Day 3
Rio Grande Village RV Park Big Bend National Park Big Bend, Texas
Early this morning, Tim took a solo bike ride to the river. On his way he saw a coyote along the edge of the trees. On his way back he saw a bobcat.
When he got back to the RV, I was ready to ride too! We saw a group of young people who were getting ready to canoe down the river through the Boquillas Canyon.
We drove the Jeep to Boquillas Crossing. There we went through Border Control and down the path to the river.
Around 10, we took a rowboat across the Rio Grande River into Mexico.
Once there, we took a burro ride up the hill into the town of Boqilllas. Eduardo was our guide and our burros were Milo and Desante.
Boquillas is a small, simple place. There are 250 people that live there. They have a school where the elementary aged children (all 28 of them) go in the morning. In the afternoon 7 high school kids attend. They also have a small preschool. Until 5 years ago, the village had no electricity. They now rely on solar energy for power.
There is a village water reclamation system and some families have wells. This town relies on the tourist industry. The women embroider cloths and aprons to sell. They also produce beaded wire sculptures of cactus, roadrunners, and scorpions. The children run to you with bracelets and beer coozies, asking you to buy from them. It was hard to say no to the kids.
When we were here last winter it was during the government shutdown. The government and the crossing were both closed for 42 days. Winter is the peak season for these people to earn money ferrying tourists across the river to shop and dine. The villagers were forced to row across the river to sell their crafts on the American side. They also devised a floating restaurant because both Mexicans and Americans can be in the river just not on one side or the other. The ingenuity of the people allowed them to make some money during this difficult time. These people have no other way to earn a living….no place to raise livestock…no place to grow crops. People from the American side of the river came to bring clothing and shoes for the children. Hardship for these humble people is not being able to feed their families.
We had lunch in the Boquillas Restaurant. Eduardo and Tim drank beer together. We had a choice of enchiladas, tacos, or tamales. We both chose the tamales. We enjoyed sitting on the patio and watching the people go by.
There are people we know who would never make this trip…but I know…that I will always remember this experience!
We rode our bikes again this evening as the sun was going down. We saw some javelina and Tim saw another coyote.
We went for a drive in the Jeep after dark to look for nocturnal critters. We saw a small light colored rattlesnake, two tarantulas, and a jackrabbit.
November Days of Thanksgiving Day #3: We are very thankful for our parents. For their love and guidance as we grew. For teaching us how to work hard and for supporting us as we reached to achieve our goals. We love you mom!