Fri. Feb 24th. Lets go to Mexico!

Thanks for joining us on our journey of North America
 in our Holiday Rambler, since August 2006

Where are we today ?

Pilot Knob California, (Near Yuma Arizona)

        Wow it was windy last night, shaking and rocking our house, lotsa noise, but I slept thru it. Suzie not so good but she can have a nap later. Now this morning the wind has died down and no tv. The wind spun our satellite dish around. Just a simple matter and going outside and giving a quick turn.

        Suzie had mentioned a while ago that I needed new glasses (old ones are scratched) so this morning we thought we would go to Los Algodones Mexico and see what we can do. Can always get deals here and the fact that we still had about 3,000 Mexican pesos ($233.00). left over from over winter in Mexico in 2009. So this was like found money lets see about getting some free glasses.

        About 8:15 am (Arizona Time- 7:15 California) we hopped in the car and to the border crossing, 5 minutes  away. This parking lot is beginning to fill up already. All the businesses go by Arizona Time except for liquor sales 11 am Arizona time, 10:am California time.

parking lot

 A short walk across the border, not too busy yet.       

This is where the lineups will be later on heading back to the USA

        Now for eyeglasses there is so many places to choose from and all have pretty good prices. Algodones Optical was recommended by a few people so lets go here. They open at 8:30am and we were right on time.

        They are starting to get busy right away, so we talked to a sales person who explained the prices , I filled out the information form and was given a number . While waiting I picked out my frames and had my eye examination done. Then for the eye test and prescription written out and then I can pay . Cash or cheque.  Got a pretty good deal I thought all together it was $2,250.00 pesos ($175. Can). And that included the eye exam, eye test, two pair of tri focal glasses, and frames (one pair transition, they get dark in the sun). I have never had the transition lenses but Suzie highly recommended them so I got one pair to try. The glasses were two for one anyway.

choosing frames, so many choices

        This was all done by 9 am so now we have 3 hours to kill before I can pickup my new glasses.  We can wander about the many vendors here. Checking out the good deals.

Need a haircut ?

        Need a dentist, eyeglasses or pharmacy? They are every where.

        Blankets, belts, shirts, pottery, jewellery, trinkets , just about anything you can imagine.

purses wow!

        Suzie was looking for a new purse. But I guess today was not the day to buy. Thou she looked and she looked and all the vendors love to barter and want to sell you just about anything with their favourite saying "almost free!" Some people take offence to these vendors trying to sell their wares. We can have fun with them, joke around listen to them talk and enjoy the atmosphere here. But we did get good at saying no, gracias (no thank you).

more purses

fresh strawberries and asparagus

more purses

                Every so often between a shop we will notice a courtyard, maybe a restaurant or snack bar and a place to sit.

        Then the town square (sort of), with benchs to sit on , watch people, watch some artists  and listening to some music being played.

        The was a couple fellows playing Indian Flute Music and selling their CD's, reminds me of our markets back in Ontario, could be the same musician. Wonder if they winter in Mexico?

Indian Flute music

Indian drums

        We passed another courtyard very colorful tables and chairs, but appeared not open yet.

colorful courtyard

        Now more looking and people watching we had one more hour to wait, found this courtyard was open so thought we would rest our tired feet and check out the menus.

open air courtyard

11 am starting to get busy

        Now checking things out not wanting a huge lunch but definitely something tasty and Mexican. Suzie choose the Chicken Quesadia and me a beef Chimichanga, both very good and this included rice, salad, beans and salsa. The service was excellent and with three Corona to wash it down (Corona tasts much better in Mexico) the whole bill was $15.50 (200 pesos) only a couple of dollars more than our fast food lunch yesterday of two burgers a large fry and a soda, hmm.... Much better today.

 Suzie's Chicken Quesadia

my Chimichanga

        And this whole day was done with our leftover Mexican Pesos, lunch, a few souvenirs, my two pair of glasses and we still have some pesos left over for another trip sometime. 

        Lunch done and now we can wander the streets a bit more making our way back to Algodones Optical for 12 o'lock. My Glasses are ready so while I am getting them fitted, Suzie went into the line for the border crossing. Maybe 15 minutes later I was done and she was close to the head of the line. Good timing.

cars going back into the USA

the covered walkway with benches

        Thanks to Suzie getting in line and was moving fast, we were back in the states shortly after 12 o'clock.

cool taxi

Taxi with a trailer

        Now back home and Suzie can have that nap now. My project is to check out the lights on our toad (tow car). I didn't tell you this but yesterday when we left Needles California to come here we could not get the brake and signal lights to work on the car when hooked up to our coach. So we took the back roads and carefully got here hoping to resolve the issue when I have lotsa time and am not blocking the road. We requested and got a pull thru campsite so that I could hook the car up and do some testing.

        Everything hooked up tracing all the wires and testing at various places, I was getting some power to the lights, but not enough to make them work. A few more tests and I established a bad ground wire on the coach. Now clean it up, a new connection and now we have lights again. Put every thing back together and my tools away we can sit in the shade with out books, is a nice warm 85f (30c) so shade is important today.

          Read for a bit and a short walk to stretch my legs I took some pictures of the colors that are starting to sprout up around us, spring in the desert.

catus buds or flowers?

interesting cactus

bright cactus flowers

        Reading and enjoying the beautiful after noon even our neighbor came to visit Suzie and say hi.

hello, pet me please

my new glasses, get dark all by them selves, how cool is that?

        Now we did have kind of a light lunch so will have, kind of a light supper. Because "Elaine" was upset I did not post a picture of supper last night I thought I better get it done. I did feel kind of strange not having a supper to take a picture of. So tonight a nice light and tasty salmon burger and a few Ruffles Molten Hot wings chips for a supper snack.

yummy

        Now we had another great day, hot sunny, new glasses, a nice Mexican lunch, fun in Algodones, fix the wiring problem, enjoy the scenery, read our books in the shade, a tasty light supper, just another  tough day for a a couple of fulltime rvers.

sunset over the sand dunes

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