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2015 MexTrek, Oct 15 - 18th, Galeana, Mexico

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1. If you filled out the google spreadsheet form indicating you were coming, I'm assuming that unless otherwide relayed you are still coming
2. I reserved 10 rooms at the Magdelana. Rooms are available at 2 other hotels who would not take reservations prior to Oct 1st.
3. If you sent a payment via paypal to unclesaroundthebend@gmail then you are paid and confirmed registered and your ride guide will be mailed early next week. If not, or you don't paypal, call or send an email to uncles....@gmail.com and I'll get you taken care of.
4. If you included your tee shirt size with your paypal payment, you are goid. If not, an email to unclesaroundthebend@gmail.com solves that

Peter 281-772-1211 24/7.
 
I'm on the road for three weeks. PC access limited. Sorry ya'll. Mass email coming Sunday. Get those paypals in and my job will be so much easier. If you don't want a ride guide, just send $20.00.
 
I sent an email to all registered riders just now. If you did not get the email, and are planning to attend, please use the google signup form in the first post of this thread to sign up. My email reads:

Gentlemen,

I'm looking forward to this upcoming trip. I will call each of you individually shortly to see if you have any concerns. "5" items to tend to shortly relating to payment, hotel bookings, and info I need from you:

1. If you have not yet paid, immediately send $40 to unclesaroundthebend@gmail.com thru paypal and include your address and tee shirt size in the notes. Please pay as a gift to family / friend, otherwise I don't get the whole $40.00 If you plan to pay in person on the trip, reply to this email with your shipping address so we can send out your guidebooks tomorrow.

2. Please make sure I have your tee shirt size.

3. I've booked 15 single and 5 double rooms at the Magdelena. We pay when we arrive, night by night, there is no convention for how this works.

4. We will spend Wednesday night in McAllen at the Studio 6 Studio 6
3700 Plantation Grove Blvd, Mission, TX 78572, (956) 519-9696 which is quite nice and gets good reviews, has a pool, and is the closest hotel to the Aldzalduas Bridge, where we will be crossing for paperwork on Wednesday evening, and crossing there and back on our ride. Feel free to call them beginning tomorrow at noon, Monday, and ask for the Mextrek group. As long as the hotel does not sell out (not likely based on bookings) we can leave our transport vehicles there. I am waiting to get management confirmation on the parking situation tomorrow morning before making the official group booking. I will send an email to each of you when we are cleared to book.

5. Here is the current spreadsheet. Please review your own info to be sure it is complete. I have only 6 of 21 riders with all needed information.

Thanks, Peter
 
Looks like the Peso is about to hit 17 per dollar !
Makes the trip even sweeter when your dollar takes you further.
 
I just now got back from Mexico. The peso just devalued to 20 to 1. I considered buying a couple of hundred to take on the Mextrek. I didn't do it. I don't remember in all my years of going there the dollar buying so much in Mexico.
 
Thanks for the peso info, I'm headed to my local bank to exchange some dollars, don't wait until you cross into Mexico to exchange, just visit your own bank, most exchange for the same rate, don't bring dollars across, pesos in cash is best, and a credit card as a back up , hide it somewhere only you can find it, and this $20 rate might not last for very long...
 
20 to 1 is amazing! I was there 6 weeks ago and at 16.8 to the dollar at the airport and everything felt half free.

My first trip to Mexico, 1982, the Peso had recently fallen from 7 to 20 to the dollar. By the end of our trip it had fallen to 140 to the dollar. Everything was 20 times what it was a month before. Hotels and restaurants changed menu and room prices daily. Our reservations at the Hyatt downtown Mexico city cost us about $12 a night. My parents came back with a treasure chest of silver and pottery bought in Pesos in small towns for 10 for 1 pricing.

Fast forward to now. The "old peso" was traded by the government with its people in the 90's at a 1 for 1000 exchange rate for the "new peso". So according to Dave the "old peso" is worth one, one-thousandth of what it was my first visit. And one, three thousandth what it was in 1982.

Amazing. Imagine how we would feel if it went the opposite way.... Instead of 7 peso per dollar ($0.14 per Peso) it would be .00023 Pesos per dollar ($429.00 per peso). At that rate of inflation a hotel room in Galeana would cost us about $60,000 USD per night. Poor Mexico!!! But glad it went the other way. But it proves the point of why property in mexico always trades at a nice premium. it is the only thing you can own that keeps up with the world economy.
 
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I just checked with my bank and its still at 16.+ per dollar so not sure where this 20 pesos per dollar is at, still since the last may ride, all my leftover pesos are worth more now
 
When I left Cozumel yesterday morning, it was at 19. or so. When I got to DFW, after I got my wife's bags and we were going out to the shuttle, the money changers there quoted just over 20. She had already exited so I didn't have any money and could not buy about $200 worth for the trip.
 
120-Day Exchange Rate History
USD-MXN.gif

The value of the USD relative to the Mexican peso has climbed steadily since about November 2014, but the official exchange rate has not surpassed 17.20 MXN (late August of this year). If you can locally get 19-20 MXN, then that is a steal!
 
Dave Bell said:
When I left Cozumel yesterday morning, it was at 19. or so. When I got to DFW, after I got my wife's bags and we were going out to the shuttle, the money changers there quoted just over 20. She had already exited so I didn't have any money and could not buy about $200 worth for the trip.
Click to expand...

You think maybe that's the buy back rate, pesos to dollars ??
 
Dave Bell said:
I feel invisible. Still don't know if I need to reserve my own room, did I send my $$ to the right person (Unclesroundthebend), who to tell my t shirt pref (xxl), how to get my name on the list, and what to do if I don't need a third ride guide. I guess if I get no answer I'll just make my own reservation and show up.

Edit by Peter - Dave, you are registered, we have all your info, and we have a booking for you in Galeana.
Click to expand...


Thank you Peter.

DB
 
I reserved a room at the Studio 6. It has 2 double beds. If anyone gets caught without a room, I don't mind bunking up. There will be coffee and perhaps beer. and ice.

This will be my 3rd mextrek and 4th trip to Galeana. Alan LeDuc and I went down a couple of years ago and froze our butts off in the Mag on New Years Eve.

I'm leaving from east of dallas on Tuesday, and will ride down the back way (Cleburne) to San Antonio, where I'm spending the night with a friend. Then I'll ride on down to McAllen Wednesday, possibly with a slight hangover. Anyone who wants to hook up either or both days, text me at 903-450-5679. I am open to riding anywhere from 55-80 mph, I don't care.

I'm riding a 1995 BMW R1100GS with Metzler Tourance Tires, so will not be competing with the young turks off road. I will probably ride with the group to Reyones and then head the 18-20 miles on the rock road to Galeana, skipping the "Top of the World Detour" on Thursday.Again, I'll "guide" anyone who wants to go that route, although there isn't any guidance involved. On Friday, I will probably want to do the Top of the World Ride at a stately pace. If anyone on a VStrom, big GS, or other bigger or more street oriented bike wants to join me, I'd be glad and I might not get lost. I am open to going up the mountain that day or not. Don't care. You need to do it. Once. It is an easy road, with a packed surface but lots of rocks poking up, and may be the roughest ride you will ever take. Not difficult, just rough.

I might want to ride the Milpillas ride Saturday. When I did it before, it had a lot of very, very easy stream crossings. It was easy and fun.

For those of you who haven't been there, I want to tell you that you are going to have lots of fun and I believe it is very safe with this many people, in terms of getting help if you have a breakdown, etc. I also want to tell you that difficulty of the roads highly varies, depending on rainfall. The first time I went, the 18 miles from Reyones to Galeana scared me to death. It was washed out, I had zero off road experience, and we arrived at night. I made it just fine, despite feeling we were lost for most of the ride.

I would also like to mention that you can reduce your chances of injury greatly by slowing down and looking around. I like to really take it easy in Mexico. They have a hospital but I don't want to go there. In past years, there have been injuries, at least some of which were a result of riding too fast or trying to keep up with superior riders. Try to go with a group that won't grind you down or get you hurt.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it.
 
I might be a late joiner to this trip assuming I can get a few things worked out. I'd take the tiger 800xc or Honda Xr650l, however the 800 is more ready to roll at this time (tires and paper work all set). Never ridden into Mexico and could see this being a real ADV type of trip! I'd prefer the 650 in that terrain but thinking the 800 would be fine if not muddy at all? If taking the 800 I'd plan to just ride it the whole trip from the SA area.
 
Looking so forward to this ride!

Just got back from a 2 week trip to Baja working as an official at the Baja Rally ( http://www.bajarallymoto.com/). It was an epic good time!
Peso conversion at most places was 16 to a dollar. Bank ATM gave me about 16.5 to one.

See you all in McAllen next week!

-Fang
 
8 days left. Rooms in Galeana are booked, just got off the phone with them and confirmed, again, they are holding 15 private and 5 shared rooms. ?? Have you:

1. Booked accommodations at studio 6 in McAllen for Wednesday night if needed?
2. Got you passport and it is valid on the dates of travel, aka not expired.
3. Have your hands on your title / registration?
4. Checked space for spare tubes, patches, tools, and other necessary items?
5. Considered insurance, disability, mexican insurance?

That's the highlights! Looking forward to next week!
 
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There are Two Studio 6 hotel/motels in McAllen. Which one is everyone staying?


Studio 6 - McAllen #5004
US 83 at 10th Street
700 Savannah Avenue
McAllen, TX 78503
(956) 668-7829


Studio 6 - Mission, TX #5050
Plantation Grove Blvd & S. Shary Rd
3700 Plantation Grove Blvd
Mission, TX 78572
 
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Sandman posted the address and phone number a few post back as.......3700 Plantation Grove Blvd, Mission, TX 78572, (956) 519-9696
 
We will be at the bridge on the mexico side parking lot at 8:00 to 8:30 am, will leave from there at 8:30 am unless we get a text or call that someone is abit late but on the way and will be there shortly
 
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