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Johnny7
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 8-25-2014
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Border crossing?
Hi,
my wife and I are crossing into Baja soon, any comments in which is the best border crossing to take?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64837
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Where are you coming from and where are you going in Baja ??
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MMc
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If you are going on the pacific side use, SY easy, fast, direct. The permits are there too.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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I find Tecate easy and quick. Especially Southbound. I came through mid morning on a weekday a couple weeks ago. One car ahead of me. The drug dog guy
had his hound sniff around for thirty seconds. Friendly pooch. The customs lady wanted to have a look in my cargo trailer and asked to see the
registration of my dual sport bike. Also had a peek in the box I built for the top of the trailer. What can I say. Every year we haul more crap down!
Then around the block to the right to park and do the immigration/bank/immigration shuffle. All within feet each other and lots of hangers on to point
the right way. Tip the old parking guy a couple of bucks and then VERY carefully on South out of town so as not to attract the attention of that
motorcycle cop.
This trip he was on the South end of town where you start up the hill directing traffic for someone unloading firewood. But do stop for all lights.
Let the little peasant lady get all the way to the other sidewalk. Some of the green lights flash green for about a second and then go red. Don't
freak but, again, don't be in a hurry.
The highway up the hill is being repaved (finally) and, as of last week, the Southbound traffic is using the shoulder. Then that fine new road to
Ensenada. Wide enough to ease over to the shoulder and let the trucks do their gravity thing down the hills.
Oh, yeah. The cambios were giving the same rate in Tecate and Ensenada. 13.2 or so.
Drive slowly. Let those young studs in the new pickups have their inevitable crunch far from you. Every year the roads get wider but I think that
driving over 80 km/hr is foolish. Twenty-five years of driving through the boojums without even a flat tire. I have come upon so serious accidents but
EVERY one of them was directly caused by going too damned fast.
Now to get the last of the muddy insulation out of the walls. Ugh!
Gregor Samsa lives! (Read Metamophosis by Kafka)
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Hook
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Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mexico has dogs sniffing cars ENTERING Mexico? I havent ever seen that.
Why would anyone smuggle drugs into Mexico? Are they trained to sniff currency, maybe?
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Danged of I know. New to me also. Just a young german shepherd looking like he'd like a pet. He sniffed my hand and went on check out my tires for
evidence of other dogs, I suppose.
The handler wasn't all up tight like the ones going North. Just doin' his job.
In case you couldn't tell, I like Baja and the people. Now sometimes I lose it when I see some of the work that has been done on this house. But maybe
the previous owners might have had a hand in it. So I just start singing the Mickey Mouse Club song and tear it all apart and start over.
"Forever let us hold our banner high!'
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redhilltown
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Have never seen a line going IN at Tecate...you just have to finesse around the big rigs sometimes.
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bajalearner
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Mexico has dogs sniffing cars ENTERING Mexico? I havent ever seen that.
Why would anyone smuggle drugs into Mexico? Are they trained to sniff currency, maybe? |
I believe some high quality weed goes south into MX for sale. Also, a dog could smell the residual of a previous load of drugs in a car which is now
hauling cash the opposite direction. They would take action on even a personal use amount of drugs coming in.
I guess you could say the cops are fishing...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64837
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Still waiting to hear back from Johnny7 on the most important question of 'where he is coming from and where he is going in Baja' to provide the best
options for which of the 6 border crossings to use going into Baja.
If he is going to San Felipe, I wouldn't suggest San Ysidro as the first choice, for example.
All borders going south are fine, but late Friday afternoons can be long at San Ysidro and Calexico.
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bajalearner
Senior Nomad
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Location: Tijuana
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Still waiting to hear back from Johnny7 on the most important question of 'where he is coming from and where he is going in Baja' to provide the best
options for which of the 6 border crossings to use going into Baja.
If he is going to San Felipe, I wouldn't suggest San Ysidro as the first choice, for example.
All borders going south are fine, but late Friday afternoons can be long at San Ysidro and Calexico. |
Yes sir, Friday afternoons at SY, from noon to about 9pm are slow. When I cannot avoid that time, I find it takes about 30 mins, worst case, (4 to
8pm) which isn't all that bad. Traffic moves but it's a crawl. I-5 and I-805 come together and there's a gigga-ton of cars.
I cross with a near empty car so I don't know how the secondary is at those times. I see allot of officers working and don't see any backup at the
secondary spots.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4332
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Mexico has dogs sniffing cars ENTERING Mexico? I havent ever seen that.
Why would anyone smuggle drugs into Mexico? Are they trained to sniff currency, maybe? |
Have seen the occasional pooch at SY.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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nbacc
Senior Nomad
Posts: 770
Registered: 12-27-2008
Location: Northern California
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If going to San Felipe the East crossing is pretty easy, we usually go in the am
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by nbacc
If going to San Felipe the East crossing is pretty easy, we usually go in the am |
If you mean Otay, - yes.
Difficult to suggest anything indeed, when they don't tell where from and where in Baja they are going.
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Johnny7
Newbie
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We are going from California so it's either Tecate or Tijuana?
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nbacc
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To where??
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willardguy
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it don't matter, they're all easy! I'd hug the coast.
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Johnny7
We are going from California so it's either Tecate or Tijuana? |
Not really. There are 2 crossings in Tijuana: San Ysidro and Otay. So it's either Tecate, or SY, or Otay.
And, like many people already asked - TO WHERE?
If you go to San Felipe corridor, then Otay or Tecate would be better than SY.
Also, if you need Tourist Cards and/or crossing in odd hours, then SY could be better, good parking and 24/7 INM y Banco.
[Edited on 11-12-2014 by Alm]
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jack
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Gulliver, to get to the parking you mentioned, do you turn onto the first road to your right as soon as you enter Mexico, and is there room enough to
park a truck and 25 foot trailer? Tecate is the crossing I like the best and have always squeezed into one of the parking lots on the US side, but
that is a major hassle. A better spot to park, especially on the Mexican side of the border would be far better.
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Johnny7
Newbie
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Registered: 8-25-2014
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We are heading to Ensenada, but I have heard that Tijuana us very busy? Tecate would be a better option?
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apple
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Registered: 11-4-2013
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Unless you are coming from El Centro or somewhere close to Tecate there is no reason to go out of your way to get there. San Ysidro and Otay Mesa are
busy, but they hardly stop anyone going IN to Mexico and there is rarely a wait. Either crossing will be fine, but I prefer San Ysidro as it is easy
to get right on the coastal road from there.
Crossing back north is quicker at Otay Mesa, but it is a little tricky to get there.
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