I NEED yalls help!

I have been trying to have wls since 1998. With insurance that wont cover or no insurance at all no money no credit I was NEVER (NEVER say never) gonna get it. I have WON a free lapband surgery in Monterrey Mexico with Dr. Rumbaut through www.belighter.com I live in Florida in the states. I will probley drive there but I don't know the first thing about going there. Like passport info where do you get a passport? How much are they? Theres 4 of us going 1 16 or 17 yr old. What about bringing your car into Mexico what do I need to have and know? What about money??? Dose anyone know about hotels there? Saftey? Know anything at all about Monterrey? Would anyone know how to plan me out a driving route from Jacksonville Florida to Monterrey? Im not to good with computers and can't seem to get driving directions lol. Know about bringing a knife into Mexico? We cant bring a gun to travel with for saftey (so many weridos out there). What if we break down we need something. Is there any type of foods we cant bring with us? What can you tell me about traveling? I have never done this before and need all the help I can get and dose anyone know of Dr. Rumbaut?? Thanks alot!!!!!PLEASE EMAIL ME AT [email protected] They said it will be after July 1st I'll have surgery.

Pam - I'll try to answer at least some of your questions. You don't need a passport to travel to Mexico but should have driver's license and an official birth certificate. For the kids I think their birth certificates will do. You can get passports, but they're about $65 each, so unless you're planning other international travel, I wouldn't bother. (Also may take up to 6 weeks to get them.) You will need to buy Mexican insurance for your car at the border from a Mexican insurance company. Can't drive in Mexico without it and your US insurance will not work. The border towns will accept dollars instead of pesos, but you may have to get some money changed as you get farther into Mexico. You can probably ask your Dr.'s office about that. You might check with AAA about driving directions. I think you can buy a membership for about $35 for the year and it would probably be worth it just for the directions. They print them out in a booklet form so you don't have to have a huge map unfolded in the front seat! Also, they can give you names of good places to stay/eat/etc. along the way. I wouldn't try to take any weapons into Mexico. I think it's probably safe, but just keep your doors locked. The intersections at the border towns can get pretty scarey - beggers come up to the car and want to wash your windshield for $$. Just tell them no! Down in the interior of Mexico begging is not such a problem. I would definitely stick to the main roads and you might want to consider getting international service for your cell phone for the time you'll be traveling. It will still be fairly expensive to make or receive a call, but it might be worth the peace of mind you would get from knowing that you could call if you needed to. Hope I was of some help. Charlotte - Open RNY - Dr. Aguirre - Ensenada, Mexico 2/20/04 - Now Down 51#!!!

Hi, First I have to say that Mexico is not as scary as many say. It is a foreign country and things are different but Mexico lives off of American tourists so it is really quite safe. I never even lock my house when I am home (Mexico).The roads are not wonderful but you will doing most of your driving in the US. You need to have proof of ownership (title) to the car or , if you are paying on it, a letter from the bank or financial institution where you bought it saying you may take it into Mexico. Also, you need your insurance cards. My insurance covers me while I am in Mexico but you need to ask about yours. If it doesn't, you can buy some at the border. I wouldn't suggest taking any guns or knives into the country. If they stop you at the border with that stuff I am sure it will cause delays. You do not need a passport but you do need picture ID (driver's license) and a official birth certificate. That means it must have the official stamp on it. They do not accept copies but take one with you just in case you lose the original. For those under 18 they must be travelling with both parents or, if not, they must have a notarized letter from the parent(s) saying they may travel into Mexico. Make sure this letter has all names in full, addresses, birthdates and exact info for why you are travelling, where you are going and when you plan to return. I have seen people deied entrance because they did not have the correct info on the letter and because it was not notarized. Do not exchange your money until you get into Mexico. Change only small amounts because pesos have no value here. Also, most places take credit cards but when you buy negotiate the price in pesos also figure the dollar amount. When you charge write the peso amount and the dollar amount on the charge slip. The peso goes up and down alot and it can make a big difference. For example, in February I rented a car and it was 240.00 US dollars a week. When the charge came through the peso had gone up and they tried to charge me 320.00 US dollars. I live in Mexico for part of the year and I usually only carry $20-$50 dollars worth of pesos at one time. It is best not to stay in a cheap hotel with the natives. This sounds nasty but I am Mexican and I won't even do it. Theft is a huge problem in Mexico. Oh, your car needs an alarm!!!! Stay where the clinic and the doctor reccommend! I remember looking into that doctor and they had arrangements with a hotel. I would stay there. If you have any more questions, let me know! Lucky girl, winning a lapband.

Hi Pam When we were going back from Mexico to US they ask as to show them our passport and driver license. So it might be a good idea to have your passports with you. Have a good day Julia

I am in Mexico right now, my surgery with Dr. Rumbaut is tomorrow. We flew in..DC to Atlanta to Monterrey..and were picked up by the car service which Dr. Rumbaut's office arranged for us. We are staying in the Hampton Inn, also arranged by Dr. Rumbaut's office. I have been pleasantly surprised by how kind people are. They took one look at me and my ghostly pale Swede hubby type and say, "Hello" without missing a beat, instead of the "Hola" you hear them say to everyone else.) I am impressed that most people seem to have at least a rudimentary grasp of English, which is a heck of a lot better than my spattering of Spanish, which comes from watching Sesame Street with my kids. There is a shopping center right next to the hotel, the hotel couldn't be better about arranging rides for tests, appts, etc. Our original plan was to fly to Corpus Christi and drive, but we decided it would be less expensive to just fly here and use the shuttle. Who needs a rental car sitting around for a week? At that point, our insurance company told us we would only be covered within 75 miles of the border. We used our birth certificates to enter, because our passports were expired. We took the originals to a notary and wrote "I certify this is a copy of my original birth certificate" on it and got them notarized. We had no trouble with the airline or Mexican immigration using these. We brought the originals with us It seems to me that most of the items in the grocery store were brands I was familiar with, they just have spanish packaging. I wouldn't care a weapon. The immediate area around the hospital seems a bit dodgy, but I'm not going there to sighte see, I'm getting dropped off and collected at the door. The area around the hotel seems to be fine. We have eaten in the two local restaurants, both American chains, Italianna and Applebees, with no worries. Pointing at the menu and smiling works like a charm. So far, I'm not feeling any less comfortable than I would in a strange city in America, and maybe even a little more. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the info! I hope everything goes good for you. I am deathly afraid of flying! It is 1700 miles 1 way from florida to Monterrey! Geeze! lol but im having FREE surgery so I cant complain. Are you having RNY or lapband?

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, the room we got when we came back from the hotel had a problem with the internet access and we couldn't be bothered to move. I had the RNY. Dr. Rumbaut works in a couple of different hospitals. we used the San Jose and I was impressed. Immaculate, modern, quiet. We saw at least two of the doctors on the team every day, and sometimes all four. The exception was Sunday, we saw only one. I'd forgotten what it was like to be in a Catholic country. They come in, they spend a lot of time, and one thing they do which I rarely see an American doctor do, EVERY time they saw me they took my pulse. Just picked up my hand. It was nice. They followed through with the visits to the hotel, too. All in all, I was pretty amazed. And I'm not dead yet. (Think Python here)