Baja Mexico ?

[RidgeTop]

Hey Guys,
Looking for ideas and advice on baja and San Felipe area. Has any one been to Ensanada or Rosarito Beach. Any positive or negative input appreciated. I'm interested in fishing,dirtbiking,Pacificos, and Tequila in that order.

[RidgeTop]

Hey Guys,
Looking for ideas and advice on baja and San Felipe area. Has any one been to Ensanada or Rosarito Beach. Any positive or negative input appreciated. I'm interested in fishing,dirtbiking,Pacificos, and Tequila in that order.

[A Family of 4]

May I suggest Pete's Camp...about 7 miles north of San Felipe. You can satisfy all your interests in one place. Here's their website.

http://www.petescamp.com

We also go down for the poker run in October...talk about a great time!

[RidgeTop]

Thanx for the the thread. Some good friends that had a bad experiance getting thier new truck stolen down ther last year. Sounds like a really cool spot but I'm a little hesitant . Seems the police and locals are alittle corrupt around those parts. Is that to be expected south of the border ? This is the input I am interested in.

[A Family of 4]

We personally have not had any problems. None of our friends have either down in that area. It seems that most of the horror stories we've heard come from the Pacific Ocean side instead of the Sea of Cortez side.

When we go down there, we have an old truck that we take. None of the new stuff goes. We insure the heck out of everything we drive. Last poker run, we towed the jeep down. It is Mexico...anything can happen. Friends of ours carry the American Consulate phone number with them just in case but have never had to use it. Some of our friends are down there monthly...Ensenada, Rosarito, etc and don't have problems either. They are pretty big drunks but they are not the rowdy type.

There is another campground just north of Pete's Camp, that campground is full of high dollar motorhomes, pushers, trailers, etc. My husband and I were amazed that people bring that kind of money over the boarder but if you can insure it, I guess it's not such a bad thing.

Now about the locals being corrupt....that is anywhere in Mexico. For me personally, I don't ever take anything of value with me. I don't wear or carry anything that looks like money. We almost always go down with clothes packed like we were heading out to Glamis instead on vacation. No jewerly, fancy watches, etc. And, cash, stashed in various places and of every denomination.

I don't know if that helps at all...but good luck on whatever you decide.

[56Nomad]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RidgeTop:
Thanx for the the thread. Some good friends that had a bad experiance getting thier new truck stolen down ther last year. Sounds like a really cool spot but I'm a little hesitant . Seems the police and locals are alittle corrupt around those parts. Is that to be expected south of the border ? This is the input I am interested in. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Phil........

Click here to read what Marianne (Sandy Feet) Wrote: CLICK

Also, here is some other reasons why I'm not
too excited about visiting Baja at this time

The Post-September Spiral in Baja
Source: Crime, Law and Social Change, July 2003, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 21-23(4)

As a result of the security precautions taken by the US after September 11, Baja has experienced enormous economic dislocation, affecting both legitimate and underworld businesses. Increased vigilance along the border has complicated efforts to traffic undocumented immigrants and drugs. One of the consequences has been an increase in other illegal operations on the Mexican side of the border such as kidnapping, robbery, and local distribution of drugs.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Baja California Has Third-Highest Crime Rate in Mexico
This story was written on May 29, 2002, and things have not improved.

After Mexico City and Morelos, Baja California has the third-highest level of crime in Mexico, according to a new report by the Instituto Ciudadano de Estudios sobre la Inseguridad (Citizens' Institute for the Study of Crime, Icesi).

Other findings show that:

4,200,000 Mexicans were crime victims in 2001;

2,972,230 of these victims did not report the crimes committed against them;

44% of crimes involve violence;

47% of Mexicans feel unsafe in their homes;

23% of Mexicans have changed their activities or habits because of crime; and

44% of crime victims suffered some sort of violence while the crime was committed.

Icesi's findings are based on interviews and are not meant to contradict official government crime figures but are instead seen as complimenting them, according to Luis de la Barreda, Icesi's president. Icesi interviewed 1,100 people in every Mexican state and Mexico City between March 2 and March 24, 2002.

Nationally, 66% of victims did not report the crimes committed against them. BC citizens reported 50% of crimes, the third-highest reporting rate in the nation after Sonora and Baja California Sur.

Fifty percent of Mexicans said that they did not report a crime because of long, difficult crime report forms that they would have to complete. Nineteen percent said that they did not file crime reports because they do not trust law-enforcement officials. Other victims said they did not report crimes because they lacked evidence or the crime did not seem important to them.

In cases where crime reports were filed, 45% were not acted upon, 23% were denied investigations, 17% were being processed, 11% resulted in the capture of suspects and 2% resulted in the return of stolen goods.

Forty-four percent of crimes involved violence or the threat of violence. In these cases, 44% of people were threatened with a handgun, 25% with a knife, 20% verbally, 18% with a physical beating, 3% with a tube or similar object and 1% with a rifle or assault rifle.

Barreda said that Icesi will conduct the same interviews on a regular basis, but no more than twice a year, as way in which to get points of reference for crime in Mexico. He also stated that Icesi wants to work with government authorities to get anti-crime policies and statistics that are good and will work to combat crime.

Source: La Crónica (Méxicali), May 29, 2002. Article by AgustÃ*n Pérez and Carmen Rangel.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Travel Advisory for Mexico Extended
April 26, 2005

On April 26, 2005 the US State Department extended the travel advisory issued in January for another 90 days. Citing criminal activity along the border region, the statement contained much of the same wording from the previous statement. Extension of the statement was not noted by US media.

Quoting the State department warning, "Violent criminal activity fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the U.S.-Mexico border. This has resulted in a wave of violence aimed primarily at members of drug trafficking organizations, criminal justice officials and journalists. However, foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region."

[FatDog]

You do have to play by some different rules on the coast side. I have driven to Ensenada via Rosarito Beach several hundred times and it is a beautiful drive. But as with any tourist orrientated area that also has a large low income population, it is advisable to keep your eyes open and profile low. If you travel during the day you will have plenty of company. Thats a good thing.

[SAS!]

We've been going down to San Felipe once or twice a year for at least 15 years, sometimes two rigs and a few times with 10 or more. only problems we have ever had was with some crazy drunks from the states on a big weekend. We haven't been down on a big weekend for a while. On busy weekends Pete's gets packed and the camp spots are very close side by side. we have stayed there once but we always visit there a few time each trip for drinks or a meal.

We were there last month and rumor has it that this is Pete's last season for camping on the beach. It looks like the developers got to them and high dollar condos will be going up on the beach.

I always say if you go down there looking for trouble you will probably find it.

we follow a few good rules though. Travel in groups or pairs. travel only during daylight hours (roads aren't great and animals are said to sleep on the roads) Show respect to the police, army check points and locals, Don't offer bribes. however we usually offer the guys at the check points a soda or water when they want to enter the trailer. Camp in a campground with homes and residents living there.

the worst part of going down there to me is getting though town in Mexicali with no real lanes or roads rules for the locals. and all the vendors at the signals.

I can't wait to go back!


SAS!