Border crossing info needed

Hi all,

Anyone have any idea which, if any, border crossings west of Laredo are open to register a car and pay a small amount of duty on a Sunday? We are returning home and would like to cross tomorrow but are already in Sanderson and don't want to drive all the way to Laredo if we don't have to.

Also has anyone heard of any trouble along the roads out of any of the crossings lately?

WTF? You post on a Saturday evening prior to a Sunday crossing and want info! Sorry but if you are really that disorganized and clueless, you may just deserve what you receive?

Hi Natbug,
Sorry about Mr. Gringo´s mean-spirited reply. Do not take it personally. He is generally cranky and rude to everyone. We think he may need more fiber in his diet.
I do not have any information that would be helpful to you in your current situation. But, if I did I would be happy to share it. I would reserve judgement on how you came to need it and skip the lecture.
Best of luck with your border crossing.

Lady O L:

I grant you that I came across as cranky BUT we have been criossing the border for more years than a decade and I am sorry but we don't attempt to do do our research the day before. Not too damned difficult to figure ot we do a fair amount of travel throughout Central Mexico and the main reason we are able to do so is because we do our homework!

Good for you. And, I mean that. But, you do not know natbug´s story, how he came to be in this situation. Even if it was pure failure-to-plan it does not matter. He still could use a little advice. If he had written and said, "I will be returning home in two weeks...." you would be among those offering him the benefit of your experience. But, because he either does not live his life according to the way you have deemed right and good or because he has found himself in a predicament for any of a variety of reasons you refuse to help. That is, of course, your right. But, really, you could have skipped the judgemental and nasty lecture about how he lives his life.
And, thank you for acknowledging that you came across as cranky.

Natbug, either Eagle Pass or Del Rio will work for you, with the exception that Bridge I in Eagle Pass is closed on Sunday, but Bridge II in Eagle Pass and the one in Del Rio are open 24/7. This information is from the CBP website on Border Wait Times.

http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/

I guess my post above assumes the Mexicans will be open on the other side to let you in and take your money, but I guess you just have to take your chances.

Thank you lady otter and hueco negro, your kindness is appreciated. I will not comment on ruder posts. We were returning from Cali by car and were just wondering about a closer crossing to do our business rather than driving all the way to Laredo. It was not an emergency or failure to plan, just a thought about changing our plans mid trip. We crossed at Laredo after all (so we could register a new car) so all is well. We are now back home with our (mostly) kind neighbors.

De nada, natbug. Glad all went well and you are back in the land of the (mostly) gracious and kind.

Good for you. My mother always taught me that there's "no excuse" for being rude and I'm glad you had a safe trip. How was the trip from Laredo to Ajijic? We are planning on making the same trip, only going the other direction to take our car across and make a vacation out of it also. With all that we hear about the cartel country up there, it has us a little concerned. Just to let you know though, we are not 'all' rude and kindness does prevail. Welcome back.

MtnButterfly our trip from Laredo to Ajijic was very nice. We had a new Garmin with updated Mexico maps that were perfect. There was one stretch between SL Potosi and home that was the old 2 lane road and not all that pleasant to drive, but it was only a half hour or thereabouts so it was no big deal. I was the one reading aloud to the driver to keep her awake so I don't know the exact location of the "rough spot". Beware of the SL Potosi bypass. We were stopped for going "110" in a "60". There were absolutely NO SIGNS and the rest of the traffic was going over 100. Cop said the ticket was 2400p and that we could not pay at the bank in Chapala. He was very polite and had lots of "documentation" to uphold his pricing. However, in the end, because I had emptied her wallet of all but 200 p when we were stopped, we gave him the 200 plus another 200 from our toll money and went on our way. I know one should not pay mordida, but we were tired and just wanted to get home. Other than that, no problems what-so-ever. We stayed in Matehuala at Las Palmas which is always nice and made it home in 2 days. We felt safe the entire way. Good luck on your trip and I hope you have a great time.

natbug: Thanks for the update. It's very much appreciated. We were concerned about any shakedowns along the way. We would be easy targets as we speak no Spanish but we aren't anticipating any problems. We will watch our speed though especially through that area.

Ah, and the culture of mordida lives on. . . ¡Viva corrupción!

MtnButterfly, do you really think speeding has anything to do with it?

Really? A speeding infraction costs 2400 pesos??? I'd like to see that documentation. I did hear they raised the bar a bit on traffic fines, but I'm hard pressed to believe this. Would you care to expand on this Natbug?

Trailrunner wrote:Ah, and the culture of mordida lives on. . . ¡Viva corrupción!

MtnButterfly, do you really think speeding has anything to do with it?

Really? A speeding infraction costs 2400 pesos???

And up, depending on how fast you were going.Hell a no seat belt fine is around 1500,these new multas have been real windfall for transitos and federales.

Dear Natbug, we were profiled twice in the same spot on San Luis Potosi bypass, these guys are criminals and target foreign plated vehicles. Both tiimes the did not display badges , numbers or names, just a muncipal police truck , they are not allowed to write you a ticket. Both times we asked what did we do wrong, and to write us a ticket. Instead we were requested a ridiculous fine and were told if we didnt pay up our truck would be confiscated and that our infraction had been caught on camera and other such nonsense with a display of intimidation. They will also try to keep your drivers license and TIP document, which we demanded back. We were then told that we would have to go see the judge. We told them , "OF COURSE, we cant wait. " That had us follow them and when they saw we were not afraid , they pulled over after a bit and motioned us to pull along side and told us we were free to go..don't give in and if you have to request a federal authority on the spot.
So let everyone be aware of the San Luis Potosi bypass SCAM. This is something that has been ongoing at that spot for quite awhile.

viajero wrote:
And up, depending on how fast you were going.Hell a no seat belt fine is around 1500,these new multas have been real windfall for transitos and federales.

Yowza! I shall henceforth pay much more attention to my speedometer! Nevertheless, those pendejos wouldn't have gotten a centavo out of me.

Maybe MtnMariposa will confide in us how much they got clipped for. . .

Trailrunner wrote:

viajero wrote:
And up, depending on how fast you were going.Hell a no seat belt fine is around 1500,these new multas have been real windfall for transitos and federales.

Yowza! I shall henceforth pay much more attention to my speedometer! Nevertheless, those pendejos wouldn't have gotten a centavo out of me.

Maybe MtnMariposa will confide in us how much they got clipped for. . .

Better re-read the posts....I think you are "confused?"

I wasn't driving at the time so how it was handled was up to the driver. It was a scam, of course. Each person has the right to decide for themselves how to handle the situation. I don't judge.

600 for seat belt in jalisco, not 1500. 300 if you pay quickly.
so take the ticket instead of paying mordida of 500 or do 200 mordida and be on yer way-jaja!

natbug wrote:I wasn't driving at the time so how it was handled was up to the driver. It was a scam, of course. Each person has the right to decide for themselves how to handle the situation. I don't judge.

She says she is asking MtnMariposa, who we assume is MtnButterfly.

Pedro wrote:600 for seat belt in jalisco, not 1500. 300 if you pay quickly.
so take the ticket instead of paying mordida of 500 or do 200 mordida and be on yer way-jaja!

Wrong again Pete,they changed the law last year,it's now 30 days minimum salary or about 1800 pesos.

viajero wrote:

Pedro wrote:600 for seat belt in jalisco, not 1500. 300 if you pay quickly.
so take the ticket instead of paying mordida of 500 or do 200 mordida and be on yer way-jaja!

Wrong again Pete,they changed the law last year,it's now 30 days minimum salary or about 1800 pesos.

show me pal. i ain't seen anyone get a ticket fer more than 600 and the former transito commandante is a member in our moto club. first ya say 1500,now 1800 which is it, oh omnipotent one-SNORK! 600 is a huge jump and is the increase done LAST YEAR and the reason the transitos are all over that one. i think you should eat some bd sausage fer yer enormouse mistake chrissy.

Trailrunner: Nope I don't think it has a thing to do with speeding. If it hadn't been speeding it would have been something else. That's one hell of a fine for speeding. Sounds like a Nascar infraction instead. Mordida lives on but what can we do but show we have little money and hope they will settle for that. Remember, they have the guns.

BTW: Sorry guys, MtnMariposa isn't the same person as MtnButterfly.

Pedro wrote:

viajero wrote:

Pedro wrote:600 for seat belt in jalisco, not 1500. 300 if you pay quickly.
so take the ticket instead of paying mordida of 500 or do 200 mordida and be on yer way-jaja!

Wrong again Pete,they changed the law last year,it's now 30 days minimum salary or about 1800 pesos.

show me pal. i ain't seen anyone get a ticket fer more than 600 and the former transito commandante is a member in our moto club. first ya say 1500,now 1800 which is it, oh omnipotent one-SNORK! 600 is a huge jump and is the increase done LAST YEAR and the reason the transitos are all over that one. i think you should eat some bd sausage fer yer enormouse mistake chrissy.

Pete,just google;( multa cinturon de seguridad jalisco).Let us know what you find.