Baja Trip planning for Summer 07 (any and all advice wanted)

[rwright07]

My buddy emerson and i are planning to go down to baja at the beginning of the summer after i graduate highschool this year. I recently purchased my 2nd K5, the first was a rusted but fun 76 w/ 4in lift and a 400csb, the new one is an 84 w/ 6 in lift w/ trimmed fenders, a detroit locked 14bff rear (4.11), dana 44 (4.10), twin stick np205, th400, and a banks turbo'ed 6.5L TD. it needs a new front driveline and sum other stuff but no big deal.

anyways back to the question at hand....
i would like to make this thread the "official" baja trip info page if at all possible. My buddy and i are looking to make the trip about 2 and a half weeks, driving down from tacoma, WA. we would be leaving on june 3rd and getting back around the 20th.

like i said we r seniors in HS and would are taking this trip very seriously, we are dedicated to planning out every detail and doing this right...

right now we only have one vehicle but hopefully we could get a second or third to go aswell for safety's sake.

thank you very much for your input... hopefully we can keep this thread on track so that it can be used by others in the future.

rick

 

[rwright07]

bump

no one has nething to say?
help a couple of anxious highschool seniors plan the trip of a lifetime

 

[juanblzer]

I may be interested in going. Will you guys be doing any surfing? I have a few bros that have traveled extensively in Baja that I can get some pointers from.

 

[ntsqd]

Plan everything right up to when you cross the border. Leave everything below the border as a tentative. Leave your schedule loose & be adaptable. Baja has a way with messing up the best researched plans.

How much spanish do you speak? The more the better, particularly when dealing with authorities.
Even better is to go with a Baja vet the first time.

Avoid TJ & Ensenada like the Plague.

DO NOT drive at night, be where you are going b4 dusk. Lots of those roads are slow going washboard. A 40 MPH average is pushing pretty hard on most of them. If you not where you want to be at dusk, stop where you are unless in Bandit country.
One vehicle is not enough. I'd say three is minimum.

Oh, and all roads in Baja lead to where you're going. To truly understand this you'll need to be down there.

- TS (LocosMocos aka "PW")

 

[Jishory]

didnt a guy on here go on a surfing trip on his k5 to south america?

i want to go in november for the baja 1000 but my k5 isnt streetable at all, i wanna take something with some more manners...
mexico can be a scary ass place, try getting stuck in tijuana

if you break down around here on the way i will help yall out

 

[rwright07]

sounds good.. keep the plans below teh border flexible.. we have 2.5 weeks to get from WA down and back so that shouldnt be a huge issue.

any more advice?
any words from experienced baja guys?

thanks again
rick

 

[longbedder]

Credit cards are no good down there (except at a few places in the big cities). At the Pemex you'll need cash for gas.

If you don't like Mexican food you're farked - there is nothing else (might be obvious, but...)

Do not under any circumstances try to sneak a firearm OR ammo into Mexico.

Have fun, be respectful, and enjoy.

 

[marv_springer]

any words from experienced baja guys?

rick

I'm not "Baja Experienced", but I am Mexico experienced. Someday I wanna do the Baja thing too...

Are you hell bent on taking Blazer? I think a more suitable rig would be a "gas sipper" like a Sami or a Toyota truck. I've heard that your gas stops need to be planned well - and guzzling the stuff @ 8 mpg may not be a good thing!

How far down do you want to go...?

Marv

 

[longbedder]

Yeah, you gotta watch the gas guage. Also, take a filter - you may end up buying gas from guys out of plastic jugs when the Pemex is closed (or doesn't exist where you are).

 

[WhiteBurb]

Don't forget insurance. Your US policy is worthless down there. You'll need to pick up a policy through AAA before you go, or find a Mexican insurance agent on the US side before you cross the border.

 

[BKinzey]

Take lots of pepto bismal! Other than a black tongue there isn't any side effects. buy your water from a decent store. Some of the locals like to refill the empties.

Be prepared to repair on your own. Fixing a flat is about all the locals can be trusted with.

Be polite I know that should go without being said but plenty aren't. You are in their country. You will get a lot more help if you adapt to them. If you go down there and act like you are on Spring Break you will be treated like the AZZ you are

Most of the people are nice but you could be a target to a few.

Again! NO FIREARMS & NO AMMO! One bent 22 round under the floor mat is serious trouble.

It's well worth the trip!

 

[ntsqd]

Downside to particularly a yota down there is that there are very popular. Not all of them make it home. The closer to civilization the more this can be true, but that's part of why you want to travel with more than one vehicle.

Stash your money in several places. Some on you, some hidden in the truck, NEVER where a large wad can be seen by anyone. Mexi-Money works everywhere, Dollars are in high demand in most, but not all places. I don't think Pemex accepts it, but I could be off on that. KNOW what the current conversion rate is & be able to calculate the conversion in your head.

Pemex fuel is a far cry from the horror stories of old. In remote places you'll be buying it out of a 5 gallon can. That's how they know how much fuel you got. Not all of the cans are clean. A marine type water seperating fuel filter is a good idea. I've seen silt the likes of which Baja has here in the US, but not for nearly as many tens of miles like Baja. Carry a spare air filter & be absolutely, golly-gosh-darned-sure that the filter can seals to the filter and to the carb or TB.

 

[rwright07]

sorry i havent been checking this thread in awhile... the rig is a 6.5TD.. gets about 18 @ 63 w/ a 400, 4.10 gears, and 37.5's should get better at 45 or 50 right?
no firearms... check
tourist insurance.... workin on it

id like to get as much info about good trails, baja tips and tricks, and worthwhile visits ect.

lets keep this thread alive... il check it alot more often

thanks, rick