Yeah, just a list that says things like, "One bed. Nuevo. 1200 pesos." If asked, everything not on the list is Segundo.
i just drive up and see what they tell me to do. I did get behind some bigger trucks once and was waved past them by both the truckers and the Mexican
personnel.
It's a really small operation so the formalities are minimal. Kinda like crossing into British Columbia from Washington at Nighthawk. One guy in a
little house who might ask you a few questions if he feels like it.
At Tecate one of two things might happen when you are in something bigger than a sedan. If things are really quiet they may tell you park right where
you are and point you to the office where you get your FMM. Ask for 180 days, the max. You can pay cash right to the guy behind the desk (it amounts
to a few bucks more) or he will give you a bit of paper to take to the bank right in the same building complex where you then pay, get a receipt and
go back to the first guy, get your FMM and hit the road.
Sometimes when there is more traffic and parking in the gangway would obstruct things you will be waved through. Then you go down to the first light
(half of a block), make three right turns and park along side of the customs building where there are cones and a guy tending them. Then go in, do
your business and then tip the cone tender a buck or so.
Follow the signs out of town. Stop at all of the stop signs as once in a while the motorcycle cop is feeling poor, and enjoy the great road to
Ensedada.
Sometimes I hit the Cambios (money exchangers) in Tecate and sometimes in Ensenada. About the same rate. Your dollars are not much good once you get
South of Ensenada. Cash machines or credit cards only. Most of the gas stations are starting to accept credit cards but not always and sometimes they
are refused by the machines. I carry pesos enough to deal with gas. The cash machines are usually fine but we just went through a spell of some sort
of official fun time with several of the banks, especially Bancomer but things seem to have settled down now.
All more than you probably wanted to know.
Baja, Mexico and, indeed, most of latin america operates under a remarkably benevolent and gentle anarchy. Just be a civilized person and you will be
accepted or ignored or both.
An entertaining note about this site. In the above text it reads that there was, "Some sort of official 'fun time'" I typed it in as "c i r c l e j e
r k". Ah yes.
[Edited on 4-7-2017 by Gulliver]
[Edited on 4-7-2017 by Gulliver] |
