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RE: Otay/Mesa crossing
Vehicle and RV passes (TIP's) are not needed in Baja. Not sure about where you can get your FM-T in Otay as I always cross at Tecate (or sometimes Lukeville) when heading for Baja Sur.
In Tecate, you just park on the US side (in one of the pay lots), walk across on the west side and follow the signs to the FM-T office in the main building. After filling out the paperwork, you go across the street (to the east side of the crossing) and pay your money at the Banjercito. You then take the stamped documents back to the FM-T office for final stamps on your FM-T.
DO NOT try to drive across at Tecate in an RV and expect to find parking anywhere near the border!!
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Turtle-Toad
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08/26/08 12:38pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: When ya leaving? Where ya crossing?
We will be leaving Calif. on the 28th of November crossing at Lukeville and heading to Celestino RV resort for Dec and Jan. return home for a short spell then head into Baja about the middle of March crossing at TJ returning the first week in May.
By the way we just spent five wonderful weeks in Canada mostly in forest service rec. sites, just crossed back to US today eh.
I'd recommend that you cross into Baja at Tecate and take Mex-3 to Ensenada. You bypass the whole TJ mess and the toll section of Mex-1, plus you get to visit the beautiful 'wine valley' area of Baja.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/19/08 11:01am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Phoenix to Los Cabos 1st trip
I would recommend at least 2 months to properly "see" Baja! Of course those of you that still have to w**k (sorry about the dirty language) should start out with a leasurly trip down to the Cabo area first, just to get a feel for the country. Then you can make later trips to areas that interest you or you couldn't see the first time.
You can cover a lot of territory in 2 weeks, stopping in a different community each night and spending a couple of days at some of them.
See my website for my first trip; I used the trip down to check out the different areas and then made longer stops on the way back. Of course you won't be able to spend weeks at one place like I did, but you could do the whole thing in a two week time span. Then plan future trips accordingly.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/13/08 06:58pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: 10-year Hologram
I live in the Texas border and when we travel into the Mexican interior with vehicle only we get a six month multiple-entry vehicle permit.
Would I get the same six months if I hook-up my travel trailer to my pick-up, or would a 10 year permit be offered or applied in this situation?
Thanks.
You would need a 10 year TIP for your travel trailer and a current 6 month TIP for the pick-up. To my knowledge, they no longer offer a 6 month TIP for travel trailers or other RV's.
I've sent the form for canceling the 10 year TIP to numerous people, but haven't heard anything back from anyone that has actually been successful doing it this way; or has been successful in getting a 10 year TIP for a different RV after canceling one by mail.
I'm sure a little feedback would be appreciated by all.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/13/08 04:29pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Newbie question here re wintering in Mexico with young kids
If you expect the RV parks in Baja Mexico to provide entertainment for you and the kids, you're going to be very disappointed! Most (if not all) of the parks are just that, places to park. They may provide some extras, like hookups, and WiFi, and if you're really lucky, a laundermat.
That said, there are some really nice ones that either are on the beach or are very near it. And, for most kids, a beach is enough to keep them occupied for a long time.
Pick up a copy of the Church's book on whatever part of Mexico you decide to visit for info on just about anything.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/12/08 01:24pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Mexico Caravan Tours
You might want to try the Vagabundos del Mar travel club.
I think they have a caravan traveling down the Gulf Coast and through the Colonial Cities in Feburary. Because they are a club, and not for profit, you normally get much better deals. Your guides are members of the club, not employee's. You can also split off on your own at any time and rejoin at your leasure (if at all).
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Turtle-Toad
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08/11/08 08:49pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel in Mexico
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Pemex, Mexico answer to the low sulfur diesel Question?
Where can I purchse ultra low sulfur diesel?
PEMEX has been selling low sulfur diesel in the northern border line since January 2007. This supply responds to Regulation NORM082, which establishes a schedule for PEMEX to supply low sulfur content across the country in the future. For the moment, you can find low sulfur diesel in the following places: Ciudad Juárez, Ensenada, Mexicali and Rosarito.
Reg
From Pemex Web site:
I think the confusion is being caused by terminology; PEMEX's reply (above) states that LOW sulfur fuel has been available since January 07. It says nothing about ULTRA LOW diesel fuel! All the other quotes I've seen also say LOW, not ULTRA LOW.
While this may just be a typo by PEMEX, this is in line with what I've been told by a PEMEX station owner. He is getting LOW sulfur diesel now, but doesn't think he'll see ULTRA LOW diesel until sometime in 2009 or 2010. His station is about 200 miles south of the border.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/07/08 06:49pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: When ya leaving? Where ya crossing?
If my December surgery goes well, we will probably cross at Pharr, TX around the middle of January and either turn west or head south. That's about the closest we get to planning ahead.
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Turtle-Toad
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08/07/08 05:09pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: where to go from Mexico
Of course you know that if you buy in the US and plan on licensing in Mexico, you will have to pay import fees.
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Turtle-Toad
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07/13/08 04:46pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: FAQ Mainland and Baja Border Paperwork
I reviewed all the threads I could find...and there is a lot good information out there. However, I am still left with a question; can I go to the consulate in Nogales, AZ and do ALL the paper work a day or two in advance.
I can't speak to Nogales, but most Mexican Consulates in the US (that I'm familiar with) do NOT handle issuing of any document that requires you to pay money. That is the job of the Banjercito, and those are normally in close proximity to the Migracion office; which, in turn, is either at or near the border.
If you have the time, you can get your FM-T by mail through the Vags or one of the other travel club. These are pre-paid, but you still must check in with Migracion at the border station and get it stamped.
You can also get your TIP's through the Banjercito website. These are also pre-paid (with a credit card) and sent to you via a contract messager service. Turn around time is about 5-10 days. Here again, you still have to check in at the border station to establish you actual "entering Mexico" date.
All of this is discussed on my website and at the beginning of this thread.
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Turtle-Toad
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07/02/08 06:36pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Mexico will be full of gringo RV'ers ...?
In order to keep fuel prices down, try lowering your speed. I don't know what the cost difference traveling 100 kms per hr. vs 80, but perhaps someone could give us some insight on what savings are if we are travelling slower.
I don't have any actual figures, but a little while ago we traveled the full length of the Natchez Trace, which has a 50 MPH speed limit. Normally I have to fill my 75 gallon tank once a day in my 37' Class A gasser (7 MPG at 65 70 MPH), but on the Trace, it was every other day!
When I leave the Olympic National Park in the NW and head south to the RGV this fall, I will definitely be traveling at a maximum of 55 MPH. And to **** with the horn-honking, finger-waving citizens in their SUV's; They don't have to pay my fuel bill!
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Turtle-Toad
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06/17/08 01:31pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Electric tester?
Thanks for the information smkettner.
In terms of voltage correction, I'm looking for something that will be "plug and play" and handle 30 amps, some of the campgrounds down there that have 30 amp service also have 130 + volts.
I will wait for an autoformer that reduces voltage. I have a Tripp Lite surge guard that protects our electronics, it works well, but it doesn't reduce the voltage. I also run the electronics off an inverter running off the batteries in cases where the voltage is high.
Turtle Toad, I would be interested in knowing if you found an autoformer that reduces voltage!
What you are looking for is a "Buck/Boost" power conditioning unit. Unfortunately I'm not aware of anyone that builds them for RV/portable use; probably because of large size of the unit and the small market. Although with all the advances in solid state electronics, it may now be possible to make a truly portable unit that can handle at least 30 amperes.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/17/08 12:45pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Is Mexico Safe?
Just have her read the travel threads on this forum by Swiss Miss, Linda from Canada, Qtla, Moisheh, and too many others to name!!
And don't get the wrong idea about the "don't drive at night" warning; it's because of the farm animals sleeping on the roads, the overnight truck drivers, and the hard-to-see topes that make it dangerous to drive at night, not bandits.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/17/08 12:12pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Electric tester?
In the US, a Megger is a device used to test the insulation on a generator, motor or some other device where the resistance between the conductor and ground (earth) needs to be determined. It generate a very high voltage to do this (about 10Kv if I remember right).
The device you're describing is a called a "Clamp-on" or Clamp-on Ammeter". The newer ones can also be used as a volt/ohm meter.
For Mexico, I recommend the little polarity tester, and a volt meter, and an autotransformer, and a surge/spike protection device. You can find some of these combined into a single device.
Finding low voltage, reversed polarity, and missing ground in Mexico is a lot more common than it should be. Fluctuating voltage is also a BIG concern. Low voltage will eat motors (such as your ac compressor) and high voltage will get to your electronics.
Of course if you're boondocking and/or relying on Solar, you don't have to worry about all that.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/11/08 04:17pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hologram (TIP) for new motorhome
For those of you that asked for a copy of the cancellation form and have not received it; I'm getting a
"591 mail from non-client IP addresses prohibited without authentication.. No mail will be accepted"
I believe it is being caused because I'm currently unable to use my turtleandtoad mail server (it got highjacked) and am using another mail address. So please put "mldean at silverlink . net" in your authentication list and drop me a line and I'll resend it.
Mike
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Turtle-Toad
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06/10/08 11:28pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Hologram (TIP) for new motorhome
I have the form (in english and spanish, use the english one to fill in the spanish one)in pdf format, with a word document on what documentation to include (thanks to moisheh). Just provide me with an email address and I'll send it to you.
I'm hoping to put it up on one of my websites as a downloadable file soon. I just have to figure out how to set up a FTP page.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/09/08 01:58pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Resources for Baja RV trip planning
Check in with the Baja Nomad forum.
Read the section on my first trip to Baja on my website (link in my sig).
As already pointed out, RV parks in Baja don't always have sewer hookups, but they usually have dump stations.
If you really want to get on the beach, you'll probably have to boondock. Most formal RV parks are not on the beach in Baja, but they are close.
Of course you can also ask here too. I'll add a little more info later, it's time for dinner.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/04/08 05:59pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Conditions Brownsville to the Yucatan?
Topes:
Some are also used by the local populace to pedal soft drinks, newspapers, fruit, you name it. They know you have to come to an almost complete stop to get across them so that's where they set up. They aren't waiting for just the tourist, they are there for the natives also.
Some of the charity orgs and schools use them for collecting donations. If children are involved, most of the time there will be a cop sitting there also, keeping them safe.
I usually keep some pesos handy for both the collections and the vendors, you never know when they might be selling something you want, and it doesn't hurt to spread a little good will by donating to the local schools for whatever they are collecting for that week.
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Turtle-Toad
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06/03/08 05:49pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Newbie to Mexico
A common mistake which we should have pointed out. Some of the entry points have the immigration/customs stops right at the border, others are some distance away from the actual border crossing. It all depends on the geography of the area, whether there is "choke point" where they can cover multiple entry points, and other things (probably political).
In the future, your best course of action is to ask about paperwork for a specific port of entry. I don't think anyone here has used all the crossings, but I'll bet that someone here has used the one you're interested in.
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Turtle-Toad
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05/26/08 12:13pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Location of water pump 04 Georgetown 37XL
Thanks guys I'll check out your suggestions and get back to you. I think it might be above the propane tank. That's where my overflow and a couple of other hoses come out.
as to the solar question; my sig is out of date, I keep forgetting to change it. I now have three 75W panels charging my inverter batteries, and one 100W panel charging my house batteries. I've got room for about 3-4 more panels.
Future plans: Sell the 75W panels and replace them with three of the new 125W panels; add at least 2 more 125W panels; Add two more batteries to the inverter bank, and then rewire so that the inverter battery bank and the house battery bank are one big common battery bank charged by the five 125W panels; Use the 100W panel to keep the chassis battery charged.
We do a lot of boondocking and I like to watch TV on my big screen.
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Turtle-Toad
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05/20/08 10:57am |
Class A Motorhomes
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