Three friends one car, one game -go SPURS go-

Nina and I are sitting in the rented Seat at the airport in Monterrey. I’m turning on the car. We are slowly but safely driving out on the freeway this Thursday afternoon. We are heading to San Pedro to stay one night at the house of Alexander before we are going to the goal of this trip: The NBA game between San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets.

We are entering the hall of the building where Alexander lives, as we were part of a Mad Men seen. There are two guards at the entrance. The hall is impressive. One of the guards are following us up to the apartment of Alexander on seventh floor, because as he says, with a glance in his eyes: “Alexander is a good person, so I want to be sure that he wants to see you”.

When we are entering the apartment this evening is the view from the panorama view from his living room amazing with all the light over Monterrey. After meeting for dinner with Angelina who we were studying with doing the three weeks Spanish school, are we all ready to go to bed and get some good sleep before the trip is going to San Antonio early the next morning.

They see me rolling

The music is on, the road is clear. The direction is northeast. The time has come. We are heading off to San Antonio. It is a cloudy morning at 6.15 a.m. but perfect for driving. There is some traffic out of Monterrey but nothing in comparison with the traffic Nina and I are used to from Mexico City. The road is flat while we are passing by the beautiful scenery of the mountains on our side.

Our first stop this morning is the border city Nuevo Laredo nearly 250 km north of Monterrey. The voice of 2pac is coming out of the speakers when we are hitting the border between Mexico and USA. I’m excited to cross the border because since I got my confirmations-later from ITAM did I knew that I wanted to crus this border by car.

Nuevo Laredo is the biggest border that is closes to Monterrey. There is four Puentes (bridges) from which the border can be crossed. It is only a river that is separating USA and Mexico.

We are crossing el Puento 1 because we have researched that the line here should be the shortest one. The downside about border crossing by land is like usually that you never know how long time it will take…

The bridge is not difficult to see and the American migrations office is not hard to find because they do not allow us to enter the states without going through the office. Harder is it to find the Mexican emigration office because there aren’t nearly any signs and the office is before the bridge.

We are hitting the line on the bridge 9.40am and only 30 minutes later after showing our ESTA and giving fingerprints can we jump in your rented car and continue our journey to San Antonio. We are all surprised about how easy and fast it was since we have head people can be stuck at the border for hours.

Going downtown

After crossing the border isn’t it hard to tell that we now are in the states. You see it immediately; the roads are bigger and the landscape is flat. The huge American and Texan flag is blowing in the wind at the side of the road, and of cause the bigger cars.

The road from Nuevo Laredo to San Antonio is straight and easy to drive on, so a little less than four hours after crossing the border, are we entering San Antonio. A bit before we are entering downtown, can we see the tower of the Americas that was build in 1966. Our hotel is not far from the famous River Walk, so after checking in and leaving our stuff are we heading down to walk on the River Walk, which is a quiet area with lots of restaurants located next to the small river. The light is low and the atmosphere is American, when we are ordering tree steaks at the Riverside, because as we discussed, we need to have a steak while we are in Texas.

Shopaholic

The voice of 2pac and Elton John is coming out the speakers while we are driving out from the Hotel’s parking lot. We are heading downtown to continue our drive to the big shopping outlet San Marcus, while 2pac is singing:

“I refuse to be a role model

I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottles

I make mistakes, but learn from everyone

And when it’s said and done

I bet this Brother be a better one”

Alexander is ready to make good deals. He has made a long list with all the things he wants to buy. A list that is twice as long as Nina’s and mine combined. When we are arriving to the San Marcus outlet after driving for 45 minutes isn’t it difficult to see that this is a huge one. We only have to park the car and then go from one store to another.

#GoSpursGo

The goal with this trip is not the outlet but the NBA game Saturday night between Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs at AT & T Center. Spurs that has been my favorite basketball team since NBA for the first time was showed live on Danish TV in the beginning of the 2000s.

The People we have meet doing our shopping and told that we are going to the match have all been jealous and had wished it were them, so we are all very excited for the game and the experience when we are getting through the security check and walking up the stairs to our sites. We are just taking our sites at the moment the American national song is starting. We have been a bit late because of a car accident on the freeway. But it does not matter, because when the song is starting and we can see the huge American flag spread out in the center of the court, hold by American soldiers, do we know that this is going to be a good night.

Tonight is the game night and after the tipoff everybody are ready and when Ginóboli is getting on the court, after small 5 minutes play in first quarter, the trio is completed, consisting of Tony Parker, Emanuel Ginóboli and Tim Duncan. Even though we are sitting not far from the roof the view is okay and the atmosphere is good. Many fans are wearing Spurs shirts and hats. I can see many families who are here with kids to have a great family night together.

Doing the breaks and timeouts the cheerleaders is showing what they can in their military inspired outfit. The night is not only reserved for the game but also to honor the military veterans which is happening four to five times in the breaks doing the game. Especially when a veteran is going on the court to sing in honor of the veterans who is getting a standing applause when he is leaving in his wheelchair.

The noise from the people is on its climax in the middle of the 3. quarter. Spurs has just made four 3 points in a row and is putting themselves in the lead of the game. A game where the two teams have been close to each other until now and when David West with Number 30 is dunking the sounds from the audience is unstoppable. Nina, Alexander and I are all looking at each other with big smiles on our faces and I’m thinking that I really wouldn’t have been without this experience especially not, when I’m looking up at the roof where the five champions titles which Spurs have won is hanging. Four of them have the trio won, in 2003, 2005, 2007 and latest in 2014. Only Tim Duncan has the Horner to have won all the titles when he together with David Robinson won the first NBA champion for Spurs back in 1999.

Forever young

We got an upgrade of the rented car, which is good, when we are packing all our stuff in the trunk. It is Sunday and we are still high from the experience the night before at the NBA game when we are heading South. We are on our way back to Mexico and Monterrey. But before we are getting out of Texas we do need to have a good steak. So we are making a stop at a Longhorn Steakhouse. Where we are feeling the Texan style, when we are sitting in one of the stalls and getting our 11 oz. steak and of course refill of our drinks.

When we are getting back in the car to hit the border,hopefully before it gets dark, is Nina who is sitting at the back seat and who has been our DJ the most of the trip putting on Jay-Z’s version of “Young Forever” with Mr. Hudson. Alexander has had a big smile on his face eversince we crossed the border to the states. He says that he feels like being back home, cause everything is just so much easier here in the states than in Mexico. We all agree that we easily could have spent more time in Texas, but we need to get back to Mexico.

The line to cross the border back to Mexico is not too long but we still need to spend some time on finding the Mexican emigration office here in the dark because we haven’t stressed on our way here. When we finally finds the office doesn’t it take us more than 5 minutes to get our stamps and our FFM with a permission of 180 days.

Everybody has told us that we shouldn’t cross the border when it is dark because of danger. So when we are heading off to Monterrey is it important for us to find the road 85D and not 85. The reason is that the 85D is a tax-road and is in better shape. We find it easily and all the time are we driving with another car in front of us, so we aren’t by our self here in the dark with the exception of all the trucks we are passing by.

After 1100 km drive and many experiences in our rental are we entering Monterrey. The clock has just passed 23.00. We are all tired but in a good mood when we are looking at each other and confirming that we have had a perfect road-trip, game and weekend.

“Drink some wine,

Reminisce talk some shit forever young is in your mind

Leave a mark that can’t erase neither space nor time

So when the director yells cut,

I’ll be fine,

I’m forever young…”