freewilly

Big surprise....Walmart has Bimbo GF and it is the best she has found anywhere....not that we have tried a lot.

Oh, and he has a large modern shop with lifts and everything!

So a friend has suggested Escalera in Riberas. I stopped by and Carlos speaks excellent English and I have made an appointment.

He is general service but includes electrical. I will give him a shot unless folks have had bad experiences...

The OP says the call connects so what they dial is working.

What they do not understand from my mention of skype is that you CAN CALL ANY NUMBER and the other party answers just like they were getting a normal phone call. It just costs you a few cents a minute....I have been doing this for years in MX when I did not get a MX cell phone.

I have a Toyota with a blowing fuse. I checked with a service in Texas and they said it is a problem that requires a lot of time because the circuit has many small accessories on it. My first thought is a good auto electrician or a general service here that would have seen the problem before. Do you have any recommendations?

Please send ideas on where we can find this. I see some older posts but looking for fresh ideas as things can change rapidly on this topic.... 

We are arriving today so if there are stores suggested please give us an idea on location as we are very newbies.....

Install skype on your phone. Then you can call using data for free, if the other party has skype, or you can call them directly for a couple of cents per minute.

Just thought I would close up this thread with my actual results. Just before I went through Austin I looked at Google reviews for the Mexican consulate. Wow that is one messed up place from the reviews. So I skip that option and decided to take my chance at Laredo Colombia bridge.

We had the best experience we have ever had coming into Mexico. Big contrast to nogales. we didn't wait in line at any of the three places we had to do business inside the one building. All of the staff spoke enough English for us to get by. Was no problem with my title which technically might have raised eyebrows. To detail to go into that. We were in and out of there in half an hour and there were possibly three other couples doing business in that half-hour

Wish our earlier passages....about 8..... I've been half as efficient and easy.

Biggest mistake was not eating before we turned towards the Columbia bridge....

Okay that's a surprise first time driving down to chapala and you bought a house..... So I would imagine you have flown before?

I have spent months in San Carlos and suggest you stay there the first night...or two or more. It is a destination for many from BC and very pleasant resort town. Great beaches and restaurants and easy to feel comfortable. Warning...you might just stay there,..if you decide to stop I can give you hotel tips on the beach.

We usually hit San Carlos about 4 to 5 pm from nogales. These guys must drive faster.,.

thanks RickS!

not looking to explore the Valley. We have spent a winter around Corpus and feel ok with that...

Anxious to explore Mexico....so the advice is either road in MX is as enjoyable? We are driving a convertible.....

I am going from Blanco Tx to zacatecas in 2 weeks. I see that it is an hour more to cross at Pharr than Laredo. 

We have never driven either route.

Is it worth it to go through Pharr? We are into scenery, and only going as far as Satillo the first night so either route works time wise.

Anybody doing the buy a SIM via the Ebay link provided....worked very well.

Sim was already activated with a phone number and all I had to do was go onto mobilerecharge.com and purchase the coverage I selected. A breeze.

My plan is shaped by my experience...standing in the cold at the Nogales KM 21 is one experience.

The other is being sent back for more paperwork at Empalme, only to find that was not acceptable anyways.... And that is a place where they do Vehicle permits all day!

Glad you have good experiences. THAT is why I will stop in a Banjercito in Austin and will share my experience there...since nobody has ever done it, apparently.

We are leaving from Blanco TX, passing through Laredo mid morning. 

Stopping in Saltillo overnight at the City Express as suggested.

Then spending 3 nights in Zacatecas as it is our first time in the area.

Nope, never been to UK.

Everyone I have talked to has called the 180 visitors permit a visa. You made me go look for documentation.

Apparently it is actually called a VISItante. Note the VISA part?

The fmm is called a Visa de Residente Temporal. At least according to one site.

All interesting but has ANYBODY gone through the process at a Mexican Consulate??????????

Wow. Thanks for your efforts....I did not think I could confuse so many folks so fast....

Some of you were right on, some tried to help and thanks.

1. I have ordered my visa approval online before and WRONGLY assumed the TIP would be provided the same way. After many attempts to get the site to work properly, I was informed that the tip would be mailed and the estimate was not timely for me leaving Canada (2 weeks tonight!). No go there.

2. I am only talking about the visa, not residency.

3. The site that told me the mailing time suggested attending a Banjercito in one of the US sites.  That seemed to be a good idea because on the day I pass the consulate in Austin I have LOTS of time. I also assume that the US based employee will be well trained and speak english. (Or maybe one of the two?) I have found that is NOT the case at the border, or at the Sonora only office in Empalme. They did not know their own rules. It was a real hassle.

One small wrinkle, which people (who should know) assure me will NOT be a problem...but we are talking MX here....the car is owned by me, my wife and oldest son. Son is not along, of course. So I just want to have as little hassle as possible....and know if there is a problem before I have crossed the Rio Grande.

The tips on Laredo are welcome. I was just wondering where to cross.....

Willy

I am seeing that you can get these at Mexican Consulates, and I hope to do so in Austin on my way down in 3 weeks.

I have never got a TIP before as we traveled in Sonora and Baja for 8 years. So...can I get these at the office at the consulate and then do I stop at entry to Mexico and get them validated? 

Any info or advice welcome....

Thanks I ordered that one from EBAY. Looked at Telcel.com and will need some time to digest buying a plan....

A telcel card with delivery to Canada is $50CAN or 38US for 30 days, unlimited voice and 3 gb data.

Better deals at a MX store? I imagine the border at Laredo has foks selling Sims

First time in Chapala in a month or so. I will swap out my SIM card when I cross from Texas.....is there a particular carrier I should look for?

I just read it (I am in Ontario, never been to Chapala, going in a month for first time).

Four shots fired from 3 cars, came after dispute between State and Local police during some kind of State operation on a home....not saying it was cops, just criminals which of course does not exclude police....

Hope this does not violate crime publicity on this board. I am new here, so please forgive me if I have wronged LOL.