I pulled into the border parking lot at Los Algodones, strolled through the port of entry and made my way past the hawkers, vendors and beggars to my favorite taco cart. I waited while they fried up the shrimp just for me then assembled the tacos. I ate them slowly, savoring every bite. Then I retraced my steps to a pharmacy where I stocked up on my medications at ridiculously low prices. I moseyed back through the hawkers, vendors and beggars to the border. I was fifth in line. I was stuck behind slow walkers on my way back to the parking lot, but I was in no hurry. I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I approach the Rolling Steel Tent. I had left the engine running. But at least I had locked the doors.
The van engine is rather quiet, and my hearing isn't that great, so if my mind is on other things (like making sure I have my passport) and my automatic pattern of
stop, put it in park, turn it off and remove the key it gets sidetracked.
It's not the first time this has happened and it probably won't be the last. That's why I have a spare key hidden under the van.
For those who worry about the wisdom of leaving your vehicle parked at the border, no bad guys came along, discovered my running van, smashed a window and drove away in it.
Are US customs sticklers about the 90-days supply at a time, forcing you to go back several days in a row to get a years supply of drugs?
ReplyDeleteI've left my lights on before while off hiking most the day, (Thankfully the battery was strong enough to survive this dope-slap moment) and for the same reason you cite; breaking from my normal routine. So far I haven't left the engine running, but that's probably due to the fact that I never lock the doors with the door-buttons but only via the remote on the key-fob. And if the key-fob is still in the ignition it's pretty tough to lock the doors.
One thing does give me pause though. The semi-intelligence of my 2010 Sprinter will re-lock the doors if I unlock them with the fob but don't open one within a couple minutes. I suppose it's unlikely, but I'm sure I can dream up a scenario where that could bite me in the ass one day.
They've never counted my pills. It's embarrassing and inconvenient, though, that one of my meds only comes in a box of 30 pills on foil sheets. The box is about the size of a paperback book. And they only come in 300mg pills instead of 600mg. So I need to take four a day instead of two, which works out to ten boxes to last three months. I used to be able to get bottles of 100, but I checked several pharmacies and no one has them anymore. Other than the trip today I'll be back a couple more times during the winter since I stay in the general area.
DeleteI had occasion to use my spare key from under the van frame. Failed to get all the dirt off the hide a key box & the "lid" didn't really slide back in place correctly. It looked like it did. However next time I needed my hidden key, the lid & key was missing. Luckily I'd left a window down enough that a Really tall guy with Really skinny arms could reach in & unlock my door. It's back to wearing a key on a lanyard around my neck...Mr Thin Man might not be around next time.
ReplyDeleteMmm Tacos.
ReplyDeleteThough i've tried many times, our Toyota Rav4 won't let me lock the doors without removing the key. Thank goodness it is smarter than me.
That has been the case with European and Japanese cars for a long time. American manufacturers resisted. I think it's because they have an agreement with the locksmith mafia and tow truck cartels. The same with the headlights not going off when you turn off the engine.
DeleteGreat photo
ReplyDelete