Nogales, Mexico: First Look

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. April 2019.

I didn't expect the hills.  Pretty.

Nogales, Arizona. April 2019.

I didn't expect the Wall to feel uglier, more menacing than its section in El Paso.

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. April 2019.

I didn't expect an early dinner of, basically, a pulled meat burrito that was sandwiched in a sweet roll with icing on it (!) instead of a tortilla, drowned in a sauce that may have been the best flavor of the lot. The dish was a torta ahogada. To people whose Spanish is as wobbly as mine - attention: Torta means cake, period. At least in Nogales, at least in this particular restaurant. Not "sandwich," no matter what someone might say to you. I'm going to put this dish in my mental file drawer that includes regional dishes I don't have to do again: Navajo taco, poutine, and Frito pie.

And, yes, eating pulled pork with icing on it tastes about the way you'd think it would, once your brain reads and accepts that it is, indeed, what it seems to be. But the lag time between taking that first bite and understanding that first bite creates no little consternation. 

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. April 2019.

My friend and I parked the car in the lot next to the McDonald's, then used the McDonald's restroom, then walked the three or so blocks to the walk-through port of entry. No money needed coming or going. Also, normally there's a $5 parking fee for the lot, but there was no one on duty, so evidently the day we went was a gift. Thank you, Nogales!

Whereas Juarez has an open-sky, expansive feel to it, Nogales has a mid-size town vibe, a bit like a Midwestern air. My opinion on this will likely evolve if/when I return to explore for longer than the hour or so we dipped our toes in. 

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. April 2019.

A slide show of Nogales below: