Friday, November 2nd - Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a three day Mexican holiday to celebrate loved ones who have died. We were invited by Dick and Judy, a couple we met in the swimming pool, to join them and their friends, Claire and Barbara, in traveling into Mexico to the town of Rio Bravo. We left Victoria Palms around 10:30 and crossed the border at Nuevo Progresso where we have been getting dental work done. Rio Bravo is about 30 kilometers inside Mexico.

We parked on a very rocky and dusty side street near the Panteon (graveyard) and joined in the festivities. There were vendors selling real and plastic floral arrangements, sweet slices of palm, trinkets, hats, etc. Everybody seemed very happy but respectful. People brought shovels, hoes, brooms, etc. to do maintenance work at the grave sites. The vaults and headstones were VERY colorful, bright pinks, blues, etc. We walked the entire length of the Panteon and even walked thru it. As you can see by the Kenworth truck adorning this gravesite, they can be VERY creative when placing burial markers. We were told that the deceased, Sr. de la Torre, owned a trucking company and this "headstone" was appropriate to a man of his stature. It was an interesting experience!

Later, we ate lunch at a local restaurant and drove back to the USA.

To re-enter the USA, we had to cross the border at Nuevo Progresso. Because of the holiday, the line of cars to clear customs was backed up around several corners for about one mile. It took us over one hour to get thru customs. While in line, we passed this restaurant in Progresso. Click on the picture and tell me, would you want to eat here?

Yesterday, we picked up a 2nd ding in Jasper's windshield from a flying rock. So I stopped at a repair place in Weslaco and got them repaired for $10 each. Raphael did a fine job and the dings look 90% better and this will stop them from getting worse.

We ate a quiet dinner of fried chicken at the restaurant here at Victoria Palms.