Road to Baja Page 6 Hola Baja!

We have finally made our way to Baja.  An easy trip from Palm Springs, past the Sultan Sea and on to Calexico.  Crossing the boarder was only a matter of minutes and before we knew it we had a green light and found ourselves on the streets of Mexicali with our GPS screening directions in an electronic bastardised Spanish. 

Janet has been reading way too much in preparation for this trip. One of the things she was positive that we needed was a "Tourist Permit".  

I have toured up and down Baja several times and only once, when Janet and I walked across at Tijuana, did the Mexican border people require us to get  a permit.  

The streets and traffic are completely chaotic in Mexicali, so finding and getting back to the government offices at the boarder was an exciting mission.  Just as we were about to give up and proceed like I thought we should, we found a parking lot close to the boarder. 

Alright then… we parked and tried to find the appropriate government office, on foot.  

I have had to hire a guide before to accomplish a very similar task. This time, after only a few failed attempts did we find the proper place to acquire these seemingly optional permits.  

In a manner and fashion that is becoming familiar to me, with the Mexican Government Permit process, we filled out the form. The official then took the form and our passports and handed us a receipt.  We were instructed to take the receipt to the local Bancomer (bank) and pay the fees (only in pesos, mind you).  The Bancomer would then issue a receipt for the fee, which we would walk back to the government office, who could now complete our permit process (only after having made a photocopy, luckily they had a photocopier but that's another story).

Anyway, after only slightly more that an hour, we had the unnecessary permits in hand and only about $40.00 poorer. 

The GPS continued to butcher the Spanish language calling off the streets and boulevards needed to navigate our way to San Felipe. 

On a previous trip on motorcycles to San Felipe, my buddy and I discovered a great little community just north of the town proper.  Petes Campo.  Inhabited by expats from the U.S. And Canada, it is a very friendly must visit. Visit we did.  We spent the late afternoon there talking to the locals and seeing some friends I had made before.  We're planning to head back tomorrow and chat some more. 

Finally in town, we check into our room, just a block off of the Malecon.  Carnival is happening this weekend so we are looking forward to experiencing the celebration.