Baja RH - 3-31-2005 at 12:54 PM
My girlfriend and I are taking a car and heading down to explore northern Baja for 4 days. I thought it might be nice to have bicycles. We could
park the car in little towns and explore them on bike at a slower pace.
I get the sense though that it might just be an invitation to get them stolen. I couldn't really store them inside the car.
Does this relaxed bicycling around idea really make sense north of Ensenada and/or south of Ensenada (as far as San Quintin)?
Thanks for your advice.
RH
Packoderm - 3-31-2005 at 01:20 PM
My wife and I did that while driving Baja's length about ten years ago. It added a whole new dynamic to exploring Mulege, San Ignacio, and Cabo. It
was especially nice in Cabo to get back and forth to town and to not ever need a taxi. In Cabo, people looked to us with envy and asked where they can
rent bikes. We had a rack on the back of the truck and kept them locked up to the frame of the truck via a long cable and lock. We wheeled them into
hotel rooms; other than that, they were not hassle at all. You could buy some $50.00 specials from Wal- Mart and then give them away on your way back
- or keep them. But it is definitely worth it to have them in my opinion.
Packoderm - 3-31-2005 at 01:49 PM
Also, several years ago, I enrolled in a weeklong Spanish course in Ensenada. (The class was good by the way.) With the bicycle, I flew from
Sacramento, took the red trolley to TJ, and then took the Bus to Ensenada. Riding the bike was the most awesome way to get around. I rode that thing
EVERYWHERE.
Braulio - 4-1-2005 at 09:36 AM
I agree with Packoderm although my experience with bikes in Mexico is more geared toward using them outside cities. There are places you can go on a
mountain bike that are inaccessible by even motorbikes.
I'd plan on bringing either a mountain bike or maybe a hybrid with wider tires - a road bike is going to be pretty unstable in most areas.
I do bike around cities occasionally just for the exercise but it can get can of dangerous between the traffic and the dogs.
If you're really into bikes most bigger cities have clubs with easy weekly rides - TJ, Mexicali, and Ensenada have them.
You'll also get looks like you're a Mormon missionary or something - but that's another topic.
Long story short - yeah - I think it's worth the hassle.
Braulio - 4-1-2005 at 09:49 AM
PS - Here's a link to a neat little route out of Ensenada on mostly dirt roads to San Antonio de las Minas.
http://www.meb.com.mx/bc/ensenada.htm
If you don't speak spanish you can probably get a sense of it with an online translator.