South of the Border!

Kelly and I stayed at South Of The Border on the second night of our honeymoon, 30 years ago. That, in itself, is an interesting story for another time but suffice it to say that the honeymoon suite and a homeless cat who gained the ability to fly before the evening was over played key roles in our brief stay.

For those who are unfamiliar, South of the Border (SOB) is just inside the South Carolina border between the Carolinas. SOB has somehow made itself a destination of sorts with no real reason to stop there other than it is "South of the Border". SOB sports, for some unexplained reason, a heavily Mexican theme with a character known as "Pedro" as their mascot. Pedro used to be a short, chubby, Mexican guy but has morphed, over the last 10 years, into a more politically correct image of a Mexican man. The East Coast (Rt 95) is dotted with seemingly millions of billboards encouraging travelers to stop because "You never sausage a place!" or "Pedro says you are a wiener!" (Accompanied by a large picture of a hot dog).

We pulled in about 8 PM and walked around, taking in the sights, all of which were accentuated Mexican themes. The whole place is absolutely amazing in its content of kitschy and tacky memorabilia, none of which anyone would ever consider purchasing....unless you were at SOB! They must have thousands of magnets, hats. t-shirts, beach balls, fake snakes, magnets, key chains, coasters, place mats, mugs, shot glasses and...did I mention magnets...all of which proudly proclaim "South of the Border".

After touring the premises...and buying a few magnets....we checked into the honeymoon suite. I don't really know if I'm pleased or sad to say that not much has changed in 30 years. It was everything you might expect a roadside hotel in the 70's to look like from the San Antonio decor to the fiberglass doors on the shower.

In any event, we had a great time...and this time there were no flying cats! we both decided to do it again....in another 30 years!

Here are some slides of SOB. The music is "Montana" by Salvador.