Nuevo Progresso, Mexico!

I decided to cross the border into Mexico this morning from McAllen, TX. My housing host, Judie and I had to constantly remind ourselves to bring our passports along. We paid $2 and parked the car on the US side. We then dropped in 0.25 cents into a turnstile and off we went across the Progresso International Bridge. It's about the distance of a short par-4, with the Rio Grande river in between. It was sad to see a woman and a young boy by the river, stretching their arms through the bridge, begging for money.
As we approach the bridge, I noticed the border patrol stations and some agents standing in position with their machine guns. Beyond that... rows and rows of retail stores! The locals were constantly trying to sell you something... dental work, bargain medication, manicures, pedicures, botox..! There were also street vendors selling jewelry, pirated DVDs, hammocks, little superhero costumes for kids, spices,... you name it!
We spent about 3 hours in Progresso... bringing home a baby guitar, a couple of mexican plates, a blanket, and a lot of dust!
On the way home, we had to show our passport at the border patrol station. Thankfully there was no glitch there. Judie paid the tax of $3.50 for the bottle of kahlua and tequila and 0.30 cents into the turnstile later - we were back on the US side. It was quite a day!