Risky gifts to take????

[GueraKristina 1]

Just out of curiousity, i have a question. Alfredo and i have plans to go to mexico (with his green card or advanced parole of course!) in december to visit his family to celebrate christmas, new years, and our first wedding anniversary there, every time i go, i take something for his family, just about every1 gets something, i wanted to take a bunch of drink mixes (like nesquik, b/c alfredo's sister and his neices and nephews love that stuff, but instead of using 1 packet of nesquik, which is how they sell it there, in packets, they use like a sprinkle, so it lasts longer) so i wanted to take some containers of nesquik and some tang b/c they buy that too, but my question is, can i take cutlery with me in my luggage that goes below the plain? not in my carry on, obviously? i dont want them to think its a weapon, but my mother in law has really crappy knives, and i wanted to get her some nice ones, maybe with a wood stand, you know, and maybe a nice cutting board, b/c she just uses slices of stump or wood as most of the people do in alfredo's little town. On one end, im thinking it wouldnt be a problem, but then again on the other, how would i react if i see a luggage bag go through the xray machine and see knives in it, id probably quesiton the person, or take the knives. What do you guys think????????

[pedroh 21]

na u can take cutlery safe as long as is in the luggage, not the onboard stuff..

for the nesquik and tang, no worries.. it's all cool..

[GueraKristina 1]

Ok, sounds good, my mother in law will be happy. How much is 'suspicious'? Because if i can fit it, i planned on taking alot of powder mixes because the kids like it, and its expensive and they dont sell it in the big containers like they do here, only in the sobrecitos. I know that if you get the red light in la aduana crossing into mexico and they find wrapped or packaged stuff they give you problems, they think it is gifts and stuff and it depends on who you get, it isnt uncommon for them to take the stuff and not let you have it back until you slip them some money.

Anybody have any suggestions on what is a 'non-suspicious amount'?

[pedroh 21]

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

[GueraKristina 1]

No, im not talking about the evil currupt stuff in mexico from movies, i have been there and seen it, in mexico city it is different, and in my husbands little town it only gets worse. For example, alfredo has told me on numerous occassions that he refuses to leave his motorcycle in the zocalo in santiago, because the police watch it, and watch you, when you walk away, they take the plate off, they do the same thing with the cars too, if you try to drive it, they pull you over because you are driving without a plate, if you give them money, they give your plate back.

Ive got a bunch of stories and they arnt from the movies. I guess your lucky enough to not have that in your home town.

[pedroh 21]

a reason I never go to Mexico City..

[jade_arb 3]

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

[justashooter 430]

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

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sounds like a wonderful place. can't wait till some of those fellas move to America.

[pedroh 21]

yea, despite the ugly borders, Mexico is a lovely place thanks..

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

why do you hate mexico?

[almaty 19]

been to mexico several times and it is a great place.,...full of history and beauty..been to mexico city..like all cities there are palces to avoid..but there are places to avoid in my town of 35,000 too

[Marina-Del 10]

I don't think there is an exact number of containers that you could take that would be okay or an exact number that would put you over the edge! The point is that you don't want them to think that you are taking them to sell and make money. You want to make sure they know that they are gifts and not something for you to make money off of. I had the same concern when I first flew here to São Paulo. I wanted to bring presents for my fiance's family and I decided that I would bring them all baseball/football hats. A real American baseball hat here is really really crazy expensive, but I found an outlet store that was selling them for only $5 (around Christmas!). So I bought 20 hats and packed them up in my luggage and was really worried that they would think I was going to try to sell them here!

They didn't say anything about them, but that might mean I just got lucky, because 20 is quite a lot! I would agree with the above poster that 3-4 containers would be fine, but I wouldn't bring more than 5, just to be on the safe side.

And yes, you can bring as many knives in your checked luggage as you want!

[jade_arb 3]

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

why do you hate mexico?

I don't hate Mexico. I'm Mexican!!!

As Mexican I know how corrupt the Military/Police can be with Mexicans, especially in Border cities/states. They may treat different US citizens, but they can be a really a**holes with Mexicans.

[GueraKristina 1]

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

I didnt really want to send that stuff through the mail either. The mail sustem is about as corrupt as the police, and if it looks like it is carrying something important or worth anything, they open it and it never gets there. Plus, the mail carriers in my husbands little town dont deliver for free, and if he has a letter for you, he gives you a price, you dont pay it, you dont get the letter. It isusually like 50 cents but if its something bigger, and more 'valueable' in his eyes, who knows what he will charge.

yea, despite the ugly borders, Mexico is a lovely place thanks..

I agree, even though i dont think the corruption starts or stops at the boarders, it goes everywhere, whereever there are people that are poor and suffering, which these days seems to be everywhere, even in the U.S, people do what they have to either to be greedy or just to feed their families. Every1 should be cautious but it gives mexico a bad rep.

[pedroh 21]

well... i dont know.. i wouldn't take 20 kilos of nesquik for sure, but 3-4 containers shouldn't be a problem

as for the red-green light thing.. I guess you're talking about the evil corrupt Mexico from the movies, in all my trips to Guadalajara, I've never had such things happening

I guess you are one of the lucky ones...

Last time I went to Mexico by the Laredo Border. We did get the green light, but like about a 1km there were the famous "wachos" Mexican Military Soldiers that stopped us, search us as we were transporting something illegal, keep us there for like 1 hr, then they did not let us go until we gave them the US $300 they were asking for... that our really honest soldiers.

I never had any problem traveling by airplane though..

I hope you don't have any problems with the luggage Kristina, have you thought about sending the stuff by DHL or FedEx, if customs confiscate them

I didnt really want to send that stuff through the mail either. The mail sustem is about as corrupt as the police, and if it looks like it is carrying something important or worth anything, they open it and it never gets there. Plus, the mail carriers in my husbands little town dont deliver for free, and if he has a letter for you, he gives you a price, you dont pay it, you dont get the letter. It isusually like 50 cents but if its something bigger, and more 'valueable' in his eyes, who knows what he will charge.

yea, despite the ugly borders, Mexico is a lovely place thanks..

I agree, even though i dont think the corruption starts or stops at the boarders, it goes everywhere, whereever there are people that are poor and suffering, which these days seems to be everywhere, even in the U.S, people do what they have to either to be greedy or just to feed their families. Every1 should be cautious but it gives mexico a bad rep.

well which town is that? that sounds as corrupt as the one in the movie 'la ley de herodes'