Viva Mexico

 

Chris had suggested I cross the border in Otay Mesa instead of Tecate, which had been my original plan, I followed his suggestion. 

I left Laurie’s house pretty early and made a stop down the road at Chris’ house to say goodbye then headed to Otay Mesa, a short 41 miles away.  Once you get to the border, on the American side there’s nothing to do, just drive right by and then you stop at immigration on the Mexican side.  I quickly took care of my visa and then asked how to take care of the motorcycle.  The reason I had to ask is because Americans can enter Baja with their cars or motorcycle without any paperwork so long as you stay in Baja.  I wasn’t going to stay only in Baja, I’m actually traveling through Mexico and needed a TIP.   Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit or TIP is a permit that allows non-Mexican citizens to take a vehicle across the border into Mexico from other countries, such as the US and Canada. It is required for areas outside the free or border zone. A TIP can ONLY be obtained through Mexico’s Banjercito government agency.  The young lady told me where to go and off I went to another window.  The new lady asked for the title of the motorcycle and a copy, which I had and a copy of the passport which I also had but I had cut the 8.5×11 page into the actual size of the passport.  Apparently that’s no good, she needed the copy on a full 8.5×11 page.   I asked where I could make a copy and she shrugged, apparently she had no idea and she didn’t have a copy machine.  I went back to the first lady and she also said she didn’t have a copy machine either but to try another window.  Finally I found another window which was actually a bank and a gentleman quickly said no problem, I can make you a copy.  I went back to the TIP lady and after putting my required $400 deposit and paying a small fee she gave me the TIP with a sticker that you must have with you at all times.  I had bought motorcycle insurance online which is required for Mexico so now I was all done with paperwork and ready to head south.  Yepee, but first I made a call to my wife while I still had signal at the border.

After exiting the border I went east hugging the USA border towards Tecate because I didn’t want to deal with traffic near Tijuana and felt the road south of Tecate called the “La Ruta del Vino” would be a better road to get to Ensenada and La Bufadora where I planned to look for a place to camp.  

I arrive in Tecate with 90+ degrees and quickly find a McDonalds to get WiFi and get off the heat.  I call my wife this time with Whatsapp just to make sure we could stay in contact and everything worked flawlessly.    Next I asked the lady where the center of town was and it was just 2 blocks away.  Once there I got my first photo in Mexico and it’s the one above taken by some Mexican that was walking by, friendly guy.   I then walked around the square and after a few more photos got back on the bike and headed south using my phone as a GPS with preloaded maps.  It was nice to hear the musicians playing music in the square.

I was surprised as I rode south on the “La Ruta del Vino” to see so many vineyards and had no idea Mexico produced so much wine. 

I rode right through Ensenada without stopping and had to deal for the first time with Mexican traffic and since it was Saturday it seemed all of Mexico was out on the Malecon (boardwalk as we say in America).  It was insane the amount of people walking around but I was soon to find out it’s the same in every city center or square.  About an hour later I arrive at La Bufadora and again the place is mobbed.  I hadn’t seen any campsites or hotels nearby so was starting to get a little worried.  To the left of the entrance there was a sign that said private property and a guard stood there.  I quickly ask him for a campsite and he says I can camp in the property for $5 for the night.  What? 5 bucks? sign me up.  A little later I found out they didn’t have showers, only toilets and I could park the bike anywhere and setup tent wherever I felt like.   I think I found a good spot. 

After parking the bike I headed to La Bufadora, a blowhole located on the Punta Banda Peninsula in Baja California.  The road leading to the location is lined with vendors selling food, beer and locally made products.   It was packed. 

It was impossible to get near La Bufadora, I got a few shots and then went looking for dinner. 

Dinner was nothing special, fish tacos and a beer at the Los Panchos restaurant, but I could see my motorcycle in the distance and that made it more enjoyable. 

I return to my bike after dinner and quickly setup my tent and then sat on the wall facing the ocean and had an astronaut dry ice cream in pellet form.  This and a few other items had been a gift from my daughter last Christmas in preparation for the trip.  Surprisingly it tasted exactly like ice cream as it melted in my mouth.  

After a nice sunset I get in the tent and fell asleep with the sound of the crashing waves just a few feet from me.  I slept like a baby totally comfortable with my first day in Mexico.

You know you are in Mexico when street vendors have these for sale

My route: