Whelp...that was a bad day at the office, truck stolen

[zeehag]

no where is more dangerous than you make it.
folks can listen to sensationalist news or folks can go out and about safely. it is a matter of presentation down here. present as a richie rich and rats come.
life is good.
is better here than in south central lost angeles and east l a . or detroit.
thieves are everywhere.
my block is safer than your block is a ridiculous way to live.
so sit inside and shake in fear while others are out and about having fun and enjoying life and living. there are those.
i have not needed to lock my stuff down here, but gods help ye not locking up in usa-- stuff vanishes in usa. no issue in mexico. funny thing about that.
i am glad you found your truck.
what a fiasco.
hurry back south to safety.

[hpeer]

I've had a beard wine Seltember of 1972, but usually kept it trim. As I was zeroing in on retirement I quit trimming and let my hair grow out, and I'm bald. One day when standing in line to get some food from a downtown Philly street vendor a bum comes along working the line, except he just said "Hello" to me and hit up the next guy. Same thing at street corners, buns work the cars, but just give me a nod and move on.

Even by USA standards we are doing above average financially, I just don't LOOk the part.

But, truth be told, I've worked some bad areas, not a lot, enough. I've never had a problem, always kept a civil tongue and minded my own business, and carried a determined gait. My Wife was mugged twice walking from work. Once a kid tried to spray perfume in her eyes, her glasses blocked it. She stared down on him, locked eyes and said in her German accent "You vant to die?" The next time they tried to snatch her bag, but it had heavy straps and she ripped it back from the guy who ran off.

I've a few more stories but that's enough. We have been lucky and now enjoy our relative safety away from population centers.

[redhead]

SeaDreaming - Glad it worked out so well. If you put your two translator "angels" on one side of the scale and the theft on the other, it sounds like you like the outcome and your and your husband's opinions are the ones that count.

Sail well, sail safe, have a ball and keep on enjoying life.

[KiminAK]

I'm glad it all worked out. What a couple of sweet guys to help you guys. I think you did the right thing to sell the truck right away. It would have been a bummer to have a drug dog hit on your truck crossing the border!!

I'm glad that you guys are safe and now you have another story to put in your biographies! Perhaps titled Good Angels, Bad Guys.

[PhiSig1071]

Glad it worked out for you guys.

Occasionally the cartels will look for vehicles that are frequent border crossers and hide drugs in their vehicle overnight, then follow the vehicle north the next day and recover the drugs when the vehicle stops. Stealing a truck, loading it with drugs, and then having it "recovered" and repatriated would be a new twist on an old story.

[Sea Dreaming]

PhiSig, we thought of that angle! When Jim took the truck back across the border he insisted on a full inspection. I believe they would that anyway. So the truck was xrayed, mirrored and every nook gone over with a fine tooth comb. Drug free!

[PhiSig1071]

That's Good! Smart thinking. The ingenuity of the cartels never ceases to amaze me. Glad this wasn't a set up.

[Kenomac]

You were smart to have the truck fully inspected.

Unfortunately for us honest, non-smugglers, the actual drug smugglers for the cartels look just like us, not like the ones depicted in the Hollyweird movies and TV shows. This fact hit home around seven years ago when a hard working business associate in the piano moving business of all things, was caught, arrested and subsequently sent to federal prison for 15 years for trucking tons of cocaine, pot or whatever. I never would have suspected the fellow was moonlighting for some extra cash. I guess the quick cash is just too tempting for some.

If you want to see what the actual smugglers look like... just look in the mirror.