Did you ever feel that you were a bit out of control, kind of like you were riding in the back of a pickup with a gas grill going 50 mph? Well the experience crossing the border can feel that way, especially if you are bringing in all that you own!
We crossed into Mexico today, leaving Laredo, TX at about 8:30, hoping to get in a decent amount of miles. All went well until we chose the recommended self-declaration line in the customs process. Once there, we were told that we would have to pay taxes for many of the items that we were carrying into the country. However, it helped to be a bit unprepared in this case. I had only taken out about $100 USD worth of pesos, and after paying tolls and entrance fees, I was down to about $70. The taxes were $130, but the official basically took what I had. That was a relief as the next automatic teller that took my card was on the other side of Monterrey about 150 miles away. Still, after that situation, we basically had smooth
sailing (except of course over the speed bumps), and we are now in San Luis Potosà where the picture above was taken.
We are currently about 400 miles into Mexico and have driven about 1200 miles in two days. Please continue to pray. We have about 1100 miles still to go until we make it to Merida.
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Sweet, Dave, sweet! So, you have to pay taxes on anything you bring into the country?!? Well, thank GOODNESS you didn’t get a new pair of running shoes before you left! What kind of rip off is that — and how did they determine what was taxable? I think it sounds like some official has a gambling habit and this is a great way to pay for it! Well, drive safe and keep us informed! Dan
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Well, they allow you to enter into the country with certain items, but if you have “extra” stuff, you end up paying taxes, like I did. Of course, the amount of the tax can be negotiable, depending on the amount of cash in your pocket at the time.
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