Driving to Mexico

By: Diana Avila Gutierrez January 21, 2021

Ever since I was a little girl I have traveled to Mexico by truck with my family. I love driving to Mexico because it is a beautiful experience to see different towns and people.

When I was younger it took about 26 hours to get from Colorado Springs to Calvillo Aguascalientes, Mexico. I remember that my dad bought me a DVD so that I could watch movies on the way and not get bored.

About nine or ten years ago when we were driving to Mexico my dad got lost and he was extremely mad; my mother had given him the wrong directions. When my dad found the correct way there was traffic and about fifty or more cars were lined up. That had never happened because there was never traffic. My dad got out of the truck and went to investigate. Many people had done the same and it turns out that there was a shooting between different cartel groups. No matter how much time passes, I never forget my mother urging my sister and I to hide under the seat. When the line advanced I saw all the cars that had been in the shooting and they all had holes and windows broken. In that moment I didn’t realize that we had been extremely lucky that we had gotten lost. If we hadn’t had gotten lost I can’t imagine what would’ve happened to us.

When traveling to Mexico I see numerous different car plates. The most common are Texas and California. I love seeing the car plates because it makes me feel like I’m not alone.

The most terrifying part of traveling is that in most roads in Mexico they only have one lane for each side like in the picture in the left. We encounter numerous trailer trucks that my dad has to pass by passing to the contrary lane and making sure there are no cars, then win over and take the lead. I hate when he does that because sometimes he can’t see if cars are coming.

A day traveling to Mexico starts with my dad putting all the bags into the truck. At 5pm we get in the truck and we go. My sister helps my dad drive the Chevy. We continue traveling all night until about 3 or 4 am. The border opens at 6 so my dad sleeps for a few hours. When the border opens we continue driving. We never stop only for gas and when we get gas we go the bathroom as well. The last part of the drive is the worst because everyone is hungry and exhausted. At last we arrive at 4 or 5 pm. The day we arrive we visit my dads parents that live next to us and the next day we visit my mothers family.

It makes me feel gloomy when I see all the people in Mexico and their small homes. On the way many families are selling us anything. It breaks my heart to see little starving children and I wish that I could help them.

Overall I love to travel to Mexico for the experience. All the time when I return from Mexico I have one quote in my head, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”