The best part about going to Boquillas, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, might just be arriving. You float in near bliss for 30 seconds or so as Carmelo Sandoval rows you across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

“More people are coming” he says excitedly in Spanish.

The border was sealed by presidential order in 2002. Before then, thousands of people crossed informally as they had for generations.

And trade benefited both countries. Visitors to Big Bend National Park in Texas tacked on a trip into Mexico to savor another culture for a few hours.

Mexicans accounted for 40 percent of the revenue earned at the national park’s supply store.

via The Big Bend And Boquillas: An Experiment On The Border | Fronteras Desk.