MexConnect.com Forums: General: Traveling Mexico: Cuota Fees: Page 2

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RickS

Mar 10, 2012, 4:38 PM

Post #26 of 36 (2591 views)

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Re: [careyeroslib] Cuota Fees

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This is REALLY strange.

I just passed over those same metal topes last week in a fully loaded 2008 Camry. I did drag a little too (but I also drug on some 'normal' Mexican topes). But there is NO way, in my estimation, that those topes at the border could have shredded your tires! Tens of thousands of people cross over that Bridge every month, many of them are loaded sedans, and there is just no way that those topes are shredding tires. They certainly didn't hurt my tires.

But I tell you what will 'shred' tires, or at least make them look like they are shredding, and that is driving a LOT on cobblestone or stone 'paver' streets. How long were you driving in Mexico and was a significant amount of your driving on cobblestone? And with a fully loaded car at freeway speeds, was your tire pressure increased (or at least checked for sufficient pressure)?

I do not mean to be confrontive about your comment but I think someone has mislead you about your tires and certainly about those topes causing your tires to shread. Any given tire is not on the tope for even one full rotation and shredding cannot be done with one rotation. Trying to find another border crossing is a wild response to what I would believe to be a non-existent or misdiagnosed cause of your problem.

Altahabana

Mar 14, 2012, 4:46 AM

Post #27 of 36 (2519 views)

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Re: [RickS] Cuota Fees

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There was another major incident in Nvo. Laredo yesterday (3/13/2012) and series of smaller ones that spun off it. The word circulating around town is that the Gulf cartel is trying to re-establish a presence here. That could be a very destabalizing situtation if true.

careyeroslib

Mar 14, 2012, 9:47 PM

Post #28 of 36 (2456 views)

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Re: [Altahabana] Cuota Fees

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Thanks Altahabana. I´ve been following the papers as best I can. Will have to cross somewhere, but, it is not Bridge II.

RickS I will take the bridge I choose to take, for whatever reasons I choose.

Altahabana

Mar 15, 2012, 4:36 AM

Post #29 of 36 (2447 views)

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Re: [careyeroslib] Cuota Fees

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It's a little difficult to follow events unless you read blogs like Borderland Beat or Blog del Narco which have stories based on information that is probably leaked from the PG office. These are two articles that appeared in the Laredo (Texas) newspaper about the events on Tuesday.

MORE BATTLES IN NL STREETS
By
Laredo Morning Times
Wednesday, March 15, 2012

"An unconfirmed number of suspected armed civilians died and roadblocks were set up after gunbattles broke out Tuesday in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. At 3 p.m., the municipal government and the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo confirmed the confrontations through their Facebook and Twitter accounts. “The Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo has received reports of ongoing gunbattles throughout the city of Nuevo Laredo,” a consulate emergency message states. “We advise those in Nuevo Laredo not to leave their homes until the situation is resolved.”

A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said gunfire erupted at 2:45 p.m. near the intersection of Lincoln Street and Justo Sierra Avenue in Colonia Viveros, near the Library Ruben Miranda Villalba. The witness said several Mexican military vehicles were driving on the wrong side of a one-way street, chasing a vehicle filled with armed civilians. The civilians were shooting at the military, the witness said. State and federal police joined the chase as a helicopter hovered overhead, the witness added. “We’ve heard a lot of gunfire, but never this close,” the witness said. “That gunfire was really loud. I was very scared. “I had never seen this many armed police and military vehicles.” The witness said the person she was with in Nuevo Laredo happened to be near where the chase ended. The vehicle being chased, the witness said, had wrecked near Lincoln and Cesar Lopez de Lara Avenue, about two miles west of where the gunfire erupted. The armed civilians were dead, the witness said.

Although it was unclear if the chase near Lincoln was related to a cartel, an ongoing turf war between members of the rival Zetas and Gulf cartels has flared this month along the Texas-Tamaulipas border. Nuevo Laredo government authorities reported that confrontations occurred Tuesday in residential areas, including Colonias Juarez and Nueva Victoria. Around 4 p.m., another firefight between armed groups and soldiers was reported at the intersection of Eva Samano and Arteaga, west of Nuevo Laredo.

On March 1 in Nuevo Laredo, Gerardo “El Guerra” Guerra Valdez, the Zetas’ plaza boss for Nuevo Laredo, was killed after a firefight with the Mexican Army. Thirteen gunmen died and three soldiers were injured as well, the Mexican military reported.

On March 4, a firefight inside a shopping center off Reforma Avenue left at least 10 people injured. A 19-month-old boy died March 6 of injuries sustained in that firefight."

6 dead, 2 arrested in NL carnage Tuesday
By
Laredo Morning Times
Thursday, March 15, 2012

"Six gunmen are confirmed dead and two people arrested after a firefight Tuesday afternoon in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) officials announced Wednesday.

The names of the deceased were not released, but military officials did say they seized seven assault rifles, 71 ammo clips, 1,550 rounds of ammunition for different calibers of weapons, five .40-caliber grenades, one hand grenade, one grenade launcher and three vehicles.

A SEDENA news release states that soldiers working Operación Noreste — an operation to combat narcotrafficking and organized crime — came under fire when patrolling the vicinity of Avenida César López de Lara and Calle Abraham Lincoln.
Warnings

Social media users warned people to avoid certain Nuevo Laredo areas. Nuevo Laredo city officials and the U.S. Consulate there confirmed the gunbattles through their Facebook and Twitter accounts around 3 p.m. Consulate officials warned people to stay in “their homes until the situation is resolved.”

Lately, cartel activity has been prevalent in Northern Tamaulipas, On March 1, Nuevo Laredo Zeta plaza leader Gerardo “El Guerra” Guerra Valdez and 12 gunmen died in a confrontation with Mexican troops.

On March 4, a typical Sunday outing at a strip mall by Walmart, off Reforma Avenue, left seven civilians wounded from gunshots.
Bridan Gabriel de Luna Meza, 19 months old, succumbed to his injuries two days after, according to the attorney general for Tamaulipas state. The investigation is ongoing."

I'm not sure what is causing the burst of violence this month. The military has had an ongoing campaign for the last six months in this area and I hope that is all that this is. The incident at WalMart though was an encounter between two cartel groups. Nvo. Laredo has been spared the violence that has plagued other parts of Tamaulipas and particularly Monterrey caused by fighting between the Zetas and the Gulf cartel. Things could get worse if the Gulf cartel tries to re-establish a presence in the city. Time will tell.

RickS

Mar 15, 2012, 7:50 AM

Post #30 of 36 (2426 views)

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Re: [careyeroslib] Cuota Fees

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Touche, careyeroslib.

I'm, sorry that my Post was offensive to you.

(This post was edited by RickS on Mar 15, 2012, 8:07 AM)

stevebrtx

Mar 15, 2012, 5:21 PM

Post #31 of 36 (2369 views)

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Re: [RickS] Cuota Fees

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We'll see what early Friday morning brings, I figure on being at Aduana at 4:30am MX time. I'm figuring on having an adult libation in my garden tomorrow evening.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

Altahabana

Mar 15, 2012, 8:04 PM

Post #32 of 36 (2346 views)

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Re: [stevebrtx] Cuota Fees

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Nuevo Laredo changed to Daylight Savings time when we changed over here so the time is the same. The interior is still an hour behind.

I wouldn't recommend driving on Colosio before 7 am. It's still dark then but at least there will be more traffic. The situation is pretty unstable right now. It is as bad as it has been in the six years I've lived here. There are widespread reports about an incident this morning but nothing confirmed.

stevebrtx

Mar 16, 2012, 6:28 PM

Post #33 of 36 (2294 views)

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Re: [Altahabana] Cuota Fees

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Hit Aduana at Bridge 2 at about 4:45am MX time this day, wasn't there 10 minutes, out with no changes, no questions, no problems. Clean shot to Chapala, saw 2 NOB plates the whole day, not many Feds, few military and little traffic other than trucks. About 11 hours as usual and that was WITH taking the Lagos route. There isn't enough money in the collective forum membership to get me to drive that 40 miles of hell again. It took 10 years off the life expectancy of the Jeep and 20 off me, I can't say enough bad things about that road. That road, route etc should be declared a national disaster area. The worst part is that while you're beating your brains out, the new road is parallel with painted lines and guard rails etc, but not "open" and we're driving on the other side???????? What's wrong with this picture. I'm back to the Aguascaliente route period.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

donemry

Mar 17, 2012, 7:14 AM

Post #34 of 36 (2257 views)

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Re: [stevebrtx] Cuota Fees

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We drove from Puerto Vallarta to San Luis Potosi last Tuesday. We jumped off the "road from hell" when we saw other cars on the new road. The new road is beautiful and the old road is now just a bad memory.

We finally crossed over at Colombia about 5:00 PM on Wednesday. There were some military checkpoints on 57, but no delays as they were using their x-ray machines on trucks and not cars.

We stayed in the new La Quinta Inn in San Luis Potosi. This is significant as the La Quinta's always accept pets.

careyeroslib

Mar 19, 2012, 6:03 PM

Post #35 of 36 (2175 views)

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Re: [donemry] Cuota Fees

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A quick thank you to RickS for his apology. Apology accepted.

I wish you all well.

Que les vaya muy bien

Altahabana

Mar 20, 2012, 12:21 PM

Post #36 of 36 (2138 views)

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Re: [careyeroslib] Cuota Fees

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The situation here continues to be unstable. The main incident was on Highway 2, the road expats use to get from Columbia Bridge to the autopista to Monterrey. This is a cut/paste from this morning's Laredo (Texas) newspaper. We have not had much inter-cartel fighting since the Gulf-Zeta split two years ago, but that appears to be changing. Shootouts claim seven in N. Laredo
Laredo Morning Times Published: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 2:32 AM CDT Seven men, presumed members of rival drug cartels, died in gun battles against each other and Mexican Army troops on Monday morning in areas outside of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The shootouts, which took place in several areas south and west of Nuevo Laredo, yielded seven bodies, of which several were teens. Officials in the federal prosecutor’s office in Tamaulipas state officially declared the men dead, according to one who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Authorities seized vehicles, firearms and ammunition, the official said. The federal official said cartels were fighting to see which would control the area, as the city lies on a major route for the movement of drugs into the United States and cash from there.

Officials were reporting gunfire at 8 a.m. Monday at the World Trade Bridge, near the Anáhuac highway, near “El Campanario” neighborhood, near the Mex II highway and Villas de San Miguel and Concordia neighborhoods. Authorities said Mexican Army soldiers quashed the gunfights. “The violence continues from the weekend’s blockades,” the federal official said.
He also added he did not doubt violence would continue as long as rival cartels fight to control the city.

Mutilated corpseIn an unrelated case, a mutilated body was found. Dispatchers received a call at 5:45 a.m. Monday alerting them to the body, according to city police records. It was not connected with the deaths of the seven gunmen, authorities said. Authorities said the mutilated corpse was that of a man about 20 years old, with a message (narcomanta) left by his side, allegedly from Los Zetas cartel. “Monday, Los Zetas at 6 a.m. killed and tortured to death a young man on the south side of the city.” “We think the victim belonged to a rival of Los Zetas,” the official added. “They are leaving a message that they again are owners of Nuevo Laredo.” Authorities said the victim’s limbs and head were severed and scattered on a sidewalk near the Monumento a la Madre, near the intersection of Paseo Colón y Avenida Reforma, in the Jardin neighborhood.

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