Tag: roadtrip
Entering Mexico by land with an RV
March 22, 2022
Entering a new country by land with an RV
When travelling to any new country, there is always a lot of homework that needs to be done before you ever leave home. Travel from Canada into the USA is easy for us because we have more experience. This was our first time entering Mexico by land with an RV.
Air travel is much easier when entering Mexico. They give you the forms you need and you follow the crowd through the lines to the immigration and customs booths and soon you find yourself on the sidewalk outside.
I won’t go into all the details about entering Mexico by land with an RV because there are many websites that explain things quite well that will be up to date. I will highlight the essentials. The links I used will be included with a few tips we observed as we crossed the border into Mexico from Arizona at Nogales Mariposa Truck Crossing. We chose this crossing because the roads are more manageable with an RV.
Essential Documents when entering Mexico by land with an RV from (Canada) USA
- Passport
- FMM (Multiple Migratory Form)
- Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit (TIP)
- Mexican vehicle insurance
FMM
The FMM is a visitor permit for citizens from countries that don’t require a visa to enter Mexico. This includes Canada and the United States. You can complete it online and print it ahead of time. It is best if you know when you are crossing the border. I don’t know if the date of entry is essential but I didn’t want to have to pay twice if my online paperwork was not accurate. It cost about $40 CAD online.
You still have to stop at immigration and have the online document approved and stamped. They will keep half of it and give you the other half. Put it away somewhere safe as you have to return your half to Mexican immigration when you leave.
You can complete and pay for the FMM at the immigration office if you choose. It is generally good for 180 days but immigration officers can choose to make it for less time so check it before you leave.
TIP–If you leave Mexico by air after arriving by land, you have to get your FMM stamped at the immigration booth at the airport before surrendering it to the airline prior to boarding. In Guadalajara, this booth was downstairs before the security escalator. When you return by air, you will complete another FMM on the plane. The price of the ticket includes the FMM.
Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit (TIP)
If you are travelling in the Free Zone along the border, the TIP is not necessary. This permit discourages you from leaving your vehicle in Mexico or selling it without importing it into the country. The Import Permit for your vehicle can be completed online but can only be done 10-60 days before crossing the border. We didn’t plan more than 10 days ahead so we had to complete this permit at the border office. Use the information online to have everything you need, and copies of everything required. Many people in line had to leave to go make copies. We had everything we needed.
If your vehicle has a lien on it from a financial institution, the list of documents calls for permission from them to take your vehicle out of the country. I don’t know if this is just an American requirement, but I did not have that document and there were no issues at the border. I will look into this when we get home and update this information.
Be prepared to spend some time getting this paperwork ready and then more time at the border. You will have to pay for the document and also leave a deposit of $500 by cash or credit card. This permit is good for 6 months for vehicles and 10 years for RVs. You will receive the deposit back when you leave Mexico.
TIP– Only one person could present the TIP documents. ItThey have to have their name on the registration. A Canadian driver’s licence is acceptable. Mexico does not require an international licence.
Mexican Car Insurance
Insurance from Canada and the USA does not cover you in Mexico. Even if you are just visiting for a day, you must purchase Mexican insurance before entering the country. We used Lewis and Lewis who had an online application form and quotes from several companies. Check the prices and coverage carefully. Some policies were cheaper for 3 months than for 1. Insurance for our 2018 truck was $327 USD for 3 months. Our 5th wheel was too old and they would not insure it.
TIP– In Mexico, if you are involved in an accident, call the insurance company immediately. The adjuster comes to the scene. If there are injuries, then call the police as well.
Money
Pesos are the currency in Mexico. It is a country that functions primarily on cash. Some of the large grocery stores, Walmart, Auto Zone, etc will take credit cards. Some smaller businesses will take them but add a 3-7% fee for use. Many smaller places, including the toll roads, will only take pesos in cash. The resort areas may be different.
Our bank in Canada needed a week’s notice to order pesos. A bank in Arizona was the same so we took American dollars from the ATM and then used the money exchange at the immigration stop at km 23 south of Nogales. Apparently, there are ATMs you can access in Nogales, just over the border, but with a trailer, we were unsure of the accessibility for our unit.
TIP-When using the ATM, select English. It will ask if you want to use the conversion calculated on the screen or let your own bank do the currency conversion. DECLINE. We found it saved about $32 on a $300 withdrawal by using our bank’s conversion. Also, be aware that ATM machines often run out of money. Try withdrawing a smaller amount, or find a different machine. The machines have a daily withdrawal limit and the fee is the same to take out a small amount or a larger one. Different banks have different fees and allowable withdrawal limits.
There are currency converting apps for your phone that make the transition easier to learn. As the Canadian dollar is worth about 16 pesos, like a mile is 1.6 km, the conversion works much the same as km/hr to miles/hr. 100 pesos is about $6 CAD (like 100 km/hr is like 60 mi/hr). Just picture your speedometer.
Nogales Mariposa Truck Crossing to enter Mexico
Mexico Customs
When we cross from Canada into the United States, and vice versa, the Immigration and Customs departments are together. When entering Mexico, these two departments are many km apart.
We passed through some booths soon after crossing into Mexico. It was challenging to know which was the RV lane. We were waved through at the first set of booths. Stay to the left towards Hermisillo. The right lane goes into the town of Nogales. There is a toll booth that accepted American dollars soon after the border crossing. Sometimes this toll booth is not occupied.
At the next stop (customs) we followed the truck sign. Guards waved us over, although this was a random stop. They checked our truck and RV registration. They took a quick look inside our trailer and asked where we were going and for how long. Personal belongings are acceptable in an RV. They are really checking to see if you are importing items or extra people. We were on our way to Immigration.
Mexico Immigration KM 21
While this should be the easiest part of the trip, it is not. The challenge of signs in a new language, new terrain and a pile of paperwork made this part a little stressful. The address of the Immigration offices are vague. At least the distances and speeds are measured in km.
KM 21 is the address of the immigration office and also the location to get your TIP and dollars exchanged for pesos. We watched a YouTube video of a dashcam view of the trip. After the yellow overpass, the road curves to the right and there is a slight pull off into the the parking lot. The entrance is a dirt road and the buildings do not look like other official border crossing offices.
The man in the office carefully scrutinized our online FMM forms. He divided them in half and gave us our part to keep.
TIP– Print the copies double sided. Pay for each separately if you have more than one person in your group and keep the receipt accessible on your device.
Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit (TIP)
It took us about 20 minutes, which was faster than most of the other people who had to go to the copy office on site and pay for the requested copies. There are benches available as the other members of your group wait.
We also exchanged American dollars for pesos at the exchange booth on site. Pesos or American coins were acceptable for use in the bathroom if you needed toilet paper and paper towels.
We were at the Aduana-TIP for about 50 minutes after arriving at 11:30 on a Tuesday morning in January.
Our journey continues… Stay tuned.
Luang Prabang is a great place for food
February 7, 2017
We only stayed in Luang Prabang for 4 nights but quickly discovered it is a great place for food. We watched a youtube video of food in Laos before we left, and also talked with some people in Chiang Mai about what they like to eat in this new country. I was excited to hear about the quality of bread in Luang Prabang. It is a SE Asian country, but the influence of the french from the 1800’s until 1956 left behind many items on menus today.
Breakfasts
Our guesthouse included breakfast. We chose our fried, scrambled, hard-boiled eggs or an omelet the night before. In the morning it was served with a plate of fresh papaya and watermelon, a slice of ham, a “sausage” that looked like a hot dog stuffed with cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and a big baguette with butter and jam. They served dripped coffee rather than espresso as it is in Thailand. It was in an urn and you were welcome to bottomless cups. We expect that at a hotel in Canada, but coffee servings are very small here. Did I say there was bread??? We buy bread in the grocery store in Chiang Mai, and there are a couple of bakeries that serve sandwiches on crusty baguette. Cakes and donuts are for sale in Chiang Mai, but rice and noodles are the primary source of carbohydrates.
Lunches
Lunches consisted of snacks since we had such a big breakfast every day. Spring rolls, lemon tarts, and sandwiches tided us over until supper. We found a restaurant, Joma, owned by a Canadian who served Bagel and Eggers and Nanaimo Bars! We met some friends from our choir at a french cafe on a day where we just seemed to move from a coffee shop to a cafe to a bakery. There was, however, a tour of the Royal Palace in between.
Royal Palace Between Meals
The monarchy was removed from Luang Prabang in 1976. Since that time, the royal palace has been turned into a museum. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside and had to have covered shoulders and knees to enter. I knew that temples require you to dress respectfully but I wasn’t prepared for it in the museum. My dress covered my shoulders alright. I usually wear yoga shorts under my dress and had to pull them down over my knees and hope they wouldn’t fall off while we were walking around! I didn’t want to miss the tour.
The palace was built in 1904. The furniture in this building was old and many pieces had been given to the former king by other countries. The bedrooms were large with high ceilings but not very much in the way of decor besides large portraits of members of the royal family and beautiful porcelain urns and plates given as gifts.
The highlight of the Royal Palace was the reception room The walls and ceilings were painted a rich cranberry red. Every surface was covered with stories and legends created from colorful cut glass pieces. There were hundreds of elephants in battles, men building villages and temples, farmers working in the fields. Everywhere you looked was another story. It was complemented with a series of pictures on the wall telling the story of a long ago Laos prince who got in trouble for giving away the lucky white elephant to the poor and was banished to the jungle.
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- Entrance to Royal Palace
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- View from the front steps
Dinners
We had 4 memorable dinners in Luang Prabang. The first was a traditional meat dish called laap It is made from chopped chicken or water buffalo mixed with lime juice, fish sauce, mint, coriander, spring onion, chili and uncooked rice grains that have been dry fried and crushed. There were handfuls of fresh herbs mixed in. A little bamboo basket of sticky rice was served on the side. It was really fresh tasting and not very spicy.
The second night we ate dinner beside the Mekong at the Mekong Fish Restaurant. I ordered the Mekong Fish, of course, which was a wonderful curry and coconut creamy stew with big chunks of succulent catfish. It was a perfect accompaniment to the beautiful sunset.
We finished just in time to catch a local storyteller and musician known as Garavek telling tales of Lao history and legends accompanied by an instrument called a khene which you can see in this video.
Five Star Restaurant
Our third dinner could have been served at any 5 star restaurant in the world. The Azerai Hotel and restaurant have only been open for a month. They had menus at the street level that we saw at one of our lunches. The chef is from the UK and his goal is to use as many local ingredients as possible. The staff had been training for a few weeks while they waited for completion of the construction. There were only a couple of other people in the restaurant and the chef came out and talked to us.
They serve small plate meals. We shared a fried fish with a salad of mint, basil and cilantro with a fresh vinaigrette. We also had fish cooked in lime with pomello. My favorite was a quinoa salad with roasted beets, carrots and fresh ricotta made on site. We shared meringue chunks topped with mango yogurt topped with passion fruit for dessert. The meal with drinks was about $50 for two. We sat out on the balcony overlooking the street but it was a bit dark so they clipped a light onto a glass so we could appreciate the food better.
Our last dinner was completely different. We had a Laos fondue at the Dyen Sabbai restaurant which was just at the top of the bamboo bridge a few doors down from our guesthouse. They brought a clay lined bucket of fire to our table and inserted it into a hole in the middle. After a metal tray was placed on top, a broth was poured into the outside. The inside of the tray was raised into a cone shape. The buffalo meat was laid on top of the cone to cook over the fire and the vegetables and noodles were cooked in the broth. Garlic and chilis were served on the side to add to the broth.
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- bowl of veg and noodles
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- meat and broth cooking
This meal just kept getting better and better. The meat juice and the cooking vegetables turned a plain stock into a savory and hearty broth. The waiter kept stopping by to add more fuel to the coals and top up the broth. It was a dining adventure to say the least.
Monk’s Alms
Our final experience in Luang Prabang was not food related for me, but it was for the monks. Every morning, all the monks in the area walk down the streets of town before sunrise. The temple that has 400 monks, bus them to different parts of town to spread them out to collect alms. The local people make merit by offering food or money to them. They carry little bowls to hold the food and offer a chanted blessing back in return. The monks can only eat what they are given and have to have ingested it all by noon so they don’t eat after that.
It is a solemn ceremony. There were about 30 monks came down our street between 6:15 and 6:30 and about 6 women outside with prepared food for them. They seemed to give the first in the group a larger bag, then smaller ones for the rest. I couldn’t tell what was in them. It to see how young some of the boys were.
It was well worth travelling to Laos to manage our visa. We returned to the Chiang Mai airport and got a stamp that allows us to be a visitor to Thailand for another 30 days. We will do the same when we return from Cambodia next month.
It did feel strange to be returning from a holiday and still feel like we are on holiday.
Stockton,California-The last chapter of our road trip to the airport
November 1, 2016
We are already in Thailand, but we were without wifi while we were travelling. Â I did my writing in my journal and will get them transferred quickly to complete the Road trip to the airport portion of our adventure.
Napa Valley
Napa Valley is a well established wine growing and wine making region in California. It was the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon on our road trip to the airport. Â We enjoy a particular Beringer Cabernet at home so we went to their estate to check out some other wines.
Beringer Grounds
Two brothers from Germany planted grapes in 1876 and started a winery.  It is a beautiful place with gardens and old stone buildings  We decided to taste the reserve wines that are normally around $130-150 a bottle.  We were curious how they were different.  I was surprised that although they have many more layers of flavor, I really prefer my $15 bottle version.  I can enjoy it without feeling I need to analyze every swallow.
We carried on our journey for a couple more hours through vineyards and orchards of olives, walnuts, almonds and unknown fruits to our daughter’s house in Stockton. Â It is a city that services the agricultural industry. Â The city itself declared bankruptcy a few years ago and now has a reasonable cost of living for rent and houses. Â There is also, unfortunately, a high crime rate in many parts of the city.
Our daughter teachers Sports Administration at the University of the Pacific, which ironically has been recognized as one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA Â We like it because her home is a great base to get to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and Calaveras Big Trees State Park that we visited on Wednesday.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Gigantic base but shallow roots
The Giant Sequoia are related to Redwoods but while not as tall, they contain incredible mass. Â These trees can grow for over 2000 years. Â They have certain water and temperature requirements so are only found in small groves on the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Â The guided trail through Big Trees explained how they grow and survive fires due to their branches growing so high up on the trunk and their special spongy bark that can be 2 feet thick. Â The bark also contains chemicals that make it resistant to burning. These trees are hard to describe. Â Their branches can be 6 feet in diameter!
Fallen tree from a hundred years ago.
Branches grow at the top
They were exploited in the early 1900’s. Â Holes were cut so cars could drive through them. A promoter got the idea of stripping off the bark in 6 ft. sections, then reconnecting them in London to show the size of these massive trees. Â It was a way to make money off a “wonder of the world.” Â He was surprised at the negative response, which resulted in the failure of his show, but the beginning of a movement to preserve these trees. Â By 1935, the Giant Sequoia groves were protected areas.
Great for pics but tree is dead at the top
Reclining bench so you can see up to the top of the tree
University of the Pacific
I spent a little time each day walking through the University of the Pacific campus. Â It really is an oasis in the city. Â The buildings are 2-3 story brick and most of the campus is only accessed by sidewalks. Â The roses were still blooming and the community garden had a big row of ripe strawberries. Â The athletic facilities were extensive and included an outdoor pool. Â We went there Friday night to cheer on the Tigers playing water polo against Long Beach. Â I’d never seen this sport played live before. Â Such athleticism! Â It was fun cheering with the hometown fans, outside, at the pool in October.
Water polo
Lodi Wines
We enjoyed another wine tasting near Stockton in an area near Lodi.  It’s an up and coming wine region for visitors, although there are hundred year old vines still producing grapes.  Lodi is where A&W and their famous root beer originated.  Now it’s primarily known for its rich and jammy Zinfandel wines.  Our daughter is a member at a couple of wineries.  She commits to buy 8 bottles of wine through the year, then gets free tastings, with her friends and family…which would be us.  We tasted at Peltier Station and M2 and tried a range of wines from sparkling whites and dessert wines to naturally fermented zins and a wonderful port.  The views may not be what you get in Napa or the Okanagan, but the tasting rooms have character, the wines are delicious, the stewards know their stuff, and it’s less than an hour from Stockton  Unfortunately most of the wines aren’t available in Canada.
One more day and we are on our way. Â Our California road trip to the airport is almost finished.
Road to the Airport-Seaside, OR to California’s Redwoods
October 29, 2016
After fog and rain for so many days, both at home and on the road, we finally moved into mixed sun and cloud. Â We drove to the coast of Oregon and arrived in Seaside, OR. Â We had been there before in the spring as well as in the summer on previous trips. Â It’s a cozy little town that is geared to visitors. Â It has never been very busy though, regardless of the season.
If you know me, I tend to prefer to live on the more frugal side of things. Â Sleeping in a tent in a state park for $20 a night has a satisfying appeal. Â I decided I wanted to really live it up in Seaside and stay in an ocean front hotel. Â Usually at this time of year, you can just walk in to a hotel and request a room. The first hotel I tried was doing painting and deep cleaning and didn’t have any rooms left with a view. Â The second one, the Shilo Inn
Sunset at Seaside
had an ocean front room with our AMA discount for $149 a night. Â It was reasonable for the location, we decided. Â When we got to the room, not only did it have an unobstructed view of the ocean and beach, but it had a kitchen and fireplace too! I was ecstatic. Â Sometimes you just have to decide not to cheap out when you have a chance to take advantage of such a special experience. Â After a meal of fantastic clam chowder and fresh seafood at Norma’s Diner, we slept with the doors open, listening to the waves crash into the beach.
It was so relaxing there, we decided to stay for 2 nights. Â We walked along the beach and took pictures. When the ocean showers came along, we sat next to the sliding doors by the deck and worked on pictures and reflections. When the rain stopped, we flew kites on the beach. We bought our own lobster and shrimp to cook for dinner our second night. Â With only a broiler top and a small fry pan we managed to make a great meal with some creative planning.
How to spend a rainy afternoon at the beach
On our final morning, there was a crowd gathered on the turnaround below our window. Â Speakers were set up and before we knew it, people were square dancing to a master caller. Â It was the weekend of the Seaside Sashay. Â The dancers were all ages and dressed in a variety of styles, but they all knew the steps and were very entertaining to watch. Â I wish I knew enough to join them. It was so refreshing to see everyone keeping a perfect beat with their feet.
Seaside Sashay below our window
We finally pulled ourselves away from our window and headed down the coast. Â We had a quick stop in Tillamook at the Cheese Factory. Cheese doesn’t travel well to Thailand, but the pumpkin pie and marionberry ice cream were worth the stop.
Most of the road follows closely along the coastline, which is great for the passenger when you are travelling from north to south. Â There are long beaches as well as rocky cliffs. Â We stopped and saw some whales breaching just south of Depoe Bay. They were close enough we could see the puffs of breath and body parts above the water line, but too far away for my camera to really capture them. Â Some things you just have to take a picture with your mind. Â We spent the night in our tent in the rain at Carl Washburne State Park. Parts of it were closed, but there were quite a few units and tents staying there.
In the morning, we walked the trail to the beach. Â The trees were engulfed in moss. There was no one at the beach. Â We tried to fly the kite, but there wasn’t enough wind. Â Time at the beach in the morning was a treat we could afford because of our open ended timeline.
                    
There is a working lighthouse at Heceta Head and a nice view looking back up the coast.
Heceta Lighthouse
Oregon Coast road
It was almost dark before we arrived into Northern California where the Red Woods start. The state park was surprisingly called Prairie Creek State Park. Â The trees are enormous but they just suck up all the light. Â Day is dark, and night is blacker. Â We set up near the washroom so we could see the light from it. Â It was easy to feel like we were all alone, absorbed by the darkness.
The wind in the night sounded like a train up in the trees, although it was quiet at the tent, except for the falling needles and leaves. Â The rain started about 6:30 am. Â We planned to wait until it got light to pack up, thinking the big trees would shelter us. We fell back to sleep. Â By 8, the ground and our tent were saturated and the wind was howling. Â The umbrellas helped us a little, but it took 2 days for the tent to dry out. Â We continued to drive south along the 101 with the wind howling out to the water from the inland side. Â That area received over 6 inches of rain that day. The Pacific Highway #1 is pretty special south of San Francisco but the northern end is very twisty and hilly with few views of the ocean. Â I’d take the Oregon road anytime instead.
Redwood forest storms
Our search for Hyperion, the tallest redwood was put on hold and we headed to Napa instead to do some wine tasting. Â Again we were reminded that you can’t control the weather. Â You always need a plan B in mind. Â Napa is a pretty tough plan B to take.