Photo-of-the-Week #84 - A Wet Day in New Laredo, September 2003

You're looking at a very wet day on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande River in Nuevo Laredo. I took this photo on my 2003 Texas Adventure with my New Zealand buddy, Brian Morris. Brian wanted to purchase some low cost prescription meds (not controlled substances) to take back with him to New Zealand. So, we crossed one of the three international bridges into Mexico, enjoyed an afternoon and a nice lunch, walked in the rain and returned to Laredo on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande later in the afternoon.

What we didn't know at that time is that Laredo/Nuevo Laredo is the biggest inland port in Mexico and the U.S. At the time, the population of Nuevo Laredo was about 374,000. The Laredo, Texas population was a little less. We also didn't know that Nuevo Laredo was the headquarters of the Gulf Cartels (drug smugglers) and that the violence had increased considerably that year due to a rival cartel moving in and challenging the Gulf Cartels. I usually always find something positive and redeeming about just about every place I visit. My immediate impression of both cities was that neither gave me particularly warm fuzzies.

I seriously doubt that the Laredo and Nuevo Laredo Visitor Centers and Chambers of Commerce will be hiring me anytime soon to provide public relations services. I'm sure things aren't quite as bad as their reputations, but I don't have any immediate plans for a return visit anytime in the future.