Mexico has one of the most important archaeological treasures in the world and it is a great place for adventurous explorers. Before visiting Mexico, we should obtain the Mexico Tourist Card, which is usable for 180 days. It’s similar to customs declaration and it will be handed to us as the airplane is about to land. We need to fill out a number of details, such as our name and the purpose of our visit. We shouldn’t hesitate to ask what other things that we need to do to allow us to travel inside Mexico. After 180 days, we may extend our stay and the process is usually quite easy. However, if we fail to extend the Mexico Tourist Card, the monthly fines will rack up significantly. After we get out of the airport, the first thing that we look for would be a taxi. However, we should avoid getting into unmetered taxis, because they may try to rip us off. In smaller towns and cities, taxi fares can be quite affordable. When talking with taxi drivers, we should be friendly and try out our Spanish. If we do this, it is more likely that we get reasonable taxi fares. Getting into any street side taxi is often safe, but this could be a source of problem in larger cities, like Mexico City.
It’s also reasonable to rent a car in Mexico and if we do this, it’s important to keep our eyes open. We shouldn’t hesitate to squeeze and fight our way through. We should use our turn signal each time we change lane on highways to warn people who are bearing down at us at 120km per hour. In rural areas, we should watch out of small animals that cross the street. Although running over a squirrel could be harmless, we may wreck our car if a cow suddenly cross the street. It’s also possible that huge pot holes suddenly emerge out of nowhere, this is especially true when we go to less touristy destinations. One of our big concerns is that the police force in Mexico is corrupt and may fine us unfairly for minor infractions. If we are unlucky enough to encounter a potentially dishonest police officer, we could at least play dumb and pretend that we don’t know anything. If the police is frustrated, he may eventually leave us alone. When driving our rent car, it is a goo idea to bring a copy of our license and any important document. It’s important to prevent dishonest officials from holding our important documents until we pay up. Always give the copy of our document, until we are sure that the police officer is honest.
When we are in Mexico, we should be aware of any cultural difference. We should be ready to deal with any local habit. Just leave the matter alone, if someone is smoking non-stop under the No Smoking sign. Our primary goal is to enjoy local attractions, instead of picking potential fights.