BajaNomad - Leatherman, Mordida, and Machete?

Leatherman, Mordida, and Machete?

Jaybo - 2-11-2013 at 09:22 AM

4 more days and we are on our way! Looking back over some of the various threads on self protection, mordida and the like.

I always have my Leatherman on my belt in the US - its a tool for me, but it sounds like it is not legal? What about a machete in the vehicle? Pepper spray that my wife carries? I'm really not to worried about any problems as we will be on the paved roads most of the time, won't be looking for illegal things either, but it's hard for me to not have *something* as a defense weapon should the slight possibility of need arise. Comments?

Mordita - I'm not paying. I am going to make a laminated copy of my DL and passport to give, make copies of registration and permission letter for transporting the vehicle. I know I need to ask the name and badge number of the officer, and go to the station if he tries to shake me down. I know about the stop signs and speed limits and all that. There was something about a anti mordita sticker for the back window but I just want the info to have with my paperwork the officer can see.. what's the name and phone numbers for them?

Anything else?

Hook - 2-11-2013 at 09:35 AM

On mordidas, my take is if I'm guilty, I pay it. Hey, it's a win-win situation. :yes:

If I'm innocent, I fight it.

Terry28 - 2-11-2013 at 11:00 AM

Jeez..If you are that paranoid why not stay home??

SFandH - 2-11-2013 at 11:39 AM

Bring a mitt and ball too. Maybe you can get a game of 21 together and have some fun!

24baja - 2-11-2013 at 11:56 AM

heard you Cant have pepper spray unless it is labeled bear spray. We carry a machette in back seat its considered a tool. Some people just carry a can of hornet spray and aim for the eyes! Have a safe and fantastic trip.

Lee - 2-11-2013 at 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 24baja
heard you Cant have pepper spray unless it is labeled bear spray. We carry a machette in back seat its considered a tool. Some people just carry a can of hornet spray and aim for the eyes! Have a safe and fantastic trip.

check u2u

chuckie - 2-11-2013 at 12:10 PM

I am afraid that jaybo is going to have a bad trip..Planning everything to death just doesnt work in Baja, hardly anything happens on schedule...and expecting it to is unrealistic....Thats why some of us love it here! Every day is a new adventure.. as to his last questions? The man standing in front of you with the badge and the gun will determine what the law is, every time...Doesnt matter what you have heard or read, he decides...As to Mordidas ? ??? ???

ligui - 2-11-2013 at 12:14 PM

I Too carry a baseball bat and ball . Just encase the other guy forgot his .

I Don't think your paranoid at all shi- happens all over the world, nothing wrong with being ready if something did come up . Hell people carry guns in the good old USA for the same reason .

mtgoat666 - 2-11-2013 at 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaybo
Anything else?

don't worry, be happy!

p.s. if you are paranoid about being stopped for displaying knife or spray on your belt, why don't you put it in your pocket?

if you are hiking in boonies or engaged in fishing, no one cares! if in town, keep it in yur pocket.

DENNIS - 2-11-2013 at 12:49 PM

Anything can be called "prohibited." If a cop likes your kitchen and dining flatware, he's gonna confiscate it.
Just stay away from bad areas and bad people. Enjoy your trip.

sancho - 2-11-2013 at 01:12 PM

I've been going to Baja for 30 yrs., have read the
Baja Message boards since they first came online,
I can't remember more than a hand full of incidents,
I wouldn't want to get close to a situation I had to
use pepper spray, posts have reported pepper spray
is sold in Mex, although ALL the things you mentioned,
IF the Mex Cop/ Military Checkpoint Army Private has
one of the better IMAGINATIONS could be considered
illegal. The Lousiville Slugger sounds good, w/glove
and ball, I only carry a small amount of $ on me,
so if ever approached by a rata, a few pesos thrown on
the ground in a fake wallet would occupy him

DENNIS - 2-11-2013 at 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sancho
posts have reported pepper spray
is sold in Mex,

First time I ever saw it sold here was in the gift shop in the international airport, Tijuana. That was a few years back.

24baja - 2-11-2013 at 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lee

Quote:

check u2u

Checked and i dont have a u2u

Hook - 2-11-2013 at 02:55 PM

Next up?

Jaybo's query of where "clean bathrooms are" on the peninsula..............

DENNIS - 2-11-2013 at 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hook
Next up?

Jaybo's query of where "clean bathrooms are" on the peninsula..............

Any tourist destination should have sparkling toilets since there are no tourists to muss them up.

DavidE - 2-11-2013 at 03:31 PM

What IS so hard about taking the Leatherman off of the belt until you get to your campsite? If you were wearing a ROLEX OYSTER on your belt it too would be coveted.

Jaybo - 2-11-2013 at 04:19 PM

To the detractors - Look, It's my FIRST trip driving down. When I go someplace in the states that I have not been to I check stuff out too. It's an exploratory trip, with my wife who is just a bit nervous from her ultra-paranoid family filling her head with crap. So yes, it's going to be an adventure, I am going to cover all my bases within reason. Isn't that what the questions and answers forum is for? I thought it was to get helpful information from those of you with experience? If you don't like that I am going prepared and asking so many questions, please be so kind to just ignore me and STFU, you aren't helping

As to the other helpful folks that are giving their informed feedback, thank you! I am not worried, I am just wanting to be prepared so that I can get a good look at the good places, so I can make it a positive trip for the better half to ensure future more "adventurous" trips! Looking out for my safety and my wifes safety is pretty important to me, so I had to ask the question.

Oh, I almost forgot, Where are the really nice toilets on the way down, preferably with Bidets and attendants? :spingrin:

sancho - 2-11-2013 at 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaybo

Where are the really nice toilets on the way down, preferably with Bidets and attendants?

There are a few/ a lot of wisecracking joksters here, it's just part the game, just laugh and flow with it, not to be taken
personally. I've never met anyone in Baja
who has had a attack on their person, robbed,etc.,
other than say a cooler left out at nite at a campsite.
Most are gone, but some of the old Pemex stations
had toilets that looked like they were never hooked up

Cypress - 2-11-2013 at 04:47 PM

Jaybo, At one time or another everyone made their "first trip down". It's always an adventure! :biggrin:

DENNIS - 2-11-2013 at 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaybo
Oh, I almost forgot, Where are the really nice toilets on the way down, preferably with Bidets and attendants? :spingrin:

Bidets?? The federal buildings bolt them to the walls and use them for drinking fountains.
Have a good trip, Jay. You'll be just fine.

Jaybo - 2-11-2013 at 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sancho

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaybo

Where are the really nice toilets on the way down, preferably with Bidets and attendants?

There are a few/ a lot of wisecracking joksters here, it's just part the game, just laugh and flow with it, not to be taken
personally.

Sancho, I've been lurking around here for a few years now and know ALL about the cranky old farts, the jokesters, the left wing liberal's and the right wing wacko's on here

That's why the smileys after my STFU comment

It's all good and I can can roll with it all and I'm not going to apologize for asking the "dumb" question... most everyone has been very helpful and it is all appreciated, even the "just go down and have fun and don't prepare for the adventure comments. I do get, I really do

Thanks everyone

..Jay

DavidE - 2-11-2013 at 05:28 PM

The way most made in Mexico toilets work down here, you don't need to spend one centavo extra to get a bidét.

But over-planning is both fruitless and silly. I have run across enough gringos down here with an almost complete lack of common sense that I can guarantee you can wing-it just fine and have no problems.

gallesram - 2-11-2013 at 05:41 PM

I'm with you about planning for a trip to an area I haven't visited before!

I actually make this drive alone several times a year (from OC to Mulege) and it's pretty uneventful. The drive used to be a lot more challenging than it is today; I am grateful for that, others miss the "good old days" of the unexpected. It seems that the fun and carefree feeling that keeps us coming back is found at the destination where you spend your time; the actual journey getting there is much more mundane. Don't drive at night and make sure your gas tank is always at least 1/2 full.

The sticker you referred to is "Sindicatura" (the Mexican equivalent of internal affairs for the police deparment) and I have one on my car; I don't know whether it works or not but I do know that I haven't been pulled over in Baja for several years. I'd definitely go with what someone posted earlier: if you have done something wrong, negotiate and pay the cop. If you haven't then hold your ground. If you do a Google Image search of "Sindicatura" you'll see the sticker (shaped like a stop sign). You can print it on photo paper and tape it to the back window of your car. I know it has helped me when driving on the Mainland; except for a few spots on the Baja (Ciudad Constitucion & Tecate) you're not likely to get pulled over for no reason.

Jaybo - 2-11-2013 at 05:50 PM

DavidE,

I'm not worried, and perhaps I am over-planning, but to me to me that is the beauty of BajaNomads, I can gain the experience of the people that have done it repeatedly and/or live down there and save at least some of the mistakes, See stuff I may have missed in the years I have been lurking around here so maybe it is fruitless and silly but I've also armed myself with some knowledge and wisdom that will make it positive for me and especially my wife. Happy wife, happy life and all that, ya know?

Gallesram - Thanks

I know it will likely be kind of mundane but it will be new to me mundane. I just need to make the most of my time. If I could get away with taking MORE time I would but it is not my own vehicle, so I'm taking as much liberty as I can within reason for the helpfulness of delivering a vehicle for a friend allows

so with the condensed time, all of the info I can obtain to make the most of my trip is time and money in the bank to me

Edited to add reply to g-ram

[Edited on 2-12-2013 by Jaybo]

woody with a view - 2-11-2013 at 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Bidets?? The federal buildings bolt them to the walls and use them for drinking fountains.
Have a good trip, Jay. You'll be just fine.

you're a sick puppy! and funny too!!!

woody with a view - 2-12-2013 at 06:34 AM

BTW, a machete is a tool. i have a "tool" next to my seat. i gotta remember it's there every time we cross northbound where it is considered a concealed weapon.

dtutko1 - 2-12-2013 at 07:16 AM

Jaybo
I salute your planning and preparedness w/o paranoia. There has been at least 2 armed robberies here in the Todos Santos area this winter. Lots of small robberies every week. Do you have a dog? Not the kind that sleeps in bed w/you, but the working kind that sleeps outside. This is our 12th winter in Baja and we are planning to be here next winter and more after that. We love Baja, the weather, ocean, the people etc, but I have found that if you let your guard down you will be disappointed.

watizname - 2-12-2013 at 10:05 AM

I always said "the only dumb question is the one you don't ask", and the Boy Scouts taught me a long time ago to "be prepared". You're doing it right Jaybo. :coolup:

BajaRat - 2-12-2013 at 10:53 AM

Machetes under driver and pass seat in case we are already out of the truck. Folding tree saws in both door pockets. they cut both directions, razor sharp. flip out like a switch blade and very difficult to disarm if you keep a firm grip. They are very scary to all but the stupid or seasoned criminal. Mess with the Fam and we're prepared to demonstrate our commitment to personal safety. Never bring a knife to a gun fight but if that's all you have... well... Military usually smile at us when they are checking the truck and run across them. They know its for our protection not just to clear some brush out of the road. Love the advice of don't travel at night. Keep your speed down.... Speed kills. You have a better chance of dieing or being seriously injured from poor driving habits than banditos. Don't stop in Los Angeles Ca. and you will have avoided the most dangerous part of your trip. O, BTW, Have fun :cool:

[Edited on 2-12-2013 by BajaRat]

bajaguy - 2-12-2013 at 10:55 AM

Green laser pointer @ Amazon.com

Don't forget, your vehicle is a weapon.......

DavidE - 2-12-2013 at 11:12 AM

You ought to have seen the "early days" when border crossing was a real adventure. The aduaneros were looking to grab a little mordida "Trailers are not allowed into Mexico except with special permission". Tents were or were not prohibited according to whim. Entering with more than a quarter tank of gas, your hair is too long! Let me see how much money you are bringing to Mexico, American cigarettes are prohibido, this birth certificate does not look right, perhaps if I talk to the Jefe he may permit it, cars with ocho cilindros need special permission, where are your tarjetas de creditos from your bank? You cannot bring books into Mexico! No lampras se gas ni estufas, stay more than thirty days you need special permission. Don't worry amigo with my help I can arrange all this for you!"

Young folks, you have NO IDEA of what some of us had to go through. Banknotes lubricated all friction and "problemas".

BajaRat - 2-12-2013 at 11:18 AM

Bajaguy brings up two more good points. High quality scorpion flashlight, bigger the better, the ultra violet light is blinding.

chuckie - 2-12-2013 at 02:10 PM

DavidE Ah! Those were the days!!! It was always enjoyable to engage in a negotiation with the man at the border...And Remember how his typing speed on the old long carriage underwood doubled when a few bucks went into the "Por Los Nino's" jar on the desk?