Baja - Lessons Learned
Truck tostadas! Fun with local inspiration and shopping
As first time Baja road trippers we did our research but had various concerns before the trip – here are some key learnings for us (although after two months we are in no way experts). Overall this was an epic trip for us - the memories will be with us forever. If you are considering Baja, do it! Go wisely and go slowly.
Military check points – as older Caucasian American tourists with nothing to hide these were a non issue for us. We approached them with courtesy and respect, masks on, sunglasses off, speaking our limited Spanish and were treated in kind. A couple of times, the guard asked to see inside the camper and had a quick look. Most of the time we were waved through with a simple question about where we were going.
Money, cash, ATMs – we entered the country with a few hundred US dollars as back up. It was easy to pull Mexican cash out of an ATM in Tecate to get us started. In advance of the trip, we opened a Charles Schwab checking account as their international ATM fees are among the lowest. The exchange rate at the ATMs has been market rate. We made sure we keep about $4000 pesos ($200 US) on hand. ATMs were readily available. In smaller towns, gas, groceries and restaurants require cash for purchases. Larger supermarkets and gas station chains often take credit cards. Hotels and tour operators typically take cash or credit card and will often quote prices in and accept US dollars. We tried to avoid using ATMS on the weekend as they tend to have longer lines.
COVID Precautions – in general, COVID protocols in Baja were better than most of what we experienced in the US. Masks are required in all towns, and temperature checks and mandatory hand sanitization required before entering any building or business. Grocery stores are also limiting numbers. Tour operators require masks on boats and in vans and are limiting numbers. We chose to limit eating out and not to eat in an inside restaurant, but most restaurants have outside seating anyway. Since our home is our truck, we have found it easy to stay away from people – however we did miss having conversations with local people.
Language -our Spanish is limited. We have found that approaching any conversation by beginning with whatever limited Spanish we know appropriate for the situation and by saying “Lo siento mi espanol is muy malo” – “I am sorry, my Spanish is really bad” – we have always been greeted by a smile and patience with us.
WiFi and Cell Coverage – we have a US Verizon plan which includes coverage in Mexico but with limited data. (Not sufficient to download video or support a one hour Zoom call.) Basic coverage was decent with connectivity in sometimes unexpected places. With Andy still working for most of the trip, even though a lot of his work was offline, we were challenged with finding adequate Wifi outside major metropolitan areas. In our drive south, the first place we hit with strong enough Wifi to download movies, photos, podcasts etc. was La Paz. Most of the Wifi offered at campgrounds was enough to check email and maybe download a photo or two or a short podcast, but not much more. Luckily we had loaded up on Netflix and Prime episodes (our post sunset evening entertainment) on Dawn’s laptop and downloaded an audible book on her phone (for the long straight desert stretches) before we left and we were able to replenish at our Airbnb in La Paz.
Security – We were travelling as tourists in a relatively expensive vehicle which contains all of our possessions. We are highly aware of security wherever we are. At one trailhead in Albuquerque, we hiked with all of our electronics on our backs because of the high break in rate.
In Mexico, we initially chose to mostly camp in sites with some development, a local host or with other campers in sight. Over time, we realized that the rumors of danger we hear in the US are exaggerated. Similar to the US, crime in Baja is concentrated in the biggest urban areas - for Baja, primarily Tijuana. We are lucky that we always felt safe. Dawn went on daily solo rambles and never felt afraid (except for one incident with a pack of dogs). Other than the occasional vendor with something to sell, people generally left us alone. A friendly Buenas Dias (or Tardes or Noches) always brourght a smile and a response. We would definitely have liked to talk more with local people, but the timing was not right with COVID.
Water/Sanitization - We were once again fortunate that we never got sick. Isolating and wearing masks in towns definitely helped with this. We ran all of our drinking water through our onboard UV Purification system. That was also the water we used to wash and prepare food. We bought our food in local supermarkets and the produce was great. It was fun to vary our recipes based on local inspiration and products. We bought meat, tortillas and fresh baked goods on a regular basis. In seven weeks, we ate out five times, partly because of budget, partly because of COVID concerns.
Some of our favorite local product finds
