After a couple of days in San Diego we were itching to get to La Paz and on to Khulula, our boat. So much driving hanging over our heads it was time to go. On Sunday morning we said good-bye to Janike and Chad and headed south.Our first challenge lay only a few miles away at the border to Tijuana. Old Wilfred was carrying more than a few thousand dollars worth of boat parts, camera equipment, tools, surfboards, an outboard engine and a dingy.

We had heard too many stories from numerous boat owners that getting across the border can be very tricky. Apparently, you can be stopped and forced to pay upwards of 30% import duty on parts that the authorities deemed “new” and able to be resold. An extra 30% on our gear we did not want to pay! (or could afford to pay) We also heard that ‘original’ receipts would help get you through. So armed with doctored receipts for most of the big-ticket items listed at 10% of their value, we drove south. Well, as we would soon learn, a dirty $150 matt black truck with plywood paneling is excellent camouflage in Mexico; we cruised into Tijuana hassle free under the radar. Just another couple of ragtag surfers heading over the weekend… 

I would love to tell you that the drive south from Tijuana to La Paz was a magical journey of self-discovery and compelling scenery, but it was not. It was long and hot. It was long and dusty. It was long. The most exciting part came at sunset in the middle of the desert on the first day, when Wilfred decided that he would take the Mexican camouflage a step further. Due to the lack of air conditioning, we were forced to drive with the windows open and the music turned to loud so we can hear it. All of a sudden it seemed Wilfred was a little louder than before. We were hard pressed to notice the difference in volume or tone of the noise the truck was making, but the evidence that lay spread out behind us on the highway was irrefutable; we had lost the muffler. No worries, pick it up, strap it to the roof and continue. It just increased our cover at the army or “federali” check points. We cruised through every single one without even a second look. 

After 2 days and over 1100 km’s of roads in the Baja, we arrived in La Paz. It was pretty exciting walking down the dock to the boat that is going to be our home for 3 years… pretty scary too.

Bryson’s Note: Perhaps it was just my mental state after driving for 6 days, but I thought the boat looked bad. Really bad. Why had I given all my money to Hugh to purchase this “thing”, was all I could think? It was covered with dust and looked haggard. After a wash down with the hose and a Fanta things started looking up.

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Published by OceanGybe: 1:18 PM
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