Warning about Baja Travel

[Gino]

Originally Posted by BOOGIE

I have a better one, dont come, if your going to be all freaki and scared you ar not going to enjoy your self, i really dont agree with the chek points but sadly we came to this point, the military is not prepared to deal with cibillian matters , i really dont know aboutt anny park ranger stole monney from anny one, butt the hole world has seen your soldiers rape and kill inocent women and children, and laugh on ther faces and film them an them post them on you tube , i guess thats a normal behabior for you and your fammily, and you dont see nothing rong wiht it,this is a more complex problem i might belong to a corrupt third world country as you say but to have a corrupt you have a gay giving the brive, we dont have enuff money to brive cos we are so poor an third world an that shit... so if you dont like it here dont come and is not baja is Baja California.

You just came on here and trashed American Servicemen?
Bad Taste Senior... Polk shoulda taken Baja while he was at it.

[Jimmyz123]

I think one thing can be said and that is you don't trash the American Servicemen. They are laying their lives on the line for all of us even those on the other side of the border. Our servicemen deserve respect. Yes there have been some bad apples here and there, but that does not make the entire group bad.

Point to the topic again is be safe while traveling South of the Border.

[jorluivil]

[WahooUSMA]

This thread originally started off as a very informative, then went sideways for a moment, but has since circled back on track. I used to manage the logistic operations for El Dorado Ranch in San Felipe and made the trek weekly from our offices in Costa Mesa & Calexico to San Felipe, so I know the roads, check points, speed traps, police, etc. very well. In fact, our business partner in Mexico– La Ventana, owns the police station as well as the Red Lobster in San Felipe. Overall, this thread has provided some great tips and advice. Best so far has been by The Darkhorse, Scallywag, and Wavster – sum it up “fly below the radar and keep a low profile”. That said, I definitely think you need to have situational awareness when traveling anywhere in BC.

I once had an employee who forgot to declare a $1200 main valve (my bad) for the golf course when he crossed and ended up spending the weekend in jail. The Mx. authorities fined our company 15k, had to have our Mexican attorney represent us, which cost us an arm and leg, and in the end, they took his new truck. The alternative to paying them off was that they would shut our operation down while they conducted an importation/customs audit. And as a kicker, I shit you not; we would later see the police driving his truck around Mexicali – so brazen! Hence, I then started driving our company's mechanically sound, but cosmetically destroyed piece of shit Dodge truck when crossing for fear of getting jacked for my personal truck, which I would leave in the states.

On another note, we went to San Quintin last November and crossed at the POE in TJ. Not that I ever felt unsafe, but I just won’t cross there again, for many reasons! Any further trips to BC, I’ll cross in Mexicali and take the longer way via hwy 2, or Hwy 3 and cross over. I don’t care if it adds time to the drive.

One thing I would mention – when filling up your truck or car, make certain the attendant resets the pump before he starts pumping. Big rip-off!

Overall, BC is a nice place with neat people, beautiful beaches, great fishing and so far, hasn’t been too affected by the cartel. Now mainland Mexico is another thing – that place is a goatfuck. Cartel are now using terrorist style tactics/weapons i.e., grenades and VBIED’s (veh borne IED).
http://newsblogged.com/video-puerto-...njured-youtube

Hey “Boogie”. F-You! I took your military comments personally!

[THE DARKHORSE]

Originally Posted by -scallywag-

what you experienced sounds like SOP, even the "shake down search".

Wavesters tips are on the money, I would also like to add a few:

- Have all the small valubles in one place, I use a backpack and take it out with me during the inspections

- Have "gifts" available, cold sodas, cigs, fruit, snacks...and my personal favorite PORN !! Nothing will get you thru checkpoints faster than a stack of good hardcore porn mags (don't try to pawn off your old harry bush playboy crap on um) on or under your seat where they can easily be found...once they see those the search is over and you're on your way....just make sure you have more stashed somewhere else incase they want the whole stack.

Fanfreakintastic' advice Scallywag!
With all this sound advice I'll add one more good one: drive a piece of $hit car and you'll blend right in. I won't even ride in my friends $40,000 trucks with toys in the back---no way in hell!

And as much as caravaning with your friends seems like a great idea, with more than one 40,000 truck packed full of goodies---you just attract bigger and badder thieves. Ya' know, organized crime, guys who really do this for a living?
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And while I've had a gun pointed in my face, witnessed horrible accidents that no one reported and payed my share of hard earned cash---to the cops.

Where else are you going to find empty pointbreaks within driving range? I know where I'll be when the next real, South swell hits. Viva Mexico!