Road tripping in Baja California

[samterry]

Frankie,

Ramblings based upon two trips, ...

Get the correct insurance and do all the paper work at the border for taking a vehicle into Baja Sur (a series of inefficient steps between various banks and government office at the border). Take cash, twice as much water as you think you will need, a couple of water filter bottles, plenty of gas, winch, spare tire, tools, duct tape and first aid kit. Do not travel with glass (beer) bottles (the roads will destroy them). Do not take any weapons, take a machette and when quized claim it is a tool. Take antiboitics and petobismo. Buy bottled water every chance you can. Take small sealed bags of candy for the kids you see on the trip (you are the most exciting thing they will have seen since the Baja race went through town and they will likely feel you are prepping for it or prerunning it - wear gloves and slow down around them and hold your hands way out so they can slap them - it is a rush). I prefer off road, so I'm also watching the terrain. Don't get fooled into thinking the tarmac is good - it likely is not, especially of the main highways. Stay close to your vehicle and don't leave anything in plain site that might walk off (the bigger city have issues).

In Mexico, Americans are guilty until proven innocent. Do not get in an accident. If some one gets hurt, buy them off and high tale it north to the border or risk, ... Do not cross over at Tiajuana, and the nastiest person you will meet on the entire trip will be the border guard when coming back into the US.

The army, police and federally are every where. Most don't speak english. Try not to get in a situation where you need to bribe them. Keep your paperwork close by and your group tight. Also, remember Mexican road rule number one - the biggest vehicle has the right of way (I ride a 650 and I'm way down the food chain).

Camping on the beaches is great, but the sand fleas can be nasty, use a screened tent or risk being ate alive. Learn some basic Spanish words - water, beer, bottle, meat, fish, toilet. There are a lot of ex-pats, but the locals speak little if any English.

Take a cheap camera and take a lot of pictures. Definitely, take a picture of the ceiling at Coco's Corner. Ask if you can camp somewhere close to a beach business for a dollar a night. Ask if you can use the washers at the commercial businesses and hotels (take half the clothes you think you might need). It is amazing how far a couple of bucks will go with the locals.

Quiz every English speaking person you come across for conditions in the area.

To double the fun cross over to the main land on the ferry and try to make your way north (not easy, but fun).

Sam

[Mitzi M]

Hi Frankie,

It has been a while since my last Baja trip - but I can give a little advice about one thing that will surely be the same....As previously mentioned, the Baja tarmac isn't always great but, it always beats the heck out of Baja quicksand.

If you are tempted, as I was, to check out some of those lonesome dirt roads that spill out onto vast deserted beaches, do yourself a big favor and stop while you still see some other tracks, then take a walk and check out the sand. Even with a 4WD you can get plenty stuck and the tide might come in a long way.

This happened to me in a big Chevy 4x4 which quickly became stuck up to the axles in deep, wet sand, with nobody or nothing anywhere to be seen. To make matters worse, even though the sea seemed pretty far away, the high tide line (which I hadn't noticed before) looked to be mauka of the truck! The only way I could get out was to shovel out the tires, collect dead branches off these little woody shrubs, put them in front of the wheels and then go a just few feet and repeat. I repeated for about an hour and was darn lucky to make it out of there. But it was a great time. There were also these huge patches of delicious smelling purple sand verbena flowers (I think it was in February). They looked like giant purple cloud carpets on the desert floor and smelled intoxicating, like vanilla and coconut. Mmmmmmm!
!Que tengas buen viaje!

[DonovanLilly]

There are plenty of places in Mexico that contributes to the fascination and attraction of the country. Baja is a place that is situated on the Southern end of California. This place has spectacular seascapes that have attracted thousands of surfers and sailing enthusiast over the years.


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[dmbwest]

Laguna Hanson

[unknownjulie]

I am not sure where you are going, but I drove down into mexico, to the Sea of Cortez, from the Arizona border crossing. I was with my ex-husband and a 5 yr old. We then drove across the northern part of Mexico and exited the country at the Yuma Arizona/California crossing (not sure what it's called). At the time they were finishing a road that was supposed to go that area much more easily. Based upon my own personal experience, I would not go. Yes, your vehicle can easily be stolen, and yes, the biggest vehicle has the 'right of way"- but we were stopped by the men with the machine guns- and that is why I have the opinion that I have. This is prior to me learning Spanish really well also, so it was a bit scary. We were driving on the road and randomly stopped by a group of men with machine guns, who ordered us out of the car. Of course we did exactly as they told us to! They then searched our entire car, with us standing there. They went in all parts of our car- like under our seats, they looked at where the spare tire was etc- they looked under the car. Then they told us to "get back in the car" with ZERO explanation- and we drove off. So, nothing bad happened- and I also ate plenty of food at the taco stands on the roadsides, also without getting sick- but it just seems a bit chancy IMO. I know that I will never go back to Mexico again after this happened.

[dmbwest]

FYI, Your story is standard procedure Julie, Same as the border crossings where everyone has guns. ... Been going on like this for at least the 25 years I have been driving down. ... If you come up fast, look sketchy, have attitude or even if the boys simply want to be entertained, you gonna get searched. You not in Kansas any more + travelling though one of the biggest drug smuggling corridors on in North America.

Bigger has right of way anywhere laws of physics apply.

[unknownjulie]

Pog, I personally dont like a lot of close contact with machine wielding groups of strange men. Evidently, it is tolerable for some of us. Do you take your small child down there like I did?

[dmbwest]

This is something you need(ed) to take up with your Husband/Ex.

Kids are safe and loved in Mexico. Surely you noticed this.

aloha,
pog

[unknownjulie]

Ah, but you didnt answer the question now, did you.

[dmbwest]

Si