baja Steve
Nomad
Posts: 469
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Bend, or
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Bringing clothes to Baja
I am heading to Baja next week and due to the storms people have given me a lot of clothes and school supplies to bring down. My truck is really full.
What kind of problems could I have coming down. Is one crossing better to cross at? Is there a best time to cross? any ideas would be appreciated.
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Stephanie Jackter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 566
Registered: 11-3-2002
Location: Arizona
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Getting searched is a constant worry of mine.
I take truckloads of stuff to the poor colonias in Nogales about 7 or 8 times a year. My luck has just been tremendous at not getting stopped by the
migra and searched because it's randomly done with the green light/ red light system.
The only time I've been stopped over 5 years of doing this is when I was attempting to bring a computer to La Paz to use while there and then give to
Ciudad de Los Ninos. They gave me a bunch of grief and I just explained what I was intending to do with a pained look on my face and waited them out
until they felt my pain and let me go.
My main advice in those situations is to just be humble and as honest as possible. A little good will can go a long way some times. Good luck on
your mission. - Stephanie
When the goin' gets tough, the wierd turn pro
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LaTijereta
Super Nomad
Posts: 1192
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: Loreto
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I like to cross about 6am, and have had little questions asked when bring down bags of cloths to Loreto
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
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Just got and email from Phil S who is having trouble with his Computer. He just took a load of clothes to the Mission in Loreto, He reports no problem
going across the Border. Skeet
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baja Steve
Nomad
Posts: 469
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Bend, or
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Thank You
Thanks for letting me know. On one of these trips I would like to stop by and meet you.
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bufeo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 793
Registered: 11-16-2003
Location: Santa Fe New Mexico
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Steve,
We take clothes on a regular basis and have never had a problem even when we have had the infrequent red light. When I was questioned about the
boxes on two occasions my reply of "Estas ropas est?n para un grupo de la caridad en San Felipe" seemed to satisfy them and they didn't even
correct my grammatical mistake.
[Edited on 11-30-2003 by bufeo]
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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clothes to Baja
Put the computer UNDER the clothes, works every time.
In the good old days when we raced we hauled all kinds of goodies down to the orphanages on our race truck trailer.
We even put a brand new washing machine and dryer on the trailer with the race truck.
No one blinked, just wave "the racers" onward...
Baja Arriba!!
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BajaVida
Senior Nomad
Posts: 541
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Motown, Califas
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Mood: muy cool
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any ideas about getting a wood burning stove down there?
if your wife does not approve of the one that I have offered you?
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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bufeo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 793
Registered: 11-16-2003
Location: Santa Fe New Mexico
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from Bajavida-
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any ideas about getting a wood burning stove down there?
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That's an easy one. You're going camping and want to be safe and start no forest fires.
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warnet
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: 11-30-2003
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Clothes to Baja
I guess I don't understand. I can't take clothes or school supplies to anyone I want in Mexico??
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3687
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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stoves and clothes
Baja Vida is trying to trick me into taking his old stove for my shop. Figures if he can convince me it is "Baja worthy" then surely it deserves a
spot of honor in my new shop... more on that one later.
Warnet, the guys at the gate have never heard of NAFTA... they think it rhymes with "hafta" as in ' senor, you hafta be dreaming if you think we will
let you take this stuff across.'
Somewhere there is a sense that every item hauled into Mexico is one less item that can be locally sold.... ergo, don't screw up our economy by
bringing in your old stuff and trying to give it to the poor.
(if you understand that logic then you should try reading John Maynard Keynes) oh well, as my grandfather used to say,
"Its your bus, you drive it"
Don't ever, ever forget, when you cross their border you enter into their arena and you play by their rules, don't like it, don't go.
Baja Arriba!!
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Here?s what I would do. I?d hook up a GPS to the computer and tell the customs agent that I need it so that we don?t get lost. I?d jerry-rig the wood
burning stove with the chimney stack ready to stick out the camper shell window and say that I need the stove so that we don?t get cold when we camp
on the beach. As for the clothes, I?d pack them in suitcases from the Goodwill store, and when the agent inquires about the clothes, I?d discreetly
roll my eyes (as if I didn?t want my wife to see me doing that) and make the small (coo-coo) gesture with my index finger while secretly nodding
toward my wife, so that the agent understands that I think that my wife is nuts for packing so much clothing, but I don?t want my wife to know that I
think this way, or I?d be in the dog house for the rest of my Baja vacation. The agent should understand.
It couldn?t hurt to have a receipt for the value of your charity items in case you have to pay duty.
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