Taking the baja down the Baja: Day Three

Note: This is a recap of Day Three of our journey driving a ’68 bug from Sacramento, CA to Sayulita, Mexico.  You can catch up on day two here. 

We had a nice breakfast with our Philippino friend and innkeeper, and headed to the bank to get some cash.  We were surprised to find a bank south of San Diego didn’t offer withdrawals in pesos, which we normally would have ordered in advance.  No matter, we got USD knowing we’d find an exchange place closer to the border.

There are a few tricky things about taking a car into Mexico from the US.  You need Mexican insurance and a temporary vehicle permit if you plan to go to the mainland.  It’s not required for Baja, so some travelers might be in for a surprise after driving around Mexico for a while, then deciding to cross on the ferry or drive around.  Permits are required, and you’ll need to be near a border crossing to get one.  To save yourself some hassle, look up the nearest temporary vehicle permit office to your border crossing city.  Check their hours too, as you don’t want to get stuck arriving just after closing.

Once you find the office, you’ll need to turn in your paperwork. You’ll need originals of your title and registration, and then copies of your driver’s license, passport, and tourist visa, all in the same name as the person responsible for the vehicle. You’ll pay a fee and a deposit to have your car in the country.  This deposit is refundable when you take the car back out of Mexico within 180 days.  The office will give you paperwork on this, so it’s best to read and make sure you understand the agreement.

We found out that this vehicle office used to give the individual temporary visas too, but stopped doing that at an undetermined time, which apparently took place prior to our arrival.  We were directed to go to the Tijuana airport to receive those.  I’m referencing those little sheets you fill out on international flights, and that are checked at customs.  Just because we didn’t fly in didn’t mean we didn’t need them, and the airline would need to see this when we flew out.

We headed to the airport without really knowing where we would go when we arrived.  We asked a couple of folks and got pointed in the right direction.  The paperwork required a small fee, of course, but we paid it, showed our passports and were on our way.

Edgar had received a recommendation for lunch at Hotel Rosa in Ensenada.  It was another gorgeous setting, with a breeze off the water, an infinity pool, and a bountiful supply of chips and guacamole.  With a locale this pretty, I couldn’t help getting into a few poses, and even got Edgar in on the action.

Our bellies full, we headed to the car… which again would not start.  We checked the wire that had given us trouble the day before, and it was holding solid.  Edgar did a little more investigating, and then I noted that it was making a clicking noise when he tried to start it. Once he heard that, he grabbed a hammer and had me try to turn it over while he hit the starter — boom.  Success.

We were headed to San Quintin, but stopped short when dusk fell and followed a sign toward a beach hotel in Camalu.  The road was bumpy and littered with stray dogs and a few horses.  No hotel in sight.  Just when we thought we should turn around, we spotted a large 2.5 story building (the third was in progress) with one lone dog out front.  Tell me, does this place look open for business?

Well, we were wrong and it was warm and inviting, with lights on and music playing when we opened the door.  Emmanuel recommended the lobster with vegetables.  He even allowed us through a back hall and into Room 12 so we could select our own.  Check out my plate — this was just my half!

I stuffed myself silly but couldn’t finish it.  We asked Manny to put our leftovers in the fridge.  We found a “parking spot” under the balcony and settled in for the night.

Miles traveled on day three: 195 (with a few hours paused at the border)

On day four, we drove through a swarm of bees and met an old radio DJ named Fibber McGee, who just happened to tell us the truth….