Pet Travel Tips & Adoption Information Updated August 15, 2012

Pet Travel Tips & Adoption Information

Updated August 15, 2012

Regardless of whether you cross the border by land, air or sea, you are required to follow the same basic guidelines when bringing pets into Mexico. However, the regulations differ slightly for each country. We have contacted SAGARPA officials and our local USDA-APHIS office for clarification, and have done our best to include the current regulations for Mexico, the United States and Canada below. We highly recommend that you also read through the regulations for the country you are traveling from to make sure to comply with both.

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Mexican Regulations for Importing Pets from the United States or Canada

Requirements as of April 13, 2012 from SENASICA/SAGARPA

To travel with your pet (dog or cat) to Mexico you need to present a Health Certificate (original and a copy) issued by an approved official veterinarian or by a private veterinarian from the country of origin. The certificate must come on letterhead with the veterinarian license number printed on it. You will need to present this certificate at the Office of Animal and Plant Health Inspection (OISA) located at the port of entry.

The certificate must state:

1. The importer / exporter name and address.
2. That animals have been immunized for rabies (date and expiration of vaccination). Animals under three months are exempt of this requirement.
3. That a previous check up showed no signs of disease.

Note: If you choose to use the USDA Health Certificate official format, make sure it is signed and sealed by official USDA personnel to make it valid (3).

Other Important Information:

1. Pets must enter the country in a clean cage or kennel, with no bed or accessories. Otherwise these items will be removed and will go under a prophylactic treatment if considered necessary by SENASICA personnel. (1)
2. You are allowed to bring in your pet's food but it must come in its original package, with the USDA/CFIA seal and no more than one portion for pet is permitted (2). Please note that in Mexico you may find pet food under the registration and approval of SAGARPA.
3. If you are traveling with three or less animals you are exempt of any fees. If you are traveling with four or more pets, you should make the required payment for the issuance of the certificate ($1,817 pesos). You can pay online or at the bank.

Notes: After speaking with SAGARPA, this is our understanding of these guidelines:
1) Kennels lined with removable padded liners, absorbent pads or paper are allowed.
2) Only enough food for a days travel is acceptable.
3) See #3 in the US regulations section below.
 

We highly recommend that you also read through the regulations for the country you are traveling from to make sure to comply with both, as the rules are different for each country. You can find the export requirements for the United States and Canada below...

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US Regulations for Exporting Dogs and Cats to Mexico

Requirements as of August, 2012 from the USDA

According to the Mexican regulations, only dogs and cats are classified as pets.

The animals shall be accompanied by either:

1. A VS Form 7001 health certificate (HC) in English and Spanish (3), issued and signed in duplicate by a USDA accredited veterinarian within 10 days prior to export (4), and must be signed and sealed by a Veterinary Services veterinarian.Please Note: Mexico will reject VS Form 7001 health certificates if they are not signed and sealed by a Veterinary Services veterinarian (3). OR
2. The HC issued and signed by an accredited veterinarian on his letterhead certificate that includes the accreditation number of the signing veterinarian (5).

The HC must contain the following information:

1. The HC must contain the name and address of the importer and exporter. When the exporter and importer is the owner, the home address and the destination address of the owner of the pet must be given.
2. Animal/s has been vaccinated against rabies. Indicate the vaccination and expiration dates of the rabies vaccine. Animals younger than three months are exempted from this requirement.
3. Animals were inspected and found clinically healthy prior to export.

Special requirements for dogs and cats residing in the border zone: States of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.:

1. Pets traveling between the United States and Mexico will be allowed with a HC endorsed by Veterinary Services or a HC issued and signed by a licensed veterinarian residing at the border zone of the U.S. or Mexico. In this case the licensed veterinarian must use his letterhead and must write his license number in the certificate.
2. The health certificate will be valid for 6 months.

Other Requirements:

Personnel from the Office of Animal Health, Aquaculture, and Fishery will inspect the animals and documents. Pets with external parasites will be treated by a private veterinarian chosen by the pet owner who will pay for the cost of the treatment. At inspection, animal cages must be clean. After inspection, the attending official will disinfect animal cages without cost.

To comply with dispositions established in Article 24, 32 and 89 of the Federal Law of Animal Health, the importer must present the health certificate at the port of entry. The health certificate must meet the requirements of this Zoosanitary Requirement Sheet (HRZ) and must contain the identification of the pets and destination of the shipment.

Compliance with the sanitary requirements indicated in this document does not exempt the importer of presenting documents required by other authorities.

Notes: We have contacted SAGARPA and our local USDA-APHIS office for clarification, and have received the additional information:

3) If you choose to use the VS 7001 Form as your only form of documentation, you need to get it numbered and stamped at a APHIS-VS Area Office office near you to make it official (cost is $37 USD and by appointment only). In addition, you need to type all the certification statements (everything listed on the Non-Official Letterhead Certificate in English and Spanish; see #5 below) onto the electronic form to make it bilingual (we've added the necessary statements in red as an example; click here to view). Please also see a list of additional items we suggest you add to this form (see #5 below).

This form is no longer printed in triplicate. Instead, it is now electronic and fillable. You or your vet can download the APHIS VS 7001 Form here. It should be printed in color (not black and white) on regular paper and your vet should sign it in blue ink. Keep in mind that you no longer need the VS 7001 Form to enter Mexico, but according to the USDA, the form may be required by your airline (to board the plane in the US). Contact your airline to determine whether or not this form is needed.

4) Some airlines require that the certificate is signed up to 5 days prior to flying, so be sure to check with your specific airline to make sure their rules are the same, and that they don't require any additional information and/or paperwork.

5) If you choose to use the Letterhead Certificate as your form of documentation instead, your vet needs to type it up (in English and Spanish) on his/her office letterhead and sign it to make it official. Click here to download a copy of the 2012 Non-Official Bilingual Letterhead Health Certificate that your veterinarian can use. Note: This document was provided to us by the USDA-APHIS-VS MN Export Department in Saint Paul, Minnesota and is up-to-date as of August 2012. However, after reading through the current SENASICA guidelines, and corresponding with both SAGARPA officials and our vet in Puerto Vallarta, we recommend that your vet include the following information as well in order to meet the Mexican entry requirements:

» Species (dog, cat, etc.)
» Description of the animal (size, color, etc.)
» Whether or not the animal has been sterilized
» Date of rabies vaccination, product name, lot number and expiration date of vaccine
» List all other vaccinations given
» List internal and external parasite products used (flea, tick, heartworm, etc.) and the date of last application
» Note that the pet was inspected and appears to be in good health and free of any contagious diseases
» Name of veterinarian, address, phone number, National Accreditation Number, License Number
» and State of practice

6) We highly recommend that you also get a separate Rabies Certificate from your vet. Although it is not listed as a required document, several recent travelers have been asked to present one upon arrival in Mexico... and we think it's better to be safe, than sorry.

7) We also recommend that you check with both your vet and your airline to confirm that this is all you need to travel, as each state and airline have their own rules.

Notes from US Consular Agency in Puerto Vallarta:

Posted August 8, 2012

The General Direction of Agriculture (SAGARPA) has regulated the importation of all domestic pets (cats and dogs) into Mexico. This Mexican institution has required Mexican Customs to collect a “clean bill of health” for every pet upon entering the country. To comply with this requirement, one of the following may be submitted:

A recent (within 30 days) certificate of good health issued by a registered US Veterinarian (DVM):
This letter must be on the veterinarian’s office letterhead with his/her address, phone number, National Accreditation number, License Number and State of practice. The body of the letter must certify that he/she has inspected the animal and that it appears to be in good health and free of any contagious diseases. The letter should also contain the following information: name of pet, species, breed, age, sex, color and size. It must also mention the last date of parasite treatment, viral and rabies vaccinations.

USDA APHIS Form 7001:
This form must be completely filled out with your address in the US, the address the pet is going to in Mexico, a certification by a registered veterinarian and an official seal by a USDA/APHIS Veterinary Services Offices. Please note that APHIS 7001 Forms without the USDA/APHIS-VS seal and veterinarian certification WILL NOT be accepted anymore. The form is only valid within 30 days of being sealed. (download the APHIS VS 7001 Form)

Please note that failure to present any of these documents will result in the pet being held up in customs until a registered veterinarian can be called. In addition to paying the Veterinarian’s fee for an airport inspection, a wait of several hours can be expected, especially during weekends and holidays.

A recent (within 30 days) certificate of good health issued by a registered Mexican Veterinarian (MVZ):
This letter must be on the veterinarian's office letterhead and mention of his/her address and phone number, as well as his/her “Cedula Profesional” number. The body of the letter must certify that he/she has inspected the animal and that it appears to be in good health and free of any contagious diseases. The letter should also contain the following information: name of pet, species, breed, age, sex, color and size. It must also mention the last date of parasite treatment, viral and rabies vaccinations. Visit the yellow pages website for a list of veterinarians in the Puerto Vallarta.

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Canadian Regulations for Exporting Pets to Mexico

Requirements as of November 14, 2012 from Canadian Food Inspection Agency

As specified on SENASICA's website, you must present the border authorities with an original and a copy of a veterinary health certificate that has been issued within the last 10 days.

You have two options for this document:

1. Have your veterinarian issue the certificate. It must be printed with the clinic letterhead, and contain the license number of the certifying veterinarian as proof of that veterinarian's right to exercise his/her profession. No official endorsement (signature by a CFIA veterinarian) is required, if this option is chosen. OR
2. Use the General Health Certificate for Cats and Dogs to facilitate your pet's export process. This document should be completed by your veterinarian and brought to your local CFIA District Office for official endorsement. There is a fee for this service.

The General Health Certificate for Cats and Dogs meets Mexico's import conditions. Please note that Mexico may change these requirements without notification to the CFIA. As a result, it is strongly advised to review this certificate to ensure that all requirements are addressed.

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Bringing Pets back to the US

According to the CDC, the regulations required to bring your pet back into the US are the same whether you drive or fly.

Although a health certificate (called a "Certificado Zoosanitario" in Mexico) is not required by the CDC for entry into the US, most airlines and some states require them. Dogs and cats are subject to inspection at the border and may be denied if they do not appear to be healthy. Therefore, it is a good idea to get a health certificate from your vet. Dogs must also have a certificate showing that they have been vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry in the US. Some states require cats to be vaccinated for rabies, so check with your local authorities before traveling.

If you are flying, you should check with your airline to make sure they do not require any additional information and/or paperwork.

Visit the CDC website for more information. 

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Bringing Pets back to Canada

Domestic dogs and cats entering Canada do not have to be quarantined.

For additional information, visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for import requirements for Dogs and Cats.

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Adopting a Pet from Mexico

Many tourists who visit the Jaltemba Bay area come to realize how many stray animals here need homes. If you are interested in adopting a pet, contact the Jaltemba Bay Animal Rescue. To learn about exporting your new friend back home, see the information above. And don't worry, it's easier than it sounds. There's no doubt about it... rescue animals make the best pets!

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Helpful Links

Helpful and informative links for traveling with your pets…

• ASPCA Air Travel Tips – Top 10 Tips for Safe Air Travel with Your Pet
• USA Today Pet Travel Tips – Is It Dangerous for Your Pet to Travel in the Luggage Compartment on an Airplane?
• Traveling with Pets by Air – Chart outlining baggage/cargo regulations and airline links
• Rescue Remedy for Pets – Can help calm your pet while traveling

Top 10 of Just For Laughs Gags

SUMMER GOES OUT WITH A BANG By Justin Cote

SUMMER GOES OUT WITH A BANG

By Justin Cote
Wed, Sep 5 2012 11:02 am | 0 Comments

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Unidentified...quien es? Puerto Escondido. Photo: Dorsey

A Labor Day weekend swell documented from three summertime surf meccas: Puerto Escondido, Lower Trestles, and The Wedge in Newport Beach. While technically we have a few weeks left of summer, by most accounts Labor Day marks the end of the fun. Unless you’re a surfer. To us it means crispy early morning lineups, combo swells, and less crowded beaches. And while it’s always bittersweet to see the end of babes in bikinis, bagging low hanging fruit from Arizona, and frolicking in warm water, we welcome Fall with open arms and short arm fullsuits.

John John Florence caps his summer of fun off at Puerto Escondido. Photo: Dorsey

CATEGORIZED: Photos
TAGS: Gabriel Medina, Gavin Beschen, Greg Long, Griffin Colapinto, Ian Walsh, jamie obrien, John John Florence, Jordy Smith, Josh Kerr, Lower Trestles, Mexico, Puerto Escondido, Reef McIntosh, Taylor Knox, The Wedge

I Love Puerto Escondido

Amistad Cristiana de Huatulco - Digno es el Señor

Te Voy A Amar - Doster MKS Huatulco Rap

Wildcoast and Chontal Leaders Protest Oaxaca OIl Spill

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• Published:September 14, 2012
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PRESS RELEASE Thirty Chontal leaders from the southern coast of Oaxaca joined WiLDCOAST and Greenpeace-Mexico in a September 12 protest of the Oaxaca oil spill at the annual congress of PEMEX in Mexico City. "Over 20 beaches in Oaxaca were impacted by the August 11th oil spill in Salina Cruz," said Serge Dedina Executive Director of WiLDCOAST. "More than 120 miles of coastline have been hit by oil. There hasn't been any comprehensive effort to clean up the remains of the oil which is damaging some of the world's most important sea turtle nesting and surfing beaches." More than fifty sea turtles have been reportedly killed as a result of the oil spill and to date PEMEX has not made an effort to carry out a long-term cleanup program to make sure that Chontal communities impacted by the spill are able to resume their fishing, surfing tourism and sea turtle conservation activities. "This is only one of more than 53 oil spills that have occurred this year alone in Mexico. The communities that have been impacted need to be compensated for their livelihood losses as a result of the spill," said Greenpeace-Mexico Campaign Director Gustavo Ampugnani. Many of the beaches impacted by the spill are world-famous for the hundreds of thousands of sea turtles that nest there each year and known world-wide by surfers for their quality of the waves. Barra de la Cruz was listed by Surfer Magazine as one of the best waves in the world and was the location for a 2007 ASP World Tour surfing contest that attracted the world's best surfers. Pablo Narvaez of Barra de la Cruz was one of the Chontal leaders who brought their surfboards to the protest. "We need to make sure that PEMEX works with out communities to clean up the spill," he said. "There is no excuse for PEMEX to take so long to respond to the spill. PEMEX needs to make sure that this doesn't happen again and that it has a plan to deal with spills in the future." After the event at the PEMEX Congress, WiLDCOAST and the Chontal leaders met with Senator Benjamin Robles at a special session in Mexico's Senate. They discussed the impacts of the spill and the goal of having PEMEX carry out extensive cleanup operations and indemnify communities impacted by the spill. "This needs to be taken care of now," said Narvaez. WiLDCOAST is an international conservation team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife. www.wildcoast.net

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PUERTO ESCONDIDO ENGLISH INFORMATION 4.

Golden Wave - Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Puerto Escondido's Oscar Moncada Oaxaca Tourism Overall Performance winner September 13, 2012

September 13, 2012

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Puerto Escondido's Oscar Moncada Oaxaca Tourism Overall Performance winner

By: Mike Cianciulli

Update: Click here for the photo and video slideshow

Over the past three months, gigabytes upon gigabytes of video clips have flooded the Surfline servers. And a handful of the best rides have featured a stylish regularfooter who calls Puerto Escondido home. Oscar Moncada's tube sense at Zicatela is second-to-none, as demonstrated by his late drops, flashy maneuvering under the curtain and overall dominance in his home lineup.

Moncada set the bar early by kicking off the Wave of the Summer presented by Nike season with an eight-foot racer and never looked back. And by living up to the criteria by possessing "outstanding skill, commitment, courage and style while consistently riding the most challenging waves available at Puerto Escondido," Oscar was deemed the winner of the Oaxaca Tourism's Overall Performance Award, netting $5000 for his efforts.

"Oscar's performance is second to none, not just this season, but every season," Overall WOTS winner Greg Long says. "He's the most exciting to watch out there."

Surfline sat down with Moncada to see what motivates him to excel at the heaviest beachbreak in the world -- which just happens to be in his backyard.


TALK ABOUT HOW YOU BEGAN SURFING. I started surfing at about seven years old. My uncles Juan Ramirez, Miguel Ramirez and Rodger Ramirez were the first generation of surfers in Puerto and they started taking me out to surf.
GROWING UP IN PUERTO, WHO WERE SOME OF THE GUYS YOU LOOKED UP TO? I was surfing more when I was about 12, and I started looking up to Omar Diaz, Raul Noyola, Coco Nogales and, of course, Roger -- he's one of my favorite tuberiders.
DESCRIBE THE WAVE AT PLAYA ZICATELA. The wave is a sandbar, which means it's pretty hard to tell if it's going to be perfect. It doesn't always break in the same spot. But it can go from really bad to really perfect in like one minute because of the offshore winds we have from the mountains. So everything can change in like one second -- from really ugly to really good conditions, peaky and just perfect. The wave is pretty heavy and really shallow. Like really hollow. And it's really fast. You have to paddle really fast to get into the wave and make the drop. WHAT TYPE OF BOARDS WORK BEST OUT THERE? Normally, I use shorter boards when Puerto is in the six- to eight-foot range. Depending on the size of the waves, I would probably use from 6'10" to 7'2" and a little thicker to get through the bumps. But if it's bigger, like the last few swells in Puerto, everybody was riding 8'6"s and 9'2"s. But normally that's what Puerto is - about six- to eight- and maybe ten-feet - that's the typical-sized surf during our swells. (In Cali, what you call twelve-feet is what we call six- to eight-feet in Puerto.)
HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE WAVES THIS SEASON TO PREVIOUS YEARS? I think the last month in Puerto was pretty much as good as anything I've seen from the past few years. Although, I probably saw the biggest wave ever last year when a couple guys got in an accident and David Langer broke his leg. That day was probably like forty-five or fifty-feet. But definitely this last month...I won't say best year ever, but I would say August was one of the best months we've ever had. WHO WERE SOME OF THE OTHER STANDOUTS THIS SEASON? There were a lot of people charging this year. For me, one of the crazy guys was Kohl Christensen. It was his second time in Puerto and he was just charging. And, of course, Gabriel Villaran, Ricky Whitlock and some locals like Jose Ramirez. Of course...Ian Walsh and Mark Healey. Mark Healey, for me, is like the craziest guy. Out there, he looks like he's just surfing a four-foot wave. Like in 20-foot waves, he has his hand out, trying to stall for the tube. Yeah, I think that guy is too gnarly; he's the man.
DID HAVING THE WAVE OF THE SUMMER EVENT PUSH THE PERFORMANCE LEVEL IN THE LINEUP? Of course. After the first of June, there was a new swell and all the little locals kids like Cesar Petroni and a lot of the guys from California and Brazil were charging more. And that's good because you can see better surfers in the water and everybody's pushing the limit even more. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A PROFESSIONAL SURFER LIVING IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO, MEXICO? Well, if you have a sponsor, it's really cool. But many of people here don't have a sponsor and it's really hard for them. They're doing surf lessons, and also trying to work somewhere else, but there's not that much good money around. I don't know how guys can make it out every morning to go surf, then go straight to teach surf lessons, then come back in the afternoon for a surf...and they have families. So I guess it's not too easy. WHERE HAVE YOU TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF MEXICO TO SURF? I go to Hawaii almost every winter. And I've been to Brazil, Chile, Tahiti and Europe. I went to Bali a couple times. I've never been to Australia -- I would love to go there.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE WAVE IN THE WORLD? I would like to say Puerto, of course, but Tahiti is amazing. I saw that wave [Teahupoo] and it was pretty big. I didn't surf the biggest day, but I surfed it six- to eight-feet and that wave is just amazing. The place is beautiful...the mountains in front of you. But of course I love Puerto Escondido. I live here. For me it's everything about the place: the people, the food, the beach is right there, the party is right there, the restaurants are right there so you don't need to go anywhere else. You're in one spot and you have everything...from parties to surfing, a lot of girls, a lot of beers. You don't need anything else. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH THE $5000 FOR WINNING THE OAXACA TOURISM OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD? I'd like to go somewhere in Europe this September. I don't like to spend September in Puerto because it rains a lot. It's been a long season for me at home, like four months, so I'm thinking I'll go to France for a little surfing and then a couple other countries, like a few other cities I've never been to. Maybe Sweden or somewhere like that. Something totally different than what I'm used to in Puerto...go to the cold.
WHAT'S SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OSCAR MONCADA? What they shouldn't know? [Laughs]. No, I'm a pretty easy, mellow guy. I'm really spoiled -- I love to be here in Puerto. I love his town. And I love my house. I love my family. I love to be here. But sometimes after three or four months, you need to get out of here. Get some different air. And then when you come back, it feels amazing.

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Philadelphia - HD

Surf News

The Ravings of a Motorcyclist Explorer | Pan American Trails The Ravings of a Motorcyclist explorer peregrinating through Old Mexico and Guatemala By Jose Porta, Photography by Jose Porta

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The Ravings of a Motorcyclist Explorer | Pan American Trails

The Ravings of a Motorcyclist explorer peregrinating through Old Mexico and Guatemala

By Jose Porta, Photography by Jose Porta

Motorcyclist, September, 2012

 

From the April 1936 Issue of Motorcyclist Magazine.
Photos by Jose Porta

Last month the wandering motorcyclist, Jose Porta, left San Juanito enroute from Oaxaca to Guatemala. Encountering impassable trails he dismantled his motor and packed to Rancho Escondido by jackass. He reassembled the motor by night, ready to push on at dawn.
And what a surprise I received the next morning! And what roads! If the four burros hadn’t been taken back to San Juanito the night before I would never have driven over those trails on my motorcycle. It was impossible for me to go through them. True, I had reached the highest mountain peak, and that was something to be thankful for. But the path was leading down a valley, then up another mountain, then down again over an endless chain of rocky, wild, uninhabited and inaccessible mountains.
I had left the ranch and I was now left alone to struggle the best I could. Of all the places I went through, none of them could be compared to the wildness and roughness of these narrow and treacherous trails.
While going down hill I had to let the motorcycle drop from rock to rock and trust to luck that I wouldn’t smash everything to pieces. More than once the brake connection under the frame was cleaved clear through by the sharp rocks and, with the motorcycle out of control, I found myself careening down hill at a maddening speed, until I was thrown through space by the impact of the motorcycle against a protruding rock.
I wasn’t having much fun at the time. Unable to control the motorcycle over those obstacles with the heavy load on it I had to unpack everything and carry all my bundles on my back, a few yards at a time, then come back to the motorcycle and, stripped to the waist, laboring and struggling under a broiling sun, I had the time of my life charging those heretofore unconquered mountainsides, sitting astride a powerful motor which, without a miss, was bellowing its roar of power, confident of its own strength and unaware of the fact that it was the first motor vehicle ever to cross that God-forsaken region.
I traveled all day long without food and without water and without meeting a single human being. I spent hours on one single hill, unable to reach the top.
Night caught me in the wilderness and the next day I reached San Carlos Yautepec, which was only six or seven miles from Rancho Escondido.
There was a commotion at the village when I arrived there and, to give those people a treat I entered the plaza through a steep and rough hill, at full speed, taking all bumps on the high jump and scaring dogs and pigs and chickens who had the misfortune to be in my path.
The one good point about my trip was that when I was traveling through isolated country where there were no roads and I was always in need of the help and assistance of my fellow men, I was invariably well received whenever I reached a ranch or a village, and every possible assistance was given me.
Besides I had left Oaxaca with over twenty letters of introduction in my possession, letters which were meant for the Presidentes of the various villages I had to cross, and which had been given me by several prominent political figures. Such letters proved to be an open sesame of tremendous importance and it was mostly on their account that I was received with the utmost courtesy and the warmest hospitality.
Occasionally such hospitality would be overdone as, for instance, when they used to give me a room to sleep in and then put a sentry in front of my door to watch over my sleep, and that poor man would walk up and down and up and down all night long, almost driving me out of my senses and keeping me awake until dawn. Still, their intentions were good and I had to suffer and then thank them for it.
In San Carlos Yautepec I stayed all night to rest up and next day in the early afternoon I left. I didn’t go very far, and after crossing a few creeks I reached La Manteca, a few miles from San Carlos. From there on it was again as bad a road as I had the day before and to all appearances it was impassable. I arranged it with the local authorities to lend me a boy and a burro who would carry my bundles as far as the next village so that I would have a better chance to drive my motorcycle, unhampered by the extra weight.
Early next morning we started out and again it was the same tale of going over narrow, rocky paths and steep, everlasting hills, with miles upon miles of the steepest climbing. Again I was falling and getting up and smashing that motorcycle to pieces, with that dumb kid and his burro looking on, and stopping when I stopped, going when I went, unable to help me in any other way.
We spent the first night in the mountains, and by dark, on our second day out, we finally reached San Bartolo, without having met a single soul on the way.
There the boy left me and went back to San Carlos.
San Bartolo was a village of the same size as San Carlos, with about two or three hundred people, and here again I had the same kind reception I had in the other village and when I left I was accompanied by a man and a mule.
The only food I had with me was a pile of tortillas and a hunk of dried cheese, having been unable to secure any meat or eggs. My motorcycle had been more fortunate and after scouring the whole village, with the help of the Presidente I was able to collect here and there a few pints of gasoline, which was used for lamps, and which, by t he way, cost me an exhorbitant sum.
After traveling all day over the same mountainous trails we camped again for the night in the wilderness, miles from anywhere.
And when I woke up in the morning I had an unexpected surprise: my guide had deserted me during the night and I was left all alone once more.
Patiently I picked up my bundles and carried them over the top of the first hill, carefully studying the trail at the same time, then I went back to the motorcycle and drove her over the top. It was still and always a neck-breaking exercise, but I had no choice and besides I was anxious to reach the next village.
The country was exceedingly hot and dry and I was always lacking water. It wouldn’t have been half as bad if I had had food and drink with me, but with the thought of water uppermost in my mind I was always pushing doggedly ahead in the hope of meeting a creek or at least a pool of stagnant water.
But water was scarce and my strength was leaving me. Struggling and panting I was incessantly driving ahead with the agonizing thought that I would never be able to find any. But the going was too painful and slow and the path was mostly a succession of rocky steps up to one or two feet in height which made me lose a countless number of precious hours.
My efforts were bound to meet their reward and at last I reached a creek, rippling with cool, clear water. I threw myself face down and drank of it.
I stopped and rested for half an hour while I couldn’t get over my good fortune. There was water at last and I could drink all I wanted of it, and I did drink all I wanted and I filled both of my canteens and at last I left.
I left but I was still thirsty and a few minutes later I had emptied one of my flasks. Yet I couldn’t stand it and I was more thirsty than ever and it struck me funny that I couldn’t quench my thirst. I wanted the rest of the water to last me until I reached the next creek, yet I couldn’t stand the thirst and my throat was drier than ever and my lips were parched and cracked and my whole system was clamouring for water. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I thought I was going crazy. And my mouth was so dry and salty. Salty! Did I say salty? That was it! Suddenly I was struck by the possibility that I had drunk from the wrong creek. I took the remaining canteen and brought it to my lips, taking a sip. It was salt water! How on earth I happened to meet a creek way up in the mountains with salt water was beyond my understanding. The fact remained that it was salty and I had drunk gallons of it.
I threw the contents of the canteen away, lest I should be tempted to drink more out of it. There is no punishment greater than the giving of salt water to a traveler starving from thirst in the desert. It is an agonizing sensation that seems to drain your whole system to the last liquid drop of blood.
I was almost out of my mind, and I forgot exactly what happened until a long time after when I finally reached a creek of sweet water.
This time I made sure it was sweet before I drank and then I gave free vent to my cravings and I partook of the most luscious nectar that Nature ever put at the disposal of man.
Feeling much better I was then able to proceed with renewed vigor although I was still in the midst of the mountains and I had to get down to sea level before I could be sure that I had left the highest mountains of Mexico behind my back.
From San Bartolo I had to reach Tequisixtlan over the same mountainous trails as I had followed so far.
The motor was still in good condition although the frame was all bent and twisted and the front spring and fork were cracked in several places.
What was bothering me the most now were my feet. The soles of my boots had been torn away and, with my boots on, I was practically walking barefooted. It was agony to hit the rocks with my toes when I was trying to balance that bucking motorcycle, especially as I had no footboards on which to rest my feet. Soon my feet began to ache and bleed and I had to stop and cut a piece of bark the shape of my soles and tie them under my boots, but even then I wasn’t relieved very long as they were soon snatched off by the sharp stones.
With aching feet and an empty stomach I finally reached Tequisixtlan. I had to cross a deep river before I could enter the village and I had been worrying about it, but my worries were soon dispelled when I saw a group of men, headed by the presidente, waiting for me on the river shore. They had everything prepared and, after tying two long poles on each side of the motorcycle, eight men were able to easily carry it across the river which was waist deep.
The poor presidente overdid himself to make me feel comfortable. Food and drink were brought to me and a band was improvised by night to give me an atmosphere of typically Mexican life. He then called a meeting and ordered the cobbler to sole my boots, the blacksmith to help me repair the motorcycle and the tailor to fix my torn clothes, all of which was done the next day.
When I was ready to leave he insisted on giving me an escort, but I declined his offer as I preferred to travel alone.
After a few more miles of mountain paths I finally reached flat country once more and a few hours later I struck a remarkably smooth little road (three to four feet wide) which took me to Tehuantepec.
No trip to Mexico is worth while without visiting this little city, the capital of the isthmus which separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean. Tehuantepec is one of the most typical cities of the Republic, and the costumes of the natives haven’t yet been influenced by our more civilized ways. The Tehuanas (or native women) all wear shawls of a bright red color; their blouses are also red with yellow stripes and they either wear a skirt or, instead of that, a piece of cloth wrapped two or three times around their hips and, of course, they go barefooted.
It was by an army of women in such colorful dress that I was met when I reached the plaza, or market place. I must have been a sight when they saw me and they probably couldn’t understand what it was all about. They swarmed around me and passed all kinds of remarks among themselves. Then the most daring one offered me a fruit. I took it and ate it.
“The poor thing,” a woman said. “He must be awfully hungry.”
The next minute a hundred kind hands stretched towards me with the most luscious and appetizing foods. All I had been eating in the last ten days had been frijoles and tortillas and in very scant quantities. And now food was offered me from all sides. And I grabbed it and ate it with the hunger of a ravenous wolf. I did not have to thank those women. They understood by the way I was eating that I was more than appreciative of their kindness. And we became friends. And at night while I was resting in front of the Palacio Municipal a little Indian girl came up to me and bashfully gave me a papaya melon. “Mother sent you this,” she said, and ran away. A little while later a boy came with another delicacy and the same words, and then it was a procession of little children, bringing me food. Surely those people thought I had the stomach of an elephant.
All was well until I went to sleep. Then I felt cramps in my stomach and soon after I felt sick as a dog. I was paying the price for my gluttony and sure enough the next day I couldn’t eat a bite.
I stayed in Tehuantepec three days, spending most of my time at the blacksmith shop, fixing my motorcycle. Tehuantepec appeared to be a very busy little city, surrounded by a score of smaller villages and, to all outward appearances, getting along much better than the rest of Mexico.
Salina Cruz is the southernmost port of the Republic and is only a two hours’ drive from Tehuantepec. Here the coffee and the delicate fruits of Southern Mexico are loaded on ships and sent all over the world. All those cargoes have to go through Tehuantepec which has good roads connecting it to the villages and coffee plantations of the interior.
I followed those roads and, although they were out of my way to Guatemala, I enjoyed visiting those little towns mostly for the sake of spending a few days on good roads.
San Jeronimo is not far from Tehuantepec, yet the contrast in the natives’ costumes is striking. According to the Tehuanas, the Menas (or San Jeronimo girls) are very wicked. And in fact I found their wickedness to consist in their being modernized, or at least in trying to be so, by aping their Northern sisters, the modern flappers. They wore short skirts, they had shoes on their feet, their hair was bobbed and they used powder and rouge and lipstick.
San Jeronimo was the only city in Southern Mexico that showed signs of these advanced ideas, yet somehow they didn’t fit and those girls seemed to be altogether out of place. They were not matching their surroundings and they were overdoing their make-up.
In Reforma I had the pleasure of meeting an American lady who had been living there for years. The owner of a beautiful ranch, Mrs. Mahoney was well liked and respected by the natives.
I was delighted in meeting somebody I could talk to and I spent two restful days as her guest. And I was still more delighted on the morning when I left when she put a stack of steaming wheat cakes in front of me on my breakfast table. I must have told her that was my weakness and she wanted to surprise me.
Dear Mrs. Mahoney! She didn’t know what was in store for her. I ate those wheat cakes as fast as they were put in front of me and she was kept busy running from the kitchen to the dining room probably wondering how long I would last. As for me I knew it would be a long time before I could have wheat cakes again and I was taking advantage of my opportunity and I just ate and said nothing and wondered if she had made enough batter.
I left Reforma and with it all the good roads behind me. I struggled all day half through poor roads and half over railroad tracks until I reached Chahuite. Next day I was in Arriaga and the day after in Tonala, a city next to Tehuantepec in size and importance.
I remember being very thirsty in Tonala, and while confining myself mostly to soft drinks, when I was offered a toast to the success of my trip, I took a little sip of tequila and then another and another.
It was about noon time when they told me they had a broadcast at five in the afternoon and they expected me to say a few words over the radio. Why, of course, I would be glad to talk over the radio. And would I say something nice about their city? Indeed I would. And it was arranged that they would meet me at four thirty at the hotel where I was staying. Then I was turned loose. I was turned loose with a pint of tequila in my system.
The next thing I remember was meeting a general who insisted on telling all about the past and future revolutions. And we had to drink to all the battles he won. Then somebody else wanted to celebrate something else and before I realized it I was paralyzed.
And four o’clock came and suddenly I thought of the radio program. And they were supposed to come for me in half an hour. And what would they think if they saw me in that condition? I decided that I didn’t like radios anyway and I wobbled down to my hotel. I managed to wrap my blankets on the luggage carrier.
“Senor, please Senor,” the landlady pleaded. “Wait until tomorrow. Please, you are in no condition to go now.”
But I went anyway and I have a vague idea of riding out in the country and going to sleep in the woods where at least the radio people wouldn’t find me.
Tonala meant the end of all roads and I had to go back to the tracks. The railroad goes all the way to the Guatemalan border and is the only way of communication between all those villages.
Yet at times I preferred the worst of roads to the railway tracks. I followed them for two weeks and I found it very arduous and laborious traveling. Indeed I found stretches where I could easily follow a narrow footpath alongside of the tracks, but such stretches never lasted very long and I had to do most of my driving in between the rails.
The rails were supported by ties one or two feet apart which were very poorly filled with dirt or gravel, and it was a continuous jerking up and down, and I had to keep a fair speed lest the front wheel would get stuck in a deep rut.
I would keep going until I was thrown off the tracks. Then I had to labor and sweat to bring the motorcycle back between the rails to start the same game all over again. It seems to me now that there were millions of bridges to be crossed and some of them had a few ties missing in the center which left an open gap four or five feet wide and I had to get off the tracks and take a long detour through the jungles in order to be able to get on the other side of the gap.
And then, last, but not least, there were the trains to be considered. I only met one or two a day, but they were never on schedule and I never knew when to expect them. The noise from my motor would drown the panting of the locomotive as the next corner might have brought me face to face with an oncoming train.
I was forever on the alert for them and when I saw one in the distance I would get off the tracks. Still I did not always escape so easily. At one time I had to jump the rails and land down a bank as a whizzing passenger train met me around a corner. At another time there wasn’t enough room outside of the tracks and I had to hold the motorcycle on a slant on top of a high bank at two feet from the rails while a neverending freight train was going by, brushing my handlebars with its carriages. I was holding my motor on my knees as I was slowly sliding backwards, when a moment of weakness would have been enough to send motorcycle and driver to the bottom of the bank. Finally the last freight car went by and I was able to straighten up and breathe freely. It was experiences of this kind that made traveling over the railroad as hard. if not harder than traveling over the roughest trails. And I was thankful when, two weeks later, I reached Huixtla and was able to leave the tracks and get back to decent roads.
The railway was the shortest route to Guatemala, yet the minute I saw a road I followed it, although it took me way out among the coffee plantations of the state of Chiapas, the last of the Mexican states I had to cross.
Such roads had been built to bring the coffee to the railroad stations and by following them I was able to learn at first hand how the coffee was handled from the time it was planted in the ground until the time it was tied into bags, ready to be shipped all over the world.
Where ever I went I was well received by the plantation owners who were mostly Germans, and I never had any trouble in securing food and shelter whenever I reached a house.
(Continued Next Month)

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GM's OnStar Services Coming to Mexico in 2013

Thursday, September 13, 2012

GM's OnStar Services Coming to Mexico in 2013

Posted by John Ganjei via Mexico Today

General Motors Company is bringing the OnStar in-car communication service to Mexico in the coming year, as it expands into more markets around the world.

“OnStar’s expansion into Mexico will make OnStar the preeminent provider of automobile safety and security services in Latin America,” said Mary Chan, president of Global Connected Consumer.

Mexico will be the fourth country to have OnStar available in Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC cars. The system was first introduced internationally in China in 2009. The system will offer all the usual services such as automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle assistance, vehicle diagnostics, hands-free calling, and roadside assistance. While OnStar won’t be the only telematics system offered in Mexico, human interaction is what OnStar reps believe it will set it apart.

“While OnStar uses very powerful and advanced technologies to deliver its services in the car, via the web and smart devices, it is simple and easy for the customer to use,” said Jeff Christensen, managing director of OnStar Mexico.