Originally Published the Week of March 7, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
Whether you’re planning to fly, drive or walk to Baja or any place in Mexico in April, come ahead. For the first time in 2 years, Mexico is basically open and really wants you to come visit. (aka “needs you to visit!”)
Since the pandemic hit in 2020, Mexico implemented a “traffic light” scale to measure the covid restrictions and protocols. Red being the worst. Green was the best.
In between those extremes were a series of various shades of oranges and yellows. Over the pandemic, the scale has bounced back and forth between those variations.
Just like in the U.S. it’s been “masks on.”
Now they are “off.”
Now they are back on.
Same with all the attenuated protocols like social distancing, closures and activities. Back-and-forth. Up-and-down. Enough to make your head spin.
Unless you’ve quarantined in a windowless room the last two years, you know the drill.
However, like many locations in the world, covid and it’s seemingly unnumerable waves, permeations and mutations is declining. Infections, hospitalizations and fatalities thankfully are also down.
According to officials, something like 80-85% of the eligible population has been vaccinated.
So, it’s a virtual green light to go visit Mexico this Easter or spring break. It’s the first time in two years.
Of course, like everywhere else, there’s some trepidation about the anticipated onslaught. With so many people suddenly running around with impunity health officials and politicians have some underwear bunching up.
But, for better or worse, things are open!
Some vestiges of covid might linger. Some private businesses might still require masks. It’s their prerogative. But, otherwise, party like it’s 2019!
But, Mexico has been trying to get ready.
Statistics have shown that Mexico has been the #1 travel destination in the world. Not just Americans, but anyone else who can jump on a plane has looked to Mexico.
It was easy to get in.
Easy to get out (mostly).
Chances of quarantine were minimal.
It’s a great value for a vacation.
The only thing you need to do is get a negative covid test before returning to the U.S. Fingers are crossed that even this may drop to the wayside. We can only hope.
So, if you’re thinking of heading south in April, especially the weeks preceding or following Easter on April 17th, look for it to be crowded.
It won’t just be Americans and international travelers. Especially around beach cities, and Baja in particular, the Easter weeks are the busiest times for Mexican nationals to travel as well.
Many take the time off work to take vacations. Many go to visit family.
So, expect crowds at restaurants, bars, beaches and other gathering places. That includes airports especially. Prime arrival and departure times are expected to be packed.
In addition to everyone flying into Mexico, many Mexicans use the holidays to visit family and friends in the U.S. In fact, it’s the busiest time of the year to try to fly.
Busier than Christmas. Busier than Thanksgiving.
Therefore, give yourself extra time coming and going.
With the demand for travel, airline tickets will often be more expensive than any other time of the year and also more difficult to purchase as popular flights fill up.
That goes for rental cars also.
The rental agencies are over-run. The last two times we tried to rent vehicles in Cabo, we waited as long as two hours to get vehicles that had been reserved months in advance.
Put an extra case of “patience” in your luggage. Mexico is also going through the throes of not being able to find enough employees.
So service at hotels, restaurants and other spots might also be slower than expected. Keep smiling and just cut folks some slack. They’re doing their best.
Plan well. Mexico is waiting!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Feb. 22, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
As many of you know, my wife Jill and I are “on tour” criss-crossing the U.S. from January to March in our rig. These are the months when we’re exhibiting at the fishing and hunting expositions with our booth on behalf of our Tailhunter Fishing Operation in La Paz and generally just trying to be good ambassadors for both the U.S. and Baja.
We’ve been on the road now for 6 weeks. At last count, we’ve been in 11 states.
I can’t begin to tell you every city and town we’ve stopped in. We’ve had shows in Reno, Sacramento, Seattle, Salt Lake City and, most recently in Portland.
So, almost everywhere, there are now mask mandates. Hotels, restaurants, stores, gas station, fast food joints. Signs are pretty much everywhere. I get it.
Some are enforced more than others. Most really aren’t enforced much at all. When we go into a place, we look around. If others have masks on or are giving us “stink eye” (pretty rare) we pull up the shields.
And pull them back down when we are clear.
Just part of life these days.
However, we just finished a huge show in Portland, Oregon.
Now, Portland is pretty strict about their masks. Everyone one is pretty tight about it. Right or wrong, it is what it is. I don’t make the laws or rules.
But, at the 5-day show we attended called the Northwest Sportsmens Expo, some interesting things happened.
First, the city of Portland and the managers of the gigantic Portland Expo Center told the show producers that there would be strict enforcement. All vendors and attendees MUST have masks on all the time.
Whether walking around; in the booths; or in the bathrooms. Cover up!
Or, the City was gonna shut down the show!
Everyone also had to keep social distancing when talking to each other.
So, I heard there were about 500 booths and vendors. Grizzled hunting outfitters from the northern woods and plains of the U.S. and South Africa, Asia and South America. Weathered cowboys running pack operation in the mountains. Former military guys representing gun and archery manufacturers. River guides and bush pilots. Mountain men and charter boat skippers.
And then there were about 10,000 attendees walking through the place and trying to talk to vendors and outfitters.
These aren’t the kinds of folks who seem to be too accustomed to being told how and what to do. It’s a rather self-sufficient and independent crowd.
Get my drift?
So, the first day of the show, we got constant booming announcements over the P.A. about keeping our masks on at all times.
Green-jacketed “mask cops” also walked around telling you to pull up your mask or telling folks to step back from booths so that we were 6 feet away from each other trying to do transactions.
Oh, and they were also taking names and there were threats of citations.
We kinda bristled. When you’re right in the middle of talking to a prospective client and told you gotta step back, its impossible trying to talk to each other from 6 feet away with a mask over your face.
And the ambient noise of several thousand folks also trying to talk and shout at each other through masks doesn’t help.
Being in Mexico most of the time, this was really the first time I’ve been in a “mega event” where masks and other protocols were being enforced.
We all got to be like little school kids seeing what we could get away with.
We’d signal each other when a green-jacketed mask police was coming down the aisle. Or, we’d suddenly grab a drink and pretend we were eating or munching on something.
And we’d smile and wave at the mask police officer!
Quite telling was what happened during the Star Spangled Banner.
Every morning at these expos, the Star Spangled Banner is played just before they open the doors to the public. All of us several hundred vendors and outfitters stop what we are doing.
We all silently face the flag on the wall of the facility with hands and hats over hearts…as it should be! It’s a moving red-white-and-blue moment every morning.
But, one of the first mornings, right in the middle of the solemnity of the flag salute, they broke into the anthem and stopped the music. Over the P.A, they reminded us all in no uncertain terms that we MUST wear our masks.
Simultaneously, the green-jacket mask police walked up and down the aisles. Not even saluting the anthem or the flag they brislkly trotted up and down the aisles taking names and telling vendors to pull up their masks.
There was something really wrong with that. There was a disturbance in the force and a number of other outfitters expressed the same sentiment. It grated on alot of us.
Imagine at a sporting event like a baseball game where they stopped the playing of the national anthem to remind everyone, “Now that we have your attention, we remind everyone to wear their masks or you will be thrown out!” We now return to the music!
As one outfitter later commented, “That was the current state of the U.S. in a nutshell.” Another said, “It felt anti-American.”
Over the next 4 days, I noticed a silent smirking revolt.
None of us wore our masks anymore. Fewer and fewer of the attendees were wearing their masks.
Neener neener to masks. Up yours (with a smile).
The mask police retreated little-by-little. They actually started gently apologizing for asking folks to wear masks. And smiling. I guess they didn’t exactly like their jobs either.
Or they simply began to recognize the futility of it.
When you have several thousand people thumbing their noses at the mandate, what were they going to do?
They eventually gave up. Even some of the mask officers stopped wearing their masks. The last few days of the show, most folks didn’t have masks unless they wanted to wear them.
Laws have no teeth if no one enforces them.
It reminded me of the Greek god Sisyphus who was cursed by the other gods to roll a huge boulder up a hill for all eternity. When he got to the top, the boulder just rolled back down the other side.
Agree or disagree with masks, but it was interesting to watch the transition.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
I’m writing this at night from our hotel room in Boise, Idaho. We’re doing a banzai drive from Salt Lake City to get to Portland, Oregon. As fast as the speed limit will let us.
It seems strange to say that we’re not looking forward to being in Portland.
Let me back up.
For almost 30 years, I spend the better part of 3 months on the road exhibiting at all the huge hunting and fishing expositions across the western U.S. Every week another 4 or 5 day show.
My wife, Jill, and I haul our booth, a million brochures and flyers spreading the good word about fishing and vacationing in Baja. Specifically with our own Tailhunter Sportfishing in La Paz.
Thousands-upon-thousands of attendees wander and socialize with outfitters like ourselves in the fishing, hunting, camping, boating, RV and other outdoor pursuits. Us exhibitors sell our wares.
Each week finds us in different cities like Denver, Phoenix, Bozeman, Seattle, San Diego, Long Beach, Las Vegas even Anchorage, Alaska! Criss-crossing the U.S. up-down-back-and-forth in snow, rain, ice, and sunshine.
We’ve been on the road now almost 6 weeks and have finished shows in Reno, Sacramento, Puyallup (south of Seattle) and this past weekend in Salt Lake City. As previously mentioned, we’re back on the Pacific Coast in Portland this week.
A few weeks back in my column, I had commented about driving through so many cities and states and observing the differing covid-mask protocols or lack thereof. I also wrote about my observations of how everyone was hurting for employees. And how customer services were directly suffering from it.
We really didn’t know what to expect of the shows this year. In short, a crapshoot.
No one knew what the attendance would be like. No one knew how many vendors/ outfitters wouldn’t show-up as a result of covid; the fear of covid; or the local mandates and protocols.
As it turned out, attendance suffered at 3 of the 4 shows. All on the west coast.
Exhibitors were absent as well. Again, this was at all at the west coast shows in California, Washington and, to some degree, the Reno Show.
Masking/ testing/ vax card protocols were in place to greater or lesser degrees. Nothing was standardized
I guess that was to be expected. All these shows had been cancelled last year and it’s going to take awhile for them (and the public) to get back up to speed.
And now, we’re headed to Portland.
We love our Pacific Coast. My wife Jill and I both grew up on the West Coast. But, after our experiences the past month in California, Oregon and Washington, we’re dreading Portland, one of our favorite western cities.
I’ll tell ya why.
There’s been a drastic change. A polar shift. A techtonic social upheaval.
In Sacramento, we stay at a well-know hotel chain. Almost 20 years. Not the 4 Seasons or the Ritz Carlton, but hardly the Econo-Riverside Motel either.
Upon arrival. What a change!
People living in their cars in the parking lot. Broken cars everywhere. People living in boxes on busy public street. Multiple people living in rooms meant for 2. Trash everywhere. Tent camps everywhere. Open sewage/ excrement on sidewalks, planters…opens spaces.
Vagrant folks lining the streets. Stores trashed, littered and empty shelves. Such common things like soap, toothbrushes, laundry detergent, masking tape…all in locked cases!
I asked one store clerk what happened to all the shopping carts and shopping baskets. He said, “They all got stolen.”
The second night, our new Chevy Suburban rig got broken into. Not just busted windows. They tore the whole rear liftgate rendering our rig undriveable. Looks like a crowbar was used. Because nothing could be found inside, the bad guys took it out on the vehicle.
Fortunately, we had emptied the vehicle and nothing was taken. But, the vehicle was disabled.
Because of supply chain issues, parts not available!
Over the next few days, others also got burglarized. Police don’t come out because burglary is so common. And they are under-staffed like everyone else. You file a report online. That’s it.
I had to take Uber to the Expo. My driver said, in his neighborhood they leave their trunks and liftgates unlocked so the thieves don’t break in.
Except one day his neighbor found a guy sleeping in his trunk!
While at the show, several outfitters got their rigs completely stolen. One of our clients came to our booth and said several days earlier, he had been carjacked at gun-point by a guy who was escaping from a murder!
We headed north to Washington. Passing through Oregon (more on that later).
While in Washington State, more of the same. Tent cities scattered everywhere. Again, several of our outfitter friends had their trucks and trailers stolen. This time in broad daylight from “guarded” parking lots.
Friends who are law enforcement officers told us many vehicles are being stolen for the catalytic converters. And, many officers are quitting or taking early retirement leaving the remaining tired officers working overtime.
Oh, and new legislation prevents officers from giving chase. About all they can do is yell “Stop!” Also, if someone steals something less than $750 dollars and says “it’s a necessity”, no prosecution ensues.
We were advised by Washington friends not to go into downtown Seattle, again, one of our favorite cities to visit.
And now everyone-and-their-brother is warning us against Portland now. And saying it’s even worse. Even before the pandemic, the area and hotels around the Portland Expo Center were rife with homeless and property crime was rampant.
Vehicles at the Expo and surrounding areas, were regularly targeted. Our own van was broken into several years ago. Police told us that the thieves love vehicles belonging to the outfitters because they are often loaded with camping gear, fishing gear, electronics, outdoor clothing and yes…firearms.
So, now they tell us it’s even going to be worse. And definitely do NOT go into Portland metro.
Tell you what. Several of us outfitters were standing around. We were somberly discussing the crime these days while on the show tours now. All of them hunting and fishing guides.
I quietly admitted that my wife and I both have our concealed-carry permits and that I always carry a firearm now. There was a little pause among the group.
I thought I was going get some blowback for carrying. Big burley mountain guys and salty fishing captains staring at me.
As it turned out, all of them were carrying. In fact, talking to most of the other vendors in their booths, everyone either had firearms in their booths, on their person, or in their cars.
My wife wouldn’t let us drive this year without a (legal) shotgun hidden in the car.
As one Alaska guide told me, “I carry a big pistol to guard against grizzly bears attacks in the bush. But, I’m even more afraid to walk around the cities. So, of course, I carry. Bears are predictable. Idiot people are not.”
It’s gotten pretty sad. Portland, here we come.
Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. The new normal.
Update: Just finished the Portland Show. We did NOT go downtown. The area around the Expo Center was tragic. Many of the outfitters and vendors said they would not come back. Someone tried to break into our vehicle 3 times, but the alarm scared them off although we were messaged that someone had tried to open the doors…twice when we just ran into a gas station just to buy some soda for the road. It happened that fast! Several vehicles in the parking lot at the Expo Center were burglarized as well.
That’s my story
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Someone had a dream at one time…or at least a good idea!
DESERT GHOSTS
Originally Published the Week of Jan. 12, 2022 in Western Outdoor Publications
I’ve always had this weird (not creepy) thing about looking at (and into) people’s houses.
At the time I’m writing this, we’re driving across country to the fishing and hunting shows in various cities around the western U.S. We’ve exhibited at these shows from January to April for almost 30 years to talk to folks about fishing with our company in La Paz.
We have our booth packed up and are on our way to the Wild Sheep Foundation Show in Reno, NV. Over the past 3 days, we’ve driven across Texas, New Mexico and Nevada.
My wife Jill is driving and I’m tapping out on my laptop.
And looking at people’s houses.
I like to guess what they do. I’m intrigued by their story.
Why they happened to plant themselves in this particular area near that particular town.
Or in the middle of nowhere.
I look at what’s in the yard. Kid’s toys? A rusty swing? A bunch of old cars? An RV? Five later model cars and a mini-van? Or 5 cars on concrete blocks?
Is the yard done? Is there even a yard or just tumbleweeds and a cotton field in the back.
There’s a washing machine on the front porch of a single-wide modular. Or is there a swimming pool out back?
You can tell a lot.
Driving up and down Baja, I have that same fascination.
But, it’s not the occupied homes that I focus on.
It’s the empty houses.
Empty buildings have a story as well. And sometimes they talk.
These are the abandoned homes and buildings standing ( or leaning) in the middle of the Baja landscape. You find them built on the side of a hillside. Or they are tucked onto the bank of an arroyo or still standing observant by the side of the highway.
Dilapidated. Wind, sun-baked and weather torn. Collapsing roofs and leaning walls. Warped and sandblasted wood. Maybe some leftover traces of color or paint.
The Baja is not kind to old buildings left unattended.
Fascinating head-scratchers. I wonder about those stories.
Why here? It’s the only house for miles. What were they thinking?
No obvious source of water. No towns or communities nearby to drive to…or if the house is that old… nothing nearby to walk to…or ride a cart or burro to.
Is this as far as the got? Is this where the donkey cart finally busted an axle?
Maybe the few small tree trunks stuck in the ground at crazy angles are evidence of an old corral.
Stone, bricks and adobe are handy.
How did the even get the wood to build? It’s not like Baja has a lot of treeworthy lumber around. Did the haul it here? From where?
Baja isn’t exactly known for its forests.
Occasionally, you find a small cluster of buildings. Or what’s left of them.
Perhaps an extended family. Again, why here? And what happened to them.
Maybe as often happens, parents settle. Raise kids in the hardscrabble environment. Kids move on as they grow up. Parents pass.
Or the parents pass and the dream of living in the middle of nowhere is not the dream of their progeny. They move on.
Buildings are abandoned.
I’ve never trespassed, but if it looks like it doesn’t matter, I like to stop. Normally, it’s not like anyone cares. There’s no one around for miles and I doubt the tumbleweeds or jackrabbits care.
But, poking around old buildings…they sometimes talk to you if you look.
A blackened brick outdoor firepit. A sign that there was probably no electricity when these folks lived there. They cooked outside.
No signs of plumbing of any kind.
Rough carpentry. Uneven door and window frames. No signs that glass ever filled those windows.
Old uneven hammered rusty nails protrude from splintering dried wood. These didn’t come from Home Depot. They look like tiny sharpened spikes…handmade. Probably pretty precious back in the days.
In fact, there are signs that furniture and parts of the buildings may have been bound together with what remains of rope or old leather strips.
I find an old bent spoon in what would have been a dirt floor.
I have found an old coin or almost rubbed smooth and largely unidentifiable.
There are dark patches along walls where perhaps candles or old fuel lanterns once burned.
I found lots bleached fish bones around the back of one building. They ate fish? We were 10 miles from any body of water.
I once found two old crosses and a weathered upright stone marker side-by-side. They were in the shade of an old scrub tree back behind what may have been an old shed or barn.
Nearby the remains of a cracked clay vase that long ago may have held desert flowers. A family cemetery?
Whoever lived in these places are long gone and forgotten. But, there was a story here at one time.
I think in some sense, moving through these old living spaces makes them somewhat more real. A reminder that real people and families once lived here. Had dreams here.
And moved on. While the desert moves back to reclaim everything.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Dec. 13, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
Christmas time in Baja.
Specifically, here in La Paz where we live and have our businesses.
On so many levels, the air is definitely different this year. And, on so many levels, it’s easier to breathe.
It’s palpable
Practically speaking, masks are pretty much down. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale again. It’s been awhile.
You can probably relate. Feels pretty good not to talk through a piece of cloth. Or trying to figure out what you were saying to me!
I have a hard enough time understanding Spanish or trying to make sure my Spanish was correct. Let alone trying to do it through a mask!
And hey! That’s a smile under there. I was tired of just looking at your eyes!
The pandemic hit Mexico especially hard. It whacked Baja really hard, especially for an economy that depends so heavily on tourism.
Seventy percent of the population lives hand-to-mouth. It’s a cash economy. No one is on anyone’s books.
If you have a job, most get paid in cash or what you can sell. Conversely you pay cash as well.
Cash. No checks. No credit card. No bank account .
What’s in your pocket at the end of the day is how you feed yourself and your family. And back home, that could be a lot of folks living in a small space.
No school. No computers. No Netflix. Beaches closed. Stores closed. Restaurants closed. Curfews enforced. Entire areas completely off-limits.
Sit and stare at the rest of your family for days-on-end.
If you were actually on someone’s payroll and that business closed it’s doors during pandemic, that was just tough luck.
No feel-good stimulus checks. No unemployment checks. It doesn’t work like that in Mexico.
No money . No food . Simple as that.
Last Christmas, there wasn’t a lot of hoo-haaa.
So much lingering uncertainty . Many places and events still closed. Even churches were closed.
Fast forward to Christmas 2021.
This year, most of Mexico is now in the green level. It’s been a long transition from being in the red.
In our city of La Paz, I’ve heard it’s got one of the highest levels of vaccination. Something like 85% of the population has their shots.
Tourists are flocking to Mexico, in general, and Baja, in particular. It’s a quick hop from the U.S. No need to quarantine or prove you’re vaccinated to enter.
The dollar is strong. Mexico wants you. Mexico needs you. There are deals to be had. The world is figuring out Mexico is a good value as well.
The border is “officially” open now. Technically, it’s been closed since early 2020 although it was easy enough to drive across. But, it deterred many visitors from…well…visiting!
So, there’s a reason for optimism in the air.
You can just tell walking around town.
It’s good to see decorations and lights again. It’s good to see people in the stores and restaurants.
There are actually real live people hanging out on the beaches again. Not just police shooing people away or giving out tickets.
Even Mexicans are travelling. It’s OK this year to go see family and friends.
The surest sign of hope and optimism…I saw a wedding and a baptism at our local cathedral.
And that’s the difference. There’s a subtle sense of joy in locals and visitors alike. They’re enjoying themselves! Not looking over their shoulders or over masks.
Yes, people are gathering.
We may have this virus with us for a long time. Things will probably never be like it was, but there’s an actual air of hope.
You can feel it. You can breathe it.
It probably makes the health officials cringe. And government officials cautiously tippie-toe on eggshells hoping the other shoe doesn’t drop on the merriment or economy.
But, for now, it’s a good time to enjoy the smiles.
A good time to appreciate the moment. A time not to be taken for granted. A time to appreciate each other again and how precious simple freedom is to each of us.
It can be fleeting. As we saw only a year ago. Poof…gone!
I’m not talking about political freedom.
It’s even more basic.
The simplicity of walking where we want to walk. Taking a big unhindered breath. Going where you want to go. Shake a hand. Give a hug. Eat dinner with the family.
Hold a child.
This is the precious air you can gratefully breathe this Christmas.
May it wrap and surround you and yours.
Revel in it. Amen.
That’s my story! May you and yours be blessed this holidays and Christmas.
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Nov. 5, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
As the owners of our own restaurant in La Paz for over a decade and then living in Baja for almost 30 years, we’ve seen a lot of margaritas made and consumed.
It’s interesting to note that most of the locals won’t touch tequila or margaritas. When I’ve offered it to them at our restaurant, they (perhaps wisely) wag their fingers at me and smile. “No, gracias!”
I think they know better and I also think they enjoy watching the gringos go at it. I mean, if you’re going to Mexico, it’s your “go-to” drink.
Seemingly, as soon as folks walk off the plane, vacation has not started until they have one of those high-priced margaritas served in a plastic cup at the bar just outside the terminal. Am I right?
“Whoo-hooo, Honey! We’re in Mexico. Hot dang!”
I’d estimate that at our restaurant, 95% of the margaritas are ordered by tourists. Personally, I think we make a pretty good margarita.
We cut our own limes. We make our own lime juice (no bottled mix). Our tequila does not come from a plastic jug behind the bar. We cut our own fruits and make our own syrups.
Just like anything else, good fresh ingredients result in a better product.
But, in the spirit of “research and development”, not to mention it’s a great way to actually write-off the cost of drinking margaritas, my wife and I have gone to numerous places to “test drive” margaritas.
Here’s the deal. We go to someplace that’s known for their margaritas and as a tourist destination…Cabo San Lucas…Puerta Vallarta…Maui…San Diego…San Antonio Texas…and others.
All in the name of “research and development,” as mentioned.
We do our own version of a margarita crawl.
The purpose is not get drunk and buzzed. However, I will admit it is sometimes a happy by-product of our in-depth research! We go from bar-to bar at supposedly the places with the best margarita reputation.
We ask for their house margarita.
We take a sip or two. If we don’t like it, we pay for it and walk away without finishing it. Move onto the next place.
And so-forth-and-so on.
Spoiler alert. Here it comes.
It is amazing that some of the places that are known to be great margarita-makers literally serve absolute JUNK! Most places, we honestly can’t finish them.
But tourists don’t know any better.
They buy margaritas the size of birdbaths or chug them with their chips and that’s pretty much the extent of it. Or it’s what happens to be in their hands sitting at the pool bar all afternoon.
Admittedly, there are a few places where Jill and I take a sip and then look at each other. And another sip to make sure. Surprise! OK…not bad at all. There’s some decent stuff out there.
But, again as mentioned before, it starts with the ingredients.
If volume selling to tourists or catering to the “buy-one-get-the-2nd margarita- free” crowd is the intent, the customers aren’t going to be very discriminating.
They have no idea nor do they really care that they’re drinking a mix or that the tequila comes from a jug. It’s got ice. It’s got salt. We are having a large fun time!
“Let’s party, Baby. Afterwards let’s go buy a sombrero and one of those sarape blankets and a hammock to bring back to Montana.”
Honestly, nothing wrong with that. Vacation fun is vacation fun. Good on them! But, you get the idea.
If you really want a better margarita, here’s a few tips.
Yes, it will cost a tad more. So figure that.
For one, ask for real lime juice. Not “Jose’s Fiesta Lime Juice” in a bottle or jug. Get the real stuff if at all possible. It will make a tremendous difference.
Ask what kind of tequila they’re making your margarita with. In fact, ask to see the bottle!
There are 3 kinds of tequilas.
Silver (Plata) is clear. It has not been aged or not more than 2 months.
Resposada is slightly amber. Reposada means “rested” and it has been aged in a barrel up to one year.
Anejo means “old.” This tequila has been sitting for awhile aging for more than a year and is much darker.
The older the tequila, the richer and more full-bodied the taste.
That doesn’t mean it’s the best for tequila.
Personally, we feel that the Silver/ Clear plata tequila is best for mixing cocktails. It’s got a clean flavor that blends nicely with other ingredients.
I like the Reposada and Anejo in a shot glass or snifter. It’s meant to be sipped or I especially like it with a cigar at sunset!
While checking out the bottle, make sure it’s REAL tequila! The real stuff must be from the blue agave plant and, by law, may ONLY be produced in the regions of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
I’m not being snobby here.
Good tequila does NOT have to be expensive to make a good margarita. Like wines or beers there are so many great and inexpensive brands.
A fancy bottle does not necessarily mean a good tequila. Conversely a good tequila doesn’t have to be in a fancy bottle either.
However, like most liquors, the more expensive sipping tequilas do taste better and smoother. But, that’s OK because I’m not using the good stuff to do slammers or shots with buddies!
Life’s too short for bad margaritas! So are vacations.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Nov. 22, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
No one likes surprises when they travel. Travel can be pretty stressful as it is. Even moreso, travel during the holidays is also high anxiety time.
As luck would have it, I got to fly back to Texas from our home in La Paz to spend Thanksgiving with my wife and family. After not having a day off pretty much since last April, I couldn’t wait to jump on a plane.
As usual, I went to obtain my covid test within 72 hours of my flight.
In case you missed it or haven’t traveled internationally, since January, anyone entering the U.S. on an international flight MUST show a negative Covid test result within 72 hours of the flight.
No biggie.
Quick swab of my schnoz takes a few minutes and results pop up on your cellphone within the hour.
We’ve had hundreds of fishing clients for our Tailhunter Fleet in La Paz over the past season. It’s a little inconvenient, but just part of travelling these days along with so many other protocols we live with.
Everyone gets one then goes happily on their way back to the U.S.
So, I was all set. I had my passport, ticket, and my covid results for travel the next day.
I went to check in online and get my boarding pass and get a notice that curled my toes!
The CDC has implemented NEW RULES as of Nov. 8 for international travelers entering the U.S.
Basically, if you have been vaccinated, you still need to show a negative covid test result within 72 hour of your flight home. The problem is if you have NOT been vaccinated.
I have not been vaccinated. In fact, I’m getting it THIS week in Texas. There was no rush.
I had Covid bad last year. I’ve tested positive for the anti-bodies. I didn’t want to get vaccinated in Mexico. I’ve been there solid for 8 months.
Understandably, I’d much rather get any shots or vaccinations in the U.S. with my own doctors.
Well, the new rule requires that ALL UN-VACCINATED persons MUST show a negative covid test within 24 HOURS of the flight. Further, I had to attest that upon arrival, I would self-quarantine for a few days. Plus, I had to promise that I would get the vaccination within 60 days of arrival.
Yikes!
So, I had to run back to the testing lab in La Paz and get a 2nd negative covid test. I know the staff there and they were surprised that I returned for the 2nd time in 2 days.
They were surprised at the explanation and had no knowledge of the new rules. However, they graciously expedited my results.
The other bump in the road is that the online check-in does not work if you have not been vaccinated. Therefore, instead of TWO hours checking in before your international flight, it requires you check in FOUR hours before your flight to show your paperwork.
My flight was at 11:00 a.m. from Cabo.
Normally, I would arrive about 9 a.m. for a flight like that. Since it’s 3 hours drive from La Paz, that means leaving about 6 a.m. to head to the airport.
With the new regulations, I had to leave at 4 a.m. to get to the airport by 7 a.m.
Grrrrrr….talk about adding stress to a travel day.
Once I was there, it was easy. The folks at the airport were more than helpful and since the early days of the pandemic have tried to alleviate all the confusion and stress.
There are assistants everywhere directing travelers to the correct places or helping with forms and documents. Everyone I’ve ever run into speak English.
I’m glad I got there early, even if it was a pain. I’m glad I knew about the new rules BEFORE I got to the airport or there was a good chance I would have been denied travel.
So, bottom line is this:
If you have not been vaccinated, you must obtain a negative covid test with 24-hours of your flight for anINTERNATIONAL flight.
You must check in at least 4 hours ahead of your flight.
Plan ahead and hopefully, you’ll have a smoother easier travel day.
By the way, after more than a year-and-a-half, the border is now open as long as you can show proof of vaccination.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Nov. 9, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
For years, I’ve been telling folks about the Cross Border Express bridge (CBX) at the border for flying to Mexican destinations from Tijuana.
Mexico has a brand spanking-new air terminal now in Tijuana that’s as nice as many and perhaps nicer than many in the U.S. Indeed, Tijuana is quite a hub for air travel.
Many Americans over the years, especially from Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and even Utah found it much easier to cross the border and fly from Tijuana to places in Baja like Loreto, Cabo and La Paz and other locations in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and others.
For one, it’s often much less expensive. From Tijuana, domestic flight instead of an international flight. Statistics show, it’s as much as 50% cheaper flying to Mexican destinations than from U.S. airports.
Lately, it’s been especially conducive with Covid since international travelers returning to the U.S. must obtain negative Covid tests before their flights. Domestic flights do not have that requirement.
However, back in the day, flying from Tijuana required actually crossing the border by driving, a shuttle, a bus or taxi. Or a generous understanding friend or family member.
It required navigating the maze of Tijuana streets and traffic to get to the terminal. Plus, it included the added anxiety and potential delays of just getting through the border check-point.
Those are huge deterrents to travel, especially for folks who don’t like the idea of driving through or into Mexico in the first place. Additionally, there’s the sheer nervousness and likelihood of getting lost on a Tijuana border street.
Not to mention, your Spanish is limited to ordering chalupas at Taco Bell.
Oh, and you have a plane to catch.
I’ve known many folks who missed a turn or two and ended up back on the U.S. side or got lost miles away from the terminal. Miss a turn, miss your plane!
To that end and with rare foresight, the CBX bridge was built several years ago. I’ve been touting it for years. Clients and friends rave about it.
Essentially, it allows travelers to park on the U.S. side of the border. Or shuttle/ taxi there. You then simply walk across the bridge right into the Tijuana terminal. No fuss. No bunched underwear getting lost.
It’s a game changer!
But, I had never taken it myself. It’s like telling someone how good Italian food is, but never having eaten it yourself.
So, this past week, I had the opportunity to go to San Diego for a few days with Jill, my wife. She remained, but I had to get back to our home and business in La Paz.
Booking was easy on Volaris Airlines. It’s a newer and increasing popular airline choice for Mexican air travel. It was $85 for a less-than-two-hour-flight to La Paz and the jet was completely full. About 1/3 were gringos.
She also booked me my ticket to use the CBX. Easy online for $16.
Dropping me off at the curb in the early morning hour to catch my flight, I was greatly surprised.
I mean, I expected a BRIDGE. Y’know…like a big span or girders or something.
On the contrary, it was like being dropped at a regular modern airline terminal. The CBX is, in fact, more like a giant causeway than an actual bridge.
Architecturally, rather beautiful.
I walked right up to an uncrowded airline counter and checked in. I could have opted for automated mini-kiosks as well.
I then walked over to an immigration counter to digitally fill out and print my immigration forms. Everything was computerized. There were helpful staff assisting folks.
Again, very easy. And off I went.
Through the gates and down several well-lit modern corridors. Signs and arrows were easy to follow.
I did one stop for them to take my temperature for Covid. Another short stop to have my luggage x-rayed. A short walk to another Volaris counter where I dropped off my luggage (There are carts available, but I was travelling light).
Another short walk and bam…I was in the new terminal. Starbucks…Johnny Rocket’s Burgers…convenience stores…cosmetics…clothes…a few sports bars.
And easy-to-find -boarding gates.
I had something to eat for breakfast and made my flight with plenty of time to spare. It was a no- brainer and could not have been easier.
The entire walk was maybe 100 total yards. Much easier than driving through the border and all over Tijuana.
I traveled light this time, but there are carts, luggage porters and wheelchairs if they had been needed.
For sure, two thumbs up 5-star rating in my book.
A couple of notes:
You can also park your vehicle in secure parking on the U.S. side. It’s a big bonus.
It’s as little as $18/day. In fact, you can reserve parking ahead of time online. Cost is about $25/day and guarantees parking even if the other lots are full. There is also valet parking.
If you’re coming the other way, car rentals are also available as are shuttle services from cities like Los Angeles and San Diego and cities in between all the way up to Sacramento. Plus Uber and Lyft.
There are discounts for families travelling together plus luggage porters and wheelchair assistance. There is assistance for minors travelling alone. You will also find scales, currency exchange counters as well as duty free shopping.
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico http://www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Oct. 24, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
In the several decades that I’ve been writing fishing articles and columns for magazines and newspapers, I don’t think I’ve ever tackled this subject. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because it’s just something I don’t think about much.
For what we do down here, it’s just not much of an issue.
However, it’s come up several times in the last few weeks with regards to our panga fleet here in La Paz.
One was a legitimate question about bleeding your catch.
Two of them were complaints of sorts from first-time anglers who had never fished in Mexico and had also never fished in a panga.
Let me explain.
The process if “bleeding” a fresh-caught fish can really be beneficial. It’s not that difficult to do, especially after you’ve done it a time or two.
It involves taking a catch just out’ve the water. While the fish is still flapping, quickly cut to it’s heart and the main artery right behind the gills. You let the heart pump out the blood. Easy.
All fish are a bit different, but you can Google up the specifics.
By, the way, I’m all for a quick dispatch of any catch. The quicker you do any of this, the better for the fish rather than let it flip around in a fish box, bucket, ice chest or kill bag.
But, it can be messy. I mean, “all-over-the-deck messy” especially for really dense muscled fish like a tuna or bonito for example.
Therefore, if you can, let the blood pump out while holding the fish over the side, if possible and practical. Or, hold it in or over your bait tank. If you can’t do either of those, at least do it away from everyone else.
And be prepared to clean off the deck rapidly.
Then, get the fish chilled on ice.
The whole idea, as explained to me by a marine biologist many years ago is that when a fish, or anything dies, it immediately begins to decompose. Makes sense. No vital organs are working anymore. Blood, nerves, brain function, etc. are all flat-lined.
Blood left in the fish is also logically decomposing.
By getting rid of the blood, you can really help improve the flavor of the meat by leaving you with cleaner and better tasting fillets.
That’s the theory. And it works!
The reality can sometimes be different which brings me back to the complaints I received this week.
When I worked on big private charter boats, it was relatively easy to bleed-out a fish. I was a deckhand.
Or there were other deckhands. Even if there was a lot of activity on the deck during a bite, usually someone could bleed fish.
Unless it was really crazy.
I’ve worked on party boats and multi-day charter boats and ultimately, you’re dealing with a lot of fishermen. There’s simply too much happening.
A bunch of folks are trying to catch fish. Fish are biting. Lines are all over the place. It’s frantic.
We’re tying hooks; gaffing fish; untangling lines; tossing bait; bagging and tagging fish…and more. It’s full-speed turbo.
There’s hardly time to take one person’s fish and bleed it in the middle of the chaos. It is what it is.
On a panga like we have here in La Paz, sometimes it’s possible to bleed a lone solitary fish. Sure. Let me get right to it.
Here’s the dilemma.
There’s one captain and there 2 or 3 anglers.
The captain is the one-stop, driver; guide; deckhand and navigator. He’s got his hands full. It’s kind of a small, efficient but ultimately croweded working platform.
The fishermen are out there to catch fish. The captain’s job is to facilitate that event.
Bites can happen in a frenzy. Two or three fishermen with bent rods and slinging fish in a small boat is fun and exciting and can be a blur of motion for the captain. However…
If he stops to gaff, cut and bleed a fish…
The whole process comes to a standstill.
He can’t re-rig your lines or the lines of your buddies.
He can’t be baiting hooks.
He can’t be untangling your backlash.
He can’t drive the boat.
Your buddies might be pulling in fish at the same time.
Or losing them.
The fish school could disappear.
It’s a pragmatic issue. The anglers need to weigh taking the time to bleed solo fish versus all the other things that can happen in the interim.
I think most would rather be catching fish than watching the school disappear.
Simple as that!
That’s my story!
Joanthan
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico http://www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
Originally Published the Week of Oct. 17, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications
Having a fishing business down here, I could usually tell when the warm water season was cooling down. The signs are usually everywhere.
The kinds of fish start to change. Instead of warm water species like billfish, tuna, dorado, etc., we there are fewer in the counts. More inshore species acclimated to cooler waters like sierra, pargo, snapper, cabrilla and amberjack become more prevalent.
The winds from the north start to blow a little stronger and more consistently. The waters are choppier and cooler.
The sun is at a different angle and throws longer shadows around.
It sounds silly to the tourists, but we are starting to wear sweatshirts and long pants even though the temps are still in the high 70’s. Tourists are still running around in shorts and t-shirts. To us, it’s unequivocally cooler.
You can even tell by the types of visitors we’re getting.
Not quite so many folks from California or Arizona, Utah, Texas or Nevada.
Now, we’re getting more Canadians, Alaskans and folks from Oregon, Washington and the Dakotas. They don’t ask much about fishing or what they will catch. They just want to know if there will be sunshine.
Even if it’s a cool 70 degrees here, it’s still much warmer than what they’ve got back home so yes, the snowbirds are already showing up.
The crowds are definitely down.
Families are largely gone. Kids are back in school. Fishermen as well. Everyone’s getting ready for holidays back in the U.S. It’s a quieter time down here.
However, the biggest indicator of the changing seasons can be viewed by anyone driving around town. And it usually elicits a collective groan.
Christmas is already in the air here in Mexico.
Usually, in the U.S. we can generally figure it kicks in right after Thanksgiving.
Well, there’s no Thanksgiving holidays here in Mexico. Halloween is growing, but it’s a minor little kid thing mostly.
So, just about the end of September, here we go!
Stores are pushing aside merchandise and stocking rows and rows of toys. Those that don’t have the room, erect huge “TOY TENTS” in their parking lots.
Christmas decorations are already on the shelves as well. In fact, if you don’t purchase them now, there probably will not be any around by the beginning of December and the stores do not re-stock. Once they’re gone…they’re gone!
Christmas tree lots are also popping up in vacant lots and parking areas.
You can see where the fencing is being put in and banners advertising “Fresh Oregon Christmas Trees” are already being hung in anticipation of the arrival of trees in a few weeks.
They’ll be here by the beginning of November and folks will snap them up. Nothing like a fresh “Oregon Christmas Tree” in the living room. How you keep a tree fresh and fragrant for two months is beyond me.
I’m just not quite ready for this.
I know in a few weeks, shop owners will start painting elves and fake snow on storefronts. Somehow, it’s just not the same in Mexico seeing fake snow sprayed on things.
For most folks, the only snow they want to see is inside the rim of a margarita glass or when they pop an ice chest full of Pacifico or Dos Equis long-necks.
That’s my story!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico http://www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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That's My Story 