vandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 10-10-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
HWY 1 best I've seen; South to North
I left Santiago Saturday around 2PM. Stopped for cash and gas Los Barriles. Drove straight on through La Paz to Puerto Escondido for the night.
Mosqitoes were BAD!
Sunday I drove all the way to Ensenada to stay at Hotel Joker, $25US. The roads were all in good shape, except around Catavina where the pavement is
de-laminating in patches. No construction delays. All checkpoints had minimal searches of my car; they left my small trailer alone.
I had a nice chat with a soldier holding a device with a horizontal rod projecting from it; he said it was to detect marijuana. He was using it
upwind of the vehicles in a stiff breeze...maybe he thinks it's magic?
The Tecate road (Ruta Vinicola) was incredibly great. The first 27 miles or so from Ensenada have been widened/repaved. There is actually a 3 or
4-mile section with a 110KPH speed limit.
Easiest trip north with a couple of exceptions. In Constitucion, the speed limit is 25K, and I got a "fine" for doing 40K.
At the border, I got an anal-retentive woman who sent me to secondary inspection for an apple that was labeled "Product of USA". No fruit allowed to
return to the US.
No mention was made of my passport having expired in January.
In Arizona, it turns out that dogs work a lot better than the drug-detector machine. At a border patrol checkpoint, the dog went nuts on my car and
trailer. After 30 minutes of going through it, they said there was "detectable residue" of marijuana in one bag and in the trunk. It turns out that
a plastic-sealed package of marijuana leaves "detectable residue", invisible to the naked eye. For like months.
Just so you know: The dogs are trained to detect people and drugs. Not explosives. Not guns. Do you think they may have the wrong priorities?
A great winter in Baja; I can't wait to head back down in July.
[Edited on 5-5-2010 by vandy]
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64831
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Thanks for the report...
Here is a list of what is allowed or not allowed... (it may have been updated, but this is what was handed out 8 years ago)
|
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
vandy did you have to get out at all the military inspections? We left San Ignacio on Saturday the 1st and crossed the border on Sunday the 2nd. We
were inspected at every checkpoint coming back. The last one before Tecate they went thru some bags, even opened a bottle of Tums and smelled them. I
can't remember the last time they openned a bag before.
Glad you had a good time in Baja, so did we.
|
|
|
woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
|
|
so you're saying months later the dog smelled the residue of one your bags which wasn't there any longer?
i call bull!
[Edited on 5-7-2010 by woody in ob]
|
|
|
pascuale
Nomad
Posts: 224
Registered: 2-20-2005
Location: Somewhere South
Member Is Offline
Mood: Lets fish!
|
|
they can detect explosives, large quantities of money, and guns as well. And yes, a dog will smell marijuana residue anywhere. Glad to hear the trip
was safe, I cant wait to get down there!
|
|
|
woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
|
|
i don't partake, but residue from a baggie months later being detected????
edit: if the baggie was found, yes. if the baggie was thrown out months ago, no way!
[Edited on 5-7-2010 by woody in ob]
|
|
|
bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
|
|
Dogs trained for a specific purpose "alert" in different ways. A narcotics dog usually is very agressive and will dig for the source/scent. An
explosives dog will usually sit or lay down when a source/scent is detected.
I have found that a narcotics or explosives dog will alert on a scent/source several months old. One case involved the dog alerting on an item that
was stored in close proximity to the contraband and absorbed the odors.
In my experience a dual trained dog (narcotics/explosives/attack) will work, but is not as ideal as a single task dog.
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by vandy
.....After 30 minutes of going through it, they said there was "detectable residue" of marijuana in one bag and in the trunk. It turns out that a
plastic-sealed package of marijuana leaves "detectable residue", invisible to the naked eye.
[Edited on 5-5-2010 by vandy] |
Whooops
Do a better clean-up next trip
So what did they say about the stash bag (empty , it seems) at that time?
I would think they need more evidence than the aroma to lay charges or create more problems....????
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by motoged..................
I would think they need more evidence than the aroma to lay charges or create more problems....???? |
............
Nope, that is enough for them to get out their tools and do an assembly line in reverse...........remember the scene in the movie "The French
Connection" where they dismantled the car??????
|
|
|
vandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 10-10-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Let me be more clear: the marijuana smell came from a suitcase that my buddy had transported his homegrown medical marijuana in, sealed in
ziplocs...hell, I can even smell it when I first open the bag up. Smells nice.
The bag was in the trunk, which also got the smell. The Border Patrol guy told me to lose the bag and leave my trunk open for a while.
And yeah, TW, I had to get out at every checkpoint. The one south of Ensenada had the pot-detector dingus. Since I speak a little Mexican, I'd
comment on the way up, "Only six more inspections to go in Mexico, and two more in the United States. (The total was seven in Mexico from Cabo to
Tecate, and three in the US: border, CA border patrol checkpoint and AZ border patrol checkpoint)
Have fun and don't get into trouble
JohnV
|
|
|
tiotomasbcs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1837
Registered: 7-30-2007
Location: El Pescadero
Member Is Offline
|
|
Be careful south of Catavina. Pavement is pot holed and coming apart! This section has always been an area that seems to be poorly repaired. The
majority of the Hwy is much wider and smoother than it ever has been, thankfully! La Paz to south is beautiful! Extreme caution from Todos to
Cabo!! Sale Vale.
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by vandy
..... Since I speak a little Mexican ... |
VAndy,
I believe they speak Spanish down there....
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Not all Spanish is the same. Kind of like someone from England talking to someone from Alabama it's not the same English.
|
|
|
motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Gettin' Better
|
|
TW,
Yeah, I get that....but it is still Spanish....NOT "Mexican".
As for the folks from Alabama....well, it is still English...NOT "American"...
I shake my head whenever traveling in Mexico and hear "Americans" (i.e. residents of USA) complain that locals "Don't speak American".
Don't believe everything you think....
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
