Part 1 - Preparations

We’re writing from Baja, where we have initiated our Mexican odyssey that will continue throughout the whole winter. We arrived in Baja from Montreal on November 8, 2001, and have been travelling within since. By the way, it’s our first experience on Baja, and it’s a great place to travel, although it is surprisingly quiet. Tourist traffic is down an incredible 85 percent from the regular busy season, most probably due to the US tragedies It’s great to ride almost alone on the roads, reassured that Osama bin Laden won’t send anybody over here!

We are travelling with a 35 ft Class A motorcoach with rear scooter and bicycle racks which put the total length to 40 feet. Here is a short list of how we prepared for our adventure:

– First, I had to arrange for insurance with a Mexican insurance company. Neither Canadian nor US insurance carriers cover your vehicles in Mexico, since the Mexican government only allows their insurance companies to offer bodily injured/civil liabilities coverage. I went for a six-month policy for $550 US for both the motorhome and the scooter. Tepeyac Seguras is the third-largest insurance carrier in Mexico, with offices all over the country; that was an important factor in my decision to go with them. I also made sure to take Bail Bond and emergency road assistance in case of . . . .

– Since the electricity may fluctuate at campgrounds in Mexico, I thought it would be a good idea to carry a multi-meter tester that will tell me when voltages are incorrect, polarities are reversed and grounds lacking. I’m carrying adapters allowing me to use small 110V, two-pronged outlets. The best set-up for when there is no ground is the one I have made; one that allows me to turn the plug over (to reverse polarity) and to connect a house-made ground wire welded to an alligator-type clip to a convenient conduit or metal stake.

– I also made sure to buy regular Clorox to super-chlorinate the tap water in my fresh water tank. One teaspoon of bleach per 10 gallons of water will do it.

– I went to CAA to get an International Driving permit, and this is the one I will present if required by the military at a roadblock.

– I have made sure my debit (ATM) and credit cards are affiliated to the Cirrus and Plus international networks, to be able to withdraw money in pesos when needed. (Check with your bank before you leave – all debit cards may not work in Mexico.)

– We also made a personal pharmaceutical kit with antibiotics (Cipro), Imodium, antibiotic cream, peroxide, iodine, bandages, sticking plasters and disinfectant.

– I bought replacement batteries for the carbon monoxide, propane exhalation and smoke detectors, our digital camera and pocket organizer, etc.

– I marked the front face of both outside mirrors with fibreglass-reinforced beige tape and night reflectors, since the Mex 1 Transpeninsular road is only 18 feet wide (nine-foot lanes). That is indeed narrow, RVs are at least eight feet wide, so when you meet a 56 ft truck, you want to make sure he’s going to see your left side mirror! Or adios!

– I changed my CB and antenna to make sure I have a four-watt, powerful range to be able to call someone like the Green Angels if needed. I kept my used one as spare.

– We bought two mosquito/fly-swatters to complete the full grocery.

– Since we’re on the road for the next two years, and we will be writing a few times per week to a group of 40 French-speaking family members and friends, and another 15 English-speaking friends who will follow our journey all along, the rig is equipped with the latest version of a Toshiba laptop, interfaced with an HP printer, scanner and writer (burner). Pictures will be taken with an Epson digital camera.

– While we were in San Diego, 15 miles from the Mexican border, I had the good idea to walk through the border (since Sept 11, the vehicle line-up to come back to US is about 5 hours!) to get our immigration papers and permit for temporary importation of a vehicle for 180 days, before the snowbird crowd gets down.

– Finally, I installed a CANADA plate on the front bumper with Canada and Mexico reflector stickers on four sides of the rig to make sure they can see I’m a Canadian "gringo," since Mexico and Canada share a long-time friendly relationship. May save time and hassles at roadblocks.

Diesel fuel and water tanks filled up, we’re ready to go! Mexico, here we come!

Part 2 – Entering Baja California, Mexico!

When you’re entering Mexico, you’re entering another world! As soon we’ve crossed the border in Tijuana, we see poverty – barrios and kids in bare-feet walking on dirt side roads.

We take the MEX 1D, the toll-road to Ensenada, 71 miles away, our first stop in Mexico.

Cheez man! It’s crowded in Ensenada! It’s the Baja 1000 car race tomorrow! What timing! After a couple of hours walking in that crowd, no way we’ll stay here tonight with everybody partying. So we take the rig nine miles south to La Bufadora, a little peninsula with few campgrounds. Once we are installed on the beach right off the water, we think this is a great start and a great night!

The next morning we hit the first military roadblock. Two young militia came on board; they were very interested in my back-up camera as they could see on the screen one of their compadres inspecting at the back of the rig. Good for me too! A couple of questions whether we have guns and ammunition, and we’re done as far as questions are concerned. One picked up my pack of cigars and asked if these were cigars . . . I see him coming. I say yes, take it back from his hand, and put it on the couch. End of story.

The trip that day to Catavina was 226 miles. The road is narrow, and truckers and bus drivers are driving like crazy. Me to, as I have Latin blood and can assimilate quickly to that way of driving without compromising our safety. I’m trying a little recipe of my own to put a bit more of the odds on my side: I drive right in the middle of the two-way lanes so they have to lower their speed quite a bit, and as we approach each other, the other party can see both my marked mirrors and "CANADA" plate. I also turn my left flasher on to finish it off. So far, so good, for the first 226 miles anyway!

We camped in Rancho Santa Ines in Catavina. No hook-ups, but we met a gentle retired couple in a 5th wheel from BC heading southbound to San Jose del Cabo, 1,000 miles down. We are too!

The next morning the road is fair to rough for another 15 miles before quite improving on soft and quiet pavement. Bahia Conception is 326 miles today. We stopped at Guerrero Negro at the border of Baja California Sur for immigration papers and 20 pesos for wheel fumigation (!!!) Citrus bugs, they say, seizing our San Diego-bought lemons and limes. That’s a sour one! But no problema! They didn’t get the pears, unwillingly hidden somewhere else in the coach by Caroline! We continue through Santa Rosalia, a friendly town on the way to Mulege (mou-ley-hey).

I keep driving through Mulege to get some diesel fuel, but drive four kilometres past town without seeing a Pemex (Petroleum of Mexico, the sole fuel company with standardized prices throughout Mexico.) station. So we go back, entering very narrow streets in the town, and manage to get out . . . without fuel! No diesel! I should have been more of a believer and kept going – five km past where I turned around there is a brand-new Pemex station. We filled up for 1070 pesos. ($1US = 9.05 pesos.) We are now en route for Bahia Concepcion, just a few more miles away. From a curve we see a great beach with motorhomes and decide to stop right there at Playa Santispac.

Fabulous! We park MoMo (the name we’re giving our motorhome) on its levellers on wood blocks (because of sand) and enjoy the $300-a-night-like waterfront view! Next door there is a couple in a 25 ft Winnebago saying hello, and they invite us to chat. We get two portable chairs and have rum and Cokes with Eric and Mary from Oregon. They offer us clam salad in the shell, great! Nice couple; Eric is funny. Like us, they sold their house and went on the road, at least until March. They plan to get their sailboat down here next year; it is now in a marina in Blaine, Washington, just across the border from Vancouver.

The next morning, all four of us pile into Eric’s 1985 300,000 miles-plus Jetta diesel. We’re on the road to visit all the other beaches in Bahia Concepcion. Playa Los Cocos, Playa El Requeson and Playa El Coyote have the best ratings, with Playa Del Burro first in its class! (Look at the pictures!) Leaving Caroline under one of the palapas, it is time for the rest of us to pack our things from Santispac and move to Playa Del Burro. Compared to Santispac, the water here is crystalline and warm, around 80 degrees!

The third day, we all go back 67 km to Santa Rosalia to an internet cafe, and to buy fruits and vegetables at a grocery.

It is like prehistoric times here for the internet, the connection sounds like two miles per hour compared to at home, which feels more like 97 mph!

It took four endless hours to download everything that would have probably taken a half hour in Canada! It feels like dying slowly – but there was compensation for this hard work at the taqueria (taco) stand – ten great, deep fried fish tacos and two soft drinks for 84 pesos ($8.40). How’s that for four people?

Then we made a stop at the fruit stand: mandarins, cilantro (fresh coriander), bananas, prunes, cucumbers, tomatoes and shallots, all in a minimum pack of one kilo (2.2 pounds), all of these for an unbelievable 54 pesos! On our way back, stopped at Mulege to fill up our empty gallon jugs with fresh (reverse osmosis) potable water at Super Agua 2001 for the incredible price of two pesos per gallon! Hard to beat!

We’ll stay in Bahia Concepcion six more enjoyable days, going snorkelling and building campfires, relaxing and chatting.

At night, the sky has . . . well, I stopped counting at one million stars! Phenomenal show!

Ahhh! Cool man!