is not fully completed although you can ride through, but you will get to a toll boot and get charged 25 pesos or 30. you better stick to the known road, since you will not save much time going on this shortcut.
Live a little! Don't be so scared . Head straight through the center of beautiful downtown Reynosa from or too the Hidalgo Texas USA.Personally I prefer this route , gets you an immediate sampler of true Mexico. You will have no trouble finding the way to or from the border point to hook up with Mex 40 and it should be more interesting than seeing all the truck yards and stuff on the desolate western ring road. Maybe have a peak at www. borderhelper .com and click on the Reynosa downtown crossing for some details and pictures.
Sjoerd, that's a hard sell for riders who've seen the Border many times over a number of years and are just trying to get to the interior to explore new areas. Not dissing the Border, just sayin' not too many riders go to Mexico to explore those areas so they're trying to be time-efficient when they cross. For me the Border has lost much of its appeal as it offers so much less than it once did. I used to love exploring the Border towns. My last Border trip was three years ago to enjoy Reynosa and ride the Los Ebanos ferry. Had a great time getting the big Harleys on/off that ferry. :huh
Thanks for the info. I've used the route described several times to get to Pharr and Brownsville and have also exited on the unpaved roads a few different ways. The Anzalduas Bridge looks pretty good. Don't know why I haven't gone that way before. TOLL?? Oh no, can't do that unless the toll is negotiable like it is down by Saltillo.
Hey guys. Given that I may be meeting up with an advrider in mid-Jan, my travel plans may need tweeked. As I may have mentioned before, I'd like to plan a quick as possible route to Panajachel, Guat entering Mexico somewhere South of Corpus Christi, Tx. After spending time in Guat, I'll hopefully make enough coffee contacts to keep me busy in Chiapas and Oaxaca before meeting advriders in locations east of Mexico City. As for travel helps, I plan to buy Bakker's guide and mine the deep, deep wisdom of regular contributors in this thread. I plan to hit the border on either the 27th or 28th of Dec. Thanks, John
If a fast and easy crossing is what you're looking for you'll be asking yourself that again when you cross. But Sjoerd is right about Mexico riders missing out on all that the Border offers when we punch through to the interior. The Border is its own cultural region and should not be overlooked by those who've yet to explore it. Google "Los Ebanos ferry" for starters.
Is this the Ebanos Ferry? This vid is old, must be from the 70's. This vid has intrigued me for a long time. <IFRAME height=315 src="//www.youtube.com/embed/W89exAF0_s0" frameBorder=0 width=420 allowfullscreen></IFRAME> Heading south this winter. Maybe some Texas Hill Country then Mexico.
Never been there myself, It sure looks like the one I have seen in RR's, and photos, it's been on my list of places to cross for a few years now... that is a great old Video.... thanks for that...
Well, now, that was just plain cool. Thanks! Looks like the same ferry. There might have been others back then. Today Los Ebanos is the last hand-drawn ferry operating on the USA border. Holds three full-size vehicles plus two big Harleys, at least. Nice hard pack on the Texas side. Mexico is paved just short of where you really want it to be paved leaving about 20' of hard, slick, deeply rutted river bank to negotiate before reaching the drop plates which are even slicker. Just wet steel plate. No awlgrip, no nothing. YeeHaw!! I just pretended I was Malcolm Smith riding a 900lb Husky. :huh If you go be sure to ride to the front of the line as they will load bikes first. As usual mornings are best as the Bad Boyz are usually still catching their Z's from the previous night's activities. Gustavo Diaz Ordaz has something of a reputation.
The turn is well marked on the main street of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz Everyone waived us to the front of the line as bikes are loaded first. Tyler was wanting me to go first. Like REALLY wanting me to go first. Shoulda had him take pix of the loading. Anyway...... You can just make out where the pavement ends on the Mx side but not the 10-12" deep tire ruts Click for vid below Coords: 26.239371, -98.565387 Hours Of Operation
Howdy gang, I got this email in the last couple of days and thought the content my be interesting here. I use ADAVIS Global for a driver's license only liability policy. I get a year of insurance for $80 - $90. It's the best deal I've ever found and fortunately I haven't had to use it so I don't have any first hand experience. Anyway, the letter is quoted below: Mexico Insurance Update Brought to you by: ADAVIS GLOBAL MEXICO INSURANCE mexicoinsurance.com 1. How does a Surplus Lines Broker obtain Mexico insurance? Recently weve had the opportunity to talk personally with many of our Mexico insurance policy holders (Vag members) insured through Seguros El Potosi (for the past 14 years), and it has been brought to our attention that most people that travel into Mexico really arent familiar with process of how Mexico insurance is obtained and sold in the United States and Canada. So below Ive outlined what is required to obtain this insurance product. An insurance broker, like ADA VIS Global, has to be in the insurance industry for many years to qualify to become a specialized Surplus Lines Insurance Broker. We then contract with a Mexico Insurance provider (Seguros El Potosi) that we feel will do the best job for our customers. We negotiate a contract that will best suit the needs of ADA VIS Global, our customers and the agents that will sell this product to their members /customers. Over the years, in this contract we've been able to prove to our carrier, Seguros El Potosi that we can handle the claims faster with less expense to them so that's why they allow us to take better care of the customer. We then find agents, travel clubs and customers that need our products. Currently we have over 1200 agents in the United States and Canada with over 1700 office locations. Better communication with our clients!! While you were obtaining your Mexico Insurance coverage through your travel club, we were requested not to communicate with the membership directly unless the member had an insurance loss or contacted us because they had a question about their insurance coverage the travel club employees couldn't answer. Those days are over and were now communicating directly to provide the most up to date information about whats going on in the insurance industry in and out of Mexico without any membership fees. Our staff has been fully licensed for many years and are experienced in the insurance industries of both the United States and Mexico. Most Mexico Insurance Surplus Lines Brokers that provide insurance into Mexico do not have an office and legal staff in Mexico. ADAVIS Global is probably the only one that maintains an office, legal staff and handles the claims in and out of Mexico. This is why we've provided this insurance product successfully for so many years. When you have a problem you're dealing with us directly!! Below is a good example of where you have been given misinformation. Youve been lead to believe that the revised enhancements in the Mexico Labor Laws will affect your auto insurance coverages. Thats just not the case, these laws have been in effect for 30 to 40 years and no auto insurance claim has ever been paid under these Labor Laws (workers compensation laws). Not in the United States and not in Mexico. Higher limits of liability are always best, but know all the facts so you can make the right decision for you. To prove this point, we just handled our first fatal accident since these enhancements became law last November and I will share with you towards the end of this report how the accident was handled by us, our legal team, and Seguros El Potosi. What you need to know if you have an accident in Mexico, If you have an accident in Mexico, it's kind of similar to what happens if you have an accident in the United States and Canada. You determine who is at fault, exchange insurance data and report it to your insurance company. (in Mexico you have to report it before you leave the country) However, if that accident is with a Mexican resident he might call the police and since they know him it might become your fault and you pay the damages on the spot. This is why you need to have someone you can call in Mexico that you can trust to give you the proper guidance. We will talk to the police and the other party to get the problem resolved. In rare cases, you may still be required to pay the loss out of your pocket but with the proper receipts and our guidance we will help you get your money back. In most cases, when we verify coverage over the phone everyone is satisfied. What you need to know if you have an accident in Mexico and someone is injured or killed and it's your fault. If you have an accident in Mexico and someone is injured or killed and its your fault now you're in a whole new situation. Without getting into the specific laws of Mexico, you will be detained at the police station. However, they may detain you in the police lobby, make you stay in your RV or in a jail cell. (a lot of this is determined based on your ATTITUDE!!) This is why it's important to have our 800 number that rings in our office in Mexico 24 hours a day. In the 20+ years we've had this program, I have been called late at night, weekends and holidays to make sure someone is their to help the client get out of trouble. My partner, which is my attorney in Mexico, Gerardo Rivera Calderon has been by my side all these years and I trust him with my life. You can't say that about many people. An actual case accident that recently happened in Mainland Mexico. Our insured was at fault and a Mexican resident (his girlfriend) was killed in our insured vehicle. Facts of the Accident: Our insured, a tourist, was driving his vehicle with his girlfriend (a Mexican Resident) when he lost control of the vehicle it rolled and he was injured and she was killed. Our insured went to the hospital for treatment and while in the hospital overnight, our legal team was able to post a bail to prevent any jail time. Within one week we were able to pay for the burial expenses During the second week we settled the claim for around $9000 US dollars to the surviving family We are now in the process of taking care of the vehicle total loss so the insured can replace the vehicle less his deductible. This is how insurance works in Mexico. Were in the process of obtaining the police report to have it translated and made available with statements from our insured to anyone that wants to verify the circumstances of this accident.
I plan on sitting down with a Mexican attorney and insurance agent to go through that previous post. Should be interesting.
Looking for some ideas of where to stay in Mexico for a few weeks to a month (fly in with family) in the summer, please? My wife works for the school district and so it's summer not the ideal winter season. I know the coast is hot & humid and so no on that. I know the farther south you you the rainier it is in the summer. I know you need to be up in elevation to escape the heat. We lived in Guanajuato for a summer and it rained some but was brief and overall great weather. We'd go back vrs S.M.A, GTO was better. Zacatecas is another thought i've had. Thought about Oaxaca, but suspect it rains alot that far south. Any other ideas for great colonila cities to live in for a bit in the summer where the weather is manageable? thanks, bill
Have really enjoyed my time spent in Zacatecas. Can't go wrong there. You might look into Puebla as an option. Cholula next door might be even better. Feels like a small town while being close to services, etc. Then there's Cuernavaca, if course. Like Oaxaca City, Cuernavaca receives a brief afternoon shower almost daily that cleanses and cools the air with humidity quickly returning to a comfortable level. Keeps the dust down, too. ZAC gets pretty dusty by comparison. I like all these towns for a summer stay.
Head to Puebla. One of the most underrated cities in Mexico. You will be impressed and very happy for spending time there. Besides, the mole alone is worth a visit. Make a trip to La Cantona if you can. Los Humeros, too.
Queretaro, you have a 2.5 hrs range driving for the most of colonial sites. Mexico, the best of all colonial sites don't allow your family leave without know the city of the palaces....
