From January to March of each year for almost 20 years, we criss-cross the western U.S. promoting our fishing operation in La Paz and often become an impromptu clearing-house of many general questions about travel to Baja and Mexico in general.
“BAJA FAQ 2013”
Originally Published the Week of Feb. 13, 2013 in Western Outdoor News
As I’m writing this, we’re just wrapping up our 3rd day here at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmens Show here in Portland, Oregon. We’ve been on the road now for more than a month as we do our annual show-hopping promo tour across the country.
So far, we’ve done fishing/ hunting shows in Sacramento, Denver, Seattle before this one. Only 2 more months to go and about 12,000 more miles of driving.
As we stand here in our booth, promoting our La Paz fishing operation for 8, 10…12 hours a day, we talk to hundreds of people a show. We often hear many of the same questions. Year-after-year. Although the questions might be the same, very often the answers might change based on changing conditions in Baja.
I thought I’d share some of the most common questions. Some might seem pretty simple…or silly…or obvious…but as mentioned, sometimes answers might surprise you. Also, we get asked these questions ALOT so obviously, alot of folks don’t know these answers!
Q: Where is Baja, Mexico?
A: It’s the 1000 mile-long-peninsula extending from the border at San Diego/ Tijuana and going south to lands-end at Cabo San Lucas. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the West and is separated from the Mexican mainland to the east by the Sea of Cortez.
Q: Is it safe?
A: The VERY short answer. Yes. Mexico is a huge country. Generally as safe as most cities in the U.S. and in some respects even safer. Yes, there are serious problems, but much of that is only in certain areas and in border areas and tourists are not generally targeted anymore than tourists are targeted by crime in the U.S. In any given city, just like most U.S. cities, there are good and bad parts of town. Stay out’ve the bad parts.
Q: Is it OK to drive?
A: On any given day, there are thousands of tourists on Baja roads having un-eventful drives. Thousands cross the border daily and routinely. Observe the laws. Make sure you have insurance. Drive with care and common sense as you would anywhere.
Q: Can we buy property?
Yes, you can. Who do you think is buying all these parcels, condos, houses and lots along the beachfronts! Sometimes it seems that Americans are buying up all of Baja.
Q: Is it always good fishing?
A: Historically, Baja is one of the most famous fishing areas in the world. But…Baja is 1000 miles long. It has over 2000 miles of coastline. It has incredible fishing and over 700 identified species of fish in the Sea of Cortez. That being said, fishing is as different as the species, location and variables such as season, weather, current, bait, etc. Every places is not great 100% of the time. There’s such a thing as a bad day of fishing.
Q: Can we bring our fish home?
A: As long as you’re within limits and observe regulations, it would be a shame if you didn’t.
Q: Is the water safe to drink?
Most places very much so! But, like many places in the U.S., municipal water tastes bad. Everyone drinks bottled water which is readily available.
Q: Can we use American money?
A: In Baja, American dollars are very welcome, but with new banking laws, making it harder for Mexican vendors to change dollars into pesos, it makes it harder for the vendors to accept pesos…especially large denominations. Rarely, will a vendor turn down a payment in dollars…a sale is a sale! But increasingly, more can’t accept large denominations. So, it’s a good idea to use smaller bills or get pesos exchanged before you come over or at an exchange house. Many Mexican banks will not change dollars to pesos unless you have an account and, even then, only small amounts.
If you can avoid it, don’t use credit cards. But, many places won’t accept them because of high surcharges to the vendor.
Q: What happens if we need medical help or what happens if I have special medical needs?
If it’s your medication, bring what you need and extra dosage. Bring a copy of your prescription. If it’s emergency medical care, most large Baja cities actually have pretty good first response and emergency care. Enough to get you home after most emergencies so that your own doctor can treat you. Credit cards are usually welcome in lieu of insurance. Generally, emergency care is much cheaper also.
Q: What happens if we don’t speak Spanish
English is growing. Span-glish is universal, especially in the tourist areas. Keep it simple and eliminate slang and most folks will understand and everyone gets along just fine. But, everyone appreciates any attempt to speak Spanish!
Q: Do we need a passport?
Yes! Don’t wait until the last minute to get one.
Q: Can we still get prescription drugs there with no prescription?
Generally no. Not like in the old days. Generally speaking, if you need a prescription for it in the U.S., you’ll need it for most things in Mexico.
Q: How is it to retire there?
It’s one of the fastest and most sought-after places for gringos to retire and an excellent place to make dollars stretch with a high standard of living. You get more bang for the buck.
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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-international.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 riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
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Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
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