So I took this quick video for you of Mazatlán while my husband, Dick, and I were driving around town. You’ll see McDonalds, Applebee’s, the ocean and a whole lot of other familiar places.

You would not believe how fast Mazatlán is growing – despite the slow economy in the U.S. In a lot of ways, Mazatlán is just like your typical vacation city… like Orlando or San Diego or Myrtle Beach, complete with all of the amenities that you would expect.

So without further delay, here’s my video, proudly (and simply) titled  “Driving around Mazatlán”. Let me give you a quick tour….

On the way to Rosario, south of Mazatlán, there is a small, quaint town called Aguacaliente. It’s absolutely stunning! Imagine a tropical paradise complete with banana trees, mango trees, orange trees and coconut groves. And guess what?! There is a natural hot spring! Those of you who know Spanish have probably already figured this out; as the name suggests (in Spanish) “agua” means water and “caliente” is hot. Thus,“hot water (springs)”.

As you go on, you’ll see Copala, a picturesque colonial village that’s nestled in the hills. It’s actually an ancient mining town with beautiful red roofs, and steep cobblestoned streets with lots of smiling, friendly people. It’s truly a place where time seems to stand still.

About twenty minutes from Copala, is a little German-inspired village called, La Capilla del Taxte. Are you a bird watcher? Then I have some news for you! Bird watching is the central activity here. La Capilla del Taxte is also a great place for scenic hikes through the gentle sloping hills. You’ll catch an amazing view of the Sierra Madre. It’s truly a dream come true.

Then… less that five minutes before you enter Concordia, off a little dirt road, we passed a colorful little school. The road was a little steep! We had to drive very slowly. There was a  concrete pillared, open-air structure shading the natural hot springs.

For the locals, these natural hot springs are a laundry center, where the women come to wash the clothes.

In fact, there are actually three nearby towns known for their hot springs: Garate, Santa Fe and Arrona. Not really large enough to be full-fledged hot springs, the locals call these tiny refuges “aguita calientes” or “little hot springs.”

Before I close this letter to you, my dear reader, be sure to visit Concordia, a beautiful town founded in 1565 as Villa De San Sebastian.

Once you’re in town, you will find a charming old town square. As usual, it’s right in front of a church…but this church is over 350 years old! In fact, it the oldest church in the state of Sinaloa. You will probably want to stroll through the many antique and furniture stands.

One final thought: Do remember to drive carefully, please…and enjoy the trip. And of course, be sure to check with the U.S. state department and your local expat contacts (which you can find on the Internet) to check on the local conditions.

What about you? Have you been to Mazatlán? What’s your opinion??

to abide by

It doesn’t matter where you go.

Nor does it matter whether you’re at home or abroad, in the U.S. or in Mexico.

Being safe means exercising common sense.

Here are ten essential rules to remember

1.) Stay on the well-trodden paths and byways.

2.) Stay where there are other people around.

3.) Leave your big flashy jewelry at home – preferably in a safe.

4.) Keep your money holder, whether it be a purse or a billfold, secured at all times.

5.) Keep your eyes open and be very aware of your surroundings.

6.) Carry only small amounts of cash.

7.) Always keep your passport on your person, securely.

8.) Be polite. You’re a guest.

9.) Don’t be a stereotypical “foriegner”. Don’t show off, be noisy and obnoxious.

10.) Respect the culture.

Remember, these rules are important to follow no matter where you travel.  Be wise – follow the easy rules.

Rules article by Barbie.

So, we arrived in Mazatlan at 9 PMS pretty tired after a 12-hour flight — yes, we could have just about driven in that time — well, almost.  It was quite dark when we landed, of course, and after going through customs (easy and quick), started looking for our friends who had said they would be there to pick us up, so we wouldn’t have to make the almost half hour drive to Mazatlan by ourselves and tired to boot.

We are VERY careful of driving at night in Mexico — yes — we heed our own advice!

Anyway, while we were standing there, in the Mazatlan airport, luggage in tow, fully expecting friend to show up eventually, one of the men who work at the airport came up to us and in his meager English, asked “Parks?  Advantage Rental?”    I was sort of taken aback, and thought maybe he was looking for another Parks for a moment –  and then realized — no, he was looking for us, and they had brought a car for us — tonight — a day  early??

Dick and I discussed the situation briefly and then told him — in our best Spanish — that, yes, we had rented a car, but had contracted for it to be picked up tomorrow, Tuesday, and could he please explain the situation to the young man who was apparently waiting for us.  And that we intended to wait on our friend, so…Thanks, anyway.Then…well, we waited and waited — no friend in sight, so finally after over 30 minutes of standing around waiting, decided we needed to take action.  We found the original worker, tried to explain to him, that if he could contact the Advantage Rental guy, we needed a ride. No problem — the Advantage fellow was still there — patiently waiting.  We secured our luggage in the trunk and once in the car, explained to the driver, Manuel, where we needed to go.

Now, Manuel basically spoke no English.  But, he recognized the name of the place we needed to go and with a smile, started off down the dark road toward Mazatlan.  I know you’re thinking by now — give your friends a call!  But, I knew something very important must have happened, or they would be here to pick us up.

After just a few minutes of our ride toward Mazatlan, Dick and I realized we could save some time Tuesday if we just took possession of the car tonight.

Well, I finally got our idea over to Manuel, who confidently said ,“Manager … office”.  So, we felt we were now headed to the Advantage Office to acquire the car and everything would be smooth.  How about that!  And we were not wrong.  Manuel drove us straight to the office, where, this late at night, the manager was waiting.

Get this — see if you have ever heard of anything like this even coming close in the States: They, the manager at Advantage, had checked our itinerary I given him, when first arranging for the car rental.  He knew we were coming in Monday night, and knew the car rental was not supposed to start until Tuesday morning.  But, just in case we had made a mistake or something, he had decided to send Manuel and the car when our plane arrived.He wanted to make sure we could get from the airport to town with no trouble– bless the Mexican intuition! …and kindness.

Now, for the price breakdown for a 4-door, airconditioned, automatic, Compact Car @ $96/week (no extra charge for us for the extra night we had the car, by the way)  Unlimited mileage.  We got car insurance through them, of course, $11/day.  And, after returning the car at the end of our trip, they drove us back to the airport — no charge.P.S.  Our friends thought we were coming in two days later than we actually did — oh well.  We made it safely home, just in time to get laundry done and repacked for the next trip to Mexico in about 10 days.

Yes, of course you can. As long as you follow the rules set by the Mexican Government which I will talk about in a second. Just remember:  Your driver’s license is valid in Mexico. Your American auto insurance, I can almost guarantee, is NOT!

At the border, this is just part of the process of entering Mainland Mexico:

• You’ll need a temporary car-importation permit,

• A valid driver’s license,

• Current, original car registration, registered in your name, and a copy of the original car title,

• A valid international major credit card.

If your vehicle is financed you will need to take a letter stating that you have permission from the lending institution to take the car out of the country.

If you have an FM3 (Non-immigrant visa – what we call a perpetual tourist visa), you can have a foreign car as long as your FM3 is valid. (If you have an FM2 (Immigrant visa) you cannot bring in your American car.)

If you do bring your car into Mexico, you cannot let anyone drive it other than family members or it might be confiscated by Hacienda (the Internal Revenue).

Also, you can purchase a Mexican car and get it legally registered no matter what type of visa you have.

First, your car will have to be registered at the border crossing.

If you are in Mexico on a tourist visa, your car must leave the country when you enter back into the States. You must not permit anyone outside of your family to operate your car in Mexico. If you are in Mexico with an FM-3 (good for 5 years – renewal each year), and your car has been registered, it’s ok.

Every foreigner is allowed to enter Mexico with one vehicle, which is not Mexican-plated (e.g. US or Canadian), as long as you have the following:

• Mexican Insurance
• an FMT, FM2, or FM3
• registration/ownership in your name

If you have financing on your auto, you must have a letter stating that you have that lending institution’s permission to take that car out of the country), and a credit card or cash to cover a bond for the vehicle.

Your other alternative is to purchase a vehicle in Mexico…the best buy being a used car. They will be less to purchase originally, with lower insurance fees, and a lower registration fee. You can purchase a Mexican auto and get it legally registered, no matter what type visa you have,

A Mexican license requires that you first find the Secretary of Transportation and Vehicles (Secretaria de Transportes y Vialidad) in your locale.

You need:

• a valid passport,
• an FM2 or FM3,
• proof of address (a utility bill)
• a health declaration (sort of says you’re alive and can drive – and we’ve never quite figured our who will write this – other than if you go to a doctor and request one)
• and a valid foreign driver’s license. You may be required to take a written test.You’ll get the license quite quickly – probably within an hour.

If you’re planning on bringing your car across the border into Mexico, you will leave a deposit at the border crossing when they tell you to (a very minimal amount),(my book, Retire In Luxury, goes into all of this), and you must buy Mexican insurance. You must have an international credit card for the deposit (Master Card or VISA are fine). If you get FM-3 status, you can bring a car and keep it with you as long as that status is maintained.