FAQs

 

I have been in this group for about 5 years and here I have a list of some of the frequently asked questions that I’ve seen.  I hope you find these useful either to make decisions or reassure those who might be nervous on your behalf.  Feel free to ask others. 

What is the process for crossing into Mexico

-        What process?  Honestly, you slow down through a couple of hairpin turns and drive by a couple of soldiers.  I guess if your car looks suspicious they’ll tell you to pull over.  I did see a vehicle in the secondary area being searched, but ours and hundreds of other cars just rolled through the border zone slowly.

What documents do you need (to return to the US)? 

-        I had a passport card, my wife had a driver's license and birth certificate.  You should have no problem crossing the border with a DL and BC.

 Do the doctors and staff speak English

-        Most of them speak English exceptionally well (especially the doctors).  Some of the other staffers don’t speak very well, but there are coordinators in the hospital at all hours to translate and explain things.

Is Tijuana safe?

-        Tijuana is huge, it’s the second largest city in Mexico.  At a population of about 1.9 million, it’s bigger than San Diego and would take the #5 spot just ahead of Phoenix if it were in the United States.  Like any major city there are bad places and dangerous neighborhoods.  GoLight doesn’t take you near any of them.  My wife and I wandered through a small sketchy homeless camp on accident, but nothing happened to us.  There are tons of Americans who live in TJ because the cost of living is cheaper.  There are tons of people in both countries who go back and forth for work (both Mexicans going to the US and Americans going to Mexico).  I saw a ton of police!  I also saw quite a few national guard troops.  These guys were kind of scary because they rolled through traffic in armored vehicles with five or six guys carrying assault rifles and another dude on a mounted machine gun above the cab.  It was unnerving, but their presence is reassuring really.  GoLight does everything self-contained.  You barely even interact with Mexican society at all.  The hotel has guys at the front driveway who screen everyone coming and going.  You ride in vans that take you right to the door of the hospital and other clinics you need.  If you are a companion, they will walk with you wherever you need to go.  Americans are not a novelty in TJ, and they really aren’t targets either because there are plenty of them.  You will be asked to buy stuff.  People came out into traffic doing just about anything to get money (selling things, washing windows, juggling while sitting on someone's shoulders).  There were lots of vendors selling stuff in the waiting lanes as you head north to the American border (some of them ask a bit aggressively).  If you don’t like that, your coordinator or escort will help.  We were not approached and asked to buy stuff at all while we were walking around the city on day 5.

Is TJ clean

-        You will definitely notice that you aren’t in the U.S. anymore.  The building codes are different (or non-existent).  The traffic is much more aggressive.  There are plenty of run-down buildings and dirty areas.  The places you go are fine though.

Is the hospital clean?

-          The cleanliness level is certainly at the same level as any American hospital I’ve been to.  I kind of got to thinking that there is a lot of scrutiny and skepticism around bariatric surgery in Mexico and so these companies probably try extra hard to keep things safe and sanitary because there would be a lot of bad press if anything bad happened.  The hospital had its oddities (no elevator but a switch-back ramp), but nothing bad.   The floor flexed more than you’d expect in one area and you could hear it kind of squeaking as you did your post-op walking.  You can tell that they tried to go with a luxury look in their patient bathrooms, and it’s nice.  Again, if you look for things to disapprove of, you’ll find them, but nothing dangerous.  I was not worried about any dangerous or unsanitary conditions.  

What are they doing about COVID

-          Every single building we entered had a thermometer just inside with a person making sure that you use it (hotel, hospital, stores, everywhere).  There is hand sanitizer available.  On the street most people are wearing masks.  Indoors everyone is wearing a mask.  In the hospital and hotel, you wear a mask if you are outside of your room.