Trip To Mexico

[Bubba]

Also, remember that all the money you spend or have to pay in bribes is helping the Mexican economy and might possibly keep another illegal immigrant from crossing the border.

[Army_of_One]

Damned good point Bubba.......Damn good point......lol

[Bubba]

I try.

[Made in the USA]

Also, if you stay in a hotel room, don't leave anything in there that you want to keep. And I do mean ANYTHING!! Right down to your dirty drawers----those things sell fast on the black market. Just take a load of panties with you, and maybe you could make some dough!!

It's been nice knowing ya Army!! If ya get in trouble, don't call me----call DodgeHighForever------He just looks like a local---actually he is "Irish"!!

[lurker]

OK. I guess I typed too fast on another reply, so I'll type this one realllll sloooow.

Take the Bus. There are three class types of bus transportation. I really enjoy the chicken bus... it stops everywhere and I get to witness more of the real Mexico... The people are friendlier, too. The next level of service is a much nicer bus that stops only at bus stations along the way. Those are fairly fast; but the fastest are the Elite class that are non-stop between points.

If I get time tonight I'll search and get some links.. Durango? What border crossing do you plan to use.

I wouldn't even think about taking a Mustang into Mexico without staying at Hotels with inside parking. Yes, I've been there and fought with the Federales...

[The Drifter]

Be prepared for normal things to taste wrong. I love Dr. Pepper and it didnt taste right at all. If little things like that piss you off then, that'll be one thing. Taxi Rides down there were fun, it was like Nascar racing. If you go to the market or buying things from street vendors make sure to haggle with them. Make sure you have enough pesos, some places take american but they will have weaker exchange rates than the places that you can exchange at. Regarding the Cubans, i'm not sure how customs works along the border but at the airport if we brought back cigars we'd have to lie and say their mexican and not cubans.

Above all else stay safe and have a good time.

[lurker]

This is as factual as I can find:

DOES THE BUS STOP HERE?

A Primer to Riding the Buses in Mexico...
Dec 27 '02 Don't let the date concern you. The system is better now than in 2002..

The Bottom Line Bus travel is one of the easiest ways to get around Mexico -- especially in the compact central region. Here's the straight skinny...

I think every guide book to Mexico that I've ever read has recommended bus travel as the way to get around the country and truly experience it in all its natural beauty. Generally, that's a good recommendation. Bus travel in Mexico is very good with frequent service to anywhere from anywhere on well-maintained, clean, modern luxury coaches. Best of all, buses are cheap!

Bus travel is quite different in Mexico than it is in the United States. It is more reliable, more comfortable, more punctual, and there are far more choices than most gringos have ever experienced. Here are a few things to know about getting around Mexico on buses...

A Class Act...
Buses vary in quality and it is almost always worth paying a little more money to travel on a better bus. Most Mexican long-haul buses are lumped into one of three categories: second-class, first-class, and deluxe.

Second Class: Second class buses are the stereotypical Mexican bus, although it's far more common today to see late-model luxury coaches on the highways than it is the older second-class buses. Second class buses are sometimes cast-off old buses from the first-class lines, but more often, they look more like school buses, though very few are actually second-hand school buses, even though it's popular to see them that way. Few second-class buses have air conditioning and fewer have rest rooms on board. Second class buses are cheap, but they usually take back roads, stop everywhere, and are crowded and dirty. The only reason I see for most tourists to ever step foot on these buses is when it is the only alternative -- which is really only the case if you are going someplace far off the beaten track. In Carl Franz's classic travel guide, The Peoples Guide to Mexico, he states that you can get a bus anywhere in Mexico by just waving your hat. That's true, but it only holds with the second-class buses -- first-class and deluxe buses blow by the backpacker crowd at 95 kph, without so much as a wave of the hand to acknowledge their budget-living existence.

First Class: Most buses today are very modern, luxurious buses and the typical bus a tourist would take is the first class bus, which is equivalent to the better private charter buses used in the U.S. These buses are late model coaches with plush seats, air conditioning, rest rooms, and usually TVs showing en route movies. Seats are always reserved and the buses don't stop to pick up passengers other than at scheduled station stops. First class buses travel on the best highways, including the toll roads. This is the best combination of comfort and value, and is the minimum I recommend for foreign tourists.

Deluxe: You haven't experienced pampered travel until you've traveled on a Mexican luxury bus line! Several bus lines offer very luxurious coaches on popular inter-city routes. These buses seat as few as 20 passengers even though they are just as large as the first-class buses seating 40-50 passengers. The seats are often over-size with pull-down leg rests, stereo sound, two or more on-board rest rooms, and sometimes even complimentary drinks served by waiters. Like first class buses, luxury coaches do not pick up passengers other than at terminals. Different bus companies call their deluxe buses by different names, for example, Estrella Blanca calls their deluxe buses Ejecutivo, while Uno calls theirs Lujo and Estrella de Oro calls theirs Diamante -- they're all modern and comfortable, no matter what the marketing boys want to call it.

Of course there are also local city buses, but these don't really fall into classes. They're usually most similar to second-class buses, but can sometimes be dinky little microbuses. They usually cost between 2 and 5 pesos to get just about anywhere within a town. But this review is mostly about using the buses to get around the country -- which means longer haul buses, so let's move on to how to buy tickets on the big buses...

Buying Tickets
Trust me on this: the easiest, most hassle-free way to buy tickets is to just show up at the bus station when you're ready to travel and buy a ticket on the first bus going where you want to go.
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more on link.............

Here's the best map site of Mexico : http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/

& Durango (the state): http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/durang...map-main.shtml

[ladybug]

You will want to remember to take your passport, too. And carry extra tp....taking a Mustang is a bad idea...you may not come home with all the parts! And lots of cash for bribing at the border....

[TexKan]

Hey - I wanna know if your gonna go over and wave the American flag while your droppin your denero?????.............. I'm so PO'd right now I'm not even sure if I'm goin to any Mexican resturants any time soon. Course I'm sure my miga need will overtake me by Sunday.............. LOL

[doc holliday]

Hey Army, with all these posts on how you might get ripped off and all, maybe you should just stay in Dodge, prolly seem more like Mexico here than there anyway. jk

Seriously, I haven't been down there for many years, unless it's alot different now, we rode in Taxi's and went in parts of towns that looking back may have not been the best idea. But, we never had any trouble. Although we were just mainly in the border towns.