Mexican Border

From time to time you see Mexico get in it's own way. I like to compare it to California. Here we are in a total
recession and California wants to raise taxes so they can keep spending. It is like the government has no clue
about the rest of the world or us. Mexico does this from time to time. One department of the government will
hurt tourism while another department is trying to help it.

The recent wait I had to get into Mexico was a perfect example. They appeared to be checking in customs
every third car or so. This caused a massive back up. My poor timing with the five oclock hour did not help
matters. They are checking more and more cars with what appears to be a 10 second discussion. Put together
with the five o'clock hour and we had near a two hour wait to get into mexico. I was then sent to customs for
less than a minute discussion and I was on my way.

So all of the tourism promoters in Mexico are screaming. They do not want to delay an american dollar from
finding its way into their economy, yet they make us wait to get in. Brilliant. With this wait, I want to share what
I learned since and during.

1) There is a definate rush hour into Mexico that seems to run from Four to Six PM. You should try to avoid
this. This is due to so many Mexicans moving back to Tiajuana since it is so much cheaper to live there than in
the US. If you have to drive in the late afternoon, we suggest you get there before 4:00 PM or 6:00 PM.

2) Lane positioning will make your wait, if you have one, much more pleasant. If you come south on the 5
freeway, the Left two lanes merge since many people figure out that they have to do a u turn back into the
states in the far left lane. The right two lanes merge since the 805 Freeway merges on the right side. So the
best lane is the third from the left. This lane rarely gets a merge so the usual border aggressive driving effects
you the least in that lane.

3) The best time to drive into Mexico is in the AM after the morning rush hour. I recently drove accross the
border around 6:00 AM and was one of 5 or 6 cars. Piece of cake.

I doubt this waiting will last, but if it does the three rules above will certainly help. Contact us for more
information about crossing into Mexico.