We left our overnight camp site at the Toll booth and headed for the industrial city of La Poste, where the Toll booth attendant said there was fuel some 23 KM ahead. We entered the city looking for the Pemex station but to no avail and since I had at least 1/2 a tank I wasn't overly concerned. However, we were about to enter another toll road and there are not many Pemex on toll roads. However we seen a fuel sign that said fuel in 11 KM so we just hoped that it had fuel. It did have fuel but only one pump per island so I'm not sure it they were rationing it or running low but they did give me a fill up.
Since Pharr TX was a little over 500 KM away we decided that we could make it that far before night fall so that was our aim. We reached the Pharr , TX border area on the MX side at 6 PM but could not located the the crossing because our GD GPS quit. Finally we seen a sign for the border crossing but it said it was for Truck. We assumed that the vehicle crossing must be close by so we took it.
As we entered the truck crossing we noticed that it was closed and now we were in a jam. Luckily there was enough room to do a U-turn. But where the hell do we cross was the question. Then we seen a truck ( tractor only) and 2 cars enter at an odd place but what the hell; that must be the entrance. Remember , we are still in MX so there was no signage. Then we entered the booth to pay for the border crossing and I ask to be directed to MX immigration to turn in our vehicle passes. The attendants at the toll booth spoke no English but out of the blue, a man who I thought was a beggar directed us , in English to the parking area. After 20 mins or so we cleared MX immigration and headed across the bridge to the US customs at Pharr, TX.
It took us 1 hour and 15 mins in line before we could even see the US customs. When we were about 10 vehicles for the booth I notice a customs office walking towards us and I said to Carroll, " I don't think he is coming to welcome us to the USA; we must have done something wrong". He actually said the RVs are not allowed at this crossing because we are not equipped to handle them. However, since you are now here, we will open a truck booth and he directed us to it. Once we entered the booth we were advised that we would require a full vehicle search, including an agricultural search , which was OK with us. We were ask to step outside and 3 inspector went into our MH. After a few mins the only question was about a frozen bag with spaghetti sauce and it was cleared. One inspector was holding our Passports and he hollered to someone in the booth if we were cleared and I heard a voice say" they are Cdns; they are cleared to go. During the conversation I did just happen to mention that I spent 30 years in the Air Force because many customs officer are ex-military and it never hurts to let then know. After clearing the customs we went to a local Wal-Mart for the evening and we will go to the RV Park in the morning. Cheers
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Tuesday, 5 February 2019
Mx Trip # 65 Mis Play of the Day ( Saturday )
We left Villa Corona right on schedule at at 9 AM. The trip to Guadalajara, where we will catch the Periferico ( ring road around the city ) would be 1/2 an hour. What a wakeup call for us. The line up to get on the 4 lane hwy to Guadalajara took over 1/2 hour alone because we have a stop sign and the traffic on the hwy was so heavy, that the trucks ahead of us could not get a sufficient window to safely enter the hwy. Some small cars and trucks actually left our lane amd entered the hwy going down the exit lane. We thought there was going to be an accident but there wasn't one. Who in there right mine would do that: The answer Mexicans.
We made it to Guadalajara and now we depended on our trusty GPS to advises us of the turn to the Periferico and to point us toward Zacatecas. The periferico was in sight but the GPS said turn right which we did but as it turns out that was a mistake because it took us right thru the 2 or 3rd largest city in MX. To be honest we were lost and gave up on the GPS. After 1 hour we stopped at a Pemex and got help from a customer who spoke English and as it turns out we were 2 km from the Periferico, however we are now at the extreme east of the city and we want the west side.
OK, Zacatecas is now our of the question so we change our plans and headed for San Luis La Posti which is a huge Industrial city and we assumed that they would have fuel as we would need a top up by tonight or tomorrow morning.
We arrived at a Toll booth around 5 PM and we were 25 km from La posti and I ask the attendant about fuel and I was advised that they had fuel 23 KM ahead at La Posti. We now had a choice to make ; do we stop at the toll booth overnight where there is lots of parking or go to the Pemex 23 km down the road and "hope " there is room to park. We choose to stay at the toll booth. We will hope to get fuel tomorrow. I only need to top ups to reach TX. Cheers
We made it to Guadalajara and now we depended on our trusty GPS to advises us of the turn to the Periferico and to point us toward Zacatecas. The periferico was in sight but the GPS said turn right which we did but as it turns out that was a mistake because it took us right thru the 2 or 3rd largest city in MX. To be honest we were lost and gave up on the GPS. After 1 hour we stopped at a Pemex and got help from a customer who spoke English and as it turns out we were 2 km from the Periferico, however we are now at the extreme east of the city and we want the west side.
OK, Zacatecas is now our of the question so we change our plans and headed for San Luis La Posti which is a huge Industrial city and we assumed that they would have fuel as we would need a top up by tonight or tomorrow morning.
We arrived at a Toll booth around 5 PM and we were 25 km from La posti and I ask the attendant about fuel and I was advised that they had fuel 23 KM ahead at La Posti. We now had a choice to make ; do we stop at the toll booth overnight where there is lots of parking or go to the Pemex 23 km down the road and "hope " there is room to park. We choose to stay at the toll booth. We will hope to get fuel tomorrow. I only need to top ups to reach TX. Cheers
Friday, 1 February 2019
MX Trip # 64 Waiting On Propane/ Supper with friends ( Friday )
As mentioned yesterday, I ask the camp owners to order the Propane truck to for me and a neighbour today but it never happen. I didn't really expect they would be here for 2 customers. However we stayed at the MH until noon waiting on the truck as he was suppose to be here between 8 and 10.
We are leaving here tomorrow and will be heading for TX which will take us 3 nights. We needed a few more Pesos so we went to the bank only to find a long line up. There are 2 banks in town , one with 2 ATMs and the other with one. Only one ATM was working so I was not in the mood to line up in the hot Sun so we left and will return later.
One of the neighbours had arranged a supper for 3 couples , one of whom we just met. We had a happy hour before supper just to swap some travel stories. The supper was called Barbacola and it is a MX special dinner cooked and served in the owners home. It was Bar-b-Q beef done in a sauce with rice and a vegetable bean sauce which was a touch hot especially for Carroll. Dessert was Flan with caramel sauce. Flan is a type of custard which is another MX dish. It was an excellent meal and the cost was 100P ( 7.50 cdn) each.
Since we will be on the road for the next 3 days I will not have internet so my next blog will be from TX on 5 or 6 th of Feb. cheers
We are leaving here tomorrow and will be heading for TX which will take us 3 nights. We needed a few more Pesos so we went to the bank only to find a long line up. There are 2 banks in town , one with 2 ATMs and the other with one. Only one ATM was working so I was not in the mood to line up in the hot Sun so we left and will return later.
One of the neighbours had arranged a supper for 3 couples , one of whom we just met. We had a happy hour before supper just to swap some travel stories. The supper was called Barbacola and it is a MX special dinner cooked and served in the owners home. It was Bar-b-Q beef done in a sauce with rice and a vegetable bean sauce which was a touch hot especially for Carroll. Dessert was Flan with caramel sauce. Flan is a type of custard which is another MX dish. It was an excellent meal and the cost was 100P ( 7.50 cdn) each.
Since we will be on the road for the next 3 days I will not have internet so my next blog will be from TX on 5 or 6 th of Feb. cheers
MX Trip #63 We did Nothing today ( Thursday )
We Tell it like it is! We went to the hot pool at 9 AM and stood around swapping stories with others. Someone suggested that a gang of us go out for supper on Friday so we all agreed and we nominated ( Railroaded ) the person who suggested it to make the reservation.
Then we sat in our patio reading and mulling over the route we will take to TX starting on Saturday. Oh yes; I ask the camp owner to order the Propane truck for Friday as I'm running low. I would not bet the farm on the chance they will show up. cheers
Then we sat in our patio reading and mulling over the route we will take to TX starting on Saturday. Oh yes; I ask the camp owner to order the Propane truck for Friday as I'm running low. I would not bet the farm on the chance they will show up. cheers
MX Trip # 62 Cocula ( Wednesday )
We did have anything to do today so we took a drive 21 KM to the city of Cocula. You may recall that we went there on Sunday for supper and to listen to the Mariachi band. We were told that it was a bustling , industrial city and that is what we found during our drive about. First we stopped at the Bodega ( grocery store ) to do some shopping as we were told that it was like a small Wal-Mart. It was true because some of the item were in fact Wal-Mart products with " Great Value" on the package. We picked up a few items and then decided to tour around the city/town.
We noticed many industrial stores like paint, drywall lumber yard etc. and then as we got closer to the Zocola ( Town Square ) there was the obvious business such as doctors, dentist, eye specialist and everything else would expect to find in a city of 12,000. The streets are paved and they have parking meters so that is an indication that it is more than bedroom town. Once we reach the Zocola we circled it looking for a parking spot without success but we spotted a vendor selling Blueberries and Raspberries. So on the third lap I stopped and let Carroll out as we want berries and our vendor in Villa Corona was out of them. Then I found a parking spot but there was an evil eye policeman watching me so I ask If I could park and he said yes.
You are never sure if it is legal to park because yellow paint on the curb means no parking. Actually it means I can't park there; the Mexicans seem to ignore it. Green means you can park only if you are doing business in the immediate shops. Blue means something else but I'm not sure so I don't park. No marking means you can park. If people don't want you to park in front of their home/business they just put a couple of chairs in the space and that seems to be acceptable.
After I parked , I then went to rescue Carroll as she was expecting a driveby pickup. We tour some more of the town and returned to our MH. Cheers
We noticed many industrial stores like paint, drywall lumber yard etc. and then as we got closer to the Zocola ( Town Square ) there was the obvious business such as doctors, dentist, eye specialist and everything else would expect to find in a city of 12,000. The streets are paved and they have parking meters so that is an indication that it is more than bedroom town. Once we reach the Zocola we circled it looking for a parking spot without success but we spotted a vendor selling Blueberries and Raspberries. So on the third lap I stopped and let Carroll out as we want berries and our vendor in Villa Corona was out of them. Then I found a parking spot but there was an evil eye policeman watching me so I ask If I could park and he said yes.
You are never sure if it is legal to park because yellow paint on the curb means no parking. Actually it means I can't park there; the Mexicans seem to ignore it. Green means you can park only if you are doing business in the immediate shops. Blue means something else but I'm not sure so I don't park. No marking means you can park. If people don't want you to park in front of their home/business they just put a couple of chairs in the space and that seems to be acceptable.
After I parked , I then went to rescue Carroll as she was expecting a driveby pickup. We tour some more of the town and returned to our MH. Cheers
Mx Trip # 61 2 Caravans arrived ( Tuesday )
Today is Market Day and even though we did not need much we take in the market experience. It is amazing what the have for sale, of which most does not interest us. They have a ton of clothes but most stuff is what you would see at a flea market. However, if you need it they got it. One resident needed an Ether Cord for his tv and he found it at the market.
However, they do sell lots of veggie and it is a bit of a " shit-show " because you just barge into the table and inch your way along picking up your veggies until one of the clerks ( mostly men ) recognizes that you are ready to pay. We but 4 tomatoes, one cucumber etc but the MX ladies will buy a shopping bag full of tomatoes. I think they bring the whole family to shop because no one person could carry everything they buy and there is shopping carts at the market.
Neither Carroll or I have had a haircut since mid Nov so we decided that today was hair cut day. We got the address of a Salon from friends but the street was closed completely as the power company was working on it. We would have walked to the Salon but we could not find a parking spot within the vicinity. When we return to the park another friend said that there was Salon about 2 blocks away so we went there. So we both got a hair cut, total cost 6.00 Cdn.
In the early afternoon a small caravan of 6 rig came in and parked in the overflow area which has power and water only. I doubt that they had reservations. This seemed odd as there was at least 25 open sites. Our neighbor wasn't busy so he went over to talk to the group but apparently they went not too friendly and weren't interested in swapping travel stories.
Then about 3 PM another caravan ( from Quebec ) of 15 rigs came in and they did have reservations and that is why the 6 earlier rigs went to the overflow because the French caravan all want to park together as much as possible. So we had French on both sides of us. They only stayed for 2 days. Cheers
However, they do sell lots of veggie and it is a bit of a " shit-show " because you just barge into the table and inch your way along picking up your veggies until one of the clerks ( mostly men ) recognizes that you are ready to pay. We but 4 tomatoes, one cucumber etc but the MX ladies will buy a shopping bag full of tomatoes. I think they bring the whole family to shop because no one person could carry everything they buy and there is shopping carts at the market.
Neither Carroll or I have had a haircut since mid Nov so we decided that today was hair cut day. We got the address of a Salon from friends but the street was closed completely as the power company was working on it. We would have walked to the Salon but we could not find a parking spot within the vicinity. When we return to the park another friend said that there was Salon about 2 blocks away so we went there. So we both got a hair cut, total cost 6.00 Cdn.
In the early afternoon a small caravan of 6 rig came in and parked in the overflow area which has power and water only. I doubt that they had reservations. This seemed odd as there was at least 25 open sites. Our neighbor wasn't busy so he went over to talk to the group but apparently they went not too friendly and weren't interested in swapping travel stories.
Then about 3 PM another caravan ( from Quebec ) of 15 rigs came in and they did have reservations and that is why the 6 earlier rigs went to the overflow because the French caravan all want to park together as much as possible. So we had French on both sides of us. They only stayed for 2 days. Cheers
Thursday, 31 January 2019
MX Trip # 60 Day trip to Lake Chapala ( Monday )
Our original plan was to move to the Lake Chapala area and camp there for a few days as it is only 50 KM from Villa Corona. However, we like the hot pools and the friends we have made and of course the camping at Villa Corona so we did a day trip to Ajijic and Chapala which are two cities joined at the hip. Many ex-Pats , both Cdn and Americans have take our residence in this area and are MX citizens of a sort.
The Ex-Pat couple that we have talk with, said they still have Cdn Passports but they carry Mexican Identification card which allows they certain advantage like full medical treatment for 300.00 a year. In fact one couple from Markham, ON said they have been permanent residence in Ajijic for 11 years and there are many couples just like them in a sub division. They have formed a co-op ( my words ) to obtain a group plan for medical insurance plan.
This same couple seem to live a shallow life style if I am a judge of people. As we perused the menu of a semi-outdoor restaurant they advised us that the restaurant had excellent food but more important they had a bottomless glass of wine and margaritas.
We then took a table close by more or less to get a feel of the area and to chat. That is when they said they had been residence and had left Markham, ON 11 years ago years. While we ate dinner and chatted I noted that the man had knocked back 4 glasses of wine and the waiter kept pouring. I wasn't sure if they had eaten yet but it appeared the wine was more important than food. Out of curiosity I ask if the came to this restaurant often and I got the answer I expected, "yes we do ".
Carroll and I went for a walk along the lake front as there were at lest a km long strip of vendors so we must have killed an hour and a half. We returned to our car which was park in front of the restaurant and the couple was still there drinking free drinks. Hopefully this not the typical Ex-Pat.
Ajijic and Lake Chapala is far to busy for us so our day trip was enough to fill our curiosity. We have notice a big change since we last visited 8 years ago. Like most cities it just keeps on growing. cheers
The Ex-Pat couple that we have talk with, said they still have Cdn Passports but they carry Mexican Identification card which allows they certain advantage like full medical treatment for 300.00 a year. In fact one couple from Markham, ON said they have been permanent residence in Ajijic for 11 years and there are many couples just like them in a sub division. They have formed a co-op ( my words ) to obtain a group plan for medical insurance plan.
This same couple seem to live a shallow life style if I am a judge of people. As we perused the menu of a semi-outdoor restaurant they advised us that the restaurant had excellent food but more important they had a bottomless glass of wine and margaritas.
We then took a table close by more or less to get a feel of the area and to chat. That is when they said they had been residence and had left Markham, ON 11 years ago years. While we ate dinner and chatted I noted that the man had knocked back 4 glasses of wine and the waiter kept pouring. I wasn't sure if they had eaten yet but it appeared the wine was more important than food. Out of curiosity I ask if the came to this restaurant often and I got the answer I expected, "yes we do ".
Carroll and I went for a walk along the lake front as there were at lest a km long strip of vendors so we must have killed an hour and a half. We returned to our car which was park in front of the restaurant and the couple was still there drinking free drinks. Hopefully this not the typical Ex-Pat.
Ajijic and Lake Chapala is far to busy for us so our day trip was enough to fill our curiosity. We have notice a big change since we last visited 8 years ago. Like most cities it just keeps on growing. cheers
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