Date:         Thu, 5 Oct 1995 00:09:32 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         cheeses@arn.net (Cheese)
Subject:      Re: baja update

>
>On Wed, 4 Oct 1995, Martha wrote:
>
>> about 20 cars, and if memory serves correctly, hardly any of
>> us have any knowledge of Mexico/Baja, Spanish, etc.  Decision time -
>> do we want to:
>> 
>> 1.  Go to Baja/Mexico another time when the experts can be there?
>> 2.  Still go anyway?
>> 3.  Go during the same time slot, but maybe to the mountains or elsewhere
>>     in California instead?
>> 4.  Other ideas?
>> 
>> hanging.....
>> 
>> /martha
>
>      I'd like to go, what about a trip down the coast? 
>      Maybe down as far as Valle de San Quintin or El
>      Rosario? I would prefer to stay on the coast (haven't
>      had the a/c installed in the Campmobile yet).
>      
>      I'd definitely like to go. 
>
You don't need that much Spanish to get by; a few words and phrases should
get you what you need.  Of course, it's more fun to have actual
conversations with the folks down there.  Pantomime and lots of
gesticulation can help (it's good for a laugh, anyway).

Read "The People's Guide to Mexico," by Carl Franz, John Muir Press, Santa
Fe, NM.  It's lots of fun to read and has all kinds of practical information
about dealing with most everything in Mexico.  Even has an extensive
translation list of car parts and repair procedures AND a small section on
driving VWs down there.

Franz has written a couple of other really useful related books: "The
People's Guide to RV Camping in Mexico," or something like that, and
"Cooking and Camping in Mexico," (or something similar to that), also from
John Muir Press.

You don't need to worry about safety, especially when you're travelling in a
caravan.  You won't run into bandidos who say, "Badges!?  We don' need no
steekeen' badges!"  It's a good idea to have someone always keeping an eye
on the camp, though.

The Federales, a branch of the Mexican Federal Police, are among the worst
threats to your peace of mind down there.  Basically, they're sleazy-looking
hoodlums with guns.  They usually are dressed in a Mexican version of cowboy
clothes, with wrap-around sunglasses and the pistola stuck in the front of
their pantalones.

They'll likely be driving a Ford F150 pickup or something similar, often
with American plates, that they've confiscated from some unfortunate gringo.
Sometimes they trade drugs for stolen American vehicles.  They like to snoop
around heavily-touristed parts of the beach, hoping to find some dope or
something they can hassle tourists for.

If they find something like dope or irregular papers, etc., usually a bribe,
or more politely, a "consideration" or "tip" is called for.  Fork out $5-10
and see what happens.  Sometimes it helps to "dummy up" and pretend that you
don't know what the hell they're talking about.  You just gotta play it by
ear.  Don't buy any pot or other illegal stuff from a stranger on the beach.
It could be a setup.

I've never been to Baja but I've spent more than a year in Mexico.  I'm
pretty sure most of what I've learned in mainland Mexico applies in Baja.

Cheese