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Tackle Packing & Juggling

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There’s a right way and a wrong way to pack for a fishing trip to Baja. And then, there’s EASIER ways to do it right!

 

“TACKLE PACKING & JUGGLING”

Originally Published the Week of Feb. 18, 2014 in Western Outdoor News

It’s an irritation, but something we’ve gotta learn to live with these days.  Like taking your shoes off at the airport.   Like having your expensive shampoo taken away at check-in.

I’m sure greater and bigger minds than ours have figured out why they are important aspects of airline travel these days.   We empty  and open our bags and pass our stinky shoes through the conveyer belt and do our little spin in the x-ray scanner.  Like the hokey-pokey.  That’s what it’s all about.

One thing for sure is that the days of free luggage are something we use with words like “back in the day” and “in the olden days.”   The more you bring, the more you’ll get charged.

It kinda makes you cry as you stand in your garage and you look at all your custom rods, reels, feathers, jigs and other toys.   You want to bring them ALL!

Almost 30 years ago, I remember my first trip flying to Baja.  I took 10 rods and reels  (two tubes); a tackle box that weighed about 50 pounds and almost 30 marlin lures (that my buddy had borrowed from WON editor Pat McDonell who didn’t know who I was at the time!).   Oh, and two 85-quart ice chests as well.  And this was for fishing in a panga for only 2 days!

Nowadays, you get one piece of luggage.  If you’re lucky.

Economy airlines charge for each piece of luggage.

Rod tubes are oversize.  Pay extra.  Cha-ching!

Reel bags too heavy.  Pay extra.  Cha-ching!

Ice chest…even with nothing in it.  Pay extra.  Cha-ching!

But, a man must do what a man must do and the fish are calling!  So, we just have to think from a different angle.  Consolidate and downsize.

Before purchasing your airline tickets, find out if the airlines has a special luggage allowance you can purchase.  Some airlines (Volaris comes to mind) allows you to pay a little extra up-front when you purchase your tickets online.

This allows you to bring more luggage and more weight for a fraction of the cost.  If you just walk up to the counter with all the extra weight, they charge BY THE POUND!

For example, we had some clients who purchased $200 round trip tickets to fish with us in La Paz.  We told them to purchase the extra luggage allowance.  They declined to do so.

When they flew back to the U.S. they had several very full ice chests.  It cost them almost $600 to fly the fish back.   OUCH!

For practical purposes, take a look at your own gear, if you’re planning to travel.

“Back in the day” multi-piece travel rods were junk.  Nowadays several very good manufacturers and a number of custom rod wrappers are making some super 2 and 3-piece travel rods in varying lengths and strengths.

Many of them come with handy cases and can literally be carried in the overheads or packed into suitcases.  They even make break-down trolling rods.

For reels, here’s my suggestion.  Pair it down to some essential reels.  Match your reels to what you’ll be fishing for.  You don’t need a bowling ball-heavy 5/0 wide reel if you’re going to be fishing inshore in 100 feet of water.  With the new aluminum reels and their horse-strong drags, you can use smaller/lighter reels to get the job done.  Even for trolling.

I would also suggest putting spectra on the reels then put 150 yards of mono top-shot on them.  That way if, for example, the 40-pound test mono isn’t working, all you have to do is change the top-shot to whatever line is the hot ticket for the bite.   You won’t need a separate reel for that.

For terminal gear, be practical.  If you’re only fishing 3 days, you don’t really need 500 hooks of all sizes.  You don’t need 20 throwing irons.  You don’t need 10 feathers of all colors.   If you can, contact your outfitter ahead of time and find out what’s really working.  Bring the essentials.

While you’re at it, pow-wow with your fishing partner.  Consider packing all your rods together.  In one tube.  Each of you doesn’t need to bring a whole set of lures, hooks and other essentials either.  You can both share and thereby cut down on weight and gear.

As for bringing the fish home,  if you’re like me, it always irritated me to pay to bring an empty ice chest down to Mexico.  Paying for air?  C’mon!

What I’ve been suggesting lately is using the newer soft-sided coolers that are airline rated heavy duty;  keeps things frozen for days; and can be folded and packed into your suitcase on the way down.

We’ve had one made by American Outdoors that has worked like a champ for about 5 seasons.   Another nice thing is that these weigh less than a traditional cooler.  Since most airlines limit you to 50 pounds on luggage,  you can get more actual frozen fish in a soft-cooler than a hard-sided cooler that weighs 8-20 pounds with wheels on them.

One last thing.  In the old days,  my buddies and I brought down one or two sets of shorts and t-shirts with us.  That was it.  Our motto was, “if you can’t wash it in the sink, don’t bring it.”  That was a great way to save room for more tackle.

Of course, that was in the days when my buddies and I were all bachelors.

That’s our story!

Jonathan signature

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!

______________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA  91942

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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“Through the Looking Glass”

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The famous arch on the public pier in La Paz welcoming visitors to the “Port of Magic.”

“THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS”

Originally Published the Week of Oct. 15, 2013 in Western Outdoor News

Here in La Paz, we call the waterfront area, the Malecon.  It’s the Mexican equivalent of “fisherman’s wharf” in so many ocean-front areas in the U.S.  And, like it’s counterparts north of the border, the malecon is a hub of commercial and social activity.

Restaurants, stores, cantinas and tourist shops dot the area and cater to the numerous locals and tourists enjoying the mile-long stretch of beach and concrete boardwalk.

Smack dab in the middle is the city pier.  At the entrance to that pier is an arch proclaiming “Bienvenidos al Puerto de Illusion” (Welcome to the Port of Magic).

I never really gave it much thought.  Just another chamber-of-commerce slogan to welome tourists.  Yawn.  Lo que sea (whatever).   A bit like U.S. towns annointing themselves the “Cucumber Capital of the World” or “The Place Where Teddy Roosevelt Went to Middle School.”

And I live and work in the “Port of Magic.”  Right.  OK.

And for about 10 months of the year, we are myopically focused on running our fishing business and restaurant 24/7.  Boats in and out.  Clients and amigos coming and going.  Flights to catch and meet.  Luggage and fishing gear hauled and carried.  Fish to be packed and frozen.

We’re out’ve salsa.  The  pork ribs didn’t arrive. There’s a busted toilet.  The beer truck only brought half our order.  The drummer in the band is sick.  Two TV’s are don’t work and we have a full house for football games.

Did I just hear a bunch of glasses shatter? What do you mean we have no tortillas tonite?  Which panga just broke down?  Your buddy just heatstroked and needs a doctor?  No, I don’t know where you put your passport!  I don’t know why the bait is so small this year.   Yes, it’s OK to drink the water.

It’s crazy.  It’s hectic.  We’re little gerbils on a treadmill.  We love our lives and are immeasurably blessed.  But, after months with zero days off, we’re human.

We bump into walls.  We growl at each other.  Patience is thin. Sometimes our smiles aren’t as ready or as genuine as we would like.    How many times can I answer, “Where are the tuna?”  or “So, how come the captains don’t speak English?”

But every now and then the cosmos send down a message that gives us pause to remember where we are and what we really do.

It happened just this week.   Rick was on his 2nd trip in two years with us here at Tailhunters.  He’s a fireman.  He pulled me aside one evening at the restaurant.  He grabbed my hand in his big paw, shook it and gave me a big brotherly-bear hug.

“Hey man, I just want to thank you for having me here, “ he said sincerely.

“Oh sure, glad you’re having a good time!” I replied somewhat generically.  I was kind of in a hurry and didn’t really have a long time to chat.  The restaurant was filling up and I was expecting a big load of arrivals from the airport.  My anxiety was a little piqued.

“No, Jonathan, I really appreciate being here with you and Jill, “ he replied a bit quietly.  He wouldn’t let go of my hand.  “This place stitches my soul.”

Pause.  He looked at me eye-to-eye.  It slowed me down.  “Stitches my soul?”

“I’m a fireman.  I see a lot of things.  For a few days a year, being here in Baja helps put my soul back together.  For a few days on a boat and with my friends, it helps me make sense of things again.  When, I’m fishing my reality is simplified down to a bit of nylon string and a bit of bait.   Things start to make sense again.  It’s my happy place.  It helps me do what I do the rest of the year.  Thanks, man.”

With that, he gave me another bear hug  and let go of my hand.  He grinned and went upstairs to join the rest of his amigos already into their beers.

I stood there in my own moment.

Stiches my soul.  A place where things make sense again.  His happy space.

It’s good to remember that this isn’t just about how many fish you catch.  It’s not about “just a vacation.”

There’s often a bigger picture here.  I have to remind myself that we’re especially blessed to be part of it.   It’s indeed a magic place and a magic space through which we pass.  Vamos al Puerto de Illusion!  Find your happy place, amigos.

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  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!

______________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

U.S. Office: Box 1149, Alpine CA  91903-1149

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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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.

______________

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!

______________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

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DEAFENING SILENCE

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Jan. 31, 2013

Have you ever had something happen so quickly that you ask yourself, “Did that really happen?”  You shake your head.  You blink your eyes.

You look at others to see if they saw what you saw.  Heard what you heard.

It can be as benign as seeing a shooting star across the evening horizon or a fish jump in the distance.  Did you see that?

We’ve been on the road now for almost a month.  We’re doing our annual “road tour”  with our booth and flyers and DVD’s promoting and marketing our fishing operation as well as the City of La Paz in Baja where we’ve been at it  now for some 20 years.

It’s a fun three-month rollicking drive of 15,000 miles back and forth across the western U.S.  hitting a new fishing/ hunting show with all the hundreds of other vendors.  Modern day “carnival workers and gypsies!”

On this particular day, we had just driven about 600 long miles.   Through the snows and cold, we were tired and road-weary with at least 200 more to go before dark.

We pulled off the highway into a little faceless convenience store in a small town at the foot of a mountain range.    We walked to the counter with a few items.  The young clerk, stringy-haired under a wool hat and  trying unsuccessfully to grow a whisp of a blonde beard,  helped the folks in line ahead of us.

We moved up.  We were looked at and ignored.  The clerk went to someone else at the other end of the counter.

Then someone else.  The clerk looked at us. Then helped someone else again.

We asked if we were going to get served.  All we got was barely a look of annoyment by the clerk.  And he went to  help someone else.

My wife and I looked at each other.  Eyebrows raised.  She said, “Let’s go.” We left our items on the counter and walked out.

Jill was tight-lipped and had a slow simmer going on.  Had that really happened?

I had that “funny feeling” again.  It made me mad and saddened me at the same time.  I wasn’t quite sure it had happened.  My wife quietly confirmed that surely it had.

We climbed into our cargo van and drove off.

Several seasons ago, not far from this  same town, we had pulled off the road for the evening after another long drive.  We found a little hole-in-the-wall motel and dumped our gear.

We found an old brick and stone building  in the historic part of town with a neon sign advertising “Famous Fried Chicken since 1962.”  We parked and walked in.

It was more like a saloon.  Tables full of folks having a good time. Clanking dishes and laughs.  Cowboy rodeo photos all over the wall.  Western memorabilia everywhere in the low light.

A good looking bar lined  with beer taps and guys in John Deere hats and working-Stetsons.  No Levis.  This was  a Wrangler jeans crowd.  No posers here.

Scuffed Roper boots and workman steel-toed leathers on feet.  Guys and gals in loose Pendletons and faded denim jackets.  Frankly, we weren’t dressed much differently.

We bee-lined and deposited our tired selves in a a cozy-looking booth.  Having lived in many rural areas, I loved a good cowboy bar.  I’ve had some of my best meals in down-home places like that!  Good buzz and vibe.

Only problem is…the place went rather quiet as we walked in.  Perceptibly.  I would swear even the volume of the juke box dropped a few notches.  Maybe it was because we let in the cold rainy air from outside.

It picked up again a bit but as we waited for service,  nothing happened.  We sat.  And we sat.  No water.  No menus.  The waitress saw us.  But nothing.

Jill said, “I have funny feeling about this place. “

My perceptive skills aren’t so articulated.  I’m not paranoid.   But, Jill’s got a better radar than me.

“I don’t think we’re wanted here.”

“Nah,” I responded.  “You’re just imagining it.”

But I’ve been in a few dark bars in my time and now my own radar was humming. Senses ramped up a tetch like the hairs on my neck.

As we faced each other in the booth, I watched behind Jill’s back.  She watched over mine.

People were watching us. Glances that were held a fraction too long before turning away.  The waitress would cast an eye at us, but not make eye-contact.  Other people were getting waited on.  But not us.

Jill used to live in Mississippi.  She went to Ole’ Miss University back-in-the-day and was the only Caucasion gal in an all-black sorority.  Being from California, she didn’t think anything of it, but was warned by some debutantes that “ ‘proper’ girls just don’t do thing like that!”

So, she’s tuned a little better to this stuff than this Hawaiian-island boy who never ran into stuff like this before. But, I have spent some time in dark bars.  I’ve seen trouble.  This was different.  It was eerie.

Too late to go anywhere else and (maybe stupidly trying to make a point), we finally got our waitress to come over and grudgingly take our order.

She delivered it wordlessly.  And she never came back except to put a bill on the table.  No queries about how it was or whether we wanted to order anything else.

We ate our fried chicken huddled over our plates while the eyes watched. We ate.   Quickly, quietly and got out.  Backing out actually.

With an  ugly feeling we walked rapidly  back to our van  in the darkened street half looking over our shoulders.  Expectantly.  Anxiously.

I still wasn’t quite sure it had even happened, but we mentioned it to one of our colleagues.  He’s American of Japanese ancestry from S. California and is a famous  international outfitter and guide.

He said it was only our imagination, but  he  passed through the same town a few weeks later.  Like us, he pulled over for the night after a long drive at a little motel.

He was told, “We’re full.”  He pointed out that couldn’t be possible since the parking lot was almost empty.  He was grudgingly given a key to the room.  When he went to a coffee shop to eat, he encountered similar unspoken hostility.

Another colleague of ours is a famous Baja flyfishing guide.  He passed through several months later a few towns over.  He encountered similar resistance and quickly left the area.  He’s of Japanese-American ancestry.  Born in Hawaii.  A three-tour decorated Vietnam war veteran.  “I will never ever go back into that area,”  he told me.

As I write this, it’s been five days since  our incident at the convenience store, I still roll back the mental video tape.  Trying to find a loophole.  An escape.  A way to convince myself that it didn’t happen.

Was I really refused service because of what I looked like?  Was my wife refused service because she was with me?  Or because we’re married?  Because I’m brown and dark?  I look Asian or Latino?  She’s white with red hair?  Really? Are you kidding me?

This isn’t the south.   It’s not 1930…or 40…or even 1968.

As I lay in bed that evening many miles down the road…in another motel…in another town, I realized.  It was Monday, January 21, 2013…Martin Luther King day.   Ironic.

Silence can be deafening and I had trouble sleeping.

________________________

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!

______________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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Prevention is always the best medicine but sometimes stuff happens! What to do!

“HURTS and HAS A TEMPERATURE”

Originally Published the Week of June 11, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

You’re on your Mexican vacation and you hit a crisis.  You get sick, or worse, injured. Nothing quite brings a trip to a screeching halt like something that might require medical attention.  Not just for you, but often for your buddies, family or traveling companions.

You’re obviously far from home.  Seemingly no one speaks English. Even for something as simple as a nasty hangover or a Montezuma’s Revenge, it’s not like you can run down to the local Walgreens or other familiar pharmacy.

But wait, actually, if you know what’s wrong, most tourist destinations actually DO have familiar places like Walmart and other large stores that have pharmacies.  Small local pharmacies are on every street corner.  Believe me, most understand your “Spanglish” explanation of a headache or “the runs.” You are hardly the first person who’s come into the store with those kinds of complaints…especially in someplace for example like Cabo.

Certainly, your first option should be to report to the front desk at your hotel.  Not only do most have things like aspirin, ant-acids and other first aid items, but many have doctors on call or, can recommend you to a local doctor, hospital or emergency care facility. Or point you to a pharmacy if you just need some medicinal aid that they don’t have.

Don’t panic.  Most things, actually pass quickly.  Some of the worst-feeling things, you personally could have prevented or know how to deal with if pointed in the right direction.

Prevention, of course, is the best medicine of all.

Of the thousands of client’s we have hosted here in La Paz, there have fortunately been only a handful of injuries or sickness.  I would venture to say that the majority of them started with the line…

“We decided to do some shots of tequila…”

Or

“The guys dared me to do it…”

OK, right.  Pilot error.  Alcohol is often the culprit in the hands of someone who forgot to take it easy.  Either drinking too much…mixing poisons (“I started with tequila and went to rum then to vodka!”)  or  mixing medications (“I forgot the doctor told me not to drink whiskey with my heart medications!”)

I think almost all the broken bones or tricked knees or head bumps or the busted teeth were the result of someone not being more careful and under the influence.

Or, not drinking enough!  Or forgetting that the sun is not always your friend.

Our biggest enemy is people not drinking enough water and getting heat-stroked which can  have symptoms that resemble food poisoning, the flu, hangovers, diarrhea, etc.  Simple avoidance means drinking enough water (beer and tequila do not count) and trying to minimize exposure to the sun.

In worst case scenarios, heat stroke can easily land you in the hospital or worse.   Same for sunburn too.  C’mon…common sense.  You live in Michigan all year long and you miss sunshine.  This is NOT a reason to “go lobster” and burn your back and  man-boobs. Keep your shirt on, amigo! Sunburn hurts like the devil and can have long term effects.

But what if you’ve got a problem that can’t be solved with a few pills; more water; abstinence; or a night’s rest?

My first choice, if you are in a tourist area and staying at one of the more tourist-oriented hotels is to contact hotel management.   I’d contact the front desk. As mentioned, often, they have a doctor on call or can refer you to a health care facility or provider.  Believe me, you are not the first person ever to have a medical problem.

If it’s a traumatic injury, again, get a referral from the hotel; the local tour operator; or someone who knows where to go.  Speed can often be of the essence and in the tourist areas and even some of the outlying areas, there are excellent first-responders who can get out to you in an ambulance or emergency vehicle.

The last two times we’ve had a problem here in La Paz, the EMT’s that showed up had been trained in Chicago and Seattle!  One of the EMT’s riding along, in fact, was a young man from Denver who was working a few months in Mexico to work on his Spanish at the same time.

If you do end up in a hospital, they might not often accept your insurance, but I have yet to run into a health care facility that did not perk up when you showed them your credit card.  They might not accept Blue Cross, but everyone knows VISA!

One caveat, many of the major tourist areas, have upscale hospitals that cater more towards tourists and the middle and upper class locals.   That’s where you want to ask to go if you have a choice.  Often, they have many English-speaking employees and doctors.  And care, is a notch above too.  Certainly, it’s great for 99% of the types of injuries that befall tourists and if it’s more serious, can stabilize the situation so you can get home and see your own doctor.

But, again…the best thing is not to get hurt or sick in the first place, especially if it’s something you could have prevented by being more careful or prudent!

That’s our story!

Jonathan

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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
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“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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