Ahem....just a new member, really, but NOT new to surfing in baja
or the threats of banditos, thievery, baja risk factors etc...
A couple of things to consider in this realm...The third world factor....
When we go down there with SO MUCH STUFF, we are basically
flaunting our wealth / possessions / stuff right in the faces of both
the humble poor who mind their own business (not a threat) and the
nasty dangerous criminals who are looking for a FAT CAT who is an
easy target. Camping at Cuatros Casas is fairly nasty to begin with...
Sorry to dis that scene but it is...Its been sketchy for years and its
a spot to avoid....Camalu town is super poor, Shipwrecks and Cuatros
and Camalu point are all NO GO zones as far as I am concerned.
What makes these spots NO GO Zones- okay - here goes:
1) Above the Guererro Negro Checkpoint is just not safe...
Why? Because in order to pass into BCS you have to have
proper documentation to cross the checkpoint. Sketchers,
hackers and Banditos - both American and Mexican don't
have it together enough to cross the BCS (Baja California Sur)
checkpoint.
2) The Northern Baja region is filled with sketchers - Americans
on the run and Mexicans who aren't satisfied with the rich / poor
gap they see so clearly everyday driving on the roads right in front
of them, other side of the border...Not to say that most americans
in the North are sketchy and not to say that most mexicans in the
north are sketchy cuz they are not....BUT...there are more #s of
sketchy folks in the Northern Region. I consider Tijuana to be a war
zone....Rosarito is scary too...NO GO ZONE...
3) The Southern Region is just a little bit better cuz the people
are relaxed by the warmer temperatures year 'round...They are happier
with their lives and not constantly comparing themselves to RICH americans...
They are not thinking of running across the border and escaping their scenes...
They have more veggies and fruit in the south and many mexicans have
good lifestyles, albeit still relatively poor, but solid healthy, happy traditional
lifestyles...
4) Bad Combinations = Bad Results:
Expensive vehicles with expensive toys attatched-Flaunting Wealth =BAD
Driving at Night or Pre-Dawn= BAD (This is the #1 no-no)
Camping near the main road, ez access spots= BAD (Banditos see you, rob you then bail)
Leaving any valuables out while camped in an ez access spot = BAD (see above)
Camping in Northern Baja in a highly travelled area near poor populations =BAD
So, basically, camping should be done in safe, remote locations, far from Hackers,
get to know the locals, check the vibe, talk to the locals, befriend the locals or if it
doesn't seem right, bail and find a place that seems right...RV campers should stay
in RV parks where they won't get hassled in the middle of the night by the baddies...
Cheap hotels are safe and often have secured parking.
Plan on a going to a war zone, take all the precautions of going into a war zone
and don't flaunt your wealth or get sloppy with your stuff or drunken antics...
Lock your stuff, stay out of site, stay away from the main roads when camping
and always feel the vibe....Don't force a bad situation - Like driving at night...or
like planning to camp at the last minute...plan out your days and provide for
enough time to do the safest thing...Don't squid out like high school kids on
their first trip to Baja...Take a rational - safety first approach.
Think about how desperate 3rd world people in Northern Baja think about
what you have and why they don't have it...Jealousy and desperation lead
to nasty things and sometimes they lead to gangs, drugs, and crime...
If you enter the baja with this awareness then less bad things will happen...
My wife just came in the room and reminded me to remind you all....
"Don't drive alone" - thanks honey...
Wishing you happy travels, always err on the safe side, good luck
and enjoy the warm mexico as the rest of North America begins
its cold winter..vandenberg - 11-15-2007 at 11:03 AM
Vivaloha
Welcome to the paranoia mongers.larry - 11-15-2007 at 11:10 AM
What a load of nonsense.Barry A. - 11-15-2007 at 11:18 AM
GOOD STUFF, Vivaloha. Thank you again.
barrydccf - 11-15-2007 at 11:20 AM
WOW, you guys are a tough crowd.
[Edited on 11-15-2007 by dccf]DENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 12:06 PM
Viva...
You forgot to mention barbed wire and guard duty. Your vacation destination doesn't have many pluses left to offset the negatives.
I have no idea where you live so I won't assume that you know where Watts, Los Angeles is. It is or was a Black community and has an infamous
troubled past. Riots over issues of race, specifically. I don't know what the predominant ethnicity is today but in the past it was no place for a
White man. It was dangerous for a White person to be in that area. In spite of that, I knew Whites who would go there. They would survey the
situation, enter only in the light of day and excercise utmost vigilance in regard to their immediate surroundings. They tried to be low key,
invisible. And they thought that because they were good people that they were above the hatred which came with their color.
Why would these guys do this? They did it for Soul Food. Freakin Soul Food. They got away with it for a while and attributed their acceptance to
their "goodness" and inate understanding of the equality of man.
What stopped them from making these equality statements was an epiphany of sorts when they returned to the parking lot, full of Soul Food and
"goodness" to be met by commitee of six who proceeded to show their "goodness" and appreciation of these sincere gestures of equality by beating them
half to death.
My point is that your list of precautions and preparations, the vigilance and the studied understanding of the Mexican people reminds me of the sad
story above.
My friends wouldn't ever go back to Watts. Their silly preconceived notions failed them. They were crestfallen. They thought they had the ellusive
answer to brotherhood.
Edited to normalize the rate of Vandenbergs pacemaker.
[Edited on 11-15-2007 by DENNIS]vandenberg - 11-15-2007 at 12:23 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by larry
What a load of nonsense.
I like to apply this to Dennis's post.DENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 12:34 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by vandenberg
Quote:
Originally posted by larry
What a load of nonsense.
I like to apply this to Dennis's post.
Well, thank you Ed, for taking the time to read it. I'm flattered that you would fit it into your busy schedule.Fred - 11-15-2007 at 12:59 PM
Dennis..............been there for soul food........no problemsDENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 01:02 PM
Glad for that, Fred....
Did you ever find a dentist/denist? I'll bet there's somebody in Watts who would like to work on your teeth.vandenberg - 11-15-2007 at 02:13 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Glad for that, Fred....
Did you ever find a dentist/denist? I'll bet there's somebody in Watts who would like to work on your teeth.
Or .... work your teeth over.DENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 02:14 PM
Yea....Over and out.Fred - 11-15-2007 at 03:15 PM
I would find one in Watts, but do not have pearly whites. Too much beer and t-kill-ya have been over my gums making my teeth tan in color.mtgoat666 - 11-15-2007 at 03:25 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by vivaloha
1) Above the Guererro Negro Checkpoint is just not safe...
3) The Southern Region is just a little bit better cuz the people
are relaxed by the warmer temperatures year 'round...
They have more veggies and fruit in the south...
what nonsense!Barry A. - 11-15-2007 at 03:57 PM
Here we go again------
When I was a street cop, I had a walking beat in Logan Heights in San Diego from 6pm to 3AM-----supposedly the "rough" section of town-------I NEVER
had a problem-----but I was very vigilant, and tried to do nothing stupid-----excercising caution as VivaLoha suggests---------that is not paranoia,
just good sense, if you ask me.805gregg - 11-15-2007 at 04:00 PM
What winter it's 87 at my house today and 83 at the beach earlier when I went surfing.DENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 04:01 PM
I have a feeling that Logan Heights has become a bit more dangerous than it was way back when.Barry A. - 11-15-2007 at 04:10 PM
You know Dennis, I was just down there a couple of weeks ago with friends, and we drove around in Logan Heights just to see what was happening after
so long, and I was amazed at how much better looking it was now than back in the '60's when I patrolled there. The place actually looked clean and
somewhat prosperous.
Again, all is perception and relative----we each see what we want to, I am thinking, thru our own "filters", and give off karma to boot.
But then I used to walk thru downtown Washington DC for miles back in the late '50's and tho it WAS a little spooky, I never had any
problems------just naive, maybe.
barryDENNIS - 11-15-2007 at 04:17 PM
Granted, they do have a tight community but things have changed since the sixties. There's a lot more crime and a lot more "Viva La Raza" pride.
Whatever it takes to keep the streets clean.Barry A. - 11-15-2007 at 04:21 PM
Dennis, it is sure GOOD to be retired!!!! and in a small city, and not have to "deal" with all that "stuff" anymore. bajalera - 11-15-2007 at 04:22 PM
So the GN checkpoint stops people who are up to no good? Yeah, right. Just like the one at Maneaadero did on the old bad road. There are side roads
that bypass the GN check.
vivaloha
tortuga - 11-15-2007 at 08:14 PM
What are you talking about?!vivaloha - 11-15-2007 at 08:53 PM
Anyways, thanks Barry for understanding the dif between "limiting the negative variables" and paranoia...Just trying to offer some opinions on
safety...If these things don't apply to certain travellers or if they are nonsense, that's their reality and that's fine too...I'm just mentioning
what seems to be true in my experiences...In Dennis's example of going to Watt's for Soul Food and coming back to your car to a mosh pit of baddies, i
understand that BUT the point of my advice is to NOT put yourself there to begin with...Why WATTS for soul food when there are so many other yummy
restaurants to eat from... Why Cuatros Casas when there are so many other fun waves to surf-camp without a reputation for nastiness and robbery?rpleger - 11-15-2007 at 11:06 PM
Right on VIVALOHA......
Everyplace has it's bad areas where one should be carefull.BajaDave - 11-16-2007 at 03:29 AM
I certainly do not want to encounter any sketchers, hackers or baddies, or for that matter anyone squidding out. I shall therefore feel the vibe
before deciding to set up camp in any particular spot north of the state line.
[Edited on 11-16-2007 by BajaDave]Barry A. - 11-16-2007 at 08:24 AM
BajaDave is a very wise hombre. DanO - 11-16-2007 at 02:49 PM
They have more veggies and fruit in the south?
Damn, my WTflockometer just went off the scale. While I go get it recalibrated, can somebody tell those slacker farmers in the San Quintin Valley to
get their act together and start growing more stuff? That should reduce our surplus of hackers, sketchers, squids and banditos up here in El Norte,
who as we all know avoid veggies and fruit like a turd in a swimming pool. I mean, c'mon, just show a bandito a tomato and he'll run screaming off
into the desert, trying gouge his eyes out as smoke pours out of his ears and his head expands and then explodes, showering globs of brain everywhere
like in that movie Scanners. Maybe we should all start keeping zucchinis under the driver's seats in our trucks instead of knives or baseball bats
(or in my case, a Cleveland sand wedge). No, wait, I saw a truck once with two coconuts hanging from the trailer hitch -- I wasn't sure what that was
all about but now I realize it was fruit meant to keep the banditos away, kinda like hanging garlic on your door to ward off vampires. Next time I'm
in Ensenada, I'm going to the store for coconuts (big hairy ones), if I can find any in that pathetic 1500 square foot postage stamp of a veggie and
fruit section at Commercial Mexicana. Anyone know the best way to hang coconuts from your trailer hitch? Bungee cord maybe, so they bounce?
[Edited on 11-16-2007 by DanO]
Great
Stickers - 11-16-2007 at 03:30 PM
DanO,
Creatively solving complex social problems. So easy !!!!
.
question
gibson - 11-16-2007 at 03:45 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by DanO
They have more veggies and fruit in the south?
Damn, my WTflockometer ..................
[Edited on 11-16-2007 by DanO]
that's cool and amusing but it doesn't address the question as to why BCN is such a cesspool vs BCS ??
hmmmmmmDanO - 11-16-2007 at 03:47 PM
I've got it! Everybody get a potato cannon (potatoes are veggies, right?), and hang it in a gun rack in your truck's back window. Check out these
bad boys below. The mere threat of a half pound spud screaming at them at the speed of sound will scare the pee out the toughest sketcher, hacker or
bandito (not sure about squids, as the spud would travel much more slowly under water).
Here are some handy instructions for building your own spudzooka. Note: This does not constute an endorsement of the use of potato guns, which are
dangerous explosive devices that can cause disfigurement, death, or a nasty bruise that lasts for a week. Or the shrapnel from exploding PVC could
put your eye out. My helpful additional comments are noted in brackets
A potato gun sometimes called a spudzooka or spud gun is weapon that can launch spuds at over 200 ft/s. It is a propellant based gun that uses any
propane based aerosol as a propellant (most experiments [see, it's scientific!] use hair spray, for it is inexpensive and easy to use). The way it
works is propellant is injected into the combustion chamber and ignited with a BBQ sparker, as the gas expands it pushes the potato up the barrel and
out of the gun.
Building a potato gun is fairly simple provided some basic tools are available. The most basic potato gun consists of three main components: a
combustion chamber, a barrel, and an ignitor. The combustion chamber and the barrel are usually constructed out of pressure rated PVC or ABS piping
and the ignitor can be any type of sparker, but most potato gun experimenter's prefer to use BBQ ignitors, for they provide a large and effective
spark.
Parts
2 feet of 2 inch dia. PVC or ABS pressure rated pipe
1 foot of 3 inch dia. PVc or ABS pressure rated pipe
screw off end cap for 3 inch pipe (note: clean out plug may be used)
slip to threaded 3 inch fitting
3 to 2 in reducer
PVC or ABS cement (note: do NOT mix PVC pipes with ABS pipes or fitting, only use PVC cement on PVC and ABS on ABS)
BBQ ignitor
2 drywall screws
hair spray
plenty of spuds
Assembly Instructions
1. Cut pipes to correct length's with a hacksaw
2. Glue the barrel and the chamber to the reducer as shown in the diagram. (if PVC is used don't forget to apply primer first.
3. Close off the end of the chamber with the fitting and screw-on end cap or the drain plug cap.
4. Screw the drywall screws through the sides the combustion chamber so there is about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch gap
5. Connect the sparker to the drywall screw and make sure it fires properly, if no spark fires move screws closer and re-test.
6. Bevel the end of the barrel so that the potato will be cut to size when it is loaded. Beveling can be done with a Dremel or if one is not available
a file can be used.
7. Let cement dry for about an hour (this time can be used to go buy some spuds!!)
[You are now ready to LOCK AND LOAD!]
Firing Tips
Caution: Only fire in open spaces far away from human life [Sissy! If you do that, no one will ever see how cool it is!]
1. Load the gun by cutting a large enough potato in half and then cutting it to the right size by pushing it into the barrel of the gun and letting
the gun cut the potato's shape. If the potato is too small the potato will not go very far, for most of the gas will escape. Providing a good seal is
the key to distance spud launching [distance is ok, but it's better when inanimate objects "accidentally" get in the flight path].
2. Get a stick that can be used to muzzle load the potato. Measure out how far on the stick the potato has to be pushed down to be right before the
combustion chamber and push it down to that level [have a few beers first, so you'll be sure to do this accurately].
3. Unscrew the back and fill with propellant. I like using pure propane from a blowtorch, but if one isn't available then hair spray can be used. This
is the trickiest part of all. The correct mixture of gas to air has to be present for the gun to fire. Experimenting is the best way [yeah, just wild
ass guess it -- that'll be safe]. One thing that is important to remember is that the gas needs oxygen to combustion therefore after each time it is
fired air must be allowed into the chamber.
4. Good Luck [and God bless].
toneart - 11-16-2007 at 05:15 PM
Man! If the target were running away, that spud bazooka would certainly plant a potato permanently where the sun don't shine.salvavida - 11-16-2007 at 06:06 PM
The most threatening place to display your lethal spuds and zuchinni is in the crotch of your jeans. The sketchers will know you mean business right
away.DENNIS - 11-16-2007 at 06:11 PM
I'm sure it might be a triple felony to have a spud gun in Mexico. Can you imagine AMLO with his legions of followers attacking the National Palace
with weapons such as this? In the 1800s the repercutions would have been called a "French Fry."
We're all up on our history, arn't we?larry - 11-16-2007 at 06:43 PM
Dan-o has brought clarity to this insane thread. Next time I camp at Gonzaga I'll be ready for anything.Barry A. - 11-16-2007 at 08:19 PM
Some of the folks poo-pooing Vivaloha's suggestions and advice are, I suspect, the same ones that whine, and are surprised, when something bad
happens to them on the road in Baja (etc.)----------why am I surprised!!
Especially when I, who think it is good advice and practice same, have NEVER had any problems in Baja (other than what I invited by my stupidity) in
some 55 years of travel there.
[Edited on 11-17-2007 by Barry A.]Tomas Tierra - 11-17-2007 at 11:27 AM
Vivaloha speaks wise advice. Some may not understand the lingo that well, but ALL remote surf/beach campers will do well to take it to heart.
Quatros Casa area should be avoided! IMHO, anywhere N. of El Rosario should be avoided, and from what I've heard ER is changing as well.
TTjimgrms - 11-18-2007 at 09:39 AM
Vivaloha altho care should be taken in baja and a little common sense used no more so than any where in the states .' hell we wern't that
paranoid in viet namgnukid - 11-18-2007 at 10:51 AM
There's one rule that seems to work well, bring nothing and you will loose nothing.Neal Johns - 11-18-2007 at 11:50 AM
As an Aridologist who eschews water, I don't know what surfing spots to avoid camping at, but I'm with vivaloha for camping in isolated places out of
sight and with Barry A. on being careful. Why push your luck? And if you flaunt your wealth (to the locals, it's wealth) in front of them, sooner or
later...the Flying Spaghetti Monster will get you. A simple rule to follow is WWTFSMD?Barry A. - 11-18-2007 at 12:11 PM
Neal------
You KNEW this was coming-----------------What in the world is "WWTFSMD"?
