BajaNomad - First Time In Sth Baja ATM

First Time In Sth Baja ATM

weebray - 2-17-2017 at 12:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Man_With_Gas

I arrived last Friday and been to San Jose, San Lucas & La Paz.

I must say I've enjoyed it immensely and will be sad to leave it all on this Sat.

My only gripe is the La Paz police and their shakedowns on Gringos in hire cars.
Other than that a perfect time has been experienced.

A tip from someone that lives here. For the most part La Paz treats stop signs as yield signs. In most areas pedestrians do not have the right of way. All of this does not apply to the center of town bordered approximately by Allende and Cjnco de Mayo. In this area, especially if you are not locally plated, STOP at all stops and yield to all pedestrians. Just be overly cautious in this area and everything should go well.

[Edited on 2-19-2017 by BajaNomad]

billklaser - 2-17-2017 at 12:49 PM

Here in Loreto if you stop at a "Stop" sign you might get rear ended. However, good advice is to stop if you see a policeman and if you are a Gringo.

David K - 2-17-2017 at 03:51 PM

What is Sth Baja ATM???

mrfatboy - 2-17-2017 at 05:19 PM

South Baja at the moment. 😜

bajabuddha - 2-17-2017 at 05:26 PM

ATM + texty = At The Moment

ATM + realspeak = a machine that dispenses bank monies by plastic card.

LMAO, ROFLMFAO, OMG, etc etc etc.

There's even a texty-dictionary website that defines terms. English or Spanish I can understand. Durn young whippersnappers and new-speak.... glad we didn't have that in MY generation!

Maguma b-tchin', y'all. :biggrin:

mtgoat666 - 2-17-2017 at 05:51 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

What is Sth Baja ATM???

Fifth baja auto. teller mach.

Nomads have a habit of drunk posting nonsense

Lee - 2-17-2017 at 08:48 PM

FYI: Sth is BCS. San Lucas is Cabo or Cabo San Lucas. Cabo is commonly called Cabo. Try to fit in.

BornFisher - 2-17-2017 at 09:20 PM

Gas--- you`re fine. Thanks for the report!!!

David K - 2-17-2017 at 09:33 PM

Hard to yield a lot of data if you use abbreviations we all don't recognize. Sth just needs two more letters for South. ATM is automatic teller machine to us alive since they went into use in the 70s.

Now, please don't let us dumb yankees/ gringos chase you away!

Lee - 2-17-2017 at 11:59 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Hard to yield a lot of data if you use abbreviations we all don't recognize. Sth just needs two more letters for South. ATM is automatic teller machine to us alive since they went into use in the 70s.

Now, please don't let us dumb yankees/ gringos chase you away!

I believe it's important to fit in -- less so on this board but esp. down South. Standing out makes one a target. Reference to the La Paz cops in the first post and their shake down of gringoes.

I would have liked hearing more about that experience -- first hand or hearsay. No way around it. The road from LP to Todos is a gauntlet.

(Couple years ago a federale tailed me for miles starting at about San Pedro. Couldn't figure out why he didn't pull me over.)

David K - 2-18-2017 at 07:27 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I agree about fitting in (or adapting to local customs). I just have a hard time ignoring stop signs as they do in La Paz (and Loreto)! They treat them as yield signs, and then maybe only if you are in a bigger vehicle! Sort of a contest of machoism, lol.

bajamary1952 - 2-18-2017 at 09:19 AM

I've been in La Paz for the past week and not had any problems with the police traveling around the entire area. I think foreigners forget that they cannot drive in the same manner as the locals do. Locals/Mexicans can come to a rolling stop sign and get away with it; foreigners cannot; it's a simple fact. I see many U.S. license plates driving around here at faster speeds than posted on the signs. Sometimes I think they misread the signs for the posted speed limit in mph rather than kph which is different. One thing I've learned by traveling the entire peninsula is that the more you attempt to fit in and remember that you are a guest here the less problems you have.

AKgringo - 2-18-2017 at 10:23 AM

In the spring of 2014, and again later in the year, I was pulled over near the Walmart on the west side of town. Once it was for a seatbelt, and once for going through a yellow light! The Mexican plated vehicle behind me that went through on the red was not pulled over!

Here is a link to an older thread; http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=80666&got...

Gas-man, don't go away, most of us would probably like to see what you have to say....without being snarky!

Lee - 2-18-2017 at 10:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajamary1952

I see many U.S. license plates driving around here at faster speeds than posted on the signs. Sometimes I think they misread the signs for the posted speed limit in mph rather than kph which is different. .

That's right. Some gringoes drive faster than posted limits -- generally, I see most locals driving that fast all the time. They do the California Stop (hit the brake, roll through the stop).

I drive here the same as Loreto. When coming to a stop, I check who's behind me. If they are rolling up on me I come to a stop and keep moving. For some reason, I'm hyper aware that I can be rear ended and don't trust other drivers are paying attention.

Don't think gringo speedsters take kph for mph. I believe there's a pervasive attitude of lawlessness here. Nobody gives a flying F about the law. Stop signs are interpreted as stop if there's traffic. If no traffic, slow but keep rolling.

Think the MX Revolution is partly the blame. F Spain and their laws? No se.