# Moved by the Spirit



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Spirit Airlines that is!  They're starting a direct flight from Dallas to Toluca on June 21st. Since they have cheap flights that would be a good option to leave the country if you are living on a tourist card. Beats driving to the border.

I like what I'm reading about Toluca. I might try it out for awhile because to have cheap access to the States is a priority.


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## RPBHaas (Dec 21, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Spirit Airlines that is!  They're starting a direct flight from Dallas to Toluca on June 21st. Since they have cheap flights that would be a good option to leave the country if you are living on a tourist card. Beats driving to the border.
> 
> I like what I'm reading about Toluca. I might try it out for awhile because to have cheap access to the States is a priority.


It was great when Mexicana Airlines was still around. You would receive first class service no matter your seat and tickets from GDL to Dallas were cheaper than American Airlines. Also, traveling nationally in Mexico is not the same since Mexicana. Many routes are no longer available with the other airlines.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Spirit Airlines that is!  They're starting a direct flight from Dallas to Toluca on June 21st. Since they have cheap flights that would be a good option to leave the country if you are living on a tourist card. Beats driving to the border.
> 
> I like what I'm reading about Toluca. I might try it out for awhile because to have cheap access to the States is a priority.


I don´t know what you've been reading about Toluca that would encourage you to want to live there. Anybody I know who ended up there because of a job, left as soon as they could, in the case of my friends, for Mexico City. It's a conservative, not very friendly city, with very cold weather in the winter and not much of a cultural life. Choosing a place to live mainly because because it offers you a cheap way to go back to the States seems strange to me. Why not try to get a residence visa instead of flying to the border every six months?


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> I don´t know what you've been reading about Toluca that would encourage you to want to live there. Anybody I know who ended up there because of a job, left as soon as they could, in the case of my friends, for Mexico City. It's a conservative, not very friendly city, with very cold weather in the winter and not much of a cultural life. Choosing a place to live mainly because because it offers you a cheap way to go back to the States seems strange to me. Why not try to get a residence visa instead of flying to the border every six months?


It's just an idea. I've read a few posts elsewhere that say they very much like Toluca. It has Mexico City nearby, has Mexico's largest open air market, has cool weather as the highest city in Mexico, and has cheap connections through several discounted airlines to locations throughout the country. And it's close to quite a few interesting towns and I've read it has a nice colonial Centro plus pretty much all the shopping, etc. Thought it might be worth investigating because I can't afford a permanent visa until SS kicks in. I'll most likely end up in Oaxaca, but even there I'm glad I can connect with Spirit to locations that'll put me close to family. And since I'll be visiting family regular anyways the 6 month trek to the border is no big deal.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

Think twice before counting on Spirit for the long term. When I decided to move to La Paz, there were several options for the US, and competition kept prices down. Then Delta dropped the route, Aerocalifornia and Mexicana stopped flying, and all we have now is limited (and expensive) service from Alaska/Horizon. Cost of a ticket from La Paz to the US has nearly doubled over the past few years, and I'm now flying out of Los Cabos three hours away. Just sayin' …


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

makaloco said:


> Think twice before counting on Spirit for the long term. When I decided to move to La Paz, there were several options for the US, and competition kept prices down. Then Delta dropped the route, Aerocalifornia and Mexicana stopped flying, and all we have now is limited (and expensive) service from Alaska/Horizon. Cost of a ticket from La Paz to the US has nearly doubled over the past few years, and I'm now flying out of Los Cabos three hours away. Just sayin' …


Hopefully Spirit will be around awhile. They fly all over the Carribean and Central America and have been expanding in the U.S.. And then there are the Mexican discounted airlines that fly through Toluca too with some U.S. destinations. Due to Toluca's proximity to Mexico City it seems likely there will be some options available. I will still most likely end up in Oaxaca though.


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## phyllisinMichigan (Feb 20, 2012)

makaloco said:


> Think twice before counting on Spirit for the long term. When I decided to move to La Paz, there were several options for the US, and competition kept prices down. Then Delta dropped the route, Aerocalifornia and Mexicana stopped flying, and all we have now is limited (and expensive) service from Alaska/Horizon. Cost of a ticket from La Paz to the US has nearly doubled over the past few years, and I'm now flying out of Los Cabos three hours away. Just sayin' …


Hola, I just booked my flight to Cancun, planning to retire in Progreso.:clap2:My question is will I be able to get a comfortable bus to Merida, since it is May 5th, I just noticed it is Cinco de Mayo. Will the buses be avail. on the holiday and will it be a bad time to travel? I have 24 hrs to change the date if needed. Would love a response from any of you experts down there. Thanks and see you soon. :clap2:


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

phyllisinMichigan said:


> Hola, I just booked my flight to Cancun, planning to retire in Progreso.:clap2:My question is will I be able to get a comfortable bus to Merida, since it is May 5th, I just noticed it is Cinco de Mayo. Will the buses be avail. on the holiday and will it be a bad time to travel? I have 24 hrs to change the date if needed. Would love a response from any of you experts down there. Thanks and see you soon. :clap2:


Phyllis, contrary to what people think in the US, Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico as a whole. It is only an important holiday in the State of Puebla since that's where the Battle of Puebla took place in 1862. I don't imagine that the intercity bus schedule in the Yucatan will be affected by this holiday.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Cinco de Mayo*



Isla Verde said:


> Phyllis, contrary to what people think in the US, Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico as a whole. It is only an important holiday in the State of Puebla since that's where the Battle of Puebla took place in 1862. I don't imagine that the intercity bus schedule in the Yucatan will be affected by this holiday.



In San Diego it is a big restaurant/party day and they advertise for weeks ahead for their special preparations, a commercial deal there. Even a street fair of sorts in the Old Town tourist destination.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

AlanMexicali said:


> In San Diego it is a big restaurant/party day and they advertise for weeks ahead for their special preparations, a commercial deal there. Even a street fair of sorts in the Old Town tourist destination.


That's exactly my point: San Diego isn't in Mexico, is it?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> That's exactly my point: San Diego isn't in Mexico, is it?



Si, it is a commercialized American idea in the first place, probably because the 5th of May fills in the spot from Easter to Memorial Day nicely. As are ground beef tacos, etc.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> That's exactly my point: San Diego isn't in Mexico, is it?


The west side of St Paul has a huge Cinco de Mayo celebration, as well.

I must say, though, that one of the biggest restaurants there (the first Mexican restaurant in about a 300 mile radius) was where I learned to love moles.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

AlanMexicali said:


> Si, it is a commercialized American idea in the first place, probably because the 5th of May fills in the spot from Easter to Memorial Day nicely. As are ground beef tacos, etc.


Not totally. I think it first became fixed in the American psyche as an important Mexican holiday because many of the first Mexicans to immigrate to the US were from Puebla, and to them it was (and is) a really big deal. Later on, it became more commercialized, i.e., Americanized, and turned into a way to sell large quantities of beer, among other things. Nowadays, many Americans think that Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican equivalent to the Fourth of July and have no idea that Mexican Independence is celebrated on September 16.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

phyllisinMichigan said:


> Hola, I just booked my flight to Cancun, planning to retire in Progreso.:clap2:My question is will I be able to get a comfortable bus to Merida, since it is May 5th, I just noticed it is Cinco de Mayo. Will the buses be avail. on the holiday and will it be a bad time to travel? I have 24 hrs to change the date if needed. Would love a response from any of you experts down there. Thanks and see you soon. :clap2:


Even on major holidays (which this is not, as pointed out), the buses run regular schedules. Intercity buses come in three flavors. The least comfortable are second class buses mostly on shorter routes. Better are the first class buses and luxury buses. Both of these classes of service are far above anything one experiences in the US.

It is a 4 hour trip. ADO has departures every hour. The cost is between $278 and $489 pesos, depending on whether it is ADO, ADO gl, or ADO Platino. Platino and gl are both luxury classes. I am not sure if plain ADO is first class or second class. The main difference is that first class will have a men's and women's restroom. Second class will have no restroom.


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## phyllisinMichigan (Feb 20, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> Even on major holidays (which this is not, as pointed out), the buses run regular schedules. Intercity buses come in three flavors. The least comfortable are second class buses mostly on shorter routes. Better are the first class buses and luxury buses. Both of these classes of service are far above anything one experiences in the US.
> 
> It is a 4 hour trip. ADO has departures every hour. The cost is between $278 and $489 pesos, depending on whether it is ADO, ADO gl, or ADO Platino. Platino and gl are both luxury classes. I am not sure if plain ADO is first class or second class. The main difference is that first class will have a men's and women's restroom. Second class will have no restroom.


Thanks for the info, can't find much on their web site. Will I be able to get the bus at the airport or have to go into Cancun?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

phyllisinMichigan said:


> Thanks for the info, can't find much on their web site. Will I be able to get the bus at the airport or have to go into Cancun?


There are very few connections from the Cancun airport bus station, maybe one a day. The frequent connections seem to be from the main Cancun bus station. I am not very familiar with the bus stations there so I am not sure of the locations and access to them. I assume there is a local bus that will go from the airport to the city bus station. The Cancun Terminal is apparently at the corner of Avenida Uxmal and Avenida Tulum. In Spanish the bus terminal is usually called the Terminal de Autobuses or Central de Autobuses or Central Camionera.
Note that Central is a bus terminal. Centro is the center of the city. The buses at the airport will probably have destinations marked on them.


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## johnmex (Nov 30, 2010)

Or you could just get a taxi from the airport to the bus station.


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## RPBHaas (Dec 21, 2011)

phyllisinMichigan said:


> Hola, I just booked my flight to Cancun, planning to retire in Progreso.:clap2:My question is will I be able to get a comfortable bus to Merida, since it is May 5th, I just noticed it is Cinco de Mayo. Will the buses be avail. on the holiday and will it be a bad time to travel? I have 24 hrs to change the date if needed. Would love a response from any of you experts down there. Thanks and see you soon. :clap2:


Phyllis,
I rode the busline UNO from Cancun to Merida. It is the luxury brand for ADO. Great bus. Bring your earphones so you won't have to listen to the American movie played in espanol. (if you choose)


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Just one comment on Cinco de Mayo. General Zaragoza, the hero of the battle of Puebla was born in the part of Mexico that became Texas. My understanding is that the celebration, other than Puebla of course, started there before Corona hijacked it.


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## tulum (Feb 20, 2012)

Have you looked at Tulum as retirement. Paradise on earth, cheap living and food, best reef and beaches in the world and still a smaller development. Good for investment. Very safe.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

tulum said:


> Have you looked at Tulum as retirement. Paradise on earth, cheap living and food, best reef and beaches in the world and still a smaller development. Good for investment. Very safe.


So what's the weather like in "paradise on earth" aka Tulum?


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