Trip to Mexico in the fall....

[InTheForest]

Hello all,

I am very excited and curious for a trip to Mexico in November. I have never done this trip before or any other of the same magnitude. There will be six or seven of us and perhaps one other van to take some of the passengers and I think we are planning for about a week down, a week there and about two weeks back up. Has any one here done this trip, have suggestions, do's and don'ts, place's to go and place's not to go? I would appreciate any and all information.

I am saving up for a full length roof basket and a full service before I go. Any other suggestions for modifications?

I think we are headed for midway down the west coast, tho will confirm later.

Thank you for your time.

Charles

[The Pinkfingers]

What part of the west coast of Mexico are you planning on going to? Down the Baja?

I've driven to and in Baja California five or six times (flown once to Mexico City). Only once I have actually done the driving, and that was with six folks (my pregnant wife plus four more kids!) in a minivan, caravaning with other vehicles. The other times I have been driven (in a bus).

My dad, on the other hand, has been to Baja well over 30 times, and he's driven every time (professional bus driver by trade). If you pm me your email, I'd be happy to pass it on to him. He can give you the lowdown on everything from border crossings to places to go and places to avoid.

Neither of us have been very far down the Baja - only to about San Quintin.

But I have some very good friends who now live near there (involved in social justice work), and would also be happy to pass on your email to them, should you so desire. They know places to go and surf or eat or whatever.

I can pass on some general dos and don'ts, but perhaps you could give some more specific questions? Are you looking for tourist things? To avoid tourist things?

[jessef]

I've driven down from Vancouver to Cabo and back almost every year for the past 15. Also down the mainland westcoast as well.

Bring an extra air filter and fuel filter.
Have a good spare tire and tire repair kit.
If you've got a roof rack, bring a shovel, a few boards and a highlift jack.
If you're driving on a lot of beach/soft sand, bring a good electric air compressor (inflate your tires after you've aired down to get out of stuck sand)
Bring some magazines for the military (18-20's) roadblocks
Bring some littler trinkets from the dollar store for kids
Get your shots
If there's 5-7 of you, the easiest water supply comes in the 20L ? office-style jug containers you flip upside down. Cheap and refillable.
Not sure if you guys are doing the hotel thing or beach/camping thing.
Also if surfing bring a lot of wax. Scrape off the cold stuff off your boards before you go.
Don't bring pot down there. Don't drink and drive.
Avoid Northern/stateside Mexican cities.
Be nice to police/military.
Have your van/gear organized.
Don't drive at night in Mex. Ever. Unless you've done it before and know what happens and what can happen if things turn sour.
If no one speaks Spanish, grab a few books and learn a few months a head of time at least some basics.
Last but not least, use common sense.

Have fun and enjoy. It's a great experience.

[marsgal42]

A reference I've used for Mexico and places further south: http://drivemeloco.com/dml-guide/index.php

ICBC insurance is not valid south of the Rio Grande (not even in the 20 km frontier zone), but there are places in border towns that can help you out. I've never driven across the U.S.-Mexico border, but have walked across from Nogales, Arizona to Nogales, Sonora. Walking in to Mexico you followed the signs through the Aduana/Migracion building and walked through a turnstile. There was a gentleman there in a very official-looking uniform. He was asleep.

...laura

[The Pinkfingers]

I've had more difficulty going from Mexico to US than US to Mexico. Though at TJ the Mexican customs can be sticky. Everything north of Ensenada is pretty touristy and well maintained. Once you get past Ensenada the real and better Mexico begins.

[InTheForest]

All of this information is great. Thanks to all of those who have posted.
I am not sure where exactly we are headed but it is to a resort for a wedding so that will be a couple of days and then the rest is sight seeing.

How is it for leaving your vehicle in a parking lot of a hotel and that kind of thing or while walking around town?

And from what I hear the adult magazines are like money for the authorities in the bribing situation. How should that be approached?

Thanks again for the info

Charles

[lenny]

Nice! We are doing the same trip but a bit further, down Baja over to Mazatlan on the mainland then drive south for a long time..... we are taking about four? months, taking our time and having fun with our two little ones.
My Wife and I lived in Northern Baja for about a year and a half, and jfarsang pretty much nailed it with his advice.

My advice would be to get away from Tijuana and Ensanada as fast as you can!!!! the further south you go the more friendly the people get( does that have anything to do with the norths close proximity to the States????).
It's pretty cliche but stick a Canada flag sticker in a noticeable place on your van, the fact that your Canadian and not our friendless neighbors to the south, will make you friends and mabey even help to avoid trouble.

Very good advice to stay off the road at night especially south of San Quintin, the road gets REALLY narrow in places and after dark a large number of people on the road are intoxicated. (I worked with a volunteer Fire/Paramedic department, and all the accidents after dark were alcohol related, and there were a lot of them!)

The Police and Military can be very intimidating but never lose your cool, stay positive, answer any questions you can. I know I wouldn't pull the adult magazine thing, possibility of being very insulting...( sorry I was doing 80 in a 50 zone Mr Federale, here have some nasty!!!) Be sure your insurance is in order, obey all traffic signals, no matter how small the town or silly it seems, sometimes the Police get bored....
I make it seem kinda sketchy, but really the people are the nicest you will meet if you take the time, It is an incredibly beautiful area, with lots of opportunity for adventure.
I could give you directions to a hike that takes you to an amazing group of oasis' in the desert East of Catavina about an hour and a half south ( if I remember right) of El Rosario. PM if you want.... Some Pics. Depends on how far and adventurous you want to be.[url]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/261 ... 04.jpg[url]

[konadog]

I don't know about bribing the authorities with nasty, but when I was in Mexico years back I always left beer and smokes as tips in the rooms I stayed in - reasoning that the people I was tipping were poorer than me and would be unlikely to spend tip money on these treats. One day the hotel I was in had a courtyard restaurant that I ate in after checking out. As I was sitting down to my lunch the guy cleaning my room yelled at me holding up the two bottles of beer and pack of Marlboros I had left in the the room "Senior, you forgot these!" "No", I replied, "those are for you, thanks for cleaning up my room." He broke into a huge grin and thanked me. As I was finishing up and getting ready to leave he called to me again. By this time he had finished with my room and he and his compadre were sitting down, leaned back against the wall sipping a beer and taking a deep draw of one of those smokes (OK, smoking is bad, but it was 20 years ago, and those guys were sure happy to have them!) Later that same trip I was on a bus heading north from the Guatemala boarder when the bus got stopped at check-point. Lots of quiet stoney faces as the official with the shiny Colt .45 on his hip came down the bus sniffing at people's papers. When he got to me I handed him my passport which he blinked at and said something like "Blah, blah, blah...?" I said something like "Duh, el stupido Canadian,no Espainaol..." He motioned for me to follow him off the bus, which I did to the tsk, tsk looks of all the locals. Once outside he lead me to a classic stone building (I imagined I could see bullet holes on the side where troublesome Gringos had met their ends!) and his mirror-shaded boss who was leaning back with a truncheon resting across his knees. I was scared as these guys muttered back and forth and, assuming I was getting shaken-down, dug out my wallet and opened it up offering them the money inside. The boss chuckled and pushed my wallet back at me. The two guys had a laugh and sent me back to the bus. There were more chuckles and snickers from the other passengers as we drove on. I can just imagine the guy who lead me off the bus was saying "Gee, I've never seen one of these Canadian passports before, I need to show it to the boss, no worries, it'll only take a minute." Learn as much Spanish as you can!