BajaNomad

travel documents 4 my mx friends

nancyinpdx - 3-2-2009 at 06:30 AM

what docs do my poor tj friends need to fly w/in mex? I wanna take em on vacation outta yucky tj. Thanks

fdt - 3-2-2009 at 07:09 AM

They would use the same as the rich ones use :P

Mariz - 3-2-2009 at 07:42 AM

They just need a form of ID. Usually a voters card.

bajajudy - 3-2-2009 at 08:30 AM

If they are Mexican citizens, I believe that they will need a visa just like we do when we come here but not too easy to get and expensive.

FDT probably knows more.

cantinflas - 3-2-2009 at 09:14 AM

IFE card is all I use.

David K - 3-2-2009 at 09:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajajudy
If they are Mexican citizens, I believe that they will need a visa just like we do when we come here but not too easy to get and expensive.

FDT probably knows more.


Judy... within Mexico? "what docs do my poor tj friends need to fly w/in mex?"

Cyanide41 - 3-2-2009 at 10:32 AM

I don't think she meant poor in the economical sense. Then again, I could be totally wrong.

bajajudy - 3-2-2009 at 10:39 AM

oops
thought it said to the states
darn glasses playing tricks on me again

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 04:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Santiago
Nancy: your question is worded somewhat condescendingly - didn't really need the 'poor' and 'yucky' did you?

Wait a minute, is your last name "Drew"?

Sorry for starting this thread...

I did not expect to get flamed.
TJ IS yucky and they are in genuine poverty and don't have jobs right now due to the bad economy and lack of tourists. Sorry if you think i am horrible and condescending but they are suffering there and have a horrible life. Two are a young-ish unemployed couple with a small child, one is a middle aged lady who had to sell individual packets of chicle (those tiny 4 piece ones) and single cigs just to survive and sometimes even doesn't make enuf to buy a street taco, another is a grandmother living with her adult kids and grandkids. None but the latter gets enough to eat and her phone is off due to having no funds to pay it. The reason I assume she eats enuf is cuz she lives with her extended family and has never told me she goes hungry. Sometimes she has to sell her family's used ropa just to survive.

I just wanted them to be in a nice pretty place on a vacation for a week and have a respite from their depressing and difficult lives. One lives in one of the scariest parts of the red light drug dealing district, two used to work at a hotel in a scary area where lots of bad stuff happened, and the other (the grandmother) is my fave friend on the planet and only gets a day a week of work in a motel in a bad area. They are all having a rough and depressing time and I want to take them to a happy, beautiful safe, fun place for a week. They have not had a chance to do something like this. But since you think I am derogatory and condescending, looking down on them, maybe snobby, forget this thread. You guys don't know my heart at all. I love them all very much and just wanted them to have a little happy stress-free vacation with me. I do help them out a little when I'm there all though they never ask.

I thank those here who tried to be helpful.




[Edited on 3-4-2009 by nancyinpdx]

ckiefer - 3-4-2009 at 08:46 AM

Sad that you feel you had to apologize or explain yourself. Everyone must surely know the population of TJ. ANY city that large will have areas of poverty and high crime rates. It's a shame. Many expats who live there surely do not live in those areas and will be offended by your "yucky" remark. Ignore and forge ahead!

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 08:56 AM

Thank you. I love my friends there so much and hate how they are suffering. It makes me very sad. I have lots of friends there and they are all having a very tough time and live in bad neighborhoods. I wish I could help them more but am very low income myself right now so I can't. I always help a lot of the poor when I visit Mexico because I hate when ppl have to suffer. There are so many sad stories I could share but I'll get flamed so I choose not to.

Diver - 3-4-2009 at 09:07 AM

I applaud your desire to help your friends but are you sure this is the best way ?
If some do not have sufficient funds for food, perhaps a credit at a local grocery would be a better way to help ? Or paying the phone bill or ... ?
The amount of money that you would spend for air fare, lodging and food on a vacation could keep these people in food for a year.
Just a thought !?

shari - 3-4-2009 at 09:43 AM

hmmmm interesting point Diver that really made me think about it. Perhaps this topic deserves a whole thread dedicated to the topic of how we can help our less fortunate amigos.

Nancy...thank you for being such a good amiga to your poor friends and sharing it with us...maybe it will rub off on others who might extend a hand to help all those poor people that nomads deal with all the time...love to tell stories about how great they are. I have great respect for the poor folks who manage to scrape by with creative enterprise and try to always share what we have with many of them...be it work or leftover food etc.

Much flaming goes on here mainly due to a lack of understanding or cultural unawareness....poor means alot of things...having not enough money to sustain a family is tough but mexicanos have great pride...it is a fact of life here and how we as foreigners deal with it is different with each person. I think a holiday is a wonderful idea and may be a once in a lifetime fairy tale come true..a plane ride...a hotel, restaurant...cinderella stuff. Your amigos will most likely always be poor no matter what you give them BUT a fantasy holiday memory will last a lifetime and make them smile. It just might be the best thing EVER in their lives that they will always remember and talk about to their grandkids....so while financial help may be wiser....a holiday sure would be more fun and exciting.

Maybe discuss it with them and ask them what they might prefer...maybe they would put money to better use...buy a little taco stand cart or sewing maching or something that may help generate long term income....or not...give them the choice???? JUst be careful about giving cash because I have heard lots of stories where kind hearted gringos bought expensive stuff for their amigos to hear later they just sold it and bought drugs or something frivolous with it...better small cash installments or you buy what they need....using good judgement.

Keep us posted...put your tough skin on girl and hang in there....you have the high ground....go girl!

[Edited on 3-4-2009 by shari]

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 09:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
I applaud your desire to help your friends but are you sure this is the best way ?
If some do not have sufficient funds for food, perhaps a credit at a local grocery would be a better way to help ? Or paying the phone bill or ... ?
The amount of money that you would spend for air fare, lodging and food on a vacation could keep these people in food for a year.
Just a thought !?


I thank you for your very kind and wise suggestion. I do buy them some food, household items, clothes, and give some extra pocket money to them when I'm there. I figure our vacation will cost us a maximum of about 450-500 a piece (we may even bus it) and we could maybe rent a room with 3 beds at a very low budget place (there may be up to 7 of us). I know that kinda money could help them out for a while but certainly not for a year- maybe two months max. TJ is expensive. This may be a once in a life time thing to do for them so I just wanna do something fun with them that they may not otherwise ever get to do. They all seem excited and happy about the possibility of us taking a vacation together some day in the future and getting to see other places in Mexico. Also, I miss them desperately, wanna spend fun time with them but don't really wanna spend that whole week or two in TJ. Lots of bad things happened to me down there, which I'm not gonna go into but I will go back just to see them and for some medical treatment and just be more careful than ever before since I know TJ much better now and have learned from my mistakes. I was very naive and innocent at first about TJ and did not realize how drastically different it is from other parts of Mexico. I had traveled to several different parts of Mexico for 11 years, roughing it, prior to TJ and never had any serious probs before that. A few kinda hair-raising experiences, yes, but nothing like TJ. I have my street smarts now bout TJ, know tons of ppl there and I know how to be safer there now and my friends protect and help me when I'm there now. God bless them. I'm very lucky to have these special friends in my life.

Edited to say: Well i did decide to go into some of what happened to me in my next post.

[Edited on 3-4-2009 by nancyinpdx]

shari - 3-4-2009 at 10:44 AM

Ya know what mexican families really love are those big swimming parks with water slides, pools etc...there are some not too far away either by Santo tomas, I think Las Canadas by ensenada too...this could even be a day trip and the kids would love it.

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 12:25 PM

Thanks again Shari. I can't afford taco carts, but could check for 2 used sewing machines. Lots of things are more expensive down there.

Yes, I've been scammed and taken advantage of, been robbed and the cops even extorted/stole 3500 dollars from me by planting 1/4 oz of meth & 3 used pipes on me! I was terrified outta my wits and very angry! Of course first i said, test my hair, urine, & blood but of course they wouln't cuz they'd planned this set up; an enemy sic'd the dirty cops on me. They did a lot worse than that that day but it's too hard to talk about. It was terrifying, humiliating, and traumatic.

But now, thank God, I have many friends down there to protect and help me and will never be alone there anymore.

Wow I could write a book bout mi vida loca I've gone thru.

i won't buy the couple anything expensive even tho they've protected me on numerous occasions cuz i honestly think they might sell it but I'll buy food, household groceries and some nice makeup. She dyes my hair for me whenever I go down there and does other nice things.

I agree that the vacation is a fairytale cinderella fairygodmother kinda thing and it will make me happy to do it.

Ppl down there know I'm broke now. None of these friends have ever betrayed me and aren't greedy.

I think the water park is a great idea for the couple with a young daughter and for my older friend with the grandkids! We also have plans to go on picnics, for me to show them how to make Asian food, for me to give Bible lessons to the kids (I was a sunday school teacher for 3.5 yrs), etc. The grandma and young couple have both invited me to stay with them on my next visit and said I don't have to pay anything and they wanna spoil me, baby me, and protect me. : ) Of course I would pay them something, though!





[Edited on 3-4-2009 by nancyinpdx]

Bible camp

Dave - 3-4-2009 at 01:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by nancyinpdx
We also have plans to go on picnics, for me to show them how to make Asian food, for me to give Bible lessons to the kids


WOW! I'd be excited.:rolleyes:

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 01:40 PM

You are welcome to attend:saint:

[Edited on 3-4-2009 by nancyinpdx]

DENNIS - 3-4-2009 at 03:48 PM

Here's a link to Las Caņadas water park below Maneadero:

http://www.lascanadas.com/

re: water park link

nancyinpdx - 3-4-2009 at 11:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Here's a link to Las Caņadas water park below Maneadero:

http://www.lascanadas.com/


Thanks, Dennis! I'll check it out!

Bajahowodd - 3-4-2009 at 11:39 PM

How did the Bible get involved here? Don't want to get involved in a war here, but really???

ckiefer - 3-5-2009 at 08:05 AM

8th paragrah down. Please let us not start trashing this woman because of her beliefs. That would be the lowest of the low. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally posted by nancyinpdx
Thanks again Shari. I can't afford taco carts, but could check for 2 used sewing machines. Lots of things are more expensive down there.

Yes, I've been scammed and taken advantage of, been robbed and the cops even extorted/stole 3500 dollars from me by planting 1/4 oz of meth & 3 used pipes on me! I was terrified outta my wits and very angry! Of course first i said, test my hair, urine, & blood but of course they wouln't cuz they'd planned this set up; an enemy sic'd the dirty cops on me. They did a lot worse than that that day but it's too hard to talk about. It was terrifying, humiliating, and traumatic.

But now, thank God, I have many friends down there to protect and help me and will never be alone there anymore.

Wow I could write a book bout mi vida loca I've gone thru.

i won't buy the couple anything expensive even tho they've protected me on numerous occasions cuz i honestly think they might sell it but I'll buy food, household groceries and some nice makeup. She dyes my hair for me whenever I go down there and does other nice things.

I agree that the vacation is a fairytale cinderella fairygodmother kinda thing and it will make me happy to do it.

Ppl down there know I'm broke now. None of these friends have ever betrayed me and aren't greedy.

I think the water park is a great idea for the couple with a young daughter and for my older friend with the grandkids! We also have plans to go on picnics, for me to show them how to make Asian food, for me to give Bible lessons to the kids (I was a sunday school teacher for 3.5 yrs), etc. The grandma and young couple have both invited me to stay with them on my next visit and said I don't have to pay anything and they wanna spoil me, baby me, and protect me. : ) Of course I would pay them something, though!





[Edited on 3-4-2009 by nancyinpdx]

shari - 3-5-2009 at 08:17 AM

nancy girl, you are not alone...I have been in this country for 20 years and have had some very very nasty things done to me too...mainly because I was vulnerable, naive and ignorant of my rights and how to handle myself in this country...but I learned thanks to caring people and am still here...i'm a survivor and now understand the game better. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger! I am stronger and smarter now as well as more compassionate. YOu will be a fantastic fairy comadre!

Thanks

nancyinpdx - 3-5-2009 at 01:40 PM

Thanks Ckeifer.

I'm not preaching to anyone here so whoever is disgusted that I said one of the things my friend wants to do with me is for me to give Bible lessons to her and her grandkids is weird. She wants me to teach her so she can give them to her nietos and other Christian neighborhood kids. She is a Christian also. How is that worse than going on picnics, to the zoo, and water parks? I think it's stupid that so many ppl get mad when they hear any Christian words when no one is trying to convert them or preach to them.

Thanks Shari. Your story is the same as mine and i agree with every word you said. I was too naive, innocent, and vulnerable when first in TJ too. I've had tons of scary, dangerous, and bad things happen to me here and there but I'm still alive, so yes it does make us stronger and braver after we've survived terrifying things. Crazy scary things have happened to me all my life so I am braver than most people, incuding most men.


Quote:
Originally posted by shari
nancy girl, you are not alone...I have been in this country for 20 years and have had some very very nasty things done to me too...mainly because I was vulnerable, naive and ignorant of my rights and how to handle myself in this country...but I learned thanks to caring people and am still here...i'm a survivor and now understand the game better. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger! I am stronger and smarter now as well as more compassionate. YOu will be a fantastic fairy comadre!