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garyr
Newbie
Posts: 7
Registered: 5-16-2008
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Ears
When do you plan to go?
Gary
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The Gull
Super Nomad
Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: High
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Loudest Noise, least helpful
Doncha just love it when the dudes who live in the Rosarito-Ensenada area, who have nothing else to do to but foul up this board with anti-Baja
material, tell a relatively newbie not to go to Baja? Classic?
I was hammered by those types when I posted that this is a good time to travel to Baja - Far fewer visitors, cheap car washes, cheaper drinks, lower
restaurant prices and $2.60/gallon gas. Hey, I enjoy the lower activity level of the visitors, but for the sake of the Mexican economy, enough is
enough.
The druggies killing each other and the sensationalizing American press with their phobia of the brown hoards coming over the border unchecked, will
always cause enough negative vibes for most Americans to steer clear. It is schoolyard pile-ing-on by having ex-pats and financial failure escapees
from America post unsupportable opinions degrading Baja.
EARS - respect your wife's concerns, try another year. Northern Baja is safer than in the past two years, but that may not matter to her. I
frequently have folks from the US to visit. On different occasions over the last 10 years, I have had three different buddies who brought their wives
down for a weekend to visit. Each of those wives were terrified of Mexico (the people down here are brown and speak another language), everywhere
these women went they had a death grip on their purse (that attracts attention), and complained about men staring at them (their looks alone were
defense against rape). They shoved their food around the plate as if looking for moving objects. One woman tried to shower with bottled water, while
another didn't shower for two days (helped with the anti-rape fear). At a military stop, one woman decided to scream that she was going to die and
got hysterical in the car when the soldier with the rifle waved us on - she saw "the look in his eyes" as he held the gun at her. Later, one got
freaked out by the US customs officer asking questions and caused the car to go to secondary.
These are hard learned lessons which don't need repeating.
[Edited on 5-22-2008 by The Gull]
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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In the end, you and your wife will make the decision...that is best for you.
A lot of what we can do on this board is to present our views and personal experiences for your inspection and judgement.
Here's one that may..or may not..add to your decision-making.
Yesterday I met a kayaker in front of my waterfront home in Coyote Bay. (A few miles south of Mulege, Baja California Sur. 650 miles south of the
San Diego/Tijuana border.)
This kayaker had just finished a 7-week solo trip from San Felipe to Coyote.
Nobody else with this long-distance paddler...completely alone.
No problems..no crime...no shootings...no nada. Just the peaceful and unbelievably scenic journey along the Baja coast for hundreds of miles. I will
soon post a thread about her trip.
This kayaker has also driven the entire length of the Baja Road several times.
I have known this adventurer for many years. Her name is Leslie, she's 55, and about as big as my left leg.
She has good judgement and a generous supply of self-reliance ..which she uses to determine how and where she travels.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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| Quote: |
EARS - respect your wife's concerns, try another year. Northern Baja is safer than in the past two years, but that may not matter to her. I frequently
have folks from the US to visit. On different occasions over the last 10 years, I have had three different buddies who brought their wives down for a
weekend to visit. Each of those wives were terrified of Mexico (the people down here are brown and speak another language), everywhere these women
went they had a death grip on their purse (that attracts attention), and complained about men staring at them (their looks alone were defense against
rape). They shoved their food around the plate as if looking for moving objects. One woman tried to shower with bottled water, while another didn't
shower for two days (helped with the anti-rape fear). At a military stop, one woman decided to scream that she was going to die and got hysterical in
the car when the soldier with the rifle waved us on - she saw "the look in his eyes" as he held the gun at her. Later, one got freaked out by the US
customs officer asking questions and caused the car to go to secondary.
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Gull, yer killing me!!!!!
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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
Member Is Offline
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Tell your wife I have been driving down for 11yrs. mostly alone with my young son (since he was 4) Not a problem, except car trouble........Word got
out on this board (thanks David K.) had I had people from up and down Baja offering to come bail my butt out, many I had never met in person before,
just on this and the Amigos board.
Only one problem I see happening..........the dreaded BAJA FEVER! Your kids will catch it and won't want to leave, and will nag until you agree to
bring them back
Mean people suck!
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
Member Is Offline
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Hi Deb, Glad you took a break from shoveling beach sand to check in. 
There are a few of us baja women on this board who have traveled alone for years. I believe that the success of our journeys can be attributed to our
attitudes/personalities.
Someone with the fears that "Ears" wife is experiencing can be so strong that it could have the effect of making a wonderful, problem free trip a
nightmare, just from the worry alone that trouble is lying around every corner.
If something did go wrong, it would only increase the level of terror in her mind. I don't think Ears would ever hear the end of "I told you so" if he
lived long enough.
I've traveled with "someone" who disliked baja and it made everyone's life miserable. Why ruin a trip like that?
I'm thinking seperate vacations! Too bad his wife can't fly in and out, avoiding the drive, but the place they are headed for doesn't quite work for
that.
Instead of throwing her in the deep end of baja, maybe teach her to swim in the shallow end first. Build her confidence in the place and the people
and hopefully she'll come around.
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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stimbo
Nomad
Posts: 289
Registered: 3-4-2008
Location: Crowley Lake, CA
Member Is Offline
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Hey Ears -- You've read a diversity of opinion on the pros and cons of visiting Baja. The bottom line is that Mexico isn't for everyone. If your wife
is "riding the fence," then some more persuasion is in order. I love the place and will continue to visit and explore the peninsula, in spite of the
negative press. I fished there as a kid with my father in the "glory days" of saltwater angling. And now, I share the place with my family; a wife
that enjoys primitive camping and two teenagers that love kayaking, surfing, and hanging out on beaches. We spent a few days at Scorpian Bay in April.
Frankly, it didn't even "feel" like Mexico. There are lots of gringos, which may or may not be a good thing.... however, the attraction is the surf
and sand.
Getting there is the "battle." If traveling down the peninsula is the issue, have you considered flying to Loreto or La Paz? You could rent a car or
have your friends meet you at the airport. From the border, on your own, plan on 3 days to get to your destination. From either airport, a half-day
drive max will suffice. Easy driving as well.
Again, Mexico isn't for everyone. Travel in Baja requires planning with certain expectations. You cannot mindlessly hop into a truck for a quick
vacation (which obviously is why you have consulted this website). Baja is a foreign country (a Third World nation), for some it is bleak, desolate,
and destitute, the roads are narrow and require vigilant and attentive driving, they don't speak English... I could go on "ad naseum." Be prepared.
Listen to your wife, she has legitimate concerns. For myself, I enjoy the culture and the people. If you should breakdown, someone will stop and drop
everything they are doing in order to help you. The Mexicans are warm, accommodating, and resourceful. And the landscape is stunning.... well worth
the work involved to get there.
As I write this, a spring storm has rolled in. It is snowing outside! Just two days ago it was in the 80's! Now I pine for the beaches of Mexico.....
And finally, here is a photo of Scorpian Bay. Good luck with your decision.
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Yesterday my wife and a lady friend, in my 1990 Olds 4 dr sedan drove the 60 miles south of here to Cabo San Lucas to shop and do some banking. She
carries a cell phone and I try to stay around the house in case there is trouble on the road. No calls, she got home at 5:30. She did have trouble on
the road. In the heart of San Lucas but not on a paved street she went over a high spot in a construction zone, got high-centered and could not move
the car. Before she could ask for help some young men walking down the dirt street came to her aid -- one older guy drove while the others lifted the
car off the high spot, moved to a place where she could get traction again. They wouldn't take her money, but smiled politely when she thanked them.
Maybe it's a case of Bad Roads in Bad Places WITH Good People.
[Edited on 5-22-2008 by Osprey]
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bajaboolie
Nomad
Posts: 277
Registered: 9-24-2007
Location: Aptos, CA/Mulege
Member Is Offline
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Ears, I guess I want to reiterate what some of the others have said and offer my own experience. If she truly is "deathly afraid", then it wouldn't
be worth her going through that experience. But if she's afraid but open to encouragement, by all means show her all the precautions you plan on
taking...people have offered some great advice on precautions. I would include one other thing. I put an "in case of emergency" family contact
person's phone number in the glove box (in spanish). A bit morbid, yes, but if we get in an accident I'd want my family in San Diego to know as soon
as possible.
I am a wife and mom, and we have been bringing our 6 year old to Baja yearly since she was 2. My parents brought me down to Coyote Bay at least
annually since I was 3. I cannot imagine my life without our Baja trips. But even so, every year I get very nervous about the drive down beause of
the posts of the violence in Northern Baja, as well as the sometimes shoulderless roads, trucks and winding roads (or straight and immensely boring).
Despite my fears, I work it out because I realize the chances of anything happening is slim, and the reward of being in Baja is immense. Please, if
she wants to U2U me she is more than welcome. I'm open to talking it through!
Bajaboolie
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Ears, Sounds to me like your wife needs a good "Come to Jesus talk".  Good
luck!
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ears
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 5-9-2008
Member Is Offline
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Wife afraid of Baja:Part II
My wife felt I was not specific enough about my intinerary for my trip and that I need to expand on it so people can offer more insightful advice.
The trip is in two parts. The first part my 7 years old son and I will drive the length of Baja to Cabo from Los Angeles. My plan is to take three
nights stopping at La Pinta's in San Quitin/Catavina (1st night), Mulege/Loreto(2nd night), and La Paz the third night. The next day I would meet my
wife and 4 year old son at the airport in Cabo and we would stay in our time share near San Jose for 10 days. She would then leave to go home and
back to work, a friend of mine would fly into Cabo, and the four of us (my friend, 7 and 4 year old sons, and myself) would drive together to Scorpion
Bay. We sould spend 1 night in La PAz again, then drive to SB where I would meet up with another friend and 6 other families all with kids. We would
be in SB for a week and then caravan back home to LA together. I would be driving a 2007 Pathfinder and have driven to Cabo once before, Loreto
twice, and Mulege once, Punta Abreojos, as well as, numerous surf trips in N. Baja. She is serioulsy worried that the trip is too long for a 7 year
old both ways and that if it was in the US that would be one thing, but being in Mexico is another and she is worried about the children's safety
(esp. going solo on the way down to Cabo). She is also worried about road conditions and planning a trip where we have to meet at the airport in four
days. Honest opinions would be appreciated, esp. from families and people with kids
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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BRO
put your foot down.....the sun might not come up tomorrow, but i'm still setting my alarm clock just in case.... 
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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or push on another 30-35 minutes to the baja cactus in el rosario. hands down the best value for the money.
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3810
Registered: 8-31-2002
Location: BCN
Member Is Offline
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Part Dos sheds a whole new light on the subject. The kids will be fine. There's so much to look at out the side windows. She can u2u me for tons more
stuff about traveling in baja with kids if she'd like. I traveled alone with my kids in Baja from the beginning.
You could also do a search for traveling with kids. Use the Google option at the bottom, click on the Bajanomad.com. I know there are quite a few
posts on this board on that subject.
It would be a good idea to put emergency contact info. in your vehicle just in case. My fear was that we'd be in an accident and I'd not be able to
care for my kids. Having that info. handy will help ease that concern.
P.
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
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Honestly?
| Quote: | Originally posted by ears
My wife felt I was not specific enough about my intinerary for my trip and that I need to expand on it so people can offer more insightful advice. We
sould spend 1 night in La PAz again, then drive to SB where I would meet up with another friend and 6 other families all with kids. Honest opinions
would be appreciated, esp. from families and people with kids |
Ok. Honestly speaking, we had more trouble at Loreto/LA/Portland airports than any of many trips up and down Baja.
When I opted to meet my son and wife there one time in Loreto it had already been a horrible trip for them due to airport paranoia and security
after 9-11.
Driving down has always been our preferred and rewarding transportation method. Our children love it down there and we as a family have never had any
trouble rather we've appreciated the hospitality, adventure and warmth of Mexico.
Your wife sounds like a control freak. Folks like that should stick to travel itineraries with groups of same minded people.
I'm not trying to dissuade you or her as many travelers find these types of visits safe, fun and secure.
Each to their own. From here it looks like you, the adventurous type, and your wife, the fretting type have a problem with what's in the best
interest of jr. Hey that's the way it should be. Kids welfare always comes first.
With that said, you and you significant other must come to some reasonable solution that alleviates her fears yet allows you and your son to enjoy a
special vacation.
Understand that while there is much hyperbole about Baja' troubles and worries, we can't be all wrong. I never have fear following me around down
there. That would not be fun at all. I'd do what others here have donbe if I felt scared down in Baja, and that is stay away.
My recommendation for you is this: Remind your wife how comfortable and confident you are with the trip. Afterall, you've done it numerous times.
Insist that she NOT come if she carries bad vibes down there or can't be comfrotable because of some unbeknownst(sp?) fear or problem.
Most of all though, down ruin yer marriage over it!
If you go however be prepared for the time of your child's life. Be smart, you
sound wise, you just obviously love your wife a bunch or we wouldn't have got this far in the first place.!
Good luck amigo, Corky
edit for sp
[Edited on 5-22-2008 by Sharksbaja]
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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The Gull
Super Nomad
Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: High
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You have a time share near San Jose and you question the risks of Baja?
Seems a bit out of place. Did you buy it more than eight years ago, before being married?
I have changed my recommendation - all of you should stay home in the US.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18416
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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sounds like a fear or comfort issue, and advice you get here is meaningless, as it is your wife's fears or sense of comfort you need to deal with.
4 days is plenty of time to dive the penninsula, and have time to stop for mid-day hike or swim. even if you arrive in Cabo late, your wife can get a
cab from airport to condo (prime her for this possibility, or you will be starting off the trip in the dog house).
Some kids whine, fidget and complain on long car rides - you know your kid best, you decide. DVDs and tranquilizers help
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
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As long as you have a good relationship with both the kids & they mind you well, get along & are able to provide company
& entertain one another on those long boring stretches of road on the ride when you need to concentrate on the
road/cows/dogs/goats/pedestrians/rocks/buses & semis....GO FOR IT! Okay, I cheated! I don't have kids, but I've made the drive 6-8
times; driving during daylight hours ONLY; as many times as I've made it with someone....including my 90-year-old mother! WHAT? Is she worried you'll trade off drivers with the 7-year-old on the
trip down?
....Yet another solitary female of sturdy pioneer stock!  We go where no man has gone before!
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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The La Pinta hotels are now call the Desert Inn. Kids often get bored on long car trips, you just need to keep him busy with whatever he enjoys.
Books, music, games etc. But you also need to point out and discuss with him all that you see along the way. Stop every so often and teach him the
vegetation along the hwy, The Roberts plant guide is a great book. Do you know the story behind the Boojum trees? Or the elephant tree. How and why
all the volcanic rock in various areas. Count the 22 wheel trucks along the way. Explain the salt works at Guerrero Negro. The Kings hwy and missions.
It's an easy on/off to visit the missions at San Ignacio, Mulege and Loreto. look for parts of the old road. Teach him the money system of Mexico and
practice your spanish. I can think of lots of things to do on a trip down but I always run out of time.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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For Baja missions (photos, location and brief history): http://vivabaja.com/bajamissions
For finding the King's Highway (EL CAMINO REAL) from Loreto (the FIRST California Jesuit mission) to El Rosario (the first California Dominican
mission) see: http://vivabaja.com/ECR
(El Rosario north to San Diego, the ECR follows Hwy. 1 fairly well and development or wet climate has obliterated any traces, unlike south of El
Rosario)
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