Thanks for the reply. I have crossed enough latin america borders to know that things aren't always done to the letter of the law, but I am trying to educate myself on when I am skirting the law with the recent Mexican changes. I found the actual Mexican statute: CAPÍTULO II DE LA ESTANCIA DE EXTRANJEROS EN EL TERRITORIO NACIONAL Artículo 52. Los extranjeros podrán permanecer en el territorio nacional en las condiciones de estancia de visitante, residente temporal y residente permanente, siempre que cumplan con los requisitos establecidos en esta Ley, su Reglamento y demás disposiciones jurídicas aplicables, de conformidad con lo siguiente: I. VISITANTE SIN PERMISO PARA REALIZAR ACTIVIDADES REMUNERADAS. Autoriza al extranjero para transitar o permanecer en territorio nacional por un tiempo ininterrumpido no mayor a ciento ochenta días, contados a partir de la fecha de entrada, sin permiso para realizar actividades sujetas a una remuneración en el país. I emphasized the "tiempo ininterrumpido" part, which I translate as "for an uninterrupted time of not more than 180 days". The key phrase being uninterrupted, which supports what the border guard told me about single entry on the FMM. I'm just being anal about this because I went to baja in March, and didn't cancel my FMM when I left, but went to Acuna before it expired to cancel it, and the guard there told me I had left Mexico illegally, but let me slide and stamped my passport. Then I crossed at Laredo in September and asked the guy there if the FMM was good for multiple entries and he said no, as I said in my original post. So I cancelled my FMM and TVIP when I crossed into Guatemala, and got new ones on the way back, but it would be cheaper and easier to not have to do that. And I have kept them open in the good old FMT days. So I have two border guards, plus my shaky spanish translation of the statute that say it is single entry. I'll look into the TVIP thing later when my head doesn't hurt.
Of course there is also the saying, " No matter how beautiful a woman is, somewhere, some guy is sick of putting up with her shit"
Rhode Trip: As a general reference and if you are only going on major roads city to city the AAA map is surprisingly good. Next would be the Guia Roja Tourist Road Atlas, a very hefty book, next level of detail if you have a Garmin GPS would be the North America NT, and drill down even further to the BiciMapas 2013 version for Garmin GPS that was updated only last week. There is an interesting effect when you have the Garmin NANT and BiciMapas loaded. In some areas where they do not exactly coincide the map in the screen dithers a bit between the two so the streets shift very slightly between the two data bases. The BiciMapas is a $99 download and you need to have Garmin Mapsource software loaded on your PC (not Mac compatible) This said I have no doubt that 9 of the other weisenheimers on this thread will have ten different answers for you. The proof is in pointing south, pushing the start button, engaging first gear and twisting the throttle... I learn something new everyday and it is nothing like riding en el norte... abort any preconceived notions about anything... especially road conditions and time and distance traveled.
OK. Outside of Gomez Palacio I see three Ford F350 size pickups with Federales in full tactical gear, heavy machine guns mounted on the trucks, guys in full Kevlar armor, and they are patrolling the cuoto while off to the Northwest 4 lovely, innocent, religious women are being murdered for their 2012 Jetta and cash. WTF! When I was in Vietnam is there was trouble on one of the roads the engineers ran a five ton dump truck with a quad fifty mounted in the bed and ammunition everywhere... one trip down the road and there was no more trouble... we did have to pay the plantation owners about .25 cents for every rubber tree we demolished but there were no more ambushes. Who calls the shots down here? (Rhetorical question)
I hit a dead end using that link, try this one and see your PM for tips how to make a link like this: The Way South
He doesn't need tips on making links. The original link to his original ride report was fine, but that first version of his ride report was deleted.
When I got my TVIP & Tourist Card in Agua Prieta in October I asked several times about multiple entries and the guy that I got the Tourist Card from, who fortunately spoke a little English, assured me it was good for multiple entries.
Just curious as to why those four ladies were carrying "substantial" amount of cash while traveling to a funeral. I usually don't find much need for substantial cash when I attend funerals.
Speculation of this sort is pretty much useless. People carry cash for lots of reasons, not all of them suspect.
RE; the UNINTERRUPTED visit of Mexico ....................................................................... precisely worded and nevertheless open to interpretation. Her is how it works.... When you leave Mexico for an " interruption" back in the USA you DO NOT go to the trouble of getting yourself checked out of Mexico. That is so easy to do, you simply do not go in at the Migracion office to get a Salida stamp in your passport which would require that you also cancel your Tourist Card. As I explained earlier , when you leave Mexico at the US border the Migracion and Banjercito workers do not come running out of their office to tackle the gringo heading north to take away his documents, nor do they take your temperature and check your diaper ( that is done by US customs when you enter the Homeland ...) . At the Mexican inland Aduana terminals they only check inbound tourist traffic documentation, You are free to cross back and forth between the Zona Fronteriza and the interior as often as you wish while retaining your documents.. When you cross the border to the USA in this manner you are technically still registered as being IN Mexico , legally until the last day of validity of your Tourist Card and TVIP. When you return to continue your stay in Mexico you are all set up with the documentation. Nobody at the border will flinch if in the cursory random inspection you hold up your current and valid documents. . Likewise when you get to the inland Migracion checkpoint your documents will be accepted without a problem. . The only time when you will get yourself into trouble is if you do not cancel the documents before going to the USA and then fail to return at least to the Mexican border terminal with the very same bike BEFORE the expiry date of said documents. That means if you show up with expired documents and you ask that they be cancelled you are exceding the permitted stay period . You will possibly face a fine. You will definitely NOT get your Security Deposit back . Comprendo ? This is the detailed background and explains what Kobukan was correctly told . It was also explained in this way to me by the Mexican Migracion worker this past April as I was cancelling my Tourist Card document in order to cross into Belize at Subte Lpoez QRO where cancellation IS mandatory for the Tourist Card but NOT the TVIP. This also shows that the TVIP is considered to be a multiple entry document , so why would the Tourist Card for the sqme person be any different ? Such variation is illogical. but is applied at te Central American border end of Mexico, not at the USA side. If the Migracion workers at the USA side of Mexico are going to raise an issue about it the simple way to avoid that is to clam up about your travels. No need to get chatty and explain that you have been bouncing back and forth between the two countries - just say you had an excelent 6 month stay in Mexico and you forgot where all you have been, so dazzled by the experience are you. . ..
Ace asked a valid question. Things are different here. Some people have a hard time using banks due to proximity problems and taxation. I doubt most Americans would use banks if the government monitored your deposits and automatically taxed you if you exceed a certain amount of deposits per month. In fact, I doubt most Americans would tolerate most of the government controls here like on traveler's checks, etc... This time of year, some businesses accumulate a lot of cash selling certain goods only for December, like salted cod for the Christmas table, kid's toys for Christmas and 3 Kings Day, cases of liquor that have fallen out of container shipments in the port, etc... Deposits are not the easiest thing to do in a lot of banks because of the insane lineups. Carrying that amount of cash is not that big a deal here or really something that is out of the ordinary. A lot of people prefer cash here, you get a better price on things. The government has put a limit on business cash purchases but for private use, cash is king. What was out of the ordinary is that they elected to disregard some info, they didn't have a driver or even another male occupant in the vehicle. It is not usual to see that many women in a car without a male in the vehicle, unless they are nuns, and they don't drive very much. People are paying attention to that norteno highway murder, but nobody paid any attention to the entire family that was shot and killed south of Veracruz, not far from Tuxtapec that happened just a short while after one rider on this forum passed through there. Funny how some people react to one killing, but on another stretch of highway that is frequented fairly often by riders, nobody pays attention to the events. Keep an ear to the ground throughout your trip, listen to the locals, make your risk assessment as Trice would say, and then plan your ride and ride your plan. Simple as that. That is what people do that live here, you should do the same. When you come to Mexico you should ride like a local rider. You are expected to because you are on a motorcycle. Enjoy it. You can't do that in the USA. Will I avoid the Tierra Blanca/Tuxtepec area? Probably. But not because of some politically related murders, I really don't like the Tierra Blanca stretch because there are way too many accidents and hit and runs. Tuxtepec to Oaxaca is better, you can access it via Tlacotalpan instead of Tierra Blanca and it is a nicer ride. I avoid Tierra Blanca more for the traffic incidents, but I avoided Martinez de la Torre for a few months when things were hot up there. Now, I've been there 3 times in the last 3 weeks because they've cleaned out most of the problems. Again, local citizen or local rider info will trump Borderland Beat or any other slow news gathering agency (relatively speaking). Though, to be fair to Borderland Beat, they don't really specialize in all of Mexico. Notimex will get you that. I never read Borderland Beat because it is too slow in reporting things. I think of it as the Guia Roji of news agencies. It is popular with some people because it is in English. Here's what most people and Borderland Beat missed: Ejecutan a familia en la carretera Tuxtepec, Santa Cruz ILDEFONSO PACHECO Tuxtepec, Oax., 20 de Diciembre de 2012.- El pasado martes ejecutaron una pareja sentimental y un menor de edad Ismael Soto, chofer del ex pistolero Andrés Valencia Álvarez del ex tinto líder de la UGOCP, Margarito Montes Parra, cuatro sujetos que viajaban a bordo de un auto compacto de color gris, a la altura del paraje el Zapote pertenece a las Peñitas Veracruz. Según los hechos se registró alrededor 10.15 de la mañana de ayer en el kilómetro 175 de vía federal Tuxtepec Santa Cruz, a la altura del Zapote, una camioneta con caja metálica de color roja la cual transportaba pertenencias diversas que se dirigía para esta ciudad fueron alcanzados por cuatro sujetos que venían a bordo de un Tsur de color gris con placas de circulación MKT 80-24 del estado de México el cual tiene reporte por robo. El vehículo donde viajaban las familias de Valencia una camioneta Dodge media cabina color rojo placas XV 375 573 del estado veracruzano. Pero según testigos que pasaron por el lugar señalan que el conductor de la camioneta respondió la agresión armada por lo que los sicarios abrieron fuego con sus armas hasta darles muertes a los ocupantes de la unidad entre ellos un menor de edad. En el lugar se encontraron 38 casquillos percutidos de calibre 9 mm., los abatidos por los grupos de los sicarios respondieron a los nombres de Andrés Valencia Álvarez que reportes policiaco lo señalan como ex pistolero del extinto Montes Parra quien fue líder de la UGOCP aquí en la cuenca, en donde también fue acribillado el mes de octubre del 2009 en su estado Sonora. De la misma forma perdió la vida Ana Mijangos Méndez de 25 años con domicilio calle 5 de febrero colonia 20 de noviembre de Tres Valles Veracruz, así mismo Andrés Valencia Mijangos edad de 7 años que desafortunadamente las balas las alcanzaron . Al lugar hizo su arribo la subprocuraduría de justicia de Cosamalopan y personal de los servicios periciales. L a unidad en que se desplazaba los sicarios recibió varios impactos de bala por lo que se cree que Andrés, aun herido de muerte logró asentar varios disparos al Tsuru que fue localizado a la altura de la congregación de San Antonio Texas Veracruz. Por lo que los occisos su pareja eran comerciantes tianguistas que se instalan en Ciudad Alemán y territorio Oaxaqueños y que pertenecían a la UGOCP por lo que se supone ya lo traían cerca. Por lo que los jefes policiaco pues trataron de impedir los trabajos de los medios de comunicación, esto lo tenían que hacer con el crimen organizados que tiene aterrorizado al estado vecino de Veracruz.
Actually, that is why the Mystery Rider and I had you ride at the back. We needed fresh bait. I think that decal on the V-Strom scared them off.
Is that like the german snipers and three cigarette lights... They see you, get excited by the shiny Harley then grab the poor British sap at the end?
Not sure, but the road block took place about 20 miles or so from Guachochi. I'm assuming the women from Cuahtemoc were traveling south to Parral then west to Guachochi. If they went another way, it would involve taking their new Jetta on a lot of dirt roads. There was a gunfight around Guadalupe y Calvo, (west of parral on rt.24), not long ago and the area is definitely under the influence of cartel(s). I've ridden around those parts in the past few years with no problem. YMMV. My guess, is that since this incident, there is more of a police presence in the area, and it would not be as dangerous to travel there at present, but I'm just guessing really. I would definitely not be riding around after dark here, or just about anywhere in Mexico if for no other reason than the surplus of livestock on the roads. If you had more time, I'd recommend coming down further south and exploring the Sierra Gorda.
