News, Tips & Bargains : U.S. Firm to Issue Mexican Permits

Beginning Monday, Californians driving into Mexico will find the red tape easier to negotiate thanks to a new agreement that allows an American company to issue tourist cards and temporary automobile permits to American travelers.

The agreement between Mexico’s Ministries of Tourism and Sanborn Insurance Services of McAllen, Tex., permits motorists to fill out immigration and customs forms and have them stamped before they enter Mexico at any of 23 offices along Mexico’s border with California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. With the proper documents in hand, a motoring tourist arriving at the border need go only to the Banjercito (Mexican Army Bank) window at Mexican Customs, according to Charles Nelson, president of Sanborn. There, travelers present their documents, pay an administrative fee of about $12 and receive a car sticker. The alternative, Nelson said, is to do all the paperwork at the border, which means standing in several lines--a process that can take hours at its worst.

The same service is offered by the American Automobile Assn. in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, but not in California, a spokesman said. He said that AAA had decided not to become involved in the stamping of travel documents because many Californians go to Baja California, where they are not required.

For a list of Sanborn locations and a free, updated edition of “Traveling to Mexico by Car,” contact Sanborn Insurance, 2009 S. 10th St., McAllen, Tex. 78503; tel. (210) 686-3601.

Walking Historic Hong Kong

Nine historic Chinese structures are featured in a new free half-mile walking tour on the Ping Shan Heritage Trail, which meanders through one of the oldest neighborhoods in Hong Kong’s New Territories.

The nine restored buildings--including a 14th-Century pagoda (pictured at left)--were all part of the life of Hong Kong’s powerful Tang clan, one of five clans that settled on the tip of mainland China years ago. When Britain forced China to lease that section of the mainland to Hong Kong in 1898, the British called the acquisition the New Territories. The historic buildings reflect how villagers here once lived, worshiped, studied and defended themselves. Signposts and carved granite blocks guide visitors along the walk. For a free booklet, contact the Hong Kong Tourist Assn., 10940 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1220, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024.

Riding the Rails in France

A new rail station has opened under the runways at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. The four-level station, underground between Terminals 2 and 3, serves both high-speed TGV trains (initially linking Lille, Lyon and Marseilles), and the suburban RER trains that connect the airport to Paris in 25 minutes.

Before, travelers had to trek into the city to the Gard du Nord station to catch a train to Lille or Lyons, a Rail Europe spokesman said. Now, they can bypass Paris altogether. Within four years, the French National Railroads expect to have 32 trains daily calling at Charles de Gaulle and serving 20 cities. For more information, contact Rail Europe at (800) 4-EURAIL.

Sludge Factor in Snow Reports

Skiers trying to get the inside scoop on snow conditions at their favorite resorts have several resources to choose from, including frequent updates from commercial tracking services. But those rosy reports may not match the white stuff on the slopes once skiers get there.

A natural inclination to accentuate the positive on the part of the ski areas that measure and report their own conditions to tracking services, delays in relaying conditions on the part of the media, and quicksilver weather changes on the mountaintop all contribute to possible distortions in snow reports, according to a recent article in Snow Country magazine.

Snow Country’s advice: Ignore the high end of the report and concentrate on the low; if it’s less than 24 inches, expect bare patches. Skiers can also solicit eyewitness reports by calling an employee at the ski area, hotel or local chamber of commerce to see what the weather is like just before they leave.