I Want To Be In Baja

I was listening to some of the chat on the El Dorado Ranch Yahoo Group this week and one of the subjects that came up was the rules governing what you could or could not bring into Mexico with you. There seemed to be some confusion over the Mexican customs rules and a couple of people had their goods confiscated at the border because they weren’t aware of the regulations. One thing that came out of the conversation, though, was a very useful website resource that will answer all of your questions, which I thought I would share with you so you don’t have the same problems. So if you want to know what you have to do when crossing the border, what you can bring in duty free, what items you need to declare, what goods are prohibited, the rules on temporary vehicle importation, and so on this will be a valuable resource for you - knowledge is power, as they say!

Click Here - Mexican Border Crossings - Passengers Arriving By Land

And, happy traveling!

 
In response to the mounting negative U.S. news coverage of danger for tourists coming to Baja, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Oscar Escobedo Carignan, released this letter which clearly spells out the tranquility and safety of the port of San Felipe. Evidently, the 15,000 or so visitors to the Baja 250 race last weekend (more about which forthcoming from Nancy), arrived and left safely and had a good time while they were there.  

Unfortunately, the bad publicity has meant that San Felipe is going to be much quieter than usual for this year’s Spring Break.  Let’s hope that that the drug cartel problem can be sorted out this year and that it is not going to just drag on and on.  Hopefully, President Obama’s visit in April will elicit some cross-border cooperation in this regard - afterall, who is it that is buying the drugs?  Who is it that is supplying the cartels with guns?  This is not purely a Mexican problem.

Thanks to Ed from the El Dorado Ranch Yahoo Group for the above picture.

Joining the El Dorado Ranch Yahoo Group has paid off already it seems! I picked up an email to the group from Eddy Jones telling everyone about a very useful website that gives up-to-the-minute information on the various Mexico-US border crossings (Click this to see).

For those of you intending to drive to Baja, El Dorado Ranch, San Felipe, or anywhere in Mexico for that matter, not only will the site give you an estimate of the wait times at the various crossing points, as well as any temporary ’situations’ which may further affect your crossing, but also which documentation you will need etc. This is particularly important as certain rules have recently changed. For example, as from 31st January, 2008 you need documentary proof of citizenship - an oral declaration is no longer enough. Also, as from 1st June, 2009 you will need to have a WHTI-compliant document (link is to State Dept website)- the driver’s license/birth certificate combo no longer being enough. Not something you want to find out when you get there!

The website also gives information about road conditions, checkpoints, traveling by bus or air and other immigration information. All-in-all, a very useful resource to have all in one place - Thanks for the tip Eddy!

Anyone who is planning on travelling to Mexico, as we are, cannot help but have noticed the travel alerts put out by the U.S. State Department on 14th October. Their warnings concern a perceived upsurge in violence along the U.S. - Mexican border, both between drug gangs as well as between drug gangs and the Mexican army. The violence has included an increase in incidents involving U.S. citizens visiting Mexico. It has certainly resulted in a significant increase in the number of stories in the U.S press regarding such incidents and this has alarmed a number of people.

However, those that live in Baja in particular, and Mexico generally, would argue that many of these incidents have been blown out of all proportion, that the drug violence is not a new phenomenon and that the Mexican authorities have acted swiftly and significantly in response to it. Many of them further believe that the media are less concerned with the safety abroad of U.S. citizens and more concerned with undermining Mexican investment and tourism. If you want to see an in depth look at both arguments so you can make up your own mind then check out the following link - http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-california-travel/mexico-travel-warning.htm

No-one visiting Mexico should go there with the mistaken impression that it is no different than being in America. It is not. But neither is it any more dangerous being in Mexico than it is being in America. If you go to a dodgy area in the U.S. then you can expect to get into trouble - same thing in Mexico. If you take a few simple and sensible precautions then you will be in no more danger in Mexico than if you were in the U.S. Here are the principal things to look out for:

• Travel during the day and stick to well used main routes.
• Avoid travelling alone.
• Don’t carry a lot of cash and keep cash and credit cards in separate places.
• Stay alert and try not to stand out, either through dress or waving a lot of cash about.

Tens of thousands visit Baja every week and have a great time. I for one intend to take a ‘glass-half-full’ approach. Somewhere like El Dorado Ranch is much more secure anyway as it is away from the town and has its own security. And while in town we are going to be with a whole bunch of friends anyway. To be honest, I would have more worries going to some areas in Phoenix than I would to Baja.