Seniors Visiting Mexico

On February 17th I wrote an article "Driving Your Vehicle into Mexico". I expounded upon buying Mexican insurance and what you could or couldn’t take into or bring out of Mexico—all essentially true. However, I wasn’t prepared for some of the sights we saw. First, there was no check at all on what we took into Mexico and not much on the way out, except for the passport. I am not advocating trying to sneak things into or out of Mexico, just stating our experience.
Second, the constant presence of the militia was a bit disconcerting. Hummer after hummer passed us by filled with, what looked like teen-agers, brandishing automatic weapons. The sound of sirens was almost constant around our luxurious resort. Our desk clerk told us that a year ago, it was a bit dangerous around the area, but this year not so bad.
Next, I was a bit shocked at the poverty and squalor we witnessed around Tijuana. It sort of made me feel guilty that we were spending unnecessarily and all these people were living in such obvious poverty. Many are living on the street or, by our standards, in unlivable conditions. Many of the homes are unfinished. The explanation I received was that they don’t pay taxes on unfinished properties, so they never finish.
However, in spite of these unfavorable things, we had a wonderful time; the local population was extremely friendly and helpful. We have decided that we would like to return to the area. After all, we celebrated my wife’s birthday at a local restaurant and our server made us "promise" to come back for her next birthday. Perhaps we will.