General Reports

[QUOTE=HornyTraveler;1963608]What's the deal with that limo. It was parked in front of HK the limo driver was telling me something while I was walking out of HK. I think he mentioned something about girls and sex inside the limo.

Can anyone confirm this. Are there hot girls waiting inside the limo. I couldn't understand what the driver was shouting at me.[/QUOTE]That's the limo for VIP members at HK, I've ridden in it many times. It's a free ride to the border, though I typically tip the driver about $3. I've never seen anything to make me think sex in the limo is a common event. Never even seen a girl in that limo, except for HK online video ads where several sexy girls come out.

[QUOTE=HorseTrader;1963012]Is PedEast still open? Lots of buildings in that area have been torn down but the limo driver thought PedEast might still be open.[/QUOTE]I just crossed over. Ped East seems to be open. There were people walking that way. I will find out for sure when I try to cross back over in a few hours.

[QUOTE=HorseTrader;1963698]That's the limo for VIP members at HK, I've ridden in it many times. It's a free ride to the border, though I typically tip the driver about $3. I've never seen anything to make me think sex in the limo is a common event. Never even seen a girl in that limo, except for HK online video ads where several sexy girls come out.[/QUOTE]I remember the limo driver saying something about girls maybe he meant that I could get a couple of girls from HK and go for a ride around Tijuana? That will be great getting a bottle of champagne and have the girls inside the limo.

Caught a taxi in front of Hong Kong. Got to la linea and handed the driver 60 pesos before getting out; same as I did on the way to the zona.

No problem coming back the old way. Global Entry so went past the line up to the front of the building where you would see the Mexicans going in to handle their visa stuff. The building that you would get processed in before is what is torn down (see my previous post for pics.) Entered the visa building and read a sign that talked about Ped West being opened and that there are 12 lines there. It also talked about the buses that could take you there. Said this way would have reduced lines. I counted 6 lines but only 2 were operating. The sign said it would be this way for 3 years until the new building is ready. The sign was dated October 2016.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1963991]Caught a taxi in front of Hong Kong. Got to la linea and handed the driver 60 pesos before getting out; same as I did on the way to the zona.

No problem coming back the old way. Global Entry so went past the line up to the front of the building where you would see the Mexicans going in to handle their visa stuff. The building that you would get processed in before is what is torn down (see my previous post for pics.) Entered the visa building and read a sign that talked about Ped West being opened and that there are 12 lines there. It also talked about the buses that could take you there. Said this way would have reduced lines. I counted 6 lines but only 2 were operating. The sign said it would be this way for 3 years until the new building is ready. The sign was dated October 2016.[/QUOTE]I did the same thing, probably a couple hours later.

Like Mr Enternational wrote, the old PedEast has only 6 lanes and can no longer process as many people as it could a few months ago. Sentri people can walk to the right up to the processing building, but once you get to the building you need to wait in line with everybody else. None of that is a big problem.

The problem I had with PedEast was that the traffic getting there from Zona Norte was terrible. It probably took 15 minutes longer to drive to PedEast than it would have taken to drive to PedWest. The last 200 yards of the drive probably took 10 minutes. I should have just gotten out and walked the last little bit.

[QUOTE=HorseTrader;1964043]It probably took 15 minutes longer to drive to PedEast than it would have taken to drive to PedWest. The last 200 yards of the drive probably took 10 minutes. I should have just gotten out and walked the last little bit.[/QUOTE]I thought the same shit. When we were across from the footbridge I was thinking I may as well get out right here, but didn't. Then the driver complained saying he does not know why they do not do something about this traffic. He suggested they put a ramp to the left through the woods to the bridge. He definitely is not an engineer; I tell you that.

I used to drop my wingman off on SENTRI lane right at the turnstile gate, so he could go through the Ped East entry on foot.

Now CBP just built a wooden wall with 10-foot high barbed wire fence along the Ped East walk, apparently to prevent people from leaving cars and cut into the pedestrian line.

Anybody knows how far South that wall and fence go? Can you still get in the Ped East line at the foot bridge and giant screen TV?

[QUOTE=ScatManDoo;1962847]Hotel Leyva (at the their oldest wing) is adjacent to Chicago Club, not above it. The hotel that is above Chicago Club is called Hotel Jalos.[/QUOTE]Thanks for clearing that up for me. I had that all backwards. (It was a long day.).

For the most minute details on all roach motels and flea bags hotels in Tijuana, also the most intimate tidbits on skanky street walkers, who shoot drugs into their shriveled veins in those dumps, you know who to dial, right?

[QUOTE=WombatEd2;1964324]Thanks for clearing that up for me. I had that all backwards. (It was a long day.).[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=CaptainSolo;1962563]Besides Scotia's 9.5-peso terminal fee, I never got billed any other transaction fee for withdrawing from a be o A VISA business debit card. The 9. 5 peso terminal fee is buried in the total amount.

I hold frequent business meetings with clients, creditors, suppliers, directors, investors, stock holders, sometimes even with sexy and horny employees etc. In La Zona's bars. So they are perfectly legitimate business expenses.

I think certain types of be o A accounts, depending on the average balance, may be charged ATM fees.

Withdrawing cash from credit cards, Master Card or American Express, overseas usually incurs a $10 transaction fee plus whatever the terminal charges you.[/QUOTE]BofA adds a 3% FX fee to Scotiabank ATM withdrawals. It's deceptive, because they don't charge it at the same time, but rather, as a separate fee that posts overnight on the night after the ATM withdrawal.

The best ATM deal is to use a Schwab Investor Checking account - they offer free ATM transactions worldwide, with no FX fee, and they even refund the added 9.5 peso Scotiabank ATM fee, in fact, they refund all other bank's added ATM fees.

[QUOTE=Member#2041;1964789]BofA adds a 3% FX fee to Scotiabank ATM withdrawals. It's deceptive, because they don't charge it at the same time, but rather, as a separate fee that posts overnight on the night after the ATM withdrawal.

The best ATM deal is to use a Schwab Investor Checking account - they offer free ATM transactions worldwide, with no FX fee, and they even refund the added 9.5 peso Scotiabank ATM fee, in fact, they refund all other bank's added ATM fees.[/QUOTE]I believe you have it correctly #2041.

The Schwab One account I used on Labor day weekend refunded the 33 pesos fee I approved when using an ATM inside of Sorianna (less than $2) Schwab does all their ATM fee refunds on this account at the end of each month.

B of A has many different types of accounts. Some waive most of those fees.

I have been their customer so long, I can usually ask them to waive all sorts of service fees.

I noticed the personal checking account's debit card was charged $3 overseas transaction fee, but not the business account.

[QUOTE=Member#2041;1964789]BofA adds a 3% FX fee to Scotiabank ATM withdrawals. It's deceptive, because they don't charge it at the same time, but rather, as a separate fee that posts overnight on the night after the ATM withdrawal.

The best ATM deal is to use a Schwab Investor Checking account - they offer free ATM transactions worldwide, with no FX fee, and they even refund the added 9.5 peso Scotiabank ATM fee, in fact, they refund all other bank's added ATM fees.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Member#2041;1964789]BofA adds a 3% FX fee to Scotiabank ATM withdrawals. It's deceptive, because they don't charge it at the same time, but rather, as a separate fee that posts overnight on the night after the ATM withdrawal.

The best ATM deal is to use a Schwab Investor Checking account - they offer free ATM transactions worldwide, with no FX fee, and they even refund the added 9.5 peso Scotiabank ATM fee, in fact, they refund all other bank's added ATM fees.[/QUOTE]I don't know the specifics about the "Schwab Investor Checking" accounts.

But I do know that a "Schwab One" account is actually two combined accounts that (I believe) just about anyone can open with a $1,000 initial deposit. It is a brokerage account combined with an online checking account and they will automatically transfer available cash funds from the brokerage account into the checking account with no fees to cover checking account overdrafts. Charles Schwab does not require that you maintain any balance after the $1,000 initial deposit. Despite that rule, I did have a monger friend experience Charles Schwab's involuntary closure of his Schwab One Account.

In the first month after opening his Schwab One Account he used the ATM next to Adelitas. A lot!

He wanted pesos in small denominations, so from his brand-new Schwab1 account he made ten or twelve (or more) small ATM withdrawals (which must have cost CS much more in system fees compared to one large ATM withdrawal. Charels Schwab was true to their terms. They refunded all of his ATM fees at the end of the month, then closed his account and mailed him as check for the balance he had in his Schwab1 account. I don't even think they wished him well.

I like to give fellow mongers useful advice. If a fellow poster was asserting that a specific type of account was not waiving ATM fees, or charging a fee I was too clueless to notice, I would at least specify exactly which type of account I thought I was successfully using in order to have a helpful and meaningful discussion instead of just a boastful one.

When do most of the girls go home for the holidays?

This is way off topic, but I thought this group might enjoy this story.

My regular routine is to take a taxi from the border to Zona Norte and then take the HK limo back to the border. I don't walk too much these days. I usually engage the driver in conversation and sometimes have some interesting chats. Last Friday's cab ride to ZN was the most interesting.

The driver asked me what I did for a living. I didn't want to seem wealthy and thought it could lead to an interesting conversation so I told him I was just fired an hour ago. I had expected to hear some condolences, but what I got was quite different. He actually offered me a job as a drug mule! Told me I only needed to carry a small bag of pills across the border and deliver them to LA and I would be paid handsomely. Didn't need to worry about border inspections because there would be no weed and the dogs couldn't detect the pills being transported because of the packaging and scented sprays. He did that job for a couple years and was able to buy a Mercedes and pay cash for his $120,000 house in Tijuana. I told him I couldn't do that kind of work, but he insisted that I take his name and phone number. I accepted the information just as he dropped me off at the entrance to AB. If anybody is interested in that job, you will find the information written on the back of a business card at the very bottom of the large AB trash can near the entrance of the bar.

I'm guessing that most of the "taxi cab confession" stories are told by the passengers to the driver. Not so this time.