BajaNomad

Which border crossing this weekend?

newtobaja - 12-31-2009 at 08:22 AM

Hi,

We are in LaPaz right now and heading back up. We'll be crossing the border either saturday or sunday. My gut feeling is that the San Ysidro border will have a long wait. Would it make sense to drive to Tecate or Otay Mesa crossing? Any gotchas for those crossing? Or should I bite it and stick with the SY crossing?

cheers

David K - 12-31-2009 at 08:24 AM

Tecate anytime and everytime... no question.

Tecate Crossing

Marla Daily - 12-31-2009 at 08:36 AM

We crossed at Tecate yesterday afternoon at 2:00 PM. The wait time was an hour long. A few cars "ran" the line and cut in at the gate and didn't get caught. The agents at the US border said whatever happens along the line isn't their business. Occasionally a Mexican police truck cruised the line, presumably to catch line-cutters.

Here's what the route north at Tecate looks like..

David K - 12-31-2009 at 08:46 AM



===========================================
Coming north from Ensenada or Hwy. 2-D central Tecate exit... Fort on blvd. to right, along train tracks... big McDonalds is across the blvd. ahead if you went straight.

If you miss this turn, continue ahad to the town plaza/ park and turn right at the far corner (free Mexicali highway)!



Fork left here, driving away from the train tracks (San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad, originally):



"Trafic Circle" with trees and stop signs (be sure to make a full stop, police may be watching). Go to right, east from circle:



Turn left a short distance east of traffic circle for U.S. Border:



A look west along the border:



Remember, Tecate border is not open 24 hours! 5am to Midnight, last I recall.

Fred - 12-31-2009 at 09:47 AM

So, I assume (I know make an a-- out of you and me) that the road is now free of the mud holes (HWY 3)????????

DENNIS - 12-31-2009 at 10:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by newtobaja

We are in LaPaz right now and heading back up. We'll be crossing the border either saturday or sunday. My gut feeling is that the San Ysidro border will have a long wait. Would it make sense to drive to Tecate or Otay Mesa crossing? Any gotchas for those crossing? Or should I bite it and stick with the SY crossing?


I don't see a big problem at SY or the other gates over the weekend. There won't be much if any work traffic and, other than Sunday afternoon, it should be relatively calm.
That's my guess.

bajadogs - 12-31-2009 at 11:03 AM

HWY 3 to Tecate is still a major construction mess. I wouldn't recommend it if your towing or driving an RV, and definitely don't do it at night. Lots of dust, pot holes, slow big rigs etc. But, we crossed last Sunday night 8pm with only 4 cars in front of us.

David K - 12-31-2009 at 11:57 AM

Hwy. 3 all the way is NOT the only paved route to Tecate from Ensenada...

1) Use (Free Road) Mex. 1 from San Miguel Village (just before the toll gate off 1-D) up 7 miles to the new paved road to Guadalupe (14 miles) and rejoin Hwy.3 there.

2) Use Toll Road (Mex. 1-D) to Cantamar, transfer to free road for 8 miles to Popotla, take the new, free Blvd. 2000 (BC 201) to either the Tecate Free Road (Mex. 2) or the Tecate Toll road (Mex. 2-D).

3) Use the free road (Mex. 1) all the way to Cantamar, then Blvd. 2000 to Mex. 2 to Tecate... Very nice drive.




[Edited on 12-31-2009 by David K]

Fred - 12-31-2009 at 01:58 PM

David.....I am going to try the other way you gave me. Thru the town of Guadalupe to the free road.

Fred

Bajahowodd - 12-31-2009 at 03:43 PM

This topic has been debated many times. If newtobaja is going to be heading up I-5, doing the Blvd 2000 and then heading East to Tecate makes no sense. When you get to the Cuota, you are practically at Otay. Why drive way East, just so you can drive way West?

newtobaja - 12-31-2009 at 11:39 PM

Wow - you guys are awesome with all the info. (thanks davidK for the pictures - that is helpful. There needs to be a FAQ for all this so newbs like me don't keep repeating the same questions :)

The focus seems to be on Tecate though. I am heading towards San Francisco so I will most likely take 15->210>5 ( I had a nightmare crossing LA on the way down via 5 so I plan to avoid LA all together this time)

That means Tecate is a bit off my route which most people are suggesting.
Whats wrong with the Otay Mesa crossing?

cheers

BTW - we are in GN tonight. That was 11 hours of driving from LP today. Missed the turn at Ciudad Insurgentes since we were looking for some food and then we went straight up north. By time we realised and got back on Mex1, had wasted 45 min. Sheesh ! Lets hope there are some whales in the lagoon tomorrow.

newtobaja - 1-1-2010 at 12:19 AM

Wow - you guys are awesome with all the info. (thanks davidK for the pictures - that is helpful. There needs to be a FAQ for all this so newbs like me don't keep repeating the same questions :)

The focus seems to be on Tecate though. I am heading towards San Francisco so I will most likely take 15->210>5 ( I had a nightmare crossing LA on the way down via 5 so I plan to avoid LA all together this time)

That means Tecate is a bit off my route which most people are suggesting.
Whats wrong with the Otay Mesa crossing?

cheers

BTW - we are in GN tonight. That was 11 hours of driving from LP today. Missed the turn at Ciudad Insurgentes since we were looking for some food and then we went straight up north. By time we realised and got back on Mex1, had wasted 45 min. Sheesh ! Lets hope there are some whales in the lagoon tomorrow.

Bajahowodd - 1-1-2010 at 12:47 PM

Didn't expect a 90 degree right turn, eh? :lol: And the big pesky sign in Spanish that says Loreto?

There is nothing wrong with the Otay crossing. Usually, but not always, the back-up is longest at San Ysidro, shortest at Tecate, with Otay somewhere between. That said, there was a recent post here saying that they were doubling up with inspectors in each lane at San Ysidro which really reduced wait time.

Looking forward to your next report, as we've never gone whale watching this early.

newtobaja - 1-3-2010 at 01:05 PM

We came late to the border so I decided to go with San Ysidro. Didn't want to find my way to Otay mesa in the dark. Route from 1D to border was well marked except for one spot where you are supposed to take a left turn but there was no indication. I just followed the rest of the cars. Almost ran into 2 guys who ran across the main road going along the border.

Came to a stop at 7:05 pm and was in US at 8:10pm so it wasn't that bad at all. First time there so thhe number of hawkers was surprising. There was actually push carts on the road. I guess they have to make a living and it made the slow movement bearable. A chance for us to get rid of the few remaining pesos.

cheers

newtobaja - 1-3-2010 at 01:11 PM

went with mario's tours as marallaimo was closed on new years day. Marallimo had reported about 40+ whales in the lagoon. However with Mario's, they took us to the mouth of the lagoon and we saw & followed an adult and 2 pairs of mom+kid whales. Got as near as 10 ft but no touching. The baby whales are too small right now I guess
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Didn't expect a 90 degree right turn, eh? :lol: And the big pesky sign in Spanish that says Loreto?

There is nothing wrong with the Otay crossing. Usually, but not always, the back-up is longest at San Ysidro, shortest at Tecate, with Otay somewhere between. That said, there was a recent post here saying that they were doubling up with inspectors in each lane at San Ysidro which really reduced wait time.

Looking forward to your next report, as we've never gone whale watching this early.

bajaguy - 1-3-2010 at 01:37 PM

Crossed at the SENTRI lanes in Otay yesterday (Saturday)morning at 7:15AM. NO cars in line, no wait. A quick look at documents and waived through with no conversation.

Normal lanes had not backed up to the Bella Artes overpass yet.

fishbuck - 1-3-2010 at 01:51 PM

Otay. 12:30 pm yesterday Jan. 2, 2010. 20-30 minute wait. One of the quickest ever. No problems.
Came up Blvd 2000. Very easy. Light trafic.
Avoid the Playas De Tijuana area. Especially southbound. Mucho trafic due to construction.
Very slow going. Maybe the free road through TJ or up to Blvd 2000.
Buen Suerte

woody with a view - 1-3-2010 at 02:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by newtobaja
Almost ran into 2 guys who ran across the main road going along the border.


if you look closely you can see guys shooting up drugs along the sidewalk in front of the houses! it makes for an interesting conversation....:barf:

[Edited on 1-3-2010 by woody in ob]

Bajahowodd - 1-3-2010 at 02:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by newtobaja
went with mario's tours as marallaimo was closed on new years day. Marallimo had reported about 40+ whales in the lagoon. However with Mario's, they took us to the mouth of the lagoon and we saw & followed an adult and 2 pairs of mom+kid whales. Got as near as 10 ft but no touching. The baby whales are too small right now I guess
Quote:



The fact that Malarrimo was closed is good indicator of how slow things are this early in the season. Glad you got up close to some whales. If you can swing it in the future, head down about 6-8 weeks later next time. The difference will astound you. Figured you did it at this time as kids had vacation break. Just remember, especially if you only go as far as Guerrero Negro, you can do it in a long weekend. Take a Friday and a Monday off. Just don't go on the President's Day weekend. way too crowded.

msteve1014 - 1-3-2010 at 02:27 PM

We crossed yesterday, at 4:00 pm, at Tecate. 20 minute wait. Light traffic all the way from La Bocana.

Sunman - 1-3-2010 at 10:01 PM

Took me 35 minutes yesterday at Otay around 1130 am...couldn't have been happier.

Skipjack Joe - 1-3-2010 at 11:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by newtobaja
Hi,

We are in LaPaz right now and heading back up. We'll be crossing the border either saturday or sunday. My gut feeling is that the San Ysidro border will have a long wait. Would it make sense to drive to Tecate or Otay Mesa crossing? Any gotchas for those crossing? Or should I bite it and stick with the SY crossing?

cheers


It made no sense to take the Tecate crossing this Saturday at 5PM as the San Ysidro crossing was a 1 hour wait.

SY last night (Sunday)

fixtrauma - 1-4-2010 at 09:01 AM

Coming from La Paz we decided against Tecate because of the road work on Hwy-3. One and a half hours at SY. But that was not the worst of it.

Yeah.....okay......lets have some last minute vendors, corn sales, plaster Jesus', taco carts, blankets etc............but helloooo.....they were cutting the traffic from 4 to 3 lane with their carts when ever they pleased. The best was when there were two carts side by side or staggered alittle. What a gauntlet to thread with a 40' coach. I am trying to fully understand the life they are experiencing but to weave for 1 1/2 hours pushed the limit. (TECATE) yep next time.

Pompano - 1-4-2010 at 09:32 AM

Hi Don, we just took the Ruta de Vino from Ensenada to Tecate. Quite a bit of rough road with the construction, but worth it NOT to go through TJ.

The wait at the border was extra long this time...about 35 minutes. Maybe due to the New Years weekend? Ordinarily we scoot right in with only about a 5 minute wait.

On another note, I may change my USA reentry point to Otay or a more RV-friendly port. My plans include this rig: Tow vehicle + Fifth Wheel + boat = 75ft. Wow...not fun threading all that through the needle at Tecate.

Warning!!!

Dave - 1-4-2010 at 10:22 AM

Lane cutting in Tecate is NOT tolerated. If there isn't a local cop car to enforce the rules one WILL be called.

This is probably the only place in the whole of Mexico where this happens. :rolleyes:

Our guys at the border

fixtrauma - 1-4-2010 at 10:37 AM

Oh yeah, then after the 1 1/2 hour of needle threading our guys pulled the coach over for a lookie see which I expected. But wouldn't you expect by now that they have opened a few RV refrigs? By now they would know that step 1: you release some sort of door securing device. Step 2: you then safely open the refrig and freeze doors.

No.......they just pulled the doors open (as we observed from our assigned place outside on the sidewalk) and the locking device promptly broke off.

I ask them about it afterwords as I held the broken piece in my hand. They just stared and acted completely stupid. "we inspect 30 million gazillion vehicles every day" I know........that is why I thought you would know how to open an RV fridge.

Never admitted it but said...."you can fill out the proper papers if you want too".

DUH

[Edited on 1-4-2010 by fixtrauma]

postholedigger - 1-4-2010 at 09:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Remember, Tecate border is not open 24 hours! 5am to Midnight, last I recall.


I was told by a guard at Tecate that they close at 11 pm. I got through at 10:57 pm that time. Never cut it that close again.

DENNIS - 1-4-2010 at 09:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by postholedigger
I was told by a guard at Tecate that they close at 11 pm. I got through at 10:57 pm that time. Never cut it that close again.


No kidden. I thought it was midnight. Thanks.

bajabass - 1-5-2010 at 09:21 AM

Don't know why, but SY was only 45 minutes at 6pm on Sunday. 5N traffic flew all the way to O.C. Made my day:biggrin:

David K - 1-5-2010 at 09:40 AM

Hi guys... back home last night... I should use my own advice: At the last moment, I decided to use Mexicali/Calexico instead of Tecate coming home from San Felipe.

The logic was, at 3 pm on a Monday, it should be fast... and so we went to Mexicali... We were in line for almost 2 hours. Never again! :lol:

newtobaja - 1-11-2010 at 04:28 PM

Thanks for the info. Malarrimo has actually been open since 12/15. They were just closed on 1/1 which is when we were in GN. malarrimo had tours on 12/31 and 1/2 etc.

Yes, it is early in the season but this is when the kids are out. We are over in San Jose (SV) so it takes 2 days to go and another 2 to come back from GN.

You are right though, the photos in Mario's of folks touching the whales etc were really amazing. lets see if we can make another trip south in the whale season
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Quote:
Originally posted by newtobaja
went with mario's tours as marallaimo was closed on new years day. Marallimo had reported about 40+ whales in the lagoon. However with Mario's, they took us to the mouth of the lagoon and we saw & followed an adult and 2 pairs of mom+kid whales. Got as near as 10 ft but no touching. The baby whales are too small right now I guess
Quote:



The fact that Malarrimo was closed is good indicator of how slow things are this early in the season. Glad you got up close to some whales. If you can swing it in the future, head down about 6-8 weeks later next time. The difference will astound you. Figured you did it at this time as kids had vacation break. Just remember, especially if you only go as far as Guerrero Negro, you can do it in a long weekend. Take a Friday and a Monday off. Just don't go on the President's Day weekend. way too crowded.

Bajahowodd - 1-11-2010 at 04:57 PM

That's the spirit!:biggrin: