Meanwhile, in Mexico...

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jay Honeck
So we're flying down to McAllen, TX next week (about an hour from Mustang Island, via RV-8), and are supposed to join friends in a stroll across the Rio Grande to Progresso. (Yes, we go on foot, so that no one can jack our car!)

We've done this before, and enjoyed the windfall of amazing deals one can find -- everything from $5 Prilosec, to NFL team clothing for a pittance -- but with everything I've been reading about what's happening across from Brownsville, I'm a tad nervous.

Anyone been to Mexico in the last couple of weeks? What's the scoop?
 
If you're smart about it, trek during the day, don't stray off the shopping outlets, you should be fine. I'm forbidden by orders to cross the border as a USAF permanent party down here in the crapstastic Te-jico border, so I can't tell you how things have been in the past 3 years. Judging by that alone, things are clearly not good. I don't think it's worth patronizing the border towns but to each their own. Good luck.

Oh and watch out for the CBP, just by your flying presence alone they might want to use ya for one of their gestapo training stops. Have your AOPA interrogation card with ya.
 
Well, if you get stopped with any of those "good deals", you may end up with charges. If you need scripts, make you have the docs note on you. All that NFL gear is boot leg.

Customs is not dumb. They see it all day at the POE. I'd be very careful about what deals you think your getting. Check with the state dept before you go. They will give you the latest Intel.
 
hindsight2020 said:
If you're smart about it, trek during the day, don't stray off the shopping outlets, you should be fine. I'm forbidden by orders to cross the border as a USAF permanent party down here in the crapstastic Te-jico border, so I can't tell you how things have been in the past 3 years. Judging by that alone, things are clearly not good. I don't think it's worth patronizing the border towns but to each their own. Good luck.

Oh and watch out for the CBP, just by your flying presence alone they might want to use ya for one of their gestapo training stops. Have your AOPA interrogation card with ya.
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Hmm. Well, we fly down here all the time -- we are actually heading to McAllen today, too -- and haven't been hastled yet. It's 5+ years, now.

I guess they figure I wouldn't choose a bright red RV-8 with the name of my hotel stenciled on the nose to do anything too nefarious... :)
 
Unit74 said:
Well, if you get stopped with any of those "good deals", you may end up with charges. If you need scripts, make you have the docs note on you. All that NFL gear is boot leg.

Customs is not dumb. They see it all day at the POE. I'd be very careful about what deals you think your getting. Check with the state dept before you go. They will give you the latest Intel.
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Prilosec is non-prescription. The Mexican made stuff is, like, 75% cheaper, and works as advertised.

As for my Green Bay Packer Pancho (that I paid a whopping $8 for), I guess the border guys didn't care, cuz they peeked in our bags.

There are, like, thousands of snowbirds in Progresso on any given day. It's the only place I've ever been with people standing on the street soliciting for dental care! (Apparently you can get dentures and bridges for a tiny fraction of what they cost in the States.)

It would be sad if the cartels eff this up for those people. Everyone we met was very friendly and desperately glad to see us.
 
In my experience, the natural inclination of the people of Mexico is friendly and welcoming, and very helpful. The current issues with the cartels is an inevitable result of (1) the US' foolish and unwinnable "war on drugs," and (2) an excessive government bureaucracy-based economy in Mexico.

We're headed that way ourselves...
 
Stay in the designated border tourist area during the day time and you will be fine.
 
Jay Honeck said:
We have cancelled our planned excursion. It's simply not worth the risk anymore.
:(
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Sorry to hear, Jay. Has the risk recently increased? I've done the exact excursion before with a friend with no problems. Actually, funnily enough, I am wearing my McAllen T-shirt today! :) (do I need to post a "selfie" to prove it? :) )
If there are new problems across the border, please share with us, I would like to know before I venture across the international line again.
Oh and make sure you do NOT forget your wallet when undertaking such trip. Ask me how I know ... ;)
 
Used to go down to Tijuana all the time when I lived in So Cal. Everyone said it was seedy and dangerous, but I never had a problem even once. Always took my visitors down there. When I drove my motorcycle through Mexico everyone thought they'd find a jungle tribe wearing pieced of my bike in their noses. No problems, just wonderful inviting people. The media always focuses on the negative. Heck, log into Horizons unlimited or Adventure Rider and you'll find all kinds of people riding down into Mexico and South America.
 
BigBadLou said:
Sorry to hear, Jay. Has the risk recently increased? I've done the exact excursion before with a friend with no problems. Actually, funnily enough, I am wearing my McAllen T-shirt today! :) (do I need to post a "selfie" to prove it? :) )
If there are new problems across the border, please share with us, I would like to know before I venture across the international line again.
Oh and make sure you do NOT forget your wallet when undertaking such trip. Ask me how I know ... ;)
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This is the latest. It's getting pretty scary. Rumor is that our military has ordered their personnel not to go to Mexico under any circumstances.

http://m.krgv.com/news/Some-Street-Remain-Blocked-in-Matamoros-Due-to-Violence/31082380

Where we were going (Progresso) is still reported as safe, but it's not like I have a screaming need to go buy trinkets. There are tons of places in Texas we haven't visited yet, so why risk it?
 
Jay Honeck said:
This is the latest. It's getting pretty scary. Rumor is that our military has ordered their personnel not to go to Mexico under any circumstances.

http://m.krgv.com/news/Some-Street-Remain-Blocked-in-Matamoros-Due-to-Violence/31082380

Where we were going (Progresso) is still reported as safe, but it's not like I have a screaming need to go buy trinkets. There are tons of places in Texas we haven't visited yet, so why risk it?
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I don't see much reason to visit border towns, but as someone who has lived in Mexico for the past few years let me assure you that much of the country is indeed perfectly safe. It would be absurd not to go to the US because of violence in Ferguson or St. Louis or because of the trade center attacks in 93 and again in 11, so also is it absurd to write off all of Mexico because of violence that's mostly in a few border areas.

The US Department of State publishes advisories for travelers. Here's the one for Mexico. They tend to be on the paranoid side, so if this document says something is safe, you can be pretty confident.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html
 
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My brother and I drove down to Mexico from Phoenix on December 21, 2014. We stayed overnight in at the Laos Mar Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean (at least the Sea of Cortez). The room was nice. Several of the TV stations were in English. It was $50 per night.
It may have been the season, but the hotel was very quiet. We only saw one other guest.
Puerto Penasco is about a four hour drive from Phoenix. The highway between Sonoyta and Puerto Penasco advertises that it is a "No Hassle Zone." That means that you do not have to buy a Mexico vehicle pass for your car.
We went to the marina area and chartered a fishing vessel (with crew) for $100 for 5 hours. We caught about 40 good-sized fish.
It was a fun trip at a bargain price.
 
rwellner98 said:
I don't see much reason to visit border towns, but as someone who has lived in Mexico for the past few years let me assure you that much of the country is indeed perfectly safe. It would be absurd not to go to the US because of violence in Ferguson or St. Louis or because of the trade center attacks in 93 and again in 11, so also is it absurd to write off all of Mexico because of violence that's mostly in a few border areas.

The US Department of State publishes advisories for travelers. Here's the one for Mexico. They tend to be on the paranoid side, so if this document says something is safe, you can be pretty confident.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html
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Our destination of Nuevo Progreso is in the state of Tamaulipas. Here's what the State Dept has to stay about the area:


Tamaulipas: Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Tampico are major cities/travel destinations in Tamaulipas - Defer non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas. All U.S. government employees are prohibited from personal travel to all but the central zones of Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo and on Tamaulipas highways outside of Matamoros, Reynosa, and Nuevo Laredo due to the risks posed by armed robbery and carjacking, particularly along the northern border. While no highway routes through Tamaulipas are considered safe, the highways between Matamoros-Ciudad Victoria, Reynosa-Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria-Tampico, Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo, and Monterrey-Reynosa, are more prone to criminal activity. Public and private passenger buses traveling through Tamaulipas are sometimes targeted by organized criminal groups. These groups sometimes take all passengers hostage and demand ransom payments. In Tamaulipas, U.S. government employees are subject to movement restrictions and a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m. Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Victoria have experienced numerous gun battles and attacks with explosive devices in the past year. Violent conflicts between rival criminal elements and/or the Mexican military can occur in all parts of the region and at all times of the day. The number of reported kidnappings for Tamaulipas is among the highest in Mexico, and the number of U.S. citizens reported to the consulates in Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo as being kidnapped, abducted, or disappearing involuntarily in 2014 has also increased.
 
Was in La Paz in July. Flew direct from Phoenix. I told the pax that we were NOT stopping anywhere else in Mexico. No real problems in La Paz. Awesome beaches, and I was impressed that he car rental place actually returned the 3 iPads my wife left in the car.
 
steingar said:
Used to go down to Tijuana all the time when I lived in So Cal. Everyone said it was seedy and dangerous, but I never had a problem even once. Always took my visitors down there. When I drove my motorcycle through Mexico everyone thought they'd find a jungle tribe wearing pieced of my bike in their noses. No problems, just wonderful inviting people. The media always focuses on the negative. Heck, log into Horizons unlimited or Adventure Rider and you'll find all kinds of people riding down into Mexico and South America.
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We need a (flight) ride reports section like adv rider!
 
Not exactly current, but myself and family walked across the border to Tijuana about 1-1/2 years ago. It seemed rather run down and deserted compared to what it was like years ago. Didn't see anything we were interested in buying, so went back after an hour or so. I did pick up one unwanted "souvenir" - my cell phone was corrupted and rendered unusable as soon as I walked across. Took a new sim card and reimage by Verizon to get it working again. Don't think I'll be going back.

Dave
 
Jay Honeck said:
Hmm. Well, we fly down here all the time -- we are actually heading to McAllen today, too -- and haven't been hastled yet. It's 5+ years, now.

I guess they figure I wouldn't choose a bright red RV-8 with the name of my hotel stenciled on the nose to do anything too nefarious... :)
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Nefarious like those hoodlums John and Martha?

Be careful down there.

This is dated, but 6 years ago I had some clients from Mexico City who owned a textile company in North Carolina. I told them of a family vacation we took in 1976. We drove in the Chrysler Town and Country station wagon from Matamoros to Monterrey to Torreon to Cihuahua to Ciudad Juarez. They both simultaneously said "Oh, we would never make that trip today."
 
When I was a kid, our family took most vacations to Mexico, because it was close and very reasonable in cost. We drove to Moterrey, we took the narrow-gauge railway from Ojinaga to Topolobampo (Pacific Coast), and we took the train (the "Aztec Eagle") from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City (the DF). I would wander around Mexico City by myself, aged 10. Never a problem.

Much has changed there, I have been led to understand. It is not in the nature of the people of Mexico.
 
SCCutler said:
When I was a kid, our family took most vacations to Mexico, because it was close and very reasonable in cost. We drove to Moterrey, we took the narrow-gauge railway from Ojinaga to Topolobampo (Pacific Coast), and we took the train (the "Aztec Eagle") from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City (the DF). I would wander around Mexico City by myself, aged 10. Never a problem.

Much has changed there, I have been led to understand. It is not in the nature of the people of Mexico.
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The War on Drugs destroyed this whole hemisphere into a dank pit of violence.
 
Sorry to hear you cancelled your trip OP, I guess better safe than sorry. Some of those border towns do look iffy.

I'm going stir crazy counting the days 'til I get down to Los Cabos!
 
This April will be the first time in a number of years that we haven't gone somewhere in Mexico for sun and warmth. Too many schedule conflicts this year. Darn, I like the relaxed week we usually have there.
 
rwellner98 said:
Here's the "dank pit of violence" that I spent the past week at.

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If you stay in resort areas, all is fine, even the border towns are perfectly safe in the designated tourism areas. Go hike in Michocan.
 
Just don't walk down the street yelling "blow for sale, blow for sale, I'll beat any price!" and you should be fine!
 
same rules apply as in the us. Stay on the right side of the tracks. Organized crime ain't going after a 50somehting probably overweight, socks to the needs, fanny pack and all tourist. I have driven, taken the bus, flown ga, etc and its perfectly safe and fun. The border towns are kind of the sucky parts of mexico, ie not real mexico. You have to go further inland to experience a total different country.
 
We used to go to Mexico every year for two or three weeks. We would fly into Puerto Vallarta, rent a car, and drive up to Sayulita and stay. We would drive all over the place. A friend of mine used to come down with us and he ended up buying property down there and building a house up on a mountain side overlooking the ocean. Everything was really nice. Lots of Canadians and Americans wintering down there.

So the winter of 2010 we were down there, and a bus full of tourists on a tour got pulled over by bandits posing as police, and they robbed everyone in the bus. We thought that was just incredible. We had always felt really safe, but that put a bit of nervousness into the stay.

That summer my friend who was building a house down there wanted me to go with him in a truck, pulling a trailer full of furniture, a wind turbine, and some solar panels that he wanted to install. I said that I would. But some other friends of mine, who are US citizens, but are from that part of Mexico, drove down on their annual trip to see relatives. They were convoying in two vehicles, one being a Hummer and the other a new Ford F150, and a couple hundred miles South of the border, two trucks tried to force them off the road, and actually rammed them. They got away, but one of them decided to leave his Hummer down there and fly home. The other drove, but he said he never did feel safe all the way home. These are Mexicans.

So I backed out of the trip, which made my friend a little upset with me. So he didn't drive down, but he did end up flying down for the purpose of buying furniture for his new house. He also took his daughter and his daughter-in-law with him. The first day that they got there, on the way up the dirt road to his new house, he had to slow down where the rain had washed out part of the road. Two bandits with shotguns jumped out and robbed him, his daughter, and his daughter-in-law of their money and jewelry.

Anyway, after that I decided that maybe I needed to spend my time somewhere else. You know, I always felt safe there, and I laughed at people who said otherwise, but that is just too much for me. Like my friend said, it was always so safe, until I had a shotgun stuck up against my head, then it wasn't safe anymore. His house is for sale by the way.
 
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Maxmosbey said:
We used to go to Mexico every year for two or three weeks. We would fly into Puerto Vallarta, rent a car, and drive up to Sayulita and stay. We would drive all over the place. A friend of mine used to come down with us and he ended up buying property down there and building a house up on a mountain side overlooking the ocean. Everything was really nice. Lots of Canadians and Americans wintering down there.

So the winter of 2010 we were down there, and a bus full of tourists on a tour got pulled over by bandits posing as police, and they robbed everyone in the bus. We thought that was just incredible. We had always felt really safe, but that put a bit of nervousness into the stay.

That summer my friend who was building a house down there wanted me to go with him in a truck, pulling a trailer full of furniture, a wind turbine, and some solar panels that he wanted to install. I said that I would. But some other friends of mine, who are US citizens, but are from that part of Mexico, drove down on their annual trip to see relatives. They were convoying in two vehicles, one being a Hummer and the other a new Ford F150, and a couple hundred miles South of the border, two trucks tried to force them off the road, and actually rammed them. They got away, but one of them decided to leave his Hummer down there and fly home. The other drove, but he said he never did feel safe all the way home. These are Mexicans.

So I backed out of the trip, which made my friend a little upset with me. So he didn't drive down, but he did end up flying down for the purpose of buying furniture for his new house. He also took his daughter and his daughter-in-law with him. The first day that they got there, on the way up the dirt road to his new house, he had to slow down where the rain had washed out part of the road. Two bandits with shotguns jumped out and robbed him, his daughter, and his daughter-in-law of their money and jewelry.

Anyway, after that I decided that maybe I needed to spend my time somewhere else. You know, I always felt safe there, and I laughed at people who said otherwise, but that is just too much for me. Like my friend said, it was always so safe, until I had a shotgun stuck up against my head, then it wasn't safe anymore. His house is for sale by the way.
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That's just too much. :nonod:
 
Jay Honeck said:
So we're flying down to McAllen, TX next week (about an hour from Mustang Island, via RV-8), and are supposed to join friends in a stroll across the Rio Grande to Progresso. (Yes, we go on foot, so that no one can jack our car!)

We've done this before, and enjoyed the windfall of amazing deals one can find -- everything from $5 Prilosec, to NFL team clothing for a pittance -- but with everything I've been reading about what's happening across from Brownsville, I'm a tad nervous.

Anyone been to Mexico in the last couple of weeks? What's the scoop?
Click to expand...

I went to Puerto Vallata over new years for about a week and was a little concerned about all the bad things I've heard about Mexico. It didn't take long before I figured out none of that crap existed anywhere near Vallata and is mostly a border issue. I went ALL OVER that city and region day and night through all neighborhoods using public transport and never met a single person that made me nervous. I "detect" by far more threats walking around New Orleans. No way in hell I'd go walking through a poor neigbhorhood in New Orleans at night. After a few days there I had no concerns doing the same thing in Puerto Vallata.

I did enjoy it there but after about four days I was ready to go home. Being constantly surrounded by a language I can't understand starts to get annoying after the novelty wears off.

All that said..you're talking about the border area..where most of the issues are at. I wouldn't be concerned if I were staying in areas where there were plenty of people. I absolutely would not go for a drive through the rural border areas at night just for kicks.
 
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Jay Honeck said:
Prilosec is non-prescription. The Mexican made stuff is, like, 75% cheaper, and works as advertised.

As for my Green Bay Packer Pancho (that I paid a whopping $8 for), I guess the border guys didn't care, cuz they peeked in our bags.

There are, like, thousands of snowbirds in Progresso on any given day. It's the only place I've ever been with people standing on the street soliciting for dental care! (Apparently you can get dentures and bridges for a tiny fraction of what they cost in the States.)

It would be sad if the cartels eff this up for those people. Everyone we met was very friendly and desperately glad to see us.
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Just so you're aware the Prilosec you buy there is indeed prescription in the United States. Prilosec OTC in the U.S is not the same as standard prescription Prilosec which is what you're buying in Mexico.

Prilosec = prescription drug
Prilosec OTC = over the counter drug that is a bit different
Generic Prilosec in Mexico = our prescription Prilosec.
 
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jesse said:
I went to Puerto Vallata over new years for about a week and was a little concerned about all the bad things I've heard about Mexico. It didn't take long before I figured out none of that crap existed anywhere near Vallata and is mostly a border issue. I went ALL OVER that city and region day and night through all neighborhoods using public transport and never met a single person that made me nervous. I "detect" by far more threats walking around New Orleans. No way in hell I'd go walking through a poor neigbhorhood in New Orleans at night. After a few days there I had no concerns doing the same thing in Puerto Vallata.



I did enjoy it there but after about four days I was ready to go home. Being constantly surrounded by a language I can't understand starts to get annoying after the novelty wears off.



All that said..you're talking about the border area..where most of the issues are at. I wouldn't be concerned if I were staying in areas where there were plenty of people. I absolutely would not go for a drive through the rural border areas at night just for kicks.
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Read the State Department's report earlier in this thread for Acapulco. It is VERY specific, to the point of listing how for north or south you should go along the hotel strip. We had our honeymoon in Acapulco in 1983, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area. A beautiful hotel, Las Brisas, which is not on the hotel a trip but is up on a hill overlooking Acapulco Bay, is not within the safe area. Very sad.
 
jesse said:
I went to Puerto Vallata over new years for about a week and was a little concerned about all the bad things I've heard about Mexico. It didn't take long before I figured out none of that crap existed anywhere near Vallata and is mostly a border issue. I went ALL OVER that city and region day and night through all neighborhoods using public transport and never met a single person that made me nervous. I "detect" by far more threats walking around New Orleans. No way in hell I'd go walking through a poor neigbhorhood in New Orleans at night. After a few days there I had no concerns doing the same thing in Puerto Vallata.

I did enjoy it there but after about four days I was ready to go home. Being constantly surrounded by a language I can't understand starts to get annoying after the novelty wears off.

All that said..you're talking about the border area..where most of the issues are at. I wouldn't be concerned if I were staying in areas where there were plenty of people. I absolutely would not go for a drive through the rural border areas at night just for kicks.
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It is not just a border issue, it just doesn't happen in the resort towns, the Federales do a good job. The good tourist spots will always be safe. I wouldn't drive up into the jungle or to Guadalajara from there anymore, which is really a shame.
 
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Jay Honeck said:
So we're flying down to McAllen, TX next week (about an hour from Mustang Island, via RV-8), and are supposed to join friends in a stroll across the Rio Grande to Progresso. (Yes, we go on foot, so that no one can jack our car!)

We've done this before, and enjoyed the windfall of amazing deals one can find -- everything from $5 Prilosec, to NFL team clothing for a pittance -- but with everything I've been reading about what's happening across from Brownsville, I'm a tad nervous.

Anyone been to Mexico in the last couple of weeks? What's the scoop?
Click to expand...

Looks like you cancelled your trip. Smart call. Matamoros and Reynosa areas are very volatile right now with fighting between drug gangs. Kidnapping a gringo to "interview him" would not be beyond reason. No gringos are going to Reynosa/Matamoros via foot or car unless they have family there.


Good Luck
 
jesse said:
Just so you're aware the Prilosec you buy there is indeed prescription in the United States. Prilosec OTC in the U.S is not the same as standard prescription Prilosec which is what you're buying in Mexico.

Prilosec = prescription drug
Prilosec OTC = over the counter drug that is a bit different
Generic Prilosec in Mexico = our prescription Prilosec.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't notice ANY difference.

But my Mexican supply is long gone, now. :nonod:
 
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