Maddie and I drove south in September. The Tijuana crossing has fancy new technology with which they X-ray your whole car while you stand behind a concrete wall. Then you wait while they try to figure out from the scan where you’re hiding the drugs, guns, and briefcases of money among the kayaking gear. Eventually they let you go fend your way across 7 lanes of rabid traffic to a no-parking area on the other side of the road where you must park to go to the immigration office for your Tourist Visa.
We negotiated this in the afternoon and spent a lovely evening overlooking the sea at Victor Leon’s place in La Bufadora (home of the Baja Kayak Fest) while waiting for three kayaks to clear customs. Three thousand dollars and one day later, the kayaks arrived to an unmarked house behind a restaurant in Ensenada where i picked them up, then met up again with Maddie, and cruised on south.
We paused at Surf Camp to see friends and rinse off the road sweat (well, one of us had air conditioning!). Thanks to Ramon and Idalia’s hard work, arrival in Loreto was uneventful and we could move right into the guide-house. Too hot to run the next morning, we went for a sunrise SUP, a fitting celebration.
