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geepee

Jun 13, 2005, 4:18 PM

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Phone & email in Mexico City

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I need to be "open for business" in Mexico D.F. next week. What is the simplest way to phone in and out of the country? Can I rent a prepaid cell phone for a reasonable price? (If so, where?) Or should I buy a prepaid phone card? (If so, which is best?) Aren't there two kinds of pay phone (that are incompatible with each other)?

How about wireless internet? Are there cafes where a person can surf wirelessly on his own laptop?

And here's a really dumb question: At the bottom of this message box, I see "code, reply. quote, b, u, i, email" and "url." I see that clicking on any of them inserts that word into the body of this message...but I still don't undertand what that does.

And what does "Append signature to post" (below) mean? Any help with these mysteries? (Sorry to be so dense.)

Thanks in advance!

geepee

gpk

Jun 14, 2005, 10:58 AM

Post #2 of 7 (2111 views)

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Re: [geepee] Phone & email in Mexico City

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Where will you be living in DF? Hopefully you got a place with a telephone--and if you did, you already have a number. Unless DF is different, the telephone goes with the real estate--not with the person.

I have no answers to your other questions--sorry.

geepee

Jun 14, 2005, 11:12 AM

Post #3 of 7 (2106 views)

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Re: [gpk] Phone & email in Mexico City

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No, I won't be living there. I'll just be there for a week, but I'll need to be able and be called.

julietl

Jun 14, 2005, 12:54 PM

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Re: [geepee] Phone & email in Mexico City

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If you have a Nextel phone you can use that down here with people who have them in the US. I radio people in San Francisco all the time with no worries.

I know you can rent phones down here, but they are probably very expensive and may not work. I would just buy a pre-paid phone card that you can use from any phone down here, Saludos & Kaiboo (sp?) are pretty good - DO NOT buy a Blue Star calling card- they have gone out of business but the bastards are still selling their cards all over the city. With the phone card you can check your messages in the US and then return your calls. That may be the easiest for you, since it's only a week.

For the first year, I had a Chicago-based Sprint cell phone that worked here, it seemed to the caller that I was in Chicago still. I did have to pay pretty hefty roaming charges, but that may be an option for you - check with your current cell phone carrier if they offer a short-term International plan.

There are two kinds of pay phones, ones that take cards and ones that take coins. However, the coin ones have all but disappeared. You will most likely not see one the entire time you are here.

As for Internet - Mexico is not wireless in most places. The Starbucks in Zona Rosa, Lomas de Chapultepec & Polanco have wireless, but other than that, it will probably be hard to find. If you have a decent hotel that caters to business travellers, you should be able to plug in with your laptop from your room, no problem. Ask your hotel. Otherwise, there are Internet cafes everywhere and you can check your email, or whatever, remotely. If you have PC anywhere, that works too, to access your computer files.

The codes at the bottom of the page, you use for quoting, etc. B=Bold U=Underline I=Italic
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(This post was edited by julietm on Jun 14, 2005, 1:05 PM)

geepee

Jun 14, 2005, 2:57 PM

Post #5 of 7 (2057 views)

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Re: [julietm] Phone & email in Mexico City

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Excellent info -- muchas gracias. A Nextel phone card sounds like the ticket (unless one of those quickie cell phone deals in the airport turns out to be surprisingly reasonable).

Saludos & Kaiboo is some sort of retail chain, I guess? And what is Lomas de Chapultepec & Polanco? It might be worth establishing a base camp in one of those spots for the comfort of "officing" out of my own iBook. I don't have a hotel yet, but it's not likely to be Mac-friendly on my modest budget. (Suggestions? I have no preferred section of town at this point.)

Thanks again!

G

Papirex

Jun 14, 2005, 5:51 PM

Post #6 of 7 (2033 views)

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Re: [geepee] Phone & email in Mexico City

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Actually, there are quite a few locations in Mexico City with wireless Internet access. Don’t expect many of them to be free though, I have only found 2 or 3 free spots. Just like nob, many places offer access with a daily charge. There is a chain of restaurants there named Sanborns, they are all over the city. Most of them have wireless access.

Here are a few links to find wireless locations. Some of them, like Boingo ask you to sign up for their monthly plan right away. You don’t have to do that until you start using them, you can search their sites for wireless locations before you commit yourself to a subscription. I have downloaded a “sniffer” t o my laptop that Boingo offers for free to find wireless hotspots.

http://www.boingo.com/

http://hotspot-locations.com/modules.php?op=hotspot_query&name=HotSpots&hsl_countryhs=MX&hs_state=&hs_city=&hs_operator=&hsl_type=&hs_access_box=&hs_roaming=&externalquery=&more=%3E%3E&moreFrom=15

http://www.ezgoal.com/hotspots/wireless/s.asp?qu=Mexico

I hope these links are of some help. Mexico does not have as many wireless hotspots as The US does, but Mexico City seems to have more of them than the rest of the country does.

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

julietl

Jun 15, 2005, 3:54 PM

Post #7 of 7 (1986 views)

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Re: [geepee] Phone & email in Mexico City

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Hey G -

Saludos and Kaiboo are two different brands of phone cards that you can buy in stores around town. I have used both and they have good rates internationally.

I didn't mean a Nextel phone card, I meant a Nextel phone. If you have one that you use in the US already, you can use it to radio people in the US who are also on the Nextel network.

Lomas de Chapultepec, Polanco and Zona Rosas are colonias, or neighborhoods in the city.

Alex, I had no idea that Sandborns has wireless, I am really surprised. Good to know, thanks.

As far as hotels, it would probably depend on where you are going to be doing your business:

They just finished a new Sheraton in Centro Historico, looks ok

There are hotels in Zona Rosa which are ok and centrally located. Just don't stay at the funky Sheraton next to "El Angel", by the American Embassy - I have heard horror stories.

The swanky hotels are in Polanco - InterContinental, W, Nikko, ect...

but I really like the Hotel Habita, they have a roof top bar that projects movies on to the next building over, minimalist design, roof pool. http://www.hotelhabita.com/

For something really unique and located in a great colonia, try the hotel Condesa DF - http://www.condesadf.com/ I think they are open now.

BTW - I like your Web site.
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(This post was edited by julietm on Jun 15, 2005, 4:01 PM)