Vera Cruz and what NOT to do.
Trip Start
Jan 04, 2008
1
7
27
Trip End
Apr 01, 2008
Vera Cruz,
Mexico
Monday, January 14, 2008
In all the years that I have traveled extensively on various continents, I have never done anything so stupid as I did in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
We had spent a lovely week on the Emerald Coast, north of Vera Cruz, and I was sorry to leave. Plus the weather wasn't very nice and I would have preferred to have stayed more time there with the friends we had made, rather than drive on, not to mention that I was coming down with another bout with bronchitis, but Terry wanted to move on, so we did.
When we got to Vera Cruz, the choices of where to stay were pretty slim, so we just parked the RV
temporarily near a hotel and drove the SUV to find the WalMart and/or Sam's Club that were supposed
be nearby. We found the WalMart and did a bit of shopping, not much, we were more interested in seeing how WalMart compared to in the US. Plus, Terry's back was hurting, and I wasn't feeling too good myself and coughing, so we didn't stay long.
I was driving, so after loading our few bags into the car, we drove away. A few minutes later, I realized that I didn't have my purse. Now, mine you, if it had been my usual satchel purse, I wouldn't have forgotten it, however, I had switched the day before to a very small bag and just had a few things in it...a change purse with about $15, a little calculator, lipstick, nail file, a pill container with aspirin, etc...but most important, was my passport, tourist card and driver's license!
We turned right around and raced back, but of course, it wasn't to be found, even though it was only a few minutes (like about 5 minutes). It was small enough that I probably didn't see it behind the child's seat flap, or there's even the possibility that it was taken from the cart when my back was turned.
Of course, I went inside and reported it to the Manager and Security and the Security guy went outside with me to talk to the guys that work in the parking lot, directing traffic and gathering carts, etc. There were also a couple of guys selling windshield wipers walking around the parking lot (it had been raining off'n'on), who might be the prime suspects, but there was no way to prove or disprove that.
Then, I had to go to the police department to file a report, in triplicate, and pay US$18.50! By that time, it was late afternoon and nothing more could be done, so we moved the RV to the WalMart parking lot and boondocked. The next morning I had been instructed to go to the Instituto National de Migracion in downtown Vera Cruz to get a new tourist card. I won't bore you with the details, but I had to go
to a couple of different places, and back and forth to get copies of different papers (some that were back in the RV) and pay about US$37.00 at a bank, then even after all the papers were in order, I had to return the next day to actually pick up the new tourist card. What a hassle!!
Meanwhile, I was also trying to find out how to get in touch with the US Embassy to report my missing
passport and find out about getting a new one, etc. Since my cel phone and my internet air-card, don't work at all down here, I had them put on suspension for the three months that we'd be in Mexico. Terry's cel works occasionally, but only for calling out and with expensive roaming charges.
So, while still there, with the RV, in the parking lot of the WalMart in Vera Cruz, I bought a 'pay-as-you-use-it' cel from Telcel in WalMart. I wanted to make some calls to family as well as calling the Embassy. However, the timing was wrong for calling the Embassy since we left Vera Cruz that same afternoon and didn't stop until late. Then the next day, we also traveled from early to late.
I meanwhile, did try to call my daughter Sandi, in Hawaii and our friend PJ, in Florida, with only minor success. Neither was home and I talked briefly with Linda and Chance at PJ's and was leaving a message for Sandi when I was cut off, as I had been also with Chance. At that time, I thought Chance had made the mistake when he put me on hold to answer another phone, but when it happened again with Sandi and eventually with the Embassy, too, I knew there was something wrong with the
phone.
So when we got to Huatulco, I went to a Telcel booth to find out why it wasn't working. The nice guy there said I had been given the wrong program that only allows that cel to be used when calling from Vera Cruz (to anywhere, but only from VC). After he tried to call the company, he said that he couldn't do more, but that when we get to Acapulco I can take it to the Telcel Office and they can change it, etc. In the meantime, it's useless!
