Baja Bound (Part 1)

This entry is part 1 of 23 in the series Baja Bound

April 5, 2023

By Simon J. Lau

Today I crossed the border at Tecate. 🇲🇽 The process was easy, with no wait at all, though I did have to park and walk into the immigration office to obtain my FMM (similar to a Mexican visa). That meant filling out a short form, paying the fee, and getting it stamped before heading on the road. It was straightforward but took some time.

Baja California (Norte), the northern state of the Baja California peninsula, looks strikingly similar to the state of California. The landscape is dotted with farms and small towns, with larger cities stretched along the coasts. After more than four hours and 180 miles, I arrived in San Quintín, an agricultural town also known for its dunes and beaches. Strangely enough, I’m the only guest checked into my hotel tonight.

I was so excited for the day that I forgot to eat lunch, so I made up for it with a huge dinner. When I asked my server for a seafood recommendation, he suggested the shrimp bacon wrap. It was far too much for one person, but for my first meal here, I felt compelled to go big. 🤤

I should add that both my hotel manager and my server spoke excellent English. I had even pulled out Google Translate at dinner, which made my server laugh. “I speak English,” he said. It turns out he had lived in San Diego for 20 years, and my hotel manager had grown up on the other side of the bay from me in Sonoma. 😅

This is where Wilbur is sleeping tonight, right outside my window! Tomorrow we’ll head deeper into the Sonoran Desert to take in the cacti and unusual rock formations. 🏜️

Finally, my route from Tecate to San Quintín (290 km or 180 miles).