J came for the weekend and it was really good to have him here. As mentioned in another post, he unfortunately wasn't feeling well, but still enjoyed himself and we had fun. IVF with Dr Garza consists of multiple payments. Each time you go he adjusts your medications and you only pay for a few days worth of medicine at a time. He accepts credit cards, cash dollars, or cash pesos. The way you get the best rate is by using your credit card but ask them to charge it in pesos. The final payment for retrieval, however, is just under 3000 dollars and Dr Garza prefers to have it in cash dollars. J brought the amount down with him when he came so that I didn't have to have it on me the week before.
J left home in the very early morning hours of Saturday and arrived around 7:30 a.m. While he had breakfast and rested after the five hour drive, I popped over to Dr. Garza's in his van, and made the payment. As using the doctor's driver to return to Brownsville sometimes takes extra time, depending on how many patients you are waiting for, I requested the office to call the medical district van for me instead. Waiting downstairs for the van to arrive I noticed another women waiting as well. She had Indian features and I had noticed a file with the name Khan on it upstairs. When we got into the van together I struck up a conversation and learned that she was in fact Indian and, much to my delight, from Kerala. She is a nurse that lives in Houston but found Dr Garza when she used to live in Brownsville. She makes the trip to see him as she says he is a very great doctor. We had good conversation about Indian food, the wonderful smell of curry trees and, of course, fertility. She's the only Indian I've seen in the Matamoros/Brownsville area and I was pleased to have found her.
J was waiting for me on the other side of the bridge and we spent a little time wandering through the shops downtown. They are filled with Mexican merchandise and are very affordable. We didn't buy anything but there were items that would have been perfect for my classroom at school. For example, I just know that the children in my class would love all the very sparkly dress-up shoes!
Later that afternoon J discovered this neat store in Brownsville that sells fruit, vegetables, spices, herbs, organic products, natural body care products etc. The place is run by a family of three, parents and their daughter, and has so much character. Out front they had a bunch of moringa trees that were pretty tall. J has been trying to grow moringa so this was an exciting find.
I'm having a hard time manipulating the images in an attractive way but here are a few pictures that I took. There was also an odd assortment of pots for people to choose from. We ended up buying some bananas and a grain snack (can't remember what it was called) with the plan of going back to buy moringa trees later.
Today I went back to purchase the moringa trees, in fear that they would run out of them by Saturday, when I leave. The proprietor/father and I began chatting and he wanted me to sample all these different fruits. We talked about growing jackfruit and moringa and, with great surprise in his voice, he told me about a "gringo" in Mexico who grows the best jackfruit. "A gringo!!" he emphasized... He also told me that Mexico is no more dangerous than the US and that in the US people steal your clothes. When I laughed he said, "No, really! People are drunk and sleeping on the side of the street and someone goes and steals their pants! It happens. And what about Chicago?... and New York?... No, no... Mexico is a safer place." "You know" he added, "This all used to be Mexico. But Mexico had so much land that they didn't care and gave this way. Davey Crockett fought down here..." and with a flourish, he pointed to his baseball cap that read, "You can all go to hell, I'm going to Texas."
But, I digress. I wanted to talk about the weekend rather than today.
On Sunday we went to Nuevo Progresso in the morning. It's a 45 min drive from Brownsville and you drive right along the border fence the whole time. On the US side, in Progresso, there is a large parking lot right next to the bridge that charges 2.00 a car for the whole day. We got there at about 9:30 and the place was already filling up. Walking across the bridge at Progresso is very different than walking across at Matamoros. The Matamoros bridge is strikingly unattractive and feels dirty and dusty. In Progresso, however, you are greeted with pretty patches of manicured lawns and other lush greenery.
The view of the river is beautiful here whereas, at Matamoros, it's just a trickle with litter covered banks.
Half way across the bridge is this sign - and then the bridge suddenly becomes shuttered so that you can no longer see the river. J and I wondered at this until we realized that there was a small crowd of people down below on the river bank. Some of them had lawn chairs and all of them were calling out to the people crossing above. I don't understand Spanish but it was a very dramatic scene and it was apparent they were calling out for money. Underneath the shutters on the bridge there was a balustrade. As we approached the end of the bridge, where the banks of the river were leveling out with us, an arm suddenly shot through the balustrade with a cap in its hand. While you of course feel compassion for someone so desperate - there is something about a disembodied arm shooting out at you that is just a little nerve wracking.
Once in Nuevo Progresso you are accosted by fantastic sights and sounds. Every few feet there is a dentist's office or a drug store, and members of these establishments stand outside listing all their services and rates. "You want teeth cleaning?!! Today only special! Thirty dollars!!" said one man as we walked by. Another rattled off all the prescription drugs available and sounded very much like a professional auctioneer. A third man called out to us asking if we wanted a haircut; J pointed to his shaved head and said, "It's already taken care of..."
And then there were the stores... oh how I loved them!!! They were filled to the brim with brightly colored pottery and I wanted to buy it all! Baking dishes, platters, mugs, serving sets, large spoons... you name it! It was all just so beautiful and I kept going through the shops examining all this beauty. It's truly a feast for your eyes. I would love to come back down here for a shopping trip some time. Just saying.
The shopping in Nuevo Progresso is on one street and starts at the bridge. You walk down a few blocks and then cross the street to walk back up the other side. We had stopped to watch a landscape painter at work when J saw an elderly women trying to sell small packets of chiclets to people passing by. J said he would be right back. He went to the lady and bought two packets of chiclets from her; her face broke out in a crinkled smile. She said, "Thank you" as she handed the tiny packets to him and J came bounding back to me full of smiles himself. I was so touched by this because I realized that I wasn't noticing the hardships around me in the way that he was.
After wandering up and down the street for a couple of hours we headed back over the border. While we were waiting in line J reminded me that I had a banana in my purse. It was originally from Mexico, but I bought it in the US, had taken it to Mexico with me and now, as I attempted to re-enter, it was going to be a problem. So I ate it. That is all.
When we got back to our car the massive parking lot was full. Nuevo Progresso is a happening place and all the cars there proved it.
Other than this, J and I also tried out a couple of restaurants here in town. We ate at Emilia's in Brownsville, a small Mexican food place that I would not recommend. The food wasn't at all flavorful and was very oily.
We also tried Russo's NY Pizzeria which we enjoyed. Other eats included breakfast tacos for J from a highly recommended gas station. He got an egg and green chili taco that he said was quite good. And before he left on Monday he got some fajitas from Kikis which he said were good as well.
That about sums up our little vacation together. I wish he could have stayed longer but am happy he could come when he did. Maybe in the winter we'll be able to do something like this again.
Tootles everyone! Thank you for reading!
