I just got back from a great Labor Day trip down south of the border to Mexico with Bathhouse Alex, Doctor Dave, and Kaysie Maquilladora. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures to post. See rule #1 from the unofficial Roadtrippin in Mexico handbook: Don’t bring any valuables!
Our trip started out early at 7 am for a quick coffee and doughnut breakfast stop at the local convenience store. We piled the boards into Alex’s old Bronco. I would be taking my new, as-of-yet-unsurfed, 6′4″ Al Merrick shortboard. The drive across the border was, as always, quick and painless. We decided to go try the surf at a break about 10 miles south of Tijuana called Baja Malibu. The wave there is a beach break known for it’s hollow, smashing waves and sometimes high levels of pollution from Tijuana. Although the water was freezing cold (my guess is around 59), the waves were blown out and choppy, and the water tasted like laundry detergent, we managed to surf for about 3 hours and had a great time. On a side note: I fell in love with my new board and have decided to keep it as my winter board.
After drying off and loading the truck up we decided we might as well head down to the small fishing village of Puerto Nuevo known for it’s fresh lobsters. Continuing the drive south, I was continually amazed at the poverty level in Mexico near the border. It reminded me of my trips to the Dominican Republic. I guess it’s really easy to criticize illegal immigration sitting from an armchair watching the news on a big TV in a nice air-conditioned home. But it’s another thing to see children growing up playing in trash piles and entire families living in tin shacks.
We arrived in Puerto Nuevo shortly before noon and negotiated our way through the local vendors peddling their goods on the cobblestone streets. After some negotiations, I managed to buy a Cuban cigar for $10 (what else could go with a hot sunny day in Mexico after surfing and eating lobsters than a big Cuban cigar?). The restaraunt we ate at was awesome! I had the combo plate: a fresh lobster, fish filet, shrimp, beans, rice, and all the homemade tortilla chips you could eat. All for less than $15. After eating, everyone was tired, full, sun weathered, salty, in a semi-concious daze, and the conversation quieted to half gazes at the local scenery and ocean. We downed some coffee and headed back on the road towards the US.
I knew that the trip back would be a long one beset by long border crossing lines. Not to mention it was Labor Day weekend, one of the heaviest border crossing days. I lit my cigar, sat back in my seat, and watched the world go by.
If you travel in Mexico long enough, or talk to people who have gone there often, you’ve no doubt heard of the crooked Policia and Federales who will arrest people or impound cars to extort some cash from their victims. It probably is the biggest fear off all of the people I know who go to Mexico and it definetely was on my mind. We were easy targets: white, American, and couldn’t speak a lick of Spanish. Approaching the first checkpoint these thoughts started running through my head again, especially as the Federale waived us over to get searched. We nervously got out of the car and tried to smile and seem as friendly as possible. Fortunately, they decided we weren’t worth the trouble so they let us on our way (another reason I love the beat up, unassuming, old Bronco).
After about 3 hours in slow traffic, we crossed the border and were back in the good old US. My back hurt, I was tired, hungry, thirsty, sun-burned, had a headache, needed a shower badly, and out $40.
Would I do it again? In a heart-beat…
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I love reading your explainations of events… It’s fabulous… It was so great to go on a little road trip and experiece a new country that is so close but extreamly different from the U.S… My first time in Mexico and wanting to go back to see more places… Next time I will buy my wrestling mask just you wait…