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Clearing both sides of the border took 4.5 hours. In 2016, I spent 6 hours crossing the border from Ukraine into Poland, so that was even worse. Recently, I spent but 15 minutes crossing from Albania into Montenegro. Before Covid, you could just walk into Mexico from the US, without any border check whatsoever. Yes, yes, I hear you, it's practically the same in the opposite direction, but not quite. In 2007, when I drove from Ojinaga, Mexico into Presidio, Texas, my car and I were searched pretty thoroughly by American officials for, I suppose, drugs.

Also in 2007, I crossed from Candelaria, Texas to San Antonio del Bravo, Mexico on a little footbridge that would be removed a year later, but for no good reason, really. Many people on both sides are related, and the only real shops are on the Mexican side. Candelaria only has about 75 people.

In photo, the woman and child wrapped in a blanket are from Port Nolloth, South Africa. It's their first trip abroad. For the boy, it's also his first long-distance bus ride, so he was very excited. Seeing a large spider, he ran up to me and spoke in Afrikaans, before switching to English. Inspecting this peach colored insect together, we decided it was no rain spider. He and his mom will spend three months in Namibia.
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