Mexican RVing

First, we are regular vistors to Mexico. I have scanned the forum and could find no reference to what I beleve are the best guidebooks that you'll find on Mexican RV travel. They are "Travelers Guide to Mexican Camping" and Travelers Guide to Camping Mexico's Baja" both by Mike and Terri Church. You can get them through Amazon.Com. They post addenda on the web so they keep them up to date. These books will answer most of the questions that someone going to Mexico might have.
Hope this is useful!

Lee

Thanks Lee. Several folks have previously mentioned the Church's books here.

I'd forgotten about them, so your reminder was timely and I just ordered them.

You headed south, Tom?

Wendy
Death Valley NP

Thinking about it Wendy. We're currently trying to juggle the calendar because we have things going on up here before and after the time we were thinking of going South. We really want to make an Algadones run and also would like to do the Puerto Penasco run from there. But I must admit that this message by Frank had me a little concerned :-\

Scary stuff. Maybe you should just run south to , rather than over , the border and make an Algondones day trip.

Wendy
Death Valley NP

We'll just let Al lead the way with his arsenal  ;D

The post on the other thread said they stayed on the beach 80 miles south of San Diego. That sounds like San Quintin. That area is known to be a no-no! You don't stop there at night. In fact, that's the only place on the Baja that I know of that's considered dangerous. Parking there would be sort of like parking overnight on a street in Oakland! :-\

Lee

Thanks for the clarification Lee.

Parking there would be sort of like parking overnight on a street in Oakland!

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Some years ago friends of ours were driving on the freeway past Oakland when their car broke down. They started to walk to get help when along came a CHP cruiser. The officer told them "if you want to get home alive tonight, get back in your car, lock the doors, and wait until I come back for you". They waited 20 minutes and decided to walk again. Along came another CHP officer who told them the exact same thing.

They guy that told me about the group of RVers being robbed was one of the folks that had their RV taken. His was a new Dynasty.  He went on to tell of all the problems they had including with the Mexican insurance and their US insurance.  When he was telling the story he indicated their claim had not been settled and that they had recovered the Dynasty in Mexico but it was a real mess.   Never heard what the final outcome was.  I have heard tell of other problems but this one was told by an unwilling participant.

Its becoming a bigger problem than the 100$ shake dowm of the past from the local cops. There are some bad guys targeting what looks like american $ to them. When we race we don't stop in certain areas no matter who is trying to pull you over. Most times if you can get to a public area the fake cops will turn and run. I have stopped racing there due to the risk. If you get further south in Baja it returns to old world Baja. some interesting reading in this thread. Don't know if I should post cross treads but here you go.http://rockbuggysupply.com/rbbs/index.php?topic=1048.0

wayne

Wayne,

Some scary stories there! Haven't yet looked at a map to see where the events took place.

Tom said:

Wayne,

Some scary stories there! Haven't yet looked at a map to see where the events took place.

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Between the border and Ensinada has been the worst for me. South of the Ensinada toll booth we have been fine except for the truckers who think it is funny to remove your driver mirror with their trailer and every Burro and cow in Baja seems to sleep on the road.

Local Cop shake downs are not uncommon anywhere in fact they are just part of the cost of the trip. A ticket will be unwarranted and the cost is always what you have in your wallet. I carry $ on me but only $40 at a time in my wallet. No knifes longer then 1" are legal in mexico even pocket knifes. If you carry one keep it in your mess kit as a steak knive. Those of you who plan to arm yourselves, please rethink that. The bad guys will be armed better than you, and the good guys will consider you a bad guy. Usually they only want an easy flash bang highway robery with lots of noise and show to scare you. But if you pull, they will shoot you with no hesitation and no property is worth that.


I can only comment on Baja from TJ to Ensinada. I have heard wonderful stories from other parts of mexico but have never been there. I always wanted to stay at Copper Cyn but probly never will.



Wayne

Whatever folks like to do is, of course, "OK" - but - I've been to Mexico twice outside of work (perhaps another 100 times work associated).

I got ripped off the 1st time but was talked into giving 'em another chance - big mistake.

What's the old saying?  Fool me once, shame on you - Fool me twice, shame on me.

I won't give that armpit-of-the-world a third swing.....bill

Folks do what they feel comfortable with and going to Mexico in our RV is not something I feel comfortable with.  Based of experiences of others and a few of my own in Mexico my personal recommendation is to stay North of the Border. 

Whiskyecho said:

... that armpit-of-the-world ...

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I can think of places in MX and the USA I'd describe that way, and many others in both countries I wouldn't. I can also think of places on this and other continents I've been ripped off, but wouldn't assume everyone "there or here" is out to rip me off. OTOH I keep my hand on my wallet 

Tom said:

I can think of places in MX and the USA I'd describe that way..

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Absolutely (as with your Oakland post - #7 - I will avoid that place - as I would E St Louis, for instance) but the thread heading is "Mexican RVing" - hence my post as to how I feel about "south of the border" (which seems to be just about how Ron feels about Mexico - as in his post #13).  This thread is riddled with non-flattering posts about Mexico - #s 6, 8 & 9, and then your reference to "message" by Frank, for instance.

I did qualify my post by saying that for those that enjoy being there - good for them - it's just not my cup of tea.....bill

Hi Bill,

My point was that I personally wouldn't (try not to) use a broad brush to describe the entire country (MX). Just a different perspective from yours, and doesn't mean either one is more correct than the other.

I was quite looking forward to a trip south of the border; I've been by (our) boat, cruise ship and car, but not by RV (or by air). I've heard lots of good reports from folks who've made the trip by RV, but the recent reports caused me to rethink the timing of our trip, at least until I can gather more information.

As I have said many times our caravan to Mexico last year was one of the highlights of our 30 years of RVing. One of the first lessons learned was that all caravans prepare in advance and then cross the border fairly early in the morning to get as far from the border as possible by mid afternoon and never travel after dark.

We crossed the border at Presidio, TX and spent the first night west of Chihuahua. Our last evening was spent in Ensenada and we were back across the border into California by 1:00PM. The other 40 days of our trip were without incident and many of those days we spent traveling in small groups or alone. Most highways were heavily traveled and the only stops were army checkpoints where we were treated very well. Not one of our group was ever pulled over by local police and most of us had toads or pickups to tour with.

A pickup belonging to one of our group was vandalized while parked in a isolated parking lot in Cabo San Lucas and a couple of Pressure Pro transducers were taken off a pickup one night in a campground of almost exclusively gringos in Los Barrilos on the Baja. These were the only incidents on our trip. The residents of Mexico we met outside the large Gringo enclaves of Mazatlan and Cabo were very friendly and helpful.

If you do not feel comfortable with Mexican travel then you should not go but you will miss a beautiful trip. We would probably never go to Mexico alone but were considering another caravan that Terry and Betty will be taking this winter and will probably do it at a later time. We may go with a group of friends in a couple of years on our own but if we do it will be travel on major highways (Route 1 on the Baja or Route 15 down the mainland coast) during daylight hours to campgrounds we have visited or are recommended by friends.

Sanborn Insurance, google them, have some great guidebooks to Mexico, including mile markers and notes on what to do as well as some of the local history of the areas.  Included are maps, and I love these things!  They have several editions that cover nearly all of Mexico.

Steve

I am a Canadian and we just got back from 3 weeks in the Baja
of Mexico
we drove alone down past ensanada stayed at a beautiful full hookup
campground in Vicente Guerrero spent several days in San Qutiene (sp)
we had our 2 teenage daughters with us and never once did we feel in the slightest
worried or afraid. The Police I had morning coffee with at the restaurant were polite and
very friendly in spite of my poorly inadiquate spanish. our last trip was from San Antonio to Monterrey
in January and we didn't have any problems there except for a small hastle with a Texas border patrol
who said the kids had to have passports and then showed us the pamphlet that said birth certificates were ok
and was then too embassesed to say I guess I was wrong so just said well you have to get them for next time
We all can hardly wait to return to Mexico.