If you've seen one border town, you've seen them all.

We haven't decided if we're going to cross over into Mexico on our Texas trip this year. We've done it three times, twice to New Progresso and once to Matamuras (across the Rio Grand from Brownsville). New Progresso is about a 40 minute drive from Mission TX, where my in-laws live, and that's where all the seniors go, instead of Reynosa. Reynosa is about a 5 minute drive from Mission; unfortunately, the last two sheriffs in Reynosa have been gunned down in cold blood by drug dealers, so they tend to avoid going there.

After the first visit to New Progresso, I had actually told Mocha-momma that one visit there was more than enough. I had not planned on going back, but one other year my father-in-law was having a medical procedure done, so we tagged along. We went to Matamuras because we thought that might be different from New Progresso, but it wasn't.

As far as I can see, there are three things that stand out when visiting one of these border towns. One is the number of pharmacies (prescription drugs for humans and animals are alot cheaper), two is the number of dentists (all the seniors go to have work done; again, it's cheaper), and the last thing is the fact that every single shop or open-air stand all sell the same merchandise. I don't know how much the individual merchants make, but whoever is running the distribution of souvenirs must be making out like a bandit (probably the literal truth).

One other thing about these towns; the unwritten rule is you stay within the boundries of the marketplaces. If you go a few blocks away from the main streets, you're on your own and will probably end up in deep doo-doo.

You can get some good deals here, don't get me wrong. I still have a silver wrist chain that I got for about half the price it would have cost me in MN. One of the big things you see people carrying are beach bags, that are used as shopping bags. In Mexico they're sold for $1.00; I saw the same exact bags going for $10.00 on the American side.

There are probably 20 shops in this hallway; but the thing is they all sell basically the same merchandise. The vendors stand in the hall and try to get you in to their shops. Mocha-momma is good to have along because she continually harps at me to just keep walking.