RULES OF THE ROAD
THIS is being written “On A Need To Know Basis, and YOU DO NEED TO KNOW!”
SIMPLE, YET IMPORTANT RULES of the ROAD YOU SHOULD KNOW when TRAVELING TO LOS CABOS!
Are you new to Cabo San Lucas? If you have never been here before or have only been here a few times, or maybe you just need a simple reminder, here are some useful facts to consider. Also, I have a few suggestions that may make your vacation safer and a whole lot more enjoyable should you run into a problem.
Converting dollars to pesos, Should I or Shouldn’t I… Many people do not exchange their money feeling it is too much trouble and not worth the effort. If you are one of them, so be it. Just understand that in many cases you may be leaving as much as 20% or more on the table. Currently, the exchange rate is about 12.5 pesos to the US dollar. This flexulates a little daily. The problem is that some restaurants and other places of business may use a rate of only 10 pesos to the dollar, because it is so much easier to calculate the bill. That being said, if you only get 10 pesos to a dollar, you are leaving better than 20% at the facility when you pay the bill using dollars. That is the amount of a tip or more, so why would you not convert your dollars to pesos?
The problem lies in the fact that converting is not particularly easy. Most banks will not exchange dollars for pesos without an open account. While hotels and the airport exchange may seem convenient, beware of high transaction charges. Most people in the know advise against exchanging money at either of these places. Your your best choice is to find and use a Combio (Money exchange). There are a few of them in town, and usually, they are a small office right on the street, that does nothing but exchange money. Wherever you go, check the exchange rates and make sure you are getting the rate they are advertising. Also, the Combio (Money Exchange) should give you a printout showing the exchange rate, the amount being exchanged, and the number of pesos being handed to you. Be cognizant of what you are doing just as you would any place else. My feelings are that the longer you are staying in Los Cabos, the more reason you should have to change over to pesos. If you are just staying here for a few days, the difference is probably inconsequencial.
Credit card usage… An alternative to using cash, either dollars or pesos, is to use a credit card. Be aware, however, than many credit card companies charge a 3% international exchange fee on everything purchased outside of the United States. From my experience, the Chase Sapphire card and the British Airways card allow you to spend money with your credit card without paying this fee. Check to see if your card company charges this fee. By using credit cards to purchase meals or anything else for that matter, you will automatically will be getting the bank’s exchange rate which is favorable, but if you do not use the correct cards, you will lose that 3% on the trade. I use my Chase card most of the time. It is easy, most places take it, and I can track my expenses more easily. One thing additionally, if you do use credit cards, keep track of what you are spending, because, just like in the United States, there is as much credit card fraud in Mexico.
Using you Cell Phone…Don’t be misled into thinking that just because you can simply direct dial your cell phone and talk to friends or family back home, you are home free.The experiences I have had have, more often than not, been disastrous once the bill arrived.One would think that now that technology has advanced as far as it has, prices with your cell phone carrier would be reasonable, but for the most part, they are not.Before you leave home, phone your carrier and be sure you know what they will be charging you by the minute.Check to see if you will be charged roaming as well, which could easily add an extra dollar a minute to your call.
Finally, if you have a smart phone, don’t think you are so smart that you know everything. I was real smart one time, left my Droid on, and even though I never checked my emails on the phone, was billed hundreds of dollars, because they said that the phone receives everything and I get charged for it, whether I choose to read it or not. We battled. I lost.
The last 4 times I have been to Cabo, I have called my carrier and had my plan switched to a Mexican plan. BTW, not all companies offer this option. Each and every time, I have been overcharged. Twice, the bill was over by $1,000, and once, the first time I made the switch, it was $2,400 too much. You could have heard me scream even if you were in Canada. Needless to say, most of the charges were reversed, but, the lesson here is, unless you have the time, and are interested in practicing your negotiating skills, write down what your carrier will charge you, who you spoke with, and make sure you turn off your data on the phone except when you are using it. The phone companies are ruthless when it comes to “out of the country” communications. Enough said.
Now, here is how to successfully make phone calls in Mexico.
You might need to know how to make a phone call while you are here in México. You may want to contact a business or arrange reservations somewhere. Here are some quick tips that will help you make successful phone calls, to and within Mexico.
CALLING TO LAND LINES IN MEXICO FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY:
If you are calling a Mexican city from abroad, first dial the international access code (011 if you’re calling from the U.S.), followed by México’s country wide code (52), the appropriate area code (624 for Cabo San Lucas & San José) and the local subscriber number. e.g. dial 011-52-624-XXX-XXXX.
Remember – If you are having a hard time connecting, dial 00 for an international operator.
CALLING TO LAND LINES WITHIN MEXICO:
For domestic long-distance calls, you must dial 01 before dialing the area code and subscriber number. e.g. For a call from San José to La Paz, dial 01-612-XXX-XXXX.
For local calls, simply dial the phone number. e.g. XXX-XXXX.
CALLING TO CELL PHONES IN MEXICO:
Calling a México cell phone is just a little trickier than calling a land line. Mexican cellular phones operate on the Calling Party Pays (CPP) system; whoever initiates a call pays for it!
When calling within the same area code use the prefix 044. e.g. 044-624-XXX-XXXX.
If you are calling a cell phone in a Mexican area code different from your own, you need to include the prefix 045. e.g. For a call from Guadalajara to a Cabo mobile phone, dial 045-624-XXX-XXXX.
BAJA’S MAIN AREA CODES:
624 – Buena Vista, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
612 – La Paz and Todos Santos.
Controversy with The POLICE… First off, remember, you are a stranger in a strange land. You need to understand this, because laws and law enforcement are different in Mexico than in many other countries, and most certainly, the United States. If you are stopped by the police for a traffic violation, do not offer to pay them money. If you do, you will be supporting the illegal police corruption that the Mexican government is trying so hard to stop, plus, you will most likely pay more than you would if you go through the normal channels.
It is a normal procedure for the police to take your drivers license which makes you go retrieve it at the police station after paying your fine. This is normal procedure, and is not deliberately set up to intimidate you, and aside from taking up some of your precious vacation time, all should be on the up and up. If you are out late at night and drunk and/or disorderly in public, you do so at your own risk. If you have not heard any extortion stories involving the police, keep your ears open, because you will. It happens and is much more likely to happen if you are truly doing something illegal! Don’t walk the streets late at night, especially if you are young and/or intoxicated. At any time, do not even turn to respond to anyone asking if you are interested in buying anything illegal: drugs or anything else. If you stop to talk to a panderer, even to say “no, not interested,” you could end up being busted for dealing with a dealer. Don’t be stupid, and keep yourself clean & drug free. Remember, you’re a stranger in a strange place, or did I say that before…
Medical… Do you think your medical insurance will cover an illness or an injury that occurs in Mexico? You can check but I will bet you dollars to donuts, the answer is probably no. There are numerous medical facilities in Cabo San Lucas and in Cabo San Jose, and some provide excellent care, and others, just like in the States, do not. The biggest difference between Mexico and the States is that sometimes, you do not know what kind of care you’re going to get nor do you know how much you will be charged until after you are treated. With no insurance company to watch over what is going on, you are often on your own on this one. The addage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” fits here. Having an idea on where you would go, or who you would call, should an incident arise, is a smart thing. Then you can go about your way with no further concerns.
First off, American Express sells a medical insurance that is rediculously inexpensive. It is called Travel Medical Protection and is clearly worth looking into. The last time I traveled, the cost was $13 a month for up to a $100,000 payout, for both my wife and myself, and you can buy it month to month. The number I have for them is 800.297.2900.
Below, we have provided information on one doctor that actually makes house or hotel calls. Dr. Musi speaks fluent English, is well educated and experienced, and is on call 24/7. If you call him, and you need more extensive care than he can provide, he will advise you intelligently on where to go. I strongly suggest, that in case of an incident that needs immediate attention, you utilize a referral rather than to go into a medical facility blindly. It might be prudent to keep this phone number handy or at least know how to find this link if need be. Waiting until you are sick or injured before deciding on what you are going to do in a foreign country, is like playing Russian Roulette!
Dr. Jose Luis Musi MD provides medical assistance to anyone in Cabo or San Jose del Cabo. The wonderful thing about Dr. Musi is that he comes to you! Yes folks, he does house calls and he is available 24 hours a day! Dr. Musi is a GP and is available to assist you with the following:
On call emergencies 24/7
General Medicine
Neurosciences
Illness Diagnosis & Treatment
Medical Check-ups
Medicine for the Traveler
Medical Guidance
Prescriptions
Controlled Medications
Medical Counseling
Injections
Stitches & Wound Care
Ambulatory & Minor Surgical procedures
Referrals to any medical facility
Portable lab clinic
Portable x-rays
House, Office or Hotel Medical Calls
Online Medical Consult
Medical Equipment Sale
You can learn a bit more about Dr. Musi by visiting his website on . With home/resort appointments starting at a cost of $50 USD, you can reach Dr. Musi by emailing him on musi@oceanmedcabo.com or calling him on +521(044) 6241224814 (If calling locally, drop the +521). Dr. Musi offers a professional, friendly service… always nice to know that you are in safe hands while on vacation! www.oceanmedcabo.com
Buying Gasoline… If you have rented a car, you will have to buy gasoline at one time or another. When at the station, make it a common practice to get out of your car, make sure the gas pump is reset to 0 before they pump the gas, and make sure you pay in Mexican pesos. The pumps calculate pesos to liters, and that is what the gas stations are geared to take. Trying to calculate dollars per liter is clearly more difficult than it is worth, and if anyone gets the short end of the stick, guess who it will be? Although the gas stations will most likely take American dollars, it is much easier for them and it is less likely for you not to get screwed, if you use pesos. Also, if they wash your windshield and/or check the pressure in your tires, you should give them a couple dollar tip (20 or 25 pesos.) It’s just good practice.
Cabo Angels… There is an organization in Cabo called the Cabo Angels. The following is pulled from their website. It speaks for itself!
Cabo Angels is an organization of local business owners who make their living by serving the tourists. We have organized to represent the interests of the foreign tourist and foreign residents.
We have organized to patrol the hot spots of trouble, and our volunteers wear a distinctive purple shirt that says tourist assistance on it. These volunteers stand by any foreigner they see stopped by the police and assure that they are treated fairly.
They also pop into the local hospitals several times a day and ask foreigners sitting in the waiting room if they have any problems.
They stand watch around the malecon when the cruise ships are in port, and protect our cruise shippers from pickpockets and thieves.
The volunteers wearing the purple shirts are drawn from the hotels, restaurants, shops and sports activities that are dependent on the tourists. Even the timeshare companies pitch in employees.
We also have volunteers in purple shirts working at the airport, greeting our visitors as they come out of immigration and customs and into the waiting room. Our Cabo Angel representative approaches them with a smile and a flyer listing tips on what they should do if they encounter a problem in Los Cabos. There is a phone number to call, (with dialing instructions), and the number is monitored by an English speaking tourist advocate.
The second airport volunteer is in the area where tourists are waiting for their flight to leave. They pass out questionnaires titled, “How Did We Do?” The reason for this is to determine problem areas that we may not be patrolling and it will show our guests how much we care about their satisfaction and safety.
Participating merchants are given stickers for their windows, displaying the “Los Cabos Is Tourist Friendly” Cabo Angels logo, and enlisting those merchants into our program.
If you feel you have been mistreated, post your complaint at http://caboangels.org/forum/index.php, with your contact info and as much information on your situation as you have. We need time of day, where it happened, name of offender, and if you have snapped his picture, so much the better. You can email us at info@caboangels.org. In case of emergency, call a Cabo Angel:
Pepe: 624 183-5739
David: 624 121-1214
Emilia: 624 121-6401
