We are headed south ... figured we take a shot over the border just south of San Diego.
Any of you ever been?
Any RV parks you can suggest?
I've heard its pretty safe 8)
Let me know what you know!
-Sean
I'm sorry, but I have read and heard just the opposite-that it is NOT very safe. If you want to visit, TJ leave your coach in San Diego and do a day trip. The only way I'd go to Mexico in the bus is in a professional caravan. But what do I know, I've only lived in L.A. all my life. Good Luck, TomC
There has been a facebook story going about a couple guys traveling in a van that just got killed between the boarder and Mexico City. The van was found burned with them in it. It looks like they didn't survive their first night after crossing the border.
Don't miss that last I-5 turn off before the border either. We did with a rental car a few years ago. That was a mess.
Don and Cary
Ive heard all the stories - Im just wanting to know if anyone has ever been.
It cant be any more dangerous than it is here in the US with mass killings on the news every week.
-Sean
Quote from: Seangie on December 25, 2015, 08:07:30 AM... It cant be any more dangerous than it is here in the US ...
Ahhm, yeah -- it can. :(
You DO NOT want to go to TJ in your bus..! Grew up racing and enjoying Baja, 20 30 40 years ago it was different. Took a GM 4501 to Cabo in 1980, many winter trips to Muleje in a -10 Eagle, have never even stopped in TJ . Park in one of San Diegos RV parks & do a day trip to TJ if you must. Park in the US side parking walk across get back before dark. Just from experience .
If you want to drive to or beyond TJ, when you have to cross the US border coming back the Otay Mesa crossing near the airport is usually quicker than the main San Ysidro crossing. The last time my GF came back through San Ysidro it took her over four hours! The longest it's ever taken me through Otay Mesa is under two hours, and if you come through in the early hours of the morning it will take only minutes. (My record time is 80 minutes from the Aeropuerto terminal itself to my home in Santa Ana, leaving at 2.30 AM one Sunday morning!)
And if you're hoping to get cheaper Pemex diesel in TJ, the prices there seem similar to US prices. I think you have to go further south into MX to get the cheaper diesel prices.
Good luck!
John
PS - Here's the border wait times website: http://bwt.cbp.gov (http://bwt.cbp.gov)
My wife and I attended my son's Navy Bootcamp in San Diego in 19something. Love SD! We took the trolly and walked across the border to TJ. Purchased my two bottles of cactus juice and we left - couldn't get out of there fast enough. DEPRESSING/SAD!
Heck folks, Try some of our north eastern ghetto cities ..
TJ is a cake walk
Some of my close friends are very religiously oriented and have twice now gone to Mexico just East of Tijuana to help build a non Catholic Church. Both times they were shaken down for "donations" the last time by a motorcycle police officer just 1 mile South of the border! When I brought the bad situation to their attention, their answer was that "God Will Protect Them." I wonder how many helicopters God must send. My humble suggestion is not to go.
http://www.bumfuzzle.com/ (http://www.bumfuzzle.com/)
http://lifeinbrowncounty.blogspot.com/ (http://lifeinbrowncounty.blogspot.com/)
it is quite doable. PS fuel price is up there, PeMex is quite high now...regular is US $3.03 a gallon
I am the main contractor for a factory here in Florence that is relocating a large part of its operation to Hermosia (sp) Mexico.
They sent a couple of engineers and operators from Florence down there to help with the transition, they stayed in a compound and were not allowed to go anywhere alone.
Wes
Hello from the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.
Yes we have. We have driven to southwestern Mexico for about 35 years, driven this bus for 10 years. We have NEVER been hit up for money or asked to pay a bribe anywhere in Mexico. In general Mexicans are the most loving, caring, sharing people you would ever want to meet. If I were going to Mexico I would happily drive. If I wanted to go to a border town I wouldn't drive anything. Besides the small streets and bad traffic it is the gathering place for hustlers, thieves, lairs and cheats. We had a friend who was killed by the police in Tijuana. We never stop in the border towns for anything but paperwork. Remember that almost all the bad things that can happen, happen after dark.
Just my opinion
Jerry
Sean, my 2 cents Tijuana is not a good place for kids we never had a problem there but I wouldn't never take my grand kids there for sure
i guess i should be clearer, there is no interest (to me) in Mexico border towns.
If you are interested in Mexico, look at the blog Travel with Kevin and Ruth. They do Mexico all the time and might have some helpful information.
Cary
We used to live not far from the Mexican border, and it was not uncommon for people to cross into Mexicali. I only drove there once, but there were just too many horror stories from neighbors for us to continue. We even knew some guys that were arrested and held hostage by the police until one of them returned with a ransom. However, sometimes we would park and walk across to Algodones, which was considered much less trouble. Most likely you will be fine and nothing will happen, but the same can be said about drunk driving or unprotected mingling with intravenous drug addicts.
Speaking of Los Algodones. There have been a lot of good reviews on some of the rver sites about dental care there. We have been debating about going there or Tijuana. We need to get some expensive stuff done and sure can't afford it here. It sounds like Los Algodones is a better option for safety. Since we haven't been there has anybody had experience with this?
Cary
Cary, check the dentist out good you can get some bad dentist there ,we stay at WinterHaven and drive the car about 6 miles, the Indians camp ground at Algodones is not much
Randy the Mobile Kodger is impressed with the dental care he received in Algodones: http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-birth-of-dental-empire-at-algodones.html (http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-birth-of-dental-empire-at-algodones.html)
His blog is always a good read anyway.
John
I had some minor dental work done there a few years ago and we used to go there several times during the winter for various things. Have had lots of friends go there and never a problem.
We've spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years - truck, truck & 5th wheel, bus, flying to destinations and renting a car once we get there. We've never been down the Baja but its really nothing to do with perceived danger - we just don't have any desire to go down the Baja.
This is a great forum but probably exactly the wrong place to have a discussion about Mexican travel. There's not many people here who have direct experience with anything other than border towns but there's plenty here who are dead certain its dangerous and are happy to tell you so. A better place to look for information is Rolling Homes Press (http://"http://www.rollinghomes.com/")
I'd be pretty careful anywhere within 50 miles of the US/Mexico border, on either side of the border. We always try to get well south of the border the first day into Mexico. If you haven't done it before, unless you are staying within a couple hundred miles of the border, there is a bit of dicking around that you have to go through. You'll probably need special insurance - check with your carrier. I wouldn't dream of crossing at Juarez and to be honest Tijuana doesn't have a really good rep either. I don't think Tijuana is anywhere near as bad as Juarez and in either case getting south fast is the most important thing to do. When you do cross the actual border will seem like nothing but there will be another stop about 10 miles into the country that will be more detailed.
You don't want to travel after dark for a bunch of reasons. Obviously crime is more of a risk. You may find a cow or two sleeping on the warm pavement. Some Mexicans also have the bizarre notion that driving with their lights on is hard on their battery. You may see signs which say that vehicles with no lights must yield the right of way which is fine - as long as they do that. We very rarely travel after dark and when we do it is only on local roads which we know very well. For a first time trip I'd stick to the toll roads wherever possible and only ever in daylight.
If you buy the Rolling Homes book they have the campgrounds listed for each area. There's probably websites now that will give you the same information for free but I haven't bothered looking - anywhere that we want to go we already know where we are going to stay. If you're in the country for an extended period they have really cheap cell phones that you can buy. If you're going to use your own phone make sure you know what it is costing you. A recent trip we made to Guadalajara resulted in a bill that approached $2k for about 10 days of use and at the time I thought I was only using my phone for "emergencies". I wouldn't want to imagine what kind of a bill you might get if you piled up any amount of data use.
Bob's disertation...probably the most accurate.... Baja is not mainland Mexico.
from baja most of the illegal activity is via the ocean ... i am told
If you go out of country and you can text on your phone try Viber it free and you can use it anywhere. We used ours from Jamaica when we were there last year to California, and no charges.
Dave
We traveled the Gulf of Mexico side of Mexico up and down for years then inland as far as Mexico City
Check points any place in Mexico can be a bitch you can wait them out or pass a 20 dollar bill and be on your way 20 bucks is 2 days work for those people.I went hunting in Mexico for years with no problem now a days who really knows.
I know they have stopped the Copper Canyon Rv travel on the train because of safety concerns and that was a fun caravan
WHY!!!!
Yes, TJ at night is somewhere that you want to be very aware of your surroundings and to always have a Plan B, but the same can be said for any large US city at night in its grottier areas. Some years ago I had to pick up some folk from the Camionera Central, the main bus station, at 3.00 AM, and there were plenty of police and security guards there. Border towns are always unrepresentative of their countries as a whole - TJ or Mexicali are no more typical of Mexico than plenty of other countries' border towns I've been through in my travels. Once you're further south of TJ and into the real Mexico you should be safer anyway - I feel safer at night in Mexico City than in Los Angeles, but the DF is generally safer than most Mexican cities. One technique I inadvertently discovered to instill a sense of safety when driving through TJ is to "accidentally" get into the middle of a convoy of federal police or military going through town - the soldiers in the back of the pickup truck ahead of me thought it was a big hoot to have a gringo in their midst, and they were smiling and waving at me!
Some of the most amazing places I've been to have been where tourists were discouraged from traveling to. If I had paid heed to naysayers I would never have experienced Mashad during Ramadan, or Lahore during elections, or Srinagar during some anti-Hindu riots, or plenty of other places that still now evoke strong memories - I never felt personally threatened at any time, and looking back I have no regrets doing that. Travel isn't always smooth-sailing or easy, and you have to take the rough with the smooth to truly appreciate a country. Just keep your wits around you and pay heed to your gut-instincts, and you'll be OK. The world is not like Disneyland, thank goodness.
John
That is true John when I traveled around the world working for Cooper in the 60's I never feared for my life either.When I was in Israel they made damn sure nothing was going to happen to you lol even the Turks protected the Americans back then.Now the world is a different place cover your own back no one else will
Yea Clifford, I always wanted to do the Copper Canyon train/RV trip too, maybe we should get our own convoy with bus conversions trip to a nicer coastal rv park in Mexico, Baja, lvmci...
And hold a BAJA Bus race. Thats the ticket!>>>.LOL
Sorry couldn't resist... ::)..
Dave
Dave that would be fun, do you think we could charge the locals and tourists? On pavement or the beach? Tom...
Keep in mind that you (and your vehicle's) rights are very different in other countries - obviously.
Generally not a problem, but I drove up to Vancouver, Canada and was planning on staying at a friend's house for a week, so I parked in an industrial area.
The next day I received a $200 ticket for a "derelict vehicle" with a warning that they would tow and destroy the vehicle if it wasn't moved. I looked up the code, and there is no definition for "derelict" - so it was merely the officer's decision that my vehicle shouldn't be there.
And don't think that your civil rights are reinstated when you enter the states. When you are at the border you are in a very precarious legal position. Your 4th amendment rights are not in effect, as I discovered when I drove back to the states and was taken off my bus so that a *team* of officers could enter my home and tear it apart. There was nothing to find, but the violation of my privacy wasn't appreciated. So I never expect I'll be crossing any borders with my bus again.
I think Nel had the best answer-Why!!! Have you completely seen the US and Canada? As I said before, if you want to go to Mexico in the bus, hook up with a caravan. Unless you're fluent in Spanish, I wouldn't go. I have no desire to go below the US border. Good Luck, TomC
Bring Passports for all.
Carry small amounts of cash, but have cash. cash talks.
Everyone will take cash but you will do a little better if you exchange $ to pesos before you cross and pay in peso while in Mx.
Toll road from TJ to Ensinada - takes cash
If you do get pulled over, ask the officer if you can pay him to take the fine payment to court as you are travelling. ( so I've heard ;) ) Fines are about $20
No Guns !!!! they are very strict about this.
Roads can turn to muck with any rain and washouts are common.
Local are super friendly and nice. Be alert after dark.
Cell phone roaming rates will make you cry.
Enjoy the street vendors tacos. they look dirty and not clean, yes ! but good tasting !!
Have some change for the local kids. They may ask you to pay for them to watch your bus. Buck or two is big for them and they are just trying to make some $
They are very street smart to Americans. Americans are all rich in their eyes. Prices can go up accordingly. A little haggling is traditional.
Puerto Nuevo ( city south of TJ on the main road south ) has good deals on seafood, lobster. Easy to get there.
Might want to touch base with the American Consulate and let them know of you plans and ask for any local advice.
Allow lots of time to cross border back north.
Get ready for -rough- roads! You will really notice this when you come back into the States!!
Get mexican vehicle insurance before you cross. Lot's of stateside shops at the last exit before you cross. Your US insurance doesn't cut it in Mx.
Get travel insurance for medical. Cheap before you cross. IF you need medical help, you must pay cash or they won't touch you. This where that insurance helps. They do have some kind of govmt hospitals but have similar reputation as our county hospitals; not the best care.
Remember, their law is you are guilty before proven innocent. Can't be bailed out of jail. So be careful.
As I type this we are sitting in the 3hr line up at the border crossing back into the good ol USA.
Thank you all so much for the experience and advice. It definitely helped in our decisions.
After looking through all it would entail ... guns, cats, kids, insurance ... etc. We figured it best to drop the bus in National City and take a peek over the border in the van before we went all in.
We are in the same boat as John Iceni. We would rather have the experience of heading over good or bad than wondering about it for the rest of our lives.
We took the van across and headed to the little TJ beach town. Im sure there is a name for it but cant rememeber right now. It was a good experience for the kids to see the difference between Mexico and USA.
We drove through the little beach town and were glad we didnt bring the bus. Main roads were fine but if you had to turn around anywhere with a vehicle in tow, well, good luck with that. Sode roads were atrocious.
On the way out we stopped at a local grocery and took out a bunch of pesos from the ATM. The kids had a great time trying to figure out what everything costs and seeing all the neat things in the store we dont find here. Groceries were comparable to US prices. Maybe a little cheaper, the local foods were much cheaper.
My advice for anyone going over in an RV or bus is to have a plan before you go. I certainly see the advantages of a caravan. You need to know where you are going and how to get there. Its a pretty tough place to "wing it" with a family of 4 kids. Especially if your not fluent in language and culture.
We checked with our insurance company before going over the border and they dont cover Mexico or Canada. They do work with another company that will cover you for a short stay across the border. Definitely worth paying for. The officials state if something happened they will hold you in a cell until damages are paid if you dont have insurance.
People were extremely nice. Officials were out in full force in TJ. One lady I spoke to said the policia understand the power of American vacationers dollars so they are trying to show that its safe there and keep the crime out of the tourist areas.
We are headed back into Mexico tomorrow for another day trip. Going further south into the Americanized town of Rosarito. Tonight the border crossing into Mexico was just a drive over the border. Word is about 7-10 miles in is where they check your passport and stamp you in. Ill report back tomorrow on what we find further south. Not sure we will go down to Encinitas but who knows.
Thanks again for all your help. You guys are fantastic.
-Sean
I know a couple of posters have advised traveling in a herd/caravan but think carefully before you do. You're traveling on someone else's agenda. You travel at the speed of the slowest, least prepared participant. You can only stop at places that can accommodate whatever size of herd you are traveling with.
I've been in parks in Mexico when the caravan arrives. Universally they are cliquish affairs because ultimately they cater to the notion of fear. Its the same marketing scheme that all inclusive resorts use - the world is too dangerous for you to navigate alone so stick to what we have planned for you because we know best what is safe for you. Its BS, complete BS. If the country is safe enough to visit then its safe enough to visit without 33 of my closest friends following 10 feet behind me wherever I go.
what Bob said +1
you may want to come back and get the bus when you get to Rosarito :)
I think you will find the drive to Ensenada much more enjoyable than hanging in TJ. Get off the main road and poke around the small villages along the way. +1 to Donald taking the bus to Roserito :) You will want stay a few days. Right about the cultural eye opener for the kiddos. Get some fireworks and shoot them off.! But don't bring them over the border though. Have Fun!
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