Behind Heart Shaped Sunglasses

Bienvenidos a Mexico

Our night at the motel in El Centro U.S was what it was. A place to do some errands before we crossed the border. A place to hopefully get a good night’s rest. . The motel had an unheated pool. After the sun set we went for a cold plunge. It was chilly…like Alberta or Saskatchewan lakes in the spring. At least the air was warm when we shockingly leapt out. The big grin and giggles from Olive were worth it. The motel was a 2 star at best, but the beds were comfy.

El Centro is 30 minutes from the Mexicali and the border crossing. I’m not sure that any border crossing goes without some nervousness. This will be our first time in Mexico not in a resort. We are excited about the upcominng challenges this will bring.

The border crossing was just a smooth as our US crossing. The officer wanted our passports, how long we will be in Mexico, proof of our Mexican vehicle insurance and to see in the camper quickly. He directed us to the building we were to get our immigration visas. To our surprise if you’re in Mexico over 7 days it costs around $841.00 pesos/person.

Paul has been driving almost all of the trip. So that leaves me to navigate….thank you Google Maps! Contrary to my prior belief, I’m not the best navigator. We had mapped out the route, discussed things prior to make the exit out of Mexicali as quick and incident free as possible. From our research if you’re going to have problems with cops looking for a bribe it is here.

Our first turn out of the border crossing and I take us the wrong way. Paul is then driving on a one way road that quickly changes to 2 way traffic and he’s on the wrong side of the road…and there was a police truck parked in front of us! We easily corrected with no issue. And then almost another wrong exit..sheesh! But with those minor hiccups we were smooth cruising through the streets of Mexicali and out. What a massive contrast past “the wall”. Brawley and El Centro appear very polished and Mexicali carried a strong garbage smell…that later we realize is the smell of the nearby local garbage disposal. The streets are dirty and homes in a poor condition. It reminded me of my first experiences in India. 

As we travel down the Mex 5 highway…the newest of the 2 major highways on the peninsula, I’m amazed at the country side. Almost right out of Mexicali we are greeted by beautiful terracotta mountains and vast flat land in between.

The first major town is San Felipe. We get there a quick 3 hours after the border. Stumble our way to a campground and fumble through the Spanish language to reserve our stay for 3 nights at $550 pesos/night with nice bathrooms and hot showers.

 Neither of us speak Spanish…I think we both feel confident in trying..failing and trying again. We are leaning hard on google translate and have done a little learning prior. Some people here speak English well and others, about as good as we speak Spanish. We’ve read that as long as you try its appreciated. Hola, buenas dias, gracias….

Up until now Olive has been uninterested in speaking Spanish…by the end of the 3 days in San Felipe she is greeting people in Spanish. She is asking questions about how to say certain words. She also picked up “no tengo dinero” and has said it to a few street merchants.

We spend Christmas eve, Christmas day and boxing day in San Felipe. We explore the Malecon, the beach and the little restaurant at our campground. San Felipe is known for shrimp and is it tasty. We fumble our way through the local supermarket, an experience I’m excited to get better at. We visit with other travelers and also a couple expats.

The Christmas celebration in Mexico is full on with the biggest celebrating happening on Christmas eve. Vibrant accordion and trumpet music with cherry bomb like fireworks into the evening and early morning. There is a large sand dune behind us and the following afternoon/evening many young guys and girls are flying their atv’s down and up and across this dune, mixed with the sound of accordion, trumpets and fireworks.

Exploring further down the Mex 5, we arrive at our second campground in Mexico. Bahia San Luis Gonzaga Bay. We stay one night, a little cheaper at $400 pesos/night. With a palapa to park beside. And some clean enough Port-a-potty’s.

Finally time to try out the oldest highway in Baja and paved the entire trans peninsular length in 1973. Mex 1 takes you from Tijuana in the North to Cabo San Lucas at the furthest South. This is a narrow highway with no shoulder. It shows its age and its wear with numerous pot holes. Go slow and don’t travel at night.

As we continue the landscape has changed from bare salt flats and mountains to colorful Joshua Trees, Saguaros-the classic desert cactus. but what gives Baja a whimsical feeling are the Boojum trees and the Cardon cacti.

To keep our drive days shorter we are stopping over for 2 nights in Bahia de Los Angeles. A small fishing village…this feels like a very authentic Mexican experience. In fact the road in, off the highway is partially paved, partially gravel/sand, washboard and pot holes. Cell reception is non existent. The village is clean, military presence is apparent. It feels that this may be an up and coming stop along the route once the road in is finished.

We parked up at Campo Archelon. Hot showers, flush toilets, a cafe for $11 CAD per person not including Olive. Our campsite is more of a parking lookout, but we’ll take it.

The weather here was very windy making it a bit uncomfortable to spend hours outside. We were still able to look for treasures among the rocks at low tide. We shared a campfire and stories with another couple our last night. The cafe served up some delicious margaritas that paired well with a smoked fish salad and a shrimp quesadilla. So far the food has been authentic, full of flavor and chile infused.

There is still so much to see and experience so on we go. Next up Baja Sur, warmer climate, sand, surf and seafood