South of the Border

'South of the Border, only 198 miles ahead on I-95' the huge, colorful billboard boasts.  Huh?  We're in Georgia!  So, what could that be????  'On the Border' is a great Tex-Mex restaurant back in our home state of Texas, and since we are always on the prowl for decent Tex-Mex, our eyes light up thinking, ooh!  Maybe, just maybe, there is a great enchilada and Margarita with a little salt and lime awaiting us a mere 198 miles up the road!  Our taste buds fairly tingle as we spot another one, 'South of the Border, Sommtheeng Deeferent'  Then, 'Honeymoon Suites: Heir Conditioned at South of the Border' comes into view...Ummm, it's not a Mexican restaurant, we deduce!  Daggone it, and I was getting in the mood for a great Margarita, chips and queso!

'You Never Sausage a Place! (You're Always a Weiner at Pedro's!)'...Ummm, that's pretty punny! 'Keep yelling, kids! (They'll stop.)'  'Pedro's fireworks! Does yours?'  Hahaha!  'Too much Tequilla (Billboard appears upside down)'  We have never seen soooo many billboards advertising one place, so we are definitely going to stop there!  Margarita or no!

As we approach Hamer, SC,  the first thing that gets our attention is a ginormous sombero on top of a tower at least 150 feet high (165 feet to be exact)!  Our mouths are gaping wide open as we exit to 'South of the Border', a rest stop, complete with Reptile Lagoon, Amusement Park, adult entertainment store appropriately named 'The Dirty Old Man', Mexico Shop, Fireworks and Pedro's Diner!

As we drive into the complex, I am snapping pics as fast as I possibly can and yelling at Mike to slow down, no, back up...over there, gotta' get a picture of THAT!  Campy, kitschy, tacky, funny, and just plain laugh-out-loud hilarious!  This is just about the most bizarre truck stop ever!  Carl's Corner, of Willie Nelson fame, near West, Texas, has a long way to go to beat this SOB!!!

Finally, we park and go into the Mexico Shop.  For the next hour-and-a-half, we totally regress to outrageous and juvenile behavior and, well...the pictures below relate the silly time we had much better than I could ever pen it!

i Pimientos Rojos!  i Muy Caliente!

SNAKES!  Why did it have to be SNAKES!!!

South of the Border...down South Carolina Way!

Dinosaur Glasses...who knew they had such LONG eyelashes!

EEK!  That snake that fell out of the tree at Little Talbot State Park is stalking me!

I am the Rastafarian Man....

Finally made it to the Oasis!

Marilyn & Mike & The Seven-Year Itch...should I be jealous????

Wikipedia says "South of the Border was developed by Alan Schafer (1914-July 19, 2001),[1] who founded a beer stand at the location in 1950 and steadily expanded it with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items. He had a great deal of success turning South of the Border into a "tourist mecca"[2] because of his location, which was immediately across the border from Robeson County which was at one time, one of many dry North Carolina counties. He grew his small business into what was, by local standards, an economic empire. South of the Border grew to over a square mile, required its own infrastructure, and had its own fire and police departments. Schafer became reclusive, building a large compound of interconnected houses outside the Dillon city limits. At South of the Border, he kept secret apartments hidden in the backs of restaurants and shops.[citation needed]

South of the Border was originally created as a rest stop for members of the Jewish community[citation needed] who regularly traveled to and from the New York area to Florida. The revenues generated from the higher than average numbers of patrons, allowed South of the Border to grow and expand into the Mexican themed kitsch location it is today."

Interestingly enough, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, grew up in nearby Dillon and once wore a sombrero and pancho as he waited tables at Pedro's Diner, working there in the summertime to earn money while attending Harvard!

So, now you know that 'South of the Border' not only refers to our neighbor, Mexico, to the south of the US,...but also to a uniquely bizarro, yet delightful truck stop just 'South of the Border' of North Carolina, hence the catchy name! (Fondly referred to by the locals as SOB.)

Visit 'South of the Border's' website at:
http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/