Misadventures In Baja 2023

[Condor]

Another year and another trip to Baja.  Our premise this year was simple.  We'd re-visit an area that had been worked pretty hard over the past 20 years, but possibly had some big rains last summer and moved some gravel around, plus I thought the 17" CC XCoil might hit some deeper nuggets in one of the main washes.  

A trip to Baja always has its hazards.  I drove 12 hrs from N Nevada towing my RZR, arriving in Yuma at 1:30am.  The next morning we crossed the border just outside of Yuma at Algodones.  First complication at Mexican immigration.  I left home with the wrong registration for the RZR.  Mexican authorities are somehow sticklers about registrations.  They turned us back to the US.  In Yuma, we scrambled to get a current registration and went back to the border.  All went well with registrations and Tourist Visas.  Algodones is an old town with very narrow streets plus it is packed with visitors seeking dental care, eyeglasses and prescription drugs.  Algodones is a Mecca for Americans wanting to save money.  Dental clinics abound and the pharmacies are always packed this time of year.

I was driving careful pulling the RZR with my big ole GMC 3/4 ton crewcab.  My friend was behind me driving a Toyota truck and camper shell.  4 way stops are merely a suggestion for Mexican drivers, so I was really watching the traffic and pedestrians.  Somehow the Toyota was now 4 cars back after a couple 4 way stops.  I got to the edge of town and could no longer see the Toyota behind me.  I found a wide spot to pull off thinking he might have taken a wrong turn.  After a couple minutes he called me on my cell phone and said he'd been in an accident and for me to come back.  My mind raced at the extreme possibilities, but found that it was a simple fender bender.  The Mexican driver had pulled into the Toyota blind spot as he was turning left.  The Toyota rear tire caught the front bumper of the Mexican car.  The bumper and grill were all plastic and the whole mess was laying on the ground.  Coincidently, a Mexican policeman was parked right there.  As a retired federal investigator, I'm not much of a believer in coincidences, but it's Mexico.  

No one spoke English and my Spanish is very rusty.  We discern that the Victim wanted $250.00 for the damage to his vehicle.  It seemed reasonable under the circumstances, so he was paid in cash and goes on his way.  The policeman tells us we must accompany him to the police station where a judge will determine the fine for an accident on a Mexican highway.  He suggests that the Toyota may be impounded as a result.  We're sweating this out and follow him with his lights flashing through dirt road city streets.  After a few random turns, he turns off his lights and calls us over.  He can make this go away for $600.00.  Naturally, the old Mexican "mordida" game but we're not anxious to see how far this ploy can go.  We pool our folding money and come up with $260.00.  We explain that's all we got and he graciously accepts and sends us on our way.  It's Mexico so we chalk it up to the cost of doing business and get back on the road.  

To be continued...

 

  

[abenson]

Better watch it Steve, they'll want all your gold you find to let you back across the boarder.

[afreakofnature]

Or the RZR

[LuckyLundy]

One reason, I don’t go there!  😂

[Condor]

Fortunately, there is no Mexican inspection leaving Mexico.  There are the Mexican Army checkpoints who are mainly interested in guns and drugs but they're out on desolated sections of the highway.  We zipped through those with no hassles at all.  San Felipe is the closest city to our destination and they rely on the tourist trade.  They don't want to discourage Americans from visiting and buying property.   

[flakmagnet]

Interesting first chapter. I hope things loosen up a bit in chapter two.
Mexico is always interesting that's for sure.

[beatup]

Steve , sure sounds like it is going to be a very interesting trip this year .

[strick]

$260 you got a deal! My father in law lived in Mexico for 15 years he always drove a beat up van or RV....the less attention the better. Lots of stories he had. But he liked it there 🙂 

strick 

[hawkeye]

Love the Baja adventures!!!

[Aureous]

This is nuthin compared to various African countries.....there the extortion occurs with guns. If anyone has seen the Libyan missile purchase scene in the movie '13 hours' , you'll get the gist..... 2 friends working in Ghana and Sierra Leone that I know have had some serious stories to tell...