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Cost of round trip drive to San Antonio- whatever?- Carol being able to shop for 3 days, and bring it all back- PRICELESS!!!

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Yes, there are people who "hire out" and will meet you at the border and drive down with you.

I can get the info, but one of the names was Francisco in Lake Chapala. perhaps others know him. (I believe his sons drive as well).

Does anyone know how this works? Has anyone on this board done this or know someone who has? I'd also be interested in finding out the cost (beyond gas and tolls).

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Most drivers here charge around $4-5000 pesos, plus you pay gas & tolls, to take the bus one way and drive the other way. It is not cheap. I have no idea why the cost is so high for at most an 24 hour job...

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The first, last and only time I drove down from Southern California gas was a bit over 3,000 pesos and tolls a bit over 1,000 pesos and that was one way where flights from LAX to GDL run $100 to $250 depending on time off year and sales. From Texas it is a different story.

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flights from LAX to GDL run $100 to $250 depending on time off year and sales. From Texas it is a different story.

Spencer,

Have you found any good deals recently? I've been looking at LA/Guadalajara flights and it looks like I'll be stopping off at DFW. I used to fly Mexicana and would like an alternative.

Chuck

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Like RV said, if you sit down and spend about 30 minutes racking your brain to remember all of the expats that have been harmed or killed in Mexico in last couple of years you will probably come up with 10 or fewer incidences. There are the 5 that Ajijic referenced above (not killed but harmed), then the consulate employee in El Paso (murdered), and a Canadian mountain bike rider (murdered near Allende) that comes to my mind. There have been a couple of reports of someone driving at night who ran into trouble also. That could have been avoided though with some common sense, Then there are some that I do not know of or have forgotten. Most of the expat deaths are due to other causes unrelated to the current narco conflict.

So to keep it in perspective, I come up with less than 10 expat deaths out of a population of at least 500,000 - 1,000,000 or more depending on whose numbers you want to believe. Now if you are Mexican, the numbers are not so good.

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Like RV said, if you sit down and spend about 30 minutes racking your brain to remember all of the expats that have been harmed or killed in Mexico in last couple of years you will probably come up with 10 or fewer incidences. There are the 5 that Ajijic referenced above (not killed but harmed), then the consulate employee in El Paso (murdered), and a Canadian mountain bike rider (murdered near Allende) that comes to my mind. There have been a couple of reports of someone driving at night who ran into trouble also. That could have been avoided though with some common sense, Then there are some that I do not know of or have forgotten. Most of the expat deaths are due to other causes unrelated to the current narco conflict.

So to keep it in perspective, I come up with less than 10 expat deaths out of a population of at least 500,000 - 1,000,000 or more depending on whose numbers you want to believe. Now if you are Mexican, the numbers are not so good.

You only now what has been pubished and that the members of the board have seen published. Based on the incidents around Monterey and North of there to the boarder, I would assume there are more than a few incidents involving expats - maybe not murders - but cars and their contents taken. When the Narcos decide to block the roads and steal the cars, they don't ask for Passports. If you are in their way, you are in trouble.

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They are a little less likely to kill American and Canadian visitors to Mexico, even though they will rob them. They don't want the American and Canadian people getting too mad, because they'll be more insistent on the NOB governments getting more involved in the war against the cartels.

Right now, the Cartels like the "passive" fight we have going against them. Like someone said, what we've been doing is more talk than action for a long time.

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You only now what has been pubished and that the members of the board have seen published. Based on the incidents around Monterey and North of there to the boarder, I would assume there are more than a few incidents involving expats - maybe not murders - but cars and their contents taken. When the Narcos decide to block the roads and steal the cars, they don't ask for Passports. If you are in their way, you are in trouble.

No doubt that is true; however, if you are carjacked in Mexico, I think it would be wise to do the same here as NOB, just give them your keys. You know people get carjacked on a daily basis in the states and so it has become an accepted risk that you take. Here in Mexico when one American or Canadian is carjacked over a period of 6 months or a year even, the internet melts down and the news media NOB acts as if Mexico is the next Colombia,

My comments reflect about 30 years of crossing the border on an annual basis and I think there tends to be more hype than fact when it comes to some of these fears that some of us have about travel in Mexico. I don't have my head buried in the sand here, in the last two years I've driven into two shootouts the Feds have had with narcos in Michoacan so I've seen my share of the bad and ugly.

Yes Mexico is dangerous but then so is the rest of the world. Common sense prevails no matter where you live nowadays.

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Does anyone hire out to escort newbies SOB

I understand that there is a fellow, named Steve, that will meet you at the border and drive with you. I believe he helped "Milena" with her drive. I am lousy with Search but I believe it was late Nov or early Dec when the thread was posted regarding her auto breakdown on her trip down. That is where someone mentioned Steve and provided his phone number.

Maybe someone reading this knows of Steve or you could PM Milena.

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I understand that there is a fellow, named Steve, that will meet you at the border and drive with you. I believe he helped "Milena" with her drive. I am lousy with Search but I believe it was late Nov or early Dec when the thread was posted regarding her auto breakdown on her trip down. That is where someone mentioned Steve and provided his phone number.

Maybe someone reading this knows of Steve or you could PM Milena.

You are asking someone to PM Milena for you - because I assume you don't know how to do it.

It is easy!

See your login name in the right hand corner? Directly under that you will see sign out (assuming you are signed in) - and next to that is "help". If you click that link - you will see all the categories - to include how to PM someone.

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Yes, there are people who "hire out" and will meet you at the border and drive down with you.

I can get the info, but one of the names was Francisco in Lake Chapala. perhaps others know him. (I believe his sons drive as well).

I suspect (but DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE)that is this Francisco and his sons of Miramontes Transfer. 376-766-1142 is the office number. Francisco speaks excellent English and if you leave your name and number, he will return the call.

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Back to the OP question

We have driven the Chapala/Laredo route for some years now......never any problems. It of course does not mean nothing will happen - it just hasent' happened!

We go through Laredo/Neuvo Laredo crossing - crossing at Bridge 1 (less traffic), go down to Immigrado/Aduana on the right of the bridge, get our papers, get onto the periferico, get out of Neuvo Laredo, get to Checkpoint Charlie, and keep driving...........and driving.........yes, it is a long drive. It takes us (in our camper) 13 hours to get from the border to lakeside, with minimum stops. We keep to the toll roads, drive during the day, and keep to the speed limit (especially in N.Laredo - speed traps everywhere!!).

No problems, no hassles, just lots of driving........Stay on the toll roads, especially take the toll around Monterrey and DO NOT stop in Monterrey, no matter what!

Our experiences only.....we have survived so far.....doing the trip again in a few days, coming into Mexico. Will post again of our (hopefully boring) trip when we arrive lakeside.

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We drove to the US and back last June and July with nary a problem on the roads or in the cities. There are tons of Mexicans on the toll roads, lots of military presence too and we slept in our camper in Pemexes as we have for years. We just park where the truckers do, are surrounded by them at night and feel completely safe. So in an emergency you can sure stay there and feel fine. Have a good trip.

Would the fear-mongers please post a list of expats who have been harmed, murdered, kidnapped or otherwise 'severely inconvenienced' between the interior of Mexico and the US border? I only know of one couple who were robbed, before dawn (they were advised not to drive at night) on a toll road, in their SUV (loaded to the gills with 'goodies'), shortly after a 'coffee stop', where they probably had an opportunity to be observed with cash and jewlery. Had they been an hour later, in broad daylight, it probably wouldn't have happened because of their visibility and more traffic, etc.

Rumors and inuendo are creating hysteria. The 'narcotraficantes' aren't interested in geriatric tourists & they certainly don't want to start an international incident of that type. We aren't embassy or consulate employees, competing drug dealers, authorities, politicians or other specific targets, are we?

Those that live here are more likely to give you a truer picture of what life is like here than foreign news reports or of perceptions of people who live elsewhere.

Ex-pat residents and Mexophiles who visit frequently will often emphatically tell you the risk the Mexican narco insurgency poses is greatly exaggerated. They are either openly scornful of the media attention the insurgency receives from the US and international press or else they will be mildly cautionary. I understand the tendency to view the situation through one's own experience, but in my opinion that can give a distorted picture to someone who knows little about the situation and wants advice. I believe in being as fully informed as possible when making a decision. I certainly think being informed and as up to date as possible is essential for anyone who plans to drive through the Texas-- Mexican frontera.

I understand mine is a contrarian view on ex-pat and travel forums, but I actually live in the Mexican frontera and work with businesses which are directly impacted by what is occurring. The Frontera region is very unstable and has gotten progressively worse over the past three months. Things may seem peaceful in the ex-pat enclaves, but they are not that way in the north. While the risk of anything happening to any particular traveler is slight, Zetas and Gulf cartel members are constantly on the move and use the same highways and roads as regular travelers. Probably anyone who has travelled the highways of northeastern Mexico in the last year passed close to heavily armed civilians during their uneventful trip.

The two events linked below happened yesterday and occured during daylight hours. One happened on the Autopista between Reynosa and Monterrey and caused it be closed. As some of the cautionary posters have said, these events are impossible for a traveler to predict. Again it is unlikely a particular traveler will directly experience anything bad, but the situation along the border is not good and is getting worse. Call it fear mongering if you want, but precaution is the byword for nearly everyone who lives in the north.

Ejercito abate 27 Sicarios en Cuidad Mier

Cierran Autoista Reynosa-Cinco Muertos

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snapback.pngRVGRINGO, on 23 August 2010 - 05:33 PM, said:

Would the fear-mongers please post a list of expats who have been harmed, murdered, kidnapped or otherwise 'severely inconvenienced' between the interior of Mexico and the US border? I only know of one couple who were robbed, before dawn (they were advised not to drive at night) on a toll road, in their SUV (loaded to the gills with 'goodies'), shortly after a 'coffee stop', where they probably had an opportunity to be observed with cash and jewlery. Had they been an hour later, in broad daylight, it probably wouldn't have happened because of their visibility and more traffic, etc.

Rumors and inuendo are creating hysteria. The 'narcotraficantes' aren't interested in geriatric tourists & they certainly don't want to start an international incident of that type. We aren't embassy or consulate employees, competing drug dealers, authorities, politicians or other specific targets, are we?

Ex-pat residents and Mexophiles who visit frequently will often emphatically tell you the risk the Mexican narco insurgency poses is greatly exaggerated. They are either openly scornful of the media attention the insurgency receives from the US and international press or else they will be mildly cautionary. I understand the tendency to view the situation through one's own experience, but in my opinion that can give a distorted picture to someone who knows little about the situation and wants advice. I believe in being as fully informed as possible when making a decision. I certainly think being informed and as up to date as possible is essential for anyone who plans to drive through the Texas-- Mexican frontera.

I understand mine is a contrarian view on ex-pat and travel forums, but I actually live in the Mexican frontera and work with businesses which are directly impacted by what is occurring. The Frontera region is very unstable and has gotten progressively worse over the past three months. Things may seem peaceful in the ex-pat enclaves, but they are not that way in the north. While the risk of anything happening to any particular traveler is slight, Zetas and Gulf cartel members are constantly on the move and use the same highways and roads as regular travelers. Probably anyone who has travelled the highways of northeastern Mexico in the last year passed close to heavily armed civilians during their uneventful trip.

The two events linked below happened yesterday and occured during daylight hours. One happened on the Autopista between Reynosa and Monterrey and caused it be closed. As some of the cautionary posters have said, these events are impossible for a traveler to predict. Again it is unlikely a particular traveler will directly experience anything bad, but the situation along the border is not good and is getting worse. Call it fear mongering if you want, but precaution is the byword for nearly everyone who lives in the north.

Ejercito abate 27 Sicarios en Cuidad Mier

Cierran Autoista Reynosa-Cinco Muertos

Arroyo Grande thanks for your post- I'd rather believe someone who lives in the border area has a better grasp of daily incidents than the previous poster, who lives in Chapala and continues to view the impending dangers as not applicable to retired senior citizens.--- the question is why??

Do you really believe the narcotraficantes are eyeballing the occupants of vehicles and deciding that "geratric expats" are not worth stopping and are waved through with a free pass to go??? these gangs could care less who the occupants of an SUV or Large Pickup are in a lineup of cars. What makes you think expats(expecially geratrics) are immune from gang mentality with guns? Reality is, old people are seen as easy picks with no reisistence.

Also, it isn't going to start an international incident if they harm a gringo senior citizen. Reread some of the State Dept Warnings-expat businessmen were kidnapped from a hotel in Monterrey months ago- no international incident The respective consulates are purposely not publlishing all the facts of incidents that have occured involving Americans and Canadians. Read the latest American warning published on the 28th of August , if you really believe they are fear mongering, then you are living in your own little rose colored world and people who ignore the warnings of 3 governments should not expect those governments to come to their aid if they encounter problems driving during daylight hours.

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Crossed at Nuevo Laredo yesterday at 1:00 p.m. Very busy, took us until 2:30 p.m. to get everything done. Left on the periferico to go towards Monterrey and checkpoint charlie - got a red light and all they wanted to see was the car paper. Traffic was not too heavy and steady enough to follow the trucks when the sun went down........

Arrived in Chapala area around 1:00 p.m. today and enjoying being back home.

Totally uneventful trip, lots of Federales out on the roads and military, and always good to see. The Federales stopped us twice to make sure we were who we were supposed to be (if that makes any sense!). No problems to report at all, though I really wish they would hurry up and finish that road around Lagos de Moreno - I swear it gets worse every time we drive through there.

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You are asking someone to PM Milena for you - because I assume you don't know how to do it.

It is easy!

See your login name in the right hand corner? Directly under that you will see sign out (assuming you are signed in) - and next to that is "help". If you click that link - you will see all the categories - to include how to PM someone.

No, I am not asking anyone to PM Milena.

I was responding to the person who asked if there was someone who could be hired to accompany them accross the border. I recalled, last Nov, Milena needed assistance and someone posted the name and number of a Steve. (There were several recommendations of this fellow and I believe he did assist her.) I suggested that, should someone be interested in contacting Steve they could try to PM Milena. Not necessary now, though.

I did the search and I found the name and number from that post: Steve and his US phone number is 813-944-3293

I do not know him and I do not know if he is still doing this, but it might be worth looking into for someone who wants that help. Note: his name and number has been "cut and pasted" from the topic thread of Nov 2009. (I did not get his permission as the info is available on this webboard)

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Have crossed back and forth at Colombia Bridge with wife and 40 lb. Bull Terrier 3 times in the last year in a 2003 Silver Toyota 4Runner pulling a 6x12 enclosed trailer.

Always get my vehicle (and trailer) import permit on line and sent to me stateside. Have always crossed the borders on Sundays. Have always paid duty on stuff I am supposed to pay duty on. I always get redlighted at the 25km checkpoint. Never any drama. I stay on cuotas whenever possible, and only drive during daylight. Get stopped frequently by Federales and military. No drama there either. Don't wear bling, watches or fancy clothes. Only stop for gas and I keep my eyes 'open'. I will be crossing again back to USA in November. Yes some say Colombia is out of the way but it works for me.

Nothing has ever happen to me. Is there a chance I will have a 'problem' come November. Don't know. Possibly. Is that going to deter me. No way!

I'll never fly my dog. I am too independent and 'like to get off the beaten path' too much not to have my vehicle. That's my dos pesos.

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I had plans to drive someone up to San Antonio the end of September, hang out a few days and then return them to Ajijic. However, now they have changed their minds and plan on staying up North until November so I will be heading back solo probably first week of October. I've no problem driving in Mexico, so if any newcomers are looking for a driver to bring them South, I may be available.

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