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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Driving To Panama City, PANAMA
Check Brindlepress for "99 Days to Panama". Good read. There is also a poster with a Panama blog, let me see if I can find it... got it. He doesn't post here though. Panama Blog
Here is the Houston couple http://www.99daystopanama.com/
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harvestmoon
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12/15/09 11:26am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Dolores Hidalgo to Guanajuato
I agree with the above poster. We've driven it both ways and the more southern route (not via DH) is the best with a long vehicle. The northern route is gorgeous though, so make it a day trip in your toad once you're staying in Gto. DH is not to be missed either. We spent a few weeks at Gto and loved it. It is not a town to miss.
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harvestmoon
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12/14/09 10:52pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Help needed with trip planning...
We have had very good luck boondocking/dry camping at restaurants and hotels in Mexico as well as the pemex stations. I think the website you're thinking of for Pemex stations is by Profeco and lists all the suspect, good and bad ones. I'll see if I can poke around and find it.
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harvestmoon
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12/14/09 06:22pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Best cell phone coverage in Mexico?
We have TelCel and here it has better coverage than Movistar.
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harvestmoon
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12/14/09 02:24pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Heading for the Gulf Coast
We just came down that way - Matamoros to Ciudad Victoria to the Emerald Coast to VeraCruz to Villahermosa to the Caribbean.
MX180 is absolutely AWFUL from Tampico to Tuxpan and along the Emerald Coast but SWEEEET everywhere else. Have a great trip!
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 05:34pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Same Old Same old for the Aduaneros
We just came down the East coast and should have been fined (maybe?). We had a LOT of stuff in hte car - car parts, gifts for the kids, household items up the wazoo - the van was loaded literally to the roof. Aduana asked if we had merchadise, I told him no, he asked again if I was sure, I told him no - he must have known I was lying - and sent me on my way. No problemo.
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 05:31pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: The best route from San Miguell to Veracruz.
Are you looking for a meandering route or a direct route? Are you looking for good roads or will you put up with bad roads to meander to interesting spots? Where is your starting point?
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 05:27pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Sirius Radio in Mexico
No problem here in the Yucatan or anywhere east of DF on the East (Emerald) Coast. Small hole around Catemaco but you could still get it. But ours is on the roof.
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 05:25pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: good border crossing
harvestmoon:
I dont think there is any problem with your TIP. The normal way of obtaining an FM3 is to enter the country with an FMT and a TIP for your vehicle. Once you obtain your FM3 the car permit is valid for as long as your FM3 is valid. THere is some ambiguity about leaving the country with an expired car permit and returning. Many Aduaneros claim that the permit is valid only if you do not leave the country. Once you exit they expect to see a new permit. ?????
Moisheh
I bet you're absolutely right! I think I'd like to get the trailer off the TIP anyway and get the TIP issued under my FM3. With the poor economy, the transitos here have been trying really really hard to bring in extra $$. :)
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 03:41pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: good border crossing
Glad you're back and hoping you'll post with more frequency.
Smooches! Good to see you're still fighting the good fight. :) We're not RVing anymore so I don't really post here as it doesn't seem like I have anything to add. The boys and I had a great trip north but we BLASTED back to QRoo in 4 days so that was a whirlwind trip (and so not our style) and a blur. If you're interested, here's a trip report I made for our northward trip. QRoo to CA
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harvestmoon
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12/09/09 03:39pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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good border crossing
I really expected problems with our border crossing (Matamoros). We had our Ford LOADED to the gills with "stuff", 4 kids and a dog. We also have an expired TIP which was obtained on my FMT (and I've had an FM3 for 2 years now). Law is not clear how legal this is - having an expired TIP on an FM3 is legal, but a converted FMT is not addressed. So, we were first really hoping for a green light. Got it! Aduana at the border was iffy about what would happen at the checkpoint but said that the TIP was definitely illegal. Unfortunately, I can't cancel the TIP as our travel trailer is also on the TIP and the travel trailer was waaaaay down in Quintana Roo.
We got across the border, got the green light and FMTs for the kids and headed out. Very quickly I had blue and red lights in my rear mirror (well, side mirror as we were so packed I couldn't use the rear mirror) and I assumed they didn't want me. I ignored them. They continued until I finally pulled over. I knew I hadn't run any lights and it wasn't a transito so I was curious (to say the least). He just wanted to know if we were transporting merchandise. I lied. :) He knew it. Waved us on and off we went.
Aduana checkpoint along MX180 had me so incredibly worried - I was CERTAIN we'd be turned around and would have to figure out some way to work out the TIP. I just kept chatting him up and putting more paperwork in his face and talking about the kids, yadda yadda and either he didn't notice the lack of FM3 on the TIP or just didn't care - we were waved on!!!!
So, good crossing even though we were probably quite illegal. :)
Now, I really need to take care of that TIP.
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harvestmoon
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12/08/09 02:52pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: serioius mechanical problems, Villas Onac
Yay MCP! Glad to see you're on the road again. We've used Ford dealerships in Cancun and Ciudad Obregon and have been very happy with them. Tioga George has used the Tepic Ford dealership and has been happy with them. Enjoy your winter!
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harvestmoon
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12/08/09 02:44pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
Yes, I emailed them yesterday and they have responded. I got fuel on my hands (normal for pumping) and it didn't smell like gasoline, so I'm thinking it was a contamination of diesel and not pure gasoline. We'll see what happens with QT.
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harvestmoon
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11/24/09 07:29pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
Thanks so much everyone! Got the van to the Ford dealer (we're in the middle of a long journey and with the holiday coming up I really wanted it taken care of today) and they found GAS in the tank!!! I know I filled it with diesel and my receipt even shows diesel was sold, so it isn't faulty memory. We're filling up once a day (due to driving 400 some odd miles daily - roadtrip) so I can't imagine it was anything other than the Quick Trip #37 in Bartlesville Oklahoma. I also noticed that the problem started very soon (like 5 miles) after dieseling up. (do you guys still say "gas up"?)
I only put in 1/2 a tank of bad diesel and it definitely did NOT smell like gasoline when I pumped the diesel, so I'm hoping the amount of gas in the diesel was low.
Dealership is dropping the tank, emptying it, flushing the system and replacing the fuel filter. Any other ideas?
I've xposted to dieselstop also.
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harvestmoon
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11/23/09 02:40pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
Thanks RRT.
I posted in the van section - I'll post on the 7.3 also. Thanks for the suggestion. Sometimes the truck guys tell me to go over to vans though when I post in their forum (thedieselstop). :)
We'll get a good (and unexpected) look at Muskogee now.
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harvestmoon
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11/21/09 08:59pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
Well, a couple years ago, in Huatabampito (Mexico) we had 1/2 the wiring harness replaced. Much of the same problems we're having now. Acceleration is intermittent and when we try to accelerate we get big clouds of white smoke. Turbo works very well, but it feels like the engine is "missing" sometimes at acceleration. hard to describe. It is like you hit the gas (diesel) and nothing happens but you can tell it is trying, white smoke is issuing from the tailpipe and finally something catches and you have acceleration. Also, mileage is about 1/2 normal. We "gassed" up about 75 miles ago and have used 1/4 tank so far - we normally get 150 miles to the 1/4 tank.
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harvestmoon
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11/21/09 08:47pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
thanks so much; I'd already put in a service request for Monday, but hoped to find an independent mechanic also.
Rolling Rock - you would recommend the Ford deal in Ft. Smith?
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harvestmoon
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11/21/09 08:40pm |
Tow Vehicles
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broken down in Muskogee, OK - need mechanic
We need a diesel mechanic for our Ford Van. Can anyone recommend someone in Muskogee, OK? Thanks in advance. suspect wiring harness problem.
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harvestmoon
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11/21/09 07:56pm |
Tow Vehicles
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Is it safe to RV in the US?
We've been happily living in Quintana Roo for (at least, right?) 2 years now and are seriously considering traveling to the US this summer (well, US summer; it has been summer here since March) and traveling to California. But we worry about those US banditos and US cops and paperwork and legalities and sheesh! Maybe we should just continue to hang on hte Caribbean. :)
I haven't been here in ForFreakingEver and it is good to see that Jonna (HI!) and Chris and still fighting the good fight.
But, srsly, how safe IS boondocking in the US?
And I should probably head over to Tech and see what they'd recommend for a trailer that has been sitting in one place (since evacuating for Dean- that was 2007?) for 2 years.
Are the Churches still the de facto experts on campgrounds? Anyone have a good story of transiting DF with their rig (I know Jonna and Mimi did it a couple years ago)? How is the East Coast holding up these days?
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harvestmoon
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06/06/09 06:00pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Muling a starter to Mexico (PaaMul)
thanks everyone! I'll turn all your most excellent suggestions over to the DH and see what he decides to do.
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harvestmoon
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01/05/09 10:35pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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