Wm.Elliot
Northeast
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Joined: 12/25/2005
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1. Garmin traffic works very well in Mexico - so far. In SLP now
2. Sirius satellite radio starts failing around SLP. I've done some searches and found numerous attestations that Sirius works all over Mexico... After speaking with customer service I can safely say for me at least it does not.
3. 57 northbound south of Saltillo still gets epic traffic jams - maybe even more so now.
4. I've seen more RV's on the road (all headed north) than I've seen for years. Easter week probably is driving the few RVers out this time.
5. My T-Mobile phone works better in Mexico than it does in the US.
6. I see people wearing masks still - restaurant staff and a surprising number of Nationals out and about. Thus far I have been instructed to wear a mask only at the government permit offices where quite a few of the staff didn't wear masks.
7. Police escorts are offered from N.Laredo to the 20 km checkpoint. There was no tail (drag) officers so any number of escorted vehicles could have been easily picked off with the point being none the wiser.
8. I see very few traditional gringo tourists in interior Mexico... Hardly any, in fact.
9. Gas and diesel prices are significantly lower near the border.
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moisheh
North America
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Our Sirius worked all the way South to Chiapas. Maybe you need a different antenna. Although we see some RV's on the Highway from Nogales to Hermosillo many are Mexicans. Sometimes an older motorhome but mostly trailers. I even see some for sale on Facebook marketplace.
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Wm.Elliot
Northeast
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The RVs we saw were Canadian or American rigs headed north on 57. The satellite radio quit for good when we entered Guanajuato. The antenna is the standard car rooftop fin. As one who tried getting DirecTv in Mexico years ago I draw the line at having a rooftop array just to get Sirius. 57 through Querétaro is major league torn up due to massive construction. Down to 1 or two lanes north or south. It will take at least a year to rebuild this critical route.
We've noticed an absolute lack of US or Canadian plated passenger cars on this trip. It's a shame people are not enjoying Mexico.
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moisheh
North America
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You should see the roof of our house. We have the old Hughesnet internet dish . Not used. A Direct Alaska dish and an old Shaw dish. A true satellite farm. hnak you Telmex for finally getting Fiber to our house. We have come a long way since dialup or driving to HMO to use an Internet cafe.!!
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Wm.Elliot
Northeast
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In 1999 I bought a used DirecTV dish in Mazatlan - it must have been at least 3 feet across but still used the regular LNB. It worked for one, maybe 2 years in southern Sinaloa. I had the regular sized dish mounted on a plywood base, set it on the ground in preparation for hooking it up at the Creel KOA - connected the coaxial cable to the TV and it was spot on - no aiming, no meter. What are the odds of that? Should have bought a lottery ticket that day.
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Tvov
CT
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Joined: 07/19/2003
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Wm.Elliot wrote:
....
We've noticed an absolute lack of US or Canadian plated passenger cars on this trip. It's a shame people are not enjoying Mexico.
You do realize that in your first post you have this:
"7. Police escorts are offered from N.Laredo to the 20 km checkpoint. There was no tail (drag) officers so any number of escorted vehicles could have been easily picked off with the point being none the wiser."
_________________________________________________________
2021 F150 2.7
2004 21' Forest River Surveyor
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Wm.Elliot
Northeast
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Yes, I do recall. The escorts are optional and have been running for years in N.Laredo. I remain convinced that Mexico is not nearly as dangerous as it's reported to be. For example the murder rate per 100K is more than twice as high in New Orleans as it is in Mexico (the country). Murders and kidnappings happen frequently in the US but if an American is killed or kidnapped in Mexico it's on all the news outlets. I've been visiting Mexico since 1986 and it's always been said to be "very dangerous".
Maybe that's part of the attraction of Mexico for me - it requires a personal awareness of reality based upon actual experiences and observations. That alone creates a gateway that discourages some folks that are too frightened to experience life - but on the other hand it's unfortunate for Mexico to have this unfortunate reputation.
Last night we ate at a steakhouse and there must have been at least 60 attentive employees on duty. A great meal for $60. At the hotel there are cleaning staff cleaning the rooms daily. In the US it's much different - one hotel in the southeast offered to clean rooms after the 4th night. Many US restaurants have so few staff that service suffers.
Hope this explains what seemed like a contradiction to you. it's... complicated.
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NamMedevac 70
Reno
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Joined: 11/09/2020
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Yes, I have great memory of driving my 63 dodge with two friends all the way from central Texas to Acapulco in 65 and staying at the then premier Hilton on the beach. One minor incident with stolen hubcaps in Monterey that I bought back the next morning at the central square (same ones for a few pesos). A few flats and that was it.
As former commercial chopper pilot in SE Asia and Middle East I have fond biased memories of Singapore, Thailand, Bali, UAE, Egypt, Israel and then onto Zurich, Frankfurt, Holland and UK. I understand other folks risk aversion for traveling to hot zones anywhere including certain locations in the USA. They are smart. I was younger then and now older and wiser. Maybe someday I will fly into beautiful PV. Cheers to the happy traveler
https://www.facebook.com/498thDustoffUnarmedandAlone/
1970 Nam Army Dustoff UH-1H medevac pilot, PH, CMB, AMs, DFC, C of G. (Age 21)
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Wm.Elliot
Northeast
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Thank you for your service!
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moisheh
North America
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Nice to see people posting. I was ready to post that the forum is dead!
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