish to talk about “Mi Perra, Furiosa.” Jon saw one of the Mexican Army guys in the store, he looked young as hell and the rifle looked huge.

We walked back to the crossing and there’s a meeting going on with the Army and some of the Citizens. They are in a circle with a young woman in the center…the only thing I understood was, “My mother needs to buy things”. We gave them a wide berth. Don’t want to be the dumb gringo that walks into that. She was giving them the “what for” though! One of the Army guys was the big boss man, you could tell, he had a Shemagh and everything, very impressive looking, the other guy with him? Let’s just say he looked liked a mexican version of me, complete with pot belly too. I made small talk with the ferry guy who asked what was “El Vaqueros” name. I said, “La Vaquera nombre es Furiosa!”. He smiled at her name even though she looked more “Cansada do que Furiosa”. We got on the rowboat and were back on American Soil in less than 10 strokes. I tipped the Coxswain $5.

Getting out of the US is always easy. Getting back in is the tricky part. Funny story from a few years back, before my friend Josh went to Bahrain, I visited him and Mari in Yuma, AZ and we went across the border to San Luis. I was stupid and forgot my passport but I figured if I acted dumb, they’d let me back in. Again, here I am with the forgiveness/permission thing. We did what most gringos do, I bought a sombrero, drank mas cerveza and ate tacos. When we got back to the US entry point, they asked for my passport and I acted dumb and said, “I thought this was like Canada and didn’t need a passport to get back?”. He replied, “You need a passport to go to Canada too” and looked at me like he wanted to follow that with, “Dumbass”. I gave the Customs/Boarder Patrol guy my Military ID to try to get some sympathy and they looked me up in the Computer. I’m sure they see my trips abroad to Scotland and even the aforementioned Canada. I sheepishly say, “I forgot my passport, sorry”. They let me back into the US with an eyeroll and a dismissive wave.

Now, I couldn’t go to Boquillas last time I was in Big Bend this past summer because my passport expired but I had a brand spanking new one, complete with epic beard! This time I’m prepared! The guy at the port checked my bag, asked me if I bought any produce and I said no, and I was back in, sorta. He then asked if Furi had papers and I said, “Yes, they are in the car including, her AKC registration” (I found out later while researching, I didn’t have the correct papers). I had trouble with the Kiosk but I got on the phone, looked at the Camera and was let in. While I’m waiting for Jon, the border agent is searching his bag. I ask the guy what happens if someone say’s no to the search? He says we could say no but then it’s a red flag. Turns out, he’s not a Customs/Border Patrol guy but a Law Enforcement Park Ranger and then he finds the two Pecan-Apple empanadas Jon bought. This time, I’m not the dipshit at the border, it’s Jon! I’m seated, smiling ear to ear! This is going to be good, I’m enjoying my moment of seeing Jon mess up. The Ranger is concerned about the Pecans and it’s an U.S. Dept. of Agriculture issue (To be honest, Furi was a USDA issue too and I’m still a dipshit). Now the Ranger has to get on the phone to see if he can cross with it and they have to put it in refrigeration until they get an answer. We almost just ate them right there but I think Jon had a moment of clarity and said that it was a baked good and it should be fine. The Ranger checked and then agreed. Jon got across with his empanadas. (…and yes they were delicious!)

We arrived back at the parking lot to meet some people asking about Furi getting across and I played stupid again. I said, “She has better papers than I do”. They had two dogs but decided not to risk the crossing because the dogs didn’t like water or boats and they also didn’t want to leave them in their Truck in the sun. I’m glad Furi is somewhat well-behaved to make this trip. I’ll get her the proper bureaucracy paperwork next time, all it is a standard form signed by a veterinarian.

It was surreal that we were just popped into Mexico for a few hours. How cool is that?

We got back on the trail and were now headed to the Mariscol Mine, Black Gap road and then Robbers Roost for the night.