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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Road construction near Cholula/Puebla Campground
It is good to hear that some work is being done to improve at least one RV park in Central Mexico. Too many are being allowed to get run down. I like the people who run Las Americas. They were very helpful when we had an engine problem a few years ago.
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crandle
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05/20/12 09:01am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Entering at Nogales and exiting at Ticalote
You do not have to exit at the same crossing as you entered. As long as the Baja crossing has a place to turn in your TIP, you will get your refund.
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crandle
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05/17/12 02:52pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Plans, Winter 2012
Five to five and a half months driving around Mexico again. This will be our sixth year doing this. Will visit The Mexico Kid in SMA, other friends in Merida and Chetumal. Maybe a side trip to Isla Mujeres. Laid back, travel a day or two and park for a week or a month.
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crandle
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05/11/12 04:06pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: COLUMBIA CROSSING UPDATE!
I don't think our letters did much good. Maybe they want to keep us off balance when we go through. Maybe they think we will give away our "secrets" if we are unsure where we should be. It is not how I would run things but I am not running things.
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crandle
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04/06/12 05:54pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: COLUMBIA CROSSING UPDATE!
Well, we went through Columbia today. Still no hints as to which lane so I drove up the car lane and went through. We had a couple of inches on each side, the dog had a good sniff and passed us through.
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crandle
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04/04/12 11:14pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: RV Park at Pemex in Chihuahua is closed
Well, that leaves nowhere in Chihuahua! Too bad. We spent two nights there a few years ago and have always wanted to go back. Oh well, it wouldn't be my first night in a Pemex!
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crandle
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04/04/12 10:22pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: COLUMBIA CROSSING UPDATE!
I received this email today:
Croft Randle complaint of a lack of uniformity at the POE and suggestion to clearly mark which lane(s) RV's are supposed to queue in. Incident: 120326-000437
Thank you for contacting the CBP INFO Center Complaints Branch online, Mr. Randle. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) appreciates that you took the time to email us concerning these incidents, and for providing a logical suggestion to correct the non-uniformity.
Your complaint and suggestion has been forwarded to the Laredo Port Director's office for review and appropriate action.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center Complaints Branch online.
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crandle
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03/29/12 02:15pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: COLUMBIA CROSSING UPDATE!
Thank's for the link to the complaint form. I sent mine today. It reads:
I am writing to express my concern over the confusion over crossing with an RV from Mexico into the USA at the Columbia, TX border crossing.
We drive a Class C motorhome towing a car. Our total length is 49 feet. Three years ago we approached the Columbia border station and looked for a lane for RV's. We could not see one and the "Truck" lanes that head off to the right looked like they were for commercial vehicles only. Again there were no signs or markings of any kind concerning RV's. We proceeded straight ahead to the "Car" lanes and when we got almost to the booth someone came out to tell us to back up and go to the "Truck" area. With the car attached we cannot back up more that six to ten feet without jackknifing so your people had to remove some cones and temporary barriers for us to make a u-turn.
The next year we automatically drove up the "Truck" lane and when we got to the booth we were told we had to make a u-turn and go through the "Car" area. The lanes through the car booths are quite narrow but our motorhome is only 7'6" wide and we made it with a couple of inched to spare.
Would you please designate a lane for RV's and clearly mark that lane? This will make things so much easier for both your agents and us travelers. Your people have better things to do than help us back up or turn around and we endanger our own rigs and other vehicles by having to make u-turns in the confined spaces, especially when it is busy.
This is a concern of many other RV'ers who have had similar experiences at this crossing. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
* The address I gave is our temporary address in the USA where we are passing through on our way home to Canada. Your form would not accept my permanent address in Canada and that is:
****** ******* *****
Campbell River, BC
Canada V9W 1B5
I got an auto response indicating they received the message.
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crandle
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03/26/12 10:29am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: The Minority
The Pope is arriving in Mexico in a few days so the army and Federal Police are out in force. In the past three days we have crossed three State lines and there have been huge checkpoints at each one. We have been questioned about our import papers for the MH and car and have had our passports carefully examined at each stop. We have been through two portable X-Ray machines and waved past one.
This is very unusual for us as we are usually waved through with a smile as I guess 65 to 70 year old Canadians do not fit the threat profile.
Don't take it personally and always smile and say thank you when they are finished. They are just doing their job and a dangerous one as well.
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crandle
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03/20/12 01:52pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: COLUMBIA CROSSING UPDATE!
Our first time through Columbia Crossing we drove up to the car lane and they made us turn around and go off to the right and the truck lanes and x-ray machine. The next time through we just turned towards the truck lanes and they stopped us and made us turn into the car lane where we barely fit through. I think they do it just to keep us off balance.
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crandle
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03/11/12 07:33pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: zacatatecas Hotel de Bosque
There is a shortage of RVers everywhere except on the coast. Webers in SMA is full but we have seen very few fellow English speakers anywhere else. Quite a few Europeans - French, Austrian, Swiss, German, most of those on their way to or from South America.
Zacatetecas has always been more of a vacation spot for Mexicans themselves and passed up by Canadians and Americans. We talked to a Mexican woman who was born and raised there and it was her who inspired us to go. Take a drive to the top of the hill "Le Bofa" on the other side of town. That is where Pancho Villa defeated the last of President Huerta's army in 1914's Battle of Zacatecas.
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crandle
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03/11/12 09:40am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
Recent Reflections
A comment from Dee on my last Blog post spurred me to write this. I have actually been searching for the right words for a couple of days so thanks for the inspiration Dee.
Croft -- I want you to know that dear husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed your blogs. Your blog and TiogaGeorge's blog are two of our favorites. If you have the time, please continue your blog. We have become tired of big Mexico resorts and Mexico cruises and are looking at other ways to see Mexico, and we do RV but have never done so in Mexico. But I have to ask this question. Is it just a coincidence that all this trouble is breaking loose now so close in time (i.e., your friends' carjacking and the shootouts at the border Wed. and Thurs. of this week) when so many people are traveling north from their winter hiatus?
Take care, so that we may hear from you again.
Dee from South Carolina
Dee, The trouble on the borders are not connected to RVers at all. It is drug cartel members fighting over turf and this has been going on for years. Every once in a while the press takes notice of it and makes a big deal out of it. And it is a big deal, don't get me wrong, but it is not a deal that affects us. We have our rules about the border. We do not spend the night within a hundred kilometers of the border, we stay on the toll roads and we always cross the border (in both directions) as early in the morning as possible. The bad guys are usually creatures of the night so never being within a hundred kilometers of the border after noon has kept us safe.
Our RV'ing friend, "Belgique" explained his rule of "Situational Awareness" which would serve to keep all of us safer no matter where we are. He tells us to always be aware of our situation and surroundings. Never become so complacent that you do not recognize possible or pending danger. If you are someplace and something does not feel right, leave. Get yourself out of that place or situation. This could be a lonely street, a restaurant or a lonely highway. Always be aware and diligent. Like I say, this is not just for Mexico, it works in New York or New Delhi just as well.
For every story like this recent hijacking, there are thousands of happy stories that do not make it to the RV Forums and Blog pages. Anyone looking at these forums with no personal experiences of traveling in Mexico themselves would get the impression that this sort if thing happens to everyone. The doom and gloom forum hangers-on who have never been more than a few hundred miles from their own safe little houses all join in to say they would never come to Mexico when in actuality they would never go anywhere except perhaps fenced, guarded resorts or cruise terminals full of carbon copies of themselves.
This is why we RV, and why we extend our boundaries a little further than many would be comfortable with. I remember the first time we crossed the Mexico border with the motorhome. The language and culture barriers made even the simplest things difficult. Buying gas, groceries, finding and paying for an RV park, getting a haircut... everything. Soon these things became just as easy as they were at home and we started looking deeper into the eyes and souls of the Mexican people and discovered what brought us here in the first place. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people. Yes it is a little different than what we are used to but that is why we are here.
Cheryl and Frank followed all the safe travel rules and still got in trouble. They traveled in the daytime, stayed on the well traveled toll roads and did not flaunt their wealth. This sort of thing is not supposed to happen to them. But it did. Could it happen again? Sure, and it probably will. But it could happen to anyone, anywhere in the world. You could stay home and never leave your house but then the home invaders could come or a drunk could drive through your bedroom wall. **** happens everywhere and it cannot be completely avoided. We just go on with our lives and reduce the danger as much as we reasonably can while still testing our boundaries and exploring our world in the little time we have to do it.
The fact remains that in recent years there have been more RVers murdered in Canada (2) and in the USA (2) than in Mexico (0). These are the facts.
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crandle
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03/10/12 10:38am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
Someone at Webers emailed me a photo of the bullet hole. It is on my Blog here:
http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com/2012/03/update-on-shooting.html
Yes, yes, I know. Sorry for doubting you and all that....
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crandle
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03/09/12 05:02pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: zacatatecas Hotel de Bosque
The great photos are actually from John and Angela. Yes, central Mexico is the place to be!
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crandle
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03/08/12 09:34pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: zacatatecas Hotel de Bosque
We got in with our 31' Class C no problem. We did not even unhook the car until we were ready to back into our spot. It is a little noisy with the highway on one side and railway on the other. We enjoyed our time there.
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crandle
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03/08/12 08:47pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
I am not sure Chris but it happened one hour after they left the RV park they were in so I would make a guess that it was before noon.
EDIT: It happened at 9:30 AM
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crandle
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03/08/12 07:04pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
I just got an update from Cheryl. They are safe and sound in Webers RV Park in SMA. They say they were surrounded by a crowd of people who had read the story here or on my Blog before they could even back into their space.
Yes, they reported the incident to the police. Yes, they did memorize the plate number and passed it on to the police. Yes, there is a big bullet hole in the windshield, a dent on the hood where the bullet hit first and a dent in the bumper where they ran into the VW when it cut them off. They are going to stay in SMA for a few days until they stop shaking and they are going to the USA Embassy there to make a report.
They say to thank everyone for their concern.
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crandle
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03/08/12 06:31pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
Thanks Moisheh. You are correct, I would not post it if I had any doubts whatsoever. I am usually one of the "Doubting Thomases" on this kind of thing and have gotten into trouble for that. I believe these people and now they are in SMA and others have seen the damage and heard their story.
I would seriously prefer that it had never happened but it did... I am very pro Mexico and this type of thing makes that harder.
The fact remains that it does not happen very often and so far no RVer has ever been murdered in Mexico.
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crandle
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03/08/12 05:39pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
I just got the following email from someone in SMA. I asked him to ask them if they reported the incident to the police:
hi Croft
your friends from Alaska just arrived here in san Miguel de Allende Weber's rvpark
serious bullet hole in drivers side windshield
they seem to be in fair spirits
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crandle
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03/08/12 04:03pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hijacking (Shooting) on Toll Road Near Minatitlan
Did someone see the bullet hole in the windshield and the bullet,was there some injury from glass fragments that close to the driver?How did they get the money as it wasn't available from a bank machine,why wasn't it offered up first?It sure sounds upsetting.
I don't know the answers about the bullet but she does say that in her panic she forgot her PIN for one of her cards. She had other cards that she did remember the PIN for and got $10,000 pesos which must have satisfied them.
I really have no other information other than the email.
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crandle
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03/08/12 11:38am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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