WELCOME TO MEXICO!

[TerryC]

PeteyGirl and I are now International travelers! We crossed into Mexico at Nogales AZ/MX. The fence from the U.S. side.


Mexico... dead ahead! NO GUNS!!


The sign over my shoulder says BIENVINUDOS A MEXICO. Welcome to Mexico.
(did I spell that wrong??)

We did not have to show our passports. Let down! We stepped into the Mexican station to get them stamped. No pics allowed.

Help me out, RGINN, what does it say?


Downtown Nogales MX could pass for ANY U.S. western downtown.


We drove around a few minutes. Gave GUMBY a chance to look around and got in line to return to the USA.


You can buy insurance when visiting the U.S. We sure did going into MX!


No need to exchange our dineros we did not get.


The border fence from the Mexican side.
(MX on the right, U.S. on the left)

And back to the U S of A!


A short, uneventful visit. We did not want to stay. Let me explain... As we approached Nogales AZ, at kilometer 4 exit (I 19 does kilometers, not miles), my "check engine" light came on and the ESC indicator light came on steady. Now what? Should we continue? We pulled over to discuss options. We thought, we got this far, we need to go. We turned the engine back on and the ESC went out but check engine remained on. Lets do it! We were not allowed to take pics at both crossing gates. We drove in and then went back to the states. Now, I don't want to say I believe in GREMLINS, but after going through the U.S. check point, the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT!! Bad omen? Fate? Maybe we were not meant to go further in. WEIRD!! Anyway, we can now put a MEX decal on the "bubble"! TTC

 

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[islamoradamark]

Hey its all about the adventure and you had fun thanks for the pictures

 

[TerryC]

First visa in renewed passport!
TTC

 

[WannaDig3687]

Cool pics! You got out and then back in safely. That's important! How was the "mood" there? Any commotion? I would still get your engine checked.

 

[TerryC]

We only went in about a half mile (1.2 kilometers?). Saw many levels of lifestyle. Mostly lower. Many street vendors while waiting to return. Talked to one fellow selling newspapers. We bought one. Good way to practice my Spanish. In broken English, he related that he was making GOOD money. Usually about 27/30 American dollars a day. That is very good money! It takes about 2 hours of waiting in the return line. You can order food and drink from some vendors and it will be delivered to the window shortly. Also many "window washers". Some are obviously chemical dependent. Sad. The streets were relatively clean.... cleaner than downtown L.A. or Atlanta. BEAUTIFUL church near the border. Busy traffic. We were warned by insurance agent to watch out for staged accident situations. Because of the large number of (perceived) unsavory characters nearby, we did not exit the Jeep to take pics of the "bubble". I think we should have. Next time. Yes, I will check out the possibility that the ESC module is failing. Tnx. TTC

 

[TerryC]

If your referral to "mood" meant the illegal border crossings, we saw none of that here. This is a tight urban setting and clear vistas of the wall only extended as far as you saw in the one pic. Not a good view. TTC

 

[XtreasureX]

Welcome to Mexico!!! I live about two hours south of there. Lots of good treasure hunting nearby. Next trip spend a bit more time and enjoy the food. I recommend driving a junkerish car and get the insurance. A lot of cool stuff down here. The locals love it when you speak their language.

 

[TerryC]

All the locals EXCEPT the Mexican agent that had to stamp our passports! Unusual for the Gringos to get a stamp. He was having a bad day and kind of let us know it. All in all, I was very THRILLED to be visiting another country, albeit for a very short time. I like that kind of stuff! TTC

 

[Real of Tayopa]

Bien venidos terry, but unfortunately, that isn't Mexico. Typical border town. no need to check your passport there, they do that further down, thoroughly. I'm glad you had good experiences. Paleteria - ice cream bars, nieve - icecream".

 

[Real of Tayopa]

Ugh, Terry, I would go easy photographing Federal US Immigration documents. documents, Advice from a former Border Patrol Officer. Otherwise, just have fun.

 

[TerryC]

Hola, mi amigo! I haven't heard from you in a while. I understand that it is not a typical Mexican town. The problem is you must venture through such places to get to the REAL people and places of your beautiful country. Tijuana is the worst! I would love to visit the old sites and places I only visit while watching National Geographic! Take care, my friend. Terry

 

[TerryC]

Ugh, Terry, I would go easy photographing Federal US Immigration documents. documents, Advice from a former Border Patrol Officer. Otherwise, just have fun.

Understood. We must also call to find out what to do with the entry/exit paper we were to have stamped upon exiting ("salir" stamp). There are no parking lots or places to even get out of line once committed to leaving the country. Are we soon to become international fugitives? Ha! TTC

 

[TerryC]

Bien venidos terry, but unfortunately, that isn't Mexico. Typical border town. no need to check your passport there, they do that further down, thoroughly. I'm glad you had good experiences. Paleteria - ice cream bars, nieve - icecream".

Thank you for the translation. Google Translate coughed up blood when I entered it. TTC

 

[Kray Gelder]

Thanks for another epic journey!

 

[XtreasureX]

Nogales is a typical Mexican town. Not much tourism. There are about 6 blocks of tourist areas. South of that is “real” Mexico. You do not need a visa to be in Nogales for the day. There is no exit stamp required unless you temporarily import a vehicle. Your stamp is not a Federal Immigration Document neither is your passport.

 

[XtreasureX]

The ice cream here is delicious.

 

[Real of Tayopa]

True X", but you do need proof of identity upon entering the US again. I E proof that you are legally in the US.

 

[RGINN]

You should have stopped there, TerryC. They sell popsicles and ice cream, plus fruit juices at La Michoacana, it's probably out for the tourist trade since it's named that. Plus next door is a Panaderia, which is a bakery. We don't call ice cream nieve (snow) here, cause we get so much actual nieve. We call ice cream 'helado'.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Thank you for sharing. Those quick trips can be a lot of fun!

My buddy and I (live near Cape cod, MA) go for pancakes twice a year. The only catch is we have to travel as far as we can in 7 hours and still order the pancakes before 11:59 am. I know its crazy, but we can go to some fun places in that time. Our next adventure is coming up soon!

 

[TerryC]

True X", but you do need proof of identity upon entering the US again. I E proof that you are legally in the US.

Because we had him stamp the Passport, he wrote up seven day visas. It has an "entrada" and "salir" spots to stamp. I will call to check that we are not going to "go missing" at the end of the visa date..... just to be sure. And YES, CBP did check the passports on the way back in. Tnx. TTC