Islandbuilder
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Warning!! Immigration offices closed Monday!
We crossed in Tecate this morning, even though the Immigration office had been closed since Saturday afternoon. After waiting 2 hours for the office
to open (there was a sign on the door that read "gone to eat") someone came by and told us that the office wouldn't be open either Sunday or MOnday,
due to the Constitution holiday.
We went on to Ensenada, where we cleared in at the office near the ship yard, next to the Port Captain's office. It is all well signed off of Hwy 1.
The officer in Ensenada said that most offices will be closed tomorrow, perhaps even in Tijuana?!
The Ensenada office will be open after 3:00 on Monday. Not sure how long he'll stay open, but it may be the only open office for those coming via
Tecate.
Good luck!
Some road work and detours in the mountains south of Ensenada, but no delays, just dust.
More later from Mulege..
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DianaT
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Glad you got through and are well on your way!
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David K
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Mexico continues to be a 'special' place! You are instructed to get a tourist card where you cross the border... and the INM office is supposed to be
open the same hours as the border. 
Hope the rest of your trip is a great one and full of Baja/ Mexico fun!
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sancho
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Never heard of that, wonder if closeures are common for
National Holidays? Have to file that away for
future reference. In the past there was nothing
but negative posts about an fmm at Ensenada,
do you know if the Enseanda gave you friendly
service beacuse the border IMM was closed?
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rts551
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Come on guys. Don't want any negative reports here
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Islandbuilder
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We waited in Tecate for a couple of hours, figuring that the "Went to eat" sign meant breakfast. Finally some folks showed up with a driver to get
their FMM's, because the night before they had gone to the office, and had seen the same "Went to eat" sign.
There was a guy at the bank window, whose only reason to be at work was to take FMM payments. He was pretty bummed when I told him that there was
nobody in the Migracion office, and from reports coming in, wasn't likely to be until Tuesday morning.
The driver and a couple of other "guys standing around" told us to just not worry and to go for it.
Not my style, but we headed for Ensenada. As I drove I ran a few worst case scenarios and decided to try for the Migracion office in Ensenada.
We pulled into the Port Captains parking lot, and using my best Spanish I asked if I was in the right place to get an FMM. He asked if I spoke
Spanish, to which I replied "Apparently not". He said the officer was clearing in a boat, and would be back in about an hour. We waited, and he was a
bit early.
We filled out the paperwork, and he took the payment right there, no need to do the bank thing. So, with proper forms and stamps we went on to San
Quintin, where we spent the night.
This morning we got an early start and made it to Mulege by 1700 (West coast time).
Loreto tomorrow, and then back north to San Ignacio.
Beautiful weather and very little traffic.
[Edited on 2-7-2012 by Islandbuilder]
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Islandbuilder
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What was weird was that stuff that was supposed to be open was closed, and what was supposed to be closed was open!
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Islandbuilder
We crossed in Tecate this morning, even though the Immigration office had been closed since Saturday afternoon. |
another reason to use san ysidro xing! SY is a 24/7 operation. they can't shut down SY border xing, or mexico would have to turn out its lights!
p.s. i luv the drive along the toll road -- pretty coastline!
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Islandbuilder
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by Islandbuilder
We crossed in Tecate this morning, even though the Immigration office had been closed since Saturday afternoon. |
another reason to use san ysidro xing! SY is a 24/7 operation. they can't shut down SY border xing, or mexico would have to turn out its lights!
p.s. i luv the drive along the toll road -- pretty coastline! |
I agree, with the nice swell that's running now that would have been my choice, but we needed to drop some stuff off at Rancho Sordo Mudo, a
residential school for deaf kids, between Tecate and Ensenada.
Given what I know now, I would have gone through San Ysidro, and then doubled back from Ensenada. Trouble was, there was no possible way to "know what
I know now".
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David K
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Bill, was anyone at the Eagle Monument (near Guerrero Negro) to inspect your FMMs (or to spray the underside of your truck)??? ... Provided you
entered Baja Ca Sur on Mex. 1 and not the other open roads across the state border...
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by Islandbuilder
We crossed in Tecate this morning, even though the Immigration office had been closed since Saturday afternoon. |
another reason to use san ysidro xing! SY is a 24/7 operation. they can't shut down SY border xing, or mexico would have to turn out its lights!
p.s. i luv the drive along the toll road -- pretty coastline! |
Umm, the Tecate border was OPEN... there just was NOBODY home (in the INM office).
The same can happen in Tijuana (and has for some who didn't walk through the hall to the pedestrian crossing)...
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Islandbuilder
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Bill, was anyone at the Eagle Monument (near Guerrero Negro) to inspect your FMMs (or to spray the underside of your truck)??? ... Provided you
entered Baja Ca Sur on Mex. 1 and not the other open roads across the state border... |
David, the check point was open, but no one asked for our visa or sprayed our truck. There were several other check points, and the soldiers did a
cursory inspection and waved us on at each of them.
Had dinner with Mike Younghusband tonight, and he said we could have gotten our FMM at the office in GN, just before the check point.
As we ate dinner the full moon rose over Loreto Bay. Beautiful!
Tommorow we want to get an early start to drive back to San Ignacio, where we have a reservation at Ignacio Springs. The next day we whale watch in
San Ignacio lagoon in the morning, and then drive to La Bocana where we spend a couple of days with Blanca and Les, then to Bahia Asuncion and some
time with Shari and Juan.
What a great trip this has been so far, and it's only going to get better! Only regret to date is missing Ron in San Quintin.
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David K
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Not a military check point, but just south of the traffic circle at the Eagle monument is an actual IMMIGRATION inspection then the bug spray drive
over. The military has nothing to do with tourist card validation... just drugs and guns/ammo check... (for anyone else reading this and new to Baja
travel).
In 2007, he looked at my FM-T, didn't need to see Baja Angel's.
In 2009, he asked if I had them and before I could pull them out of our passports, he waved us to get going.
Last July, 2011, he stopped edm-1 (Art) and not only checked his, but fined him $100 because his wife didn't have one (her passport was expired and
they wouldn't issue one at Mexicali for her... so they just chanced it to Guerrero Negro).
Sounds like a great trip so far!!! Bummer on missing Ron (Baja Gringo)!
[Edited on 2-8-2012 by David K]
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Islandbuilder
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OK, Yeah, we did go through a Immigration check point, and Shannon reminds me that they did ask to see our visas.
It's terrible when........I forget what I was going to say.........
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BajaBlanca
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looking forward to meeting you both and have fun with the whales !!
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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we're also ready to meet some new Nomads...or.."Newmads:!!! har har har...get em warmed up for us Blanca...tee hee....kiss a whale for us too...see ya
soon.
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