# Our trip to checkout baja



## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

Hi-we are driving from virginia this week. No real itenery. My thought is to cross south of pheonix. Go down the east coast of baja then across to the pacific then north to san diego. 
We have the health form for our dog. 
Questions i have that folks here might be able to answer. 
Is the border crossing a fairly routine experience?
Do any realators offer accomodations or do we book rooms where we are?
Is there any restrictions to vaping nicotine?
Thanks, in advance for
any info


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

pharris201 said:


> Hi-we are driving from virginia this week. No real itenery. My thought is to cross south of pheonix. Go down the east coast of baja then across to the pacific then north to san diego.
> We have the health form for our dog.
> Questions i have that folks here might be able to answer.
> Is the border crossing a fairly routine experience?
> ...


The border crossing is really routine in my experience.
I never have looked at realtors for accommodations. I just get a hotel/motel room when I get to a stopping place.
There are no smoking signs in lots of places like everywhere in the world these days. I don't know if they apply to vaping.


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

Thanks for the response. We were considering South Carolina and all of the Realators try to entice with invitations to stay in a beach house while you tour the sites. 
Maybe the photo will help define the type of place we admire.


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

The first shot was probably was to large to load


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Are you familiar with the procedure of stopping at the border to obtain the tourist permit ( FMM ) for Mexico? Fee for FMM about $25 USD per person...
You will need Mexican Automobile Insurance...
Are you crossing at Mexicali, I stay at the EL Capitan Hotel in San Filipe...Highway 5 is paved except for the last 22 miles heading towards Laguna Chapala, rough but hard road bed no sand...
At the junction of Highway 1 heading north the road has many potholes so slow down.
In San Quintin I stay at the Hotel Chavez with great breakfast restaurant...
have fun, hope this helps


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

Yes it does!! I know about the fee. I’m also bringing our dog. She been to the vet and we have the health records to show.


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

As I get closer The devil is in the details.....
Is cash king? 
My usual payment here is debit, but on my travels to Costa Rica it seemed like bringing cash was better than exchanging.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Yes cash is king, use your debit card for pesos at ATM's...use only ones at banks or large super markets.
Never use a stand alone private ATM.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

pharris201 said:


> As I get closer The devil is in the details.....
> Is cash king?
> My usual payment here is debit, but on my travels to Costa Rica it seemed like bringing cash was better than exchanging.


It generally is anywhere in Mexico, but probably more so on the Baja penninsula because of its isolation and low population density. Haven't driven that highway in many years, but I remember very long distances between even the smallest towns and gas stations. I'd like to try it again sometime so please keep us posted on your experience. Have a safe, happy trip!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

pharris201 said:


> As I get closer The devil is in the details.....
> Is cash king?
> My usual payment here is debit, but on my travels to Costa Rica it seemed like bringing cash was better than exchanging.


Exchanging cash hasn't been the best method anywhere in the world for quite awhile. You get the best exchange rates pulling money from a debit card at an ATM in local currency. When you do, if the machine offers to do the conversion for you, decline. I can't remember exactly how it is phrased and it varies with country and language, but sometimes an ATM will offer to withdraw dollars from your bank and do the conversion to Pesos. That is an expensive way to do it. Just get Pesos from the machine and let your bank figure out how many Dollars to take from your account.


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

perropedorro said:


> It generally is anywhere in Mexico, but probably more so on the Baja penninsula because of its isolation and low population density. Haven't driven that highway in many years, but I remember very long distances between even the smallest towns and gas stations. I'd like to try it again sometime so please keep us posted on your experience. Have a safe, happy trip!


We've driven Baja from top to bottom (and from side to side in several areas) twice in the past 5 years. We had been worried about those reports of great distances between civilization, and hundreds of kilometers between gas stations. That may have been the case 25 or 35 years ago, but not now. There's nothing heroic anymore in driving Baja. Lots of towns, lots of Pemexs. As you would anywhere else in the world, don't let your gas tank get below 3/4 empty before you fill up. Roads are generally very good, although we didn't try driving south from San Felipe to hook up with the Trans-Peninsular. 

Last comment: anyone who would have to depend on a debit card in Baja, (or anywhere else in Mexico, for that matter), would starve fairly quickly. Use your card to get pesos from an ATM, and use cash for everything. No problemo.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

HolyMole said:


> No problemo.


What language is this? Surely not Spanish!


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

It’s terminator Spanish. You all have really been very helpful. I appreciate it very much. I’ll keep posting our progress. Thanks so much
Here’s a link to the gallery where the photos will be posted. 
http://www.oakhillstudio.org/p350355605


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

Isla Verde said:


> What language is this? Surely not Spanish!


It's Spanglish, which I learned from watching that TV ad many years ago, where the gringa believes there's a robbery going on in the bank, and she puts her hands up, pleading: "No shooto" :tongue:

For you purists: "No hay problema".

Note I didn't use that other Anglicism: "Doing the Baja".


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

HolyMole said:


> Note I didn't use that other Anglicism: "Doing the Baja".



LOL, it is kind of funny, as soon as I saw Mole's use of the term "Doing the Baja" I said to myself must be Canadian and I looked up to see Mole was an expat from Canada...Seems Canadians always use the term "the Baja" whereas most all folks from the USA just say "Baja" when referring to the Baja Peninsula...


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

chicois8 said:


> LOL, it is kind of funny, as soon as I saw Mole's use of the term "Doing the Baja" I said to myself must be Canadian and I looked up to see Mole was an expat from Canada...Seems Canadians always use the term "the Baja" whereas most all folks from the USA just say "Baja" when referring to the Baja Peninsula...


Well.....since Baja California is a peninsula, wouldn't "doing the Baja" be more grammatically correct shorthand than "doing Baja"?

OK, now you've got me going. Yes, we talk funny up here in the frozen north. But we would never say, or write, "a couple dollars" instead of the correct "a couple OF dollars". And while some Canadians, (mostly Alberta hayseeds), often add the harsh-sounding "eh?" ( or even worse, "heh?", pronounced with a hard "h" as "hay?"), at the end of a sentence, is that any worse than the ubiquitous American "Huh?", Or starting every statement with "You know what?" ?
How about answering every statement with "Okay". Here's a common example:

American: "Where are you from?"
Canadian: "I'm from British Columbia"
American: "Okay"

I always wonder whether I'm being given permission for coming from British Columbia, or, more likely, the American has no idea whatsoever where British Columbia is - and would have answered exactly the same way, had I said I was from Mars.

I need a drink.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Mole, Chill out my Northern American brother, I was not making fun of you or Canadians and never stated you talked funny...I was just reminiscing how Canadians called Baja, being a member of the Baja Nomad board for many years there have been many discussions on this subject. Actually I have been to BC visiting friends who live on Okanagan Lake and my niece lives in Victoria. Hope you are drinking Tequila, eh?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

HolyMole said:


> It's Spanglish, which I learned from watching that TV ad many years ago, where the gringa believes there's a robbery going on in the bank, and she puts her hands up, pleading: "No shooto" :tongue:
> 
> For you purists: "No hay problema".


I believe in using correctly (to the best of my ability) the language of the country where I have lived happily for over 11 years. That is not being a "purist", just showing respect!


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

pharris201 said:


> Hi-we are driving from virginia this week. No real itenery. My thought is to cross south of pheonix. Go down the east coast of baja then across to the pacific then north to san diego.
> We have the health form for our dog.
> Questions i have that folks here might be able to answer.
> Is the border crossing a fairly routine experience?
> ...


Border crossing is Super-Routine.
You'll only get asked stuff, if you're carrying furniture/washing machines/large boxes of stuff for obvious re-selling. It's unlikely they'll ask you much about your dog. Same goes for border crossing back stateside. 

Drive around town, look at some places you like. Stay away from online sites, the rates are usually super jacked up. 

With regards to cash/card:

I usually use my card in baja, most places seem to accept it now. (This wasn't the case... even 3-5 years ago.) I like to use my card because my bank gives me a better exchange rate than can be found in the "casas de cambio." My card also gives me points, and if I'm running credit, I don't get charged a "conversion fee" which is generally super low, like a fraction of a percentage on the total amount.

Always carry cash on you, for those situations/times when a card reader is out of order, or said establishment doesn't accept a card.

I haven't really had issues with running out of gas. Once I did run out of gas going through the mountains towards Tecate, but that was my fault for thinking I could traverse 20-30 miles on reserve. 

Border wait times in TJ are a *****. If you cross to SD, go through Tecate, there's a road that takes you into SD, it's quite beautiful. The Tecate border crossing is NOT 24/7. It closes in the evening and opens in the early morning.


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## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Unless there is some reason that you have not stated, I'm with Chico in suggesting that you cross at Mexicali and not 'south of Phoenix' somewhere.....


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

RickS said:


> Unless there is some reason that you have not stated, I'm with Chico in suggesting that you cross at Mexicali and not 'south of Phoenix' somewhere.....


"South of Phoenix" could mean any of at least a half-dozen border crossings. For trips down into Baja, we've crossed at Why, AZ/Sonoita, Sonora, at Tijuana, and twice at Tecate. Except for Tecate, these were your common-or-garden variety crossings, but in future we would avoid the Tijuana zoo at all costs.

Tecate was a tad confusing. Unless things have changed, you drive across the border, right into downtown Tecate, without being stopped or questioned. One is supposed to know, apparently, that you have to try and find a parking spot, then walk back to Customs and Immigration at the border to do the paperwork. Both times, we had intended to drive down to La Paz, Baja California Sur, to take the ferry over to mainland Mexico, and both times were told that temporary import permits for our car had to be purchased at the ferry terminal in La Paz......they could not be issued in Tecate.

(Well, they actually didn't specify that the TIP should be purchased at the ferry terminal.....just "in La Paz". So, we drove around for an hour or two in La Paz trying to find Mexican Customs, twice being given incorrect directions, only to learn that Customs had relocated to the other side of the city a year earlier! Finally found it, only to be told that vehicle permits could only be obtained at the ferry terminal. AAARGH! ) 

Rules and regs for entry into Baja California are confusing, at least to me. I think if you plan to stay within something like 50 km of the border, and stay in Mexico less than 7 days, you don't need a Visitors Permit. You apparently are not required to obtain a Temporary Vehicle Import Permit at all.....unless you plan to take a ferry over to the mainland., where your vehicle could possibly be seized, if you had not first obtained that TIP at the ferry terminal.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

ps I like your tag line: "Not my president". No need to be more specific.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

The rules have changed again, now everyone entering Mexico must obtain an FMM, there is no free zone or frontera zone anymore, although a stay of 7 days or less you do not have to pay the FMM fee you still have to have on to show the date you entered Mexico...
A TIP is not necessary for all of Baja and part of Sonora down to Empalme just south of Guaymas and it is called "the no hassle zone"" and yes you need to get a TIP at the ferry dock...
I just took the ferry from Maz to LP and it was great, for the car, myself and a cabin it cost about $200 USD and they even included dinner and continental breakfast....


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## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

How much for an additional person... do you know? How long does the trip take?

Gracias


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

RickS said:


> How much for an additional person... do you know? How long does the trip take?Gracias




I believe the passenger ticket was 1100 pesos and we left Mazatlan at 6:30PM and arrived La Paz at 7:30 AM ..........It was a cabin ( with bathroom ) for 4 persons, so being solo I had it all to myself.........


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

chicois8 said:


> The rules have changed again, now everyone entering Mexico must obtain an FMM, there is no free zone or frontera zone anymore, although a stay of 7 days or less you do not have to pay the FMM fee you still have to have on to show the date you entered Mexico...
> A TIP is not necessary for all of Baja and part of Sonora down to Empalme just south of Guaymas and it is called "the no hassle zone"" and yes you need to get a TIP at the ferry dock...


I cross daily and I haven't be asked for an FMM or anything of the sort. It would make border crossing wild in Mexicali.

I have heard about a fee system in place for foreigners entering Mexico in through Tijuana by foot, but that hasn't been implemented in the Mexicali border, it would probably be very detrimental to the local economy. 

A problem that's been occurring lately, this last year mostly as the population here in the border has "exploded..." is that, often, it will take about 1 hour to cross into Mexicali. Poor infrastructure with regards to road access and traffic guards stateside have made crossing into Mexicali very difficult and slow, this is true anytime from 3:30 - 5:00 weekdays, and ALL day Friday/Sat/Sunday.


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

Thanks for that response. I do have a question about where to cross. Looking at the map I thought Nogales might work because of the route through TX. Seems like it would save me 5 hours or so, but I’ve heard that it’s a dangerous town. (Not like DC) where I’m from)


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

pharris201 said:


> Thanks for that response. I do have a question about where to cross. Looking at the map I thought Nogales might work because of the route through TX. Seems like it would save me 5 hours or so, but I’ve heard that it’s a dangerous town. (Not like DC) where I’m from)


San Luis border crossing is very calm, you won't have any issues with crime and a straight road to Mexicali.

There's also an even more chill border crossing in Algodones, but the road from there to Mexicali isn't as good. It's not "bad" by Mexican standards, just sort of narrow and top speed will be limited. You'll be on this less than 1 hr before you get to Mexicali though.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

When driving south on the mainland, unless one wants to go as far as Mazatlan, my preference is the Topolobampo-La Paz run. 6 hours instead of 11 or more.


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

Our trip to baja was great. We drove from Virginia to Yuma then crossed. It’s probably better to go further west to Mexicali since the roads all take you there. I want to mention that this forum was so helpful to fill in the blanks and make our trip enjoyable because we knew what to expect. Our dog was never checked for papers, our passports were checked on our way back like they were tickets to a show. But, if I hadn’t followed the advice here we might have been checked. 
Our first visit was to San Filipe. We looked at a few places that were well built newer communities. What I noticed is that the developers don’t build the community as one big project,but use the proceds from a sale to fund the next house. That means we would be living in a construction zone for many years. 
Anyway we decided that Ensenada was a better place for our “must haves “. Plus the pacific is a better view than the sea of Cortez. 
Our next trip will be in September to get a real focus on the area. We booked a place in downtown with Airbnb. I wanted a residential place not a hotel. 
I wanted any advice for contacting an agent or two for seeing some properties and learn the process. 
Thanks for any help.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

pharris201 said:


> Our trip to baja was great. We drove from Virginia to Yuma then crossed. It’s probably better to go further west to Mexicali since the roads all take you there. I want to mention that this forum was so helpful to fill in the blanks and make our trip enjoyable because we knew what to expect. Our dog was never checked for papers, our passports were checked on our way back like they were tickets to a show. But, if I hadn’t followed the advice here we might have been checked.
> Our first visit was to San Filipe. We looked at a few places that were well built newer communities. What I noticed is that the developers don’t build the community as one big project,but use the proceds from a sale to fund the next house. That means we would be living in a construction zone for many years.
> Anyway we decided that Ensenada was a better place for our “must haves “. Plus the pacific is a better view than the sea of Cortez.
> Our next trip will be in September to get a real focus on the area. We booked a place in downtown with Airbnb. I wanted a residential place not a hotel.
> ...


Thanks for the update. It's nice when someone comes back to a thread to let us know how their adventure went!


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## pharris201 (Mar 18, 2018)

We are getting serious about our move to Ensenada. September 1st we are going there for a working trip to find some properties. 
Does anyone have a Realator that can be recommended? We need someone that can lead us through the process.


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