MEXICO

[Mr. Satchmo]

I lived in Mexico City and Cuernavaca for many years, I have family in both places, but have not returned to visit in for 6 years. I miss it, the culture in that area is very European compared to much of Mexico. Now I live a few miles outside of El Paso Texas, and many of us refuse to go to Juarez, because of the drug related violence. I have some family from the capital that live in Juarez still, and they say it has improved, but we haven't been in the country since. Before all we needed was a state issued ID to return to the US from Juarez, now we need a passport.

 

[PALADIN85020]

We used to live in El Paso (late '70s to 1995), and for most of that time, enjoyed going over to Ciudad Juarez to shop and dine. My wife went over with her church group for joint activities with churches on the other side of the border.

Under NO circumstances would I go over the border now. My opinion is that to a number of unsavory characters in the border towns, gringos are "open season." There isn't a day that bullets aren't whizzing around in most of the border cities in Mexico. Even in the old days, I had my wallet lifted at gunpoint in Tijuana, and narrowly escaped incarceration for having a noisy automobile in Nogales ("Hay mucho ruido, Senor. Venga conmigo,") said the cop. By the way, he was driving an ambulance when he stopped me.

In Juarez, traveling with a client who was familiar with Mexican "customs," he was flagged down by a cop, who came over to the car and told him he was going too fast. He said he would have to go to jail. My friend asked him in Spanish what would be the fine, and when told, said he'd be willing to pay it now. The cop gave him a figure. My friend pulled out his wallet and explained that all he had was less than the fine. The cop nodded, thought a minute, and then took what was offered. As the cop departed, my friend reached down into his sock and showed me where he kept his serious cash. This type of thing, "mordida," is common, and that's how the cops down there prosper. The whole of Mexico is corrupt, and today I just can't imagine ANY reason for risking it all by going down there.

I've been in Tijuana, Naco, Nogales, Juarez and even to the interior (Guadalajara), either on business or for dining, liquor runs, shopping, etc. But those were the old days. Now you need a passport to get back into the U.S., and while some do it, I'm not going to tempt fate to go over. In Mexico you have NO rights, and good luck if you get thrown in the hoosegow for some minor infraction of their often-senseless laws.

The U.S. is bad enough with our crazy-quilt of national, state and local laws, but Mexico takes it all to a whole 'nother level. I have good friends who are Mexican citizens, but they can come up to visit me, not the other way around. Your mileage may differ; if so, good luck, amigo.

John

 

[calmex]

and today I just can't imagine ANY reason for risking it all by going down there.

John

Well, we are working on giving you a reason, but it will take time. Our IPSC/NRA Action Shooting Club is working on throwing a sort of Mexican Bianchi Cup match on our range. I doubt we'll be ready in 2014, but we might be in 2015. I intend to invite quite a group of old IPSC/Canada and IPSC/Manitoba shooter friends to come.

Yes, they'll have to borrow guns here, not bring their own. But we have nice stuff. And it's not about the prizes, it's about the fun.

We'd have everyone try to fly into Mexico City airport about a week ahead of the match date and try to arrive "same day". Me and "a couple of the boys" would meet everyone. Some of the "boys" are legally armed-types that I trained myself, not schmucks we don't know. We'd arrange for everyone to do the first night at the pyramids at Teotihuacan in the old Club Med Hotel there -- it's not Club Med anymore but it's still a nice place -- called the Villa Arqueologicas which is right at the end of the Avenue of the Dead.
Hotel Villas Arqueologicas Teotihuacan in Mexico

A shot down the Avenue of the Dead of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon taken through the fence in front of the Hotel Villa Arqueologica. It's like 5 km or 3 miles long. It's a bit of a walk to see it all.


Anyway, we'd do a "day tour" there so everyone could see the pyramids. It's pretty cheap, like 5.00 bucks to get in. The Hotel is not expensive. I'll do the transportation like I did for my "Miami Vice Wedding" back in 2008 and just have big Suburbans haul everyone around. There's a cost to that, but it isn't much and I don't plan on skimming anything here. This is a Club event, not a money-making scheme.

People who don't want to walk 3 miles and climb the pyramids can sit at the Hotel. It has a nice pool (although not thermally heated water so it's too cold for little-old-me) and the food is safe. I've been using this Hotel to take friends on Pyramid trips since 1991. This is the only shot I have inside the Hotel, just me sitting at the table on a cool morning last year. (I actually do have shots of a pile of us completely drunk and stupid during the wedding visit to the Hotel but I'd be tarred and feathered if I posted them.)


The Pyramids at Teo are worth seeing. All the shooters coming down would be in a group of likewise interested people. A lot of the IPSC/Canada and IPSC/Manitoba guys will be making their second trip since we did all this at my wedding in 2008. Only this time, they're coming to shoot some guns. Mexican guns, I admit, but still pretty neat guns.

I've been up-and-down those stupid Pyramids so many times I notice it gets harder as I get older. You end up, after walking all along the Avenue of the Dead, on the Pyramid of the Moon and shoot a shot back down the Avenue from the other side.


From there, we'll bring everyone to San Miguel. Lots of nice houses to rent and one of my ex-employees who spent a year in Canada thanks to friends of mine (and now has a big-wig job renting houses because she speaks English like a Canuck) will get good prices on rentals for our prospective visitors. Again, we'll try to keep this affordable for people. I'm not making anything on it, but I can't avoid some costs obviously because they don't depend on me. Food and lodging fall into that category.

San Miguel's a classic old Mexican Colonial City. Lots to see. Safe enough. Probably safer than most places, but I would never say "totally safe" but close enough to not panic about it. And we'll be close-by. The town is not big, so when I say close-by, I mean close-by.


We'll try to get everyone out to the range a couple of times to try the guns they will borrow so they can sight-in and stuff. This is not a big-money match, it's like a small Club-match with invited guests. Mexican food afterwards, probably with beer once the guns are packed away. It's for fun. And we're going to do it anyway, but I have a lot of friends up North that always want to come visit and get some shooting in. This takes care of all that -- and they can visit together.

This here is Vero with her .38 Super Gold Cup that's been modified to a fully-supported barrel with a .380 chamber and a 9 m.m. lead-in. Works like a charm. Lots of similar guns around down here.


After the match, we'll see everyone gets back to Mexico City Airport in time for their flights home. There should be no casualties along the way. I do not have a fixed date for this, but it can't be any more head-ache to arrange than my wedding was and that went fine.

I am sure there a lot of people who would never set foot in Mexico for any reason. But there are some who might be interested in this. As we get more organized and come up with a date, I'll be sure to post about it. We're having a Bowling Pin match this weekend which should be a lot fun. We've be R & D ing it for months and we have the pins, the guns (.38 H.D.'s and Outdoorman revolvers, shotguns, etc., etc.) that are ready to play.

But our Mexican NRA Action Cup championships -- when we get organized enough to do it -- should be a lot of fun. And we'll make sure everyone gets home in sound shape, although we won't be responsible for headaches.

And yes, the match would be held in WINTER so you'd be flying into something warm. But not hot. We're at 6,500 feet here, Queretaro range is about 4,800 feet. The pyramids are at 7,000 feet. It's warm but never really hot. We just gotta get our Club's act together and do it, but intial response out of Canada has been enthusiastic (but then, they already did this once before when I got married).

 

[Old TexMex]

Cool, count me in, I'd like to see my old place (15 Beneficencia), and walk those cobblestones again.I won't be riding the Flecha Amarilla out of town this time, I hope.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Well, we are working on giving you a reason, but it will take time.

You almost had me convinced, for a moment there!

John

 

[calmex]

Cool, count me in, I'd like to see my old place (15 Beneficencia), and walk those cobblestones again.I won't be riding the Flecha Amarilla out of town this time, I hope.

I rode by Beneficencia on the way home tonight. Not my normal route, but there was a bus stalled on Hernandas Macias and there was no getting past him. So I went around the other way. Rode past your old place I did.

 

[Farmer17]

I've been to Mexico many times. In college every spring break we would drive to Padre Island and spend one day walking over to Matamoras, it was fun then but dirty and I would never want to go back. Cancun, Cozumel, Cabo, and Puerta Valarta, were always great and I felt as safe there as I have anywhere. In Cozumel people lay all their wet dive gear outside and much of it is worth thousands of dollars and I never heard of any thefts.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Well, we are working on giving you a reason, but it will take time. Our IPSC/NRA Action Shooting Club is working on throwing a sort of Mexican Bianchi Cup match on our range. I doubt we'll be ready in 2014, but we might be in 2015. I intend to invite quite a group of old IPSC/Canada and IPSC/Manitoba shooter friends to come.

Yes, they'll have to borrow guns here, not bring their own. But we have nice stuff. And it's not about the prizes, it's about the fun.

We'd have everyone try to fly into Mexico City airport about a week ahead of the match date and try to arrive "same day". Me and "a couple of the boys" would meet everyone. Some of the "boys" are legally armed-types that I trained myself, not schmucks we don't know. We'd arrange for everyone to do the first night at the pyramids at Teotihuacan in the old Club Med Hotel there -- it's not Club Med anymore but it's still a nice place -- called the Villa Arqueologicas which is right at the end of the Avenue of the Dead.
Hotel Villas Arqueologicas Teotihuacan in Mexico

A shot down the Avenue of the Dead of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon taken through the fence in front of the Hotel Villa Arqueologica. It's like 5 km or 3 miles long. It's a bit of a walk to see it all.


Anyway, we'd do a "day tour" there so everyone could see the pyramids. It's pretty cheap, like 5.00 bucks to get in. The Hotel is not expensive. I'll do the transportation like I did for my "Miami Vice Wedding" back in 2008 and just have big Suburbans haul everyone around. There's a cost to that, but it isn't much and I don't plan on skimming anything here. This is a Club event, not a money-making scheme.

People who don't want to walk 3 miles and climb the pyramids can sit at the Hotel. It has a nice pool (although not thermally heated water so it's too cold for little-old-me) and the food is safe. I've been using this Hotel to take friends on Pyramid trips since 1991. This is the only shot I have inside the Hotel, just me sitting at the table on a cool morning last year. (I actually do have shots of a pile of us completely drunk and stupid during the wedding visit to the Hotel but I'd be tarred and feathered if I posted them.)


The Pyramids at Teo are worth seeing. All the shooters coming down would be in a group of likewise interested people. A lot of the IPSC/Canada and IPSC/Manitoba guys will be making their second trip since we did all this at my wedding in 2008. Only this time, they're coming to shoot some guns. Mexican guns, I admit, but still pretty neat guns.

I've been up-and-down those stupid Pyramids so many times I notice it gets harder as I get older. You end up, after walking all along the Avenue of the Dead, on the Pyramid of the Moon and shoot a shot back down the Avenue from the other side.


.

Did you discover the restaurant down in the caves in Teotihuacan

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

One important thing that hasn't been mentioned is that for old people like me, Medicare ends at the border...it's invalid in Mexico. So if you go you are on your own if you get sick or injured. I don't know about private insurance companies but it might be in your best interest to find out before you cross the border.

Medicare in Mexico > About Medicare

 

[calmex]

Did you discover the restaurant down in the caves in Teotihuacan

No, I think I know the one you mean, but I always do my tour and then take everyone to Pyramid Charlie's (the Carlos & Charlie's restaurant just outside Gate 2 by a bit) for the Chicken con Mole and some beer. They haven't poisoned me yet in 25+ years of going there so I tend to stick with the places that don't give me botulism, ESPECIALLY when showing guests around from up North.

 

[calmex]

One important thing that hasn't been mentioned is that for old people like me, Medicare ends at the border...it's invalid in Mexico. So if you go you are on your own if you get sick or injured. I don't know about private insurance companies but it might be in your best interest to find out before you cross the border.

Medicare in Mexico > About Medicare

I believe everyone flying down gets Travel Insurance. People living here usually opt for one of the types of Private Insurance or the new type of basic Medical Coverage they're offering but I just forget the name of it now. Certainly for visiting on any type of flight they should sell basic Travel Insurance but it's been over 23 years since I came back-and-forth between Canada and Mexico "touring" so I really don't know what the state of Medical Insurance for out-of-towners is these days.

You want to have some type of coverage though, that's for sure.

 

[Old TexMex]

One important thing that hasn't been mentioned is that for old people like me, Medicare ends at the border...it's invalid in Mexico. So if you go you are on your own if you get sick or injured. I don't know about private insurance companies but it might be in your best interest to find out before you cross the border.

Medicare in Mexico > About Medicare

Lee, a ShyMed plan is good idea, it provide immediate evacuation back to USA in case of med emrgency. You can be back in the states way quicker than an emergency room, most cases.
Good doctors in MX.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Thanks....I have MASA Assist which provides World Wide medical air transportation. Anyone who travels should have some kind of similar insurance to provide emergency transportation back to the US.

Now if you are 200 miles south of the border and get in some kind of accident and end up in a Mexican hospital, Medicare won't cover it...that's what I was referring to. Not sure about other providers such as Blue Cross, Humana, etc.

Maybe the new plan coming out of Washington will work.......or not.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

No, I think I know the one you mean, but I always do my tour and then take everyone to Pyramid Charlie's (the Carlos & Charlie's restaurant just outside Gate 2 by a bit) for the Chicken con Mole and some beer. They haven't poisoned me yet in 25+ years of going there so I tend to stick with the places that don't give me botulism, ESPECIALLY when showing guests around from up North.

That's always good haha, a lot of us from that area called it the curse of montezuma when tourists got sick, I know last time I went I got really sick. I miss it though

 

[labworm]

Nogales 1967, I think I was there. I noticed everyone wanted to be my friend, and loved my Timex watch.

 

[calmex]

That's always good haha, a lot of us from that area called it the curse of montezuma when tourists got sick, I know last time I went I got really sick. I miss it though

They started chlorinating the water here in San Miguel about 2,000 or 2001. After that, incidences of tummy-problems really went down when eating out. It has made a BIG difference in my ability to willingly go to a restaurant around here.

Some people don't get affected much but when you're one of the ones who does, you worry about that sort of thing. When eating at home and carefully preparing everything works fine and then you go eat out in a fancy place and get sick -- well, it's not fun. Since they started chlorinating the water, now you have to deliberately go eat in the scuzzy places to get sick and maybe not even then. Here, it made a big difference.

Remember, in a lot of these old Colonial towns, the original piping was made of clay about 400 to 450 years ago and the water and sewage pipes are often laid side-by-side...and you get seepage. That's where a lot of the real problems came from. Chlorinating doesn't clear up all the problem, laying new piping (where and when they can) obviously comes into play as well -- but it is getting better, not worse. I still am very careful, of course, anytime I eat out.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

They started chlorinating the water here in San Miguel about 2,000 or 2001. After that, incidences of tummy-problems really went down when eating out. It has made a BIG difference in my ability to willingly go to a restaurant around here.

Some people don't get affected much but when you're one of the ones who does, you worry about that sort of thing. When eating at home and carefully preparing everything works fine and then you go eat out in a fancy place and get sick -- well, it's not fun. Since they started chlorinating the water, now you have to deliberately go eat in the scuzzy places to get sick and maybe not even then. Here, it made a big difference.

Remember, in a lot of these old Colonial towns, the original piping was made of clay about 400 to 450 years ago and the water and sewage pipes are often laid side-by-side...and you get seepage. That's where a lot of the real problems came from. Chlorinating doesn't clear up all the problem, laying new piping (where and when they can) obviously comes into play as well -- but it is getting better, not worse. I still am very careful, of course, anytime I eat out.

Yeah, I grew up in Cuernavaca and I had family outside the city in small little towns that had poor water systems, the infrastructure sure is poor out in the country. We haven't been back in a while, my uncle was one of the good police officers in the city, and he was shot during a shoot out with drug runners and nearly died. He also had his family threatened by cartel leaders. I hate how sad it is

 

[Cyrano]

Juarez

I first came to the border as a brand new second lieutenant in 1955, attending the Air Defense School at Fort Bliss. My cousin was a gunner on a B-36 at the adjacent Biggs AFB. We spent a lot of weekends in Juarez. We drank a lot of beer and Cuba Libres and went dowwn some dark alleys that when I saw them in the daylight I wouldn't go there. The toll bridge was one cent for pedestrians going into Mexico and two cents to come back; on many occasions I put two pennies in my sock so whatever happened I'd have enough cash to get back to the US. We never had ANY trouble; we were friendly and weren't looking for a fight.

There was one incident which I remember clearly. There was a club just over the border on Juarez Ave. (this was before the Chamizal Treaty which moved the border farther north.) Some of you may have been there; It was upstairs and they had a barker on the street announding the wonders that awaited up there. One day we went up, and had a few drinks watching the floor show. We decided we'd leave and went out the back way. The back stairs went down to Ave Mariscal, which was the red light district a few block farther up, wasn't as ornate as the on Juarez Ave; the stairs were wood, the walls painted institutional green, and there was a bare bulb on a cord over the landing. Two Mexicans were in front of us; one was tall, dressed in a black tux. The other was built like a stump, short and wide and powerful. He was wearing an ivory colored tux. They stopped at the landing, and we didn't crowd them. The stump reached into his jacket and pulled out the largerst revolver I've ever seen, probably a Colt New Service. He opened it, spun the cylinder, snapped it shut and stuffed it back in his shoulder holster. They went down the stairs, out the door and turned right. We went down the stairs, out the door and turned LEFT. We beat feet for several blocks as we didnt' want any part in whatever was going down over there. Even then it was not uncommon to find someone floating face down in the Rio Grande.

That was almost 60 years ago and I can see it as clearly as if it were yesterday.

 

[Cyrano]

Juarez, Part 2.

I came back to Ft Bliss from Vietnam in 1969. My wife had never been there and she liked it. We went over to Juarez a lot. The Florida Club on Juarez Ave had a good restaurant, but we really liked Martino's. The ambience was elegant yet relaxing, the service excellent and the food superb. They had three little filets each one with a mushroom crown over it; that and a long cool Dos Equis, Oh, bliss.

There were lots of watering holes but we preferred the Kentucky Club. It had an old dark wood back to the bar that must have been ancient. It was dark and cool; very comfortable after shopping in the summer sun. They'd pull a frosty mug out of the refrigerator and fill it with whatever you desired; it was very relaxing. A few years later, it and most of the block around it burned down, and after a while they reopened up the street nearer the Florida on the other side of the street. It was never the same.

I'm from Connecticut and she was from Minnesota, our first winter there we had 64 days of house guests! We'd take them over to Juarez and everone had a good time. Her brother once insisted on buying dinner and paid for it with his credit card. A year later he told us that charge had never shown up on his statement. We went to the Kentucky Club enough either alone or with guests, that the barteners knew us by sight.

Once, our daugher, going to Arizona State University came down for Thanksgiving, bringing her fiancé. We went over to Juarez to do Christmas shopping. I wanted to find stuff for my wife, and she for me. Our daughter and her guy wanted to do the same. My daugther and I went in one direction, they went in the other; we were to meet at the Kentucky Club. My daughter and I finished first; at the Kentucky Club they wouldn't serve us,and almost ignored us. Finally the bartender almost threw the drinks down in front of us. Even my daughter wondered what was wrong. Finally it dawned on me; she was young and pretty (40 years later she's pretty), blue eyes, and long blonde hair. The fashion then was skirts so short I can't describe them on this forum. The bartender recognised me, thought I was stepping out on my wife and was indignant. Finally my wife and the boy came back in, we all were sitting together, talking and laughing and having fun. The bartener served us with a smile. I caught his attention, gave him the stink eye and shook my finger reprovingly. He had the grace to look sheepish.

That was years ago. I haven' been over there in 15 years. Now there's drug violence and random violence of all sorts not associated with the drug business, but going on because the government is powerless to stop it. it's sad; I'm 80 now and I dont' think I'll live to see a time when the government and the Mexican people have risen up and stopped the violence.

 

[feralmerril]

Years ago I went to TJ to the bull fights. Afterwards I went to a cantina nearby. I had already ordered something when they brought another american something he called cojones (spl?) He bragged up how good they were. I decided to get some my next trip. Went down a week or two later to the bull fights again and afterwards to the same cantina and ordered some cojones. When they came they didnt look as big as the ones that guy got. I complained to the waiter and he said, but senior, sometimes the bull wins!