Archive for the Baja Category
Posted on March 4, 2010 by jason
We shipped ourselves as cargo to Mazatlan. From the time we drove onto the ferry to the time we drove off was about 21 hours. Total cost to ship the three of us and the bus from La Paz to Mazatlan was $290 USD. Three people and 5 meters / 1800 kg of vehicle. We chose Transportation Maritima de California (TMC) over Baja Ferries simply because of the large difference in the cost. TMC is the freight carrier and it seems some folks don’t know they exist and insist Baja Ferries is the only option. Maybe because it’s hard to find. If you want to make the trip, here’s a quick summary.
Drive out to Pechilingue to the shipyard and pull in through the main gate. On your left is a set of lanes you can’t enter and on your right is drive-through customs.
If you don’t have your vehicle import permit for the mainland, just park anywhere and walk through the gate on the left to the big yellow building to find the permit office. Ask for “vehicular permissio” if you can’t find it – it’s about $30 and is good for 6 months. You can’t go through customs without it. You’ll need photocopies of everything – passports, license, registration,etc.
Now, get back in the bus and drive through customs and you may or may not get inspected. Next, drive onto the scale right in front of you- “Bascula” – and get weighed. You’ll be asked for your carrier and destination (you won’t have a ticket yet.) They’ll give you a paper with your vehicle weight and length and now you can go buy your ticket.
On your right is a permanently closed TMC office and an open Baja Ferries office. If you want a cabin and a nicer boat, Baja Ferries is for you. Everyone there speaks English and they have another office outside the port as well (go past the entire terminal on the main road and turn left after the fence.) If your family is cargo (like us,) loop around the scale and park next to the other big yellow building and go find the TMC office. No one in here will speak English, so be prepared. All prices are clearly posted. We came here a week prior to make a reservation, but no one seemed to be interested in looking it up – we just bought our tickets on the spot.
Figure out when to load (usually two hours prior to departure) and drive over to the ship and wait for someone who looks official to recognize that you want to get on the boat. He’ll go through all your papers and tickets. Before driving on, ask if you can be loaded on top. If you’re on the bottom, your car will be sealed up and you won’t be spending any time at your vehicle. On top, you have fresh air… and you get to ride a big elevator.
Officially, on both carriers, you are not allowed in your vehicle at any time during the trip. The closer you get to the boat, the more lax personnel get about this regulation (at least on TMC – Baja Ferries may be more strict.) Just keep asking. We stayed in our bus for most of the trip (16 hours on the water) and slept in it – way better than the seats in the tiny passenger cabin. Apparently, dinner is included with your ticket in the little galley, but we skipped it and had sammys in the bus.
The other passengers are almost exclusively truck drivers and most of them sneak away to sleep in their vehicles too. Everyone we encountered was very nice. Walking around the boat is not really something you want to do unless you need to. The ride was pretty wild, and the boat not exactly the safest place for a child. Angela, who has never been seasick, had to take Dramamine. There are bathrooms and showers, but you will probably want to avoid these too if you can. This is not the Love Boat and there is no one named Issac mixing drinks(“Outta sight!“)
We arrived in Mazatlan exhausted at about 11 am (now, two consecutive nights of very little sleep) so we grabbed another cheapy hotel (about $20) right near the Old Town and took naps before wandering around. Oh yeah, driving in this town is crazy. Maybe it was because there were two cruise ships in the port and taxis everywhere, but it was total mayhem. Stop signs and individual lanes aren’t really recognized here. Multiple close calls with tour buses and plenty of loco taxi drivers later, I tried to park the bus… and backed into a tree… twice. They let the trees grow out of the street here. Pick your parallel parking spot wisely. Fortunately, our rain gutter took all the impact.
Shopping seems the be the primary activity here, so we got bored pretty quickly after one day. A trip to the aquarium was the highlight. For $6, it’s also the best bargain in town.
Mazatlan is a nice enough place, but we decided we were done and continued south.
Posted on March 3, 2010 by angela
We roll into La Paz in the late afternoon. We’re not sure how the ferry is going to be tomorrow. Seats? A place to sleep? Can we get food on-board? So, we decide to get a hotel room and try to get some good rest in.
Bode and I go into the room first and he says “I don’t like this place.” Why not? “It doesn’t have anything and it isn’t fun.” Well, that’s true, but I’m already looking forward to sleeping… there’s 2 beds!
We set Bode up to play some video games in the room and Jason goes out to the courtyard we he can get a wi-fi signal. After a while, I can’t stay in the room any longer and determine it is time to get out and walk the town, find some food and kill some time.
Bode won’t have it. The fit begins, he won’t put on his shoes and he throws his sweatshirt at me. The little demon has been unleashed. We’re all exhausted and this is just a result. There are times like these when I miss the house. There’s no way to send him to his room, there isn’t the option to just eat at home or for me to get some space. It’s a “Calgon take me away” moment, but there’s no bathtub, no Calgon, and no towels (?!)
It’s getting ugly in the room, so I go out for reinforcement – Jason. He goes in and deals with the beast while I walk out to the street and wait for him. Things get better, but we walk and walk and can’t find a restaurant.
Finally, after some food we come back to the room. There’s a bedtime struggle, but we all finally crash out around 9:30. I am dead to the world when a lover’s argument starts near our room. With my eyes closed, I think, where are we camped? Who are these people? But then I open my eyes to look at my watch (11:30) and realize where we are. The fight continues for another hour – apparently Roy spent their last $5. And, well, it seems he never listens. “It’s over this time,” she says again and again. “Say it, it’s over!”
Then, not to let any silence linger, another nearby room starts playing Pink Floyd and chain smoking (I can only smell this.)
Once I’m awake, I have a hard time falling asleep. I heard everyone else come in for the night. Every toilet flush. Every coughing fit. Three hours later, I doze off and am then awakened by a woman yelling “Chris!” It was the kind of yell that made think someone was coming into the room, but it turns out he was just snoring. I was still awake 30 minutes later when she did it again. The snoring didn’t bother me nearly as much as her shrieking.
Awake for so long, I realize my poor parenting earlier this evening was probably heard by everyone as well. I just want to get out of here. Well, I just want to see if they have more towels in the morning, take a shower and then get out of here.
I finally fall asleep again when Bode wakes with an itching fit. 30 minutes later, he’s back asleep.
Morning comes early. There’s someone vomiting. There are tourists up and leaving at 6am with their wheeled suitcases grating down the chipped cement floor outside our room.
I’m in the courtyard because I can’t even try to sleep anymore and I’m tired of laying in the bed. There is someone doing cement work outside our room. There are people singing and whistling. Jason says it isn’t the place, but the people. They are attracted to this cheap hotel, though. This place had a bad vibe the minute we walked in.
I tried again to get towels this morning, but the manager goes to the laundry line and hands me 2 wet hand towels. It doesn’t matter because there’s no hot water.
The best part of our stay? We got to park right in front.
I guess I’m a bit worried about what to expect on our upcoming overnight ferry ride, and a bit unprepared for mainland Mexico. I haven’t even cracked the books on it. Sleep, shower and a coffee are all I care about right now.
Posted on March 2, 2010 by jason
After a few days in the arroyo it was time to say goodbye and make our way back to La Paz to catch the ferry. We did get to see the wild beach burros we were told about just before we left.
It was at least a 3 hour drive (slow) around the tip. All dirt roads with some wash-outs, but nothing too bad. We’ve covered Baja pretty thoroughly and driven several hundreds of miles of unpaved roads – and I’d say that the only requirement for driving here is a high ground clearance vehicle just like our bus – don’t try it in your low-rider. 4WD just isn’t necessary unless you want to drive right on the beach sand. Granted, it never rained on us once and that could make things more difficult.
There are plenty of more boondocking places – empty arroyos and open beach – all the way around with only limited development or houses. There is also plenty of well-signed private property with nothing on it.
We stopped at a some little settlements like Cabo Pulmo – basically a collection of a few houses, restaurants and a tienda, and checked out the beaches some more. We decided to drive all the way up to Los Barilles to camp at a trailer park so we could have flushing toilets and bathe in something other than the ocean.
We were warned about this place by Daphne. She learned to like it, but told us about all the gringos on ATVs. She was right. Gringos on ATVs everywhere. Getting groceries, shuttling the dog to the beach, etc.
This is a big windsurfing and kitesurfing destination too, but we didn’t really have time to check it out. Besides, it’s windy. We got our hot(!) showers and internet fix and crashed for the evening.
All we had to do the next day was drive a few more hours to La Paz. For us, this is a lazy day’s drive with frequent stops for tacos, beer and candy.
Posted on March 1, 2010 by angela
We set out on the dirt roads that go around the East Cape looking for our own secret spot to relax for a few days. We’re not the first, of course, but it’s pretty darn quiet out here.
I have to admit, when I mentioned I saw a VW bus as we passed an arroyo 30 minutes east of San Jose del Cabo, and Jason backed up Red Beard and drove in I was a little skeptical. I mean, let’s just pull in to a dry gulch not on any map or in any book because we saw a Volkswagen? When we pulled in we saw a few guys playing horseshoes, and a bocce set nearby and I knew I had been wrong to hastily judge.
Eric, ‘the mayor’ of K85 quickly greeted Jason with a boisterous “Get a tan, man!” in a German accent and the rest of the clan came over to welcome us immediately.
Daphne showed us around. Everyone there were friends, some coming to this same arroyo for 26 straight winters. Amazing. I can see why.
As far as the kid was concerned this place had it all, great beach and sand, big boulders to climb, tide pools, dogs, and surrogate grandparents who didn’t mind a kid playing in their camp. Whales breached and spouted continuously just offshore. Nice.
Two of the women were artists, Frea painted murals at many of the houses in the area, and Maryanne painted whatever she got her hands on. Jordan is a retired history professor and has been coming here for only 23 years. Another couple leaves their orchard in Washington and has wintered here for 26 years.
It’s just boondocking in an arroyo. A sliver of wash between private property on each side. But, it is kind of magical and has a great energy about it. We can see why everyone keeps coming back. It’s the people, for sure. It wouldn’t be the same if we were there alone.
A few photos by Bode at the campfire below. Bode still says ‘remember all those nice people at the camp at the beach?’ Yes we do. See ya in a few winters, guys. Oh, and if Bud the dog is reading this, Bode says hi. Sorry we didn’t see you on the way out, he was pretty upset he couldn’t say goodbye.
And, maybe because of the competitive German tanning, Jason got scorched.
Posted on February 26, 2010 by jason
I was impressed to find my brake line (two of them!) waiting for me the next day at the parts place. In no time I replaced both front brake hoses and we were off to Los Cabos.
First up was Cabo San Lucas. Angela came here years ago, but recognized nothing. I’ve never been here, and pretty much just saw a big resort town. Not much character, but not too ridiculous either.
The highlight for both of us was tacos at Gordo LeLe. He’s a huge Beatles fan and will occasionally serenade the patrons, but we missed out. No worries, as we were busy with killer tacos. He said the record was six and we could eat free if we could match it. We barely finished two each.
The beaches here are nice, of course, but a little crowded. Bode managed to make some buddies and help bury one kid in the sand. We learned that putting boobies on someone buried in the sand is funny in any language.
Not twenty feet from where we plopped down, some guys came out and started excavating turtle eggs from the sand. It was marked with a stick. Fifty or so eggs came out – they broke one. I guess the turtles don’t know there are para-sailers, glass bottom boats, jet skis, banana thingies and all sorts of people screaming up and down the beach during the day. Not exactly the kind of place you want to be hatching little turtles.
Again, we parked the bus near town at an RV park next to some mega land-yachts and more permanent installations. This time, the permanents were over the top. Gourmet outdoor kitchens and outdoor flat screen TVs and such. It’s a different world. As always though, we met some friendly (Canadian) folks parked next to us and spent the evening outside chatting with them.
The next morning we headed out looking for the right sized bolt for our shock and we found it at a place called Tuercas y Tornillos (Nuts and Bolts.) Guess what they sold. I was sure to add lock washers and copious amounts of thread-lock before re-bolting both front shocks on. So far so good.
Then, off to Cabo San Jose for a quick lunch and look around before heading farther East back to the dirt roads and empty beaches.
Posted on February 25, 2010 by jason
After sort of making our reservations for the ferry, we had some time to spend wandering around the Cape. For no particular reason, we decided to make a clockwise loop and go to La Ventana since some folks we met earlier recommended it. When we got to the turn-off after La Paz, for we randomly went towards Todos Santos instead and headed West. Sometimes the bus just knows what to do.
We pulled into town and Angela and Bode stopped at the town square with a playground and I went off to find somewhere to camp for the night. There’s a place close to town, but it was pretty sad looking. The owner’s over-eagerness to have me pay immediately (asking multiple times before I even looked around) raised my suspicions a bit too, so I headed back to the square to pick up the crew and make a new plan.
Fortunately for all of us, Bode had already made friends with Maya on the playground and her cool parents (guess what, they’re from B.C.) invited us back to stay at their place.
Nicole and Dave live up near the Alaskan border most of the year, but rent out a beautiful hacienda down here every winter. Nicole has been coming here for the past 12 years and has a keen interest in moving here permanently. We can see why – it’s a really comfortable town with a great vibe and great people. They also inspired us a bit to just settle down and relax in the same spot for a while – a really appealing idea after being on the move continuously for so long.
I’ve been really impressed with Bode’s ability to make fast friends – something I’ve never been the best at – and in choosing really great kids as friends too. We all made dinner together and the kids had a blast playing all evening.
The next day I had some time to take a look at a recurring issue – those damn shocks. Before we left, I splurged and installed all new shocks – the German Boge original equipment – and the most recommended ones out there (granted, everyone has an opinion.) The ride and handling has been fine, but the sturdiness leaves a little to be desired. We’ve just stressed the end connectors beyond what they can handle and the rubber inserts don’t like the Mexican roads. This time, the end bolts and the new giant washers came loose and disappeared. I suppose this is why it’s not supposed to be mounted like that.
Anyway, while I was taking a look I found a bigger problem. I was leaking brake fluid all over the right side – coming from the rubber hose connecting the brake line and wheel. I don’t know if it split from age or if it was hit by a rock or something else (like a flailing shock.) Regardless, we weren’t going anywhere until it was replaced.
I went to the local parts store and the best they could do was order it and it would be available mañana. Mañana doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow – just not today – so I was not encouraged. All the other parts places had the same story. They are really just tiny shops to buy oil and other miscellaneous fluids and place your order for real parts. It seems everything around here has to come from La Paz. No one would give the price either – wait until mañana. Also, no one had the right bolt, so it is back to driving with no shock.
Anyway, I decided to drive it sparingly and be ready to grab the emergency brake if needed. So far, we’ve done a pretty good job of breaking down in really nice places. We set out to go find a beach and wait for mañana.
Posted on February 24, 2010 by angela
Santa Cruz, CA came up in a recent conversation, and ever since Bode has been wanting to ride rides. He had a 3 stage plan to find them. He would look wherever we drove, Jason was to read the signs as he drove and I would get out and ask strangers where the closest amusement park was.
Luckily, we knew Carnaval was just starting in La Paz. We kept that information from him, so as to seem cooler when we stumbled upon it. His plan was pretty cute and all.
La Paz is the biggest city in Southern Baja, but is not a so much a tourist town – they all go to Los Cabos. That’s what’s great about it. We tried to find a recommended campground near town, but it had closed down. The thought of driving the bus from a boondocking beach outside of town (Tecolote) to the malecon at night didn’t seem too appealing, so we set out to see if we could find a motel. Easy enough, the first one we found right on the malecon was $45 – but not in line with our new Mexican fiscal sensibilities. At first we scoffed at the price, but it was getting dark and then we remembered it was Carnaval and we had the closest hotel to all the action. It’s amazing that we could just walk up and get a room, actually. It was pretty stark, but it did have some awesome owl yarn art on every floor.
We walked around town and had the first obvious experiences with strangers touching Bode’s head. I’ve read that it is a good luck thing. You can see it in someone’s eyes when they spot him…and you know it’s going to happen. As he walks by they try their best to do a nonchalant tap. I was sure to hold his hand and be real close, but the kid was a trooper, and actually most of the time didn’t notice. I swear in one 3 block walk he was touched by 18 strangers. I know a lot of kids would be freaking out, so I’m pretty grateful. The next time we went out though, I made him wear a hat.
It was all about the rides that evening. Bode got to ride a scaled down mechanical bull and fulfill his life-long dream of driving a bumper car. No height or age restrictions here. We were in by 9, but it was a Friday night and the party lasted til 4am.
The hotel was booked on the next night, so we set out to the port at Pichilingue to get our vehicle permission and book our upcoming trip on the ferry. The ferry ticket offices were closed, but we did get our vehicle import permit (you don’t need one in Baja, but you do on the mainland.) I had to persuade the security office manager to make copies of all our documents (something we’ve been meaning to do,) but it all ended well.
We made a few beach stops for cervesas and tacos and we thought we’d camp at the beach this time, but Bode had so much fun at Carnaval we drove back to town. We found another motel 3 blocks from the malecon, this time even cheaper. It was a supposed to be some sort of an art gallery, but looked more like a garage sale. It was great though, and there was no noise from the all-night party when we were ready to be done for the evening. It was a bit funny to be coming in for the night with our kid as the others were just leaving – oh, how times change.
The big parades run 3 nights and start on Sunday. It goes south the first night, then they park and go back the other direction the next night. The whole thing lasted maybe an hour, but in true Mexican fashion started 2 hours later than we were told.
Their weren’t many floats, and no Mardi Gras style beads or flashing to get them. The drinking huge amounts of alcohol part of the festivities is universally celebrated, though. Still, the whole thing was family friendly and there were kids everywhere. We weren’t entirely sure what was going on, but I think one of these gals may be the Queen of Cockfighting?
Coming from the Bay Area, we know that it’s just not a parade without drag queens and we were not disappointed. Somehow they were able to make Carnaval even more festive.
We found La Paz to be very pleasant, especially for a big city, and has a really nice malecon.
Contrary to what we’ve been told by plenty of people on the way down, there are two ferries that run from La Paz to the mainland.
Baja Ferries is the normal passenger ferry that everyone seems to use, but they require tickets for each passenger (including children) and is more expensive. You buy a cabin if you’d like to upgrade from seats on the overnight ferry, the cars are in a cargo only area and can’t be accessed. Everyone here speaks English and there are multiple easy to find offices.
There’s a cargo carrier here too, and we actually had to go through customs at the port to find the Maritima de California ticket office. Communication for us was a huge challenge. We were able to learn that the ship was full today, but I was able to explain we wanted tickets for a week from now. She wrote down our names and the date we wanted to go on what looked like scratch paper. Then, she told us to be back at 1pm on that day and that our names on the scratch piece of paper was our reservation. From what we gathered, it would be a 16 hour trip. No ticket in hand, but no money paid yet.
Maritime de Califonia was about 40% less than Baja Ferries, and the vehicle passage includes the driver. Bode doesn’t need a ticket, so we just need 1 additional passenger fare. Aside from not being sure if we really have a reservation, we think she said we could not stay in the bus. I guess we’ll find out in a week. It could be one very long night.
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