Got info for a trip to Baja fj60 build?
- Thread starter Benjitis1
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Not to my knowledge and I have done a bunch without one. My understanding is that it is merely regarded as beach fishing.
- Thread starter
- #23
now i gotta find a speargun.....
I liked the idea of the columbus rtt you got jan, until i went to their website and saw the $3000 price tag
Scorpions, here i come.
I liked the idea of the columbus rtt you got jan, until i went to their website and saw the $3000 price tag
Scorpions, here i come.surfers guide to baja was invaluable to me on both surf trips to baja.
Don't forget a good spare tire, or two. Gas was hit or miss for me in the past, but it has been several years. One trip cost me a a full injector service in the states after having to use pemex in san felipe on the way back up. Lots of water is a must. A cold soda goes a long way at check points along with magazines. It may save you from a full vehicle tear down inspection.
what Hilltopper said and x2 here. Last time I went to San Felipe I counted over 60 crosses on the side of the road from San Felipe to Mexicali.
If you are worried about scorpions, get a black light, scorps are easy to spot under a black light.
now i gotta find a speargun.....
I liked the idea of the columbus rtt you got jan, until i went to their website and saw the $3000 price tag
good point, 2 spares are a must.
Gas is pretty consistent now, and seems good quality. Diesel is sometimes harder to get.
Never had a problem with the inspections, the military guys are much more polite than the federales.
- Thread starter
- #30
I always loved the scorpions in the black light display at the Zoo. Just bought the surfers guide to baja last week, tons of info!! And just tested out my new board (making sure its gonna work for baja...it will
) Having a couple sodas for checkpoints sounds like a good idea.
) Having a couple sodas for checkpoints sounds like a good idea.
I'm currently in Baja mode. I go there every spring. Reading over this I have nothing to offer. I think the important points are:
No guns
No drugs
Passport
Plenty of water, though purified water is available.
Take pesos, not dollars, especially gas.
Never pass by a gas station without filling up. Never!
Go down with a good attitude. Not this arrogant gringo stuff.
Be respectful, and you will get respect back.
Do be careful. Listen to your inner voice. If you are uncomfortable, move.
No guns
No drugs
Passport
Plenty of water, though purified water is available.
Take pesos, not dollars, especially gas.
Never pass by a gas station without filling up. Never!
Go down with a good attitude. Not this arrogant gringo stuff.
Be respectful, and you will get respect back.
Do be careful. Listen to your inner voice. If you are uncomfortable, move.
I only disagree with one of the statements that's been made and that's to stay in campgrounds if the option is there. This doesn't mean to avoid all there areas that do not have campgrounds but if the option is there, take it.
I used to work at a surf camp at Shipwrecks in the Quatro Casas area. Every few months someone was robbed at night between these 2 area because they didn't want to bother paying the $5 to camp near other people. I figure that $5 pays for a little more security and at the same time gives someone, the guard, from the local ejido a job. Besides, even a Baja outhouse is more convenient that having to dig a hole and bury it.
Along these lines, I also encourage you to spend your money down there instead of loading up at Costco beforehand. It may cost a little more, but you're supporting the local communities and besides, you can eat Costco food anytime. Have a blast!
I used to work at a surf camp at Shipwrecks in the Quatro Casas area. Every few months someone was robbed at night between these 2 area because they didn't want to bother paying the $5 to camp near other people. I figure that $5 pays for a little more security and at the same time gives someone, the guard, from the local ejido a job. Besides, even a Baja outhouse is more convenient that having to dig a hole and bury it.
Along these lines, I also encourage you to spend your money down there instead of loading up at Costco beforehand. It may cost a little more, but you're supporting the local communities and besides, you can eat Costco food anytime. Have a blast!
And I'm going to disagree with your disagree.
Baja's charm is not camping with a hoard of RVs packed in like sardines. Its charm is the back-country. It's getting away from campgrounds and having a spot to yourself for days and not seeing anybody. It's the solitude that you cannot get in the US.
I'm not going to say you will not be taking risk, but our National Parks are not excactly safe either. It all depends where you are. I've picked up camp twice because I was uncomfortable, and one of those camps was 40 miles from anything. Camping on the beaches will have the highest risk, though that risk is usually low. Camping in the mountains or out in the desert is about as safe as it gets.
I go down for two weeks every year by myself. I love that place and I go there because there is nothing in the US that can match it's peacefulness. Why would I stay in a campground down there? If I want that I'll stay in a National Park.
As far as spending money on supplies. I agree, when possible buy your stuff down there and support the local economy. OTOH, it's not practical unless you are staying close to civilizationm, which is the last thing I want to do. When I go down I'm away from towns for at least a week at a time. I must be stocked when I cross the border because stopping and stocking up for a week at a time is not convenient. When I do get into a town I will resupply and stop for lunch, maybe a room and a shower.
As I said before, take Pesos. Makes the purchase of fuel and supplies easier. I've never tried an ATM, mostly because I can never find one. I get them through my bank ahead of time. The exchange sucks, but I'm paying for the convenience of having them delivered to my door.
And I'm going to disagree with your disagree.
Baja's charm is not camping with a hoard of RVs packed in like sardines. Its charm is the back-country. It's getting away from campgrounds and having a spot to yourself for days and not seeing anybody. It's the solitude that you cannot get in the US.
I'm not going to say you will not be taking risk, but our National Parks are not excactly safe either. It all depends where you are. I've picked up camp twice because I was uncomfortable, and one of those camps was 40 miles from anything. Camping on the beaches will have the highest risk, though that risk is usually low. Camping in the mountains or out in the desert is about as safe as it gets.
I go down for two weeks every year by myself. I love that place and I go there because there is nothing in the US that can match it's peacefulness. Why would I stay in a campground down there? If I want that I'll stay in a National Park.
I totally agree. besides, there are very few 'organized' campsides between El Rosario and Mulege.
The bigger towns all have them now. There are some on the toll stations before Ensenada, tons in ensenada, 2 in Quintin, then the next in Santa Rosalia, then in Loreto. The exchange rate is actually better than buying the Pesos here, and the regular ATM cards work fine, max 5000 Pesos.
cheers,
J
Thanks. I think that is my problem. I cross at Algodones and come down Mex 5. The only town I see that is worth anything is San Felipe, which does have a bank and would be my only option. Then I'm on my own for the most part. Sometimes I might make it down to San Ignacio. I never, ever, come down Mex 1 through Ensenada. If I knew where to look for the ATM in San Felipe I would take advantage of it.
I completely understand your points...but I've also seen people set up camp 200 meters away from a campground just so they don't have to fork out a couple bucks which I think is ridiculous. Most places, it's one option or the other anyway, ie the Wall vs. Scorpion Bay. However, you take somewhere like Abreojos and everyone wants to camp on the point anyway so they have a view of the surf. I haven't been to Abreojos in a couple years, but last I was there they were talking about starting to charge for camping because people were leaving their trash and s***ting wherever they wanted to. So in this case, I would happily pay $5 to camp on the point with an outhouse rather than free camp farther inside the bay.
Small point, but maybe a valuable one should you return to the truck and it has vanished!
Buy your insurance through AAA instead of at the border. Reason? At border insrance they won't insure a vehicle for theft if it is over a certain age. Used to be 20 years old, but now I think it is reduced to 10 years. With AAA I have een able to insure the '82 FJ60 without question. You state value.
Some peace of mind.
Buy your insurance through AAA instead of at the border. Reason? At border insrance they won't insure a vehicle for theft if it is over a certain age. Used to be 20 years old, but now I think it is reduced to 10 years. With AAA I have een able to insure the '82 FJ60 without question. You state value.
Some peace of mind.
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
Surfing sucks. Don't try it.
Especially the breaks where I surf, those are the worst. If I'm in the water you can be sure it isn't worth paddling out.
Especially the breaks where I surf, those are the worst. If I'm in the water you can be sure it isn't worth paddling out.
sandcruiser
....back in the saddle again....
more to the point:
driving at night is a bad idea, as mentioned
I never had any success at all with giving away nudie mags as suggested in some circles. I mean, the guys were happy to stand and ogle them, but they still searched my car, so it just took twice as long.
I think a good mod for a trip like this is a Tuffy console. I kept all the important stuff in there (cds, gps, iPod, some extra cash, camera, binocs, cellphone, etc). In a search/stop I would leave it locked with stuff inside... half the time they would ask me to open it, sometimes not. When opened I would leave my hand on the lid and watch the guy searching to make sure that everything stayed there.
The one time I left my gps mounted @ a search, I noticed it missing and had to ask the guys if someone had forgotten to put it back after 'inspecting' it. It took a minute of acute discomfort, but I got the gps back. I did the whole thing with a big smile and lots of positive vibes.... it worked out fine.
Subsequently, during searches I would typically open one door and stand there, then close/lock it and move to the next door. Sometimes guys would comment/complain, I would just tell them that I wanted to keep dust out (which is extra-absurd if you see how dirty my cars usually are).
As other have said: be calm, be considerate, smile as much as possible, don't assume that people are taking advantage, be aware of yourself and your surroundings, put a shirt on when you deal with people- they aren't on vacation and the little bit of respect usually helps.
If you can't carry 2 spares, at least carry a plug kit. Most flats are thorns or nails- easy to fix. You'll want to have a compressor, too. But a patch kit/compressor is cheaper than a 6th wheel/tire and you can air up and down for beaches.
Finally: there are a number of rechargeable fans on the market nowadays. That is a seriously wonderful luxury to have when you're roasting at night.
driving at night is a bad idea, as mentioned
I never had any success at all with giving away nudie mags as suggested in some circles. I mean, the guys were happy to stand and ogle them, but they still searched my car, so it just took twice as long.
I think a good mod for a trip like this is a Tuffy console. I kept all the important stuff in there (cds, gps, iPod, some extra cash, camera, binocs, cellphone, etc). In a search/stop I would leave it locked with stuff inside... half the time they would ask me to open it, sometimes not. When opened I would leave my hand on the lid and watch the guy searching to make sure that everything stayed there.
The one time I left my gps mounted @ a search, I noticed it missing and had to ask the guys if someone had forgotten to put it back after 'inspecting' it. It took a minute of acute discomfort, but I got the gps back. I did the whole thing with a big smile and lots of positive vibes.... it worked out fine.
Subsequently, during searches I would typically open one door and stand there, then close/lock it and move to the next door. Sometimes guys would comment/complain, I would just tell them that I wanted to keep dust out (which is extra-absurd if you see how dirty my cars usually are).
As other have said: be calm, be considerate, smile as much as possible, don't assume that people are taking advantage, be aware of yourself and your surroundings, put a shirt on when you deal with people- they aren't on vacation and the little bit of respect usually helps.
If you can't carry 2 spares, at least carry a plug kit. Most flats are thorns or nails- easy to fix. You'll want to have a compressor, too. But a patch kit/compressor is cheaper than a 6th wheel/tire and you can air up and down for beaches.
Finally: there are a number of rechargeable fans on the market nowadays. That is a seriously wonderful luxury to have when you're roasting at night.
- Thread starter
- #40
Haha!! I try telling people the same thing...surfing sux, where ever we go, it sux, but no one seems to be taking my advice more and more people in the water evry freakin day!
Cant blame them though. Ive been down to your neck of the woods a couple times, tamarindo to jaco...decent waves, good vibes.
I like the idea of closing and locking each door after they search it.
more and more people in the water evry freakin day! Cant blame them though. Ive been down to your neck of the woods a couple times, tamarindo to jaco...decent waves, good vibes.I like the idea of closing and locking each door after they search it.
