BajaNomad - things we bring back from baja

things we bring back from baja

rancho guillermo - 7-5-2018 at 01:52 PM

Curious some of the things people have brought back from Baja to remind us how great a place it is...Anything from bought souvenirs, fish, shells,memories, stray dogs, etc..etc..(hopefully most of the items were legal) Some items that I have returned home with back in the day are now illegal to bring home.

What do you got??

Here is a photo of a lamp I built from Cactus Skeleton way back in the day..

baja books 001.JPG - 172kB

sancho - 7-5-2018 at 03:05 PM

Most of us know some items are on the prohibited list,
shells, probably rocks, etc. One would have to dig deep
into Mex regs to uncover them, not sure any Mex Authority
would know them. Have a bottle opener from a deposito
in Mulege, '82, came with the carton, still works.
I mostly have memories of quirky events.
Wonder if there is a curse like the Hawaiian Pele,
take the piece of volcano rock home, then have
the bad luck associated with it, until it is returned

[Edited on 7-6-2018 by sancho]

Alm - 7-5-2018 at 04:28 PM

Pieces of untreated wood are likely on the prohibited list of the US customs as well.

Howard - 7-5-2018 at 04:35 PM

I don't know how to spell it but penicillin took care of it.

Okay, just kidding! :biggrin:

bajabuddha - 7-5-2018 at 04:40 PM

:lol:

*claps*

BajaMama - 7-5-2018 at 04:52 PM

Rocks are okay as long as you wash off the dirt. We frequently get onyx at El Marmol.

David K - 7-5-2018 at 05:08 PM

I had a nice big chunk of onyx and placed outside of my front door, as a decoration... somebody took it! Elizabeth was bummed... I said, let's just go get another! I have several smaller pieces here.

Here's when I first took Baja Angel to El Mármol: http://vivabaja.com/marmol/

AKgringo - 7-5-2018 at 05:28 PM

A suntan, and a smile!

freediverbrian - 7-5-2018 at 05:46 PM

Ash trays from hotels Sernidad and La Mission even if I don't smoke

BajaGlenn - 7-5-2018 at 05:52 PM

red wood slab from Mallirimo and iron wood stump base them suckers are heavy told customs the redwood came from Kalifornia and the stump was a carving --he laughed and said go ahead. :bounce:

chippy - 7-5-2018 at 06:09 PM

A couple of hitch hiking scorpions.

BornFisher - 7-5-2018 at 08:17 PM

Bunch of fish, kitten, arrowhead, whale bone, body, meds, just the normal stuff.

ncampion - 7-6-2018 at 08:22 AM

I always bring back two bottles of Controy, the "Licor de Naranj" in the green bottle used to make Margaritas. Can't find it in the US any more and there is not a really good substitute.

David K - 7-6-2018 at 08:34 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher

Bunch of fish, kitten, arrowhead, whale bone, body, meds, just the normal stuff.

Elizabeth insisted this come home with us...

I put it in the back of my truck in plain view of customs and it is now by our fireplace, along with another from the same trip. June 2007.

Skipjack Joe - 7-6-2018 at 11:05 AM

Back in 1985, when it was legal, I bought a large turtle shell at the store in San Tomas, next to the gas station, and still have it now in Oregon. There were piles of shells back then. I don't think I paid more than $5-$10. To make them look really nice they need to be polished. A future project.

Skipjack Joe - 7-6-2018 at 11:07 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Elizabeth insisted this come home with us...

Valuable. You can find water with that.

Jack Swords - 7-6-2018 at 11:09 AM

One solo trip to Magdalena Bay I returned with several whale vertebra and a couple of turtle shells strapped to the back of my kayak. The local fishermen greeted me as I pulled into shore near my truck. Lots of discussion took place until one said to get the "esposas". I knew I was in a legal dark area. I became concerned about whose wives I was going to meet and what that meant.
They were all laughing and obviously I was the butt of the joke. Finally one held out his hands like they had handcuffs on and repeated "esposas". Everybody laughed including me. They then helped me load the kayak on the truck, put the vertebra and turtle shells in it too. I waved good by, appreciating Mexican humor, and learned a new word. Going back through the border, I was waved through.

These bones and turtle carapaces were used in my classroom (biology) for years and currently used by my daughter in her biology class.

David K - 7-6-2018 at 11:26 AM

Interesting that men invented such a word for "handcuffs"! Don't tell our esposas that! Is that a Mexican term, or more universal in Spanish?

TMW - 7-6-2018 at 11:31 AM

I have a triangle shaped ashtray about 8 inches long from the onyx digs at San Telmo. I also have a baseball size rock made from white volcanic ash from south of El Datil near where you cross the arroyo. I've brought back lots of rocks and shells but I usually give them away to family and friends.

motoged - 7-6-2018 at 08:42 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion

I always bring back two bottles of Controy, the "Licor de Naranj" in the green bottle used to make Margaritas. Can't find it in the US any more and there is not a really good substitute.

Controy is the inexpensive imposter of Cointreau but is sweeter.
Triple Sec is another orange liqueur.... :light:

I once knew a Guy ...................

MrBillM - 7-6-2018 at 09:02 PM

.................... Who imported a Chica from Baja. Although (technically) she was delivered to him on the U.S. side.

Other than shells by the case which I usually gave away to friends and co-workers, I mostly settled for liquor until one Holiday weekend when U.S. Customs made my life miserable for a few hours over what they considered an unreasonable excess and a bad attitude.

Skipjack Joe - 7-7-2018 at 05:16 AM

We thought about bringing back this fella, but put him back. I kept one before and it looked pretty drab after drying up.

basautter - 7-7-2018 at 08:07 AM

My favorite souvenir is a grey whale vertebra I found on the beach. It's been on my fireplace mantel ever since!

wilderone - 7-7-2018 at 08:07 AM

I like to bring back large granite rocks for my garden, clean granite sand from arroyos for planting bulbs. Olive oil from LA Cetto winery. A friend I used to travel to Baja with made me this El Marmol onyx lamp. It has 2 small bulbs inside.

David K - 7-7-2018 at 08:09 AM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion

I always bring back two bottles of Controy, the "Licor de Naranj" in the green bottle used to make Margaritas. Can't find it in the US any more and there is not a really good substitute.

Controy is the inexpensive imposter of Cointreau but is sweeter.
Triple Sec is another orange liqueur.... :light:

Some say Damiana Liqueur is the true mixer, from the region around La Paz. The bottle looks like a pregnant woman since damiana is an aphrodisiac.

From http://www.damiana.net/ :

ABOUT DAMIANA LIQUEUR
Damiana Liqueur is a light herbal-based liqueur from Mexico. It’s made with the damiana herb that grows in Baja California, Mexico. It has great mixability and tastes great as a shooter. The bottle is uniquely shaped and is modeled after an Incan Goddess. The Damiana Margarita is very popular in the Los Cabos area of Mexico and Mexican margarita folklore says that the very first margarita ever made was made with Damiana Liqueur (not that silly French liqueur).

[Edited on 7-7-2018 by David K]

ncampion - 7-7-2018 at 08:36 AM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged

Quote: Originally posted by ncampion

I always bring back two bottles of Controy, the "Licor de Naranj" in the green bottle used to make Margaritas. Can't find it in the US any more and there is not a really good substitute.

Controy is the inexpensive imposter of Cointreau but is sweeter.
Triple Sec is another orange liqueur.... :light:

Correct, however the French Cointreau is about 3 X the price of Controy and I have done a side be side and like the Mexican product better. You do need a little sweetness to partially counteract the lime juice. Triple Sec is my last chance substitute if I run out of Controy.

David K - 7-7-2018 at 08:39 AM

Try the Damiana, it is sweet.

Skipjack Joe - 7-7-2018 at 09:35 AM

I love the 'What on Earth?" expression on people's faces when they see this on my wall.

Found it on a beach near Santa Rosalillita.

Inspired by Pauline's collection of odds and ends.

shark-on-wall2.jpg - 173kB

BajaGlenn - 7-7-2018 at 10:22 AM

Three dogs at different times over the years the last one died yesterday-all strays!!!

bajabuddha - 7-7-2018 at 04:58 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Try the Damiana, it is sweet.

Damiana is an herb that looks almost identical to oregano that (both) grow wild all over the south cape. The liqueur made with the 'preggo' nekkid woman bottle is said to have aphrodisiacal qualities... the local brujas and homeopathic pharmacies sell the herb for tea kind of ''under-the-table" kind of thing, goes back to indan folklore. My last visit to south cape I picked a bunch of both fresh damiana and oregano, put 'em in a half-pint spice rack bottle on the wall. When I returned stateside it dawned on me how much BOTH looked just like mota. Every checkpoint from Cabo to la frontera never noticed a thing; I coulda faced mucho hassles from it, but oh well, so the story goes.

On another note, the first bottle of Damiana liqueur I bought I shared with an elderly couple at La Perla camping... of course, las mujeres loved it (sweet fru-fru sipper). The next morning the Ol' Man told me, "what the hell is in that stuff? We got home and the Ol' Lady attacked me like she did 20 years ago! .... I gotta git me some of that stuff!!!"

:cool:

Heeeeeee !! :lol:

David K - 7-7-2018 at 07:03 PM

:bounce:

jack - 7-8-2018 at 03:34 PM

Two years ago my wife had a box of sea shells she was bringing home, the US Border Guard at Tecate confiscated them all. The year before the same Border Guard told us we could take shells home as long as they were not coral or abalone. I mentioned this to her and she said now you can't take any.

woody with a view - 7-8-2018 at 04:58 PM

Bring home? Dirty chones.

Just kidding, who wears chones in the southlands?

StuckSucks - 7-11-2018 at 12:32 PM

This guy hangs out with me at the office -- I found him on the beach at the southern end of Bahía Concepción.

del mar - 7-11-2018 at 12:59 PM

after many a night at Paris de Noche.....

BajaGeoff - 7-11-2018 at 01:15 PM

Surfing monkeys!

rancho guillermo - 7-11-2018 at 02:21 PM

Love all the reply's...the empty wallet made me laugh hard.

David K - 7-11-2018 at 04:44 PM

Oh, I know what the door prizes at the next Baja Bound party will be! LOL

DK... If that is what it looks like I would not post the pic

thebajarunner - 7-11-2018 at 05:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by BornFisher

Bunch of fish, kitten, arrowhead, whale bone, body, meds, just the normal stuff.

Elizabeth insisted this come home with us...

I put it in the back of my truck in plain view of customs and it is now by our fireplace, along with another from the same trip. June 2007.

Looks a lot like a whale vertebrae to me
Not so legal to haul across, from my investigations
That is why you will never see a photo of the whale rib that may or may not be somewhere on my property in Central Cal.

David K - 7-11-2018 at 05:27 PM

LOL...
Don't tell any judge about this!

Seriously, these bleached bones lay about in the sand on Shell Island sometimes. I posted this photo in a trip report and it has been on my website now for many years.

The bone is like a seashell, the critter has died, and it is just the skeleton. It will slowly be ground down over time.

Tell it to the judge

thebajarunner - 7-11-2018 at 06:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

LOL...
Don't tell any judge about this!

Seriously, these bleached bones lay about in the sand on Shell Island sometimes. I posted this photo in a trip report and it has been on my website now for many years.

The bone is like a seashell, the critter has died, and it is just the skeleton. It will slowly be ground down over time.

"Well, your honor, you see this little baggie of white powder that I brought home was once just a field of poor poppies that up and died and then sort of turned to powder and .....well, your honor, it is just some dried veggie matter and no idea why this is such a big deal..." :lol: